“I levitate above it with Buddha-like serenity” observed a guest on this morning’s Andy Marr Show, when asked for his views on the identity of his next opponent. It could only have been Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, Mayor of London and occasional collector of “chicken feed” from the Maily Telegraph.
Bozza has now confirmed that he will run again for the mayoralty in 2012, after much speculation that he still had designs on being Tory leader in the event that Young Dave didn’t survive beyond a first term. Some on the right are of the opinion that he was always going to try and stay on at City Hall. I’m not so sure.
Johnson is not given to modesty or lack of ambition. Were there any chance that he could get his hands on a larger prize than Mayor of London, I suspect he would be after it. But, since getting through the door of 10 Downing Street, Cameron has become far stronger, and the Tory Party nowadays does his bidding, not Bozza’s.
So it would only need the word to come from the leader for the chance of Johnson getting anywhere near a winnable parliamentary seat to be snuffed out. He will only get the chance to make a Commons comeback after another term as Mayor – or if he stands for that office, and gets defeated.
And the latter outcome is not outside the bounds of possibility: last time, Ken Livingstone – likely to be his opponent again in 2012 – was representing a nationally unpopular Labour Party, while in 2012 it is his own side that is likely to be less favoured across the UK. The Evening Standard, rabidly pro-Boris before, has now changed hands and editors, with Andrew Gilligan, then in the vanguard of Ken kicking for the paper, relegated to a blog for the Maily Telegraph.
On board once more to head up the Johnson re-election campaign is Lynton Crosby, as before, but that does not guarantee success: it didn’t do the Tories much good in 2005. And Johnson could be hobbled if the upcoming spending cuts impinge upon his adopted manor. I’ll consider one project that may be in the balance – Crossrail - in a future post.
Sunday, 12 September 2010
Saturday, 11 September 2010
It Was Nine Years Ago Today
Today is the eleventh day of September. Or, as US English puts it, September 11. It was on this day nine years ago that a terrorist franchise effectively declared war on the United States by hijacking four commercial aircraft and flying three of them into targets in New York and Washington DC.
And so today, citizens of the USA, and especially those in New York, where the World Trade Center was destroyed with the loss of three thousand lives, will commemorate the event. Many around the world will think of them, and will also remember the effect it all had on their own lives.
Sadly, the event is this year overshadowed by unease stoked by anti-Muslim rhetoric and slanted coverage by parts of the media. The otherwise inexplicable overreaction to the Islamic centre proposed for the site of the former Burlington Coat Factory in Park Place is typical of the suddenly intolerant stance of some people.
This was addressed today in his weekly radio address by Barack Obama, a Christian and US-born President – just to point out two facts to those who have been maliciously attempting to suggest otherwise – when he said “We do not allow ourselves to be defined by fear”. That echoes the inaugural address of Franklin Roosevelt, another President who, like Obama, was smeared as socialist and even communist by opponents who ought to have known better.
Let us remember September 11, those who died, and those who are trying, in the face of mindless hostility, to govern the United States at this most difficult of economic times.
And so today, citizens of the USA, and especially those in New York, where the World Trade Center was destroyed with the loss of three thousand lives, will commemorate the event. Many around the world will think of them, and will also remember the effect it all had on their own lives.
Sadly, the event is this year overshadowed by unease stoked by anti-Muslim rhetoric and slanted coverage by parts of the media. The otherwise inexplicable overreaction to the Islamic centre proposed for the site of the former Burlington Coat Factory in Park Place is typical of the suddenly intolerant stance of some people.
This was addressed today in his weekly radio address by Barack Obama, a Christian and US-born President – just to point out two facts to those who have been maliciously attempting to suggest otherwise – when he said “We do not allow ourselves to be defined by fear”. That echoes the inaugural address of Franklin Roosevelt, another President who, like Obama, was smeared as socialist and even communist by opponents who ought to have known better.
Let us remember September 11, those who died, and those who are trying, in the face of mindless hostility, to govern the United States at this most difficult of economic times.
Friday, 10 September 2010
Well Out Of Gauge
Budget airlines. They all look different. But there is one similarity they all share: you shouldn’t trust them further than you could chuck them. This was underlined by a recent BBC Watchdog investigation.
BMIBaby – the airline with allegedly tiny fares – have been caught using under sized hand luggage gauges. What they? Well, a gauge is what they use to show that your carry-on bag is within the size limits. For this carrier, it’s 55cm by 40 cm by 20cm.
Differently sized gauges were being used by the airline: those using conventional check in (and paying extra) got the gauge that accepted anything up to those measurements. Those checking in online and going straight to the gate got a smaller one. Result? Smaller gauge doesn’t accept bag, bag has to go in hold, thirty quid extra.
BMIBaby have been making a variety of excuses about this one. But, for a carrier facing an uncertain future, and not making money, the use of a device that enables them to add a nice little earner to their revenue stream gives off a decidedly unpleasant aroma.
This one is well out of order.
BMIBaby – the airline with allegedly tiny fares – have been caught using under sized hand luggage gauges. What they? Well, a gauge is what they use to show that your carry-on bag is within the size limits. For this carrier, it’s 55cm by 40 cm by 20cm.
Differently sized gauges were being used by the airline: those using conventional check in (and paying extra) got the gauge that accepted anything up to those measurements. Those checking in online and going straight to the gate got a smaller one. Result? Smaller gauge doesn’t accept bag, bag has to go in hold, thirty quid extra.
BMIBaby have been making a variety of excuses about this one. But, for a carrier facing an uncertain future, and not making money, the use of a device that enables them to add a nice little earner to their revenue stream gives off a decidedly unpleasant aroma.
This one is well out of order.
Greetings, Pop Pickers!
