Libdemologists: Ginger Family Should "Dye Hair"?

Kevin, 11, left, Daniel, 9, and Ryelle, 10, have suffered cruel taunts

Listening to Radio Five Live this evening I was astonished at an item on red hair and the extreme bullying and abuse that can ensue. One charming caller from Glasgow insisted over and over again that Ginger hair was a certain sign of an evil nature.

Even more extraordinary was the story of the Chapman Family of two ginger haired parents with nine children, most ginger, who have been terrorised. This has been reported widely, in The Times, The Mirror and The Sun. Worldwide in fact as a Google Search brings 23,000 hits.

Young Kevin Chapman, aged 11, was so distraught that he tried to kill himself by hanging. The Chapmans insist, and their account is compelling, that Newcastle City Council suggested at one point that they should dye their kids' hair. While the Council claim this is not correct I am certainly persuaded by the first hand account given on air.

Whatever next from these Lib Dems? Recommending skin whitening, hair straightening and the like for victims of racist bullying? And continuing to move victims rather than bullies.

Well done to the young wizard Ron Weasley and others for ringing in and joining the discussion.

Libdemologists: Cracks Appear Left Right and Centre

Libdemologists continue to rabbit about their strange London Assembly selection and going beyond The Spectator speculation of Campbell and Clegg being offered Brown cabinet posts we find some still more worrying insights over at The Liberal. One Mr Kovar is predicting that Clegg will go Blue as Ming goes Red and that the party could then split in two.

The Liberal should know I suppose. If this were to happen it would be very interesting to see which directions this league of mavericks scattered in. For example John McLeech was making all the loyal noises about backing Kennedy 100% while in the same breath backing Clegg who did not run. He then signed up for Huhne. Which way would he jump? With the L Ron Hubbard or the Tom Cruise of the Libdemologists?

Lame Duck A L'Orange has been digging away at this for a while but dried up in March. Minger = lame duck, Cleggy = chicken.

We also get a confusing run down of Labour arts policy from me-me-me Ms Clemency Burton-Hill who seems to be crying over milk that's very much filling the glass, and a powerful attack on the murderous Mugabe from Peter Tatchell.

The Big Race: "Tick Tock, Tick Tock"

Apparently this is the midnight Vodaphone text message of choice for Frankie Detorri's jockey "friends" trying to keep a rather jumpy champion on the back foot in his 15th attempt to win the big race. He rides Authorized. His journey to this crown was almost as long as Gordon's.
HURRAH: Frankie wins running away from the field. Although firm favourite at 5-4 others turned up and gave their backers some sport.

Writing to a Prisoner: Gambling on a Favour

It is not an everyday occurrence for me to write to prisoners. I am no Lord Longford. Developing a similar head of hair perhaps. But writing to one convicted of a sexual crime is not my norm.

This is not to tell this chap (on a couple or three years) the good news that sentences for certain child porn viewers could be revised downward (BBC Video Report) if a Mr Gamble's advice is heeded, or to report an immediate backlash. It is to ask a favour.

Does anyone out there regularly write to prisoners? Any tricks of the trade to report? This letter is in the post already. But I'm expecting a return, and probably an expectation of a continuing correspondence.

The Spectator: W Menzies Campbell FCO Swansong?

Speculation in the New Statesman has triggered still more at IDD. This is essentially the story that Gordon Brown will cosy up to Ming Campbell and give him a prominent cabinet job, echoing the Blair-Ashdown pact of yore.

As a campaigner in an exceedingly close Labour-Lib Dem marginal and a citizen of a City plagued by dissembling yellow hordes of misery I wonder, in the remaining minutes or hours before Ming quashes this half-heartedly, what such a move from GB could mean for us? One comment at IDD was especially interesting.

HF said...
Beware an old man in a hurry. Ming either gets into bed with Gordon within next three years or his chances of a cabinet job (and his political career) are over. Ming will see it as part of the Ashdown/Blair discussions in the mid 90s. If the LD party let Paddy do it then why can't they let Ming do it now? He will also protect his MPs from losing their seats at the next GE.

Don't know who HF is, but I do wonder about that last bit and ask:

How will Ming protect his MPs by doing this? ... will (this) mean an electoral pact too? So Lab and Lib Dem candidates in marginals between them and/or in Lib-Con marginals could be stood down?

This could kill the Tories first, with the Lib Dems for afters. So would that be attractive to GB as stage two in the project to move the goalposts and take the ball away from other right wingers for ever?

Sporting Bets: Amaechi, Dettori or Deputy Dawgs?

