Human Rights, Legal Wrongs - incompetent administration

So, Charlie Falconer is thinking of changing the law is he? Why is this? Because it's being criticised. Yet why is it being criticised? For doing exactly what it was designed to do? No. It's being criticised because they failed to train those responsible for enforcement properly.

Lord Falconer said the government did not intend to pull out of the convention but it is considering a programme of education and training or new legislation to make sure it is not wrongly interpreted.

Charlie? The former, that of proper training to make sure people don't get carried away with erroneous concerns? That's good. New legislation? What is it with you lot and new legislation? Why not fully make use of the laws we've already got first? A new law should be the last resort, not the first. Your staff, and other State employees charged with protecting us, etc are failing in their duty out of erroneous concerns. One of the other cases in question:

Appeal judges quashed their convictions in May 2003 but insisted that their decision was "not a charter for future hijackers".

They said a mistake in directing the jury was the only reason the men's appeal had succeeded.

On Wednesday, the High Court ruled the men could remain in the UK until it was safe to return to Afghanistan. The government has said it will appeal ... Tony Blair has said the decision not to return the men to Afghanistan is "an abuse of common sense".

Tony? "Common Sense" to me says that Afghanistan is not currently safe. The ruling is that you can return them there when it is safe. Where, exactly, is the problem here? They fled an evil oppressive regime that you, eventually, went to war in order to depose. You're now saying that their lives weren't under threat? James at Quaequam Blog! has more to say:

Labour seem to think the fact they introduced the HRA means they must now be regarded as immune from it. The problem stems from the fact that the broad coalition that brought Labour to power in 1997 has now been sloughed off, and we are left with an authoritarian, illiberal core that doesn’t quite understand why it did half the things it did in the first three years of power.

The Act was implemented in order to promote a Human Rights culture by Tony Blair's Govt. Now that we've got one? He doesn't like it.

Time to go Tony, your Government is too tired to get anywhere.

Technorati tags: Human Rights, HRA, NuLab, Authoritarianism, Labour, Falconer

Human Rights Act not to blame for decision

Telegraph | News | Human Rights Act not to blame for decision

Sue Welsh:

The right question to ask "Dave" and other people who grumble about the Act is, do you approve of withdrawal from the Convention?

If the answer is no, we can stay in the Convention, we just don't want the Act, then I think that means they want the respectability of belonging to a nation which says it does not condone torture, without the sometimes uncomfortable consequences which flow from taking that stance. This is hypocritical in the extreme.

Agree completely.

Technorati tags: Human Rights Act, HRA, Cameron, Blair, Freedom

John Reid: disingenuous, stupid or liar?

Atlantic Rift: Two plus two is five

Can we have a public enquiry please?

Technorati tags: John Reid, Iraq, July 7th

Euston: You have a problem

I promised Paulie a response to his reply to my last post on the Euston Manifesto. The problem is that, as I've already said, something has bothered me about the thing the whole time, but I can't quite figure it out. Unity has come close to putting his finger on it:

That being said, it may well be the case that a schism does emerge from the aftermath of the Iraq war, not between the ‘decents’ and the ’stoppers’ but between an overtly ideological/utopian minority, which encompasses both, and a mainstream ‘rational’ left which, quite frankly, is getting sick and tired of being lectured about principles it well understands and labelled as lackies and ‘useful idiots’ by the ideologues for simply daring to think things through for themselves and arrive at their own conclusions on the many rights and wrongs of a complex situation like Iraq.

I agree with much of the Manifesto, disagree witht he analyisis and assumptions of part, and really dislike the holier than thou attitude of some of its proponents. It really bothers me to see comments such as:

Who doesn't support the Manifesto, and why?

- Um, Andrew? Because I haven't been persuaded yet, and yet you seem to assume I'm indecent and wrong if I don't. Also

(For instance, consider the familiar argument: "We should go to war in Iraq." "No we shouldn’t — and Donald Rumsfeld met Saddam Hussein twice! The US supported Saddam against Iran!" etc.)

Actually, the latter was usually used as a rebuttal of the "Hussein is teh evil" argument put out by the pro- lobby, if he was so evil, why was the principle supporter (now) of invasion backing him (then)? Hypocrisy or simply money grubbing? Or maybe a change of heart, in which case why not rebut it, apologise, etc?

Euston is a mix of apple pie, pointless generalisation and horrible simplicities. I think I like the other alignment Unity suggests. I'm not a Euston signatory, I'm a member of the rational left. Paulie:

The Manifesto was written because there are seriously people out there who would urge you to identify with theocrats and dictators against liberal democracies.

My only criticism of the Manifesto is it's blandness.

To the former point, yes, and I already oppose them, I don't need a set of pledges on masses of topics to prove that. The latter? That's its main problem.

It may, or may not, be a laudable project. Doesn't mean I'm going to like it.

Technorati tags: Euston Manifesto, Blogging

Cameron's 'A' list - whither party democracy?

Dave? I think that you might have a bit of a problem here Dave. In fact, I think you may have completely fucked up. Not just because she seems to be, as the Labourites say, a "shameless opportunist" who may be racist. But also because, well, she's a bit dim.

With an increasing number of immigrants and asylum seekers,' she told one newspaper, 'then the pot is reduced for the rest of us.'

Um, does anyone want to explain to your new Conservative candidate something about how economics works? How growth can be prompted by immigration? How economics isn't a zero-sum game, and economic growth means the "pot" keeps getting bigger?

In addition, can someone with Tory leanings explain their candidate selection process? How, exactly, can Cameron create a list of favored people and promise them safe seats? How can he enforce that on local associations? Is the Tory party really that undemocratic and centralist? Political Hack:

A word of warning to Dishy Dave and his Notting Hill set. While he's slavishly following the Blair playbook - even to the point of posing today with a collection of new Tory councillors (Cameron's Coven, anyone?) - he needs to be aware of the problems that the imposition of the 'chosen ones' can have on local constituency parties. Labour have been doing it for a while, with distinctly mixed results. Blaenau Gwent is just the most high-profile example of this policy.

To me, candidate selection is a fairly straightforward process. All those interested in running for a constituency apply to the local executive, who prepare a list and put it to the membership to vote on. Hopefully there's a hustings and campaign of sorts. That, to me, makes complete sense. How do the Tories do it, and how is this 'A' list going to work?

Regardless, if oyu have any say whatsoever in your local Conservative Association, I'd avoid Ms Hutchings if I were you, she doesn't look to be particularly bright or able from the quotes I've seen. Not, fortunately, my call.

