Friday, February 23, 2007

Lawn Tennis Equality: Doyen of Tory-blogs Completely Wrong, Again


What a pile of old tosh from Iain Dale. This old hours on court argument is complete and utter nonsense.

Three reasons:

First, many women players would be willing and able to play best of five matches. Women run marathons and even 24 hour and multi day races. Whereas not so long ago it was 400 metres or at a stretch 800 metres.

Second, Roger Federer only rarely plays more than three sets and they're often very short and uncompetitive.

Third, court time is the tip of the iceberg. All pro tennis players are full timers and spend a broadly equivalent time training, practicing, conditioning, travelling, doing press, recuperating and the rest.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Not the Manchester Withington Selection



Great myspace link provided in comments here. Thanks to Carl Marks, no relation to the famous aristo Count Karl Marx, for a glorious rhyme and a great link to the neither Rhyme nor Reason Party - dreaming of a socialist United States of America.

There is a very stirring rendition of the USSR Anthem to sing along with. But no Internationale that I can find. Still less Jerusalem. A beautiful picture of some young revolutionaries stripped to the waist and apparently "bringing in the harvest" but looking for all the world like they are in fact "playing ping pong".

INSIGHT: The picture of a much younger Mao on the wall of our bathroom, coupled with a satirical Gorbachev with kittens in the kitchen, led a neighbour who is a woman of the cloth to declare us "communists". Hah!

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

New Labour Triangulation: Coming Home to Roost?



The last Communicate/Independent poll was better for Labour than the ICM/Guardian one of this Tuesday, but still bad. However the analysis that goes with it suggests that sensible left bloggers who have been nagging the party roundheads about triangulation are being proved right.

At times over recent years it has felt as if New Labour strategists have been engaged in a guerilla war against our natural supporters, over-estimating the endurance of their tribal instincts. Clearing this street of public sector workers, this one of pensioners, yet another of peace and justice seekers, and still more of other hitherto loyal communities of interest.

These clearances have been accomplished using the very same hooks that have been used to snag the swingers in the super marginals to such great effect. But behind this success safe seats have drifted towards vulnerability.

Newer Labour agrees. Luke Akehurst quiet since the ICM one was trailed, won't. One poll doesn't make a swallow. But a pattern has been developing over long years. Time to step back.

UPDATE: Corrected date reference. Communicate poll is three weeks old.

Manchester Confidential: City Centre Blues, Reds and Yellows, Kathy Crotty for Councillor!



Manchester Confidential is a busy what's on and rantspace for Manchester's cosmopoles. Interesting story here about the recent parking hike controversy. I'd like to know the returns for the Tory and Lib Dem petitions on this. "Pathetic" would be my guess. Have blogged a little reprise of some of the City Centre runnings on the end of it.

UPDATE: We're hearing the size of the Lib Dem petition submitted was beyond pathetic, and that while the Tory one was better it cannot claim to be "hundreds" which imprecise term has a minimum of 200 and a maximum of 1900s. Not close.

War on Iraq: Tony Blair to Announce De-vasion Today (Wednesday)



HERE with a hat tip to Newsnight Tom at Newer Labour who first blogged this.

Hurrah, if it's true or even if it is half true.

Confining all to barracks and shipping them home a.s.a.p. still seems a pretty righteous course of action. But we'll take what we can get.

Lovely colouring on this official LATW logo, doncha think? I thank you, I thank you.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Libdemology: Lib Dems Want It Both Ways on Referenda. They Don't Do Them When In Control


Mr Nicol Stephen, the leader of the Lib Dem contingent of the ruling coalition in Scotland - though this does not stop them criticising their own decisions as if they were owned by others - is being rather helpful on the question of how Lib Dems see referenda.

In an interview with The Scotsman he said:

“In 1997, the Liberal Democrats saw no need for a referendum before establishing a Scottish Parliament, which we strongly supported, so why in 2007 would we support a referendum to establish a separate Scottish state, which we strongly oppose? The Liberal Democrats will not support any back-door routes to independence after a Scottish election where the parties who support separation have no majority.”

