tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86218842011-08-17T05:08:52.809+02:00Provocative thoughts and off-message observations from Simon TitleySimon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.comBlogger3401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-74013807411148504812007-12-12T18:48:00.000+01:002007-12-12T19:17:13.786+01:00

After a two-year absence, I've decided to return to the blogosphere.I stopped blogging shortly before Charles Kennedy's demise as leader of the Liberal Democrats (although that wasn't the reason). With yet another new leader about to be elected, now seems as good a time as any to resume.Several people asked me why I stopped. No single reason. A mixture of other commitments, mainly, coupled with

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1135263638528196302005-12-23T01:07:00.000+01:002005-12-23T00:50:53.256+01:00

... the City Council is everywhere and in everything. It supplies water, light and heat. It carries us about our business and watches over our health. It builds many of our houses and educates most of our children, and every year that passes it adds to its burden. Until 1835 it could not even raise a rate. The individual parishes alone had that power, and the only rate they could levy was the

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1135256770306196842005-12-22T13:47:00.000+01:002005-12-23T00:00:51.346+01:00

Religious extremism is a growing problem in Britain (see my earlier assessment of the problem). It is portrayed in the media as a mostly 'Islamic' issue yet Islam does not have a monopoly of intolerance or bigotry.While street protests and terrorist attacks win the media's attention, the most insidious manifestation of this problem is the rise and rise of the so-called 'faith schools'.I had

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1135254331312672102005-12-22T13:25:00.000+01:002005-12-22T13:46:06.403+01:00

Liberator 307 - out now! If you already subscribe to Liberator magazine, you should by now (Christmas post permitting) have received the latest issue.Highlights in this issue include:Former Labour MP Brian Sedgemore on New Labour's authoritarianism.John Pugh, Liberal Democrat MP for Southport, on the liberating state.Rebecca Tinsley on the continuing problems in the Congo.All the regular features

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1131540119063945632005-11-09T13:43:00.000+01:002005-11-09T18:07:03.220+01:00

Amid all the media comment about David Blunkett's departure from office last week has been an unpleasant recurring theme. Apparently the man had ideas above his station.Aren't there enough legitimate political reasons for opposing Blunkett, principally his instinctive authoritarianism? Instead, there has been a litany of snobbish remarks to the effect that a man who is not only working class in

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1131537404460567372005-11-09T13:02:00.000+01:002005-11-09T13:08:15.890+01:00

This report from the Inquirer is a sign of the times:Undertakers in Ireland are noticing that more people are requesting to be buried with their mobile phone.The country has had a tradition of people being buried with some of their most treasured possessions probably as a continuation of some ancient pagan practice.According to AFP, some ask that their mobiles be buried with them in case they are

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1130492000973508372005-10-28T11:35:00.000+02:002005-10-28T11:54:06.360+02:00

Don't let Labour home secretaries kick sand in your face!Treat yourself to a do-it-yourself ASBO.Only £1.99 each.

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1130464063501644332005-10-28T01:36:00.000+02:002005-10-28T11:59:05.903+02:00

The controversy surrounding millionaire Michael Brown's donation of £2.4 million to the Liberal Democrats won't go away.The first signs of trouble appeared in May when the donor's name first became public. The story suggesting a breach of election law broke in the Times during the Liberal Democrats' autumn conference (see the original reports on 23rd, 23rd again and 24th September). The party

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1130407456769986012005-10-27T23:53:00.000+02:002005-10-28T03:35:48.586+02:00

Liberator 306 - out now! If you are a wise person and subscribe to Liberator magazine, then the latest issue will be popping through your letterbox any day now.Highlights in this issue include:Nick Clegg, Lib Dem MP for Sheffield Hallam, on the dangers of political labels.David Rendel, former Lib Dem MP for Newbury, on the legacy of Thatcherism - the central role played by greed in British

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1130317538992098092005-10-26T11:05:00.000+02:002005-10-26T11:18:08.980+02:00

In July 2005 alone, Israel seized more land in the West Bank than it surrendered in Gaza: it withdrew from about 19 square miles of territory while sealing off 23 square miles of the West Bank.Israel's continuing land grab is a disgrace. As is the silence from Washington and the European capitals, intimidated as they are by 'the lobby'. Israel's policy shares much with Apartheid-era South

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1130315572759543702005-10-26T10:22:00.000+02:002005-10-28T14:12:07.930+02:00

After a two-week absence from the blogosphere to attend to professional matters, I return to spend an entertaining evening deleting a large quantity of spam from this blog.If you blog with Blogger.com, you'll be aware that there has been a rash of automated spam content over the past month (for more details, see Blogger Buzz and Bayosphere). The motive behind this spamming is to pollute the

