11:52 pm
Having written about one of my favourite films yesterday, I have turned up this fascinating article which the Guardian printed in December 2001. David Hare shows he is on the side of the angels after all with these two quotations about The Fallen Idol: "It's a great, overlooked masterpiece of the British cinema. The more you read about Reed, the more you realise that he is our William Wyler - the director who seems able effortlessly to go to the heart of his subject, without ever drawing attention to himself. He just knows where the story should go, and that's ...
11:30 pm
No sooner do I term it a 'vidcast' than the BBC decides to popularise them as 'vodcasts' - a term I (rightly, I think) dismissed as sounding too weird. Anyway I've uploaded a new one: Talking to camera about talking to camera. It's either meta, or vanity gone mad. You decide.
11:16 pm
Seems that the "silly season" is upon us and Ming Campbell is getting some unwelcome attention from various sources who appear to be trying to line up his successor. It would appear that Charles Kennedy and Nick Clegg are the two "candidates" in the frame. I think that Peter Black's post on his blog has also had a lot to do with stirring things up but I see that as positive. I was rather fed up with Charles' performance in the latter part of last year and felt that it was either get on with it or get out. ...
10:37 pm
Tim Worstall has posted this week's selection of all (well, some) that's good in British blogging.
10:27 pm
I support Israel's right to exist (before the likes of Iain Dale just write me off as anti-Israel) but surely the killings at Qana should be giving the Israeli government pause for though? How many children will have to die before this madness is stopped. I'm delighted to see that Blair is starting to get a conscience again and at least something resembling sense is coming out of the mouths of Labour Ministers, rare event that that seems to be. To the Israeli Ambassador to the UK I have a simple message. Your Excellency, it's time for your country ...
10:24 pm
How much of an institution was it? Well, I remember at prep school - yes, I am a class traitor really - while we had half days on Wednesday and Saturday for away sports games, the prep free night was Thursday so we could watch TOTP. About the only TV program we got to watch during the week.
10:11 pm
On research using stem cells, according to this Observer story, which says: "The President objects on moral grounds to the technique, which involves harvesting human stem cells, the most basic building blocks of life." Now there was most of us thinking that amino acids are the most basic building blocks of life, most of which on earth is not vertebrate, mammalian, far less human and certainly
10:04 pm
I've been grappling with the complexity of converting our British electrical goods to Canadian voltage. Some of it requires a transformer, some just a plug converter and some will have to be replaced altogether. It's made me aware of just how much electrical equipment we use - 40 items on my list so far, and that does not include the kitchen white goods that we left behind or stuff that works on batteries. In my own defence I should add that a number of the gadgets we own are kitchen tools that we only use occasionally. We've bought a t.v. ...
9:31 pm
So I have made it. Well onto Lib Dem Blogs anyhow. For those (and that is all of you) who do not know you, here is a bit about me. My name is Neil Woollcott, 27. I am deputy headteacher who lives in Loughton, Essex. I am also the secretary of the local executive committee and part time activist. To find out a bit more about my inner thoughts about teaching take a look at my application and
9:04 pm
Most of the people who visit this blog do so throught the Lib-Dem blog link. The rest are either personal friends of mine, or have done a Google search -- e.g. 'Pointon's smelly' -- that turns up one of my blog entries. I think it is reasonable to assume that the former group are mainly interested in politics, and since the Liberal Party is the natural party of power in Canada (a delirious thought for British Lib-Dems) they may find Canadian current affairs of interest. I've therefore decided to create a new blog -- Letter from Alberta -- which will ...
8:49 pm
Over the last couple of weeks and especially this week I have been disappointed in how much negative press and negative marketing our local town of Denbigh has been receiving. What is even more frustrating is that our negativity is created by our local Mayor , and some Town and County Councillors in the Denbigh area. I would have thought that they would have known better. If we keep talking our town down, THEY will be repsonsible for its downfall. One has to question their motive of doom and gloom ? Is it just for their own publicity? One thing ...
