Free The Wapping One

That would be rather a good moniker, wouldn't it ? Even John Leslie wouldn't mind that nickname.

The forces of darkness gather round the eternal flame of righteousness that is Richard Littlejohn ...

Good And Bad News ....

For Guardianistas and other liberal types.

The good news is that Harriet Harman's review of child murder convictions makes it likely that Home Office murder figures will have to be revised downwards. One in the eye for those moral panic merchants who think murder has been going up !

The bad news is that this may destroy the famous claim that 'most child murders are committed in the family'.

But don't worry. As far as academics are concerned, 'the family' means whoever's shacked up with mummy at the time. I quote "Focusing solely upon children killed by men in the family reveals that the greatest risk is from stepfathers who are cohabiting with the child’s mother (34%), followed by birth fathers who cohabit with the birth mother (29%)."

Norman Dennis puts it better then I can:

"Confusion between, on the one hand, ‘families’ as any sexual or childrearing arrangement and, on the other, the institutional married family, is nowadays so complete, and hostility to the institutional family so widespread in the political, academic, and media community, that—an intellectual disgrace—‘child abuse’, which proportionately predominates in the non-married ‘setting’, is one of the sticks with which the married family is then beaten.

Jasmine Beckford’s father was not married to her mother, and Jasmine was born when her mother was cohabiting with a man who was not her father. Jasmine’s setting at the time of her death was with her mother who was living with another man who was not Jasmine’s father. Tyra Henry’s father was not married to her mother. Her unmarried father and mother were ‘probably mainly cohabiting’ at the time of Tyra’s death. Kimberley Carlile’s parents were married when she was born. Her setting at the time of her death was with her mother who was cohabiting with a man who was not Kimberley’s father.

So Beatrix Campbell, the famed author and socialist, who is frequently called upon by television, the radio and the press to comment on family matters, writes of these three cases: ‘The ghosts of dead children—Jasmine Beckford, Tyra Henry and Kimberly Carlile, all destroyed by their fathers—smiled from the newspapers … these children died within the family, the institution sanctified by Thatcherism.’"

Another Islamophobic Rant

The Islamic movement "is renowned for intimidating, terrorising and violating women and girls and their rights". It obstructs "the access of women and girls in particular to the advances of civilised societies".

Outrageous. I shall write to Trevor Phillips at once. How dare they say such things. How dare they imply that so-called 'civilised societies' are preferable to Islamic ones. What about Arabic numerals/algebra/alcohol/Aldebaran/the library at Alexandria/Abu Hamza - sorry, I mean Ibn Battuta ? Who could propagate such hate speech ?

The Organisation of Women’s Liberation-Iran and Organisation of Women’s Freedom in Iraq, in this week's Weekly Worker, that's who.

Fair Play To Them ...

I noted last week how the "right to die" seemed to apply to everyone except prisoners. I spoke too soon. Here's John Humphrys, whose fathers sad death seems to have planted a whole hive of euthanasia bees in his bonnet, saying 'Give killers the choice - life in jail or assisted suicide.'. Humphrys must be under the impression that people serve life for murder, when in reality 10 or eleven years is average.

The Indie offers Mark Leech's 'lifers should be offered a dignified exit'.

‘Tis Pity She’s A Guardianista

How strange. I find myself agreeing with Madeleine Bunting about the Sun’s rather pathetic anti-Clare Short campaign. Ms Short has no intention of reviving her legislative campaign against the Sun’s Page Three (twice her private member’s bills have failed) – she simply said she believed it should be banned.

The Sun’s campaign – featuring a bus parked outside Short’s home and unflattering fake photomontages of her topless, isn’t even, as Ms Bunting points out, remotely funny. And I’m no fan of the MP for Ladywood – though for years I considered her a kind of antiparticle Ann Widdicombe, whose honesty you can applaud even while disagreeing with her. Clare’s antics over Iraq – staying in the Cabinet and then resigning after the war, along with her ambivalent views on murderous Irish republicanism have caused me to change my mind.