Over the last few days, Total Politics magazine has been releasing the results of their Annual Blog Poll. This took place in late July – it seems a long, long time ago now – and I asked Zelo Street readers for their support.
Well, someone must have answered the call, because Zelo Street has entered the Top Fifty Non Aligned list at number 36. Is that good? Well, it’s just nine behind the excellent Tabloid Watch, six behind the Beeb’s Stephanie Flanders, and one behind Inspector Gadget.
Well, someone must have answered the call, because Zelo Street has entered the Top Fifty Non Aligned list at number 36. Is that good? Well, it’s just nine behind the excellent Tabloid Watch, six behind the Beeb’s Stephanie Flanders, and one behind Inspector Gadget.
And - a source of pride as I read his blog - thirteen places in front of Robert Peston. Just hoooooooooww good is that? And nine in front of Andrew Gilligan, but then he’s just a total [characterisation omitted].
Many, many thanks to all you folks who voted for this blog. Let the blogging continue!
Thursday, 9 September 2010
Murdoch Is Served (20)
And still Phonehackgate refuses to go away. Despite the constant moaning sound coming from the right and libertarian part of the blogosphere, the issue is if anything gaining momentum. Those who, for whatever reason, try and characterise it as a minor party political spat now have to face the unwelcome fact that the Government has today agreed that this is a matter for Parliament.
And that agreement came from Sir George Young, leader of the Commons, today. The matter will be referred to the Standards and Privileges Committee. There have been calls for Rupe himself to give evidence – might be a big ask, that one – and also his Representative On Earth in the UK, Rebekah Brooks (née Wade), who managed to bodyswerve the last enquiry, from which Rupe’s troops emerged with little credit.
Young Dave is understandably otherwise engaged right now – his father died yesterday, after suffering a severe stroke while on holiday in the south of France – and so his chief spinmeister Andy Coulson will not be going anywhere in the next day or two. But his future is looking increasingly precarious, despite all the efforts to shout down the story.
And that is because, as I noted earlier, this is all about one thing that does not know party political boundaries, and that is straightforward criminality. Trying to blame this affair on the Beeb, the Guardian, the NYT and the Labour Party is as pointless as it is feeble, and totally misses the point.
And that agreement came from Sir George Young, leader of the Commons, today. The matter will be referred to the Standards and Privileges Committee. There have been calls for Rupe himself to give evidence – might be a big ask, that one – and also his Representative On Earth in the UK, Rebekah Brooks (née Wade), who managed to bodyswerve the last enquiry, from which Rupe’s troops emerged with little credit.
Young Dave is understandably otherwise engaged right now – his father died yesterday, after suffering a severe stroke while on holiday in the south of France – and so his chief spinmeister Andy Coulson will not be going anywhere in the next day or two. But his future is looking increasingly precarious, despite all the efforts to shout down the story.
And that is because, as I noted earlier, this is all about one thing that does not know party political boundaries, and that is straightforward criminality. Trying to blame this affair on the Beeb, the Guardian, the NYT and the Labour Party is as pointless as it is feeble, and totally misses the point.
Waiting For Wally Godot
The Office for Budget Responsibility, set up by the Rt Hon Gideon George Oliver Osborne, heir to the seventeenth Baronet, did not get off to the best of starts when Alan Budd, its first chief, decided not to stick around after his initially agreed first three months. Since then, there has been much speculation as to who would replace him.
Today the speculation ended, as Robert Chote, from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), was confimed as Budd’s successor. Osborne was suitably upbeat about the appointment, telling that Chote has been “one of the most credible independent voices on the public finances, taxation and public spending”.
So perhaps the right and libertarian side of the commentariat will be as happy as the Chancellor? Well, not if some of the previous verbiage coming from that direction is anything to go by. The IFS has recently asserted that Osborne’s recent budget was not “progressive”, as he told at the time, but regressive.
This conclusion caused deep distress to one commentator, who riposted that the IFS “swing to the left”. There was a suggestion of a conspiracy including the BBC. The IFS were a body with a “slightly pinko political perspective”. There is only one thing wrong with this analysis: it’s utter drivel.
So who was that commentator? Step forward – yes, it’s him again – Mark Wallace, former stalwart of the so-called Taxpayers’ Alliance (representing less than one tenth of one per cent of all taxpayers, and still not publishing up to date accounts or a list of donors).
So far, the fearless founder of PlonkFartWally dot Com (Probably out to lunch) has not seen fit to comment on Robert Chote’s appointment. Fancy that. As the title suggests, we may be in for a long wait.
Today the speculation ended, as Robert Chote, from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), was confimed as Budd’s successor. Osborne was suitably upbeat about the appointment, telling that Chote has been “one of the most credible independent voices on the public finances, taxation and public spending”.
So perhaps the right and libertarian side of the commentariat will be as happy as the Chancellor? Well, not if some of the previous verbiage coming from that direction is anything to go by. The IFS has recently asserted that Osborne’s recent budget was not “progressive”, as he told at the time, but regressive.
This conclusion caused deep distress to one commentator, who riposted that the IFS “swing to the left”. There was a suggestion of a conspiracy including the BBC. The IFS were a body with a “slightly pinko political perspective”. There is only one thing wrong with this analysis: it’s utter drivel.
So who was that commentator? Step forward – yes, it’s him again – Mark Wallace, former stalwart of the so-called Taxpayers’ Alliance (representing less than one tenth of one per cent of all taxpayers, and still not publishing up to date accounts or a list of donors).
So far, the fearless founder of PlonkFartWally dot Com (Probably out to lunch) has not seen fit to comment on Robert Chote’s appointment. Fancy that. As the title suggests, we may be in for a long wait.
