Crime and spoons: Sonny Spoon speaks
It's been a while since I've pawed in a blog posting about spoons and crime, so here's a quick link to Sonny Spoon and his work. Good for him. Saturday 31st May 2008
10:37 pm
It's been a while since I've pawed in a blog posting about spoons and crime, so here's a quick link to Sonny Spoon and his work. Good for him. 
10:34 pm
Mark Oaten on his future plans
Mark Oaten has left a comment on politicalbetting.com following press reports that he may resign and force a by-election in Winchester before the next election. I am not sure it tells us much about the chances of this happening, but it does come straight from the horse's mouth. Mark writes: I have never responded to blog sites before but i came accross this today- imagine what it is like to have 242 messages all about what you may do next- imagine what it is like to have the same old jokes and rubbish written about my private life. Yes i ... 10:33 pm
Londoners for Liberty
Exciting scenes in at least some London Underground stations as they became overrun by beer and mobile phone-brandishing revellers protesting against the tube drinking ban starting midnight tonight. The Circle line is currently suspended in one direction, subject to severe delays in the other and Liverpool Street Station is shut completely. There were at least 40 people at Tower Hill stations, 10:26 pm
42 days detention without trial: Lord Goldsmith speaks out again
Interesting to see the former Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, is speaking out - again, but in much more strident terms this time - against Labour's proposals to introduce detention without trial for up to 42 days. There's much I've disagreed with him on over the years, but he has it absolutely right when he says, 'We start ourselves to destroy these values and the very basis of the free society which our ancestors fought hard to create if we readily give away critical liberties, such as the right we all have not to be arbitrarily held without charge.' Moreover - ... 10:06 pm
Is 'narrative' the new spin?
We know that the general public have a low opinion of politics and politicians. Paddy Ashdown used to say it was antipathy not apathy, and he had a point, although I would say it is both. I would argue that everyone is a politician. Those who argue that they are not interested, or that they hate politics are in fact making a political statement, whether they like it or not. Not only that, in everyday life we have an attitude towards people depending on age, gender or ethnicity, and whether is varies between these groups or not is a political ... 9:45 pm
A little piece of Liberal history for £5
In a Stamford bookshop today (though not the one that stuffs owls) I bought a copy of a one-volume edition of The Autobiography of Margot Asquith edited by Mark Bonham Carter. He was the son of her step-daughter Violet. The book is inscribed: For my own darling Ilona with all the love in the world from the author's sonPuffApril 1967Which means that Puff must be the film director Anthony 'Puffin' Asquith, who died the following year. 9:24 pm
News Cock Up Of The Day
On the BBC News just now, a report on Prince William serving for eight weeks in the Royal navy, Nicholas Witchell said 'Prince William received his commission in the the Household cavalry from his mother at Sandhurst' I know traditionally that if the Royal family want something they usually get it, but surely they didn't dig up Prince William's mother ? Nicholas Witchell, the Royal correspondent ought to look up the family tree of the Royal family and learn that The Queen (who in fact gave him his commission) is in fact Prince William's grandmother. 8:22 pm
Nick Clegg MP meets the Dalai Lama - the video
This is the video I shot of Nick Clegg meeting the Dalai Lama and introducing his to MPs and peers on 22nd May. 7:54 pm
Observations on tonight's talent shows
Two things I have observed tonight from the BBC's I'd Do Anything and ITV's Britain's Got Talent. Firstly, in the search for a Nancy, it was pretty clear last week that Cameron Mackintosh does not want Jodie to win, and from his blatant comments tonight he wants Jessie. Somehow you can't help but feel that Mackintosh is too much of a theatre 'luvvie' and that Jodie is just a bit too normal and common for his tastes. I disagree and feel that Mackintosh's preferred candidate Jessie is inconsistent and her obsession with doing a cockney accent be pronouncing every 's' ... 7:51 pm
Smoking Adverts through the ages
The link is to a blog entry by NHS Blog Doctor looking at Cigarette Advertising. That was in the days where you could advertise cigarettes without having to lend the Labour Party £1 Million. I have never smoked. However, I started out going to political 'smoke filled rooms' in the 1970s which I found quite uncomfortable. Much that I discourage people from smoking I dislike the way in which 7:50 pm
Delayed news from Derby: Labour and the fake quotes
I missed this story before May's local elections, but it is not exactly every day that someone gets accused by both a radio station and a local newspaper of making up quotes from them. The person in question is Labour Councillor Alan Graves from Derby. This is what the media have had to say about [...] 7:47 pm
Notice of the Day
Seen in a shop in Stamford: Retail Licensed TAXIDERMISTS Specializing In Owls 7:29 pm
Christopher Biggins selected to fight Henley for the Tories
Has anyone else noticed the remarkable resemblance between the erstwhile bespectacled Christopher Biggins and the newly selected Conservative candidate for Henley, John Howell? Are they, by chance, related? I think we should be told. 7:28 pm
vegan festival
its that time of year. and thank goodness the sun was out! there was a really good vibe in the air. lots happening and great stalls to look at. I am veggie myself so it was great to see all of the different developments. I was helping behind the amnesty stall for a bit. giving out leaflets etc. there were a lot of campaign stalls. various angles around the veggie theme although some human rights work too. there is a photo to add which I think Ill slip in later. 6:42 pm
Paul Weller lays into Cameron
In The Sun no less: PAUL WELLER has hit out at Conservative leader DAVID CAMERON for saying he liked his old band THE JAM. The Modfather turned 50 last week but is clearly not mellowing at all. He raged: "What was that about? Was he not listening to the lyrics? Is he thick? "He probably thinks Eton Rifles is a song about him and his mates at school." 