I wish these Guardianistas would make their minds up, though.

Is selling sex in all its forms, from car adverts through Page Three and ladmag shoots to Amy and Lara, a major cause of gang rape, frustration and impotence, and eating disorders (Ms Bunting), ‘violence against women’ (femiluni Julie Bindel), is it just another job - sex work, or is it ‘a girl power thing’ where the exploited are the poor sad male punters (A Good Thing) rather than the girls (A Bad Thing)?

After all, if sex is just another recreational activity, like a rubber of bridge or a game of tennis, then why shouldn’t some individuals sell their God-given talents and abilities ? And in a free market, you sell your assets or services at the market rate.

For the TUC and their Women’s Equality Officer Rebecca Gill, ‘sex workers’ are ‘legitimate workers in need of protection’. Even the great Aaronovitch seems chilled about it. Madeleine talks of women who claim ‘to be "empowered" by sticking her breasts at a camera’. Yet surely it’s the cheque that’s empowering, not the act. Or as one escort said ‘my self-esteem went through the roof. It made me feel like the next best thing to Claudia Schiffer, to be paid all this money by men who wanted to spend time with me.’ I get a distinct impression that the money is important here. So what’s the problem ?

For the Bindels, Dworkins or Catharine MacKinnons of this world the objection seems to be that men are involved, with all the violence and misogyny inevitably associated with the extra Y chromosome. Worse, they actually get something out of it. But the high tide of gender feminism has long passed and such voices have little influence - besides, as the Spectator reports, we sent most of them to Iraq - a far better use of taxpayers money than 'toys for the boys' like flak jackets.

Surely only the prudish, moralistic or (heaven help us) religious would argue that sex is in any sense sacred, private, or related to the conception and rearing of children ? Yet Madeleine and her pals remain uneasy. Something, somewhere seems wrong.

She’s right of course. But until she becomes prudish, or moralistic, or (heaven help us) religious she’ll never quite know what it is, and she’ll continue to rail at what she calls ‘fascistic norms’ and what I call secular post-Christian culture.




PS - Lordy, her sense of history ! I’ve noted her inability to comprehend the Victorians. She writes "In peasant cultures of the past, it was the reproductive powers of the female body which dominated representations of women. Now it is their power to provide male sexual pleasure. It doesn't seem much like progress".

Hang on – I thought the change from breeding machine to autonomous sexual being was progressive. And I presume when she says ‘now’ she’s no longer talking about peasant cultures. But when she writes about the representations I don’t think she means the Sheela–Na-Gig or the Venus of Willendorf (who incidentally bears a remarkable resemblance to the Sun’s idea of a naked Clare Short). I think she’s got in mind one particular woman with one particular child, which dominated all representations of women from Russia to Ireland for a thousand years.

Tipton Taleban

In the light of reports that the British captives at Guantanamera may soon be released, and having nothing else to say, I reprint an item from the time when almost every week a son of Luton or the Black Country was captured in Afghanistan.

Dudley, Worcestershire, Dec 2nd 2001 - Reuters

Following the revelation that Al Quaeda appear to have had a cell in the Black Country, there are reports that US Special forces have moved into the area. Communication is uncertain due to the difficult terrain and language difficulties (few US troops speak Black Country, and two SAS men from Dudley are acting as translators), but there are reports of heavy fighting in the Lower Gornal area - though that is not unusual on a Saturday when enough Banks's has been consumed. Armed Islamic groups are battling the US in Smethwick and Blackheath, but the US are being supported by local forces. Cradley Heath and Lye are under the control of Baptist militia, and last night a column of armed Jehovah's Witnesses were reported to be moving towards Blackheath from Old Hill. In the North, Pentecostal warlords are currently remaining neutral.

