You’ll enjoy this short video of Bush getting the “freeze-out” from his peers on the global stage ::
H/t. Toby (email)
Sphere: Related ContentFor the record.
It will surprise no-one that I’m not on the BNP list. As someone who’s liberal to a fault, I think it’s fair to say that the party is run by a group of hateful fucktards. That said, whoever leaked the list online, should be arrested for incitement to violence - or whatever else the police can pin on them.
One’s politics, however hateful and vindictive, should never be reason for violence. Whoever leaked this list must know of the damage it would do to the people featured on this list - many of whom, I’m sure, are frustrated with British politics, rather than being conscious racists or bigots.
I do hope this story will fizzle out without incident.
Sphere: Related ContentI used to live just outside the sleepy village of Eakring in Nottinghamshire. Indeed I used to play pool in its tiny Pub. So imagine my delight when the minutes of the Earking Annual Parish Council meeting made it onto the BBC Radio 4’s comedy show, The News Quiz ::
Any Other Business
1. Tree cutting on Back Lane was discussed. The following things arose from this:
a) It would be a good idea to suggest to the landowner the planting of some replacement trees.
b) Parish Councillors are advised to report things to the Clerk for onward transmission to the relevant authority rather than contact parishioners direct.
c) Parish Councillors and parishioners need refreshing on what constitutes a ‘tree’ and what is permitted work. Clerk to write to Mr Catchpole for a definition.
d) Clerk to report the tree cutting to Mr Catchpole at NSDC.
2. The issue of the ancient drains in the village was raised.
3. A parishioner has raised the question of the PC’s use of the Eakring Echo and its sponsorship.
4. Another parishioner wished to know if the problems with the telephone directories have been solved yet.
5. Mr Neale said a parishioner had drawn his attention to overhanging foliage on the pavement on Main Street between Wellow Road junction and the Old School. Clerk to contact Highways Dept.
6. The missile launcher parked at a property on Kirklington Road has caused comments from a number of parishioners about unauthorised access of a vehicle to a property and causing damage to the road surface. Clerk to contact Highways Dept.
It’s a strange world.
Sphere: Related ContentSo yesterday there was a rather distasteful kafuffle at PMQ’s over the political fallout over the sad story of Baby P.
I just said over at Justin’s that this is a case of shame on both their houses. But the more I think about it, the more I wonder…
Cameron must be getting pissed off with Brown’s constant and blunt refusal to answer a straight question. And it is the duty of the LOHMLO to hold the government to account. I can understand if Cameron becomes annoyed if the PM continues to belittle his questioning by his avoidance techniques, but then Cameron should have risen above the fray once it was clear Brown wasn’t going to retract the accusation of playing party politics.
Had he made his feelings clear and moved on, he would have been the Statesman to Brown’s partisan beast.
In truth Cameron probably did see capital in this line of question. It’s in his nature. Anyone who watches Cameron closely could say he is anything more than a political animal. He’s never convinced me of any hidden intellectual or ideological vigour. He’s a careerist and a prominently placed spin-doctor.
That said, Brown was a fool to challenge Cameron - as the questioning itself didn’t provide clear political malice. It was a reasonable line of questioning (even if it was probably tinged with a deliberate intent to show Labour in a bad light - not that this is necessarily a bad thing, as Labour do have serious questions to answer).
Had he any real class though, Cameron would have called Brown on his slur, and moved on. We don’t pay Cameron to be overly sensitive.
For a brilliant analysis of a terrible day for Westminster, try Septicisle’s article at LC. (update) I did start reading the comments on Iain’s predictably hyperbolic outrage post, but really many of these people are so partisan and reactionary, it’s a waste of my time. I think Iain is a very talented writer and I can’t say I dislike the guy, but his penchant for exaggerated outrage is tiresome. I really wish he could return to his more independent musing.
Neither of two party leaders excelled yesterday.
Sphere: Related ContentThis is the most honest and best articulation of the GOP defeat I have read…
…no surprise it’s from P.J. O’Rourke.
Money quote ::
Our impeachment of President Clinton was another example of placing the wrong political emphasis on personal matters. We impeached Clinton for lying to the government. To our surprise the electorate gave us cold comfort. Lying to the government: It’s called April 15th. And we accused Clinton of lying about sex, which all men spend their lives doing, starting at 15 bragging about things we haven’t done yet, then on to fibbing about things we are doing, and winding up with prevarications about things we no longer can do.
etc. etc. It’s all brilliant.
Pure class. If conservatism were indeed such, I’d call myself a conservative.
Sphere: Related Content
Read All About It: We’re Always In The Press
Birmingham Children’s Hospital is often in the news.
Apparently so. From today’s Observer ::
Scandal of care at top children’s hospital
Treatment at one of Britain’s leading children’s hospitals is worse than that in the developing world, according to a damning doctors’ report uncovered by The Observer which also reveals how parents are “told lies” to cover up sub-standard care.
