The blog server has been down for ages, and now it's finally up I have to go. Curses! For now, here's some stuff worth reading:
Oliver Kamm on David Aaronovitch's documentary, "No Excuses for Terror", which I need to see.
An e-mail on Norm about the Stop the War coalition.
Bob Piper on why we need a crisis.
That will do for now.
Cory
A next instalment on our series of the world's nutcases is long overdue.
From Harry's Place:
"I want to see young people who are committed to the cause of Jesus Christ as the young people are to the cause of Islam. I want to see them as radically laying down their lives for the cause of the Gospel as they are in Pakistan, in Israel and Palestine and all those different places."
This from a frightening-looking new film called "Jesus Camp". I've not seen the youtube entries mentioned on HP, but this sort of thing should send shivers down the spine of every liberal thinking person everywhere.
Cory
From Comment is Free:
Experts believe Shakespeare often wrote with a hangover - and that his work suffered as a result.
In today's G2, John Sutherland argues that while Will did have moments of brilliance, he also penned some of the clunkiest lines in English literature. "When pondering whether to be or not to be, Hamlet fantasises about 'taking arms against a sea of troubles'," Sutherland writes. "What does Shakespeare expect us to see in our mind's eye? Some mad idiot firing a blunderbluss into the waves from the end of Brighton pier?"
But if the Bard's work is secretly a little lacklustre, which other iconic geniuses have produced "masterpieces" that are less than they're cracked up to be?
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks Shakespeare is overrated. He often seems to use a hundred words, where half a dozen will do. Often what he writes is impenetrable and meaningless.
Still, it is true to say that if he was around today, Shakespeare would still be writing. He'd probably have a column for the Daily Telegraph.
Cory
I am now back in Birmingham, and settling in nicely. My room is now obviously mine - too many books, a tad untidy, and pictures of Nick Lowe, Elvis and the Attractions are on the wall. I am now looking forward to working and getting back into the swing of things.
As I am of the mindlessly optimistic opinion, I just trust things to sort itself out. This makes me the worst planner and packer in the universe. Surprisingly, there is only one thing I have forgotten to pack. Unfortunately, it is one of the most hard to find objects in the universe. It is...a teapot.
I trawled the whole of Selly Oak today looking for a teapot, and what do I find? Only an overpriced, ugly excuse for a teapot in Homebase.
Does nobody buy teapots any more? Does anybody know where I can buy a teapot?
Too many questions, not enough answers...
Cory
Tony Blair has been the most successful leader in the history of the Labour Party. He wins elections, he trounces Tories, he makes people feel good about Britain; in short, he is a political genius. The Labour parties’ pathetic and disloyal campaign against him will go down as one of the most shameful moments in that party's history. Labour no longer deserves to win another term in office – they have rejected a leader chosen by the public three times in a row with record majorities callously and for selfish, short term reasons.
Blair has been a first rate Prime Minister. He deserves to be ranked alongside the Churchills, Gladstones and the Thatchers (yes, you read me correctly – Thatcher) on the top tier of British Prime Ministers. He has entrenched a progressive consensus in Britain (if you want proof of this simply take at look at the election of David Cameron as Tory leader– undoubtedly the most progressive leader the Conservatives have ever had with the possible exception of Ted Heath) and convinced the British public of the merits of market capitalism combined with reformed and efficient public services.
Gordon Brown has been a competent Chancellor of the Exchequer and, in my view, has earned a shot at the top job. But not as the leader of the Labour Party – an organisation which has become as reactionary and self obsessed as the Tory party of the Major years. Labour will not win the next election and it will not deserve to. The Labour governments of the past 10 years were not Labour governments – they were Blair governments. Blair had to forced the Labour party into the modern age and led from the front; fighting and winning important battles on Welfare reform, economic competence and a progressive foreign policy. Labours black soul would turn the clock back if it could.
The Democrats took Clinton’s charisma and tenegenic talent for granted after he left. They has become so used to his talents that they expected Al Gore to be able to pull off the same tricks. Blair, like Clinton, is a master in the art of modern political rhetoric. Gordon Brown cannot ever hope to compete with Blair in this respect and as a result he will suffer in the polls against David Cameron- a man who is also the beneficiary of the ‘X factor’ possessed by those modern masters.
Labour has just decapitated itself. Those silly tossers at the Labour party conference have no idea of the damage they have caused by stabbing their leader in the back.
-posted by Adam
Tony Blair's speech was rather amusing. I may even grow to like him before he goes.
Before I go, though, the second most amusing thing I've seen this week. The most amusing was Newsnight offering a "Stephen Byers for Labour leader" badge.
I went to see Oldham v Gillingham on Saturday, and saw one of the funniest goals in a long while. See the youtube here. It's the third goal.
Cory
I am heading back to Birmingham tomorrow, so I don't know how blogging will go. Hopefully I will be back ASAP.
Cory
Comments are allowed again, but they have to be moderated by us first. Sorry about that, but that's the only way to avoid bastards posting 6000 spam comments again.
Oh, and I am called Cory, not Roy. Roy was a pseudonym, and I have tired of it. How do you know I'm telling the truth? Well, you don't. You'll just have to trust me...
Cory
Pants on fire etc
Presumably Cherie Blair's habit of saying crass things out of lines comes from her parents. When asked by Newsnight, Mr and Mrs Booth said that she wasn't Gordon Brown's biggest fan. Who nees enemies with friends like these? Or is it stretching it a little to describe Gordon Brown and Cherie Blair as friends? Good to see that number 10 did at least deny the story - only a mere seven hours after it was first reported by Bloomberg. And Peter Hain says we should take that denial at face value. So that's alright then.
Arctic Monkey Watch
In his speech, Gordon Brown mentioned the Arctic Monkeys again:
It will not be a surprise to you to learn I'm more interested in the future of the Arctic circle than the future of the Arctic Monkeys.
Can any politician make a speech without referring to the Arctic Monkeys? Brown's been at it almost since day one. Ming Campbell has also mentioned them - but in typical Ming style he got it wrong, saying the Arctic Monkeys had outsold the Beatles already. As far as I know, David Cameron hasn't mentioned the Arctic Monkeys; but putting "David Cameron Arctic Monkeys" into Google gives you 250, 000 hits. Watch this space...
Is it cos I is Scottish?
In a polling session conducted by Frank Luntz for Newsnight, rumblings were made about Gordon Brown's unsuitability to become Prime Minister because he is Scottish. About four or five people out of the thirty people in the session had concerns - because of the too-large influence (as they see it) Scotland has on the politics of England. My usual reaction would be "Who gissa crap?"
But from Frank's little session, the overwhelming choice for the group to be next Prime Minister was John Reid. And guess which nationality he is...! It seemed strange that Mr Luntz didn't push the group more on this issue, but there have been problems with the reliability of his findings before. So it's probably more a problem with Gordon Brown personally, rather than an outburst of petty nationalism.
For general interest, when asked who they wanted to be PM from the six people Frank Luntz picked, the results were:
Gordon Brown - 3
Alan Johnson - 0
John McDonnell - 3
Alan Milburn - 0
David Miliband - 6 (breathe Adam!)
John Reid - 18 (!)
Well, well, well...
Cory