Technorati tags: Cameron, the A list, candidates, Conservatives, Parties, Maria Hutchings

Quote of the week - Brian Barder on Blair

Every so often, I set aside some time to read Brian Barder's Ephems. He has a way of using 15 words when 3 will do at times, but he regularly comes out with some gems. This one I particularly like:

I believe Straw’s departure from the FCO to be deeply regrettable, especially as his successor is to be a woman of undoubted good practical common-sense and decency but with absolutely no experience of international affairs: for that lack of experience will make her warm plasticine in Blair’s hands. Given Blair’s careless and impetuous style of decision-making, his marginalising of experienced officials’ advice, the degree to which he is in thrall to the most reactionary and wilful US President of modern times, his impatient scorn for legality and his quite unwarranted confidence in the rightness of his own instincts and judgment, the prospect of No. 10 having even greater dominance than hitherto over the country’s Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary is genuinely frightening.

Technorati tags: Beckett, reshuffle, Blair, NuLab

A little blogging victory

For a certain Mr James Clive Matthews. It is nice to see people admit to mistakes, be open, honest and make amends in a constructive way.

Wait, I've got the reason. He's a German media type, not a British media type.

Technorati tagsearch: Blogging

Ruth Kelly, Opus Dei and equality

Hmm, I am wondering if hell has frozen over (Mat, you're an atheist, hell doesn't exist - ed). Why? Well, one of the tabloids in my newsagent today had a headline that really wound me up. Then, I read around a bit. Something is very wrong. I agree completely with Tim and disagree entirely with Steve. At least, on the whole "Catholics in high office" thing. I'll agree with him about her being simply rubbish. It's ok though, as Dave agrees (is it me or has his output soared since he moved location? Good thing, of course, but still).

Ruth Kelly may be absolutely useless, she may be a member of a lunatic fringe movement within Catholicism. You know what? I care not. All that matters is whether she can do the job (which includes equality and gay rights) effectively. On that, I suspect she can't, but to condemn her completely on the grounds of her religious beliefs?

This atheist believes in freedom of religion (and also freedom from religion, I'd get rid of state faith schools if I could), which means that you are free to delude yourself into believing that the moon is made of cheese, we're all descended from aliens or even, if you want real insanity, that some bloke nailed to some planks 2000 years ago was really an aspect of divinity who died to absolve you of your sins. Seriously, go ahead.

Don't let it affect your job, we're good. Hound Kelly out of office if'n y'all want, but not for her faith. Get rid of her because she's bought into the centralist agenda in which the ODPM tries to destroy local democracy. Some of the stuff in here is scary.

She may want to fix that. Odds, anyone?

Technorati tags: Ruth Kelly, Opus Dei, Equality, Inclusion

Bush 2008?

No. No no no no no. No. NO.

(via) I know, I don't do US politics. But still. No.

Technorati tags: Bush, the US, Jeb, 2008

The A to Z of ID cards - silicon.com

Must've missed this one, after my post saying I'd pay attention to Silicon.com, Justin points us at this excellent round-up. Go read.

Technorati tags: ID Cards, NIR, No2ID

Blair's coronation plans - party democracy matters

Gordon Brown:

"Tony Blair said last night that he was going to organise it in a stable and orderly way."

Does anyone else read that as if they're planning a coronation, no election, no party democracy?

I intensely dislike Blair's Govt, as I've just said in comments here:

[I'm] one of the archetypally "betrayed" former Blair supporters; I thought, when he came in, the whole "big tent" consensus etc, that he was going to be a great reforming PM, that we'd finally get a fixed constitution, honest politics, debate leading to consensus.

Instead we've got more and more spin. Like I've said already, watching Gordon closely; if he does succeed (and it's him or Reid? ouch), then if he really does start implementing the Power stuff and do some genuine changes, my current very anti stance may change.

Voted Labour in 2001. If Blair's Labour hadn't played to the gallery ever since 7/7 I probably wouldn't be as angry with the whole mess.

There was very little I disagreed with in the 1997 Labour manifesto; it didn't go far enough on some issues, but overall it looked good. I was less keen on the 2001 plans, and had many more objections to 2005 (ID Cards being one), but they were "better than the other lot" given the LibDems were in 3rd and couldn't win regardless.

The biggest betrayal, to me, is the failure in the constitutional radicalism. Tony promised so much, yet has delivered very little. Referendum on electoral reform? Devolutionary settlement? Reform to House of Lords? All are linked. It looks like they're now moving to elect the Lords. Bishop Hill:

Firstly, the Seventeenth amendment, allowing for the direct election of senators, was a mistake. Before this amendment the Senators were chosen by the state legislators. This effectively gave local government a voice in central government, and allowed the senate to block the centralising tendencies of the Washington machine. The campaign to Elect the Lords may therefore be misguided: fine, do away with the power of the Prime Minister to choose peers, but let the elections not be direct. We place far too much faith in directly elected politicians - a surprising failing on our part when we have such bitter experiences of them. Indirect elections, while superficially "less democratic" will be a better defence against centralisation and the authoritarianism that will follow it.

This mimics something I've already argued here and here, we don't need an elected Lords, we need an effective Lords. We need to sort the constitution out. Gordon seems to be making the right noises (note the Labour MP that attended the Power Conference is a known Brownite iirc).

But coronation? Leadership elections are good for both party democracy and party membership, it proves that being a part of something is worth something. Remember I (re)joined the Lib Dems (with many reservations over some of their policies) as a result of their leadership contest. I still don't do partizan, I remain and openly describe myself as a socialist, but Labour? Abandoned its core, and is now losing it's periphery.

If the membership doesn't reclaim their party from Blair, then it'll be more than a local council electoral meltdown.

Technorati tags: Blair, Brown, NuLab, party democracy, leadership

UKIP hypocrisy - Knapman is a fool

Right, I've established that I'd rather reform Europe than abolish/leave it. I've also established that I've got more time for those who honestly disagree with me on this than the vacillating types who play the nationalist card but have no intention of leaving.

So, in theory, I respect UKIP, because they're honest in their policies and positions, right? Hmm, lets see, policy:

UKIP, which has warned that enlarging the EU to incorporate east European states would lead to a “flood of migrants” that would be “bad for Britain”.

Its 2005 manifesto said the rate of immigration had to be stemmed because “the numbers of those permitted to enter legally has been rising sharply as a result of both the eastern expansion of the EU and deliberate government policy. The Labour government’s untenable excuse is that we need large numbers of immigrant workers”.

Sounds like a fair position. I disagree with it, but it's an honest assesment. You disagree with enlargement and disagree with allowing East Europeans to work here freely. Carl Bildt:

Enlargement has been an enormous and immediate benefit also to the old member states

(facts and figures on that one - the Indy online archive is crap).

