I share Andrew's anger at the Telegraph's attacking of Alan Reid's claiming of expenses for his Summer Tour.
Most MPs I know work very hard all year round, not just during the Parliamentary sessions. During the Summer recess in particular they are still fighting their constituents' cases and this can also involve travelling back and fore to London to meet ministers and the like. Don't therefore assume that if an MP has made a claim in the Summer that it automatically invalid. There are legitimate reasons for them to be in town.
Anyway this isn't relevant to Alan's claims, which were for b and b accommodation, not 5 star hotel (although I'd rather stay in a homely highland b and b than any impersonal hotel any day) in his constituency during his Summer Tour. Many MPs spend several weeks in the Summer visiting every tiny corner of their constituencies to listen to people's concerns and meet as many people as possible. Now, I've never been to Argyll and Bute in my life, but I know it's pretty far flung. However, I did have the sense to look up on Google maps to try to appreciate the distances involved before I made a judgement. Don't they have the internet in the Telegraph offices to enable the reporter to do the same?
I tried to provide links for directions from Cardross, where Alan's home is, to both Loch Fyne and Oban, but I can't get them to work. If you go to Google Maps and get directions from Loch Fyne to Cardross, it will tell you that's 154 miles and would take you 4 hours and 38 minutes. The road from Oban to Cardross is nearly 78.7 miles, taking 1 hour 54 minutes. Neither distance is commutable in my opinion, especially late at night on challenging roads after a long day's work. Nor is it acceptable to have to get up again and make the return journey in the morning. Overnight accommodation would definitely be cheaper, and therefore a better option to the taxpayer, than the mileage anyway.
I am glad that Alan did fight the case to be reimbursed for these expenses. Nobody should be out of pocket for reasonable costs of doing their job and the rules did not take into account those few constituencies which cover an enormous geographical area. Having grown up in Caithness and Sutherland, I know the huge area that Bob Maclennan as MP had to travel around - just to get to the outer edge of the constituency was a good 1.5 hour drive from Inverness.
The Telegraph's revelations have generated much outrage in recent days - but on this one, I am happy to send them some back, because they have their criticism of Alan very badly wrong.
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Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Some sense on MP's expenses
Common sense from Sarah Teather, as usual.
Elsewhere in Westminster, David Cameron has got all tough. Pity he couldn't have found his decisive streak when his MPs were voting against reform and to conceal their expenses.
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Elsewhere in Westminster, David Cameron has got all tough. Pity he couldn't have found his decisive streak when his MPs were voting against reform and to conceal their expenses.
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F1 without Ferrari?
I wish these boys would find a better way of solving their problems than the entirely predictable series of threats to quit Formula 1 by 40% of the current competing teams in the face of the imposition of a budget cap of £40 million which, as Edis has pointed out below, would give those who comply with it a more liberal technical regime and more testing.
I guess it's like being asked to fight an election on tuppence ha'penny, but, hey, we Lib Dems have been doing that forever. I think a cap on the amount of money national parties can spend during campaigns would be a good idea, to level the playing field a bit, so why not make Formula One more accessible? Accessible is, of course, a word you use advisedly in this context - anyone seeking to enter a team would have to be very, very rich.
To most of us, that sort of sum would seem more than enough for each team to keep a couple of cars on the road for a few thousand miles and to develop another one for next year, but apparently not, according to Toyota, Red Bull (and consequently Torro Rosso) and, now, the big boys, Ferrari. I'm sure I heard Eddie Jordan, former team owner, say that his team spent £100 million per year, and it's 8 years since he owned it. The new rules seem to offer a choice between spend and test which sounds quite difficult to interpret and implement.
Today, the iconic team, who have been around since Formula 1's inception, said they would not participate in next year's season if this new regime is implemented.
The sport would not be the same without them, no doubt, but it's way too early to contemplate that. I suspect more of the big boys will threaten to leave and then at some point, probably the eleventh hour, a solution will be found.
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I guess it's like being asked to fight an election on tuppence ha'penny, but, hey, we Lib Dems have been doing that forever. I think a cap on the amount of money national parties can spend during campaigns would be a good idea, to level the playing field a bit, so why not make Formula One more accessible? Accessible is, of course, a word you use advisedly in this context - anyone seeking to enter a team would have to be very, very rich.
To most of us, that sort of sum would seem more than enough for each team to keep a couple of cars on the road for a few thousand miles and to develop another one for next year, but apparently not, according to Toyota, Red Bull (and consequently Torro Rosso) and, now, the big boys, Ferrari. I'm sure I heard Eddie Jordan, former team owner, say that his team spent £100 million per year, and it's 8 years since he owned it. The new rules seem to offer a choice between spend and test which sounds quite difficult to interpret and implement.
Today, the iconic team, who have been around since Formula 1's inception, said they would not participate in next year's season if this new regime is implemented.
The sport would not be the same without them, no doubt, but it's way too early to contemplate that. I suspect more of the big boys will threaten to leave and then at some point, probably the eleventh hour, a solution will be found.
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What MPs could learn from Ross Brawn.
That nice James Allen has posted his account of the trip home from the Spanish Grand Prix. Apparently, on the Easyjet flight, along with loads of British formula one fans, were members of the F1 team of the moment, Brawn GP, including team owner and technical guru Ross Brawn who was not only there but ended up talking to the fans and having his photo taken with them. F1 in general is not known for being particularly frugal even at the worst of times and its high heed yins are not renowned for their accessibility to the masses.
Certainly Brawn GP aren't that rich at the moment, so they can't afford the charter flights and the sumptuous motorhomes that the established teams show off. I presume that when everyone has a fast car, the only way to show your supremacy is to build a 3 storey portable palace in the paddock like McLaren and Ferrari do.
Brawn need all their spare cash to get the cars on the trackat each race and build a better one for next year, so it makes sense to save as much money as possible on travel. Being technical director of Ferrari and subsequently team principal of Honda and Brawn are hardly minimum wage jobs, though. Brawn could easily have afforded a better class of travel but he chose to rough it with everybody else. He's also made sure that other members of the team get up on the podium at the end of races to accept the awards. From what he said to the best sports reporting team in the whole world ever (Brundle, Humphrey, EJ and DC) after the Bahrain Grand Prix, failure to do so in other teams rankled with him in the past and he's happy to share the rewards.
So, the lessons for MPs? Public money is precious. There never was enough to do everything that needed to be done, even in the good times and there's even less so now. Every penny they claim in expenses is public money that isn't going to be spent on schools or hospitals or desperately needed housing. Of course it's necessary for them to have adequate funds to maintain their offices, pay their staff, be accommodated in London and have their travel to and from their constituencies paid. I don't think anybody would argue about that, not least the people who have gone to their MPs for help and had problems with Government agencies sorted. Often an MP's intervention can get results that the person would never have had a hope of getting on their own. However, they should all have a mind to what is reasonable and fair, based on their needs and not on what they can get out of the system. If they can travel Easyjet - and I accept that they can't always because you can't get flexible tickets and Parliamentary business can be unpredictable - then they should. Whatever accommodation arrangments there are should involve functional flats and not moats and chandeliers.
All MPs, and in fact everyone in politics now more than ever has the responsibility of trying to rebuild public trust with sincerity and engaging in genuine dialogue with people. They need to look at ways at which they could give more power back to people. If your MP has wasted thousands of public money on frivolities, it may be that the size of their majority will insulate them from being kicked out at the election when it comes. What we need is a more proportional voting system where people have more chance of being able to make their feelings about each individual MP felt. The single transferable vote ticks all those boxes and the argument for it has never been stronger, especially now that it has worked so well in the Scottish local elections.
I do think that Michael Martin's position as speaker is untenable. There is a comment being attributed to him that he said "I didn't come into politics not to take what's owed to me." While that can't be proved, he certainly came across like the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - it seems that he thinks that if he can't see the chaos, it won't engulf him. What can't be doubted is that he has been a consistent obstacle to openness and reform. If there were a way of dragging him from that Speaker's Chair, I'd be all in favour of doing it.
Apparently the Telegraph will turn its attention to the Lib Dems tomorrow. I will personally be absolutely devastated if any of our's have carried out any of the abuses of the system that others have been guilty of. I think Paul will be too, although I don't quite share his thirst for blood. I do agree that if there is anything that appears to be beyond what is perceived as reasonable, then the MP concerned should pay it back.
I'm going to stick my neck out and say that I doubt there will be quite as many sensational headlines, even proportionally, given that we are a smaller group, but I would be surprised if we emerged entirely unscathed. I do have faith in our lot, who have consistently voted for reform of the system and against Labour and Tory moves to keep expenses secret. In fact it was that nice Jo Swinson who took the campaign to Twitter earlier in the year and whose efforts helped force the Government to back down.
The actual expenses system itself is the easiest thing to fix. Mr Quist told us how to do it the other day. Restoring trust and confidence will be another matter.
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Certainly Brawn GP aren't that rich at the moment, so they can't afford the charter flights and the sumptuous motorhomes that the established teams show off. I presume that when everyone has a fast car, the only way to show your supremacy is to build a 3 storey portable palace in the paddock like McLaren and Ferrari do.
Brawn need all their spare cash to get the cars on the trackat each race and build a better one for next year, so it makes sense to save as much money as possible on travel. Being technical director of Ferrari and subsequently team principal of Honda and Brawn are hardly minimum wage jobs, though. Brawn could easily have afforded a better class of travel but he chose to rough it with everybody else. He's also made sure that other members of the team get up on the podium at the end of races to accept the awards. From what he said to the best sports reporting team in the whole world ever (Brundle, Humphrey, EJ and DC) after the Bahrain Grand Prix, failure to do so in other teams rankled with him in the past and he's happy to share the rewards.
So, the lessons for MPs? Public money is precious. There never was enough to do everything that needed to be done, even in the good times and there's even less so now. Every penny they claim in expenses is public money that isn't going to be spent on schools or hospitals or desperately needed housing. Of course it's necessary for them to have adequate funds to maintain their offices, pay their staff, be accommodated in London and have their travel to and from their constituencies paid. I don't think anybody would argue about that, not least the people who have gone to their MPs for help and had problems with Government agencies sorted. Often an MP's intervention can get results that the person would never have had a hope of getting on their own. However, they should all have a mind to what is reasonable and fair, based on their needs and not on what they can get out of the system. If they can travel Easyjet - and I accept that they can't always because you can't get flexible tickets and Parliamentary business can be unpredictable - then they should. Whatever accommodation arrangments there are should involve functional flats and not moats and chandeliers.
All MPs, and in fact everyone in politics now more than ever has the responsibility of trying to rebuild public trust with sincerity and engaging in genuine dialogue with people. They need to look at ways at which they could give more power back to people. If your MP has wasted thousands of public money on frivolities, it may be that the size of their majority will insulate them from being kicked out at the election when it comes. What we need is a more proportional voting system where people have more chance of being able to make their feelings about each individual MP felt. The single transferable vote ticks all those boxes and the argument for it has never been stronger, especially now that it has worked so well in the Scottish local elections.
I do think that Michael Martin's position as speaker is untenable. There is a comment being attributed to him that he said "I didn't come into politics not to take what's owed to me." While that can't be proved, he certainly came across like the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - it seems that he thinks that if he can't see the chaos, it won't engulf him. What can't be doubted is that he has been a consistent obstacle to openness and reform. If there were a way of dragging him from that Speaker's Chair, I'd be all in favour of doing it.
Apparently the Telegraph will turn its attention to the Lib Dems tomorrow. I will personally be absolutely devastated if any of our's have carried out any of the abuses of the system that others have been guilty of. I think Paul will be too, although I don't quite share his thirst for blood. I do agree that if there is anything that appears to be beyond what is perceived as reasonable, then the MP concerned should pay it back.
I'm going to stick my neck out and say that I doubt there will be quite as many sensational headlines, even proportionally, given that we are a smaller group, but I would be surprised if we emerged entirely unscathed. I do have faith in our lot, who have consistently voted for reform of the system and against Labour and Tory moves to keep expenses secret. In fact it was that nice Jo Swinson who took the campaign to Twitter earlier in the year and whose efforts helped force the Government to back down.
The actual expenses system itself is the easiest thing to fix. Mr Quist told us how to do it the other day. Restoring trust and confidence will be another matter.
LibDig This!
Why Nick Clegg knows what he's talking about on Europe
I first met Nick Clegg 11 years ago when he came to Lib Dem Regional Office in Leicester to be interviewed to be a Lib Dem candidate for the East Midlands. As Region Team Leader at the time I was on the interviewing panel.
I guess it was like some political version of the X Factor, except none of the four of us "judges" behind the table were in any way rich or had the prospect of becoming so. Like Cowell, Walsh et al, we knew a good thing when we saw it, though.
I'm not about to divulge too many secrets of that day, but suffice to say that he completely blew us away. It was very clear to us by the end of the interview that at some point he would lead the party. From the little I knew about his background prior to meeting him, I expected a boring Eurocrat. What I got was someone who spoke with warmth, knowledge and authority about everything we asked him.
Of all the Party leaders, Nick is best placed to talk with authority on matters European. He has a decade of direct experience both as a Member of the European Parliament and, crucially, as someone who was sent to negotiate with the Russians and the Chinese on behalf of the EU. He knows that the EU, representing almost half a billion people, carries a lot of weight when it works together. During his time in the Parliament he consistently argued for reforms which would make the EU more democratic, open and accountable - as well as save it money in stopping the ridiculous Strasbourg sessions.
When he tell us that the Tory ideas to isolate the UK within Europe are dangerous, we can be sure that he knows what he is talking about.
Nick has totally got it right on many issues since he became leader - on Gaza, he spoke out against the Israeli action when others were timid about it, he championed the cause of the Gurkhas to be given equal rights to live here and he's been making the running on MP's expenses. As I pointed out the other day, it's the Lib Dems who have been campaigning for years for greater openness and for major reform of the system.
I think it's clear that the country has liked what it has seen of Nick so far and in the next few weeks, people have the opportunity to get to know him a lot better. That can only be a good thing as far as I'm concerned.
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I guess it was like some political version of the X Factor, except none of the four of us "judges" behind the table were in any way rich or had the prospect of becoming so. Like Cowell, Walsh et al, we knew a good thing when we saw it, though.
I'm not about to divulge too many secrets of that day, but suffice to say that he completely blew us away. It was very clear to us by the end of the interview that at some point he would lead the party. From the little I knew about his background prior to meeting him, I expected a boring Eurocrat. What I got was someone who spoke with warmth, knowledge and authority about everything we asked him.
Of all the Party leaders, Nick is best placed to talk with authority on matters European. He has a decade of direct experience both as a Member of the European Parliament and, crucially, as someone who was sent to negotiate with the Russians and the Chinese on behalf of the EU. He knows that the EU, representing almost half a billion people, carries a lot of weight when it works together. During his time in the Parliament he consistently argued for reforms which would make the EU more democratic, open and accountable - as well as save it money in stopping the ridiculous Strasbourg sessions.
When he tell us that the Tory ideas to isolate the UK within Europe are dangerous, we can be sure that he knows what he is talking about.
Nick has totally got it right on many issues since he became leader - on Gaza, he spoke out against the Israeli action when others were timid about it, he championed the cause of the Gurkhas to be given equal rights to live here and he's been making the running on MP's expenses. As I pointed out the other day, it's the Lib Dems who have been campaigning for years for greater openness and for major reform of the system.
I think it's clear that the country has liked what it has seen of Nick so far and in the next few weeks, people have the opportunity to get to know him a lot better. That can only be a good thing as far as I'm concerned.
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Sunday, May 10, 2009
The Brawn Fairytale Continues
Well, what a race that was!
Barrichello had a brilliant start, but couldn't make the car go fast enough to stay ahead of his team-mate. It's a shame, because he did so much to set up the car for the weekend and it would have been nice to see him rewarded with a win. Of course, it was in Brawn's interests to keep Jenson ahead in the championship and build as big a barrier as possible because this run of extraordinary good fortune can't last forever.