Wednesday, 8 September 2010
Rat Joins Sinking Ship
The original US cable TV channel – the name says it all – is CNN, the Cable News Network. And back in the early 90s, it was the cable channel. Not any more: CNN languishes in third place, behind Fox News Channel (fair and balanced my arse) and MSNBC, which recently overtook CNN for second spot.
Back in the good old days of CNN, the undisputed star of the evening line up was Larry King. At 2100 hours EST, those trademark braces meant Larry King Live, the original cable chat show. King is still at CNN, and still doing his show, but time and tide wait for no man, and Larry is set to bow out.
So CNN needed a replacement. What to do? Well, things must be bad at the channel, because, in an act of apparent desperation, King’s time slot is to be handed to none other than Piers “Morgan” Moron, famous for being himself, turning the Daily Mirror into a laughing stock, and being decked by Jeremy Clarkson.
What might The Percy Moron Show look like? Oh, I dunno, how about running a few of those Euro NCAP videos, just to get an idea? Seriously, the impression is given that someone at CNN really doesn’t know what a grade one meathead this bloke is. The competition will not be quaking in their boots.
So what is the competition? Well, on cable, over at Fox the 2100 time slot means Sean Hannity, whose politics I dislike intensely, but whose ability to pull in the audience is proven. And MSNBC field Rachel Maddow at that time: she’s rapidly gaining popularity with younger and more liberal minded folks.
It may be worth catching The Percy Moron Show just the once, though, so you can say you saw car crash TV put paid to CNN. They could even get Clarkson to guest – just to put the whole thing out of its misery.
Back in the good old days of CNN, the undisputed star of the evening line up was Larry King. At 2100 hours EST, those trademark braces meant Larry King Live, the original cable chat show. King is still at CNN, and still doing his show, but time and tide wait for no man, and Larry is set to bow out.
So CNN needed a replacement. What to do? Well, things must be bad at the channel, because, in an act of apparent desperation, King’s time slot is to be handed to none other than Piers “Morgan” Moron, famous for being himself, turning the Daily Mirror into a laughing stock, and being decked by Jeremy Clarkson.
What might The Percy Moron Show look like? Oh, I dunno, how about running a few of those Euro NCAP videos, just to get an idea? Seriously, the impression is given that someone at CNN really doesn’t know what a grade one meathead this bloke is. The competition will not be quaking in their boots.
So what is the competition? Well, on cable, over at Fox the 2100 time slot means Sean Hannity, whose politics I dislike intensely, but whose ability to pull in the audience is proven. And MSNBC field Rachel Maddow at that time: she’s rapidly gaining popularity with younger and more liberal minded folks.
It may be worth catching The Percy Moron Show just the once, though, so you can say you saw car crash TV put paid to CNN. They could even get Clarkson to guest – just to put the whole thing out of its misery.
Overpaid, Overrated, And Over Here
Going unreported by most of the print and broadcast media in the UK – not even the Beeb appears to have picked up on it – has been the arrival in the country yesterday of a number of lobbyists aligned with the so-called Tea Party movement in the USA. This grouping, which has foisted a number of candidates on the GOP, is of course also intermittently promoted by our old friends at Fox News Channel (fair and balanced my arse).
The usual suspects are in the van: the Cato Institute, the Heritage Foundation, and the Americans for Prosperity Foundation. All are, more or less, vehicles for the well off to push for lower taxes on themselves personally now. Ordinary US citizens are, when required, brought on board in support, although they are the expendable cannon fodder of this particular war.
The title for this convocation of the wealthy and selfish is the European Resource Bank conference. It’s another example of ad-man’s claptrap used to gloss over the real purpose of the event: the “resource bank” of the title will involve, mainly, discussing and promoting ways for a small number of rich people to keep more resources in their chosen bank.
Fortunately, the Guardian at least is now calling the so-called Taxpayers’ Alliance (representing less than one tenth of one per cent of all taxpayers, and still no accounts or list of donors published), which is organising the conference, for what it is. The article puts it directly: “aggressively promotes an anti-tax, anti-state, anti-Europe agenda”.
It’s good to see that the TPA, an organisation which majors in demonising Government – any Government – being called for what it is.
The usual suspects are in the van: the Cato Institute, the Heritage Foundation, and the Americans for Prosperity Foundation. All are, more or less, vehicles for the well off to push for lower taxes on themselves personally now. Ordinary US citizens are, when required, brought on board in support, although they are the expendable cannon fodder of this particular war.
The title for this convocation of the wealthy and selfish is the European Resource Bank conference. It’s another example of ad-man’s claptrap used to gloss over the real purpose of the event: the “resource bank” of the title will involve, mainly, discussing and promoting ways for a small number of rich people to keep more resources in their chosen bank.
Fortunately, the Guardian at least is now calling the so-called Taxpayers’ Alliance (representing less than one tenth of one per cent of all taxpayers, and still no accounts or list of donors published), which is organising the conference, for what it is. The article puts it directly: “aggressively promotes an anti-tax, anti-state, anti-Europe agenda”.
It’s good to see that the TPA, an organisation which majors in demonising Government – any Government – being called for what it is.
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Murdoch Is Served (19)
So there is to be another inquiry into Phonehackgate by the House of Commons home affairs select committee. The decision was taken after Assistant Commissioner John Yates of the Met – the same man who got saddled with the Cash-For-Peerages business that put another stain on the saintly premiership of Tone – was interviewed.
However, even though the new and improved two-headed donkey has formed a Government, they do not have a monopoly on select committee chairs. That for home affairs goes to Labour’s Keith Vaz, a man known for holding firm and asking questions, especially when his opponents would rather he desist.
But, so what? Well, given the already borderline paranoia exhibited by some on the fringe of the Tory Party, as I’ve already noted earlier today, Vaz’ decision is likely to stoke up the bunker mentality yet further. Moreover, Yates of the Yard has indicated that he will be inviting Young Dave’s chief spinmeister Andy Coulson in for a chat in the not too distant future.