Enlargement has been good for the economy. Wait, I've found someone who agrees with this, his son has set up a business to profit from it, and he himself is employing Polish builders to renovate his property:

The company run by Mr Knapman's son claims that the imported labour costs up to 50 per cent less than British workers would. Mr Knapman, speaking to an undercover reporter from The Sunday Times, praised the men as "they work so much harder".

That's right, Roger Knapman, who objected to free movement of people and the enlargement, and wishes to remove these priviledges, is now taking advantage of it himself.

Wonderful. I respect honest anti-Europeans. Not sure if I can summon any more tolerance for Knapman, his hypocrisy and his cheap stunts.

Technorati tags: Knapman, UKIP, Europe, enlargement

Disaffection is their problem, not ours

New Statesman:

Ultimately, the best way to ensure greater participation in politics is for politicians to remember that it is they who have an obligation to the public rather than the other way round. They should remember in these scandal-ridden times that theirs is a mandatory requirement to serve us with honesty and integrity. Ours is a voluntary act to give them our vote. Any decision not to is a logical response to the options available. The problem lies with the politicians, not the voters.

Like I said, until very recently, I favoured the idea of compulsory voting. The more I've thought about it, the more convinced I am that the system needs fixing, and enforced voting will lead to even more dissilutioned and alienated voters. Power to the People!

Technorati tags: Compulsory voting, IPPR, New Statesman, reform

Clarke not tough enough for Blair?

Portillo on Charles Clarke:

The wrecking of Clarke’s career makes an interesting case study. He won almost universal praise as education secretary, his first cabinet job. But after his promotion to the Home Office he never looked entirely happy. He was under intense pressure from Blair to take additional powers to detain terrorist suspects and to create new offences, such as the glorification of terrorism.

Much more than David Blunkett before him, Clarke took seriously the arguments of civil libertarians. Even if physically he resembled a round peg, Blair was clearly bashing him into a square hole. Early in Clarke’s tenure it was already rumoured that Blair was dissatisfied.
(via)

If Portillo's right, then we not only have the problem of John Reid being a bastard, it's not just the Home Office as an all-consuming monster, it's tired Tony who'll keep the pressure up for headline grabbing.

Let's hope those letter writers get through, if not to Tony himself, then to the rest of the cabinet.

Technorati tags: Portillo, Charles Clarke, Blair, NuLab, Authoritarian

Googlisms - Neil Harding

I promise to stop posting these so often. Actually, that's a promise I know I can't keep. Especially when I get results such as "neil harding killed my hamster"! Neil, is there something you're not telling us?

Technorati tagsearch: Google, Blogging

Power to the People - Cameron reforms (redux)

In an ideal world (ie one where I wasn't skint), I'd have been in London yesterday for the Power Commission conference. Fortunately, Davide has written an excellent report from which I warm (a little) to Dave (again):

Mr Cameron is strongly opposed to compulsory voting. “Voting, to me, is a right, and not voting should never be a crime. The state is our servant and not our master and to me compulsory voting ranks along compulsory identity cards as being a danger...” The rest of that was drowned out by applause.

Blogzilla has a better analysis of Dave's speech; overall, Dave seems to have got the point. Overall. He's still stuck on defending our archaic and failed electoral system though:

Proportional representation is not the answer to giving voters more meaningful choice, because it breaks the one-to-one link between MPs and their constituencies. Instead the Conservatives are experimenting with primaries, including for the selection of their candidate for the next London mayoral elections. Where proportional systems are used, they must not be closed list systems (which give the choice of candidates to parties).

Dave? We've gone through this before, the single member constituency link is a fallacy that creates safe seats, rotten boroughs and disillusioned voters. Multi-member STV strengthens the constituency link as it forces the MP to pay attention to the electorate as they know they are always under threat at the next election. Given that most councils have multi-member wards (using FPTP) and that split ballots seem common, switching to STV for local elections would significantly help. LEt's face it, under FPTP, the BNP are the official opposition in Barking and Dagenham now, yet they came third in vote share, the Tories in second place got one seat

Dave, seriously, is a system that allows the BNP to get 11 seats on less votes than your party managed a sensible electoral system? How do you think those who now face living in a ward where their representatives on the council are all BNP feel?

I've very much in favour of reforming our constitution. I do, genuinely, believe that many of the problems in Britain today come from a systemic failure. Sort the system out, then we get a more responsive & representative Govt that can deal with issues effectively, rather than by simplistic, headline grabbing initiatives.

Dave? Your lot need a minor miracle to simply break even at the next election, the system is stacked against you. Even though there is evidence in the results that:

Significant anti-Labour tactical voting has emerged for the first time, with electors choosing the party best placed to beat Labour in their area

You're still not likely to actually win. You say you want an end to "punch and judy" politics. OK, then try to understand.

First Past the Post creates Punch and Judy politics

Technorati tags: Power Commission, Cameron, reform, constitution

Britblog Roundup # 64 + Ministry of Truth

Tim's got this weeks Best of British up at his place. Also, Unity (of Liberty Central setting upness) has moved his personal blog, and has an analysis of the new Home Secretary's halftruths at the Ministry of Truth. Mr Blair would've been better served in his deckchair re-arrangement if he'd done something to break up the all-consuming monster. Ah well.

Technorati tags: Britblog, blogging

Broad Church politics.

This. Just read it. Especially if you're a current, former or nominal Labour supporter. (My views on similar subject from a few months back here and here)

Results and Reshuffle round up

Snow in Summer has a good run down post of both the results and the reshuffle. I especially liked:

Interior Secretary OUT: Charles Clarke. IN: John Reid

Great. We lose one illiberal bruiser who was promoted above his ability, and get Clarke. Now we're rid of the greatest failure since the last one, and get yet another illiberal bruiser, this time from the Ministry of War. The campaign to get rid of the new failure in the Home Office begins here! Meanwhile, we have a resignation statement to prepare for...

but the rest of it is quite good as well.

Technorati tagsearch: elections, reshuffle, parties, NuLab, Labour

Churchill and the Human Rights Act

Right, time to get back to the real business of blogging, right? Almost.

In all the Clarke/deportations fuss, many people have been making hay over the headline grabbing (and completely unnecessary) new legislation that Clarke & Blair proposed, to change the onus on deportation, etc. They were, I feel, correct to do so. I don't feel everyone should be deported, I feel that those who the Judge recommends should be should be considered for deportation, each case should be taken on its own merits.

Others pointed out that the measures would, themselves, contradict the Human Rights Act. Longstanding Tory policy is to repeal that Act (National Interest defence). On this, they are arong. Why? Geoff Hoon:

A Conservative Government, led by one of the greatest Englishmen who ever lived—Sir Winston Churchill—signed up to the European convention because, at the end of the second world war, the need to safeguard human rights and liberties was recognised absolutely. This country led the way—we drafted large parts of the European convention. To blame matters, for party political reasons—the hon. Gentleman will forgive me, but that is the case—on the Human Rights Act, which simply incorporates our existing international obligations into domestic law, is misleading. It is party political point scoring, which is wrong and unfair.