I'm not sure I can quite get my head round Massa's fuel problem. Surely they knew that having Vettel up his backside would make him use up his fuel quicker. Why didn't they put enough in to get him to the end of the race in position. Like the UK Labour Party, when one thing starts to go wrong, everything else seems to fall apart.
I was glad to see Webber get on the podium after having his last weekend ruined by a half asleep Adrian Suthil. Did you hear the blue rinse brigade tutting as he said the F word before the presentation? I mean, on the BBC, on the Sabbath - what is the world coming to? He had a fantastic moment with Alonso which showed both of their driving skills at their best.
I can't wait for Monaco!
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Barrichello had a brilliant start, but couldn't make the car go fast enough to stay ahead of his team-mate. It's a shame, because he did so much to set up the car for the weekend and it would have been nice to see him rewarded with a win. Of course, it was in Brawn's interests to keep Jenson ahead in the championship and build as big a barrier as possible because this run of extraordinary good fortune can't last forever.
I'm not sure I can quite get my head round Massa's fuel problem. Surely they knew that having Vettel up his backside would make him use up his fuel quicker. Why didn't they put enough in to get him to the end of the race in position. Like the UK Labour Party, when one thing starts to go wrong, everything else seems to fall apart.
I was glad to see Webber get on the podium after having his last weekend ruined by a half asleep Adrian Suthil. Did you hear the blue rinse brigade tutting as he said the F word before the presentation? I mean, on the BBC, on the Sabbath - what is the world coming to? He had a fantastic moment with Alonso which showed both of their driving skills at their best.
I can't wait for Monaco!
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Why Governments must get tough with Formula Manufacturers
450 babies under a month old die every single hour across the world.
How many of these could be saved if Governments got together and took tough action against formula manufacturers who blatantly disregard the International Code on the Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes? These companies have been able to flout this Code for long enough to increase their own profits.
This is about protecting women and babies across the world, including here, from false claims made by formula manufacturers. The UN rapped our Government as recently as last year for its failures in this regard.
Remember the contaminated baby milk scandal in China earlier this year when 6 babies died and over 30,000 became ill?
If you don't believe me, listen to Mike Brady, the director of Baby Milk Action explaining how formula manufacturers target women when pregnant and new mothers in contravention of the Code.
If you agree with him, please sign up to join the One Million Campaign, a global campaign to support breastfeeding and demand that Governments get tough with the formula manufacturers.
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How many of these could be saved if Governments got together and took tough action against formula manufacturers who blatantly disregard the International Code on the Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes? These companies have been able to flout this Code for long enough to increase their own profits.
This is about protecting women and babies across the world, including here, from false claims made by formula manufacturers. The UN rapped our Government as recently as last year for its failures in this regard.
Remember the contaminated baby milk scandal in China earlier this year when 6 babies died and over 30,000 became ill?
If you don't believe me, listen to Mike Brady, the director of Baby Milk Action explaining how formula manufacturers target women when pregnant and new mothers in contravention of the Code.
If you agree with him, please sign up to join the One Million Campaign, a global campaign to support breastfeeding and demand that Governments get tough with the formula manufacturers.
LibDig This!
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Ferrari's woes continue at Spanish GP Qualifying
My love for the Ferrari formula 1 team knows no bounds in good times and in bad and that isn't about to change, despite Eddie Jordan saying that fans will be turned away from the team after another qualifying disaster.
However, I did have to wonder if they had been taking advice from the UK Labour Party's strategy team today. I can live with the car being not that great - let's face it, the team is rebuilding after the departures of Todt, Schumacher and Brawn, but I find the stupidity of keeping Raikonnen in the garage in Q1 and not making sure he stayed in the top 15 just unbelievable.
For the first time this season they turned up at a circuit with a car capable of being up there with the best. Massa ended up in 4th. If Raikonnen had stayed in the game, he may have done even better.
I don't think they quite get not being in the top flight. They think that they are automatically going to be in at least Q2 so they don't have to bother. They have no right to think that after a similar disaster with Massa earlier in the season. They're going to have to lose that expectation and pretend they are a new team.
However, I can jump up and down with excitement that Massa made it into the top 4 so there is definitely potential there for the rest of the season.
These qualifying sessions are not good for the blood pressure but they are very, very exciting. Great to see Jenson on pole and let's hope that he carries on the tradition of the pole sitter winning. I can barely believe it's possible, but hope so. I will probably be watching the race tomorrow from behind a pillow.
And finally, how lovely is Sebastian Vettel? Every time he's interviewed he thanks the team, who always seem to have been up all night tinkering with the car.
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However, I did have to wonder if they had been taking advice from the UK Labour Party's strategy team today. I can live with the car being not that great - let's face it, the team is rebuilding after the departures of Todt, Schumacher and Brawn, but I find the stupidity of keeping Raikonnen in the garage in Q1 and not making sure he stayed in the top 15 just unbelievable.
For the first time this season they turned up at a circuit with a car capable of being up there with the best. Massa ended up in 4th. If Raikonnen had stayed in the game, he may have done even better.
I don't think they quite get not being in the top flight. They think that they are automatically going to be in at least Q2 so they don't have to bother. They have no right to think that after a similar disaster with Massa earlier in the season. They're going to have to lose that expectation and pretend they are a new team.
However, I can jump up and down with excitement that Massa made it into the top 4 so there is definitely potential there for the rest of the season.
These qualifying sessions are not good for the blood pressure but they are very, very exciting. Great to see Jenson on pole and let's hope that he carries on the tradition of the pole sitter winning. I can barely believe it's possible, but hope so. I will probably be watching the race tomorrow from behind a pillow.
And finally, how lovely is Sebastian Vettel? Every time he's interviewed he thanks the team, who always seem to have been up all night tinkering with the car.
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7 Reasons I joined the Lib Dems
Time for me to tackle the meme of the moment. You'll notice that I'm not conforming by waiting until Saturday to do it:-)
The backdrop to my political DNA is found in the Preamble to the Party's Constitution - the rest of the document is as dull as ditchwater, as constitutions are to most people, but the Preamble sets out our core values as Lib Dems - fairness, community, decentralisation and respect for people as individuals. And the thing is, these aren't just words to us - we know what they mean and we try to live them out whenever we are in power, and in our lives as well.
1. I watched Roots when I was about 8 and was appalled by the scenes of human beings treating other human beings so brutally. That was the start of my political awakening. The Party has such a long tradition of campaigning against injustice and abuse and unfairness that it was only natural that I should join.
2. Things like the closed shop, and people being abused for refusing to go on strike, used to really annoy me. The huge mass meetings of the 70s just seemed to me to be so undemocratic and intimidating. The Party was in favour of making unions more democratic and accountable to their members and also in giving employees a greater say in the running of the companies they worked for.
3. Bob Maclennan, the SDP MP for Caithness and Sutherland, was such a good, decent person and took time to thank me for the work I did on his campaign and to answer any questions I had and to involve me in the party, even though I couldn't vote for him at that time. As an aside to that, the people in the Liberals and SDP were all really lovely and welcoming. I made friends during the 1983 campaign when I was 15 that I kept in touch with for the rest of their lives.
4. Everybody's unique. Everybody is individual. They have their own feelings, opinions, and experiences. The Lib Dems get that. I remember being really turned off by the Labour Party at university - if you didn't believe in everything they did, you were seen as somehow a lesser class of person. We celebrate debate and diversity.
5. Not everybody has the same chances in life - we want a society where being poor, black, gay or female is not allowed to stop somebody from fulfilling their potential. That's why Nick Clegg is always talking about how angry he feels that someone in a rich part of Sheffield, where he's an MP, is likely to live decades longer than someone in a poor part.
6. We think the State is there to facilitate justice and fairness, and not to tell people how they should run every minute area of their lives. We won't ban or compel unless there is a very, very good reason. We view the restriction of individual liberty as extremely serious. I remember when I was pregnant, just after Labour came to power, listening to a Labour Minister being interviewed about "National Average Bedtimes." Why waste time on such frivolties when people are living in terrible poverty? This is why we are instinctively against such things as ID cards and CCTV being used to spy on people putting their bins out, and why we don't think the Police should be able to detain people for weeks without charge.
Shirley Williams is one of my absolute political idols and I totally admired her for being involved with Project Liberty in the 90s. It was an organisation which went into the emerging democracies in Eastern Europe and tried to help the Government organisations in them develop a culture of service, rather than one they had been used to, where they were all powerful and people just did what they were told.
7. At the 1997 election, I remember being upstairs watching the election results at the count in Chesterfield. I was alone in the room with Tony Benn, who didn't say a single word to me as he ate his white chocolate Magnum. Chesterfield Labour Party were never that nice to the Lib Dems, unsurprisingly because we kept beating them and showing them up for being incompetent bunch they were. I'm not sure they've improved that much since then, to be honest. But maybe Benn's silence was a good thing because I was practically crying with joy that we were going to get a Scottish Parliament.
It always seemed crazy to me that we didn't. We had a separate legal and education system. Why on earth was the centre of political power for those things in London? Independence never did it for me. I guess because I just thought that decisions should be made at the lowest sensible level.
The principle of decentralisation of power is and always has been a key part of Lib Dem philosophy. Lib Dems in Government are always looking to empower and to listen to local people and communities and that, to me, is a key part of what makes up a good Government.
So there are my 7 reasons as to why I not only joined, but have stayed involved for 25 years. They are why I've delivered leaflets in the rain, endured election campaigns where sleep is an optional extra if all the work is done, spent a small fortune on travelling to and from various elections and donating to campaigns and basically run my life round the party. I've had highs, the best of which was the win in Dunfermline in 2006, and lows - losing a Council by-election by 17 votes is no fun, believe me. I've made some lifelong, wonderful friends, though, and I couldn't imagine my life without the Lib Dems in it somewhere.
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The backdrop to my political DNA is found in the Preamble to the Party's Constitution - the rest of the document is as dull as ditchwater, as constitutions are to most people, but the Preamble sets out our core values as Lib Dems - fairness, community, decentralisation and respect for people as individuals. And the thing is, these aren't just words to us - we know what they mean and we try to live them out whenever we are in power, and in our lives as well.
1. I watched Roots when I was about 8 and was appalled by the scenes of human beings treating other human beings so brutally. That was the start of my political awakening. The Party has such a long tradition of campaigning against injustice and abuse and unfairness that it was only natural that I should join.
2. Things like the closed shop, and people being abused for refusing to go on strike, used to really annoy me. The huge mass meetings of the 70s just seemed to me to be so undemocratic and intimidating. The Party was in favour of making unions more democratic and accountable to their members and also in giving employees a greater say in the running of the companies they worked for.
3. Bob Maclennan, the SDP MP for Caithness and Sutherland, was such a good, decent person and took time to thank me for the work I did on his campaign and to answer any questions I had and to involve me in the party, even though I couldn't vote for him at that time. As an aside to that, the people in the Liberals and SDP were all really lovely and welcoming. I made friends during the 1983 campaign when I was 15 that I kept in touch with for the rest of their lives.
4. Everybody's unique. Everybody is individual. They have their own feelings, opinions, and experiences. The Lib Dems get that. I remember being really turned off by the Labour Party at university - if you didn't believe in everything they did, you were seen as somehow a lesser class of person. We celebrate debate and diversity.
5. Not everybody has the same chances in life - we want a society where being poor, black, gay or female is not allowed to stop somebody from fulfilling their potential. That's why Nick Clegg is always talking about how angry he feels that someone in a rich part of Sheffield, where he's an MP, is likely to live decades longer than someone in a poor part.
6. We think the State is there to facilitate justice and fairness, and not to tell people how they should run every minute area of their lives. We won't ban or compel unless there is a very, very good reason. We view the restriction of individual liberty as extremely serious. I remember when I was pregnant, just after Labour came to power, listening to a Labour Minister being interviewed about "National Average Bedtimes." Why waste time on such frivolties when people are living in terrible poverty? This is why we are instinctively against such things as ID cards and CCTV being used to spy on people putting their bins out, and why we don't think the Police should be able to detain people for weeks without charge.
Shirley Williams is one of my absolute political idols and I totally admired her for being involved with Project Liberty in the 90s. It was an organisation which went into the emerging democracies in Eastern Europe and tried to help the Government organisations in them develop a culture of service, rather than one they had been used to, where they were all powerful and people just did what they were told.
7. At the 1997 election, I remember being upstairs watching the election results at the count in Chesterfield. I was alone in the room with Tony Benn, who didn't say a single word to me as he ate his white chocolate Magnum. Chesterfield Labour Party were never that nice to the Lib Dems, unsurprisingly because we kept beating them and showing them up for being incompetent bunch they were. I'm not sure they've improved that much since then, to be honest. But maybe Benn's silence was a good thing because I was practically crying with joy that we were going to get a Scottish Parliament.
It always seemed crazy to me that we didn't. We had a separate legal and education system. Why on earth was the centre of political power for those things in London? Independence never did it for me. I guess because I just thought that decisions should be made at the lowest sensible level.
The principle of decentralisation of power is and always has been a key part of Lib Dem philosophy. Lib Dems in Government are always looking to empower and to listen to local people and communities and that, to me, is a key part of what makes up a good Government.
So there are my 7 reasons as to why I not only joined, but have stayed involved for 25 years. They are why I've delivered leaflets in the rain, endured election campaigns where sleep is an optional extra if all the work is done, spent a small fortune on travelling to and from various elections and donating to campaigns and basically run my life round the party. I've had highs, the best of which was the win in Dunfermline in 2006, and lows - losing a Council by-election by 17 votes is no fun, believe me. I've made some lifelong, wonderful friends, though, and I couldn't imagine my life without the Lib Dems in it somewhere.
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Friday, May 08, 2009
The Opportunities of the Expenses Debacle
As I've said before, by far the majority of people I've come across of all shades of the political spectrum have been decent, well intentioned human beings. There are a few who don't live up to that, but isn't that the same in any organisation? Most MPs that I know work incredibly hard, long hours both in Westminster and their constituencies and are committed to serving the people they represent.
It's worrying in some ways that the information which was going to be published in July about MP's expenses has been obtained ahead of time by the Daily Telegraph. As Lady Mark has rightly said, there is an issue of security for the House of Commons authorities to deal with. However, maybe it's good that it's all come out now, rather than us having speculation drip fed to us every day until July. At least it's all out now (or at least will be in the next few days) and everyone can see what they should have had access to for years.
There is a valuable lesson to be learned here - Governments and public organisations should not keep things secret unless there is a very, very good reason. I am less bothered, to be honest, about the substance of the individual claims than with the fact that MPs had have their publication dragged out of them.
Sure, there may be a few Lib Dems who may have claimed things that some people may think a bit strange, so I'm not going to go casting stones or making fun of anybody else's claims. However, it is the Lib Dems who have consistently voted for openness, transparency and publication. It's in our nature to do so. It made me seethe to consistently see the majority of MPs vote to keep details of their expenses secret. That is what brings the organisation into disrepute more than anything else and has led to the sensational headlines we are seeing at the moment.
Of course the mechanics of the system need to be reformed. The John Lewis list has to go. I also don't understand why on earth the public have been paying for great big country houses with swimming pools. We should be providing somewhere for the MP to stay either in the constituency or in London, and I don't think it's unreasonable that it should be big enough to accommodate their partner and kids - but I'm thinking 2 bedroomed at most flat rather than mansion, here.
Of course it's strange to any of the rest of us who have to furnish our homes and buy our own wine racks and have our own boilers serviced and do our own cleaning that such items have been provided out of the public purse and MPs are going to have to answer for their own expenses to their constituents. If I were living in a damp, poorly heated, falling apart council flat, trying to get my 5 kids into 2 bedrooms, I would be pretty narked by some of the claims that have been made.
The British people are reasonable - they understand that parliamentarians need to be adequately reimbursed for the costs of doing their jobs. What is important is that the Standards Committee who are doing the investigation get the chance to do so calmly and rationally. There's no point in trying to rush things like Gordon Brown did the other week - it's important that changes are made with haste and not speed otherwise you will get one set of anachronistic rules replaced by an unworkable ill thought out regime.