And there is the spectre of more politicians, slebs and hangers on queuing up to find out whether they have had their voicemails illegally accessed by anyone acting on behalf of Rupe’s troops at the Screws and Super Soaraway Currant Bun. The Murdochs have already paid out north of two million notes to cause a number of folks to keep schtum: that bill might just get bigger.
Added to that, every revelation of more illegal activity merely ramps up the pressure on the Met, and will precipitate questions about their conduct of the affair – along with the closeness of the relationship between them and News Corp. And one thing should, by now, be coming clear to the right leaning part of the blogosphere.
That is, that there is no use trying to pretend that this is merely a party political row, a conspiracy, or that their man is being treated unfairly. It is about straightforward, organised, and blatant criminality. End of story.
However, even though the new and improved two-headed donkey has formed a Government, they do not have a monopoly on select committee chairs. That for home affairs goes to Labour’s Keith Vaz, a man known for holding firm and asking questions, especially when his opponents would rather he desist.
But, so what? Well, given the already borderline paranoia exhibited by some on the fringe of the Tory Party, as I’ve already noted earlier today, Vaz’ decision is likely to stoke up the bunker mentality yet further. Moreover, Yates of the Yard has indicated that he will be inviting Young Dave’s chief spinmeister Andy Coulson in for a chat in the not too distant future.
And there is the spectre of more politicians, slebs and hangers on queuing up to find out whether they have had their voicemails illegally accessed by anyone acting on behalf of Rupe’s troops at the Screws and Super Soaraway Currant Bun. The Murdochs have already paid out north of two million notes to cause a number of folks to keep schtum: that bill might just get bigger.
Added to that, every revelation of more illegal activity merely ramps up the pressure on the Met, and will precipitate questions about their conduct of the affair – along with the closeness of the relationship between them and News Corp. And one thing should, by now, be coming clear to the right leaning part of the blogosphere.
That is, that there is no use trying to pretend that this is merely a party political row, a conspiracy, or that their man is being treated unfairly. It is about straightforward, organised, and blatant criminality. End of story.
Conspiracy! Another Conspiracy!!
First there was the supposed conspiracy over climate change: Governments, scientists, anyone of liberal persuasion and a host of shadowy cabals were coming together to force helpless developed nations to throw not billions, but trillions of Pounds (or US Dollars, or Euro, or whatever) away. It was a scam, a fraud, a leftist plot ... and yes, it was a conspiracy.
Except, of course, it wasn’t. But that did not stop the issue of more heat than light – way more – over the subject. Nowadays, with so many hooked up to blogs, Twitter and a variety of websites, conspiracy scares can be whipped up with some speed. And demonstrating this yesterday was the otherwise rational being known as Tim Montgomerie, at ConservativeHome.
Poor Monty is taxed by the media coverage of Phonehackgate. More specifically, he is clearly distressed by the focus on Young Dave’s spinmeister Andy Coulson, former editor of the Screws. The thought that this is news on a more general level, rather than purely a party political fur fight (as I considered yesterday) has not occurred to this stalwart of ConHome.
So Monty has concluded that he has unearthed another conspiracy. This one involves favourite whipping boys of ConHome: in addition to Labour, the Beeb are asserted to be on board, with the tired and hackneyed graphic painting the BBC as a Labour mouthpiece wheeled out. The Guardian, having caused deep offence to the Tory party by daring to separate news and comment, is there too.
But giving a unique twist to the Montgomerie paranoia is the inclusion of the New York Times. The NYT has majored on Phonehackgate of late, which is enough for Monty to conclude that it is part of his new Axis Of Leftist Evil. As Fat Dick Littlejohn would have said, you couldn’t make it up.
What Montgomerie and all the other clever people who talk loudly in restaurants cannot, or more likely will not, take on board is that there is a difference between slanted journalism, and a media outlet giving out information that is inconvenient to one party’s particular cause.
Were we to start down the road towards having news approved by political pressure groups, that would lead us to a place we should not be going.
Except, of course, it wasn’t. But that did not stop the issue of more heat than light – way more – over the subject. Nowadays, with so many hooked up to blogs, Twitter and a variety of websites, conspiracy scares can be whipped up with some speed. And demonstrating this yesterday was the otherwise rational being known as Tim Montgomerie, at ConservativeHome.
Poor Monty is taxed by the media coverage of Phonehackgate. More specifically, he is clearly distressed by the focus on Young Dave’s spinmeister Andy Coulson, former editor of the Screws. The thought that this is news on a more general level, rather than purely a party political fur fight (as I considered yesterday) has not occurred to this stalwart of ConHome.
So Monty has concluded that he has unearthed another conspiracy. This one involves favourite whipping boys of ConHome: in addition to Labour, the Beeb are asserted to be on board, with the tired and hackneyed graphic painting the BBC as a Labour mouthpiece wheeled out. The Guardian, having caused deep offence to the Tory party by daring to separate news and comment, is there too.
But giving a unique twist to the Montgomerie paranoia is the inclusion of the New York Times. The NYT has majored on Phonehackgate of late, which is enough for Monty to conclude that it is part of his new Axis Of Leftist Evil. As Fat Dick Littlejohn would have said, you couldn’t make it up.
What Montgomerie and all the other clever people who talk loudly in restaurants cannot, or more likely will not, take on board is that there is a difference between slanted journalism, and a media outlet giving out information that is inconvenient to one party’s particular cause.
Were we to start down the road towards having news approved by political pressure groups, that would lead us to a place we should not be going.