He's right. The HRA simply turns international obligations into British law. That's a good thing. That National Interest is, surely, to ensure that the basic fundamental rights of British Subjects should be respected, just as Winston Churchill et al meant them to be? Or were they merely set up to make those foreigners behave themselves?

Reminding people that the Council of Europe has nothing to do with Brussels or the Commission seems to be perpetually needed, so might as well repeat myself (again).

Technorati tagsearch: Geoff Hoon, Human Rights Act, civil liberties, Deportations, European Court of Human Rights, parties, NuLab, conservatives

Two posts broadly supportive of the govt in a row? Time to lie down...

David Miliband Blogs - an open letter

I wholeheartedly support the idea that politicians should blog more, communicate more, discuss things directly, etc. Ergo, when a Govt Minister sets up a blog, I think that's, on balance, a good idea. For the record, I'm working on my employers to give me space for a newsblog at work, it'll be a good way to communicate with the people I work with. Whether they'll buy it or not I don't know, but I don't think work blogs are a waste of time, nor of taxpayers money.

Note the corrolary though. When it's done right. David Miliband set up a blog while at the ODPM. He was criticised within the community for a number of reasons. Some were wrong (waste of Govt time, get back to work, etc - communication with those you work for is his work), but some were right.

Specifically, what happens when he changes job? Well, he now has an 'interim solution' which is to set up a redirect from his new domain name http://www.davidmiliband.defra.gov.uk/ at his new job that, um, points directly back at the old ODPM location. I've submitted the following comment, which I repeat here in full as an open letter to him:

David, the real problem here is that you're conflating two separate types of blogging.

As you're blogging in your job role, you need to do it as the Secretary of State, and then if you leave office/change job again, then the blog gets passed on to the next Secretary.

Ergo, domain name shouldn't be davidmiliband.defra etc it should be secretary-of-state.defra OR defra.gov.uk/secretary/blog or similar.

Alternately, if you want it to be YOUR blog, in your name, then host it elsewhere or, even better, get a central location to host all Govt blogs and keep them there rather than moving around, probably the No10 site may be best for that.

As it is, switching URLs and dodgy redirects will abound, Blogging Ministers is something I wholeheartedly support, just get it thought through as a proper strategy? Please?

Good luck in the new role. You never know, you may come up with a policy I like. Don't hold your breath though...

That last bit is actually possible y'know, they're not all bad this lot. Just not much good either.

Technorati tagsearch: Blogging, David Milliband, parties, Labour, NuLab

Clarke gone, Straw demoted, Prescott sidelined, now we have an idiot

OK, it looks like we may need to find a new kicking boy. Even the
pratt of an odious turd has been "demoted".

So, new target. John Reid. Friend of an utter bastard. We also know that the man's an idiot who is prone to abuses of power. Burkesworks is wondering what we should call his google bomb, Attack Poodle and Patronising Bastard are unlikely to get too high. Any other idea?

So, scratching the surface. Does anyone know what the new controller of the all-consuming monster thinks about ID cards & NIR?

Prescott seems to have a job for life? Keep the job, the salary, the title, just don't actually be in charge of anything? WTF?

Technorati tagsearch: constitution, parties, libdems, NuLab, Labour

Anyone care to suggest what I should put in as a banner now? Irrelevent after less than 24 hours.

Labour boredom, reshuffle due, Clarke must go

Bored now. Reshuffle fever is taking, Labour's losing but no meltdown as yet, and unlike last year I've got to work tomorrow. BNP making gains, but not taking power anywhere.

In the meantime, Garry has a nice post on why Charles Clarke is absolutely useless. Specifically, 160 cases where the sentencing judge recommended deportation after sentence where no hearing was held. The judge of the case recommended the convict be removed, and Clarke's home office didn't bother to do its job.

Blair is rejecting calls to abolish the Home Office, break it up or similar, yet it's obvious the entire department is a completely ungovernable mess. When I was studying Govt at Exeter, we went through all the Departments. Most of them were easy. Health did Health, Foreign and Commonwealth, Education, etc. Home Office? Everything no one else wanted. Badly.

Sort the mess out you tired fool. Still, voting is over, so thanks to James for the new one.

Technorati tagsearch: Charles Clarke, civil liberties, parties, NuLab

Prescott is a what?

Blimey, didn't know about this google bomb. Still, reckon two-inches is worth a try as well.

Mean, nasty and spiteful? Well, yes. But's it's the guy who said

Enough sleaze, enough excuses ... enough failure. Enough is enough

I agreed with him then, I agree with him now. Time to go John. (via & here)

Technorati tagsearch: John Prescott, Google, parties, NuLab

Cut out and keep guide to New Labour -Chicken Yoghurt

Technorati tagsearch: parties, NuLab

Indy: Bonfire of the Liberties

Not often I post from work, but today is an exception. 70p of your hard earned will get you a copy of The Independent, which has a special feature on this Govt, and especially Charles Clarke's attacks on the basic freedoms that make this country what it is.

Especially good is Shami Chakrabati Home Office offers too much politics, not enough policies, a break down of the knee jerk nature of the response and a summary of the important freedoms we've either lost are are likely to lose.

The Indy's online version is both crap and subject to subscription fees after a short period of time, so buying the actual paper is a good thing.

Technorati tagsearch: freedom, civil liberties, nanny state, constitution, NuLab, Charles Clarke

Right, lunchbreak over

Iain Dale's Diary: The Little Red Book of New Labour Sleaze

This is a brillian idea. I'm too swamped m'self, but I'm sure a few of our readers would be able to contribute, right?

Technorati tags: NuLabour, Sleaze, Iain Dale, Guido

Voting: How To Increase Turnout

Jonny Nexus:

The problem with saying that all politicians are crooks ... is that it is a self-fullfilling prophecy.

I spent ten years involved in local politics ... I didn't expect thanks for this, or even respect. But I didn't expect to be treated like a piece of shit.

I'd be spending, say, my Saturday morning delivering leaflets (that I'd donated the money to print) and people would be looking at me like I was some piece of crap that crawled out of the gutter. They were convinced that they were morally superior to me (and made it pretty clear) on account of the fact that they weren't spending their Saturday morning delivering leaflets. (They were going shopping, or to the football or something else I guess).

