How Was It For You ?

The Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy of liberal England, Polly and David, on the first 7 years of New Labour.

Pretty accurate stuff it is, too.

"Important programmes with large sums expended often went unnoticed except by those directly affected".

"Those directly affected" being the anti-racist outreach five-a-day smoking cessation co-ordinator community.

White Flight And BBC Bias

So the figures confirm that native Londoners are getting out. Surprise surprise.

The BBC report and most of the press coverage is couched, perhaps unhelpfully, in terms of 'black' and 'white'. Given recent large movements of people from Eastern Europe this may not necessarily show the whole picture.

Once again the BBC gives us unbiased reporting, lining up a couple of spokespeople to criticise the report.

Migrationwatch, which is totally independent and funded by people putting their hands in their pockets, are to the BBC "the self-styled Migrationwatch UK pressure group".

The Immigration Advisory Service, described by the BBC yesterday as 'an independent charity', gets most of its money from the Home Office. Very independent.

And of course we can trust Keith Best, IAS chairman, to tell it like it is. He wouldn't go in for deception, would he ?

At Last - Apology for Guildford

As not seen in the Independent.


Thirty years after their members were killed or injured, ninety British families
finally received a public apology yesterday for the IRA bombings they did not commit.

Gerry Adams' declaration that those killed and maimed in the 1974 Guildford and Woolwich bombings deserved to be "completely and publicly exonerated" was what family members had demanded for years. The Sinn Fein leader was attempting to draw a line in the cases of the Guildford Five Dead and 45 injured and Woolwich Two Dead Forty injured, which are regarded as among the most conspicuous miscarriages of justice in recent times.

Mr Adams' apology was delivered in a TV statement in his office in the House of Commons and then in private to relatives of those wronged by Irish Republicanism. He said: "I'm very sorry that they were subject to such an ordeal and such an injustice. That's why I'm making this apology today - they deserve to be completely and publicly exonerated." He then shook them by the hands and patted the cheeks of those with both arms missing.

Mr Adams' official spokesman said: "It was a meeting which nobody who was present will ever forget. We have decided that the victims and their families are long overdue for compensation, which we are in a position to pay. Compensation will be paid them in used Northern Bank notes."


UPDATE 13/2/05 - the Sunday Times on who should apologise.



And how about the real Guildford bombers and their supporters? Where is their apology either to those who were wrongly imprisoned or to those whom they murdered and maimed?

The Balcombe Street gang were released early under the Good Friday agreement to attend a special Sinn Fein conference. Gerry Adams greeted them with words of praise and celebration: “These are remarkable men. These are our Nelson Mandelas.”

Sinn Fein - helping to preserve life

New Euroblogger England Expects on Sinn Fein MEP Bairbre de Brun.

"According to yesterday's Irish News (Sub required) she has,"pledged her support to ... a comprehensive smoking ban. "Many people are unaware that the Department of Health is currently undertaking a consultation process on smoking in the workplace, " she said".No doubt she will now oppose other life threatening activities like bombing, shooting, kidnapping and torture."

I think Sinn Fein policy is to allow people to smoke - but only if they're lying in several pieces in the road following an 'operation' of their glorious volunteers.

Saner Every Day

AL Kennedy again disappoints. No Iraqi blood or depleted uranium, no fat consumers or evil Christians - just plain factual stuff that everyone knows - about how the US isn't a democracy. I think it's something to do with the phases of the moon - it's new at the moment. More research needed to see if the most challenging pieces are full moon jobs.

Tim Worstall and Scott decipher the entrails.

More Snowdrops From The Curate's Garden ...

Cash For Good Whoreses - prostitutes get £360,000 from Lottery.

The caring Probation Service.

Charlotte Wyatt Update - Judges say 'Choose Death"

While West Yorkshire Police have a team working 10-hour days (registration required) watching BNP meetings, in Bradford Asians are living in daily fear of assault and worse. Civitas and Anthony Browne on the fate of Muslims who convert to Christianity.

And while a teacher faces a 10 year sentence for firing an air-gun into the ground following a campaign of harassment by local yobs, the police are hard pressed - providing protection to gangsters. After all, criminals need more protection than other people - bacause their lifestyle is more dangerous. They have human rights too, you know.

Finally the Magna Mater Melanie on idiot PC Ian Blair. More on him in a day or two.