John Amaechi, Manchester and England's leading Basketball player is to lead Utah Gay Pride Parade. He is seen above with Lance Bass of NSYNC (nice site of it's kind, btw) who had a similarly public coming out, though in a somethingly less hostile milieu.

Right, John's playing as 13 for the Manchester Magic, based a mile from LOL HQ in leafy Manchester Gorton. John's Journey and his Travelogue have been on here before.

Anyway, back to Gorton. That constituency nominated Hazey for Deputy. There was some controversy over something of a lock out of potential voters. Central and Blackley don't seem to have nominated at all for DL. Withington backed Benn and Wythenshawe and Sale East Hain. Full lists can be found at Leadership central under each candidate, and Luke Akehurst has a useful summary of final CLP and Affiliate totals here.

But commentators and gamblers - who would rather back a DL wannabe than Franki Dettori on his Authentic chance of a Derby success in his 15th attempt - and indeed candidates and supporters would do well to recognise as Political Betting are in this and other links that all these FPTP nominations by small to medium groups of delegates are (a) not binding when the ballots land next week and (b) are little help when it comes to exhaustive 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and even 5th preferences which come into play.

"Clever money" on Hilary Benn may be following a shakey analysis. And there is some of that over at Luke's also. Why is Hain toast and his fave Blears not when their nominations across the sections are not dissimilar?

If you must bet, back Dettori, it's better value than going to the Dawgs. Though almost 9-1 on Harman may be worth a little flutter to hedge your sheepish punt on Benn or Johnson or Cruddas.

Positive Inaction: London Lib Dems Day at the Races

Iain Dale lobs his fork across to a neighbouring glass house (rather than curry house, read on) at the Lib Dem list for the London Assembly elections. This is it seems very geographically skewed to South/SW London and has no Black and Ethnic Minority candidates in winnable positions. There is some interesting commentary in both places.

The LD list does have two women in the top three (though no more in the top six) whereas it may be that the Tories have no women at all on the LA after the next election. And many of us remember the toys flying out of the IDD pram when CCHQ announced some positive action which might marginally increase the female representation in the Tory MEP group ... from the current ONE.

Here's the CCHQ statement:

The Board of the Conservative Party has reached a decision in principle on the method for selection of candidates for the European Parliament for the 2009 election. Sitting MEPs who have been re-selected following a procedure similar to that laid down in the Party’s constitution for Westminster MPs will be placed in ranking order by party members in a postal ballot. Members will also be asked to place additional candidates in ranking order. In the wholly exceptional circumstances that there will be no sitting MEPs who are women seeking re-election, and for this selection process only, the top position in each region below any reselected sitting MEPs will be occupied by the woman candidate who gets the most votes in the postal ballot. Detailed arrangements will be developed in the coming weeks.

"In the wholly exceptional circumstances" etc incidentally was and is absolutely amazing double speak, absolutely effing amazing as Dale might say himself, as this is so exceptional that it seems to apply to ALL BUT ONE of the Regions! Tories have one woman MEP Nationwide. Yet the Tory Boy Bloggers are furious about men losing out.

Dale's conclusion: "Why any self respecting male would want to put themselves through this process is beyond me - not that I can see any attraction in being a Euro MP anyway." The comments from the "equality party" are priceless.

Iain Dale's Diary: In Praise of Al Jazeera

Back on Wednesday Iain Dale realised that Al Jazeera is class and not crass. Well done Iain! Next time the USA cook up a rocket attack on Al Jazeera studios we'll be glad of your support.

Round Up: Cats and Dogs, Spuds, Cats and Dogs Again, Crudds, Husts, QT, BB and 4th Protocol

First thing took three dogs on foot and two cats by car to the vets. Innoculations. Expense. Also got the full SP on Kennel Cough. Arguably not worth the cash for fit dogs. Homewards Ottey, the girl dog, doesn't want to leave the rest of the pack (cats and human) behind but is persuaded by dog-whispered reasoning.

Have decided to stop earthing up the spuds. 20-odd plants in one bed and half a dozen containers. We started late so we're stopping earthing up late too. House and Garden special soon.

Later cats and dogs are some violent rain storms. Sheltered in the Help the Aged shop where there are some interesting books and a good chat. Some strong sounding information about the Post Office opposite.

Off to a meeting with Jon Cruddas at the Mechanics Institute with a Rally for Remploy downstairs. Then a hustings with all six DL candidates represented. Two by themselves. One by a spouse. One by an NEC member. One Minister. One Bag Carrier. Quite good. Interesting chatter with assorted Respect people on the way in. And Ivan Lewis MP (Johnson delegate) on the way out.