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1128681358731982012005-10-07T12:03:00.000+02:002005-10-07T12:35:58.783+02:00

It is even worse than I thought. George Bush is reported to believe he is on a mission from God. White House denials don't wash. The only consolation I can find is that, unlike a disturbingly large proportion of his countrymen, Bush has yet to claim he was abducted by aliens.At this point, even the most hardened Atlanticists should be thinking, "This is where I get off." Tony Blair's loyalty

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1128528740781676642005-10-05T18:12:00.000+02:002005-10-05T18:12:20.853+02:00

Just how important is the Tory leadership contest? Whoever wins is most unlikely to become prime minister. And if recent form is anything to go by, the winner is likely to be overthrown in just two years' time.BBC1's 6pm news last night got it right. The speeches of Ken Clarke and David Cameron were considered somewhat newsworthy, but not as much as the death of Ronnie Barker, which took top

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1127697614389142272005-09-26T02:16:00.000+02:002005-09-28T11:55:12.196+02:00

I am happy to report that I am now back in the world of broadband, having given up on the 'facilities' at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. Some were blaming the contractors hired to install the internet connections, others the party's conference organiser for failing to check whether things worked properly before the conference started.But given that Blackpool's Winter Gardens is used by various

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1127301687300432882005-09-21T13:16:00.000+02:002005-09-21T13:21:27.306+02:00

So much to say, so little bandwidth.Internet connections at the Liberal Democrat conference have been at best inadequate, at worst non-existent. I shall report at more length shortly.In the meantime, one Blackpool story tells you all you need to know. A Liberal Democrat MP was travelling in a local taxi yesterday and struck up a conversation with the driver about Blackpool's plan to revitalise

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1126612779250174282005-09-13T13:58:00.000+02:002005-09-13T18:55:22.633+02:00

Everybody's talking about the new Berliner format of the Guardian, so I may as well join in.I bought my first edition yesterday in Brussels. Although the 'international edition' of the Guardian is printed on the continent rather than air-freighted from England, any reader purchasing this edition in the Eurozone must pay 2.80 euros (about £1.90), rising to a whopping 3.50 euros (£2.35) on

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1126446124301907862005-09-11T15:42:00.000+02:002005-09-11T15:42:04.343+02:00

Yesterday I suggested you read Actually Existing's analysis of the Katrina disaster.Now Phil Edwards has written a follow-up. I cannot recommend it highly enough - the quote from Alasdair Gray's novel 1982 Janine is worth the price of admission alone.

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1126373588471097042005-09-10T20:05:00.000+02:002005-09-12T10:05:29.260+02:00

Hands up anyone who remembers Les Kellet.Last year, Jonathan Calder reminded us that the popularity of sports can go down as well as up. He cited speedway and show jumping as examples of sports that once commanded the nation's attention but no longer do so.One sport that Jonathan didn't mention, but to which his argument applies, is wrestling (the 'all-in' variety with Big Daddy and Giant

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1126369147566406362005-09-10T19:10:00.000+02:002005-09-10T20:38:23.166+02:00

A forgotten figure of post-war British politics is Sir Reginald Manningham-Buller, Tory Attorney-General from 1954 to 1962, then (as Lord Dilhorne) Lord Chancellor from 1962 to 1964. He was a notoriously aggressive prosecutor of Official Secrets cases - the satirist Bernard Levin nicknamed him "Sir Reginald Bullying-Manner" (and later "Lord Stillborn").His daughter, Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller,

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1126347990940293112005-09-10T12:26:00.000+02:002005-09-11T01:11:13.306+02:00

Everyone in the USA from the President downwards seems to agree that the response to the Katrina disaster was, at best, inadequate. Disagreement is about the "why" and the "who", and that debate seems to be taking a predictably partisan course. Needless to say, the White House and Fox TV are leading the smear campaigns.For a more intelligent analysis, read this Actually Existing posting. Phil

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1126267454595625352005-09-09T14:02:00.000+02:002005-09-09T14:05:42.706+02:00

Some conservative bloggers and media in the USA (such as this ignoramus) have been criticising foreigners for not offering to help after Hurricane Katrina, and for failing to return past favours.Well, excuse me. I think they'll find the facts don't fit their prejudices. A more liberal American blogger debunks some myths here. Meanwhile, Euractiv.com reports that any reluctance to provide help was

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1126262776280609082005-09-09T13:24:00.000+02:002005-09-09T13:30:09.886+02:00