So eventually, it ground me down, and I thought "fuck this!" and give it up. I earn a good living, and I should pay more taxes as a result. I'll ask people nicely to vote that I should pay more taxes, but I'm not going to fucking beg. So I basically decided, screw you all, I'm okay, so I'm just going to start living my life. I still give money to the party and a variety of charities, but I get to spend my weekends looking after me.

Several times since then, I've been involved in conversations about politics where people first slag off everyone involved, and then say something like: "You should be a councillor! You make a good councillor!"

At which point my reply is generally something along the lines of, "Why should I give up a shitload of my own time to do a load of really stressful work, which doesn't pay anything like enough to make it monetarily worthwhile, just so that people like you can tell everyone I'm scum?"

The point is that if you believe that everyone involved in politics is corrupt and power-serving, pretty soon the only people involved will be corrupt and power-serving. I believe this is already happening. Certainly, it happened with me.

That's a comment in a post on reforming voting. One of the things I like about blogging? It forces you to really think through your ideas. I've changed my mind about compulsory voting, it is, as I should have always known, a stupid idea. Chris has more at qwghlm:

To first punish poor people by betraying the ideals that were meant to defend them, then to bully them into voting with the threat of a fine, in order to make election results ostensibly “legitmate”, is totally reprehensible.

What’s the solution? Ideally, provide poor people with a Labour party worth voting for; one that is in their interest, not that of supermarket owners, billionaire media magnates and piss-poor IT contractors. Since that won’t happen, then the very least they could do is reform the electoral system, abolish first-past-the-post and replace it with a more proportional system that allows a political spectrum that contains more than the two-and-a-half parties we have at the moment. Either that will allow a genuinely left-wing party into the political arena, or it will give Labour a bloody good incentive to reclaim the ground and people it has abandoned.

I, ultimately, believe that electoral reform will lead to a complete realignment of the existing party structures. I've never done partizan, just issues.

I might end up in a party with like-minded people. Although I suspect this bunch of hippie reformers would find it hard to agree on a single policy.

Technorati tags: voting, democracy, Jonny Nexus, increasing turnout

Google Search results - oops?

Um, is this good? Is being top (at time of typing) result in Google and AOL for prescott winterton, top 5 for winterton prescott and 6th for john prescott shags rosie winterton a good thing? Look at all those naughty people Googling for more info. Unusually, each of those is a separate, unique person (usually a search showing up more than once is someone coming back). They're from all over the place, including Spain, Australia and Washington DC. They're all from today (Monday 1st May) as well.

Um, in case it comes up, anyone know a libel lawyer that can confirm my post (below) is ok? Pretty sure it's fine but, well, y'know.

I remain of the opinion that Prescott can sleep with who he likes as long as it doesn't affect his (in)ability to do the job, same applies for her, a politicians private life is just that (even if they've in the past been a moralising bastard really). It's the fact that Prescott's crap that makes me dislike him. But Clarke's worse. Clarke's much worse.

Technorati tagsearch: Blogging, Google

Stuff: Clarke, classifications, voting, links

Guess what? Busy again*

K, interesting stuff online last few days... Guy at Samizdata has an interesting take on what to do with the Home Office. It's not quite "abolish" it, more like "get rid of virtually all its functions". It is far too big to manage. Not excusing Clarke any, he should still go, but the HO itself is a problem. Not sure I'd go as far as Guy, but still.

Iain Weaver at The Snow in Summer is discussing the Birmingham elections this week, and also has a nice breakdown of the West Midlands districts with voting recommendations (assuming you do want Labour out and don't want Blair to claim a smug victory Friday morning). Simon also provides us with a nice colour coded map. Me, I'm in Devon, we have no elections.

Most interesting though, my nomination to Tim's Britblog Roundup this week was this post by Phil at Actually Existing, in which he breaks down different political ideologies and outlooks to give a good little set of categories. Needs a little work, but better than many others I've seen. I'm planning on making it into a tick boxes copy/paste meme but that needs a little time; if anyone has any ideas for images to represent the 16 results then please suggest, also tell me which one the hammer & sickle should be given to?

Goes without saying of course that I agree with Chris on his desire to end the old left/right laziness, right? But to finish it all off, Rob has made it all more complicated by adding more axes. Ah well.

Technorati tags: stuff, charles clarke, blogging, elections, council elections, Birmingham, Home Office, Political Spectrum, Theory

*I work in the tourist industry, specifically, pre-arrival planning - my boss was on Sundays Politics Show talking about my workload and child protection. I'm busiest about 6 weeks before people arrive. They start arriving in mid June (6 weeks time). My deputy is ill. I'm swamped and knackered. Light blogging or occasionally frustrated expletives are likely next few weeks, but hey, it's all fun, right? I may mange to finish the templates on the new site at some point, but in the meantime...

Prescott & Winterton? - Smokescreen, Clarke is the target

So, Two Shags Prescott is apparently a "serial adulterer", and hints are being dropped all over the place about links to health minister Rosie Winterton. You know what?

I don't care!

I agree with Recess Monkey:

why now? A cynical part of Recess Monkey suspects this is a well-timed distraction from Charles Clarke’s current worries.

Charles Clarke is the target, ignore Prescott

It's good to know that not everyone is distracted by what people get up to in bed. Rachel:

I personally think you should resign. You've let us all down. I don't expect that we will meet again in May, but you never know. If we do meet again, I will want to know what you are actually doing to keep people safe. Rehetoric is one thing, deliverables another. You knew there was an almighty disaster waiting to happen, you were warned and warned and you still let almost 300 dangerous people out anyway, and then lost them.

Lifejacket:

The key words and phrases being "Charles Clarke", "Home Office", and "regrettable mistake". I would add a fourth and fifth, "unforgiveable incompetence", and "thumbs up their arses", and possibly a sixth, seventh, eighth … but it would take all day.

Charles Clarke must go.

Technorati tagsearch: Charles Clarke, John Prescott, Rosie Winterton, NuLab, resignation

Tony & Co - out of touch bullies?

Jack Thomas:

Tony, ... understand that what you are doing is not protecting people, its is not making us safer. It is forcing people into a authoritarian relationship. It is a breaking of their sense of self. Just because you have lost touch with yourself, more than likely over the many crimes you have commited, sanctioned and forced onto the nation since you came to power is no reason to drag us into your escape mechanism of authoritarian conduct, submission, unthinking, all consuming, automaton ideal.

Technorati tags: Tony Blair, NuLab, Labour, parties, authoritarian

RIP Peter Law and Google referrals

Firstly, while not unexpected, still a loss. Tributes from Peter Black, Bob Piper and others are already online, one of the more interesting results in 2005, here's hoping he's replaced with another strong local politician, in both his roles.