Home for Question Time. Some late Big Brother. And Polonium, Caine and Brosnan in The Fourth Protocol. But this lot is just a list. Perhaps tomorrow. There were some interesting 'phone calls and meetings too.

Labour PPBs: Nice Kinnock vs Nasty Seducer Dave-id

Speaking of Neil kinnock PPB's Rupa Huq linked to the above from 1987 only yesterday.

[pedant]As she amusingly pointed out in a Mrs Malaprop kinda way young Kinnock was big on his Cola mining (sic) heritage.[/pedant] Seriously, I hear there was a grave danger of ADD and obesity unless you are assigned to one of the low E-numbers and/or low calorie seams. Some miners got so big and full of CO2 they had to stay down for months.


This one is (a) fantastic and (b) horrific in equal measures. The jilted lover, representing Tony Blair out of favour, is curiously like Dave-id Cameron. Though the nasty Tories are Bullingdon Bully Bullshitter perfect.

Rupa closes with:

If I was quicker witted I’d have paraphrased the Thatcher “lady’s not for turning” quote with “You Tube if you want to…” but I’m not blessed with sufficient comic genius to pull it off I’m afraid.

I'll not be attempting it. But here is an important sociologist or media theorist or the like, giving us some underpinning knowledge and entertainment. By the way Neil, nice don't pay the rent.

Akehurst and Jones: At it Like Rats in a Sack

Luke Akehurst is pushing out vast tranches of sectarian bile instead of rational arguments in support of his fave Hazel Blears and against such dangerous left wing lunatics as Peter Hain, Harriet Harman, Hilary Benn, Alan Johnson and Jon Cruddas.

In fact The Sun today went one better, giving two or three glorious reasons why Hazel Blears is also a dangerous lefty who will sadly flush the Brown one right down the toilet of old Labour Militancy.

This beggars belief really. Luke rather than The Sun, whose job it is to knacker Labour lefty ideas. Things like, oh, having trade unions, supporting comprehensive schools, ending world poverty.

But to be blunt some of the responses to the enforcer have been a bit on the gaga side of things too. Owen brings up Kinnock as a left slayer and jeers that he never won any elections. LOL responded, this was hours ago and perhaps Luke will have admitted he has been wrong all along by now. But here goes, first with Owen:

Owen: It must be said that Kinnock's longform PPB of 1987 was excellent and dare I say it socialistic in a solidarity kind of way and also that Hatton was a complete and utter tosser. "Lies" he can be seen to heckle as Kinnock runs his taxi line. Labour in Liverpool is making a good fist now of recovering - but TWO DECADES later.

Kinnock should have won elections and it might be said that the early doors New Labourists pissed it away for him in the last couple of weeks with over confidence, smugness and razzle dazzle. And yes back in the day he was considered young, inexperienced, thin on top and welsh.

And then, warmed up, onto Luke:

Luke: Notwithstanding the above. You're just not getting it are you? The "moderate" wing of the Labour Party has never been more overbalancing of the whole aircraft or more right wing.

You are pretty much saying that anyone that doesn't comply with your addled world view can take a running jump. And sadly NL have been saying that to the electorate as well as to the membership, such that we have less and less reliable core vote out there.

Meanwhile the Tories are trying to stop themselves look scarey by saying that are more Luke than Luke and such like. People could even believe them if Luke slips an inch from his orthodoxy.

Owen has reeled off - elsewhen and elsewhere - whole litanies of policy areas where the "left" have 50%+ of those polled agreeing with us (or them, because I am regarded as soft left by the left and hard left by "moderates"!)

The fact that Labour can win handsomely with 35% does not mean it could not win by even more with just a little bit more socialism mixed into the managerial and sell-out tendancies.

Universal quality not fake choice for example. Choice is getting us into a right old mess.

Putting Blair and Brown and the roundheads and organisers at the helm of a really social democratic movement with more principle and less kowtowing to capital and we really would have got somewhere sustainable and real, and not to Iraq.

Finally, cannot the three right wingers you identify get a bit of bottle to stop mirroring and start leading? On immigration for example.

I was pleased to hear Johnson saying he was minded to agree with earnt regularisation for asylum seekers, refugees and over stayers. This is bold and a leader's position. Hain, Blears and Benn are funked on this because they fear the ballot.

Because they fear the ballot. Not because of what is right or wrong. there is nothing so important as winning elections. But there is more than one way to skin a cat.