All US bombing has been suspended, following the tragic incident when a coach-load of pensioners from Kidderminster were killed by a B52 strike on the Merry Hill Centre, mistakenly called in after a Debenhams Tannoy announcement that 'Bed Linen is on the Second Floor' was intercepted by SIGINT specialists at Menwith Hill.

And tonight there are reports of unmarked Hercules transports continually landing and taking off at Halfpenny Green Airport.

Already liberal commentators on the Express and Star as well as the Birmingham Evening Mail are asking the question - 'why do they hate us - what have we done ?'. Some have seen a possible cause in the Islamophobic 'pig culture' which has been a part of Black Country life for over two hundred years, and which has produced the crowning glories of Black Country cuisine - pork scratchings and 'faggits un pays'. Others see the root of the offence as the Black Countryman's love of alcohol, as witnessed by the magnificent beers of Banks's, Bathams and Doris Pardoe. A few Christian commentators suggest that the current troubles may be divine retribution for the satanic 'metal' bands such as Led Zep, Sabbath, and Judas Priest that the area has produced. In a statement, Rob Halford of Judas Priest sought to distance himself from the controversy, claiming that he came from Birmingham - and that anyway, under no circumstances did the sounds on track 3 side 2 of 'Hell Bent for Leather', when played backwards, make up the words 'Pork Sword of Death for the Infidel Unbeliever'.

But wiser voices are pointing to the pernicious influence of the U.S. It is known that the aboriginal inhabitants have become hopelessly addicted to the products of the high-tech, superior culture from overseas. Once-proud warriors, the descendants of brawny-armed, 14-pints-a-day steelworkers and miners, now slouch shiftily in the ubiquitous Blockbuster stores, waiting to spend their benefits on the violent, degraded products of Hollywood. Hideous diseases such as 'satellite dish' and 'Jerry Springer' are endemic. Islamic colonists see the degrading effects of such things upon the natives, and are determined that their children shall not imitate the native culture. Hence the virulent hatred of all things American.

For more info on the Black Country see this site.

British Justice

Go out looking for someone to kill. Stab a 14 year old more than 20 times.

"The judge at Cardiff Crown Court told Shelley Farr that she would not be considered for parole before she had served at least four years and three months."

That'll teach them.

Or sexually assault and beat up an octogenarian, leaving her with 51 separate injuries and in a psychiatric ward. Six years - which means you'll be out in three.

Nothing to do ? Why not kick a mentally ill man to death with your mates ? Nine years max. Still out by the time you're twenty-six.

Where do they get our judges from ?

Is It Too Early To Open A Bottle ?

David Blunkett mourns the tragic suicide of Harold Shipman.

"You wake up and you receive a phone call telling you that Shipman has topped himself. And you think, is it too early to open a bottle?

"Then you discover that everybody's really upset that he's done it. So you have to be very cautious in this job, very careful."

Blunkett really is a political genius. As long as he keeps coming up with knockabout stuff like this and attracting the 'right-wing' tag from horrified guardianistas, the Great British Public will ignore his letting all the burglars out and the 'asylum-seekers' in.

A Rare Sighting

Migrationwatch chairman Sir Andrew Green in the Scotsman.

"In England, the numbers have simply got out of hand. In Scotland, the reality is that immigration is largely irrelevant. Why? For the very simple reason that immigrants usually do not come to, and certainly do not stay, in Scotland.

Taking first the picture in Britain as a whole, not many people realise that until the early 1990s, more people left than arrived. That picture has changed dramatically in the past decade. Net migration has climbed rapidly to more than 150,000 a year. These are just the legal immigrants. An estimated 50,000 people were detected last year attempting to enter Britain illegally; nobody knows how many succeeded.

The picture in Scotland is quite different. In most years there has been a net outflow. Over the period 1992-2001, net immigration to the UK totalled 875,000, while there was a net outflow of 41,000 from Scotland. Thus, if experience is any guide, David Blunkett's suggestion that massive immigration into Britain will help Scotland's "problem" must rank among his less impressive contributions to the debate.