However, on a more cheerful note, the best Google search that landed here today? Charles Clarke Incompetent. For the person in question, if you read this, you want to be using the 'news' or 'blogsearch' functions to find stuff on his most recent cock-up.

But then again, he is the internet kicking boy of choice at the moment. Hopefully, this could force him out. Anyone care to lay odds?

Technorati tags: Peter Law, Obit, Charles Clarke, Blogging, Google

Charles Clarke - Obfuscating arsehole

Tyrell:

Dear Charles Clarke,
Please shut the fuck up and spend your time writing better laws instead.

Dear Journalists,
Please ignore this loser and keep telling it like it is.
Thank you,
Steve.

The rest is rather good as well.

Busy. As usual. Just got back in, not read anything anywhere else, but, well, the pile of crap in todays Indy needed mentioning. Steve's done a pretty good summary of my view. Can we get the slug out of office as well?

Update: Chris Lightfoot gives it a more thorough going over here, Bloggerheads has more here, and Justin is as eloquent as ever. Also Longrider Murky and Qwglhm.

Technorati tags: Charles Clarke, NuLab, Journalists

Happy Birthday Ma'am: The Monarchy (redux)

Well, she's now 80. Everyone is making a fuss about it, the BBC is running specials all over the place, the book(s) of the week are a series of biographies, etc. As I've covered before, I'm a convert tot eh idea of a proper, ceremonial monarch.

The current fudge, where most of the powers of the Prime Minister are really Crown Prerogative powers, and no one is really sure what she can (or cannot) do is, well, messy. Still, at least our lot get the whole point of being Head of State, not Head of Government.

Defining (and limiting) the powers of the Executive as exercised by and on behalf of the Monarch has to be a central objective of constitutional reform. But this former republican is now utterly convinced that it is reform that is needed. Besides, Starkey thinks Blair is the modern Charles II.

who "never said a foolish thing and never did a wise one". For Starkey, Blair has, "the same slipperiness, the same duplicity, the same ability to tell utterly convincing lies".

It was Charles I that got his head chopped off. Maybe we could just chop Blair?

Still, let's not be cynical. Wait, she appointed him. She could fire him as well. Ma'am? Give the nation a gift on your birthday?

Technorati tags: Monarchy, The Queen, constitution, reform

Charles Clarke - Incompetent

I wanted to rant about this at length. But, it appears, I don't need to. Language warning. No, not for DK's post, you already know about his language. It's Tim's post that needs the warning. Yup, Tim Worstall is angry enough to title a post "fuck him". More here and here, and doubtless in other places as well.

Message for Mr Clarke

You want to compensate the "victims of crime"? Good. Don't you think the innocent locked away for a crime they didn't commit is just as much a victim as the crimed against*?

You'll save £5 million quid a year. Why not save much more money than that by scrapping the White Elephant National Identity Register? Oh, I forgot, that's needed so the contract can be given to a nice Labour donating company like Crapita, right?

If we as a society get things wrong and imprison the innocent it is our duty, as that very society, to both say sorry and to compensate them as best we can.

*Obviously, context is all here, but the point stands

Technorati tags: Charles Clarke, compensation, legal system, innocent, wrongful conviction, compensation, NuLab

That Euston Manifesto thing

Via this by Garry I come to this by Sunny (and I really must add PP to my main feedreader). They're both, tangentially, discussing this.

It's been reasonably well shredded already, my main problem with it is that it tries to do too much, lumps many different issues together, many of which I agree with, others I distinctly do not, and, well, it's a bit verbose.

Actually, it's very verbose. I mean, I go on a bit, but this? Paulie, respect the opinions and all that, but couldn't you have trimmed it a little? Any decent radical knows that you need 6 key points that can be summarised very quickly. This just goes on and on and ... You get the point. Daniel, in rather hyperbolic fasion, made me laugh the most though.

Biggest problem? So many words, so few specifics.

We value the traditions and institutions, the legacy of good governance, of those countries in which liberal, pluralist democracies have taken hold.

Guys?

1. name one where you believe there truly is a legacy of 'good governance' within a 'liberal, pluralist democracy'
2. This seems to imply a liking for aspic. Yet you describe yourselves as progressives.

Constitutions and institutions evolve, adapt, and change. Currently, in this country at least, they're being abused, and have been for some time. I had hoped Blair's New Labour would improve things. They've actually made things worse (constitutionally, anyway).

The United States of America is a great country and nation. It is the home of a strong democracy

OK, the first bit, I can't disagree with. The second? You can't get elected without a bankroll that makes the loans for peerages sums look like pocket change. Hanging chads, dodgy Diebold, a two-party duopoly in which both are to what us Europeans would describe as the Right. Incredibly low turnout figures.

That's not a healthy democracy. It's not a strong democracy. It's most certainly not the beacon of truth and justice the Founding Fathers meant it to be.

Criticising the US Govt isn't "anti-Americanism". It's pro-America. You lost me on this one I'm afraid, telling me to accept the way the best challenge to Bush was from a boring patrician with a bank balance larger than many small countries is the sign of "strong democracy"? No. It isn't. Ths US system of govt is failing the people of America even more than the UK system is failing us Brits.

Respecting traditions is fine. When they work. When they don't, we need to change and update them.

The great shame? I agree with all of this:

10) A new internationalism.
We stand for an internationalist politics and the reform of international law — in the interests of global democratization and global development. Humanitarian intervention, when necessary, is not a matter of disregarding sovereignty, but of lodging this properly within the "common life" of all peoples. If in some minimal sense a state protects the common life of its people (if it does not torture, murder and slaughter its own civilians, and meets their most basic needs of life), then its sovereignty is to be respected. But if the state itself violates this common life in appalling ways, its claim to sovereignty is forfeited and there is a duty upon the international community of intervention and rescue. Once a threshold of inhumanity has been crossed, there is a "responsibility to protect".

It's a damn shame that our Govts do not.

I supported intervention in Afghanistan. I opposed Iraq. For many many reasons, mostly the mess they made in Afghanistan, and the very low priority Saddam's regime was compared to, for example, Burma and N. Korea. Also, of course, effectively abandoning Afghanistan has meant the Taliban are still there, the warlords are still there. The intervention I supported failed, and mostly because it was abandoned in favour of an easier target.

The manifesto; some fine ideals, hidden between lies, half truths, and turgid prose. Shame.

I should be right in the middle of their target audience.

Technorati tags: Euston, Iraq, the left

ID Cards on Trial

Hmm, I'd never heard of the site before, but Silicon.Com has an excellent series of articles on ID cards, the NIR, the potential commercial uses for the scheme, what will happen in the event of serious disturbance, etc.

In addition to this, John Pilger (a journalist I only sometimes agree with) has an excellent, if hyperbolic, article on the implications of ID, the NIR and the Leg/Reg Bill in this weeks New Statesman.