6:04 pm
Powerful political messages: being yourself is priceless
This blog is all about communications and politics. And much of the time it is about how they combine. All the parties in Britain have experienced difficulties, at different times, in speaking to voters in a way that wasn't political but ordinary. Why is this important? Well because voters are people and they don't think or feel like voters. Yet, during a political campaign that is exactly how the parties see them. Words like liberty, social justice, decentralisation, just don't reasonate in the ways that the parties think they do. For a good while, Labour were at the top of ... 5:50 pm
Be Yourself
So, basic advertising strategy is this: Evoke emotional state, reveal brand thus linking brand to emotion. With this in mind, here's another thown-together poster that does exactly that. I'm ashamed with myself at the shallowness of this but, ultimately, we live in a society obsessed with feeling good and, really, if we can get these people, the Heat readers and the people who love Big Brother* to pay us a bit of attention then this would be a good thing. I've been thinking along 'be special' or 'be yourself' - because, again, liberals quite like being individuals - and this ... 5:49 pm
Labour u-turns on healthy meals at schools
As David Laws and his team have spotted: In 2005, Ruth Kelly promised to ensure that at least 50p would be spent on healthy ingredients in primary schools, and 60p in secondary schools, but current Schools Minister, Kevin Brennan has since denied that such a minimum spend exists. David Laws commented: Ministers seem to have quietly dropped their [...] 5:49 pm
2 out of four Bath Post Offices Saved from Closure
I am pleased that the Post office at lower Weston has been saved after a fight by our Local MP Don Foster and Councillors in Newbridge the post office was heavily used by residents in Westmoreland until the bridge over the river Avon closed just after Christmas for repairs. I am also pleased the Post office at the Bear Flat has survived although I am unhappy that any Post office at all... 5:41 pm
The muck and the mire
Until now, I had always found the BNP's claim to be the "party that tells you the truth" to be laughable. But the party is advertising courses at its 2008 summer school, including the refreshingly honestly titled: How to write propaganda. Perhaps more depressingly for fascist activists, it was also felt necessary to put on a programme entitled: How to write good English. This comes on the day that the Daily Star discovered that all of it's readers support the BNP. 5:40 pm
Prescott comes out for David Miliband
John Prescott may not always appear to be the most up to date man in the world and seems liek some sort of political dinosaur, but he has always had his finger on the pulse of the Labour Party, and by that I mean Labour and not 'New Labour'. This was shown in 1992 /1993 when he really pushed the Labour Party to start reforming itself under John Smith and from 1994 onwards under Tony Blair too. So when John Prescott starts haling David Miliband as a great future leader, he does know what he is on about. Now that ... 5:30 pm
smokin'
A few months the idea was put about that cigarettes would be sold under the counter. At the time, I assumed this was a story given to the media to direct their attention away from another story. Sadly, I can't remember what it was. It was quite a big story and appeared quite damaging to the Government. Since there have been quite a few of them recently, you can understand why I am having trouble remembering which one it was. It turns out that this is a serious proposal. Not only are there plans to put cigarettes under the counter, ... 5:25 pm
Standpoint v Private Eye
Many readers of Lib Dem Blogs will have noticed an advert for a new political magazine called 'Standpoint'. Iain Dale describes it as the centre-right version of prospect magazine. Despite being exactly the same price (£4.50) it differs also in terms of its appearance. When I picked it up today in WH Smith it felt paper-like and very un-glossy. I must admit I didn't have the time to open it as I knew I wasn't going to fork out the best part of a cherished fiver* on a magazine purely due to it being new. It does beg the question, ... 5:23 pm
50% of Bath Post Offices Saved