Monday, 6 September 2010
The Tone Of The Journey – 2
Politicians’ memoirs can be serious business. With Tone and his Journey, that means not only the signing events (or, in the case of that in London this week, not), but the rounds of the broadcasters. Today he appeared on the first edition of ITV’s revamped Daybreak, but at the weekend he appeared on ABC’s This Week.
The latter, where Tone was quizzed by Christiane Amanpour, was a tad more revealing than his sofa-fest with Chiles and Bleakley (although Ade did manage the occasional incisive observation). His This Week interview includes the continuing conviction that not only was the invasion of Iraq right, but also that there should remain the possibility of military action against Iran.
The trouble with the latter, as I’ve noted previously, is that there is a strong possibility that the Iranians would return fire, and with more force and determination than Saddam Hussein’s motley army. But this does not seem to enter in the certain and righteous world inhabited by Tone.
But where Blair gets seriously scary is in his observations on then Veep “Dick” Cheney and his idea that 9/11 could be used as an excuse to “remake the world” by intervening not just in Iraq, but Iran and Syria. Blair does not seriously dissent from Cheney’s view, and tells that it cannot be “dismissed”.
Well, we’ve seen the effects of intervening in Iraq, and they have not been to the benefit of the tens of thousands of Iraqis who have perished as a result. Nor can those deaths and the instability induced by the conflict be simply excused by saying that it was somehow a price worth paying to remove the Ba’athist dictatorship.
Blair seems, over time, to get more certain of his judgment, and less able to inhabit the same planet as those of us who go about our business without the constant attendance of bodyguards. He is sure that he was, and is, right: I’m just relieved that he no longer has his hands on the levers of power.
The latter, where Tone was quizzed by Christiane Amanpour, was a tad more revealing than his sofa-fest with Chiles and Bleakley (although Ade did manage the occasional incisive observation). His This Week interview includes the continuing conviction that not only was the invasion of Iraq right, but also that there should remain the possibility of military action against Iran.
The trouble with the latter, as I’ve noted previously, is that there is a strong possibility that the Iranians would return fire, and with more force and determination than Saddam Hussein’s motley army. But this does not seem to enter in the certain and righteous world inhabited by Tone.
But where Blair gets seriously scary is in his observations on then Veep “Dick” Cheney and his idea that 9/11 could be used as an excuse to “remake the world” by intervening not just in Iraq, but Iran and Syria. Blair does not seriously dissent from Cheney’s view, and tells that it cannot be “dismissed”.
Well, we’ve seen the effects of intervening in Iraq, and they have not been to the benefit of the tens of thousands of Iraqis who have perished as a result. Nor can those deaths and the instability induced by the conflict be simply excused by saying that it was somehow a price worth paying to remove the Ba’athist dictatorship.
Blair seems, over time, to get more certain of his judgment, and less able to inhabit the same planet as those of us who go about our business without the constant attendance of bodyguards. He is sure that he was, and is, right: I’m just relieved that he no longer has his hands on the levers of power.
Murdoch Is Served (18)
And still Phonehackgate will not go away, despite the best efforts of Rupe’s troops and the right leaning part of the blogosphere to rubbish the efforts of the Guardian, Independent, and New York Times. The actions of the former are expected and predictable: those of the latter miss the whole point by some distance.
Yes, there is a party political element to the story, solely because former Screws editor Andy Coulson is now Young Dave’s chief spinmeister. Therefore any politician opposed to the new and improved two-headed donkey and its “Coalition Agreement” may seek to gain advantage by keeping the story running.
But there is a general point at issue, and it is here that the right leaning part of the blogosphere falls down. The use of less than wholly legal means in pursuit of otherwise confidential information – whether it is voicemail, health records or business details – does not observe party political boundaries.
Therefore it is entirely possible, now that the Tories are in Government, that the practitioners of the so-called “dark arts” will turn their attention on them, rather than Labour. The temptation for the Fourth Estate to turn to hacking, blagging and other less than wholesome means in their pursuit of folks like William ‘Ague must be bordering on the overwhelming.
And, should ‘Ague, or any other prominent Coalition politician, be brought down by these dubious means, those in and around the Tory supporting blogosphere will be the ones screaming loudest. Then, and only then, the penny may drop. Moreover, the realisation may come that Rupe and his troops are out first and foremost for themselves. Politicians are, to them, less important.
It is for this reason that those screaming “non story” the loudest will come to regret their stance, in the sure and certain manner of night following day.
Yes, there is a party political element to the story, solely because former Screws editor Andy Coulson is now Young Dave’s chief spinmeister. Therefore any politician opposed to the new and improved two-headed donkey and its “Coalition Agreement” may seek to gain advantage by keeping the story running.
But there is a general point at issue, and it is here that the right leaning part of the blogosphere falls down. The use of less than wholly legal means in pursuit of otherwise confidential information – whether it is voicemail, health records or business details – does not observe party political boundaries.
Therefore it is entirely possible, now that the Tories are in Government, that the practitioners of the so-called “dark arts” will turn their attention on them, rather than Labour. The temptation for the Fourth Estate to turn to hacking, blagging and other less than wholesome means in their pursuit of folks like William ‘Ague must be bordering on the overwhelming.
And, should ‘Ague, or any other prominent Coalition politician, be brought down by these dubious means, those in and around the Tory supporting blogosphere will be the ones screaming loudest. Then, and only then, the penny may drop. Moreover, the realisation may come that Rupe and his troops are out first and foremost for themselves. Politicians are, to them, less important.
It is for this reason that those screaming “non story” the loudest will come to regret their stance, in the sure and certain manner of night following day.
Don’t Be Vague – 4
The rumours continue to swirl around the increasingly embattled William ‘Ague, following more revelations at the weekend. Some of those rumours – such as the idea he might leave Parliament at the next General Election – may have come from the Foreign Secretary himself. But the most damaging came in yesterday’s Maily Telegraph On Sunday.