The dying of freedom in Britain is not news. The pirouettes of the Prime Minister and his political twin, the Chancellor, are news, though of minimal public interest. Looking back to the 1930s, when social democracies were distracted and powerful cliques imposed their totalitarian ways by stealth and silence, the warning is clear. The Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill has already passed its second parliamentary reading without interest to most Labour MPs and court journalists; yet it is utterly totalitarian in scope.
---
Those who fail to hear these steps on the road to dictatorship should look at the government's plans for ID cards, described in its manifesto as "voluntary". They will be compulsory and worse. An ID card will be different from a driving licence or passport. It will be connected to a database called the NIR (National Identity Register), where your personal details will be stored. These will include your fingerprints, a scan of your iris, your residence status and unlimited other details about your life. If you fail to keep an appointment to be photographed and fingerprinted, you can be fined up to £2,500.

Every place that sells alcohol or cigarettes, every post office, every pharmacy and every bank will have an NIR terminal where you can be asked to "prove who you are". Each time you swipe the card, a record will be made at the NIR - so, for instance, the government will know every time you withdraw more than £99 from your bank account. Restaurants and off-licences will demand that the card be swiped so that they are indemnified from prosecution. Private business will have full access to the NIR. If you apply for a job, your card will have to be swiped. If you want a London Underground Oyster card, or a supermarket loyalty card, or a telephone line or a mobile phone or an internet account, your ID card will have to be swiped.

In other words, there will be a record of your movements, your phone calls and shopping habits, even the kind of medication you take.

---
Like the constitution-hijacking bill now reaching its final stages, and the criminalising of peaceful protest, ID cards are designed to control the lives of ordinary citizens (as well as enrich the new Labour-favoured companies that will build the computer systems). A small, determined and profoundly undemocratic group is killing freedom in Britain.

The facts are correct. The conclusions? I'm not sure I even disagree with them either.

Technorati tags: ID Cards, National Identity Register, Silicon.com, John Pilger

Those nasty terrorists and billionaires

Terrorism, glorification and Peter Hain

OK, it came into force. As Garry observes, that means it's now illegal to say nice things about, for example, this guy. In addition, Peter Hain will now have problems writing his memoirs (if/when he finally leaves office), as he's also guilty of acts now defined as terrorist under laws he voted for.

NuLab changing the electoral rules in Wales - they got it wrong last time, they don't win

Of course, Hain's an arse anyway, his current wheeze is an attack on the idea of Regional top-up AMs in Wales. Well, yes Peter, we know they're a crap idea. We told you that at the time. We said use a system that kept a constituency link, but oh no, NuLab had to adopt a system that (supposedly) gave it the advantage. Create a system, then decide it's not working, so blame those that were forced to work within it instead of the system itself. Useless terrorist fool. Peter Black has more; he doesn't like how he was elected, but you do what's needed, right?

Italy, Berlusconi, cheating and stability

On the subject of Governments changing electoral systems in an attempt to give their own party an advantage, isn't Italy watching fun? At least, it would be, if the media were actually covering the story properly. The best coverage I've found hasn't been the BBC, nor any boradsheets, but blogs. The media is simply regurgitating cliches, and lying (or, to be charitable, simply not understanding) the way Italians vote. There's an excellent description, including regional breakdown, here. Silvio tried to rig the system, owns most of the broadcast media, controlled a lot of the rest via the Govt, and still they voted him out (just).

Who would chose a list PR system?

The Italian electoral system, now I've read about it, is even more crazy than the Israeli system. It says something when two countries have system that are actually as bad, if not worse, than ours. Or, are they?

I'd have said yes, but look at those turnout numbers in Italy. Everyone voted, everyone took it seriously, it mattered. More parties than I can count, but everyone gets to vote for what they care about. You most certainly can't say that all Italian politicians are the same. It's still a daft system, but it does show how the "western malaise" supposedly affectig democracy doesn't, necessarily, apply. Friend of mine was at a big trade fair show in Bologna over the weekend. Major stall holders were shutting up and leaving early, from their biggest annual event, in order to get home and vote.

Would us Brits bother doing that? The Italian electoral system (especially the new one that Berlusconi created) is unstable, and no one is seriously suggesting it for the UK. Instead, we want a reformed constituency system. I've gone on about it before, plenty of times, but Peter Blacks post above gives another good series of reasons why list systems are wrong.

The new Liberal Review, and NLE is moving soon

Life is busy, I'm busy, and light blogging mode is on. New project in the works, we'll be moving soon, details to follow when I've got everything sorted out. In the meantime, on the subject of revamped blogs, take a good look at the new Liberal Review. I've been asked to write a bit onconstitutional refor (sorry Rob, swamped), in the meantime, it's taken onboard the Apollo Project team, and taking guest columns, including a pretty good one from Tim.

G'night all.

Technorati tags: terrorism, freedom, NuLab, Peter Hain, Italy, electoral systems, PR, list PR, Proportional Representation, Liberal Review, Berlusconi, Prodi

Don't wait til 2008 - get your ID Card now!

This. "FREE Magic Golden Bit to help you feel secure"

Technorati tags: ID cards, yoda

Britblog Roundup # 60

The weekly best of is up a Tim's place.

I, as usual, am running late, so I'll read the ones I haven't yet seen late.

Technorati tags: Britblog, blogging

Jack Straw's bed - a Google Search

Why is someone in Belgium googling for jack straw bed - Google Search?

And thanks to Katy for making the comment that put that little nugget into the post; another good reason to use a commenting system that puts the comments on the same page as the post, haloscan et al give those awful annoying pop-ups, no thanks.

Technorati tags: Jack Straw, Condi Rice

The POWER of party funding

Very interesting discussion over on Strange Stuff on party funding and the Power report, one I've been planning to write about but, as usual, not got around to finishing reading the damned report.

Essentially, I'm not sold on state funding of parties, and prefer instead a mixture of campaign spending caps and free access to more media in a less regulated manner; "party election broadcasts" are dull as ditchwater, but at least they're equitable, let's update and improve upon that model so that parties don't need to spend as much on gimicky adverts, posters, etc.

Alternately, don't give the money to parties directly, book the advertising space centrally, pay for it centrally, and share it out as per PEBs (which are determined by number of candidates fielded and thus fairly allotted to new parties as well).

If we go for state finance directly to parties (and I'd prefer we didn't), it has to be on something similar to the POWER model, wherein we, when voting, also tick a box to allot £3 or similar to a particular party, not necessarily the one we're voting for.

Better that than dodgy loans and party treasurers begging the rich for cash. But better to change the system such that they don't need to send out the begging bowl, in any form.