8:28 pm
I've been quiet for a few days as I'm currently bogged down in writing a proposal for a project in Montserrat. Montserrat seems to be an interesting little country. It's currently a British Overseas Territory but clearly there are a number of people on the Island who would like it to become independent. Trouble is that there is a nasty volcano which erupts every so often throwing ash all over everything and killing most of the agriculture off. Montserrat used to have a population of about 10 000 people but about half of them are now overseas ...
8:20 pm
I'm back in the UK doing mayoral things today. But when I took on this job I never imagined that I would be opening a bridge! Admittedly, it is over the Bonesgate stream, but it is splendid for all that. And it links the two boroughs of Kingston and Epsom & Ewell so, as the Deputy Mayor of the latter said, it is symbolic of our good partnership working. The bridge is, in...
6:53 pm
Weeding the front garden this afternoon a gentleman I'd never met stops his shopmobility buggy thing on the pavement and across the front wall engages me in conversation about the need for rain, the perfidy of weeds, the goodness of dogs (so far so good) and his two strokes. They damaged his speech and reading centres. He was particularly frustrated by this because he'd recently discovered a
5:44 pm
After 10 days and 450 miles sailing the flower of our youth around the Irish Sea, one branch of government that needs real congrats is our Coastguards. Some sailors call them 'Goblins', and these miscreants should be horsewhipped on the steps of their yacht clubs for their impertinence. Because when the shit hits, the coastguard are your first emergency service at sea. Even in normal sailing
4:57 pm
According to the Observer: British children, possibly as young as six, will be subjected to compulsory fingerprinting under European Union rules being drawn up in secret. The prints will be stored on a database which could be shared with countries around the world. The prospect has alarmed civil liberties groups who fear it represents a 'sea change' in the state's relationship with children and
4:52 pm
Hello. We’re on Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh. Photos to follow later. And later it is. So Peter, Alan and I went to the pub and then for a stroll up Arthur’s Seat. Peter had his digital compact, Alan had a digital SLR and I had my phone. Their photos are likely to be better (although my [...]
4:51 pm
On the one hand we have Antonia Bance regaling us about her recent e-democracy conference (arranged in Budapest by the government department that was previously headed by the now e-for-environment David Milliband) and that Cllr Tall bloke going on about his nearly win in some e-politix Oscars. I am clearly never going to make any money in this life, as I am always five years ahead of everyone. When I moved down to Oxford twelve years ago I tried to persuade our local book sellers to let me help them develop a retail over the internet system. They weren't ...
4:39 pm
Have a look at Blognor Regis - it has loads and loads of You Tube gems, my favourites being Jane Wiedlin, the Boomtown Rats and Bananarama. And Troubled Diva is still doing it's excellent Which Decade Is Tops For Pops?. To join in at the start, scroll down to July 24th. You get to hear a medley of , say, 5 number ten hits from 5 different decades and vote on them. What strikes you is just how
4:21 pm
The New Labour government has announced that it intends to identify “problem” children at an early age and intervene early to ensure they contribute to society and do not become part of the ASBO generation. It was the New Labour government that introduced ASBOs to control social breakdown. They have also announced recently that children will be taught how to be happy. New Labour likes to
3:42 pm
It struck me quite early on yesterday morning that there wasn’t a microphone anywhere near the men in the London choir, which was in many ways helpful as it meant I decided to really slog my guts out for the benefit of the people in the hall, rather than the wider listenership on Radio 3. I [...]
2:34 pm
We need to be making more noise about this. Ming's comments are fair enough, but more should be coming directly from the Scottish party, specifically on the issues of US bomb flights landing on Scottish soil. Public opinion, and liberal principles don't always come together so completely: we should maximise the opportunity to highlight our position when they do.