In the document, which the head of the Royal College of Surgeons describes as alarming, consultants are scathing about the Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Last night MPs called for a full inquiry into the quality of care at the hospital, where children are treated for life-threatening conditions such as liver or kidney failure, neurological problems and chronic heart complaints.
The report was commissioned by the NHS primary care trusts in Birmingham that fund the hospital after senior doctors at the hospital and the neighbouring University Hospital Birmingham, including world-renowned experts in paediatric care, complained that their repeated attempts to raise the alarm had been ignored. The report reveals that:
• Doctors lie to parents about why their child has undergone a major operation because they cannot admit that the hospital lacks the personnel and infrastructure to conduct safer procedures.
• Support for surgeons undertaking kidney transplants is so poor that consultants felt they had received better back-up when performing such procedures on a visit to Lagos, the capital of Nigeria.
• Transplant services for children with serious liver failure are so poor that they constitute “a third-class service [which is] putting patients at risk”.
• Children with neurological problems have been involved in “close calls” - potential threats to their health - because of delays in getting them admitted to the right specialist ward. Nurses who work on the ward are resigning because of dangers to patients.
• Staff who support surgeons during complex operations do not recognise which surgical instrument has been requested, causing delays.
• Doctors no longer report safety risks because “there is no point” as hospital managers do not respond with action.
• Specialist services for very ill children with rare conditions “are being allowed to wither on the vine” because of a lack of resources and poor management.
I would advise that the first step in damage limitation would be to change this unfortunate text on the website. BTW. I checked the PR link, and the only thing I could find was the following note ::
Brilliant New Story Here Soon
Watch this space!
Indeed.
Sphere: Related Content“I like Jeremy Vine’s suit.”
~ me over at the LC Live blog on Tuesday night. As you can see, I have a razor-sharp political mind.
Sphere: Related ContentAmazing, huh?
Ann Coulter, the vicious conservative manbearpig, is blaming McCain for the new era of Democratic power.
Yeah, yeah, Ann. McCain may have run a woeful campaign. But that’s because he allowed the usual GOP smear-men to mastermind it. The same fucktards who, like you, have fuelled and profited from the toxic culture wars that have divided America - and for that matter, inspired so many Americans to give Obama so much cash.
Also, I’d love to meet the 8-year-old who ghosts Ann’s columns.
Sphere: Related ContentMy only criticism of the media coverage is not enough shots of gutted Republicans
Rachel North at LC. LOL you cheeky monkey!
BTW. Rachel was awesome on last night’s live blog - she’s a Stat master.
Sphere: Related ContentJennie’s excellent piece on pub etiquette.
Loved the section on Real Ale ::
* A good real ale barmaid will be knowledgeable about the product. If you have a preference for a particular style of ale, ask for a recommendation
* Ask for a sample if you are unsure which ale you want; most real ale pubs offer them on cask ales, and if they don’t, there’s no harm in asking. A good barmaid wants you to enjoy your drink, not stand there feeling forced to drink a pint you don’t like.
* If you want a good head on your beer, mention this when ordering. Similarly, if you want it Southern-style, ask for the sparkler to be removed
* If you would like your pint to be topped up, ask. A good barmaid ought to ask if you’d like a drop more in, but all of us have off days.
Too true. There is nothing like a knowledgeable barman or barmaid. We went to Dublin a few weeks ago, and had a drink in T.P. Smiths - the barman was so good we stayed for another drink. We only popped in for a “swift half”. Being a barkeep is an art.
I really miss a pint of good ale. I hate this bastard diet.
Sphere: Related ContentOh this really got my goat.
Sphere: Related ContentHaving spent the last few years railing against the “nanny-state”, Jon Gaunt wrote in his most recent column about how the parents of Danny James (who was left paralysed after a serious Rugby injury) travelled with him to Switzerland, in order for Danny to visit a euthanasia clinic.
After vilifying Danny’s loving, and no doubt grieving parents, Gaunty points out that “Assisted suicide is a crime in this country and it should remain so.”
That may be true, but it doesn’t make it right. What right does the State really have to force a person to suffer a life they find unbearable? Surely the ultimate line between state authority and personal liberty is one of life itself.
Jon Gaunt is all very well bitching endlessly about the Labour government’s interference in our daily lives, but then he takes utterly illiberal positions like this. I know I say this every time, but the guy’s a 24-carat gold hypocrite ::
But no, his parents took him to Switzerland and instead of truly confronting the horror of their actions, politicians are now turning a blind eye to the death clinics and refusing to even have the moral debate in this country.
This is not a theocracy, Jon. I couldn’t give a monkeys what politicians think about this, there is no “moral debate” worth having. The State has no legitimate right to block suicides - assisted or not.
Taking their son to Switzerland must have been a harrowing experience, but Danny’s parents understood that his fundamental human right is to self-determination.
It was Danny’s wish to die. That’s all we need to know.
Originally written for The Sun - Tabloid Lies
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