There Is No Liberal Elite

Thanks to the Freedom Of Information Act, Lib Dem MP Norman Lamb and the Daily Mail, we can see who came to dinner at Chequers from 1997-2001, and it’s a list to confirm all one’s prejudices.

Can you guess which newspaper would have most representation ? I’ll give you a clue – Alan Rusbridger, Polly Toynbee, David Walker (Polly’s paramour), John O’Farrell, Jackie Ashley, Will Hutton.

Mr Ashley, Andrew Marr of the BBC is there, along with John Birt, former Director-General, Greg Dyke, then current D-G, Radio 4’s Melvyn Bragg, the Today programme’s James Naughtie and gorgeous governor Deborah Bull. Even the Indie gets a nod with ex-editor (and ex-smackhead) Rosie Boycott as well as Peter "I hope Price Harry goes to Auschwitz" Kellner.

One or two other standouts – a high rock’n’luvvie quotient - Elton, Sting’n’Trude, the Thompsons, the Bowies, Stephen Fry, Dame Judi, Helen Mirren, Jeremy Irons, the Frenches (Dawn and Lenny), even Joan Collins (pre-UKIP) and Michael Winner.

One thing that strikes me is the under-representation of ethnic minorities at these bashes. Where’s Lee Jasper, Trevor Phillips, Yazza or Mrs Patak ? Reinaldo da Silva (Peter Mandelson’s significant other), one Dorian Jabri (Chris Smith’s ditto), and TV tycoon Waheed Alli might possibly supply some missing colour, and their sexuality means you get two minorities for the price of one, but otherwise I can only spot Bill Morris, Iman (Mrs Bowie), the wonderfully named Thai Ping Wong (I had one the other night, and jolly nice it was too) and Lenny Henry.

The other notability is the low number of ‘partners’ among the dull old political straights. Old Labour are very married, and even among New you only find ‘partners’ for Stephen Byers and Aleister Campbell (Robin Cook brought Mrs Cook before returning to his secretary on the Monday), as well as Irish Premier Bertie Ahern. Ahern would have had them cut off for that in Ould, Catholic Ireland.

This conventionality at may not last though, if Professor M.W. Adler (‘leading academic who advises the Government on its Sexual Health strategy’) gets his way. My informants tell me his strategy for improving the Sexual Health of a Chequers weekend involves guest Helen Mirren re-enacting her memorable staircase entrance from the 1971 film ‘Savage Messiah’, as well as activities involving Anna Ford, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Professor Susan Greenfield and a large amount of fresh fruit prepared by Delia Smith, Lord Attenborough to film the proceedings. Script by Richard Curtis. Choreography by Trevor Nunn.

Ouch

Is there anyone out there who missed the story of the Welsh rugby follower who said if Wales beat England he'd cut off his testes ? Frankly I think that's taking things too far.

"He came back later wearing a kilt with his testicles in a bag," a fellow fan who was with Mr Huish at the social club told the Daily Mirror.

"He lifted the kilt up to show everyone what he had done. There was blood everywhere, it was terrible. That's when he collapsed."

Mr Huish was rushed to hospital with his testicles carried in a pint glass full of ice. He is now in a serious condition.

Press coverage in the rugby playing nations is mixed. I hope they're taking this seriously.

Fan's Punt a balls-up - Australia

Rugby Fan has no balls - South Africa

Welsh Fan in balls-up - New Zealand

Not to mention stories about missing tackles.

Light Blogging ...

Like the Pooter of Geek, I'm rebuilding a PC, so posting will be lightish. Meanwhile, cop this excellent Blimpish posting, on Blair's proposed reforms to incapacity benefit. It also applies in spades to immigration and to education. Talk tough - do nothing. And (over immigration/asylum) if you do try something the courts will overturn it. From the moment Frank Field went it was obvious that Labour weren't going to offend their client groups.

"Heard it all before, so we have - heard it all before.

Every now and then, the Government makes a rhetorical reconaissance-by-fire to keep the Tories tame and under control. It goes like this: Blair or one of his more loyal Secretaries of State will make an outrageously Daily Mail-seeking pronouncement. It will be outrageous because it's really not credible - either because plain bad policy or because the political cost makes implementation impossible - but the message will 'switch on' the less-engaged voters. The backtrack - even if explicit - is only picked up by the political obsessives, whose votes are already decided."