This has to be done independently with evidence taken from all the appropriate people.
Let's hope though, that now the consequences of cussedness and secrecy has paralysed politics for the moment, that present and future politicians will learn the lesson that it's much better to be open and transparent about everything. This system could and should have been reformed years ago. The days of excess are over.
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It's worrying in some ways that the information which was going to be published in July about MP's expenses has been obtained ahead of time by the Daily Telegraph. As Lady Mark has rightly said, there is an issue of security for the House of Commons authorities to deal with. However, maybe it's good that it's all come out now, rather than us having speculation drip fed to us every day until July. At least it's all out now (or at least will be in the next few days) and everyone can see what they should have had access to for years.
There is a valuable lesson to be learned here - Governments and public organisations should not keep things secret unless there is a very, very good reason. I am less bothered, to be honest, about the substance of the individual claims than with the fact that MPs had have their publication dragged out of them.
Sure, there may be a few Lib Dems who may have claimed things that some people may think a bit strange, so I'm not going to go casting stones or making fun of anybody else's claims. However, it is the Lib Dems who have consistently voted for openness, transparency and publication. It's in our nature to do so. It made me seethe to consistently see the majority of MPs vote to keep details of their expenses secret. That is what brings the organisation into disrepute more than anything else and has led to the sensational headlines we are seeing at the moment.
Of course the mechanics of the system need to be reformed. The John Lewis list has to go. I also don't understand why on earth the public have been paying for great big country houses with swimming pools. We should be providing somewhere for the MP to stay either in the constituency or in London, and I don't think it's unreasonable that it should be big enough to accommodate their partner and kids - but I'm thinking 2 bedroomed at most flat rather than mansion, here.
Of course it's strange to any of the rest of us who have to furnish our homes and buy our own wine racks and have our own boilers serviced and do our own cleaning that such items have been provided out of the public purse and MPs are going to have to answer for their own expenses to their constituents. If I were living in a damp, poorly heated, falling apart council flat, trying to get my 5 kids into 2 bedrooms, I would be pretty narked by some of the claims that have been made.
The British people are reasonable - they understand that parliamentarians need to be adequately reimbursed for the costs of doing their jobs. What is important is that the Standards Committee who are doing the investigation get the chance to do so calmly and rationally. There's no point in trying to rush things like Gordon Brown did the other week - it's important that changes are made with haste and not speed otherwise you will get one set of anachronistic rules replaced by an unworkable ill thought out regime.
This has to be done independently with evidence taken from all the appropriate people.
Let's hope though, that now the consequences of cussedness and secrecy has paralysed politics for the moment, that present and future politicians will learn the lesson that it's much better to be open and transparent about everything. This system could and should have been reformed years ago. The days of excess are over.
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Nick Clegg's new video
Have a look at the latest Lib Dem broadcast..
Nick Clegg gets out of the Westminster Bubble and talks with real people about the issues that matter to them:
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Nick Clegg gets out of the Westminster Bubble and talks with real people about the issues that matter to them:
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Typo of the Week
I am in a very grumpy mood today. My ears hurt. I feel completely wabbit.
I really needed something to make me laugh.
Then I logged onto Twitter and nearly fell of my chair when I saw this tweet from my mate Stephen and nearly fell off my chair.
I was right across the railway and barking in sunshine
13 minutes ago from txt
stephenpglenn
Clearly having a canine moment that he wanted to share with us:-)
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I really needed something to make me laugh.
Then I logged onto Twitter and nearly fell of my chair when I saw this tweet from my mate Stephen and nearly fell off my chair.
I was right across the railway and barking in sunshine
13 minutes ago from txt
stephenpglenn
Clearly having a canine moment that he wanted to share with us:-)
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Nadine Dorries thinks Trident isn't a weapon of mass destruction
Yes, you did read that right. Tory MP Nadine Dorries actually said on Question Time (and I replayed it several times to make sure, because I thought my dodgy ears couldn't possibly be right) that Trident, which her Party has vowed to replace in the unfortunate event of them ever returning to office, is not a weapon of mass destruction.
It's a pity she couldn't have looked up her leader's plans for a more important item of defence spending - the aircraft carriers which are due to be built at Rosyth dockyard if this Government ever stops delaying the project. She was asked the direct question and she said she didn't know. I think we should be told the Tory plans for a project which is so vital for the Fife economy, where unemployment is up a jaw dropping 70% on last year. You would think that when she was appearing on a tv programme being filmed a hop, skip and a jump from Rosyth that somebody in the Tory party would have had the sense to brief her. Of course, there's always the possibility that they don't want to make their plans public.... Why could that be?
Anyway, I think the clear star performer last night was Nicola Sturgeon. She is usually very good in these combative settings and she did shine last night, despite not having particularly great opposition.
What on earth are the Labour Party going to do about Iain Gray, though? He's a nice enough man with his heart in the right place, but he was clearly otherwise engaged when charisma was being handed out. His delivery is wooden and he can barely string an argument together.
Nadine was, well, Nadine and totally out of her comfort zone. The bizarre SNP/Tory love in lives on as she praised a lot of what was happening in Scotland and had to be reminded by David Steel that the Tories had completely and obstinately opposed devolution in any form.
I wasn't too enamoured with David Steel saying he saw the point of the people in the audience who were calling for everyone's DNA to be taken at birth and put on a database and not advancing any of the arguments why this would be a really bad idea.
Nadine's Trident comment has to be the quote of the week, though - the audience gasped with sheer incredulity.
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It's a pity she couldn't have looked up her leader's plans for a more important item of defence spending - the aircraft carriers which are due to be built at Rosyth dockyard if this Government ever stops delaying the project. She was asked the direct question and she said she didn't know. I think we should be told the Tory plans for a project which is so vital for the Fife economy, where unemployment is up a jaw dropping 70% on last year. You would think that when she was appearing on a tv programme being filmed a hop, skip and a jump from Rosyth that somebody in the Tory party would have had the sense to brief her. Of course, there's always the possibility that they don't want to make their plans public.... Why could that be?
Anyway, I think the clear star performer last night was Nicola Sturgeon. She is usually very good in these combative settings and she did shine last night, despite not having particularly great opposition.
What on earth are the Labour Party going to do about Iain Gray, though? He's a nice enough man with his heart in the right place, but he was clearly otherwise engaged when charisma was being handed out. His delivery is wooden and he can barely string an argument together.
Nadine was, well, Nadine and totally out of her comfort zone. The bizarre SNP/Tory love in lives on as she praised a lot of what was happening in Scotland and had to be reminded by David Steel that the Tories had completely and obstinately opposed devolution in any form.
I wasn't too enamoured with David Steel saying he saw the point of the people in the audience who were calling for everyone's DNA to be taken at birth and put on a database and not advancing any of the arguments why this would be a really bad idea.
Nadine's Trident comment has to be the quote of the week, though - the audience gasped with sheer incredulity.
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Thursday, May 07, 2009
How to kick someone when they are down.....
I would love to be in Barcelona with a press pass to cover the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend, believe me, but I'm not, so I have to rely on former ITV commentator James Allen's excellent blog for all the craic from the circuit. He did not disappoint yesterday, with this account of the drivers' press conference where Fernando Alonso had a good pop at Lewis Hamilton.
Alonso and Hamilton were not what you would call best buddies when they were team mates at McLaren, so it was somewhat surprising when Alonso alluded positively to that time. However, he was just lulling Hamilton into a false sense of security for then he struck his killer blow...
“Lewis has always been a great driver, a great champion. To help his reputation, which is damaged now, will be very easy, if he keeps winning he will make people happy, his supporters and that is a very important thing.”
Now, Alonso seems to be able to squeeze every last drop of speed out of an average car, contrasting with Hamilton's patchy performances so far in a pretty rubbish car. If winning is what Hamilton needs to do consistently to rehabilitate his reputation, that's likely to be a long time coming......
By the way, I do like this less swarthy, cleaner shaven, less grumpy Fernando Alonso who's around this season.
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Alonso and Hamilton were not what you would call best buddies when they were team mates at McLaren, so it was somewhat surprising when Alonso alluded positively to that time. However, he was just lulling Hamilton into a false sense of security for then he struck his killer blow...
“Lewis has always been a great driver, a great champion. To help his reputation, which is damaged now, will be very easy, if he keeps winning he will make people happy, his supporters and that is a very important thing.”
Now, Alonso seems to be able to squeeze every last drop of speed out of an average car, contrasting with Hamilton's patchy performances so far in a pretty rubbish car. If winning is what Hamilton needs to do consistently to rehabilitate his reputation, that's likely to be a long time coming......
By the way, I do like this less swarthy, cleaner shaven, less grumpy Fernando Alonso who's around this season.
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The Immaculate Infection.
How on earth have I managed to contract an ear infection when I have been stuck at home with Glandular Fever for weeks and nobody, not even my husband, will come within 6 feet of me for fear of catching what I've got?
This particular bug seems to be called a "Yuck". At least that's what the GP said when she looked into my ear.
Oh well, more antibiotics for me. I am one of these very pathetic souls who can't swallow tablets, so I have foul tasting medicine. My daughter hasn't had antibiotics very often in her life but she had this one, which is an in your face, take no prisoners yellow. My husband told her it was made of crushed up caterpillars, which didn't exactly inspire her to take it. I think that's a very accurate guess at the taste though. It says it's banana flavoured, but if I bought a banana that tasted like that, I'd have the trading standards people round to investigate it.
I shouldn't complain, because there are many people with things far worse wrong with them and I know that I will get better in time. There is something deeply frustrating about being stuck at home during an election, though. Every instinct screams at me that I should be out on the streets delivering or canvassing and not stuck in here typing to distract myself from the sore ears, or not having the energy to do anything much.
One of the characteristics of the Glandular Fever is that I seem to feel that I'm getting better and then, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I'm floored and back to square one. I am definitely improving and over the last couple of weeks sense that I have entered the recovery rather than being ill phase - I feel that I'm walking very slowly uphill rather than stuck at the bottom of a steep cliff. I now no longer spend several hours in the middle of every day asleep. I'm trying to strike a balance between not overdoing it but constantly trying to push the boundaries of what I can do. I still tire very easily, though, and I have to be quite careful at pacing myself.
From what I have managed to glean from the internet and from people who have had Glandular Fever, my experience is fairly typical. Trust me to catch a young person's disease in my 40s, though. I am tempted to try some of the hippy, new agey things that I've been so sceptical of in the past to see if they make any difference.
I have said before that I have the best friends in the World - and that has certainly been true. They might not come near me so often, but they look after me via the interwebby thing and keep me relatively sane and cheerful. I have no idea how I would survive without them, so thanks, all.
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This particular bug seems to be called a "Yuck". At least that's what the GP said when she looked into my ear.
Oh well, more antibiotics for me. I am one of these very pathetic souls who can't swallow tablets, so I have foul tasting medicine. My daughter hasn't had antibiotics very often in her life but she had this one, which is an in your face, take no prisoners yellow. My husband told her it was made of crushed up caterpillars, which didn't exactly inspire her to take it. I think that's a very accurate guess at the taste though. It says it's banana flavoured, but if I bought a banana that tasted like that, I'd have the trading standards people round to investigate it.
I shouldn't complain, because there are many people with things far worse wrong with them and I know that I will get better in time. There is something deeply frustrating about being stuck at home during an election, though. Every instinct screams at me that I should be out on the streets delivering or canvassing and not stuck in here typing to distract myself from the sore ears, or not having the energy to do anything much.
One of the characteristics of the Glandular Fever is that I seem to feel that I'm getting better and then, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I'm floored and back to square one. I am definitely improving and over the last couple of weeks sense that I have entered the recovery rather than being ill phase - I feel that I'm walking very slowly uphill rather than stuck at the bottom of a steep cliff. I now no longer spend several hours in the middle of every day asleep. I'm trying to strike a balance between not overdoing it but constantly trying to push the boundaries of what I can do. I still tire very easily, though, and I have to be quite careful at pacing myself.
From what I have managed to glean from the internet and from people who have had Glandular Fever, my experience is fairly typical. Trust me to catch a young person's disease in my 40s, though. I am tempted to try some of the hippy, new agey things that I've been so sceptical of in the past to see if they make any difference.
I have said before that I have the best friends in the World - and that has certainly been true. They might not come near me so often, but they look after me via the interwebby thing and keep me relatively sane and cheerful. I have no idea how I would survive without them, so thanks, all.
LibDig This!
Swine Flu leaflet - the second most useless thing I've read this week
First, credit where it's due - getting a leaflet out to every house in Britain in under a fortnight is not an easy logistical thing to do. I assume that the Royal Mail were more co-operative than they usually are to us political campaigners at election time, but even so, the Governments have done a good job on physically getting it out.
They don't often do this, so you would think that the leaflet itself would be useful and relevant and would make people want to read it.
Sadly, this does not seem to be the case. However, it does escape being the most useless thing I've read this week. The instruction leaflet which came with the rabbit worming paste the vet gave (actually sold at extortionate price) us the other day for our cute baby bunnies has that honour. Honestly, I doubt the person who wrote it has ever been in the same room as a rabbit. This stuff comes in a tube with a plunger that you push in to deliver the required dose for each of 9 consecutive days. The leaflet says "Panacur Rabbit should be administered orally by squeezing the paste from the syringe into the side of the mouth."
All sounds very easy. Its major flaw, though, is that it assumes co-operation on the part of the rabbits. Benjamin and Patches were having none of it. I have tried holding them every which way, even cradling them like babies and stroking their necks until they go all flopsy but end up getting more of this stuff on me than on them. How in the hell are you supposed to pacify a wriggling bunny and make sure that you don't overdose them? Although, to be honest, overdosing wasn't the problem. Getting any of the stuff anywhere near their mouths is more of a challenge. IKEA flat pack instuctions, or even the ones that came with their hutch that took my husband 2 days to build, will seem easy in the future.
I digress, though. Back to the Swine Flu leaflet. My first concern is the picture on the front. On film, the man sneezing his snot all over the lift turns even the most cast iron of stomachs. I'm not sure it works in still photography. It could be interpreted that the thing to do if you sneeze is to put your hand in front of your mouth, and some people who can't see very well just won't see the gloop going everywhere.
Then you have in small print that the leaflet contains important information to help you and your family and then in larger white print KEEP IT SAFE. If you can't read the first bit, you might be a bit confused about what to keep safe.
I would have put a quick reference guide, with graphics, to prevention, as close to the front as possible,along with the list of emergency numbers. As it is, it's hidden on page 6, after several pages of very unappealing text. The what to do if you think you might have swine flu languishes on page 8-9.
I don't think it would have actually taken rocket science to put the page numbers on the list of contents on page 1, either.
The leaflet itself tells me absolutely nothing that I didn't know already, but I guess not everybody watches the news channels with the same obsession that I do. My main issues is that it's not always clear and that it's back to front. I wonder if people will give up half way through the boring stuff.
And then, on page 10, you have the chance to order more copies - you can even have some in Braille if you can see the small print it's written in.
What do other people feel about whether one single leaflet to every house is effective? It certainly does tie in with stuff on other media so it's not being sent in complete isolation. It just strikes me as a bit of an expensive way of telling most people what they know already.
Most people have at least one of television, radio and pc - I wonder if those are better at reaching people.
If it is a good idea to spend millions on this method of distribution, I think they could have made a better job of it.
If the Government ever needs any help with designing effective literature, I can recommend a few of my friends.........
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They don't often do this, so you would think that the leaflet itself would be useful and relevant and would make people want to read it.
Sadly, this does not seem to be the case. However, it does escape being the most useless thing I've read this week. The instruction leaflet which came with the rabbit worming paste the vet gave (actually sold at extortionate price) us the other day for our cute baby bunnies has that honour. Honestly, I doubt the person who wrote it has ever been in the same room as a rabbit. This stuff comes in a tube with a plunger that you push in to deliver the required dose for each of 9 consecutive days. The leaflet says "Panacur Rabbit should be administered orally by squeezing the paste from the syringe into the side of the mouth."