Master ‘Ague took Chris Myers on a three day trip to Afghanistan earlier this year, before Myers had been given a job by the MP. Also on the trip was the Rt Hon Gideon George Oliver Osborne, heir to the seventeenth Baronet, suggesting that this was a serious fact finding event.
However, although Osborne appears to have returned directly to the UK, Master ‘Ague and Myers stopped off for two nights in Bahrain after enduring the delights of Kabul. Perhaps all this was the kind of learning experience that interns and special advisers undertake, but the revelation merely chips away at ‘Ague’s credibility and reputation.
It’s probably true that Master ‘Ague is, as “Oiky” Gove told Andy Marr yesterday, “one of the most gifted politicians of our times”. It’s also probably true that the Fourth Estate is, right now, on the trail of whatever they can get on him.
The next unfortunate splash is, I suspect, only a matter of time away.
Master ‘Ague took Chris Myers on a three day trip to Afghanistan earlier this year, before Myers had been given a job by the MP. Also on the trip was the Rt Hon Gideon George Oliver Osborne, heir to the seventeenth Baronet, suggesting that this was a serious fact finding event.
However, although Osborne appears to have returned directly to the UK, Master ‘Ague and Myers stopped off for two nights in Bahrain after enduring the delights of Kabul. Perhaps all this was the kind of learning experience that interns and special advisers undertake, but the revelation merely chips away at ‘Ague’s credibility and reputation.
It’s probably true that Master ‘Ague is, as “Oiky” Gove told Andy Marr yesterday, “one of the most gifted politicians of our times”. It’s also probably true that the Fourth Estate is, right now, on the trail of whatever they can get on him.
The next unfortunate splash is, I suspect, only a matter of time away.
The Tone Of The Journey
Older, greyer, sadder – but maybe not wiser – a former leader has returned to the spotlight. He was right all along. His party would still be in power if only the true way – that would be his way – had been followed. Anything that went wrong was someone else’s doing. It could only be Tony Blair.
Yes, some very good things came out of the Blair premiership, and yesterday there were many who turned out to have their copies of his memoirs signed who were grateful for his negotiation of the minefield of Northern Irish politics in pursuing what became known as the Good Friday Agreement. Blair was in Dublin, where most of those on the streets supported him.
Others, however, were throwing eggs and shoes, with one attempting a citizen’s arrest. And the distaste for some of the causes Blair espoused is not confined to this side of the North Atlantic, as a piece by David Corn for Mother Jones shows. Corn has zeroed in on one meeting between Tone and “Dubya” Bush not long before the invasion of Iraq.
The record of that meeting tells that Bush had already decided on a date to begin the invasion before the ultimately unsuccessful attempt to get a second UN resolution specifically legitimising the action. Moreover, the then Prez was not optimistic that the so-called Weapons Of Mass Destruction, or WMDs, even existed. He therefore thought through ways of provoking conflict by less than honest means.
Blair, the supposedly “straight kind of guy”, appears not to have dissented from what was, in effect, Bush trying to figure out how to trick Saddam Hussein into excusing an invasion, where no pretext or proper mandate existed. It’s not a trivial matter: the whole Iraq business stained Blair’s record, his third election victory coming without much enthusiasm from the electorate.
As more of the machinations behind the scenes was revealed, and Blair himself became ever more illiberal – even suggesting that ninety days detention without trial was justifiable – the assertion that he could have won again is dubious. Would he have held on to as many seats as Pa Broon? His most ardent supporters will always be ready to fight his corner, support his legacy. Many others will not.
And the real tragedy is that Blair himself will not waver, not listen, and not learn. The result of the 2010 General Election is his responsibility as well.
Yes, some very good things came out of the Blair premiership, and yesterday there were many who turned out to have their copies of his memoirs signed who were grateful for his negotiation of the minefield of Northern Irish politics in pursuing what became known as the Good Friday Agreement. Blair was in Dublin, where most of those on the streets supported him.
Others, however, were throwing eggs and shoes, with one attempting a citizen’s arrest. And the distaste for some of the causes Blair espoused is not confined to this side of the North Atlantic, as a piece by David Corn for Mother Jones shows. Corn has zeroed in on one meeting between Tone and “Dubya” Bush not long before the invasion of Iraq.
The record of that meeting tells that Bush had already decided on a date to begin the invasion before the ultimately unsuccessful attempt to get a second UN resolution specifically legitimising the action. Moreover, the then Prez was not optimistic that the so-called Weapons Of Mass Destruction, or WMDs, even existed. He therefore thought through ways of provoking conflict by less than honest means.
Blair, the supposedly “straight kind of guy”, appears not to have dissented from what was, in effect, Bush trying to figure out how to trick Saddam Hussein into excusing an invasion, where no pretext or proper mandate existed. It’s not a trivial matter: the whole Iraq business stained Blair’s record, his third election victory coming without much enthusiasm from the electorate.
As more of the machinations behind the scenes was revealed, and Blair himself became ever more illiberal – even suggesting that ninety days detention without trial was justifiable – the assertion that he could have won again is dubious. Would he have held on to as many seats as Pa Broon? His most ardent supporters will always be ready to fight his corner, support his legacy. Many others will not.
And the real tragedy is that Blair himself will not waver, not listen, and not learn. The result of the 2010 General Election is his responsibility as well.
Sunday, 5 September 2010
Geography For Wallies
Some bloggers try hard to amuse. Others just try. And into the latter category comes former high flyer of the so-called Taxpayers’ Alliance (representing less than one tenth of one per cent of all tax payers, and still no full accounts or list of donors) Mark Wallace. Wal has left the TPA – the inducement of making an honest living clearly strong in his case – and has set up his own blog.
