Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category
UEA Offline To Email
Leaks like A Sieve
We all know how indiscreet certain people at the University Of East Anglia’s Climate Change Unit were recently. Not only was the content of their emails outrageous, dishonest and reprehensible but their email system was so insecure that it resembled a sort of digital colander.
Now, in a classic, public sector, knee jerk overreaction, it is virtually impossible to get an email through to UEA. My son, Richard, is there doing a law conversion course after graduating in PPE last year. Every email I send him is bounced back to me as “unacceptable content”.
It’s only the sort of correspondence that might pass between any father and son. There’s no cocaine deals, terrorist plots, child porn, not even any attempt to falsify information on which the future of the world might depend. I did send him the latest draft of my novel which I think did have the odd swear word in it. Dear me, I think that must be it! Trouble is I don’t think Amazon or WH Smith accept novels these days without swear words in them.
Fortunately, Richard and I are super-duper, super-sophisticated hackers right at the leading edge of technology. We had a bright idea and used a different email address. Now why didn’t the Climate Change Unit think of that?
Wenlock Mandeville Disaster
Child's Play
The most obvious explanation is that someone at the Olympics Committee has been horizontal jogging with someone at the design company.
What else?
There has to be a rational explanation for one of most ridiculous, badly-judged communications campaigns I have ever seen. The Wenlock and Mandeville mascot idea is third-rate, junior (bad) art school nonsense.
I first worked on ideas like this more than 30 years ago. I stake all my experience on this, I stand by every ounce of this assertion – it is NONSENSE, shocking NONSENSE and I am dismayed to see it. If it gains any traction then it will only be because of the money spent on it. Almost anything else would be better!
Lord Coe and other talented individuals on the Olympics Committee have made a mistake here. This is a serious error of judgement.
Nick Clegg – The Boy’s Own Politician
"Is it a bird? Is it a plane?"
It’s a film script, a comicbook cartoon, a dazzling adventure story. It lifts the spirit and refreshes the soul. It’s a politician you can believe in! It’s Nick Clegg!
I hope so. I really, really do. I hope I am living through a huge moment in history when two bright, inspirational leaders take the helm of HMS Great Britain and steer us through the storm to calm waters and the broad sunlit uplands beyond.
Nick Clegg’s speech today was as inspirational as they come. If history views him kindly then this speech will rank with Churchill, Disraeli, Martin Luther King, Obama. He deserves our trust. If he has got it wrong or can’t deliver there will be plenty of time for recriminations and to return to dull cynicism.
For now, let us believe.
Unite Against Unite
Punks
Isn’t it wonderful to see the preposterous Unite and its two Marxist agitators, Tony Woodley and Derek Simpson, getting smashed back by the Courts?
This is exactly why we elected a Tory government.
But is it justice?
Eenie, Meanie, Minie, Mo – Drugs Policy? That’ll Be Lib Dem!
Only now is the depth and breadth of David Cameron’s coup becoming clear. He has swept aside all the old politics and we voted for exactly what he has given us. Hail to the Chief!
It’s true that now he can dump those old Tory policies that no one really wanted and we can take the good ones from the Lib Dems –
God's Herb
none more so than their drugs policy.
The Lib Dems are very, very close to the Transform Drug Policy Foundation which, however it describes itself, promotes a radical right wing solution to the drugs problem – legalise, regulate, tax.
This might seem a second tier, lower priority issue until you consider that most organised crime and virtually all street crime is caused, promoted and maintained by the illegality of drugs.
Legalise all drugs, regulate and tax their supply. You pull the rug from under organised crime and you take away the need for nearly all street crime. You massively reduce the harm caused by drugs. You take perhaps £10 billion out of the black economy. You save several billion more on law enforcement costs.
It’s a no brainer for anyone who has the courage and common sense to think about it. I hope Theresa May is listening – and thinking.
An Obama Of Change
What extraordinary times. An Obama of change. For my father, myself and my sons, across three generations, British politics has never been through such drama.
Everything now remains to be seen but these are the “broad, sunlit uplands”. I think it is crucial that we have faith in the good intent of the government. A spirit of optimism, trust and co-operation has characterised these last few days. Let’s hope it continues.
Now the work begins.
Nick Clegg
Well there you go then!
Who? Me?
What a day!
The big winner is Nick Clegg.
Imagine, “noone had heard of him” before the first leaders debate. Tonight he is Deputy Prime Minister!
This is a huge personal triumph, surely reserving his place in history as he could never have dreamed.
Clegg Close To Cocking It Up
I’m really fearful that Clegg is close to cocking it all up. He’s managed to retain a great deal of goodwill throughout this election campaign but now he seems to be losing the plot. He promised the country that he would deal with the Tories first but in fact he’s been double dealing. This will rightly infuriate those on the Tory right who have gone much, much further than might have been expected. Clegg needs to get back to the principled position he originally held and do the deal with the Tories. If not there will be no bigger loser than Clegg himself.
There Can Only Be One Choice For Clegg
If Nick Clegg chooses Labour then he will be consigning this country to disaster and his own reputation and integrity to the dustbin.
Stop Dithering!
There can be no other choice than the Conservatives. David Cameron is clearly the prime minister that the country wants. The country has rejected Labour and the mathematics of a Lib Dem/Labour coalition simply do not work.
Clegg now needs to stop dithering, push back the sandals and socks soft socialists in his own party and choose the future that the country needs.