I am pleased that 2 of the four Post offices that were earmarked for closure in Bath have been saved in the latest review however I am disappointed that any Post office should have to close at all. Our Local MP Don Foster and Councillors in Newbridge and Lyncombe wards were successful in appealing that the Post offices at Lower Weston & Bear Flat should remain open and I am pleased... 5:03 pm
Reasons to be Cheerful #5: Sullying Apple's Little Darling
So in preparation for Henley, I went off to Curry's to find the cheapest, crappest CD walkman they might sell me. Except it turns out that such a thing is a hopelessly antiquated request nowadays. If you want to hear music, it has to have been put through a perceptual coder of some kind. Because, y'know... progress and that. Now, ownership of such a device was, technically, almost inevitable at 
4:54 pm
Tories to 'let companies run schools'
Today's Daily Telegraph reports that David Cameron 'emboldened' by the Conservatives poll lead is to propose that private companies be allowed to take over state schools. The measures will borrow elements from Sweden's system of 'free schools' where companies run more than 900 primary and secondary schools. Parents are given vouchers that are redeemable with the school of their choice. The companies that run the schools compete for pupils and receive funding in proportion to the number they attract. This strikes me as inherently grotesque. Already we have the problems with over-testing and 'league tables' and the Conservatives are actually ... 4:51 pm
Reasons to be Cheerful #4: Moffus!
Tonight's Doctor Who is the first part of Steven Moffat's two-parter. Moffat has recently been announced as the new 'showrunner', an announcement very much to be welcomed, if you ask me. (Also an announcement that readers of Lib Dem Blogs cannot fail to have been aware of!) A show like Doctor Who needs a turnover of new thinking every so often in the production team, no matter how good the 4:41 pm
Can Africa Solve Its Ills?
Last night I took part in a live discussion on Voice of Africa Radio (VOAR) on solving the crisis in African development. Fifty years after Ghana led to way to independence, most of Africa remains firmly stuck developmentally, compared with a growing number of Asian and Latin American countries that are enjoying varying degrees of [...] 4:41 pm
Reasons to be Cheerful #3: Ubuntu
Health-warning: Geekery ahead! If you couldn't care less about operating systems, move along. So this is a post I've been meaning to write for a while now, but haven't got round to it. A couple of weeks ago I decided that the release of Ubuntu 8.04 was as good a reason as any to finally take the plunge into the world of open source software properly. I've run Firefox and Thunderbird for a while 4:41 pm
Mike Tyson's visit was wrong
To my surprised, when i was flicking through the channels on my parents' television last night, I thought I heard Loughton and Mike Tyson mentioned. Thinking that my old grey matter had grown older and dies a bit more I tuned in to the London Tonight to find out more. Mike Tyson was visiting Loughton to open a new boxing venue and give a talk. People were paying as much as £2000 a ticket to hear 4:40 pm
BBC website goes over budget
I love the BBC website. I use the iPlayer to catch up with programmes I've missed (occupational hazard of being out campaigning most nights). And I use the news site every day (sometimes on my phone). Now the website has become the news, for having gone colossally over budget. I don't begrudge the BBC the license [...] 4:30 pm
An afternoon walk in the Forest (Heath)
I've been over to Cambridge today for the East of England Executive. I'm the Regional Vice Chair, which is rather unusual for a parliamentarian but I'm genuinely committed to the Regional level of decision making within the Party. We stopped on the way back to deliver leaflets in Red Lodge, where a district council by-election is being held. It's within the district of Forest Heath - normally solidly Conservative. However, this could buck the national trend due to some well-publicised (and not just by us) failings by the council. The cost of a new leisure centre has risen to more ... 4:18 pm
Labour - is the light at the end of the tunnel that of an oncoming train?