So where have all these immigrants gone? The short answer is London."

Of course he's right. The only immigrants to Scotland and Wales are English. Why ? Because as I posted a few months back

"If you were an asylum seeker headed for the UK, where would you like to go ? To Scotland ('Whae's Like Us') or Wales, with their strong Nationalist parties ? To Ulster, where Sinn Fein/IRA ('Ourselves Alone') are still killing people because their forebears were immigrants four hundred years ago ? Or to a country whose national flag should really be emblazoned with the word 'Sorry !'. No choice, really, is it ?"

In Wales the locals aren't too happy about it. With good reason. The Welsh language and culture are dying, killed by the A55 dual carriageway and the M4, enabling scallies to deal smack in Caernarvon's villages (Anglesey has a major heroin problem) and alternative types to colonise Cardigan and Presceli.

You can hear as much Scouse as Welsh spoken in the streets of Bangor. And a few years ago I was at a party in a remote village in a Welsh-speaking part of Pembrokeshire with more than a hundred other people. They were all English and living within 30 miles, drawn by the local Steiner school.

A Disgraceful Column

Littlejohn indulges in some outrageous stereotyping of Islamic 'militants', human rights lawyers and ex-Labour talk-show hosts.

"KILROY: My next guest is a young man, Ali, from Salford. He's just volunteered to go to work in Jerusalem as a suicide bomber. That's an interesting career choice.

ALI: I've always wanted to travel and kill Jews.

(AUDIENCE: Death to Israel! Death to The West!)

KILROY: Good for you, Ali. So many young people are prepared to sit around on their backsides these days. Not like when I was a young, working class lad in the West Midlands, before I became a famous TV personality and newspaper columnist. "

And in todays Times. Michael Gove ponders Tim Collins' resignation.

"The practices and customs that sustain an effective warrior ethos are under assault from political forces inimical to the nation's defence. Those forces, all central to the domestic agenda of Blairism, are the growth of the rights culture, an hostility to tradition and a public spending strategy driven by ideology rather than Britain's real needs."

A Dutch Tony Martin ?

From the Euro-paradise of cheap drugs, slightly (but not much) more expensive women, and euthanasia comes this story.

"AMSTERDAM — A 71-year-old invalid vehicle yard owner has been arrested for shooting and killing a man during an attempted armed robbery last month, but the businessman claims he acted in self-defence.

Cees Gardien, of Leidschendam, said via his lawyer on Monday that he would have been killed if he had not fired his weapon. But Gardien, the victim of three other robberies and nine burglaries, has been charged with manslaughter.

Suffering from throat cancer and confined almost permanently to a wheelchair, Gardien — who has owned a vehicle yard for almost 50 years — was confronted on the morning of 15 December last year by five people clad in balaclavas and armed with knives and guns.

Gardien has carried a gun since a robbery at his business in 2001 and claims he acted out of fear when he pulled the trigger last month. As the robbers made a dash for it, he escaped into his business premises and closed the burglar-proof roll shutters.

But the bullet is alleged to have hit illegal Turkish immigrant Yacup Yuruyucu — renowned for assaults, blackmail and threats — and he was found dead by a motorist later that morning. A knife was found next to his body."

Thanks to SKC for the link.

Double Standards ?

The BBC and other liberal media give sympathetic and generous coverage to the 'right to die' lobby. It seems that being able to take your own life is a basic human right - and that if you're ill it's fair enough for someone to 'assist' you.

Save in one instance.

When those who wish to die are prisoners, then it suddenly becomes of primary importance to prevent their suicide.

I wonder why ? Do our liberal ruling class care more about keeping prisoners alive than they do about keeping old people alive ?

Only asking.

The great Dalrymple (a prison doctor) has written before on prison suicide.