Here, demonstrating that knack for humour which he is yet to find, Wal tries to equate the level of alcohol consumption in Salford with the upcoming move by some parts of the Beeb to the North West. See? Beeb coming, turning the natives to drink – ha ha ha!
Laugh? I thought I’d never start.
Of course, as any fule kno, the Beeb are moving to Salford Quays. But, so what? Isn’t it all the same area? Well, no it isn’t. The Quays, the area around the Ship Canal Basin, which has been “regenerated” out of all recognition in the last two and a half decades, is more a developers’ buzzphrase than anything else. This was the dock area, such land not generally being given over to residential use.
[Wallace has linked to the Wikipedia article on Salford Quays in his blogpost – maybe he will get round to reading it sometime soon]
Moreover, the Beeb are moving to Media City, an area further west, which is yet more distant from the established residential part of Salford. Think of London’s Docklands reinvented for the North West. I’m sure that Mark Wallace, master campaigner, would want to at least be accurate in his depictions, whatever his stance on the underlying issues.
Otherwise, how could anyone trust the TPA? What was that? Gullible hacks under pressure to come up with stories and editors wanting material to suit their agenda?
Hey, that’s enough to drive folks to drink.
Here, demonstrating that knack for humour which he is yet to find, Wal tries to equate the level of alcohol consumption in Salford with the upcoming move by some parts of the Beeb to the North West. See? Beeb coming, turning the natives to drink – ha ha ha!
Laugh? I thought I’d never start.
Of course, as any fule kno, the Beeb are moving to Salford Quays. But, so what? Isn’t it all the same area? Well, no it isn’t. The Quays, the area around the Ship Canal Basin, which has been “regenerated” out of all recognition in the last two and a half decades, is more a developers’ buzzphrase than anything else. This was the dock area, such land not generally being given over to residential use.
[Wallace has linked to the Wikipedia article on Salford Quays in his blogpost – maybe he will get round to reading it sometime soon]
Moreover, the Beeb are moving to Media City, an area further west, which is yet more distant from the established residential part of Salford. Think of London’s Docklands reinvented for the North West. I’m sure that Mark Wallace, master campaigner, would want to at least be accurate in his depictions, whatever his stance on the underlying issues.
Otherwise, how could anyone trust the TPA? What was that? Gullible hacks under pressure to come up with stories and editors wanting material to suit their agenda?
Hey, that’s enough to drive folks to drink.
Saturday, 4 September 2010
Hope It Lasts
An unexpectedly pleasant welcome
Over in Chester today – busy with tourists even in September, helped by a warm sunny day – I noticed this display, which welcomes passengers arriving by train from Manchester.
Someone has clearly put a lot of time and effort into it. It’s the kind of detail that makes people that little bit happier. But the thought occurred that it might not survive many race days.
And that would be a pity.
Thursday, 2 September 2010
Don’t Be Vague – 3
So yesterday, Foreign Secretary William ‘Ague moved to quash rumours over his sexuality, and put the innuendo away for good. And did he succeed? Well, for a few hours, maybe he did. But on my reckoning he is now in a far weaker position than before, with the possibility of the press pushing the nuclear button yet higher.
Last weekend, with rumours suggesting that maybe two national newspapers were about to splash Master ‘Ague all over their front covers, a statement emerged from a “Senior Cabinet Minister” suggesting that legal action was likely to follow publication. No story appeared, but it was rather obvious that ‘Ague was the minister concerned.
Everything went quiet – well, for a day or so. But then, hackery and blogosphere were soon at it again, the situation for the Foreign Secretary not helped when the special advisor at the centre of the storm, Christopher Myers, resigned, citing media intrusion into his family life.
Only after this did Master ‘Ague make his statement, telling of his wife’s many miscarriages, that he was fed up with the rumours, and telling that he had never had a physical relationship with “any man”. Some were sympathetic, although it was generally agreed that sharing a hotel room with Myers was not one of ‘Ague’s wisest moves.
Young Dave has given ‘Ague his support, but that will not survive a suitably well researched attack by one of the Sundays. Consider these three points:
One, Myers’ resignation appears strange, if there has been no impropriety.
Two, the threat of legal action has been shown to be baseless.
Three, now that ‘Ague has categorically denied any homosexual activity, the incentive for the press includes the additional potential of demonstrating dishonesty.
Which papers might be on his case? Of the Sundays – and it’s a Sundays kind of story – the Screws, Mail On Sunday, and Maily Telegraph On Sunday are the obvious suspects. If any or all of them has a decently researched file of material, together with a few sworn affidavits, the temptation for their editors to press the Fire button and send their lethal missile on its way may prove overwhelming.
The Fourth Estate is not inclined towards sympathy or sentimentality towards those that Robin Day memorably – and rightly – described as “here today and gone tomorrow politicians”. It was thus with so many Tory politicians in the 90s. If Master ‘Ague has been less than totally honest with party and electorate, it will be the same with him.
Last weekend, with rumours suggesting that maybe two national newspapers were about to splash Master ‘Ague all over their front covers, a statement emerged from a “Senior Cabinet Minister” suggesting that legal action was likely to follow publication. No story appeared, but it was rather obvious that ‘Ague was the minister concerned.
Everything went quiet – well, for a day or so. But then, hackery and blogosphere were soon at it again, the situation for the Foreign Secretary not helped when the special advisor at the centre of the storm, Christopher Myers, resigned, citing media intrusion into his family life.
Only after this did Master ‘Ague make his statement, telling of his wife’s many miscarriages, that he was fed up with the rumours, and telling that he had never had a physical relationship with “any man”. Some were sympathetic, although it was generally agreed that sharing a hotel room with Myers was not one of ‘Ague’s wisest moves.