Until fairly recently I felt that the next General Election would be a bit like 1992, with Labour's majority down but with them remaining the largest party. However, if experience on the doorstep is anything to go by, I may have to change my stance. Last weekend, Ros and I were in Shepton Mallet, canvassing in support of our by-election candidate, Rachael Witcombe. When the seat had been fought 4:08 pm
Democrats decide fate of Florida and Michigan
The Democratic Party is meeting to decide the fate of two states whose delegates will not be seated at it's convention in August. Florida and Michigan were stripped of representation for holding their candidate contests in January, in violation of party rules. Hillary Clinton's hopes of getting the nomination rest on whether the party will reverse its decision in the two states, which both strongly supported her. She won both states but neither candidate campaigned in either state and Barack Obama's name was not even on the ballot in Michigan. However, even if the committee award her every Florida and ... 4:06 pm
Reasons to be Cheerful #2: Off to Henley!
Now that I am free of exams, I will be heading off to Henley tomorrow to lend Stephen Kearney and his team a hand. I have booked myself train tickets and a hotel room, and I will be there until Tuesday. So I will see any of you who are there between Sunday and Tuesday in a pub, I guess! ;-p 4:02 pm
Women in politics:
Don Boudreaux has a suggestion as to why there's so few women in politics over at Cafe Hayek. He suggests women are (in general) more decent than men and have less interest in lording it over others and are less willing to stoop to the level of political games to win office. Personally I think this [...] 4:02 pm
90 years after women gained the vote...
... some people still haven't entirely got the idea, as the conversation I just had with a Henley voter indicates. Me, just now: 'Hello, is that Mrs Jones? Mrs Jones: 'Yes, it is.' Me:'I'm calling on behalf of Stephen Kearney and Henley Liberal Democrats. I was wondering if we could count on your support in the by-election everyone's expecting in the next few weeks?' Mrs Jones: 'Oh, hang on a moment...' (puts phone down on table) Mrs Jones (overheard): 'Max, it's the Liberal something-or-other .. something for you I think... can you come to the phone?' Mr Jones (overheard): 'No, ... 4:02 pm
Reasons to be Cheerful #1: Exams are Over!
Hello people. I have now emerged from under the rock of summer revision for what I very much hope is the last time. The fate of my degree now lies in the hands of the mood of whoever marks my essays. Apologies to the Liberal inhabitants of Cambridge for my absence from Liberal Drinks on Thursday (pfft, like you noticed); as much as I would have liked to mark the halfway point of my exams, the 3:53 pm
Who would you shop?
By chance, there are two stories in the news this weekend that throw up remarkably similar themes. In Britain a mother has gone to the Police about her sons. They beat up a stranger, if you hadn't seen the story, and would have got away with it if it wasn't for their mother. And in America, Scott McClellan has published a damning book about his time working for George W. Bush. Some are accusing McClellan of doing it for the money. The US Politico blog has managed to get hold of the ex press spokesperson's pitch for the book. The ... 3:42 pm
Yay Labour Bashing!
Joy upon joy, behold my uncontained glee at the misfortunes and general petard hoisting of the Labour Party. Their poll ratings render them powerless, forced into painful and humilating U-Turns as they attempt to stop the endless torrent of negative press that surrounds them. But that's just the start of it. Already a shamelessly populist administration, they've already bankrupted themselves morally, ideologically and squandered any and all political capital they once hand. Add literal financial bankruptcy to their woes and suddenly the picture seems even worse. The Unions once again have Labour by the short and curlies. Brown's got a ... 3:35 pm
This is my only Blog. Honest.
It's interesting to me that adding, 'honest' to the end of that title makes people somehow doubt that I actually am being honest. Nevertheless, I can promise you, sincerely, that my old blog at charlottegore.net, hosted by cretins who don't listen, is dead and that this blog - which works properly - is my only blog. Honest. 2:58 pm
Another milestone!
I did say some months ago that I wouldn't bore you with details of the number of hits on this site. But I think I can justify just this one comment. It's not yet the end of the month and already this site has had over 10,000 (yes - that's ten thousand) hits in May! And all your comments are favourable! So thanks for your support. 2:56 pm
More stunning beauty in Henley constituency
... A couple of photos of the beautiful Thames taken while delivering today in Henley constituency. I think it was my 'highest property priced' delivery ever - about £1/4 billion worth of property delivered to, I would reckon. The houses I delivered to included Pete Townshend's former Thameside residence where Quadrophenia was recorded.Please come and enjoy these wonderful surroundings and help 2:51 pm
A restless night
I woke up this morning to find the bed empty and the house deserted! I later discovered that Janet had got up at six o'clock and gone off to work on the allotment. I was having a restless night and had stopped her from sleeping. Apparently this often happens, so she tells me, after Food and Drink Festival meetings! And last night we had a particular lengthy agenda! Although the Festival is still over four months away, we are now really into the thick of it so far as organization is concerned. We are deliberately not making any public announcements ... 2:50 pm
John Howell selected as Conservative Henley candidate
Oxfordshire County Councillor John Howell has been selected as the Conservative Henley by-election candidate. Details are here. 2:49 pm
Madness & the Labour Party
Thanks to a minor operation, I suddenly find myself with a great deal more free time, part of which I have spent catching up with the slow decline of Gordon Brown's mental health, and by extension that of the Labour Party as a whole. It's fascinating, it really is. In any form of company, a chief executive who spent his time dealing with complaints from individual customers would be seen as a pathological control freak. The minor PR benefits in no way make up for the time lost by someone meant to be providing strategic direction to the organisation, in ... 2:36 pm
Linkspam!
