David Davis is back as the MP for Howden and Haltemprice with a majority of over 15,000 on a turnout of 34 per cent. The Green Party came second. Two of the independents got only eight votes each which must be a record low for a parliamentary election.
As far as the 42-day rule is concerned, I have never seen any convincing evidence that the lack of it has frustrated an investigation, but we are told it might in the future. So is this just the government trying to look tough on terrorists?
The intervention by the former head of M15 in the House of Lords was far more damaging to the government's case than anything that David Davis has done.
Friday, 11 July 2008
Thursday, 10 July 2008
Wobbling Heights
Gordon Brown's capacity to shoot himself in the foot seems unending and now he has given a gift to the cartoonists by comparing himself to Heathcliff - the broodsing, romantic anti-hero of Emily Bronte's novel Wuthering Heights. I suppose it's an improvement on Mr Bean.
In a New Statesman interview, the PM was told 'Some women say you remind them of Heathcliff.' He replied, 'Maybe an older Heathcliffe, a wiser Heathcliff.' He also said that, unlike Heathcliff, he did not 'generally' lose his temper.
Note the 'generally'. According to a recent Financial Times feature which portrayed a somewhat terrifying picture of life inside Downing Street, the Prime Minister is prone to 'stapler rage', allegedly throwing the offending machine across the room on one occasion.
In something of an understatement Ann Dinsdale from the Bronte Parsonage Museum said that Heathcliff wass 'not an ideal role model'. In the book the character is an embittered figure who treats others with cruelty and contempt. Indeed, he may have been so psychologically flawed that he killed someone.
Ms Dinsdale commented, 'The thing about Heathcliff is he turned to domestic abuse, possibly committed murder and certainly dug up the remains of his dead lover. Is this the role model we want for our own prime minister?'
Apparently a new film version is on the way, so perhaps Brown could take the part if he leaves Downing Street?
Why does the prime minister give answers of this kind? One theory is that he is very uncomfortable with personal questions.
What literary character does Dave Cameron represent? I would suggest a grown up version of one of Enid Blyton's 'Famous Five'.
In a New Statesman interview, the PM was told 'Some women say you remind them of Heathcliff.' He replied, 'Maybe an older Heathcliffe, a wiser Heathcliff.' He also said that, unlike Heathcliff, he did not 'generally' lose his temper.
Note the 'generally'. According to a recent Financial Times feature which portrayed a somewhat terrifying picture of life inside Downing Street, the Prime Minister is prone to 'stapler rage', allegedly throwing the offending machine across the room on one occasion.
In something of an understatement Ann Dinsdale from the Bronte Parsonage Museum said that Heathcliff wass 'not an ideal role model'. In the book the character is an embittered figure who treats others with cruelty and contempt. Indeed, he may have been so psychologically flawed that he killed someone.
Ms Dinsdale commented, 'The thing about Heathcliff is he turned to domestic abuse, possibly committed murder and certainly dug up the remains of his dead lover. Is this the role model we want for our own prime minister?'
Apparently a new film version is on the way, so perhaps Brown could take the part if he leaves Downing Street?
Why does the prime minister give answers of this kind? One theory is that he is very uncomfortable with personal questions.
What literary character does Dave Cameron represent? I would suggest a grown up version of one of Enid Blyton's 'Famous Five'.
Tuesday, 8 July 2008
Smart money goes on Harman
Harriet Harman is being seriously considered as a potential prime minister should Gordon Brown be forced out of office:
Harman
I don't have too high an opinion of Harman, but one could visualise a set of circumstances in which she could win an election. She would appeal more to traditional Labour supporters than David Miliband. One has also had to admire the way she has recovered from a number of setbacks in her political career.
However, the underlying state of the economy would not change with her or any other leader in charge.
Harman
I don't have too high an opinion of Harman, but one could visualise a set of circumstances in which she could win an election. She would appeal more to traditional Labour supporters than David Miliband. One has also had to admire the way she has recovered from a number of setbacks in her political career.
However, the underlying state of the economy would not change with her or any other leader in charge.
Monday, 7 July 2008
What do we do about the alien lizard problem?
According to David Icke who is standing in the Howden and Haltemprice by-election, the world is ruled by alien lizards who are inhabiting human bodies, the Queen and George W. Bush being among their number. It certainly makes you look at Dave Cameron in a new light.
It's all part of a world fascist conspiracy apparently. One of the conspirators is the Royal Institute of International Affairs or Chatham House as the foreign policy think tank is better known.
One of the more serious candidates in the by-election is rape victim Jill Saward who is articulating the case that civil liberties are not an absolute good.
It's all part of a world fascist conspiracy apparently. One of the conspirators is the Royal Institute of International Affairs or Chatham House as the foreign policy think tank is better known.
One of the more serious candidates in the by-election is rape victim Jill Saward who is articulating the case that civil liberties are not an absolute good.
Eat Up Your Greens!
I don't think that Gordon Brown's advice to people to make better use of leftovers will go down very well. It smacks of the nanny state at its worst and many people will feel that the blame for food inflation is being shifted on to them.