Tory Campbellisation: Rattiest Press Rat Gets Caught in Tory Honey Trap

According to Iain Dale's own bells and whistles LOL is the first Labour supporting blog to even mention the world stopping news that the Tories plan to appoint a 'phone tapping, prosecution sabotaging, breast monger as their Director of Campbellisation.

Love and Garbage has the right idea. Not sure if the MSM care anymore than the vibrant Labour blogosphere, some of which (Parbury) have not posted anything, not even a one liner, for a fortnight. While Akefirst is first with the Hake, but slow on any news that doesn't involve his affection for Nuts or his contempt for "nutters".

Gonzales Hired Griffin: Caging One Million Voters

BBC Newsnight has a good follow up story from Greg Palast In Washington. Mr Gonzales, Attorney General is in trouble for hiring Mr Griffin who was prime mover in the "caging" of one million voters across USA in 2004. This was unlawfully removing them from electoral registers for e.g. having names that sounded a bit like the names of felons, had a couple of the same letters, sounded a bit black etc etc.

It's now said that Gonzales was aware of the history. And it is now feared that Griffin will be at it again in 2008.

Seattle PI has a little more here.

Apprentice vs Big Brother: The Job's a Good 'Un

Chose The Apprentice for starters. This lot really are the most inept candidates Sir Alan has ever had. I'm not sure ANY of these last six would have made the last five last year.

They do the QTV type daytime telly sales job. They chose appalling products. They are amazingly inept. They sell just 10% of the channel's usual take for the slot. Sir Alan cannot be happy with how this is going ...

OVER AT BB: East End George is followed by East End Carole as Respect Coalition representative in the the Big Brother House. The other parties have been barred it seems. 11 women so far. The BB Belles.

One guy in at the deep end on Friday. Carole's the one on the far left, natch.

Deputy Dawgs: Paxman Gains a 1st Preference

For those who didn't see the Newsnight debate between the Labour deputy leadership contenders, and aren't satisfied with the blog-down, the programme can be viewed here.

It was all a bit much for one young socialist on the yahoogroups Labour and Socialism Forum:
.

I experienced a shift in consciousness watching the Newsnight debate. I stared in disbelief at the screen and asked myself if I am really a member of the same political party as people who hold views like these. The most left-wing participant seemed to be Paxman.

Recall the NEC! Tear up the rule book! What's that? Paxman says no??! How could he? Sadly our young socialist, let's call him Michael, will not be getting his dream team. Not this time anyway.

Revisionism: Eldest Due Back from Auschwitz

My eldest has been away on a visit to Auschwitz and Krakow. Due back at Midnight. Showed her this site of Revisionist Photos before she left. The premise is to show images after the revisionists have been at them to remove all trace of the nazis and the holocaust with roll-overs of the originals. Above is an "after", below a "before". Not for the faint hearted. The site is organised so that it is progressively more disturbing.

Hattip to Drinked Soaked Trots for War with the one comment on this particular post moaning that Stalin hadn't been revised also.

Caracas TV: Chicago Critique of Corporation Coverage

HERE. Radio Caracas TV was going 53 years with a right wing agenda amidst soaps and game shows. They failed to re-win their licence.

Luke Akehurst: Won't Be Told, Still a Weary Bleary

Luke Akehurst has published a strange "report" of the Newsnight Hustings which some wag dubbed a "distort".

And when Luke starts on reluctant Labour in the electorate as "the enemies" he gets this:

Labour people against the war and fed up with spin are ENEMIES? Hardly. Labour people for the war without regret and for more spin are the ENEMA that could see Labour down the pan.

Venezuela: The Medium is the Message?

Further to the Venezuela story here the above is the FreeRCTV video linked from PragueTory. It begins with a quote from Camus:

A free press can be good or bad, but, most certainly, without freedom a press will be never be anything but bad.

And it ends with a quote from Chomsky:

If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all.

More on what these quotes actually mean. And what I see as the true situation in Venezuela anon. Those dogs need walking. Meanwhile feel free to watch the video. Consider the quotes. Make comments.

HINT: All Chavez has done so far is advised his people that some of the media are poison, asked them to think before they decide which media to buy, and NOT RENEWED one RCTV UHF licence that was up. RCTV and others have NOT been shut down. Careful who you believe!

Ireland: Punishment Beatings for Adams, and Dale?

While we all wonder not whether Iain Dale escaped unscathed from his search for a pot of Irish Gold last night, but just how scathed did he get? Dave's Part takes a leftists', even a revolutionary leftists', look at the irish elections with some good additions from the commentaria.