Fairytale of New York

And the practices of Mr Richard Desmond's (Daily Express owner, porn mag king, Labour donor - how the Labour Party is fallen) business associates. Philip Bailey was apparently Desmond's top aide. He's left the company now. Can't imagine why.

The limo hurtled east toward the river. "Do you know why we're here, you British bastard?" one of the men said. Bailey tried to keep his dignity. "If you know I'm British [you know] this approach won't get you anywhere," he said. In response, the gunman produced a box cutter and slashed Bailey several times on the face.

"We're here because of your f***ing boss, Desmond," the gunman shouted. "We want our money back. You tell your f***ing boss, it's a small pond. . . . If your boss sets foot here, he's a dead man. A f***ing dead man." He punctuated the threat with another zap to Bailey's groin from the stun gun. The beating and curses continued. The driver then told him, "We're gonna let you go; do you know how f***ing lucky you are? Tell your boss, you're the message." The two men in the back proceeded to grab Bailey's wallet, taking $70 and his Visa card. With the car still moving, they pushed the businessman out the door. Bailey went flying into the street.

As Bailey was lying there, the car screeched to a stop and then backed up toward him. Bailey thought he was about to be run over. Instead, the car stopped and the gunman got out, tossing Bailey's suitcase on top of him. He walked over to where Bailey lay sprawled and then stomped on his face. "Tell your boss he's a dead man," he said.

He Could Have Been A Contender

There have been sufficient bloggers taking a pop at Kilroy-Silk and Veritas to make any efforts of mine redundant. I'll just try and draw up a few pointers.

The performance of UKIP in the last Euro elections showed that there is a large constituency of the disillusioned out there. Having done nothing in the 5 years since the 1999 elections, despite having three seats, UKIP still picked up a massive vote increase - almost certainly due to their expensive, millionaire-funded poster campaign as well as Mr Kilroy-Silk.

At the time I wrote that the rise of UKIP demonstrated a sea-change in politics, where money and a charismatic front-man could get more votes than years of the traditional ward meetings and canvassing. I thought this a dangerous development and still do.

Kilroy-Silk's criticism of UKIP - namely that they don't seem to do much - was a valid one. But I'm not sure he's one to talk. Somehow I can't see Veritas as grass-roots campaigners - more as the Respect Coalition of the right, a colourful figurehead with minimal organisation at the individual constituency level.

Had he stayed within UKIP he may (or may not) have been able to change that. But he was easily their most recognisable face, and a great electoral asset. His speeches would attract much more publicity than the speeches of the leadership, he's a soundbite king. Had he stayed and avoided abusing his colleages (and they him), together they could have done a great deal of damage to the major parties, and the leadership might have been his inside a couple of years.

Alone, even if he finds UKIP levels of funding, things will be harder. There's not enough room on the right for two 'we're angry white men but not the BNP' parties. Unless a deal can be worked out where UKIP and Veritas keep off each other's turf, my money's on Veritas sinking without trace. He could have been a contender.

PS - I see that Baroness Kennedy is leading an enquiry (RealAudio) into the high levels of cynicism and disengagement among voters. I think it unlikely that she'll register the truth - that the high levels of disengagement are due to the fact that people like Baroness Kennedy have been running the country for the last 30 years.

How To Stop A Centre

1) pick centre up
2) tuck centre under left arm
3) run forward



As demonstrated by Gavin Henson.

Stormin Norm ?

They say that when the police arrest a respectable member of society for some dreadful crime, his friends and acquaintances suddenly remember (and tell the police) all kinds of bad things about him.

"I always thought he was a bit strange"

"Remember when he .. ?"

But I still can't quite equate Norman Geras, cricket and country music lover, whose cogent and frequent condemnations of the kind of kneejerk anti-US leftism that calls Zarqawi and his head-choppers 'the resistance' are always made more in sorrow than in anger, with the "Stormin Norm" I read of in today's Sunday Times, 'toast of the neocons' and 'darling of the Washington right wing '.


On the other hand, when I think about it, I'm sure he posted about attending an Emmylou Harris gig with Richard Perle and Charles Krauthammer. And his love of country music must be suspect - the songs of the racist white oppressor. Look at that Merle Haggard's lyrics. I always thought that was odd. Remember when he sent out requests for the top 10 rock music singles ? I've deleted the email, but I'm pretty sure it ended with the words 'Bomb Iran Now !'

Turncoat ! Imperialist skunk !