All sounds very easy. Its major flaw, though, is that it assumes co-operation on the part of the rabbits. Benjamin and Patches were having none of it. I have tried holding them every which way, even cradling them like babies and stroking their necks until they go all flopsy but end up getting more of this stuff on me than on them. How in the hell are you supposed to pacify a wriggling bunny and make sure that you don't overdose them? Although, to be honest, overdosing wasn't the problem. Getting any of the stuff anywhere near their mouths is more of a challenge. IKEA flat pack instuctions, or even the ones that came with their hutch that took my husband 2 days to build, will seem easy in the future.
I digress, though. Back to the Swine Flu leaflet. My first concern is the picture on the front. On film, the man sneezing his snot all over the lift turns even the most cast iron of stomachs. I'm not sure it works in still photography. It could be interpreted that the thing to do if you sneeze is to put your hand in front of your mouth, and some people who can't see very well just won't see the gloop going everywhere.
Then you have in small print that the leaflet contains important information to help you and your family and then in larger white print KEEP IT SAFE. If you can't read the first bit, you might be a bit confused about what to keep safe.
I would have put a quick reference guide, with graphics, to prevention, as close to the front as possible,along with the list of emergency numbers. As it is, it's hidden on page 6, after several pages of very unappealing text. The what to do if you think you might have swine flu languishes on page 8-9.
I don't think it would have actually taken rocket science to put the page numbers on the list of contents on page 1, either.
The leaflet itself tells me absolutely nothing that I didn't know already, but I guess not everybody watches the news channels with the same obsession that I do. My main issues is that it's not always clear and that it's back to front. I wonder if people will give up half way through the boring stuff.
And then, on page 10, you have the chance to order more copies - you can even have some in Braille if you can see the small print it's written in.
What do other people feel about whether one single leaflet to every house is effective? It certainly does tie in with stuff on other media so it's not being sent in complete isolation. It just strikes me as a bit of an expensive way of telling most people what they know already.
Most people have at least one of television, radio and pc - I wonder if those are better at reaching people.
If it is a good idea to spend millions on this method of distribution, I think they could have made a better job of it.
If the Government ever needs any help with designing effective literature, I can recommend a few of my friends.........
LibDig This!
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Our New Cabinet?
There's lots of talk of Cabinet reshuffles at the moment. To be honest, the ideas (like ID cards and surveillance) are just as bad as the people and unless some of them change, there's no point in going through the pain of sacking Ministers.
With Gordon's political judgment the way it is at the moment, we could be in for some interesting changes....
As Home Secretary?
Phil Woolas, the Parliament defying Home Office Minister responsible for the Gurkha legislation.
As Department of Work and Pensions Secretary?
Tom Harris MP to unite the Labour Party and sort out all those single teenage mothers. And it would give him less time to be on that pesky blog of his.
And as Secretary of State for Scotland, maybe he'll bring someone so affectionately regarded by the Scots out of retirement:
That would be one way to deal with Alex Salmond
You heard it here first:-)
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With Gordon's political judgment the way it is at the moment, we could be in for some interesting changes....
As Home Secretary?
Phil Woolas, the Parliament defying Home Office Minister responsible for the Gurkha legislation.
As Department of Work and Pensions Secretary?
Tom Harris MP to unite the Labour Party and sort out all those single teenage mothers. And it would give him less time to be on that pesky blog of his.
And as Secretary of State for Scotland, maybe he'll bring someone so affectionately regarded by the Scots out of retirement:
That would be one way to deal with Alex Salmond
You heard it here first:-)
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Gurkhas - Ministers just don't get it
I can't believe that Phil Woolas, the haplessly incompetent Home Office Minister who not only thought up a set of legalistic settlement criteria designed to keep as many Gurkhas out of Britain as possible, but is still harping on about this potential 100,000 people coming into Britain and the £1.5 billion he says it will cost.
Nobody has come up with any justification of these figures and, to be frank, they appear to be a great big load of nonsense.
It's quite clear that not only do the public favour equal settlement rights for Gurkhas, but their democratically elected representatives in Parliament do too.
You either respect the will of Parliament or you don't. If you don't, you have no place in Government.
If you agree, and you haven't already, sign up to the Gurkha Justice Campaign.
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Nobody has come up with any justification of these figures and, to be frank, they appear to be a great big load of nonsense.
It's quite clear that not only do the public favour equal settlement rights for Gurkhas, but their democratically elected representatives in Parliament do too.
You either respect the will of Parliament or you don't. If you don't, you have no place in Government.
If you agree, and you haven't already, sign up to the Gurkha Justice Campaign.
LibDig This!
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Why I love Shirley Williams
Reasons too numerous for one blog posting, but specifically today because I've watched her being interviewed on the '79 election programme.
Can you just imagine what would happen to any interviewer today who said to Hazel Blears, or Harriet Harman that they were looking "very pretty" before they started the interview as Robin Day did to Shirley? It was really appalling, but she took it all in good spirit and very graciously thanked him for the compliment.
She was interviewed twice - once before the votes had even been verified so she didn't really know she'd lost, and once after her result had come through. She came across really well on both occasions, magnanimous in defeat to her Conservative opponent and speaking very warmly about her own team. She was also very politically astute about the reasons for her own defeat and very circumspect about the whole thing.
She got a few wee digs in, notably about the election of Mrs Thatcher not necessarily being a great development for women, but did so in a very engaging way and no doubt on very little sleep.
The interesting thing was that Norman St John Stevas, a Tory, being interviewed in the London studio, was full of praise for Shirley, saying she was one of the most honest and decent people in politics.
It was fascinating to see this 30 year old footage of Shirley. I wonder what would have happened if she had won her seat. She may well have joined the SDP, because she alone would probably not have been able to stem the Trot tide, but then would the Alliance have won Crosby without her? How important was Crosby in shaping the Alliance's fortunes? But then if she'd been defeated in 1983, might she have been the winning candidate in Chesterfield in 1984 for the Alliance? It's an interesting thought.
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Can you just imagine what would happen to any interviewer today who said to Hazel Blears, or Harriet Harman that they were looking "very pretty" before they started the interview as Robin Day did to Shirley? It was really appalling, but she took it all in good spirit and very graciously thanked him for the compliment.
She was interviewed twice - once before the votes had even been verified so she didn't really know she'd lost, and once after her result had come through. She came across really well on both occasions, magnanimous in defeat to her Conservative opponent and speaking very warmly about her own team. She was also very politically astute about the reasons for her own defeat and very circumspect about the whole thing.
She got a few wee digs in, notably about the election of Mrs Thatcher not necessarily being a great development for women, but did so in a very engaging way and no doubt on very little sleep.
The interesting thing was that Norman St John Stevas, a Tory, being interviewed in the London studio, was full of praise for Shirley, saying she was one of the most honest and decent people in politics.
It was fascinating to see this 30 year old footage of Shirley. I wonder what would have happened if she had won her seat. She may well have joined the SDP, because she alone would probably not have been able to stem the Trot tide, but then would the Alliance have won Crosby without her? How important was Crosby in shaping the Alliance's fortunes? But then if she'd been defeated in 1983, might she have been the winning candidate in Chesterfield in 1984 for the Alliance? It's an interesting thought.
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Hold hands with Brian Paddick
No, not literally, but former Lib Dem mayoral candidate and newbie celeb Brian Paddick is using his fame to launch a new campaign aiming to encourage LGBT couples to hold hands in public.
There is a serious point here. I've always been able to walk down the street hand in hand with the person I love with confidence so why shouldn't anybody and everybody else?
I do understand what it is like to come up against irrational and unpleasant prejudice, though. When my daughter was 4 months old, I was nursing her in the tea room in the village we lived in at the time. The waitress, much to my embarrassment, yelled at me, across the room, to stop in case a man came in. This is a place where they had the likes of the Sun and the Mirror in which any man would see much more of a breast than he ever would from me feeding my baby. I felt absolutely mortified, tearful and pretty wretched. I didn't stop, willing her to throw me out, though. A group of elderly tourists, including men, funnily enough, came in and a couple of the women actually made some very positive comments about what I was doing, and asked me about my baby and cooed over her in the way people do, which made me feel a lot better.
The next day, after I'd calmed down, I wrote a letter to the tea room setting out why I felt they were wrong and exactly how they made me feel. I got a letter back from the woman concerned who basically said she was trying to spare my embarrassment. Cheek.
I suppose the point is that you can have all the equalities legislation in the world, but if people don't feel comfortable to be themselves when they're out and about, it doesn't mean anything. It's important to have the protection of the law where it's needed - and that's why it's good that there will be a right to breastfeed enshrined in law in the new Equalities Bill - but that's only half the story.
Brian's campaign aims not just to give LGBT couples the confidence to do what the rest of us take for granted, but also to get the rest of us used to seeing same sex couples together. If you aren't used to seeing something it can come as a shock. I remember the first time I saw someone breastfeed a toddler when I had a tiny baby. While I would never in a million years have been so rude as to pass comment or make the mother feel uncomfortabie, I actually had no idea that you could, for a start. Never did I think I'd be in the same situation, and that mother played a big part in making me realise that it was all fine.
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There is a serious point here. I've always been able to walk down the street hand in hand with the person I love with confidence so why shouldn't anybody and everybody else?
I do understand what it is like to come up against irrational and unpleasant prejudice, though. When my daughter was 4 months old, I was nursing her in the tea room in the village we lived in at the time. The waitress, much to my embarrassment, yelled at me, across the room, to stop in case a man came in. This is a place where they had the likes of the Sun and the Mirror in which any man would see much more of a breast than he ever would from me feeding my baby. I felt absolutely mortified, tearful and pretty wretched. I didn't stop, willing her to throw me out, though. A group of elderly tourists, including men, funnily enough, came in and a couple of the women actually made some very positive comments about what I was doing, and asked me about my baby and cooed over her in the way people do, which made me feel a lot better.
The next day, after I'd calmed down, I wrote a letter to the tea room setting out why I felt they were wrong and exactly how they made me feel. I got a letter back from the woman concerned who basically said she was trying to spare my embarrassment. Cheek.
I suppose the point is that you can have all the equalities legislation in the world, but if people don't feel comfortable to be themselves when they're out and about, it doesn't mean anything. It's important to have the protection of the law where it's needed - and that's why it's good that there will be a right to breastfeed enshrined in law in the new Equalities Bill - but that's only half the story.
Brian's campaign aims not just to give LGBT couples the confidence to do what the rest of us take for granted, but also to get the rest of us used to seeing same sex couples together. If you aren't used to seeing something it can come as a shock. I remember the first time I saw someone breastfeed a toddler when I had a tiny baby. While I would never in a million years have been so rude as to pass comment or make the mother feel uncomfortabie, I actually had no idea that you could, for a start. Never did I think I'd be in the same situation, and that mother played a big part in making me realise that it was all fine.
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Why I no longer go to Church.
I have been so saddened by the fact that a small minority within the Church of Scotland has mounted a campaign against Queen's Cross Church, Aberdeen's decision to appoint its new minister, on the grounds that they can't accept that he is living with another man.
I know Scott Rennie, the minister in question. He is one of the kindest and most compassionate people I have ever met and he is so well suited to the job he's doing. I wonder how many of the people who have signed the online petition against him have actually taken the time to meet him and get to know him.
When I went to University, 24 years ago, I went as a committed Christian. It didn't take long, away from my somewhat sheltered background, for my beliefs to unravel and the major catalyst to that was the intolerance within the Christian Union to my gay friends. It was clear that they weren't welcome just on the basis of their sexuality. That seemed fundamentally unfair to me and I ultimately decided that if you had to be like that to be in the Church, then I wasn't going to bother, thank you very much.
From what I remember of the accounts in the Bible, Jesus just called people to him. He didn't go into their backgrounds or sexuality or private life. He put himself out there to be followed by whoever wanted to.
There are people within the Liberal Democrats with whom I have some basic differences on issues. I know that I am very much in the minority on some of them too. There's room within our core values and philosophy for all points of view and I don't really see why the Church of Scotland should be any different.
The good thing is that it is only a very small minority of people who have become involved in the campaign against Scott. I heard some very wise and accepting views expressed by members of the clergy and the church alike on a Radio Scotland phone in this morning and I am sure that they will prevail at the General Assembly vote later this month.
I think that one of the interesting things that Scott was quoted as saying in the newspaper article was that gay Christians could feel isolated from both communities -sometimes the Church couldn't handle people being gay, but also some elements of the gay community couldn't handle Christianity. If they've had a bad experience, the latter is hardly surprising. It's people like Scott who can help bring both together. It's as unfair to expect someone to ignore their spiritual beliefs and needs as it is to expect them to deny and suppress their sexuality.
I remember all the angst and pain of the ordination of women debate within the Church of England. It was very difficult for the brave women who sought ordination and who had to endure some pretty unacceptable discrimination. Nearly 20 years on, women priests are accepted and respected within their communities, churches and dioceses.
Let's hope that it doesn't take that long for gay and lesbian clergy in all churches to feel that they can be open about their sexuality if they want to without fear of recrimination.
Update: Have a look at Lallands Peat Warrior's views on this and on religion in general.
Update 2: Mr MacNumpty has now put up a thoughtful post asking why Scott Rennie bothers and being glad that he does.
Update 3: This issue really is inspiring some good quality stuff. Today's offerings come first from the ever wise Cicero.
Then a very moving account of his own experience coming to terms with his sexuality within a conservative religious environment from my friend Stephen. It made me cry.
There is also now a Facebook cause in support of Scott. I didn't start it, and I don't know the person who did, but it's growing fast.
Update 4: A blog post from one of Scott's fellow Church of Scotland's Ministers expressing hope that the Assembly will support Scott.
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I know Scott Rennie, the minister in question. He is one of the kindest and most compassionate people I have ever met and he is so well suited to the job he's doing. I wonder how many of the people who have signed the online petition against him have actually taken the time to meet him and get to know him.
When I went to University, 24 years ago, I went as a committed Christian. It didn't take long, away from my somewhat sheltered background, for my beliefs to unravel and the major catalyst to that was the intolerance within the Christian Union to my gay friends. It was clear that they weren't welcome just on the basis of their sexuality. That seemed fundamentally unfair to me and I ultimately decided that if you had to be like that to be in the Church, then I wasn't going to bother, thank you very much.
From what I remember of the accounts in the Bible, Jesus just called people to him. He didn't go into their backgrounds or sexuality or private life. He put himself out there to be followed by whoever wanted to.
There are people within the Liberal Democrats with whom I have some basic differences on issues. I know that I am very much in the minority on some of them too. There's room within our core values and philosophy for all points of view and I don't really see why the Church of Scotland should be any different.
The good thing is that it is only a very small minority of people who have become involved in the campaign against Scott. I heard some very wise and accepting views expressed by members of the clergy and the church alike on a Radio Scotland phone in this morning and I am sure that they will prevail at the General Assembly vote later this month.
I think that one of the interesting things that Scott was quoted as saying in the newspaper article was that gay Christians could feel isolated from both communities -sometimes the Church couldn't handle people being gay, but also some elements of the gay community couldn't handle Christianity. If they've had a bad experience, the latter is hardly surprising. It's people like Scott who can help bring both together. It's as unfair to expect someone to ignore their spiritual beliefs and needs as it is to expect them to deny and suppress their sexuality.
I remember all the angst and pain of the ordination of women debate within the Church of England. It was very difficult for the brave women who sought ordination and who had to endure some pretty unacceptable discrimination. Nearly 20 years on, women priests are accepted and respected within their communities, churches and dioceses.
Let's hope that it doesn't take that long for gay and lesbian clergy in all churches to feel that they can be open about their sexuality if they want to without fear of recrimination.
Update: Have a look at Lallands Peat Warrior's views on this and on religion in general.