Young Dave has given ‘Ague his support, but that will not survive a suitably well researched attack by one of the Sundays. Consider these three points:
One, Myers’ resignation appears strange, if there has been no impropriety.
Two, the threat of legal action has been shown to be baseless.
Three, now that ‘Ague has categorically denied any homosexual activity, the incentive for the press includes the additional potential of demonstrating dishonesty.
Which papers might be on his case? Of the Sundays – and it’s a Sundays kind of story – the Screws, Mail On Sunday, and Maily Telegraph On Sunday are the obvious suspects. If any or all of them has a decently researched file of material, together with a few sworn affidavits, the temptation for their editors to press the Fire button and send their lethal missile on its way may prove overwhelming.
The Fourth Estate is not inclined towards sympathy or sentimentality towards those that Robin Day memorably – and rightly – described as “here today and gone tomorrow politicians”. It was thus with so many Tory politicians in the 90s. If Master ‘Ague has been less than totally honest with party and electorate, it will be the same with him.
Murdoch Is Served (17)
As Nick Davies, the Guardian man who has been ferreting around ceaselessly after Rupe’s troops and their involvement in phone hacking, put it in his excellent Flat Earth News, “dog doesn’t eat dog”. The Fourth Estate, generally, keeps schtum about those of its members whose activity strays beyond the boundaries of lawful investigation.
So Davies has had a less than straightforward passage in his attempts to nail the story. Moreover, because the first casualty might be Young Dave’s new head spinmeister Andy Coulson, former editor of the Screws, many of a right of centre persuasion have convinced themselves that this is a “non story”.
But things may be about to change: the New York Times has now picked up on Phonehackgate and is running the story in its magazine this week. And their piece concludes that Rupe’s troops at the Screws, far from keeping their heads down, are still happily hacking away.
There have been the usual denials from News Corp., and the characteristic attempts to put the NYT story down to the activities of a rival media outfit. But they do things differently in the USA: the thought of other media outlets keeping quiet does not enter. The HuffPo Media section has already linked prominently to the NYT story.
There will be more on this. And it may come sooner rather than later.
So Davies has had a less than straightforward passage in his attempts to nail the story. Moreover, because the first casualty might be Young Dave’s new head spinmeister Andy Coulson, former editor of the Screws, many of a right of centre persuasion have convinced themselves that this is a “non story”.
But things may be about to change: the New York Times has now picked up on Phonehackgate and is running the story in its magazine this week. And their piece concludes that Rupe’s troops at the Screws, far from keeping their heads down, are still happily hacking away.
There have been the usual denials from News Corp., and the characteristic attempts to put the NYT story down to the activities of a rival media outfit. But they do things differently in the USA: the thought of other media outlets keeping quiet does not enter. The HuffPo Media section has already linked prominently to the NYT story.
There will be more on this. And it may come sooner rather than later.
Push Has Come To Shove
Some time ago, I wondered how long the coalition of right of centre blogs – that mix of Tory loyalists, Libertarians and those who just wanted rid of Labour – would last after the General Election, and the kinds of events that might induce the first fracturing of that alliance.
Well, the event has now arrived – the continuing speculation over the personal life of Foreign Secretary William ‘Ague – and the fracture has opened in very public style. Stirring the pot vigorously, and showing no sign of doing otherwise given half a chance, has been Paul Staines, who blogs under the alias of Guido Fawkes.
Going public over his discomfort at Staines’ approach, and finding adversely on his methods, has been Iain Dale, a compliant and reliable conduit for Tory propaganda, the affair even making its mark in the Evening Standard Londoner’s Diary yesterday.
Dale, a past Parliamentary candidate for the Tories, clearly believes that Staines is relying unduly on nudge-and-wink and innuendo, and that this is unfair on Master ‘Ague, though there is also the fortunate coincidence that he is going in to bat for party loyalty.
Staines, as I noted the other day, is for promotion of the Guido Fawkes brand: this holds that, more or less, any scandal in which he can exert a little leverage must be to his advantage. Whoever finally delivers the decisive blow, he can claim credit, and add another scalp to his trophy cabinet.
That was fine for Dale when Staines was going after “Shagger” Prescott, Damian McBride and Derek Draper, then making his suggestions about Pa Broon. It seems not to have occurred to him that the Tories have not in the recent past been an exactly scandal free zone, and that the natural modus operandi of Staines is all about scandal – whatever the party.
Maybe the proverbial penny will drop sometime soon.
Well, the event has now arrived – the continuing speculation over the personal life of Foreign Secretary William ‘Ague – and the fracture has opened in very public style. Stirring the pot vigorously, and showing no sign of doing otherwise given half a chance, has been Paul Staines, who blogs under the alias of Guido Fawkes.
Going public over his discomfort at Staines’ approach, and finding adversely on his methods, has been Iain Dale, a compliant and reliable conduit for Tory propaganda, the affair even making its mark in the Evening Standard Londoner’s Diary yesterday.
Dale, a past Parliamentary candidate for the Tories, clearly believes that Staines is relying unduly on nudge-and-wink and innuendo, and that this is unfair on Master ‘Ague, though there is also the fortunate coincidence that he is going in to bat for party loyalty.
Staines, as I noted the other day, is for promotion of the Guido Fawkes brand: this holds that, more or less, any scandal in which he can exert a little leverage must be to his advantage. Whoever finally delivers the decisive blow, he can claim credit, and add another scalp to his trophy cabinet.
That was fine for Dale when Staines was going after “Shagger” Prescott, Damian McBride and Derek Draper, then making his suggestions about Pa Broon. It seems not to have occurred to him that the Tories have not in the recent past been an exactly scandal free zone, and that the natural modus operandi of Staines is all about scandal – whatever the party.
Maybe the proverbial penny will drop sometime soon.
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