So they don't support a referendum where it might overturn their preference. But alas in Manchester their maverick MP - whose party do not pass Stephen's test of having a majority in any sense, not even by a long chalk in Manchester Withington - has been making an idiot of himself calling for a referendum and, as is typical of his maverick party, speaking up against Manchester's interests.

My question for John Leech or any of his cronies is this:

There are now a considerable number of Lib Dem controlled Town Halls. Mostly for very short tenancies as they get found out quickly, but quite a few at any one time. Have ANY of these authorities conducted all voter referenda on ANYTHING over the past twelve months?

"Yes" or "No" will do. Some examples where it might be appropriate are:

On extending Glamorgan's Cricket Ground into local parks and thereby stealing Manchester's 2009 Ashes Test?
Or stealing parts of Stanley Park for Liverpool FC?
Or removing the subsidy from a much loved Bristol railway while pretending to back our Metro?
Or screwing all the Town Hall workers in Leeds in a Lib-Con conspiracy?
Or raiding reserves for years in Liverpool to play petty politics with Council Tax then cancelling their famous Pops series with little notice when it all comes home to roost? Having just carried out a tendering process that made it cheaper.
Or deciding the day after getting control to throw all the regeneration grants in Newcastle back at the government as they'd have to demolish some houses to rebuild the communities?

So how many referenda is that altogether John boy?

And what do the Lib Dems actually understand by the term 'representative democracy'?

Are Lib Dems right when they don't hold referenda themselves? When they have a majority. Or are they right when they demand one on this? When they have no majority.

Or do they really think they can have it both ways?

Let's face it John Leech's position on this business is untenable. He has not properly represented local people's interests. He has shot his mouth off - probably thinking that we wouldn't get the investment anyway - and lived to regret it.

Is he going to bring his puritan misery to bear on everything? And if so why why why is he in the diabolical liberties party party who usually want social and economic liberalism all round?

UKIP: The Farage's New Clothes for Europe



Dizzythinks spotted this UKIP re-branding, so far reserved for European use, betraying a very real reverence for European Insitutions. Who'd have thought it? The UK one still looks like a Big E. Strange for a small state, no E party! Blogged about it here eight days ago. Perhaps that stung the kipping ones into action?

ICM/Guardian: Gordon Brown Choking on Birthday Cornflakes? Dave/id Cameron Herbal High?


Interesting, very interesting. Political Betting seems a good source of analysis on the Guardian's latest ICM poll and its presentation.

Worth looking at the wise comments also. With "Red Flag" making some good points.

THIS is a good collection of polls. ICM and particularly ICM/Guardian are persistently predicting the highest Tory leads.

Communicate/Independent disagree, at times giving Labour lead.

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Cornerstone: Tory Right Motoring Lobby Don't Count


Or can't count. Triumphant Iain Dale lists some allegations of fleecing of motorists activity over the last ten years. He says costs have gone up by 50% over ten years. This is actually the sort of increase one would expect over a ten year period and is certainly less than the rise in average incomes in the same period.

That several of the "fleecings" related to strict liability offences such as speeding and parking where the law abiding and careful need not pay anything underlines the reducing cost of motoring in the period.

UPDATE: There is a grammatically dodgy petition at number 10 calling on the PM "to Don't Scrap" etc.

Campaign Group: Alan Simpson Follows Dr Lynne Jones in Early Retirement



Alan Simpson MP has told his Nottingham South constituency party that he will not be standing at the next election. He is reported to have told them that some of his PLP colleagues "would vote for the slaughter of the first born, if asked to do so". This decision follows not long after that of SCG colleague Dr Lynne Jones (below, speaking) who might I think have made a better Left/Centre Left challenger to Gordon Brown than either John McDonnell or Michael Meacher.

Simpson famously refused to back John McDonnell's bid to be the Left's leadership challenger and broached the idea of a Michael Meacher candidacy as long ago as early September 2006. His announcement is seen in some quarters as confirmation that Mr Meacher - with his family property business, support for 9-11 conspiracy theories, and vote for the war - does not have a hope of getting the 44 nominations he would require.