This one in particular caught the eye:

And, yes the PDs (that's Lib Dems ... LOL) getting the bum's rush was a small ray of light, though you gotta love McDowell (left with stick - LOL) for his put down of Gerry Adams's (right with stars - LOL) hypocrisy.
In the TV debate Adams claimed he was only living on an average industrial wage. McDowell then asked him how he managed to own a holiday home worth about a million euro then. To which Adams replied it's "owned by the bank".
McDowell - quick as flash - "the Northern Bank?"
It was the first time in many years that anybody has landed a punch on Adams and it was in the George Foreman class.

Totally unfair. But beats something about "tree fellas" I guess.

Meanwhile, back at Dale's and just 8 days (or "almost three weeks") after his ban on potty mouthed comments Dale himself posted not a link but a full on rant with at least six Fs and a C within, with plenty more at the link.

No stamina whatsoever on abstinence, award-winning Tory bloggers.

Political Science: Live on The Old Grey Whistle Test

Of course it is there. It has been for all of eight months. (1972 recording)

Old Grey Whistle Test Story: Randy Newman

Nice clips of Randy Newman singing the excellent Political Science. No one likes us, I don't know why, let's drop the big one now. Post-911 US angst predicted. I wonder if there is a YouTube of that one? Sadly can't keep awake to watch this, even after the thrill of the deputy's hustings. Go set a tape Chris ... Mark "Spark" Radcliffe is on. Which reminds me of his college band, Zoot Suit and the Zeroids since you ask. There were others.

Newsnight Hustings: If not standing, who to vote for?

Hain - Ducked it with blethering about himself
Cruddas - Harman
Harman - Ducked it but interestingly saw Cruddas as offering her a deal
Blears - Cruddas for party renewal, Johnson for politics, Harman as a woman - so Blears for all in one
Benn - All very good colleagues
Johnson - None of the above possibly, but put very nicely

Newsnight Hustings: Different from Prescott?

Benn says something. Blears takes hats off to Cruddas for preaching systemic renewal. Johnson takes hats off to Prezza for telling Tony what's what. Harman says remind the PM to look after women's issues properly.

Cruddas would refuse DPM and Ministerial Brief. But tellingly suggested he wasn't likely to have to make that choice. If so Jon's second preferences are going to be important. See how he himself opts in the next post.

Newsnight Hustings: Amnesty for Asylum Seekers

Johnson tempted, Harman and Cruddas agree with earnt regularisation.
Benn, Blears and Hain don't seem to. Because they're scared politically to be quite blunt about it.

Newsnight Hustings: Cap on Fundraising?

Harman: Cap on Spending not Donations
Hain: Cap on Spending not Donations, no equivalence between millionaires and levy payers
Benn: Yes to spend cap, Including in between elections
Cruddas: All parties too close to big business
Blears: I don't deny it's been a difficult time, small amount of state support
Johnson: No to extra public funding

Newsnight Hustings: Making the Beckhams Poorer?

Harman - Wants to reduce gap and rejects Blair answer.
Hain - Ditto
Cruddas - 2020 Abolish Child Poverty, Equal Schools.
Johnson - Still Backs Blairs Answer, Pull Up not Pull Down.
Blears - Responsibility if to help the majority to get on, not punitive taxes.
Benn - Of course inequality matters. Leeds - rich and poor cheek by jowl. Education is the answer.

Newsnight Hustings: Three Quick Yes/No Questions

Name; Trident; Nukes; School Charities

Cruddas: No Yes Yes
Hain: Yes Yes No
Johnson: Yes Yes No
Harman: Maybe Yes Yes-but-no-but
Blears: Yes Yes Yes
Benn:Yes Yes No

UPDATE: I'm going to check this. The last question was I think for stopping schools being charities and I think Blears and Benn were the other way round.

Newsnight Hustings: What Will Be the Difference?

Johnson - Seriousness and Moral Purpose. Serious politics, not stunts with Huskies from Cameron.
Harman - Slams the Bank Holiday briefing without consultation on Police Powers. People are fed up with being bounced.
Hain - That came on the back of other similar briefings. Agrees with Harman.
Blears - Balance between Security and Liberty. She's for Security. Claims the Police Powers ideas come after request from NI Office. Hain denies that. She says Stop and Question is a liberalisation from Stop and Search. I don't think so.
Cruddas - Opportunity to turn the page and get back to a real public service ethos.
Benn - There's a crisis of trust in politics. We must be honest and open with people. (Answering a Paxman supplementary which Cruddas rightly declined).

