Merry Winterval!
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Thursday, December 24, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Weekend links and hiatus.
Most of the blogs are still reflecting on the Conservative party conference this weekend. Paul Linford provides his usual weekly column on Cameron's vision and emulation of Blair, Dave Semple and paulinlincs provide 10 lies about the Tory conference and a critique of Michael Gove's speech, as does Neil Robertson, Paulie waxes lyrical on the Tories and the economy, Tom Freeman glimpses into his crystal ball and finds the Tories winning the Nobel prize for economics and Hopi Sen notes the contradictions in Cameron's speech. In general miscellany, Craig Murray explains why he's certain the inquiry into MPs' expenses by Thomas Legg will be a whitewash, Ten Percent is glad the EDL protesters in Manchester were outnumbered, Phil BC explains why MPs' second jobs are about to become an issue, Tory Troll is stunned by an act of obvious cronyism by Boris Johnson, one which if New Labour had committed they would doubtless have been more than ridiculed about, while both Dave Cole and the Heresiarch have thoughts on Barack Obama winning the Nobel peace prize.
In the papers, or at least their websites, Howard Zinn also considers Obama's win, Marina Hyde reflects on the Strictly race row, Charlie Brooker attacks the BBC's awful Radio 1 promos, David Blancheflower is decidedly unconvinced by the Tories' economic policies, Matthew Parris is already worrying about the problems Cameron might have with his backbenchers, Janice Turner provides easily the finest piece of the weekend in noting that the Tories' policies on taxing alcohol seem to be based on social snobbery just as much as practicality (take note Graun and Indie: she's far too good for the Times, although the same could probably be said about Parris), Andrew Grice thinks the Tories still need to flesh out their policies, Yvonne Roberts is yet another person critical of Michael Gove's education plans and lastly Howard Jacobson provides his usual take on something completely different, this week on art and privilege vis-a-vis Tracey Emin.
As for worst tabloid article, it's one of those weeks when we're treated to a whole host of potential winners. The Daily Mail out does itself in deploring a "happy slapping" video posted on Facebook, then helps to propagate it by providing six all action screen shots (via Tabloid Watch). Elsewhere in the Mail Amanda Platell has her usual go, this week wondering what all the fuss surrounding someone saying something racist is about, as well as providing an especially paranoid conspiracy theory "explaining it". She also naturally thinks Gove's education plans are wonderful. Meanwhile the Sun has fallen victim yet again to Maddie-balls, this time convinced that a photograph of a girl that looks slightly like Madeleine might look now that she's six could be her. Let me confidently predict that it isn't. The winner though is the Sun's leader column, which launches a quite extraordinary attack on Rowan Williams for daring at yesterday's memorial ceremony for those who died in Iraq to wonder whether "freeing" the country was the right thing to do. If a religious leader can't explore such questions of morality without fear of being monstered politically, who can? Would they attack the Pope in such a way, who has also expressed highly similar sentiments and when the previous one also opposed the war? Or is it, to remember Stalin's question of how many divisions did the Pope have, that the Sun can get away with it when it's Beardie?
And with that, I shall be indisposed until next Monday. Have fun.
In the papers, or at least their websites, Howard Zinn also considers Obama's win, Marina Hyde reflects on the Strictly race row, Charlie Brooker attacks the BBC's awful Radio 1 promos, David Blancheflower is decidedly unconvinced by the Tories' economic policies, Matthew Parris is already worrying about the problems Cameron might have with his backbenchers, Janice Turner provides easily the finest piece of the weekend in noting that the Tories' policies on taxing alcohol seem to be based on social snobbery just as much as practicality (take note Graun and Indie: she's far too good for the Times, although the same could probably be said about Parris), Andrew Grice thinks the Tories still need to flesh out their policies, Yvonne Roberts is yet another person critical of Michael Gove's education plans and lastly Howard Jacobson provides his usual take on something completely different, this week on art and privilege vis-a-vis Tracey Emin.