There is a tremendous amount of waste in the food chain. A lot of it occurs when supermarkets reject produce that does not meet their exacting quality standards, although Waitrose started an interesting 'ugly fruit' initiative not so long ago.
Much of the waste that does occur in the home is through people throwing food away before it is eaten rather than cleaning up their plates. The fact that food is past its 'sell by' date does not mean that it is unsafe to eat. It is as much to protect supermarkets against litigation as anything. However, our youngest daughter regularly throws out anything past its sell by date she finds in our fridge and no doubt does the same in her own household.
There is a tremendous amount of waste in the food chain. A lot of it occurs when supermarkets reject produce that does not meet their exacting quality standards, although Waitrose started an interesting 'ugly fruit' initiative not so long ago.
Much of the waste that does occur in the home is through people throwing food away before it is eaten rather than cleaning up their plates. The fact that food is past its 'sell by' date does not mean that it is unsafe to eat. It is as much to protect supermarkets against litigation as anything. However, our youngest daughter regularly throws out anything past its sell by date she finds in our fridge and no doubt does the same in her own household.
Saturday, 5 July 2008
Rewriting history
A standard piece of conventional political wisdom is that Black (or Golden) Wednesday when Britain was forced out of the ERM destroyed the Conservative Party's chances of re-election for some fifteen years. This view has been challenged in a new book by former Tory chairman Norman Fowler.
He believes that the Conservative party could have recovered from the ERM debacle just as Labour recovered from devaluation of the pound in 1967. He argues that it was what followed - the endless infighting and the 'back to basics' sleaze scandals that finally did for the Conservatives.
I'm not sure that I buy into the Fowler thesis. The three post-war devaluations did see the Government that undertook them voted out of office (even though Labour struggled on from 1950 to 1951). The events of 1992 cost the Conservatives one of their ace cards, a superior reputation for economic competence which had endured until then.
The analogy with the current situation is undermined by the fact that the Conservatives were defeated in 1997 when the economy was recovering. It now looks increasingly likely if the current downturn is going to be over by the time of the next election.
The relentless rise of commodity prices, above all oil, is hitting the electorate hard in the pockets. Just as in the 1970s, stagflation - higher inflation and faltering growth - seems to have set in, albeit on a lower scale. The oil price seems to factor in any bad news and discount any good tidings. The housing market has taken a big knock and negative equity is back.
What this does suggest that Labour's woes are deeper than a failure of leadership by Gordon Brown. No new leader is going to be able to turn back the tide in the global economy.
I don't think that the news that Boris Johnson has had to get rid of his deputy mayor, the second aide to go, will hurt the Conservatives that much. It doesn't inspire much confidence in his abilities as mayor, but the electorate may well see Bozza as separate from the Conservative Party.
He believes that the Conservative party could have recovered from the ERM debacle just as Labour recovered from devaluation of the pound in 1967. He argues that it was what followed - the endless infighting and the 'back to basics' sleaze scandals that finally did for the Conservatives.
I'm not sure that I buy into the Fowler thesis. The three post-war devaluations did see the Government that undertook them voted out of office (even though Labour struggled on from 1950 to 1951). The events of 1992 cost the Conservatives one of their ace cards, a superior reputation for economic competence which had endured until then.
The analogy with the current situation is undermined by the fact that the Conservatives were defeated in 1997 when the economy was recovering. It now looks increasingly likely if the current downturn is going to be over by the time of the next election.
The relentless rise of commodity prices, above all oil, is hitting the electorate hard in the pockets. Just as in the 1970s, stagflation - higher inflation and faltering growth - seems to have set in, albeit on a lower scale. The oil price seems to factor in any bad news and discount any good tidings. The housing market has taken a big knock and negative equity is back.
What this does suggest that Labour's woes are deeper than a failure of leadership by Gordon Brown. No new leader is going to be able to turn back the tide in the global economy.
I don't think that the news that Boris Johnson has had to get rid of his deputy mayor, the second aide to go, will hurt the Conservatives that much. It doesn't inspire much confidence in his abilities as mayor, but the electorate may well see Bozza as separate from the Conservative Party.
Wednesday, 2 July 2008
Quick by-election in Glasgow East
Labour has opted for a quick by-election in Glasgow East during Glasgow Fairs week, putting forward a local councillor as their candidate. Their hope is that the SNP will not have enough time to get their campaign off the ground. Given the holiday period, the turnout will certainly slump from the 48 per cent recorded at the general election. Labour's challenge may be to mobilise a sufficient vote.
Glasgow East is one of the most deprived constituencies in the country and includes the Easterhouse 'scheme'. Apparently a panel of experts mobilised by The Times have proclaimed it a SNP gain. This seems a bit premature, although it fits in with the prevalent 'narrative of defeat'.
Glasgow East is one of the most deprived constituencies in the country and includes the Easterhouse 'scheme'. Apparently a panel of experts mobilised by The Times have proclaimed it a SNP gain. This seems a bit premature, although it fits in with the prevalent 'narrative of defeat'.
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