"The suicide rate in British prisons has doubled despite—I use the word despite in its loosest possible sense—official attempts to reduce it. Although the average citizen is probably not too deeply concerned about this rise, there has been a great deal of adverse publicity about it. It is one of the many ways in which compassionate liberals wear their hearts on their sleeves."

'Compassionate liberals wearing their hearts on their sleeves'. Sound of nail struck firmly on head. Where were the liberals when Martin James committed suicide ?

UPDATE - Peter Briffa in great form ...

"Tomorrow's Guardian today:

WE ARE ALL DIMINISHED BY THIS MAN'S DEATH

The sad news of Harold Shipman's death yesterday should bring neither joy nor happiness to anyone hearing it. Certainly, he was a very bad man, and it is not being overtly judgmental to say so.
The murder of over two hundred pensioners should never be glossed over. Yet perhaps it is time to put this all in perspective. During the time period Dr. Shipman was busy acting - as he no doubt saw it - as an Angel of Mercy, over twenty women and children were being killed on the streets every hour, by drivers, alcoholics, and husbands. The combined total of Shipman's victims could be crammed into a small one bedroom flat in Glasgow.

In no way does this diminish what Shipman did, but it is worth thinking about the next time you hear some right-wing commentator describe Dr. Shipman as evil."

And for what it's worth - people have been asking why Dr. Shipman did what he did. Here's my simple answer.

Because he could.

UPDATE 14/1/03

It's hard to caricature the Guardian, who seem to have forgotten their frequent calls for the right to die. Surely they should be calling for prison doctors to help people like Dr. Shipman 'die with dignity' ?

David Ramsbotham asks 'how could it happen ?' - not the deaths of a few hundred pensioners of course, only the death of their murderer. After all we shouldn't 'focus on the crime committed rather than the future life of a fellow human being.' Perish the thought.

The Sun strikes a slightly different note with the headline 'Ship Ship Hooray !'

"Wesley Jones, whose gran was among the 260 people murdered by Dr Death, spoke for scores of families when he said: “I’m delighted. I’m glad he has gone.”

Machine operator Wesley, 34 — who lives in the GP’s old hunting ground of Hyde, Greater Manchester — added: “When I heard he was dead I just thought, ‘Absolutely brilliant, yippee’.”

Jean Pinder, whose aunt died at the hands of the monster, said: “I am happy for all the relatives who lost loved ones to this man. I am happy for taxpayers who were forking out thousands of pounds to keep him in prison.

“Justice has been done, although he should have been hanged by the state.”

Thea Morgan, 65, who lost her 90-year-old mother, said: “It couldn’t have happened to a nicer man.” "

But what do they know ?

Disaster

The classic Harry J. All-Stars 1969 reggae instrumental, 'The Liquidator', is after thirty-three years no longer to be played at West Brom's home games because of the obscene chanting which often accompanies it. What makes this news particularly distressing is that Albion's great rivals W***** W********, who copied our use of the song, will continue to play it.

Harry J hit the UK charts in 1970, when reggae was big with rough white boys and Richard Allan's 'Skinhead' books were in every school playground. I got a lot of stick from my Led Zep and Neil Young-loving classmates for buying 'Reggae Chartbusters Vol 2'.

How long ago it all seems ... but you can revisit the charts at this Russian site, of all places. Ah, the Chairmen Of The Board, Bob and Marcia, 'Tears Of A Clown', 'the Green Manalishi' ! Though there was an awful lot of trash as well ...

Policing Norfolk-Style

According to the mighty Littlejohn, Tony Martin was leaving a pub when he was stopped and breathalysed by two officers who had been waiting for him 'following a tip-off'.

Looks like he may be a marked man for bringing Norfolk Police into disrepute. Chief Constable Ken Williams, who advised homeowners to shout in order to frighten away intruders, has said that "The Force has received hundreds of letters and e-mails following the conviction for murder of Emneth farmer Tony Martin. Many have questioned the Force's actions and some have been accusatory and even threatening in their content. In addition the Force has been inundated with abusive telephone calls. The criticism of the Force and myself has been strident and with regard to myself has been very personal."