As for worst tabloid article, it's one of those weeks when we're treated to a whole host of potential winners. The Daily Mail out does itself in deploring a "happy slapping" video posted on Facebook, then helps to propagate it by providing six all action screen shots (via Tabloid Watch). Elsewhere in the Mail Amanda Platell has her usual go, this week wondering what all the fuss surrounding someone saying something racist is about, as well as providing an especially paranoid conspiracy theory "explaining it". She also naturally thinks Gove's education plans are wonderful. Meanwhile the Sun has fallen victim yet again to Maddie-balls, this time convinced that a photograph of a girl that looks slightly like Madeleine might look now that she's six could be her. Let me confidently predict that it isn't. The winner though is the Sun's leader column, which launches a quite extraordinary attack on Rowan Williams for daring at yesterday's memorial ceremony for those who died in Iraq to wonder whether "freeing" the country was the right thing to do. If a religious leader can't explore such questions of morality without fear of being monstered politically, who can? Would they attack the Pope in such a way, who has also expressed highly similar sentiments and when the previous one also opposed the war? Or is it, to remember Stalin's question of how many divisions did the Pope have, that the Sun can get away with it when it's Beardie?
And with that, I shall be indisposed until next Monday. Have fun.
Labels: hiatus, weekend, weekend links, weekend round-up
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Saturday, June 06, 2009
Weekend links and hiatus.
After a week of high drama, at least if you're a political anorak, today appears to be the calm before the storm rushes in again tomorrow night. In the meantime, Lee Griffin on Lib Con makes the case against first past the post, Bob has a humourous post on how the chattering classes keep getting proved wrong, Paul Linford provides his weekly column on how Brown should go down fighting, Dave Semple attacks the "shallow cabinet", Tom Freeman has an outstanding long post which covers just about every base concerning what Labour should or should not now do, the Yorkshire Ranter reminds us of Tessa Jowell's past villiany and Dave Cole still thinks that Labour can win a fourth term.
In the papers, Matthew Parris thinks Gordon Brown has brought the government to its knees, rather than it being the other way around, Steve Richards believes Labour as a party is now ungovernable, while Peter Oborne says that Brown has become a prisoner of his own cabinet. On a completely different track, Howard Jacobson writes there is a nobility in opting out, especially thinking of JD Salinger.
Finally, as for worst tabloid article of the weekend, it's tempting to go with Jan Moir's assault on those other WAGs, the "Women against Gordon", which is a wonderful example of the Mail employing a woman to write a blatantly sexist article which a man could never have got away with, but the Sun has two even more tawdry pieces. First there's a shot of Sharon Shoesmith daring to read the Society Grauniad, which is a hugely important piece of news, and then there's the claim that dastardly gangs are melting down TVs and computer monitors to make bullets. Yes, bullets. This seems to be a Sun exclusive, and there might well be a reason for that.
And with that, I shall love you and leave you until next Friday.
In the papers, Matthew Parris thinks Gordon Brown has brought the government to its knees, rather than it being the other way around, Steve Richards believes Labour as a party is now ungovernable, while Peter Oborne says that Brown has become a prisoner of his own cabinet. On a completely different track, Howard Jacobson writes there is a nobility in opting out, especially thinking of JD Salinger.
Finally, as for worst tabloid article of the weekend, it's tempting to go with Jan Moir's assault on those other WAGs, the "Women against Gordon", which is a wonderful example of the Mail employing a woman to write a blatantly sexist article which a man could never have got away with, but the Sun has two even more tawdry pieces. First there's a shot of Sharon Shoesmith daring to read the Society Grauniad, which is a hugely important piece of news, and then there's the claim that dastardly gangs are melting down TVs and computer monitors to make bullets. Yes, bullets. This seems to be a Sun exclusive, and there might well be a reason for that.
And with that, I shall love you and leave you until next Friday.
Labels: hiatus, weekend, weekend links, weekend round-up
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Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Argh.