Newsnight Hustings: Harman and Cruddas with a Firm Hindsight No To War

Blears says the vote would not have happened if we knew then what we know now. Hain takes responsibility for his vote. Benn does not regret that Saddam is out of power, says defend fragile democracy. Johnson is standing out in backing the war. Harman suggests that she and Cruddas are not trying to wriggle out of responsibility.

Should Blair say sorry? Yes - say Cruddas and Harman, as part of reconciliation with the country.

Too close with USA? Hain, Blears, Benn big up international institutions. Shame says Paxman there wasn't a second UN resolution then.

Ooops: First Blood, Cruddas Gets His Sums Wrong

Jon Cruddas correctly pointed out that the party has lost 200,000 members in 10 years. Though that's not "more than 20,000 a month".

Whoops: East17 Comeback Overshadows Hustings

Hard to drag myself away from this intriguing story. But duty calls.

Deputy Dawgs: Cruddas and Chavez as Comrades

With all the tooing and froing over Jon Cruddas' real estate and school choices a storm in a tea cup in the backwaters of the award winning Tory blogosphere has escaped much notice.

Here at last Cruddas will score some deeper appreciation from the left and centre left, if not immediately winning any Brownie points.

The quiet storm is over his signing of a letter to the Guardian supporting Hugo Chavez's recent action to protect the democracy of his country from a media insurgency. Prague Tory and his chums apply a strangely detached protocol to all this. I ask them rhetorically whether a British government would tolerate the same.

They come out with some libertarian tosh. And I go again:

My question was of course rhetorical for the UK, and for the UK I might well accept that some kind of The Day-to-Day meets Tiswas fronted by Nick Griffin and Margaret Hodge and calling for a broomstick rebellion, a military putsch and a following fascist dictatorship could be tolerated as absurd.
However in Venezuela the question is real and elected leaders of whatever politics cannot yet afford the luxury of being media libertarians.
In Prague Tory and his cadre's hatred of lefties they are I think completely missing the point. Which is that IN VENEZUELA at the moment no democratically elected (and let's be honest extremely popular with the broad population) politician could tolerate sponsored uprisings with foreign support AND unfettered propaganda.
The foreign support is hard to deal with but unfettered destructive propaganda is possible.
I'm no expert on Venezuela but I do think it is pointless using London Tory values to crow about this.

Meanwhile the website of the embassy of the Bolivarian Government of Venezuela gives some more useful perspectives:

The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, says: "For many years people have demanded that social progress and democracy go hand in hand, and that is exactly what is now taking place in Venezuela. It therefore deserves the unequivocal support of not only every supporter of social progress but every genuine believer in democracy in the world".

And also there my own MP Tony Lloyd who is Chair of the All Party Venezuela Group: "The history of Latin America in recent times gravely illustrates that policies which seek to isolate and demonise sovereign nations only serve to radicalise governments and opposition groups, creating a situation of extreme polarisation and high instability. This cannot be in the UK's national interest"

Watford Sponsorship Saga: And Other Tardy Rubbish

On Sunday Dizzy caught up with the BBC and
The Mirror with a hilarious story of things sounding funny in one language that don't in their mother country.

Alas though Jon Henley had already had and
embellished the story. Or if we're being honest corrected the thing. Days earlier.

This three or four day kicking for the red top may go some very small way to meet the time defecit for his and finally story the same day. Which was, frankly, a load of old rubbish.

In a hot poop scoop Jon revealled that Keep Britain Tidy had changed its name to ENCAMS. Not quite true as "Keep Britain Tidy" is still the name of one of their campaigns. But old hat. As revealled three weeks earlier in Jeremy Paxman's paean to clean streets in the same paper, more than a year before in Wolverhampton (17 March 06), in autumn 2004 in Money Guardian and on 3 July 2003 in PR Newswire.

Sheffield Council had the story a month earlier than that, while The Scottish Parliament had already discussed ENCAMS' 2002 Dog Fouling survey with great interest. PDF Download.

In its ‘Control of Dog Fouling Survey 2002’ the Environmental Campaign (ENCAMS), which runs the Keep Britain Tidy campaign, estimates that the dog population in the UK is between 6.5 million and 7.4 million, and that collectively they produce 1,000 tonnes of excrement per day.

Less than our newspapers then. And only 8% of this down to Scottish mutts before you start. But the facts soon wiped away those three days you had in hand eh Jon?

Wikipedia has the whole enterprise kicking off in 1955. While Charitable Status was first secured under the KBT brand in September 1984. And ENCAMS got theirs on 28 Sep 1998. Phew. Thank goodness the MSM still has fact checkers. Otherwise they'd be no better than bloggers.