1:50 pm
On UK Polling Report: "A new ICM poll commissioned by the No2ID campaign is the first to show a majority of people opposed to the introduction of ID cards... The latest poll shows that 47% of people think the introduction of ID cards would be a good idea, 51% think they would be a bad idea - a straight 5% swing compared to the last ICM/No2ID poll in February and the first time... that a poll has
12:10 pm
Charles Kennedy is in the news again. The media are having a field day speculating about a comeback and a possible challenge to Ming's leadership of the party. Kennedy set to stage a comeback - Kennedy revival rattles Campbell - Kennedy denies leadership reports . Even today the national news is reporting on an article in the News of the World, 'Kennedy plot to oust Ming' . (can't find any online version to link to) The BBC have also picked up on Peter Black's posting ...
11:50 am
James reviews a thoughtful article in Prospect. Malcolm Rifkind's proposed answer to the West Lothain Question is an English Grand Committee, consisting of MPs for English constituencies, meeting to consider legislation only affecting England, and having laws passed by tacit arrangement with the Commons that the later will not interfere. As usual, Rifkind's analysis is considerably more thoughtful
11:34 am
One of the things I appreciate about Ming Campbell has been the way he has led opinion on several domestic and international issues: whether rendition, the Home Office or the current Middle East situation. On the Middle East, he has been leading the way in the UK in calling for an immediate ceasefire in the face [...]
11:04 am
I have now been waiting five months for a substantive response to a simple freedom of information request to the Wales Office asking for details of government surveys of Swansea Guildhall back in 1998, when it was being considered as the home of the National Assembly for Wales. If Lord Falconer were to get his way however, I could well find myself having to pay for this unbelievable inaction. I say unbelievable because despite devolution taking powers and responsibility off it the Wales Office has increased its staff by 50% - from 36 to 55 - inside five ...
10:50 am
Talking about influence The Sunday Times reports that Tony Blair is taking up the cause of extending the 50 year royalty protection period on sound recordings to the European standard of 70 years: At the meeting of the national executive committee on July 19 last year Blair said that despite the “dominating global headlines” and recent terror attacks, Labour must not lose sight of the domestic agenda. In the midst of such high-profile issues as the liberalisation of the Post Office and public apathy to elections, Blair “addressed concerns” about copyright laws “whereby Cliff Richard and the Rolling Stones ...
10:28 am
Nick Cohen in today's Observer is absolutely right when he writes that political advertising on British TV will unleash corporate and political monsters that will hijack rational argument and debate. Unlimited spending by big corporations on TV advertising is capable of changing the language of any single issue so as to swing the argument their way. They will be able to target individual politicians who, out of principle, take an opposing view and they will be able to use television to feed, sustain and reinforce already-out-of-control lobbying at all the seats of power in the UK. In other ...
8:53 am
I see that the well-known cerebral newspaper, the News of the World, reports that Charles Kennedy is preparing a challenge to get his old job back as leader. Reports of regular "secret" meetings with aides are the basis of this. The Press Association also report on this, with details of the people who are supposed to be at the meetings. All this is described as "fanciful" by Kennedy. On balance,
12:31 am
...or "we should shackle the permanent secretary of the Treasury along with a clutch of Treasury ministers to the derelict barge in the stinking Hackney cut. And throw away the key." In today's Observer Will Hutton comes out for Land Value Tax to fund the potential gap in capital funding for the Olympics. Okay, he doesn't actually understand it - why should you issue bonds when you can instruct the money to be created and then retired as the tax comes in but hey - it's a step. "Tickets, television rights, sponsorship, the lottery ...
12:00 am
... as I've been having to listen to a lot of Latin: And, yes, you're right - I am too old to be only just graduating... I finally sold out, and agreed to upgrade my BA (for which I worked damn hard) to my fake Oxford MA (for which I did naff-all, except pay the £10 admin charge). My reasons for participating in this charade? They're both in the photo.
Saturday 29th July 2006,
Friday 28th July 2006,
Thursday 27th July 2006,
Wednesday 26th July 2006,
Tuesday 25th July 2006,
Monday 24th July 2006