Technorati tags: Party Funding, Power Report, constitution

UKIP 'parks tank' - the world laughs.

So, they've made good on their promise to "park their tank on David Cameron's abandoned lawn"

Well, sort of. Guys? It's not a tank. Even the Telegraph puts 'tank' in quotes. It's an APC of some sort (no, I can't tell what type, although I know some that can).

Politicians break promises during a cheap publicity stunt? doesn't this take the whole level of naffness that seems to surround UKIP to a new level?

Nosemonkey:

Go on UKIP, you morons - keep tilting at the Brussels windmill in a vain effort to "save" this country. Meanwhile the real danger, The Rt. Hon. A.C.L. Blair, MP, is busy looting, raping and pillaging the constitution while your backs are turned. Were UKIP to reunite with the Tories rather than engage in these pathetic public spats, Labour would be in genuine trouble. It'd be funny if it wasn't so damned pathetic.

The problem with Europe isn't that it exists, it's that it follows the same bureacratic centralist model that Whitehall has adopted. Decisions made in secret, enforced by diktat, with no mandate or support from the populace.

To a decentralising democrat like me, it's a godawful mess. But I don't propose to abolish Britain (or even England) because I dislike Whitehall, I propose to reform it and decentralise. Brussels employs less staff than many city councils, it needs to be reformed, opened up, democratised and have it's tasks, powers, aims and objectives clearly defined. The loons that object to being "governed by foreigners" and similar are completely missing the point.

Whitehall does more damage to the Westcountry than Brussels does. Let's reform both, shall we?

Technorati tags: UKIP, parties, Conservatives, Europe, Tank

Do you live in Englefield Green East?

Vote for this guy:

Really pissed off about the vomitous, turdridden herd of diseased bloodsucking rat-swine that masquerades as our government?

Because, let's face it, that has to be the best opening election address I've seen yet. Even better:

while you're here, why not contribute to the campaign? I can spend, I think, up to £600. If there's more I promise to spend the surplus on beer. Now there's a political promise you can rely on.

Technorati tags: Englefield Green East, Local Elections, May 4th, LibDems, NuLab

No2ID - Ebay PR Stunt

This. (Has now been removed by eBay for an unspecified breach. Ah well).

If enough people with an eBay account put it on their watch list, it gets onto eBay pulse. More discussion here at their forums, I just got an email about it. I don't have an eBay account (yet)...

Technorati tags: ID cards, National Identity Register, NIR, Freedom, Civil Liberties, ID for sale, eBay

Passports, ID cards, NIR - A call to arms

Bastards. I believe, given that the deputy to the sweaty baboon has answered in Parliament that we can renew at any time, that they'd have a hard job of changing the rules now. So the plan to renew next year proceeds apace.

I went to the pub this evening, met up with Chris and also the local No2ID organiser. Get involved. Even if it's just to give up a morning leafletting instead of shopping. If you can't see a local organiser? Any reason why you couldn't get together with friends and become one? This needs to be a campaign on two fronts, one is civil disobediance; renew your passport early, don't register, refuse to register, get fined, refuse to pay, get headlines and the rest.

The second is electoral. I repeat the earlier statement; at the next General Election, ask every candidate:

Will you vote to abolish the National Identity Register

If they don't promise to do so, make sure they're not elected.

Between now and then? Councils across the country have passed resolutions on the issue. Local elections are coming up in much of the country. Make it an issue. Some people (and I'm one of them) have a bit of a problem with national issues effecting local campaigns. But this really does affect everything.

Big picture? I repeat my call. At the next General election, we'll need to ensure we have a strong tactical voting campaign against any candidates that refuse to repeal this Act. Other issues, such as Leg/Reg, etc also matter. But this one, to me, is the big one.

We have to get them out.

In the meantime?

Labour members!

There's still much, much talk of a 'coronation'. The Labour party has a strong tradition as a democratic party. I've voted Labour in the past FFS. Don't let the give Brown a coronation; make sure there's a leadership campaign, make NIR an issue.

We cannot (and will not) submit to a database state. To arms my friends, to arms.

Technorati tags: ID cards, National Identity Register, NIR, Passport renewal, Freedom, Civil Liberties

Jack Straw: Pratt

Curious Hamster:

Jack Straw really is an odious turd. Still, it's best to get even, not angry. And it's relatively easy in this case.

Where were all the pro-Condi demonstrators, Jack? I didn't see a single one on the news. If they had asked me... well, I doubt very much I could have done better. There are just so many more people who don't like what she stands for.

Check the headlines Jack

He's right. Jack really is an odious turd.

<a href="http://www.number10.gov.uk/output/Page1381.asp" 
title="odious turd">odious turd</a>

(Nifty Auto code generator here)

Technorati tags: Jack Straw, NuLab

Tired Tony to go?

Sometimes, News Headlines make me smile a lot.
BBC NEWS | Politics | Blair 'could quit by end of year'

BBC NEWS | Politics | Voters 'want Blair resignation'

But really, given both storied use the same picture, Don't you think Blair looks tired?

Technorati tags: Blair, NuLab, leadership

ID cards & NIR: News from the future

perfect.co.uk / News from the future

Technorati tags: id cards, National Identity Register, Freedom

eBay, Blue Peter and market stupidity

Remember when I said this?

on 80% of the issues that matter to me, I'm pretty close to the Lib Dems

Well, some people took that to mean I agreed with the LibDems 80% of the time. Not true. On the 'big' issues (is the ones I write about here), the Lib Dems are the most sound. On others? Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear oh dear:

Two MPs have tabled a Commons motion demanding that internet auction sites ban the sale of Blue Peter badges.

Liberal Democrats John Barrett and Andrew George have condemned what they say is an "unscrupulous" practice.

Guys? It's called a Market Economy. If an item gets you priviledges you don't want, and others do, and it means little to you, sell it. If said item will make your life, or that of those you care about, better, then buy it. If you believe it's worth the money, this is called 'positive utility'. It's a basic principle; I understand it, and I'm not an economist.

The BBC chose to issue an item that had not expiration date and no link to one specific person, and negotiate cheap entry deals in many many attractions. Um, can anyone else see the obvious flaw here?

"Unscrupulous"? Maybe. Rational? Absolutely. I have lots of items left over from my childhood and early adult life. There's a huge pile of them by my door. It's getting smaller as I sell bits of it. Some of those bits, I don't want to part with. Others I don't care about. If someone wants to give me money for something I don't want?

That's called freedom.

Note to the BBC. Make them person specific, or stop whinging. Note to the two LibDem MPs named above. Get with it, the whole point of Liberalism is you agree with basic market principles.

(via)

Technorati tags: eBay, markets, freedom, LibDems