Viral Marketing: Ice Box Cool Web Site

Http://noonebelongsheremorethanyou.com is the Pope of web cool.

EXCLUSIVE Iain Dale: Margaret Hodge, Minister for BNP Mainstreaming Missed

That Iain Dale Poll has given the thumbs up to quite a number of top class Labour ministers as included in this post and the comments thereon.

One who came away unscathed and unnoticed so far is the estimable Rt Hon Margaret Hodge whose crack pot announcements are clearly waved through the "incompetent and gaga" poll and into the land of High Tory approval. Well done Margaret! A slap on the back from Iain Dale and one from Nick Griffin too. You must be delighted.

LINK FROM COMMENTS: Lawyers say sack Hodge.

Bob Marshall-Andrews QC: Could this be the Prime Minister That Got Away?

Dizzy pulls Richard Caborn's leg over his words "drive by shooting" in this Telegraph item.

This quotes one Gill Marshall-Andrews, Chair of the Gun Control Network sandbagging Dave-id Cameron for being soft on guns. Could this perchance be any relation to the "Probably the best orator we have in the House", (Simon Hoggett - The Humanist) viz Bob Marshall-Andrews QC MP? Backed Brown, they say, rather than Campaign Group comrade John McDonnell, as he had wanted a run out himself.

Well yes. Bob let's on to a tangential interest, and again here in funnily enough backing a government, Home Office measure on replica guns.

But as a lover of all sports, according to his own homepage will he be quite so on board in wanting to continue the suppression of sports pistols, as used to win medals in 2012 pistol and modern pentathlon events?

This by the way is National Gun Week or some such ... pop down to your local range to take a pop. Bob in Green Wellies is gazing anxiously over the Medway marshes, ready to repel wetbacks from Tory lands with his bare hands. Longing for the days when guns was guns, and HE was making the headlines.

Gordon Brown Shows Off His Courage: Making Hay While the Sun Shines

There was enough sun today for young Arnie Ryan Sidebottom to take another four-for and see the West Indies to their worst test defeat I'm told in more than 50 years.

Yesterday was not so dry with our Prime Minister in waiting cracking hilarious jokes left right and centre, in conversation with one Mariella Fostrup at the Guardian Hay Festival.

Boy am I glad I didn't blog Gordon's off the cuff remarks and anecdotes when he first passed the no-contest threshold all those days ago, in conversation with Oona King that time. But now the Guardian have stuck some of his best material in the google-sphere we may need to revisit.

Mariella of course was just moving on from the Ferret and Spanner plugging operation as Distant Cousins moved in as clients around 1989. The girl's done well hasn't she? Though I do recall a certain cattiness from the day. Both conversationalists have come along way since then.

THE LINK: Also includes SP that GB will fix the FOI PMB so no MP EXES on the QT.

Phil Woolas MP: Silly Me, Does Have History on the Two Homes Politics

Many years ago, in my penultimate year as a registered student, Phil Woolas was General Secretary at Manchester University Students' Union.

He signed my Life Membership card.

So, obviously, I would not trust him as far as I could throw him.

However many amusing speeches he gives on pummelling the Lib Dems for their flirting with race and their having no discernible politics.

And however many slap up sausage and mash suppers he may introduce for the Association of Labour Councillors.

However I am astonished to discover that, belying my assurance, he does sadly have history for using an opponent's multiple addresses against them. Which does not mean that he would talk with the Mail on Sunday, heaven forfend, or grass up Jon Cruddas.


In the case of Oldham Lib Dem PPC "Tony" aka Richard Anthony Dawson he accused Lib Dems of photoshopping banners, giving totally incorrect names like "Tony" on nomination papers, and of course having an address of convenience - in Dobcross rather than Dagenham - which was a ghost house with whitewashed windows. On a windswept moor, near a Local Shop for Local People.

World Peace: Hallelujah! Iran and USA (and Iraq) in Baghdad Talks

And there was a rush of wind and the holy spirit descended and bashed some nutters' heads together in a padded room in a secure cell in Baghdad. Hallelujah! Allah Akbar! Phew!

The Guardian's Gary Younge: What Labour Has in Common with Jade Goody

Er, nothing. Mr Younge's writing belongs in Socialist Worker which is not a criticism of that thrusting and polemic organ, but is sadly of The Guardian. Society is not more segregated, fearful and divided. Not here in Manchester anyway. Turns out that Matthew Parris is more down with the streets than Gary who is using up valuable op-ed space in my paper for unevidenced and ill-observed drivel. Which is not to say I don't catch him doing something right every now and then. Just not very often these days.