Update 2: Mr MacNumpty has now put up a thoughtful post asking why Scott Rennie bothers and being glad that he does.
Update 3: This issue really is inspiring some good quality stuff. Today's offerings come first from the ever wise Cicero.
Then a very moving account of his own experience coming to terms with his sexuality within a conservative religious environment from my friend Stephen. It made me cry.
There is also now a Facebook cause in support of Scott. I didn't start it, and I don't know the person who did, but it's growing fast.
Update 4: A blog post from one of Scott's fellow Church of Scotland's Ministers expressing hope that the Assembly will support Scott.
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Thatcher Thirty Years On - Part 2, the Results Programme
I spent a fair amount of time yesterday watching Decision '79, the programme that brought us the news that Mrs Thatcher was going to be our first woman Prime Minister, which was repeated on BBC Parliament. At least I had the excuse of being ill for so doing - but my Twitter feed tells me that I was not alone and there were other sad political geeks of all persuasions doing the same.
In some ways, it was good to re-watch her triumph with the appropriate emotion of absolute horror rather than the innocent, idealistic hope I felt at the time.
Here are some of my highlights and observations:
Robin Day (who is a much superior form of life to Smarmy Dimbleby) was sitting there smoking a lighted cigar. On the telly!
There were snow flurries on polling day - in May, and not just in Scotland. See, even the elements knew the cataclysm that was coming.
There was much excitement about the new computer, which seemed to take up the whole of the back of the studio, which produced what was then revolutionary new graphics - bar charts and the like. David Butler argued with it at one point and was proved wrong and had to apologise. A geek in a polo neck with a beard was talking about how it would be decades, maybe not in his lifetime, before we all had a computer in our houses and could use it to vote.
Dunbarton East was the most marginal seat in the country and the Liberal vote of 4600ish was similar to Lib Dem MP Jo Swinson's majority in 2005. It's worth mentioning that this is a seat which has twice in the last 35 years elected young women in their 20s.
Scotland clung to Labour in 1979 like a security blanket against the bitter wind of the anti devolution Tories, which explains why that election was such a bad one for the SNP. Now that we have Holyrood, I doubt we'll see a similar effect at the next election.
I cried when Jeremy Thorpe lost his seat. It seemed very unfair.
Lost deposits cost the Liberal Party £40,000. Ouch!
There didn't seem much attempt at fluffiness and friendliness from any of the politicians towards their interviewers - they didn't hide their contempt, almost at being questioned, even by Robin Day and even the winners were downright rude on occasion. Keith Joseph more or less told Sir Robin to shut up and mind his own business at one point. They really did seem a world apart from the people. They appeared for the press when they wanted to - totally different from the 24 hour news cycle these days.
I remember Richard Stilgoe as being quite funny, but the song he produced on the morning after programme was truly dire.
PM Jim Callaghan's count was disrupted by a fellow candidate who persistently heckled him supporting the Troops Out movement. Imagine that happening today - the woman would probably have been locked up and subjected to a control order, but Callaghan, although annoyed by it, was very gracious and gave her the microphone. Even at a time when there was a very real threat of terrorism, and, remember, Airey Neave a Tory front bench spokesman, had been murdered just a few weeks before, there was a sense of tolerance of dissent.
By 1979, the sartorial excesses of the decade - sideburns, kipper ties and collars the size of surf boards - had faded more than I had remembered. The only really hideous sight was the Tory rosettes the size of dinner plates.
UPDATE much later having watched the rest of the daytime programme:
John Cole, who would later be the much loved BBC political editor, was on making some, frankly, rubbish predictions as to who would be in the Cabinet - plumped for Pym over Carrington for Foreign Secretary, suggested Heath for Northern Ireland or even for a specially made position on Europe. Like that was ever going to happen. He was also wearing a striped blue and white shirt with a patterned brown tie. Horrid. But I enjoyed watching him.
Why did the Liberals not have a candidate in North Angus and Mearns against Alick Buchanan Smith?
Most of the Labour people were really gracious and pleasant in defeat, especially Callaghan. He seemed to be a good man.
And the other one is going to get a posting all to herself.
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In some ways, it was good to re-watch her triumph with the appropriate emotion of absolute horror rather than the innocent, idealistic hope I felt at the time.
Here are some of my highlights and observations:
Robin Day (who is a much superior form of life to Smarmy Dimbleby) was sitting there smoking a lighted cigar. On the telly!
There were snow flurries on polling day - in May, and not just in Scotland. See, even the elements knew the cataclysm that was coming.
There was much excitement about the new computer, which seemed to take up the whole of the back of the studio, which produced what was then revolutionary new graphics - bar charts and the like. David Butler argued with it at one point and was proved wrong and had to apologise. A geek in a polo neck with a beard was talking about how it would be decades, maybe not in his lifetime, before we all had a computer in our houses and could use it to vote.
Dunbarton East was the most marginal seat in the country and the Liberal vote of 4600ish was similar to Lib Dem MP Jo Swinson's majority in 2005. It's worth mentioning that this is a seat which has twice in the last 35 years elected young women in their 20s.
Scotland clung to Labour in 1979 like a security blanket against the bitter wind of the anti devolution Tories, which explains why that election was such a bad one for the SNP. Now that we have Holyrood, I doubt we'll see a similar effect at the next election.
I cried when Jeremy Thorpe lost his seat. It seemed very unfair.
Lost deposits cost the Liberal Party £40,000. Ouch!
There didn't seem much attempt at fluffiness and friendliness from any of the politicians towards their interviewers - they didn't hide their contempt, almost at being questioned, even by Robin Day and even the winners were downright rude on occasion. Keith Joseph more or less told Sir Robin to shut up and mind his own business at one point. They really did seem a world apart from the people. They appeared for the press when they wanted to - totally different from the 24 hour news cycle these days.
I remember Richard Stilgoe as being quite funny, but the song he produced on the morning after programme was truly dire.
PM Jim Callaghan's count was disrupted by a fellow candidate who persistently heckled him supporting the Troops Out movement. Imagine that happening today - the woman would probably have been locked up and subjected to a control order, but Callaghan, although annoyed by it, was very gracious and gave her the microphone. Even at a time when there was a very real threat of terrorism, and, remember, Airey Neave a Tory front bench spokesman, had been murdered just a few weeks before, there was a sense of tolerance of dissent.
By 1979, the sartorial excesses of the decade - sideburns, kipper ties and collars the size of surf boards - had faded more than I had remembered. The only really hideous sight was the Tory rosettes the size of dinner plates.
UPDATE much later having watched the rest of the daytime programme:
John Cole, who would later be the much loved BBC political editor, was on making some, frankly, rubbish predictions as to who would be in the Cabinet - plumped for Pym over Carrington for Foreign Secretary, suggested Heath for Northern Ireland or even for a specially made position on Europe. Like that was ever going to happen. He was also wearing a striped blue and white shirt with a patterned brown tie. Horrid. But I enjoyed watching him.
Why did the Liberals not have a candidate in North Angus and Mearns against Alick Buchanan Smith?
Most of the Labour people were really gracious and pleasant in defeat, especially Callaghan. He seemed to be a good man.
And the other one is going to get a posting all to herself.
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Sunday, May 03, 2009
Irish Blasphemy Minister's Homophobic Past
I suppose I wasn't really surprised to learn that the man whose idea it was to criminalise criticism of religion has, in the past, voiced some very intolerant views on gay rights.
It's somewhat ironic that he was appointed to the role of Justice and Equality Minister.
He wants to use his time in the role to make it illegal to "publish or utter.....matter that is grossly abusive to matters held sacred by any religion." There are surely elements of all religions that could seriously annoy some followers of others to the point of outrage before you even get to the atheists. Surely any modern society should be encouraging tolerance of different beliefs.
I am naturally very suspicious of anyone whose natural instinct is to stifle diversity and open debate. There are much easier ways of resolving this constitutional anomaly, but he has chosen the most complicated and divisive one imaginable.
It's good to see wider media coverage, none of it in favour of the proposal, and that Green TD Ciaran Cuffe has called for a referendum on it. This is important as the law is unlikely to pass without Green Support. If the Greens can put enough pressure on the Minister, then there's hope of change.
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It's somewhat ironic that he was appointed to the role of Justice and Equality Minister.
He wants to use his time in the role to make it illegal to "publish or utter.....matter that is grossly abusive to matters held sacred by any religion." There are surely elements of all religions that could seriously annoy some followers of others to the point of outrage before you even get to the atheists. Surely any modern society should be encouraging tolerance of different beliefs.
I am naturally very suspicious of anyone whose natural instinct is to stifle diversity and open debate. There are much easier ways of resolving this constitutional anomaly, but he has chosen the most complicated and divisive one imaginable.
It's good to see wider media coverage, none of it in favour of the proposal, and that Green TD Ciaran Cuffe has called for a referendum on it. This is important as the law is unlikely to pass without Green Support. If the Greens can put enough pressure on the Minister, then there's hope of change.
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Saturday, May 02, 2009
Thatcher Thirty Years On, Part 1. My Shame.
I'm ashamed to admit it, but thirty years ago tonight, I, a fairly innocent 11 year old, went to bed and prayed for Mrs Thatcher to win the 1979 election.
I really didn't understand much about politics then - the geekery and obsession didn't take hold until about a year and a half later, when I had had enough time to rue my earlier enthusiasm. I did know that I wasn't keen on Labour - there seemed to be nothing but strikes, and my dad hadn't had a properly stable job for a good couple of years. My parents and grandma were all enthusiastic Tories and it seemed that life would get better with a new Government.
I quite liked the Liberal Party. The MP for Inverness, Russell Johnston, seemed to me to be a good man and the fact that a primary school child like me knew who he was was quite positive. He was also in favour of home rule for Scotland, which I always thought was a good thing. However, my staunch Catholic grandfather had told me time and time again, from the moment he became Liberal leader, that David Steel didn't want babies to be born, so he had the same appeal for me as the Daleks. I literally would watch him on tv from behind a cushion. When I grew up and understood the issues involved, he became a lot less scary, but I actually thought he would pass a law forbidding people to have babies. Yes, I know it sounds ridiculous, but in my defence, I had heard that in China you were only allowed to have one child, and I was only 11.
To a young girl at that time, without knowing the details of what the parties were saying, it seemed very much that the Tories were the progressive lot, giving us the first woman Prime Minister - and surely, she would encourage other women to follow in her footsteps.
Maybe it was being so badly let down by Thatcher that made me so sceptical of Blair, or maybe it was just that I was old enough and wise enough not to be taken in by him, but I never, ever trusted him.
When Thatcher recited that St Francis of Assisi stuff on the steps of Number Ten, I really did believe that she was going to make the world a more liberal and compassionate place. I always wanted a liberal world, I guess, but my mistake was trusting the wrong person to deliver it.
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I really didn't understand much about politics then - the geekery and obsession didn't take hold until about a year and a half later, when I had had enough time to rue my earlier enthusiasm. I did know that I wasn't keen on Labour - there seemed to be nothing but strikes, and my dad hadn't had a properly stable job for a good couple of years. My parents and grandma were all enthusiastic Tories and it seemed that life would get better with a new Government.
I quite liked the Liberal Party. The MP for Inverness, Russell Johnston, seemed to me to be a good man and the fact that a primary school child like me knew who he was was quite positive. He was also in favour of home rule for Scotland, which I always thought was a good thing. However, my staunch Catholic grandfather had told me time and time again, from the moment he became Liberal leader, that David Steel didn't want babies to be born, so he had the same appeal for me as the Daleks. I literally would watch him on tv from behind a cushion. When I grew up and understood the issues involved, he became a lot less scary, but I actually thought he would pass a law forbidding people to have babies. Yes, I know it sounds ridiculous, but in my defence, I had heard that in China you were only allowed to have one child, and I was only 11.
To a young girl at that time, without knowing the details of what the parties were saying, it seemed very much that the Tories were the progressive lot, giving us the first woman Prime Minister - and surely, she would encourage other women to follow in her footsteps.
Maybe it was being so badly let down by Thatcher that made me so sceptical of Blair, or maybe it was just that I was old enough and wise enough not to be taken in by him, but I never, ever trusted him.
When Thatcher recited that St Francis of Assisi stuff on the steps of Number Ten, I really did believe that she was going to make the world a more liberal and compassionate place. I always wanted a liberal world, I guess, but my mistake was trusting the wrong person to deliver it.
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The Yorksher Gob moves on
Regular readers will know that I am quite a fan of Jennie Rigg's blog, The Yorksher Gob.
She's shutting it down and is moving her insight, irreverence and humour over to a new platform at Dreamwidth so update your blog rolls accordingly, cos you really wouldn't want to miss anything.
I have an account at Dreamwidth myself, and I think it's brilliant. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet, but I like the layout and the culture behind it. How's this for a diversity statement, to start with? I particularly like the "We welcome fans, geeks, nerds, and pixel-stained technopeasant wretches."
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She's shutting it down and is moving her insight, irreverence and humour over to a new platform at Dreamwidth so update your blog rolls accordingly, cos you really wouldn't want to miss anything.
I have an account at Dreamwidth myself, and I think it's brilliant. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet, but I like the layout and the culture behind it. How's this for a diversity statement, to start with? I particularly like the "We welcome fans, geeks, nerds, and pixel-stained technopeasant wretches."
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Where Tom Harris meets Norman Tebbit
Tom Harris made this this posting about advertising on his blog.
I've made wry observations about ads posted on his blog before, from caviar to energy companies, several weeks ahead of the Sunday Times mentioned them in their Atticus column.
The rather ironic pick of today's bunch were an ad for May's Total Politics containing an interview with Norman "on your bike" Tebbit and one for a job search website. Given Labour's mishandling of the economy, leading to a 70% rise in Fife's unemployment for example, are there actually any jobs left to find?
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I've made wry observations about ads posted on his blog before, from caviar to energy companies, several weeks ahead of the Sunday Times mentioned them in their Atticus column.
The rather ironic pick of today's bunch were an ad for May's Total Politics containing an interview with Norman "on your bike" Tebbit and one for a job search website. Given Labour's mishandling of the economy, leading to a 70% rise in Fife's unemployment for example, are there actually any jobs left to find?
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Friday, May 01, 2009
Oppose Irish Blasphemy Law on Twitter and Facebook
In response to a comment on this post, I had a brief scout round the internet to see if I could find any evidence of an organised campaign against the proposed new blasphemy law. I couldn't find anything much on the "old" internet but was encouraged to see that in all the letters published today in the Irish Times, not one was in favour of the new law. In fact, some were suggesting that it made a good smokescreen from the unemployment figures. You would certainly have thought that the Irish Government had bigger battles to fight at the moment as their economy is even more screwed than our's.
However, a trawl round Facebook and Twitter did not disappoint. There's a Facebook group opposed to the law called Blasphemy Ireland . UPDATE 5.5.09 Have now found another group which has not that far off 2000 members as I type.
How fortunate that They Work For You have just started a new site for Ireland - thanks to Mark Pack for pointing that out a few days ago on Lib Dem Voice.
On Twitter there's a developing discussion under #dailfreedomfail
Let's hope that the Irish Government can be persuaded to think again and that freedom of speech can be preserved.
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However, a trawl round Facebook and Twitter did not disappoint. There's a Facebook group opposed to the law called Blasphemy Ireland . UPDATE 5.5.09 Have now found another group which has not that far off 2000 members as I type.
How fortunate that They Work For You have just started a new site for Ireland - thanks to Mark Pack for pointing that out a few days ago on Lib Dem Voice.
On Twitter there's a developing discussion under #dailfreedomfail
Let's hope that the Irish Government can be persuaded to think again and that freedom of speech can be preserved.
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Thursday, April 30, 2009
Irish Blasphemy Law threatens free speech and expression
I did one of these quizzes on Facebook recently which "told" me that the city I should be living in is Dublin. To be sure, I would have preferred somewhere a bit more temperate, maybe like Barcelona or Palma de Mallorca, but Dublin is gorgeous, the people are lovely and the Guinness divine.