You can see his comments here, in the now-deleted Norfolk Police page retrieved thanks to Internet Archive (the page appears blank - highlight or 'select all' to see text).

Give Due Where Due's Due

Somewhere, slowly, small but detectable changes are taking place in BBC radio news and current affairs.

On Satrurday, to the credit of producer Kevin Marsh, the Today programme devoted 16 minutes to a serious discussion of the proposed 'Tony Martin Law'.

John Humphrys raised the West Lothian Question on Today this morning, in relation to Scottish MPs voting on top-up fee legislation which will only apply south of the Border.

And this morning on Radio 5, Nikki 'I'm Not A Bleeding Heart Liberal' Campbell, during yet another Kilroy-Silk debate, pointed out that Tom Paulin was still guesting on the BBC despite his publicly stated view view that American-born Israeli settlers 'should be shot'.

The Telegraph and Mail have been bemoaning BBC bias for years to no avail. This may be wishful thinking, but I think bloggers like Natalie Solent and the rest of the Biased BBC crew are actually having an effect. Too many people are documenting things. The bias is also being picked up in the States.

Don't get carried away though. We're still at the stage where they see it as a problem of perception. 'We know we're not biased, and we must be careful not to let our bias show.' The underlying culture is as one-sided as ever.

Not then a tectonic shift. But a few small and welcome hairline fractures in the 'liberal' news monolith.

British Blogging

From Shot By Both Sides a link to the Blogging Brits webring - a good idea, though the quality of blogging varies widely. There's a certain Pooterish charm in the tribulations of Redditch suburbia, and I'm truly grateful to Blatant Optimism for links to webcam astronomy sites.

I like Isabella's Teddy ... and it's not an underwear catalogue.

Bush Bashing Corporation

These were the top two stories on Radio Four news yesterday morning.

A US court ruled that a US citizen held at Guantanamo comes under their jurisdiction.

A former US treasury secretary has given an unflattering account of his time under President George W Bush, including the money quote that "at cabinet meetings the president was like a blind man in a room full of deaf people".

In fact a reading of O'Neill's complaint increases my respect for Bush.

"I went in with a long list of things to talk about and, I thought, to engage [him] on," said Mr O'Neill recalling the first meeting.

"I was surprised it turned out me talking and the president just listening... It was mostly a monologue."

Can't win, can he ? He was 'just listening'. How awful.

And then, way down the news items, Bush's plan to establish a space station on the Moon and for a manned mission to Mars.

If this is a serious proposal (and if, as Howard Dean asked, they can afford it), this was the biggest story by far. It's thirty years since we left the Moon. When students in 2500 think of 1969, they won't think of Vietnam or Man City beating Leicester 1-0. They'll say 'Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins'.

I suppose it was ever thus.

Here is the news in Castilian for 1492. Your headlines tonight.

DONGG !

The Moors have been kicked out of Spain.

DONGG !!

So have the Jews.

and finally - some Genoese sailor has returned with a fantastic story about a New World.

BBC ... BBC ...

For once, the Observer has hit the nail on the head. Kilroy-Silk is an ass. So is the BBC.

I've little original to say on this. It's all so predictable - the BBCs grovelling, Lynne Jones' *******, Trevor Phillips' idiocy (he claimed the article would 'give comfort to the weak-minded'. It's about time something was done for them, in my opinion). The only shock is Harry seating himself firmly on the fence.

The BBC spent the weekend apologising. Yesterday and today Radio 5 seemed to devote most of their non-sports coverage to it, wheeling out one pundit after another to criticise RKS, including a professor from Manchester who castigated RKS's ignorance but seemed herself to believe that the Sumerians and Mesopotamians of 5,000 years ago were Arabs.