Jon Cruddas: Has this Lefty Done the School Run?

Well, well, well. Tory bloggers and the Daily Mail have joined forces to "expose" Jon Cruddas as having a home in Dagenham and another in Central London. This is connected to his son's education at an RC Comp named for Bishop Vaughan and according to the Mail better in exam tables than the London Oratory School.

Naturally Tory bloggers aren't satisfied with whacking Cruddas. They also have a dig at Hazel Blears who reveals exclusively for the umpteenth time that she was briefly on film as a five year old in A Taste of Honey.

This is indeed reprehensible. LOL do not go on about our own film triumphs - since you ask, second Flying Finn in the steeplechase when the wheels came off poor Aubrey's chariot of fire in the water jump - so we cannot possibly forgive Hazey.

But Hazey's big fan - a little ginger himself as he once discovered growing a 'tache - makes an accusation that she may have dobbed Jon in ... before spreading the pointing fingers to Peter Hain and his campaign maestro Phil Woolas.

Not so long ago these Tories had mild mannered Hilary Benn turning the air blue at supposed Alan Johnson dirty tricks. Only Harriet "I'm a Lady" Harman seems to be neither dishing or being dished on. So far.

But Phil Woolas? Really? Would he seek to exploit a rival having two addresses? Never. More and pictures and all that tomorrow which may be a bank holiday, but is not a blog holiday.

Living Wage: Number 10 Petition and Campaign Blog

Nick Wall from Merseyside GMB has set off a Number 10 Petition calling for a "living wage" rather than a "minimum wage" principle. It has as a corollary the idea of quite detailed local variation according to the cost of living which is kinda controversial but I've signed.

Nick has also set up a campaign resource blog. John Cruddas MP and Caroline Lucas MEP are among those endorsing the campaign.

Also spotted today. Left Politics for the 21st Century is a Facebook group that looks, shall we say, rather more scholarly than the herd.

Statistics Interruptus: Sitemeter on the Blink?

Sitemeter seems to have been playing up this week showing zero returns for three days and only a partial recovery this weekend - though comment traffic has been much as ever. Anyone else experienced this? I'll have to rely on my other service.
UPDATE: Tracksy has come to the rescue, and more. Daily record is now 671 unique visitors.

Labour Leadership: Moving Back the Goalposts AND Challenging the PLP Hegemony?

Susan Press is urging Constituency Parties to meet the June 8th deadline for submitting rule changes with an amendment aiming to reduce the number of MPs needed by 40%, from 12.5% to 7.5%.

This is a good idea. But surely we could and should expect the party of democracy, inclusion, equality to go further?

This is the existing clause 4B Procedural rules for elections for national officers of the Party.Paragraph 4B.2b(1) :
"In the case of a vacancy for leader or deputy leader, each nomination must be supported by 12.5 per cent of the Commons members of the PLP. Nominations not attaining this threshold shall be null and void."

After "supported by" add colon and form list which reads as follows:
(i) 7.5% of the commons members of the PLP; or
i.e. delete 12.5 and insert 7.5
and insert
(ii) 20 CLP GCs drawn from at least three regions; or
(iii) 7.5% of levy paying Trade Union members in OMOV

And delete "this threshold" and replace with "at least one of these three thresholds, none of which shall have preeminence," to give:
Nominations not attaining at least one of these three thresholds, none of which shall have preeminence, shall be null and void.

The whole would then read:

4B Procedural rules for elections for national officers of the Party.
Paragraph 4B.2b(1)
"In the case of a vacancy for leader or deputy leader, each nomination must be supported:
(i) by 7.5 per cent of the Commons members of the PLP; or
(ii) by 20 CLP GCs drawn from at least three regions; or
(iii) by 7.5% of levy paying Trade Union members in OMOV;
Nominations not attaining at least one of these three thesholds, none of which shall have preeminence, shall be null and void."

I would also suggest this be sent to NEC urgently with a request that it be sponsored as an NEC amendment. This means it could be discussed this year in Brighton, rather than next year in Manchester.

I would also support a similar amendment for the rules in case of there not being a vacancy but there being a challenge. Say 20%, 60 and 20% respectively. Tony Benn's challenge to Neil Kinnock when there was no vacancy led us to this sorry pass.

Changing only the PLP threshold is accepting the hegemony of the PLP when we all know that PLP members rely on the winner of any contest for their progress in the government, for nomination to other bodies, and even to an extent for re-selection for their seats.