However, I'm not sure I could afford to go there now, given that the Irish Government is planning on re-introducing a pretty draconian blasphemy law which I'd no doubt fall foul of at some point, being an atheist who's spent her life campaigning on equal rights issues. I know I couldn't afford the rather steep 100,000 euro penalty.
The crux of the law could mean anything:
“A person who publishes or utters blasphemous matter shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable upon conviction on indictment to a fine not exceeding €100,000.”
“Blasphemous matter” is defined as matter “that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby causing outrage among a substantial number of the adherents of that religion; and he or she intends, by the publication of the matter concerned, to cause such outrage.”
I'm sure that anyone trawling through this blog would find a number of postings which are open to interpretation as being "insulting to matters held sacred by any religion". I've denied the existence of God, advocated equal marriage, denounced homophobia - more than enough to outrage "substantial" numbers of followers of some religions. And what the hell does substantial mean, anyway? Ten? A hundred? A thousand? A hundred thousand?
It's publishing or uttering that gets me too. Could an innocent late night kitchen table philosophical discussion result in people being arrested?
And what's intrinsically wrong with causing outrage, anyway?
There's a Labour amendment reducing the fine to 1000 euro and exempting "literary, artistic, social or academic merit." I think a red line through the clause would have been better.
This sounds to me like a law which could easily be hijacked by a few intolerant people to stifle debate and freedom of speech. The only people likely to benefit are lawyers who could make a fortune from arguing the interpretation of the law in Court.
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However, I'm not sure I could afford to go there now, given that the Irish Government is planning on re-introducing a pretty draconian blasphemy law which I'd no doubt fall foul of at some point, being an atheist who's spent her life campaigning on equal rights issues. I know I couldn't afford the rather steep 100,000 euro penalty.
The crux of the law could mean anything:
“A person who publishes or utters blasphemous matter shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable upon conviction on indictment to a fine not exceeding €100,000.”
“Blasphemous matter” is defined as matter “that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby causing outrage among a substantial number of the adherents of that religion; and he or she intends, by the publication of the matter concerned, to cause such outrage.”
I'm sure that anyone trawling through this blog would find a number of postings which are open to interpretation as being "insulting to matters held sacred by any religion". I've denied the existence of God, advocated equal marriage, denounced homophobia - more than enough to outrage "substantial" numbers of followers of some religions. And what the hell does substantial mean, anyway? Ten? A hundred? A thousand? A hundred thousand?
It's publishing or uttering that gets me too. Could an innocent late night kitchen table philosophical discussion result in people being arrested?
And what's intrinsically wrong with causing outrage, anyway?
There's a Labour amendment reducing the fine to 1000 euro and exempting "literary, artistic, social or academic merit." I think a red line through the clause would have been better.
This sounds to me like a law which could easily be hijacked by a few intolerant people to stifle debate and freedom of speech. The only people likely to benefit are lawyers who could make a fortune from arguing the interpretation of the law in Court.
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Forget the Tabloids, get your Swine Flu information here
No, not right here, obviously, because I don't know any more than you do, but here on the dedicated pages on the Health Protection Agency website.
It's updated all the time and will give you the information without the hysteria.
How do I know? I guess it's one of the "advantages" of living with a health and safety adviser. Other such advantages include having to stop at every set of scaffolding on holidays so flaws in the way it's been put up, or people working without harnesses and helmets can be pointed out to you, and loitering by fire extinguishers while the dates on them are being checked.
Just as well he has many lovable qualities.
Oh, and spare a thought for my wee sister, who starts a new job with NHS 24 on Monday. An interesting time to begin her training, for sure.
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It's updated all the time and will give you the information without the hysteria.
How do I know? I guess it's one of the "advantages" of living with a health and safety adviser. Other such advantages include having to stop at every set of scaffolding on holidays so flaws in the way it's been put up, or people working without harnesses and helmets can be pointed out to you, and loitering by fire extinguishers while the dates on them are being checked.
Just as well he has many lovable qualities.
Oh, and spare a thought for my wee sister, who starts a new job with NHS 24 on Monday. An interesting time to begin her training, for sure.
LibDig This!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Swine, Wolf and Drugs
I'm surprised that a state registered coward and instinctive worrier like me isn't in hysterical panic about Swine Flu. The honeymoon couple who are currently in hospital in Airdrie with the first confirmed cases in the UK barely live 15 miles from here. Half the teachers at my daughter's school live near them. Why am I not fretting about living at the epicentre of a Survivoresque Armageddon?
It is of course horrifically sad for those who have died, and news is coming in that an American toddler has become the first person to die outside Mexico.
It's important, I think, to keep everything in perspective though. So far, the vast majority of people outside Mexico with this bug have experienced mild symptoms, - that's certainly true of everyone in the UK. In fact, I probably feel worse, with my Glandular Fever, than they do at the moment. There's also good news that 7 out of their contacts have tested negative.
I'm concerned that the media is whipping us all into an unnecessary frenzy of panic. If Swine Flu amounts to nothing, then when future viruses come along, we'll maybe not listen so closely to the papers and tv and might miss out on important information when we do actually need it. Remember the boy who cried wolf? When the wolf really did come, it was able to eat him up because nobody listened to the warnings. I know that crises sell newspapers, but there has to be some sort of responsibility on the part of the media to report things factually and calmly.
The truth is, that nobody really knows what's going to happen with this virus. Those who are recovering from it are quite lucky in some ways because they will presumably have immunity to it in the future.
I guess that part of the reason people are so worried is that nobody of my generation has any experience of the rapid spread of a potentially fatal illness. We were lucky enough to be immunised to the extent that we almost turned into pincushions so that we did not succumb to the likes of Diphtheria and Whooping Cough. Every British parent today shudders at the thought of Meningitis, and rightly so, but even that danger is, thankfully, very rare. There are very many people who live in horrible circumstances in this country and I don't want to belittle that, but none of us have had to live with the threat of a huge national crisis, be it illness or war. We have been spoiled to a certain extent.
It's important that we all play our part and act responsibly - if we do have flu symptoms, we shouldn't go out, we shouldn't cough or sneeze over people - but let's face it, we shouldn't be doing either of those things anyway, Swine Flu or not.
I suppose, as well, that it won't do us any harm to eat as much fruit and vegetables as we can get our hands on, to make sure that our bodies are well fuelled with the right nutrients should it have to deal with a new virus.
If Swine Flu does become more of a worry, I hope that we do rediscover some sort of community spirit. It would be much easier for my neighbour with flu symptoms to stay in if I went and did their shopping for them and left it outside their door. We have better communications than ever before - we just need to use them and be inventive and make sure that everyone in our community is properly looked after if they need it.
We need to embrace the calm and stoic aspects of our personalities, and ditch the hysteria. I'm concerned that people fight over bread in the shops on Christmas Eve when the shops are only going to be shut for 2 days - that sort of behaviour in the face of the threat of a pandemic is only going to make things worse.
I'm wondering if I'm going to have to get more diligent with my housework and re-aquaint myself with regular use of disinfectant. Will my slovenly ways have to come to an end?
Two thoughts to end with - all this Flu stuff is good for pharmaceutical companies, who turn from pariah to potential saviour in these circumstances. Their share prices are going up.
For the Doctor Who fans out there, I was idly wondering how Stephen Moffat might turn Swine Flu into as story for next year's series with the new Doctor...
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It is of course horrifically sad for those who have died, and news is coming in that an American toddler has become the first person to die outside Mexico.
It's important, I think, to keep everything in perspective though. So far, the vast majority of people outside Mexico with this bug have experienced mild symptoms, - that's certainly true of everyone in the UK. In fact, I probably feel worse, with my Glandular Fever, than they do at the moment. There's also good news that 7 out of their contacts have tested negative.
I'm concerned that the media is whipping us all into an unnecessary frenzy of panic. If Swine Flu amounts to nothing, then when future viruses come along, we'll maybe not listen so closely to the papers and tv and might miss out on important information when we do actually need it. Remember the boy who cried wolf? When the wolf really did come, it was able to eat him up because nobody listened to the warnings. I know that crises sell newspapers, but there has to be some sort of responsibility on the part of the media to report things factually and calmly.
The truth is, that nobody really knows what's going to happen with this virus. Those who are recovering from it are quite lucky in some ways because they will presumably have immunity to it in the future.
I guess that part of the reason people are so worried is that nobody of my generation has any experience of the rapid spread of a potentially fatal illness. We were lucky enough to be immunised to the extent that we almost turned into pincushions so that we did not succumb to the likes of Diphtheria and Whooping Cough. Every British parent today shudders at the thought of Meningitis, and rightly so, but even that danger is, thankfully, very rare. There are very many people who live in horrible circumstances in this country and I don't want to belittle that, but none of us have had to live with the threat of a huge national crisis, be it illness or war. We have been spoiled to a certain extent.
It's important that we all play our part and act responsibly - if we do have flu symptoms, we shouldn't go out, we shouldn't cough or sneeze over people - but let's face it, we shouldn't be doing either of those things anyway, Swine Flu or not.
I suppose, as well, that it won't do us any harm to eat as much fruit and vegetables as we can get our hands on, to make sure that our bodies are well fuelled with the right nutrients should it have to deal with a new virus.
If Swine Flu does become more of a worry, I hope that we do rediscover some sort of community spirit. It would be much easier for my neighbour with flu symptoms to stay in if I went and did their shopping for them and left it outside their door. We have better communications than ever before - we just need to use them and be inventive and make sure that everyone in our community is properly looked after if they need it.
We need to embrace the calm and stoic aspects of our personalities, and ditch the hysteria. I'm concerned that people fight over bread in the shops on Christmas Eve when the shops are only going to be shut for 2 days - that sort of behaviour in the face of the threat of a pandemic is only going to make things worse.
I'm wondering if I'm going to have to get more diligent with my housework and re-aquaint myself with regular use of disinfectant. Will my slovenly ways have to come to an end?
Two thoughts to end with - all this Flu stuff is good for pharmaceutical companies, who turn from pariah to potential saviour in these circumstances. Their share prices are going up.
For the Doctor Who fans out there, I was idly wondering how Stephen Moffat might turn Swine Flu into as story for next year's series with the new Doctor...
LibDig This!
Clegg Slams Brown on Gurkhas
Wow! Nick Clegg's passion for justice and fairness came out and smacked us all in the face this lunchtime. David Cameron had started off questioning generally on the principle of allowing Gurkhas to settle in the country, but Nick actually turned to the specifics of the rules which seem to have been designed to exclude as many Gurkhas as possible from coming into this country.
Brown gave a bit of a lacklustre answer, which, to be honest, it was hard to imagine he actually believed himself. Nick came straight back at him saying that "his answer was that of a man who knows he's doing a shameful thing but doesn't have the guts to admit it or change it."
I want Clegg fighting on my side if I'm ever in trouble.
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Brown gave a bit of a lacklustre answer, which, to be honest, it was hard to imagine he actually believed himself. Nick came straight back at him saying that "his answer was that of a man who knows he's doing a shameful thing but doesn't have the guts to admit it or change it."
I want Clegg fighting on my side if I'm ever in trouble.
LibDig This!
Has economy let McLaren off the hook?
The World Motor Sport Council has just given McLaren the equivalent of a cuddle for their appalling behaviour at the Australian Grand Prix when they tried to claim 3rd place from Jarno Trulli by complaining that he'd passed Lewis Hamilton under safety car conditions. In fact, radio transmissions confirmed that Hamilton had let him pass.
I remember Michael Schumacher having the book thrown at him for ignoring a black flag at Silverstone some years ago.
McLaren's actions in Melbourne broke even the most basic standards of sportsmanly conduct. Ok, they've got rid of Dave Ryan and put Ron Dennis out to grass, but surely it takes more than a bit of grovelling from Martin Whitmarsh to put things right?
And now it seems that any other team that wishes to do the same has been handed carte blanche to do so, because nothing will happen to them.
I wonder if yesterday's bad results for Mercedes, whose owners Daimler lost an eye watering £1.27 billion in the first 3 months of this year had any bearing on this decision. If they decide to pull out of F1 to save money, then McLaren is in trouble and a ban would not help with this.
Was the WMSC allowing economic circumstances to over-ride fairness and justice? They had the option of giving Hamilton personally a ban for his actions, and they chose not to do that either?
I don't like the fact that McLaren have effectively got off. I can't imagine that any more facts could arise that would make things any more incriminating for them, and they will be sure to keep their noses clean for the next year.
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I remember Michael Schumacher having the book thrown at him for ignoring a black flag at Silverstone some years ago.
McLaren's actions in Melbourne broke even the most basic standards of sportsmanly conduct. Ok, they've got rid of Dave Ryan and put Ron Dennis out to grass, but surely it takes more than a bit of grovelling from Martin Whitmarsh to put things right?
And now it seems that any other team that wishes to do the same has been handed carte blanche to do so, because nothing will happen to them.
I wonder if yesterday's bad results for Mercedes, whose owners Daimler lost an eye watering £1.27 billion in the first 3 months of this year had any bearing on this decision. If they decide to pull out of F1 to save money, then McLaren is in trouble and a ban would not help with this.
Was the WMSC allowing economic circumstances to over-ride fairness and justice? They had the option of giving Hamilton personally a ban for his actions, and they chose not to do that either?
I don't like the fact that McLaren have effectively got off. I can't imagine that any more facts could arise that would make things any more incriminating for them, and they will be sure to keep their noses clean for the next year.
LibDig This!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The First Time Ever I............
Thanks to Jeff for tagging me with this meme, brainchild of Iain Dale in which we take a trip down memory lane and recount some important milestones.
So, here goes:
First Job:
Assistant Warden at Braemar Youth Hostel. This was a Summer job that kept me busy during the Summers of 1985, 1986 and 1987. I loved it, meeting people from all over the world, including a divorced man twice my age I would later run away with, much to the consternation of my parents. Good move, though, given that we have now been married for over 20 years.
First Real Job:
Nanny to a little girl in Edinburgh after said running away with hostel guest.
First Role in Politics:
I guess being on the local Committee of the Caithness and Sutherland SDP when I was 16, reducing the average age considerably. I was instinctively a Liberal rather than a Social Democrat, but the SDP, with an average age in the 50s, seemed younger. That kind of mattered when I was 16...
First Car:
A gorgeous little gold Mini Metro that I loved to distraction. Learning to drive became a necessity after we moved from Leith to the Nottinghamshire countryside. I was heartbroken when abovementioned man twice my age pranged it a year later - although I was relieved that he was ok, I'm not that heartless. And he has the cheek to criticise my driving! To be fair, it wasn't really his fault. It's undoubtedly a tribute to British engineering that a shunt at fairly low speed was enough to write off the car.
First Record:
Mull of Kintyre, by Wings. How in love with Paul McCartney was I at the age of 10? That was the first single. The first album was Hits of 76 which had my favourite record of that year, I Love to Love, by Tina Charles. I am really showing my age now......
First Football Match:
Inverness Caledenian Thistle v Dundee Utd, September 2006. It was the first time former manager Craig Brewster had returned with his new team since he'd left and the crowd jeered at him with all the passion of a woman scorned. It was very funny. It was a lovely day and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I saw a different side to my lovely brother-in-law, Mike, who works for a bank and is very sweet, that day. I don't think there was a swear word he didn't use. After the F word, the C word and B and S words in close succession, I had to tell him not to hold back just because I was there.
First Concert:
No wonder I ran away with divorced man twice my age - he took me to the U2 concert at Murrayfield in 1987 for my 20th birthday. How naive was I, though? I hardly really knew him, he lived in Leith, I was in Braemar and he invited me down to stay in his flat. He said it was 2 bedroomed flat and I could stay in his spare room. He was telling the truth, but he could so easily not have been. Anyway, it was a very lovely weekend and I moved in for good less than 3 months later.
First Country Visited:
Portugal, at the age of 6. We went on one of only two family holidays we ever had to Estoril for Christmas 1973. The other one was to a cottage in Stoer, Sutherland, in 1980.