Mitch Benn would like your help. The poor fella has the same problem I do: without a pressing deadline, I just can't make myself do ANYTHING. He wants us all to nag him, and become deadline enforcers. If you want to add his blog to your f-list, btw, LJ folks, it's syndicated along with updates to his website at {[info]} mitchbenn_site Two from my lovely fiancé. Firstly, The Twat-o-tron. It automatically generates letters by taking quotes from actual contributions to the the BBC Have Your Say forums, complete with typos. Keep clicking new and you get a real flavour of ... 2:03 pm
Sometimes Germaine Greer Really Pisses Me Off
Other times, like right now, she makes me want to punch my fist in the air and shout YES! YES, YOU'RE RIGHT!!. Listening to Any Questions on the radio now was one of the latter times. The audience member asked something about the decline in Christianity being to blame for our broken society, and whether we're all about to convert to radical Islam. She started by saying that, as a Catholic, for selfish reasons she's rather glad that Catholics are no longer the whipping boys in this country. She continued by saying like most Catholics, I don't actually believe in ... 2:03 pm
The Environment Again: My least favourite topic.
I feel a bit like I've had an encounter with Bugs Bunny. A big smooch on the lips and, while stunned, I realise I've been handed a stick of ACME dynamite which, inevitably explodes leaving me covered in soot but otherwise alive. Alix Mortimer has (probably quite rightly) given me a bit of a slapping down for my post demanding the end to Green Taxes. Okay, I hold my hands up. I wasn't very constructive. I was far more focused on how that particular article came across and how warped it made our priorities seem. But I have to agree ... 1:47 pm
Raising Expectations
A few months ago the Environment Select committee which I chair produced its report on managing cemeteries and memorials. While carrying out the scrutiny we asked lots of people visiting the cemeteries for their opinion of what we currently do and how it should change. At the end of the review we wrote to everyone who'd given us their address telling them what had been decided. Unfortunately 1:47 pm
The Westminster Hour: Sunday 10pm
{Appearing on Radio 4's The Westminster Hour with Carolyn Quinn} I'm back on The Westminster Hour this Sunday: Radio 4, 10pm. If you miss the show you'll be able to listen again on their website. If you want to get advanced notice of my media appearances like this one, you can use the media events service at Flock Together. You've got three choices: Using this feed: or By email: register at FlockTogether and pick "Media appearances" as one of the categories of events you want to be emailed about. (If you are an existing Flock Together user you can ... 1:32 pm
Are we living in the future?
The Usborne Book of the Future - Pointless Museum Oh my. This is so very silly, StrangeFrontier pointed me at it in comments to the previous post, the rest of the site looks amusing as wel (tags: books predictions science culture funny) 12:41 pm
Growth of the surveillance state
From today's Times: Thousands of middle managers in local councils are being authorised to spy on people suspected of petty offences using powers designed to prevent crime and terrorism. Even junior council officials are being allowed to initiate surveillance operations in what privacy campaigners likened to Eastern bloc police tactics. The Home Office is expected to be urged [...] 12:00 pm
Day 2704: Does Mr Balloon think we're IDIOTS?
Tuesday: Because, people of Britain, we're surely going out of our way to convince him he's right if he does! Electing BoJo the Clown as Mayor of London; giving the Conservatories record leads in the opinion polls... these are the sorts of things that make him think he can do no wrong. And THAT is why we end up with announcements of pre-Stone Age Thatcherite policy: 'Boot camps' (presumably followed by 'Chain Gangs' and then logically on to 'Slavery') being a right old kick up the Eighties. 'Compassionate Conservatism' here clearly means let us 'compassionately' blame the least well off. ... 10:54 am
Humouring Mark Oaten to hang on in Winchester?