Of course, Tom Paulin is still OK with the BBC.

BBC Knows Best ...

How did 15-year old Amjed el-Masri die ?

BBC version

"On Saturday morning, Amjad al-Masri, 15, died after being shot in the chest by Israeli troops as they fired into a large crowd of protesters. "

No source given.

We do get the Palestinian and Israeli sides, after a fashion. No names given to any of the deceased.

"Palestinian sources said three were killed by Israeli sniper fire as they broke a week-old curfew, while a fourth was shot dead during the funeral of the others."

"Israeli forces said the troops had "felt themselves in danger".

""One of the Palestinians had dropped a large concrete block in the direction of a soldier," an Israeli Army spokesman said."

What do Reuters say ?

Palestinian witnesses said Amjed el-Masri, 15, was shot in the chest by a sniper as he threw stones at an Israeli armored vehicle from a rooftop in the old city area of Nablus.

An Israeli army spokesman said Masri had been shot while dropping large bricks on soldiers from a roof top, which he called a life-threatening assault, while two other Palestinians had been shot, one while holding a pistol and the other a petrol bomb.

Now I'm presuming the full (with names) Israeli version was available to the BBC. Why didn't they quote it ? And where did they get their story of Masri's death ? Did the (unnamed) reporter actually witness the boy being shot "by Israeli troops as they fired into a large crowd of protesters." ? Or have the BBC made it up and deliberately chosen to ignore the Israeli version ?

Israel claims Masri was "dropping large bricks from a rooftop".

A Frontpage piece condemns the Aussie ABC network and Associated Press, who report the deaths as the shootings of 'stonethrowers'. Yet to the BBC he was just a random victim of troops firing into a crowd. (There is however one other possibility - that a bad sub-editor has confused the deceased 'stone-thrower' with his cousin, 17 year old Mohammed el-Masri, who was shot by troops at the funeral of the three. Now that does sound more feasible - and more as if the IDF shot when they shouldn't. Can a pall-bearer be a threat ? I don't know - and the BBC doesn't seem to either. If anyone does know please tell me.)

Here are pictures of 'stonethrowers' in Nablus, taken the day before Masri's death by AP.

Revolutionary Radio Four

From the BBC website.

20:45 The Other Candidates Are
At the last General Election there were well over three thousand candidates.

Most of them stood no chance whatsoever of getting elected. They were going to lose their deposits, and they knew it. So why do they do it? What drives them on?

2/3. In the second programme of this series, Matthew Parris meets the Revolutionaries:

The Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist Leninist) doesn't have many members but has all the features of an elaborate organisation. It has a Central Committee, it holds Party Congresses, it has Party Cadres and it produces pamphlets and a newspaper. Its leader, Chris Coleman, is no wild eyed hothead, but a self-effacing elderly man in a suit. He's a supporter of North Korea. He's convinced the revolution will happen here, but admits he's not quite sure when.

Rob Griffiths, General Secretary of the Communist Party, isn't making any predictions either. He's hoping the Communists will eventually play a part in some sort of broad left wing coalition government. The Communists think big - they want to see an end to American world dominance and to that end they're out campaigning hard in shopping centres round the country.

Dave Nellist of the Socialist Party was once a Labour MP in Coventry but was thrown out of the party for being too left wing. But he had a big local following and nothing daunted, won a seat on the Council. There are now three Socialist Councillors in the City. Dave Nellist thinks things are moving the Socialist way. He thinks that if conditions are right and if he can get some of the big unions on board, there could be a "breakthrough" in the next two to five years.

I listened as Matthew, in his nonjudgemental way. gave his three contributors free rein, with nary a difficult question.

I wonder who programme 1 was about ? And who programme 3 will be about ? Will the BBC go as far to the right as it has to the left in this programme ? Will a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend, as someone once said ?

What do you think ? My money's on the late Wing Commander Bill Boakes, Natural Law and the Greens.