First TV Appearance:
I think it was the SDP conference in Paisley (?) in 1986. A vox pop for STV.
First Political Speech:
At the same conference, slagging the Government for cutting customs officers and so letting loads of drugs be smuggled into the country. I said at one point that drug abuse was not confined to the Central Belt and I had been aware of it in Caithness. I was subsequently described in the Press and Journal as an "all over problem". A year later, when I was working at the Youth Hostel, the local paper, the John O'Groat Journal, rang me to follow up the story.
First Girlfriend/Boyfriend:
Feb 1984, met him at a Scripture Union training event. (How my outlook on life has changed!) He was gorgeous, 20 years old and called Rory Dobson. It was very short lived and relatively innocent, but lovely.
First Encounter with a Famous Person:
I don't know if I was ever in the same room as him, but when I was very small, my mother ran a secretarial business in Inverness. One of her clients was Jimmy Page - so that's a really tenuous claim to fame.
Proper famous, who's not a politician, would probably be Jon Pertwee at a Cult TV convention a couple of years before he died. We had a bizarre conversation in Russian and he signed a photo of him in a sports car.
First Brush With Death:
Touching wood and all sorts, I have thankfully managed to avoid life threatening situations, although it may have been a mistake to challenge aforementioned man twice my age (also very tall and at that time probably 2.5 times my weight) to a drinking competition. It was the only hangover I've ever had which lasted more than a day.
First House/Flat Owned:
I never really owned the flat in Leith - it was the man's bachelor pad, so the first house with my name on the deeds was the little semi we moved into in Coylton, Ayrshire a few months after we were married. We were unpacking boxes just after moving in and heard loads of sirens, and wondering what was going on. It was December 1988 and they were on their way to Lockerbie.
First Film Seen at a Cinema:
I know there must have been some before, but the first I can remember right now is Star Wars.
First Time on the Radio
A Moray Firth Radio phone in on religion and politics round about 1984/5.
First Politician I Met:
Robert Maclennan, then Labour MP for Caithness and Sutherland, who did the prizegiving at Wick High in either 1980 or 1981.
First Book I Remember Reading:
Noddy's Adventures in Toyland, by Enid Blyton, when I was very small.
First Visit to the London Palladium:
Never been - although I did go to the Royal Albert Hall for a Star Trek convention in 1995 so I'm not entirely uncultured.
First Election:
In 1983, at the age of 15, I walked into Bob Maclennan's campaign headquarters in Wick to ask for a copy of a manifesto. I walked out with a bundle of leaflets and a map.
The election was in June, and my O Grades had finished at the end of May. There was nothing doing at school and I was bored, so I bunked off to help the campaign as often as possible. I had official permission to be off school for a whole day to attend the Caithness Music Festival, where I was doing some poetry reading. My bit was finished by 11, so I went into the nearby HQ. Bob's wonderful wife, Helen, offered to take me canvassing far, far away. Unfortunately, one of my teachers saw me get into her car. Detention for me.......but it was worth it, and I was so boringly good that I needed to have a moment of rebellion.
It was quite an ill-tempered election as there was a lot of bad feeling from Labour over the fact that Bob had left them. One of the things he taught me, and therefore one of the first lessons I ever learned in politics, was never, ever to take any votes for granted and always to listen to people. He was always modest, courteous, decent and attentive and I still have bags of respect for him.
I'm going to tag Will Patterson, Duncan Borrowman, Neil Fawcett, Yousuf Hamid and Jennie from the Yorksher Gob, and anyone else who wants to do it.
LibDig This!
So, here goes:
First Job:
Assistant Warden at Braemar Youth Hostel. This was a Summer job that kept me busy during the Summers of 1985, 1986 and 1987. I loved it, meeting people from all over the world, including a divorced man twice my age I would later run away with, much to the consternation of my parents. Good move, though, given that we have now been married for over 20 years.
First Real Job:
Nanny to a little girl in Edinburgh after said running away with hostel guest.
First Role in Politics:
I guess being on the local Committee of the Caithness and Sutherland SDP when I was 16, reducing the average age considerably. I was instinctively a Liberal rather than a Social Democrat, but the SDP, with an average age in the 50s, seemed younger. That kind of mattered when I was 16...
First Car:
A gorgeous little gold Mini Metro that I loved to distraction. Learning to drive became a necessity after we moved from Leith to the Nottinghamshire countryside. I was heartbroken when abovementioned man twice my age pranged it a year later - although I was relieved that he was ok, I'm not that heartless. And he has the cheek to criticise my driving! To be fair, it wasn't really his fault. It's undoubtedly a tribute to British engineering that a shunt at fairly low speed was enough to write off the car.
First Record:
Mull of Kintyre, by Wings. How in love with Paul McCartney was I at the age of 10? That was the first single. The first album was Hits of 76 which had my favourite record of that year, I Love to Love, by Tina Charles. I am really showing my age now......
First Football Match:
Inverness Caledenian Thistle v Dundee Utd, September 2006. It was the first time former manager Craig Brewster had returned with his new team since he'd left and the crowd jeered at him with all the passion of a woman scorned. It was very funny. It was a lovely day and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I saw a different side to my lovely brother-in-law, Mike, who works for a bank and is very sweet, that day. I don't think there was a swear word he didn't use. After the F word, the C word and B and S words in close succession, I had to tell him not to hold back just because I was there.
First Concert:
No wonder I ran away with divorced man twice my age - he took me to the U2 concert at Murrayfield in 1987 for my 20th birthday. How naive was I, though? I hardly really knew him, he lived in Leith, I was in Braemar and he invited me down to stay in his flat. He said it was 2 bedroomed flat and I could stay in his spare room. He was telling the truth, but he could so easily not have been. Anyway, it was a very lovely weekend and I moved in for good less than 3 months later.
First Country Visited:
Portugal, at the age of 6. We went on one of only two family holidays we ever had to Estoril for Christmas 1973. The other one was to a cottage in Stoer, Sutherland, in 1980.
First TV Appearance:
I think it was the SDP conference in Paisley (?) in 1986. A vox pop for STV.
First Political Speech:
At the same conference, slagging the Government for cutting customs officers and so letting loads of drugs be smuggled into the country. I said at one point that drug abuse was not confined to the Central Belt and I had been aware of it in Caithness. I was subsequently described in the Press and Journal as an "all over problem". A year later, when I was working at the Youth Hostel, the local paper, the John O'Groat Journal, rang me to follow up the story.
First Girlfriend/Boyfriend:
Feb 1984, met him at a Scripture Union training event. (How my outlook on life has changed!) He was gorgeous, 20 years old and called Rory Dobson. It was very short lived and relatively innocent, but lovely.
First Encounter with a Famous Person:
I don't know if I was ever in the same room as him, but when I was very small, my mother ran a secretarial business in Inverness. One of her clients was Jimmy Page - so that's a really tenuous claim to fame.
Proper famous, who's not a politician, would probably be Jon Pertwee at a Cult TV convention a couple of years before he died. We had a bizarre conversation in Russian and he signed a photo of him in a sports car.
First Brush With Death:
Touching wood and all sorts, I have thankfully managed to avoid life threatening situations, although it may have been a mistake to challenge aforementioned man twice my age (also very tall and at that time probably 2.5 times my weight) to a drinking competition. It was the only hangover I've ever had which lasted more than a day.
First House/Flat Owned:
I never really owned the flat in Leith - it was the man's bachelor pad, so the first house with my name on the deeds was the little semi we moved into in Coylton, Ayrshire a few months after we were married. We were unpacking boxes just after moving in and heard loads of sirens, and wondering what was going on. It was December 1988 and they were on their way to Lockerbie.
First Film Seen at a Cinema:
I know there must have been some before, but the first I can remember right now is Star Wars.
First Time on the Radio
A Moray Firth Radio phone in on religion and politics round about 1984/5.
First Politician I Met:
Robert Maclennan, then Labour MP for Caithness and Sutherland, who did the prizegiving at Wick High in either 1980 or 1981.
First Book I Remember Reading:
Noddy's Adventures in Toyland, by Enid Blyton, when I was very small.
First Visit to the London Palladium:
Never been - although I did go to the Royal Albert Hall for a Star Trek convention in 1995 so I'm not entirely uncultured.
First Election:
In 1983, at the age of 15, I walked into Bob Maclennan's campaign headquarters in Wick to ask for a copy of a manifesto. I walked out with a bundle of leaflets and a map.
The election was in June, and my O Grades had finished at the end of May. There was nothing doing at school and I was bored, so I bunked off to help the campaign as often as possible. I had official permission to be off school for a whole day to attend the Caithness Music Festival, where I was doing some poetry reading. My bit was finished by 11, so I went into the nearby HQ. Bob's wonderful wife, Helen, offered to take me canvassing far, far away. Unfortunately, one of my teachers saw me get into her car. Detention for me.......but it was worth it, and I was so boringly good that I needed to have a moment of rebellion.
It was quite an ill-tempered election as there was a lot of bad feeling from Labour over the fact that Bob had left them. One of the things he taught me, and therefore one of the first lessons I ever learned in politics, was never, ever to take any votes for granted and always to listen to people. He was always modest, courteous, decent and attentive and I still have bags of respect for him.
I'm going to tag Will Patterson, Duncan Borrowman, Neil Fawcett, Yousuf Hamid and Jennie from the Yorksher Gob, and anyone else who wants to do it.
LibDig This!
Joanna Lumley's plea for Gurkhas - how you can help.
Joanna Lumley has sent out an e-mail to all supporters of the Gurkha Justice Campaign asking for help in 2 ways:
Firstly, asking people to ask their MP's to vote against the Government's proposals tomorrow. I wrote to my Labour MP, Jim Devine, on Saturday and his response will be posted here if and when I get one.
Secondly, if you are in London, join the Gurkha Justice Campaign at their rally at noon tommorrow, Wednesday 29th April, in Old Palace Yard, Westminster. It's a good way of spending your lunch hour, if ever there was one.
Joanna's e-mail is copied below - I'm assuming that "pass on to others" means that she doesn't mind it appearing on blogs.
"Thank you so much for your support of the Gurkha Justice campaign. We are overwhelmed by the support the campaign is receiving.
As you may know, on Friday, the Government badly let down the Gurkhas. The new rules they have announced will exclude the huge majority of ex-Gurkhas who retired before 1997 from claiming citizenship in this country. They've given five bullet points that virtually cannot be met by the ordinary Gurkha soldier.
It is so obvious that the treatment of the Gurkhas has been a great injustice. To treat them like this is despicable.
The strong reaction by the public and press should show the Government that they simply cannot get away with this outrage.
I'm ashamed of our adminstration. We will be challenging this decision in the courts and in Parliament. We will not stop now.
This is not a party political campaign: it's simply one for justice. I am so grateful though for immediate support from MPs from all Parties, including amongst others Conservative leader David Cameron and Lib Dem Leader Nick Clegg.
Nick Clegg has agreed to put a vote to Parliament this Wednesday calling for a fair deal for Gurkhas. This vote on its own won't change the Government's ruling, but would be an overwhelming signal to the Government that they need to think again.
We need all MPs that support the Gurkha justice cause to turn up and vote for a proper deal for Gurkhas on Wednesday. Can I ask that you take a couple of minutes right now to ask your MP to do so?
You can send a message to your MP directly at www.theyworkforyou.com - please ask them to support the Gurkha Justice motion on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, there will also be a Gurkha Justice rally and protest against the Government's decision, starting at noon in Old Palace Yard, Westminster. Many MPs have already committed to support the vote and join me and others at the rally. I know it's awfully short notice, but if you can, please do come along as well to add your support.
If you can pass on this message to others as well that would be fabulous - and if they sign up to www.gurkhajustice.org.uk we can keep in touch with them directly in future.
Lastly, again, thank you so much for your support. It means so much to us. I spoke today to Lt Madan Kumar Gurung, who has been at the forefront of the campaign since it began. He said to me that he has no fear for the Gurkhas any more, as he knows the loving hearts of the British people will not let them down. With your support we won't.
With warmest good wishes,
Joanna
www.gurkhajustice.org.uk"
LibDig This!
Firstly, asking people to ask their MP's to vote against the Government's proposals tomorrow. I wrote to my Labour MP, Jim Devine, on Saturday and his response will be posted here if and when I get one.
Secondly, if you are in London, join the Gurkha Justice Campaign at their rally at noon tommorrow, Wednesday 29th April, in Old Palace Yard, Westminster. It's a good way of spending your lunch hour, if ever there was one.
Joanna's e-mail is copied below - I'm assuming that "pass on to others" means that she doesn't mind it appearing on blogs.
"Thank you so much for your support of the Gurkha Justice campaign. We are overwhelmed by the support the campaign is receiving.
As you may know, on Friday, the Government badly let down the Gurkhas. The new rules they have announced will exclude the huge majority of ex-Gurkhas who retired before 1997 from claiming citizenship in this country. They've given five bullet points that virtually cannot be met by the ordinary Gurkha soldier.
It is so obvious that the treatment of the Gurkhas has been a great injustice. To treat them like this is despicable.
The strong reaction by the public and press should show the Government that they simply cannot get away with this outrage.
I'm ashamed of our adminstration. We will be challenging this decision in the courts and in Parliament. We will not stop now.
This is not a party political campaign: it's simply one for justice. I am so grateful though for immediate support from MPs from all Parties, including amongst others Conservative leader David Cameron and Lib Dem Leader Nick Clegg.
Nick Clegg has agreed to put a vote to Parliament this Wednesday calling for a fair deal for Gurkhas. This vote on its own won't change the Government's ruling, but would be an overwhelming signal to the Government that they need to think again.
We need all MPs that support the Gurkha justice cause to turn up and vote for a proper deal for Gurkhas on Wednesday. Can I ask that you take a couple of minutes right now to ask your MP to do so?
You can send a message to your MP directly at www.theyworkforyou.com - please ask them to support the Gurkha Justice motion on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, there will also be a Gurkha Justice rally and protest against the Government's decision, starting at noon in Old Palace Yard, Westminster. Many MPs have already committed to support the vote and join me and others at the rally. I know it's awfully short notice, but if you can, please do come along as well to add your support.
If you can pass on this message to others as well that would be fabulous - and if they sign up to www.gurkhajustice.org.uk we can keep in touch with them directly in future.
Lastly, again, thank you so much for your support. It means so much to us. I spoke today to Lt Madan Kumar Gurung, who has been at the forefront of the campaign since it began. He said to me that he has no fear for the Gurkhas any more, as he knows the loving hearts of the British people will not let them down. With your support we won't.
With warmest good wishes,
Joanna
www.gurkhajustice.org.uk"
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Sunday, April 26, 2009
Smooth Driving and Cool Strategy comes up trumps for Brawn
Today saw another fantastic win for Jenson Button, making it 3 out of 4 Grands Prix so far this season, in Bahrain.
The Brawn team had done their best to play down expectations, saying that they were well off the pace and they had severe cooling issues with their engine. This had me sitting on the edge of my seat, barely able to breathe, worrying right to the end that the engine was going to blow up. Thankfully it didn't.
We saw Ross Brawn work in this kind of blissful harmony with Michael Schumacher for so many years and we're starting to see a similar symbiotic relationship develop with Jenson Button. And who's the team-mate that has to cope with this? Rubens Barrichello again. Bless him. Mind you, he's used to it, and he was so good at playing second fiddle before. I would love him to have the chance to shine before he finishes in F1 for good, though.
The win today needed Jenson's driving and Brawn's strategic brain. It was imperative that Jenson re-take the place he ceded to Lewis Hamilton at the start and he did in a gorgeous passing manoeuvre very early on. This enabled Brawn to time the pit stops to perfection and leave Jenson far enough ahead by the time he had to put the medium, slower tyres on that it didn't matter. Toyota did screw up, though, leaving Trulli on the medium tyres for a very long stint in the middle.