Q. Was Hurricane Katrina cause by global warming?A. Probably not.Global warming presents probably the greatest threat to the future welfare of mankind. People in the developed world must be persuaded to change their behaviour to avert a catastrophe and it sometimes seems that the only way to do this is by shocking people with dramatic events. But unsubstantiated claims don't help the

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1126171199812783212005-09-08T11:54:00.000+02:002005-09-08T12:08:17.496+02:00

Given the tendency of British parliamentary media coverage to focus on Westminster and neglect other places, you may be unaware of a significant achievement this week by a British Liberal Democrat MEP.Chris Davies, leader of the British Lib Dem group in the European Parliament, has succeeded in getting all five British group leaders to put their signatures on a call for greater transparency in

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1126141828354519022005-09-08T02:07:00.000+02:002005-09-08T03:32:27.586+02:00

It's funny how fashions in economic dogma change.Not long ago, we were taught to look up to the German economic system as a model. Now, to read some commentators, you'd think that this very same system is a basket case (despite the fact that, last year, Germany overtook the USA as the world's largest exporter).Next, it was the so-called 'tiger economies' of the Far East that we were expected to

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1126138581535684802005-09-08T01:30:00.000+02:002005-09-08T02:36:08.553+02:00

Immigration is one of those political topics that always seem to generate more heat than light. So it was interesting to see some data rather than bigotry for a change. This Wednesday, the BBC published a report it had commissioned from the IPPR, based on data from the 2001 census, which examined the foreign-born population (whether naturalised or not) resident in the UK.One's attitudes to

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1125861817647266742005-09-04T21:22:00.000+02:002005-09-05T11:46:03.926+02:00

You want to hear a strong case for devolution of power?Spare five minutes to listen to this interview with the Mayor of New Orleans (originally broadcast live last Thursday). I swear you will never before have heard an interview with a politician quite like this.PS: A partial transcript of the interview is here.

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1125764024337614192005-09-03T18:12:00.000+02:002005-09-03T19:02:07.713+02:00

The unfolding Hurricane Katrina disaster in the USA's southern states is exerting an unusual hold on audiences throughout the western world. It is because it has brought to life possibly our worst nightmare - the complete breakdown of civil society. Images from New Orleans remind us of things we had previously seen only in post-apocalyptic movies such as the Mad Max series.New Orleans may be an

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1125739436523082522005-09-03T11:23:00.000+02:002005-09-03T11:30:15.353+02:00

In our working lives, most of us have endured more turgid PowerPoint presentations than we care to remember. But how worse would it have been if PowerPoint had been available in previous eras?Here is President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address modernised - The Gettysburg PowerPoint Presentation (via Leading by the Rainbow).And here is the real thing.

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1125653170086015182005-09-02T11:26:00.000+02:002005-09-02T14:19:47.810+02:00

... it's not just New Orleans that gets washed out but also much neo-conservative dogma. The neglect of infrastructure and organisation by an arrogant and ideologically-driven government has made the consequences of a natural catastrophe much worse than they need have been.As the week has progressed, more and more stories of warnings ignored and fundamental incompetence have emerged. Scenes on

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1125505853605787602005-09-01T21:50:00.000+02:002005-09-02T13:02:23.306+02:00

Not dead yet. When I were a lad, pub food was very simple. Crisps, salted peanuts, pork scratchings and, if you were lucky, Pukka Pies. They sat in a heated display unit on top of the bar all evening until the pie fillings reached a similar temperature to the centre of the sun.You will have gathered from the existence of a hyperlink to Pukka Pies that they are still in business. I thought they

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1125446556433630642005-08-31T11:57:00.000+02:002005-08-31T12:25:11.390+02:00

The report to this month's Liberal Democrat conference from the party's Gender Balance Task Force includes this intriguing statement:At close of nominations, 24% of new women candidates were women, an increase on last time - more than either other main party.What I'd like to know about is the remaining 76%.

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1125358042265302672005-08-30T01:12:00.000+02:002005-08-30T12:34:53.740+02:00

Outrageous! Two European governments have dared to interfere in the free market, not only by banning certain airlines from their territory on safety grounds, but also by publishing their blacklists.This is the nanny state gone mad.As a consumer, I demand the right to fly on North Korea's Air Koryo and on that sterling Ghanaian outfit, Johnsons Air Ltd. Furthermore, I demand the right not to know

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1125334079055827442005-08-29T19:24:00.000+02:002005-08-29T19:54:51.176+02:00

Right-wingers and other assorted establishment figures in the Liberal Democrats are very fond of stigmatising their party conference in terms of being dominated by a "lunatic fringe" or "wacky ideas". But one wonders who the real fringe elements are when one sees the motion titled "Future of Europe" submitted by the party's Federal Policy Committee to the forthcoming conference in Blackpool.