Mike Smithson has an interesting piece on Political Betting today wondering aloud whether Winchester could be our Waterloo. His advice to Nick Clegg is to give Mark Oaten whatever he wants to stay until the next election. 10:25 am
'Developing talent from all backgrounds'
Chris Parry, apparently the new chief executive of the Independent Schools Council, has attacked the state education sector. One wonders why it should be of any concern to him, apart from encouraging parents currently using the state sector to switch to a private school. Hmmm...* Despite research proving that middle-class intelligent pupils are not affected when taught alongside lesser able students, and it increasing the chances of educational success for the latter, some people still can't bear any thought of their child mixing with other children from a wide variety of backgrounds.** So who does he want transferring from state ... 9:52 am
Alison McInnes MSP on climate change
Was pleased to see North East Scotland MSP (and Scottish Liberal Democrat Climate Change spokesperson), Alison McInnes, last week call for the Scottish Government to take real action against climate change, so that Scotland takes a leading role in tackling this global challenge. Alison said, "Just over a year ago the First Minister outlined his new Government's priorities. He devoted a good deal of time to talking about the environmental challenges, the need for a Scottish Climate Change Bill, and the all-encompassing nature that action against climate change must take. But, 12 months on, every day it seems more and ... 8:50 am
Boris Johnson's record so far (updated)
Not only does Boris Johnson not seem that keen on doing the job of London Mayor, what with appointing a plethora of deputy Mayors, but he also seems to be getting into rather a habit of breaking his pre-election promises. I've previously blogged about fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square - before the election he said [...] 8:03 am
Migration figures failure causes councils to flounder
A Treasury Committee last week criticised the existing methods for estimating international and internal migration. Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne commented: 'This report makes it painfully clear that ministers have totally lost track of something as fundamental as how many people actually live in Britain. 'The Government's statistical incompetence has left councils floundering when they try to plan public services for local people. 'Not only do internal and international migration estimates need to be improved as a matter of urgency, but the Government must also reintroduce exit checks immediately so that we know when people overstay their visas.' ... 8:00 am
Day 2703: The Phoenix Has Landed
Monday: Daddy let me stay up REALLY late to watch the NASA spaceship landing on Mars. Okay, it's not QUITE the Moon Landing, but I was excited! Landing on Mars is quite TRICKY. Unlike the Moon, Mars is quite BIG so the gravity is quite STRONG. But unlike Earth, Mars has a thin atmosphere so it's not much use for slowing you down with PARACHUTES. In recent years, NASA lost the Mars Polar Explorer and the European Space Agency lost their Beagle 2. So you'll understand why the scientists at mission control were so RELIVED that Phoenix hadn't gone BLATT! ... 6:00 am
The Gambia and the wonders of west africa
The west african bug is back and it feels like a deep hold... A trip to The Gambia was as magical as could be expected - great weather, stunning scenery and just wonderful people. We managed to get off of the beaten track and go up-river. the costs is strongly touristed so it was good to use to the local bus-taxi's (bus's to us) as that gave a much more real flavour of the country and the people - they were also great places to chat to people. Our visit co-incided with the visit of President Ernest Bai Koroma of ... 12:12 am
Karen Armstrong on a Charter for Compassion
Here's a talk by Karen Armstrong that I thought pertinent to the previous post. addthis_pub = 'regnodelfines'; 12:11 am
Knife Crime, or, Knights and Knaves
The Metropolitan Police have said that knife crime is escalating with twenty-eight teenagers stabbed this year alone. On Thursday (29th May), the Met began a new campaign against knife crime using graphic pictures of injuries caused by knives. The aim is to shock young people into giving up knives. Over the next three years, the Met plans to spend £3 million on its anti-knife campaign. Whether or not such a campaign will work is difficult to say. New Labour inaugurated the technocratic "what works" approach to policy - a pragmatic, consequentialist apologetic smokescreen for bringing in liberal social policy under ... 12:00 am
Day 2702: DOCTOR WHO: Brave New Town
Sunday: Daddy Richard says that his review of the next adventure for Mr Dr Paul as Dr Who (with his friend Lucie) from the Big Fish Productions people contains SPOILERS from the very first word... okay, SECOND word... so I've got to keep you occupied for a hundred words of my own so that it doesn't appear on the Blogregator and that you have got time to stop reading my diary, go out to the shops, buy the CD for yourself, listen to it and THEN see what Daddy thought of it. Okay, that's enough time - here's Daddy's review: ... 