Ferrari, thank heavens, avoided the ignominy of recording their worst start to a season ever with Kimi Raikonnen winning some points. Incidentally, David Coulthard has lost no opportunity to paint Kimi as, basically, a lazy team-mate who relies on talent alone. He had another pop this afternoon suggesting that Kimi would not have been too bothered about winning today as there was only rosewater and not champagne at the end.
The bad boy of today was without doubt, for me, Lewis Hamilton. In a pre-race interview, Jake Humphrey asked him straight out whether he was enjoying being an F1 driver which led him into a big whinge about how he didn't like the politics. The boy needs to grow up. If he wanted to avoid politics, might I suggest that telling the truth to stewards and not trying to stitch up your competitors might help.
He also whinged about not being able to go out and buy fish and chips without being papped. He lives in Switzerland, earning a fortune and gets to do what he's wanted to do all his life. He should show a bit more humility and respect. Honestly.
The EJ/DC banter did not disappoint again today. Both Jake Humphrey and DC turned up in pink shirts which did clash rather horribly with each other. EJ was quick to take the mickey out of them.
It was Martin Brundle who made me laugh most, though. The Crown Prince of Bahrain has featured strongly in the BBC's coverage with people generally falling over themselves to see who could be most obsequious. When Brundle caught up with him on the grid, he started off all "Your Highness" this and "Sir" that, but when he finished the interview, it was with a "See you later, cheers".
Brawn is clearly ahead, but Red Bull and Toyota are coming along very well. I'm looking forward to two of my favourite races, Barcelona and Monaco in the next month and we'll see how much Brawn's dominance can be challenged.
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The Brawn team had done their best to play down expectations, saying that they were well off the pace and they had severe cooling issues with their engine. This had me sitting on the edge of my seat, barely able to breathe, worrying right to the end that the engine was going to blow up. Thankfully it didn't.
We saw Ross Brawn work in this kind of blissful harmony with Michael Schumacher for so many years and we're starting to see a similar symbiotic relationship develop with Jenson Button. And who's the team-mate that has to cope with this? Rubens Barrichello again. Bless him. Mind you, he's used to it, and he was so good at playing second fiddle before. I would love him to have the chance to shine before he finishes in F1 for good, though.
The win today needed Jenson's driving and Brawn's strategic brain. It was imperative that Jenson re-take the place he ceded to Lewis Hamilton at the start and he did in a gorgeous passing manoeuvre very early on. This enabled Brawn to time the pit stops to perfection and leave Jenson far enough ahead by the time he had to put the medium, slower tyres on that it didn't matter. Toyota did screw up, though, leaving Trulli on the medium tyres for a very long stint in the middle.
Ferrari, thank heavens, avoided the ignominy of recording their worst start to a season ever with Kimi Raikonnen winning some points. Incidentally, David Coulthard has lost no opportunity to paint Kimi as, basically, a lazy team-mate who relies on talent alone. He had another pop this afternoon suggesting that Kimi would not have been too bothered about winning today as there was only rosewater and not champagne at the end.
The bad boy of today was without doubt, for me, Lewis Hamilton. In a pre-race interview, Jake Humphrey asked him straight out whether he was enjoying being an F1 driver which led him into a big whinge about how he didn't like the politics. The boy needs to grow up. If he wanted to avoid politics, might I suggest that telling the truth to stewards and not trying to stitch up your competitors might help.
He also whinged about not being able to go out and buy fish and chips without being papped. He lives in Switzerland, earning a fortune and gets to do what he's wanted to do all his life. He should show a bit more humility and respect. Honestly.
The EJ/DC banter did not disappoint again today. Both Jake Humphrey and DC turned up in pink shirts which did clash rather horribly with each other. EJ was quick to take the mickey out of them.
It was Martin Brundle who made me laugh most, though. The Crown Prince of Bahrain has featured strongly in the BBC's coverage with people generally falling over themselves to see who could be most obsequious. When Brundle caught up with him on the grid, he started off all "Your Highness" this and "Sir" that, but when he finished the interview, it was with a "See you later, cheers".
Brawn is clearly ahead, but Red Bull and Toyota are coming along very well. I'm looking forward to two of my favourite races, Barcelona and Monaco in the next month and we'll see how much Brawn's dominance can be challenged.
LibDig This!
Help Amy and Friends while watching the Marathon
Imagine how you would feel if you were lining up in Blackheath waiting to take part in the London Marathon. You'd have gone through months of painful training and would be wondering if it would all pay off and you'd manage the whole 26 miles. You'd be thinking of the cause you were running for and be a bit scared about letting your sponsors down. Although, to be honest, it would take a really evil sort of person to withdraw their sponsorship if you didn't finish. Just by getting there and putting in the months of work, you have already deserved all the money you raise.
As I look on in amazement from the comfort of my sofa, I'll be thinking particularly of Mike Elliott, who is running for the charity Amy and Friends which I've mentioned before. There is no treatment available in the UK for children with this condition. The charity helps fund travel and expenses so that the children can receive treatment in the US. They also organise support for the kids and their families including an annual retreat with activities for the kids and specialist advice for their carers.
He's not far off raising £2000, so please help him to raise money to continue the charity's important work.
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As I look on in amazement from the comfort of my sofa, I'll be thinking particularly of Mike Elliott, who is running for the charity Amy and Friends which I've mentioned before. There is no treatment available in the UK for children with this condition. The charity helps fund travel and expenses so that the children can receive treatment in the US. They also organise support for the kids and their families including an annual retreat with activities for the kids and specialist advice for their carers.
He's not far off raising £2000, so please help him to raise money to continue the charity's important work.
LibDig This!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Dramatic Qualifying in Bahrain sees Toyota Lead Grid
Today's qualifying session for tomorrow's Bahrain Grand Prix saw a stunning improvement from Toyota which enabled Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock to capture the front row of the grid. Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton and Rubens Barrichello make up the next two rows.
Mark Webber for Red Bull should have been up there too and I think would have been if he hadn't been blocked in an outrageously bad display of driving from Force India's Adrian Suthil. He first blocked Webber at the last corner at the end of Q1and then basically cut him up as he tried to start his next flying lap which prevented him from setting a time which would get him through to the next stage.
Sure enough, when the BBC caught up with him, Suthil was contrite enough - it seems he thought Webber was on an out lap. That's no excuse, though. The team should have made him aware of the situation - were they asleep in their garage or something?
As a result, Suthil has been demoted 3 places on the grid. To be honest, 16th to 19th is neither here nor there for Force India but the consequences for Webber are much more serious. He would certainly have made it into Q3 but for this incident and would not be languishing in 18th. Surely the rules need to be amended to give the stewards discretion to allow drivers impeded in this way to continue.
Would it really have killed them to have 16 cars in Q2?
I think the penalty on Suthil has been way too lenient - you get a 5 place penalty if you change your gearbox. He should have been disqualified, pure and simple. However sorry he is, he has, as Mark Webber put it, screwed up his race and should pay the price.
Off the track, it was fabulous to see Eddie Jordan back enjoying the banter with DC. They seem to be playing up to it now and it's very entertaining. I could listen to them all day. I think they have to be the best team in sport that I can ever remember.
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Mark Webber for Red Bull should have been up there too and I think would have been if he hadn't been blocked in an outrageously bad display of driving from Force India's Adrian Suthil. He first blocked Webber at the last corner at the end of Q1and then basically cut him up as he tried to start his next flying lap which prevented him from setting a time which would get him through to the next stage.
Sure enough, when the BBC caught up with him, Suthil was contrite enough - it seems he thought Webber was on an out lap. That's no excuse, though. The team should have made him aware of the situation - were they asleep in their garage or something?
As a result, Suthil has been demoted 3 places on the grid. To be honest, 16th to 19th is neither here nor there for Force India but the consequences for Webber are much more serious. He would certainly have made it into Q3 but for this incident and would not be languishing in 18th. Surely the rules need to be amended to give the stewards discretion to allow drivers impeded in this way to continue.
Would it really have killed them to have 16 cars in Q2?
I think the penalty on Suthil has been way too lenient - you get a 5 place penalty if you change your gearbox. He should have been disqualified, pure and simple. However sorry he is, he has, as Mark Webber put it, screwed up his race and should pay the price.
Off the track, it was fabulous to see Eddie Jordan back enjoying the banter with DC. They seem to be playing up to it now and it's very entertaining. I could listen to them all day. I think they have to be the best team in sport that I can ever remember.
LibDig This!
Is there any hope for tired, out of touch Labour Government?
If Gordon Brown's Labour Government were a person, I'd probably feel quite sorry for it. It's clearly suffering the symptoms of burnout and stress. It's flailing as it tries to cope with a constantly changing (and not for the better) economic situation. Its ministers seem detached, uncaring and cynical and even the Prime Minister himself has publicly and for no good reason made the most elementary and incomprehensible errors of judgment.
For me, the absolute low came yesterday. I cringed as I watched Phil Woolas stand there and attempt to justify the complete abdication of fairness and decency that was the Home Office ruling on Gurkhas' right to live in this country. To me, if people are prepared to join our Armed Forces and fight for our country, putting their own lives at risk, then we have an obligation to offer them a home. It really is that simple. Instead we have a set of movable goalposts which will exclude people who gave away their youth to fight for us. Accoring to UNICEF, the life expectancy in 2007 in Nepal was 64 years. If someone spent 19 years on active service as a Gurkha, they would have given pretty much 30% of that time in service to our counry, yet they would have no right to live here. Their colleague, with days' more service would. Where's the fairness there?
I find it hard, as well to differentiate on the basis of bravery awards. I do agree that those who show acts of exceptional bravery should have that recognised, but any member of the Armed Forces, just by being in a war zone, facing danger every day, maybe diffusing potentially difficult situations routinely, has shown much more bravery than I have ever done. I actually find the attempt to differentiate between levels of bravery opportunistic, legalistic and quite sickening.
And then you come to the clause that says, "yes, you can come here, but only if you have an illness caused by your service." I've had many and varied dealings with the Home Office in my time, and they don't need much of an excuse to turn somebody down. How on earth is a Gurkha, who may have a condition picked up or exacerbated by service decades ago, going to be able to prove that to the Home Office's satisfaction?
So the Gurkha decision may be the worst, but the Government has dropped the ball on so much else just in the last few months.
Gordon Brown's decision to foist his unworkable plan for MP's expenses on us all just before a perfectly good independent committee was going to work out a new scheme sensibly and rationally, hearing evidence in public was just plain daft. Proposing to replacing one system that is open to ridicule and abuse with another is not the act of someone whose judgement and political nous is in full working order. This come of course on top of their humiliating climbdown on publication of MP's expenses a few months ago. Common sense dictates that if your workload is overwhelming, you delegate as much as you can to somebody competent, rather than try to do everything and achieve nothing.
Then you have this paranoia and distrust over who might and might not be a terrorist. Someone on the Government payroll has come up with a set of criteria which could have air passengers ordering vegetarian meals put under suspicion. Any sensible Minister would have binned that one straight away. They keep the DNA of innocent people and they spend so much on unnecessary and disproportionate surveillance. And what do they do with the information they glean? Well, they just lose it, as they have done with numerous personal details, including mine as a recipient of Child Benefit.
If the Government were a person, I'd suggest a programme of tlc, rest and appropriate complementary therapies to get it back on its feet again. Unfortunately, we can't just give it a cuddle and send it to a health farm. Something needs to happen to get them to regain their sense of perspective, to rejuvenate them and re-connect them with what real life is like for real people. Maybe it's time for fresh legs within their own ranks. The absence of Jacqui Smith from the Cabinet Table would do no harm, for example.
Maybe they should send the Ministers to spend some time doing some work with charities who are dealing with the consequences of their decisions, a bit like the Obama team did the day before the inauguration, to help them get rid of this cynical and distrusting attitude they seem to have towards people. Take them away from the Whitehall and Westminster treadmill and remind them what got them into this in the first place. Send James Parnell incognito to a stressed JobCentrePlus office and let him see what service they offer. Even better, get him to phone up the social fund line pretending to be a client to see for himself the dreadful service his department offers.
Send Housing Minister Yvette Cooper to see the conditions that some people are expected to live in - to visit a family who has been in bed and breakfast or hostel accommodation for weeks or months on end.
We're seeing with this Government what we saw with the Major Government - a complete loss of inspiration and energy. It's not pretty to watch, and horrible for people who have to live with the most severe consequences of their bad decisions.
LibDig This!
For me, the absolute low came yesterday. I cringed as I watched Phil Woolas stand there and attempt to justify the complete abdication of fairness and decency that was the Home Office ruling on Gurkhas' right to live in this country. To me, if people are prepared to join our Armed Forces and fight for our country, putting their own lives at risk, then we have an obligation to offer them a home. It really is that simple. Instead we have a set of movable goalposts which will exclude people who gave away their youth to fight for us. Accoring to UNICEF, the life expectancy in 2007 in Nepal was 64 years. If someone spent 19 years on active service as a Gurkha, they would have given pretty much 30% of that time in service to our counry, yet they would have no right to live here. Their colleague, with days' more service would. Where's the fairness there?
I find it hard, as well to differentiate on the basis of bravery awards. I do agree that those who show acts of exceptional bravery should have that recognised, but any member of the Armed Forces, just by being in a war zone, facing danger every day, maybe diffusing potentially difficult situations routinely, has shown much more bravery than I have ever done. I actually find the attempt to differentiate between levels of bravery opportunistic, legalistic and quite sickening.
And then you come to the clause that says, "yes, you can come here, but only if you have an illness caused by your service." I've had many and varied dealings with the Home Office in my time, and they don't need much of an excuse to turn somebody down. How on earth is a Gurkha, who may have a condition picked up or exacerbated by service decades ago, going to be able to prove that to the Home Office's satisfaction?
So the Gurkha decision may be the worst, but the Government has dropped the ball on so much else just in the last few months.
Gordon Brown's decision to foist his unworkable plan for MP's expenses on us all just before a perfectly good independent committee was going to work out a new scheme sensibly and rationally, hearing evidence in public was just plain daft. Proposing to replacing one system that is open to ridicule and abuse with another is not the act of someone whose judgement and political nous is in full working order. This come of course on top of their humiliating climbdown on publication of MP's expenses a few months ago. Common sense dictates that if your workload is overwhelming, you delegate as much as you can to somebody competent, rather than try to do everything and achieve nothing.
Then you have this paranoia and distrust over who might and might not be a terrorist. Someone on the Government payroll has come up with a set of criteria which could have air passengers ordering vegetarian meals put under suspicion. Any sensible Minister would have binned that one straight away. They keep the DNA of innocent people and they spend so much on unnecessary and disproportionate surveillance. And what do they do with the information they glean? Well, they just lose it, as they have done with numerous personal details, including mine as a recipient of Child Benefit.
If the Government were a person, I'd suggest a programme of tlc, rest and appropriate complementary therapies to get it back on its feet again. Unfortunately, we can't just give it a cuddle and send it to a health farm. Something needs to happen to get them to regain their sense of perspective, to rejuvenate them and re-connect them with what real life is like for real people. Maybe it's time for fresh legs within their own ranks. The absence of Jacqui Smith from the Cabinet Table would do no harm, for example.
Maybe they should send the Ministers to spend some time doing some work with charities who are dealing with the consequences of their decisions, a bit like the Obama team did the day before the inauguration, to help them get rid of this cynical and distrusting attitude they seem to have towards people. Take them away from the Whitehall and Westminster treadmill and remind them what got them into this in the first place. Send James Parnell incognito to a stressed JobCentrePlus office and let him see what service they offer. Even better, get him to phone up the social fund line pretending to be a client to see for himself the dreadful service his department offers.
Send Housing Minister Yvette Cooper to see the conditions that some people are expected to live in - to visit a family who has been in bed and breakfast or hostel accommodation for weeks or months on end.
We're seeing with this Government what we saw with the Major Government - a complete loss of inspiration and energy. It's not pretty to watch, and horrible for people who have to live with the most severe consequences of their bad decisions.
LibDig This!
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