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1124906453790815712005-08-24T20:12:00.000+02:002005-08-25T20:12:18.656+02:00

Following my request for information about railway locomotives named after Liberal Party leaders, three more engines have come to light.A fourth Lloyd George has been found - a Great Central 4-6-0 built in 1920. The website tells us, intriguingly, thatNo. 6167 Lloyd George lost its nameplates on the orders of Sir Frederick Banbury, during August 1923. The nameplates were lost until 1963 when

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1124470789501021022005-08-19T18:58:00.000+02:002005-08-19T19:16:07.136+02:00

Here's the best idea yet for fighting the religious fruitcakes who want to teach creationism in school science classes.Parents in Kansas are combating the pressure for 'Intelligent Design' with this open letter to the Kansas School Board. They are demanding that their belief in the Flying Spaghetti Monster is given equal recognition.They have some strong arguments.You may be interested to know

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1124456430508908692005-08-19T14:57:00.000+02:002005-08-19T21:44:50.966+02:00

The sad death of Mo Mowlam removes from British politics one of the few 'real' people among leading politicians. Most prominent politicians nowadays have contrived a stilted and pretentious public persona, dehumanised to the extent that one could never imagine going down the pub with them.New Labour's front bench is media-trained and soundbitten to within an inch of its life. Among leading Tories

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1124360470088167522005-08-19T01:10:00.000+02:002005-08-24T20:17:01.130+02:00

The other day, I reported major repairs to the preserved steam locomotive Sir Archibald Sinclair, named after the Liberal Party's leader from 1935 to 1945.This set me wondering whether any other Liberal leaders have been similarly honoured. Railway enthusiasts are not unknown in the Liberal Democrats, so perhaps someone out there could enlighten us?In the meantime, I have done a quick Google

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1124380182762301302005-08-18T17:41:00.000+02:002005-08-18T17:49:42.770+02:00

If your idea of a good time is subjecting yourself to Stalinist abuse from North Korean propagandists, then why not try the KCNA Random Insult Generator?

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1124191274517652812005-08-16T13:21:00.000+02:002005-08-16T13:54:47.890+02:00

Liberator 304 - out now! The latest issue of Liberator magazine is landing on subscribers' doormats as I write.Highlights in this issue include:Greg Mulholland MP on community relations in Leeds and maintaining Liberal values, following the London bombings.Lynne Featherstone MP on the need to campaign effectively on crime.David Boyle on the true meaning of that abused political term, a 'narrative

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1124062869111014822005-08-15T02:08:00.000+02:002005-08-15T14:14:01.353+02:00

Call me old-fashioned, but the current craze for iPods and other MP3 players leaves me cold. I could provide a number of rational reasons why I won't buy one (and will do so shortly), but Stephen Fry expressed the emotional case well in an unusually good This much I know column in Sunday's Observer Magazine.Much of what has evolved for man to use - a pen, a piano - is beautiful to touch, to look

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1123969857359286762005-08-13T23:57:00.000+02:002005-08-19T23:28:40.213+02:00

As Iraq descends into an ever greater shambles, the American and British governments are making increasingly delusional claims about "remaining on track" and "improving security". And, of course, if they can claim to have "won", they can withdraw their troops (or "scale back our commitment", in the current jargon). Their euphemisms can barely disguise a decision to quit.So why isn't the pro-war

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1123928740664071692005-08-13T12:26:00.000+02:002005-08-13T12:27:02.046+02:00

Was the decision to invite racing pundit John McCririck to deliver a tribute at Robin Cook's funeral service part of Cook's last will and testament?If so, one can only say it was Cook's final political master-stroke.

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1123789084336631822005-08-12T20:12:00.000+02:002005-08-19T22:02:08.566+02:00

This week's moral panic is about alcohol. It has become a headline story again because judges and police chiefs have declared that the imminent change to Britain's licensing laws will increase violent crime.In the wake of these claims, both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats have quickly leapt on the (band)wagon by demanding a halt to the implementation of the new law.The law in question

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1123757775487201152005-08-11T12:56:00.000+02:002005-08-11T12:56:15.496+02:00

Remember the 1950s? Remember the era when people drove their brand new Ford Anglias along empty concrete roads, and when everybody on TV either smoked a pipe or wore a party frock and was called Muriel? Remember the time when they said nuclear power would be "too cheap to meter"?Well it may have seemed cheap at the time but now the bill has landed on the doormat.