Updates are likely to be light to non-existent until at least Wednesday evening, as I appear to be one of those lucky souls stricken by the major cable damage in East London, even though I'm a good 50 or more miles away and my phone line didn't go dead until late Sunday night. I'm sure you'll be able to amuse yourselves more than adequately in the mean time, although whether I will is another matter.
Labels: argh, hiatus, personal shit
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Sunday, October 12, 2008
Weekend links and hiatus.
On the banking crisis and the related fallout:Chick Yog - Brown, Iceland and statecraft
Matthew Parris - Gordon Brown's big tent would hide a narrow interest
Shuggy's blog - On the crisis and the left
Deborah Orr - The left's wet dream or chaotic market choice?
Lenin - Just how bad can it get and Shiraz Socialist - The (lack of) memory of the class
Gordon Brown, it turns out, is psychologically insecure. Says who? A quack psychoanalyst called Lucy Beresford, whom the BBC invited onto the Daily Politics. Bob Piper, Unity and Gimpy all get stuck in.
On the US presidential election:
Iain Dale - Why I am declaring for Obama
Michael Tomasky - The verdict on Troopergate
Matthew Norman - The peculiar tragedy of this flawed hero, John McCain
Finally, some odds and sods:
Pigdogfucker - Combative and contrarian as ever, disagrees with the Peaks over the sentence given to Luke McCormick
Iain Dale - Twelve inches save my life
Anton Vowl - Look at this bitch, on the Mail's pre-emptive strike against Denise Goldsmith
The Guardian - In praise of... the International Brigades provokes some lively debate
Catherine Bennett - So teachers must be spies, on the guidance given to teachers involving extremist students
Joan Smith - A terrorist sponger? No, a beneficiary of British fair play
Richard Ingrams - Being in the Met means never having to say sorry
And with that, I'm being dragged away until a week on Tuesday. Toodle pip!
Labels: hiatus, weekend, weekend links, weekend round-up
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Monday, April 21, 2008
Monday, October 15, 2007
Hiatus.
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Friday, May 18, 2007
Your love alone is not enough.
I'm a contrary motherfucker. Much as I dislike going away from this concrete, soulless hellhole which I call home, I quickly find that I enjoy myself much more than I ever would have expected.We went to the Lake District, staying at Flookburgh, and traveled around most of the national park in the five days we were there. It's one of the few parts of Britain that I can say without caveats that I absolutely adore. The rolling countryside, winding, almost empty roads, the clearness of the lakes and refreshing, nourishing air. I haven't been in high season, when I expect the place is crowded to the rafters and much less enchanting as a result, but at this time of year its beauty is almost unsurpassed. Field after field and hill after hill are occupied by local, rarer breeds of sheep, many with newly born lambs in tow, skipping along, unaware of the likely slaughter to follow in a few months time, but for now at least without the slightest care in the world.
The photograph above was taken at Fell Foot, a National Trust owned small country park on the shore of Lake Windermere. We arrived at about quarter past five as the actual facilities were closing, which meant we had almost the entire place to ourselves until they locked the place up at around seven. The lush grass a few yards back from the lake was literally covered in dozens of rabbits which had come out to nibble and forage as the bulk of the public had gone, and most were so tame that you could go within a few feet without them dashing for cover. Tuesday had been something of a dull day, but at around six the sun finally put in an appearance, and for half an hour the lake was resplendent in the early evening light. The swan in the photograph, no doubt used to being fed by visitors, came right up to us and almost seemed to demand that we find something for it. Perturbed that we didn't have anything, it swam off, and it seems I caught its departure just right.
Cumbria seems to be one of the last few holdouts against complete Tescopoly. I only saw one the whole time we were there, which was heartening. Most of the towns in the district are also still individual, only the larger ones having the chain stores which blight and depress the rest of the land. We can but hope that it continues to stay that way.
Labels: hiatus, personal shit
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Sunday, May 13, 2007
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