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1123707792726330282005-08-10T23:03:00.000+02:002005-08-10T23:03:12.733+02:00

Normally I would yield to no-one among the Liberal Democrats in my support for European ideals.But this time the EU has gone too far.(With thanks to Guido Fawkes).

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1123673072257879922005-08-10T13:25:00.000+02:002005-08-10T13:24:32.256+02:00

In case you're one of those Liberal Democrats dithering over which of Charles Clarke's new anti-terrorism laws to support, Armando Iannucci, writing in the Daily Telegraph, has a few useful suggestions.(Link via the excellent David Blunkett is an arse).

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1123626801132767962005-08-10T01:03:00.000+02:002005-08-10T01:09:26.093+02:00

I was alarmed yesterday to read this headline in a magazine:Cylinder liners fitted to Sir Archibald SinclairWas it not sufficient ignominy to be the last Liberal Party leader to lose his seat at a general election, without the world learning that "... further work on the lubrication pipework is being done" ?Fortunately, this story appeared not in any political journal but in the new September

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1123604918133227002005-08-09T19:24:00.000+02:002005-08-10T23:10:46.386+02:00

On the principle that even a broken clock is right twice a day, the Prime Minister's office has done something sensible. It has shot down in flames Hazel Blears's ridiculous suggestion of an official 'ethnic rebrand', to create hyphenated British people.The recent wave of terrorist attacks has sparked off a wild goose chase to find or rekindle some sort of 'British identity'. As I explained in a

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1123370600591677292005-08-08T23:54:00.000+02:002005-08-09T00:26:11.923+02:00

Here's a question that comedian Ross Noble raised on TV last Friday night:Have you ever wondered why it is that the Mr Universe contest is always won by humans?And in Saturday's Guardian, a reader's letter reported a sign in a local theatre, which asks,If all the world's a stage, where does the audience sit?

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1123351236852110592005-08-06T23:58:00.000+02:002005-08-09T02:39:48.943+02:00

One outcome of the recent terrorist attacks in London is a renewed debate about what it means to be British. Presumably the idea is that, if we expect Muslims living in Britain to be more British, we ought first to have some idea of what this obligation actually means.This assumption was implicit in Tony Blair's statement on Friday about terrorism, when he said:If people want to come here, either

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1123330419460047732005-08-06T13:58:00.000+02:002005-08-06T14:17:29.930+02:00

A few days ago, I posted on the topic of generational theft, the process whereby the baby boomers are enjoying life at the expense of those under 35.Another way this process is happening is in the present generations' profligate use of oil. My attention has just been drawn to this article. Although it was published nine years ago, nothing has occurred since to diminish its relevance; if anything,

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1123195343567984322005-08-05T01:02:00.000+02:002005-08-05T02:13:28.003+02:00

A few months ago, an acquaintance of mine, a young Japanese woman, was attacked while travelling on the tube in London. A group of white youths shouted racist insults and pelted her with screwed-up pieces of paper. It was not a serious physical assault yet, when I happened to meet her shortly afterwards, she was shaken and in tears.It turned out that the main reason for her distress was not so

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1123165323188267422005-08-04T16:51:00.000+02:002005-08-04T16:53:58.816+02:00

"And if you're in London," (as Valerie Singleton was wont to say, to the irritation of millions of provincial Blue Peter viewers), you could do a lot worse than visit this year's Great British Beer Festival (2nd-6th August at the London Olympia).Despite the continuing threats from the corporate brewing behemoths, and continuing brewery closures, craft brewing of traditional ales continues to

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1123152337625499062005-08-04T13:02:00.000+02:002005-08-04T17:10:23.256+02:00

A debate has been raging about taxation policy at, of all places, 'LDO Talk' (a mailing list of Liberal Democrats Online, where the 'talk' is more usually about nerdy computer issues).I have no problem with this; political debate is a healthy sign. What I have found revealing, though, is the assumption implicit in some participants' comments that controversial policy is not an option. Presumably

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1123112981553767992005-08-04T01:27:00.000+02:002005-08-04T13:35:26.076+02:00

Britain's post-war generation was the first to enjoy the full fruits of the welfare state and the last to be able to buy houses before prices rose sky-high.Succeeding generations, especially those now under 35, are not so fortunate. By the time they retire (which may not be until they're 70), the state pension will be derisory. Already half of the tax they pay is being spent on pensions,

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1122743046827912692005-07-30T19:49:00.000+02:002005-08-29T19:42:42.033+02:00

I have been reflecting further on Simon Hughes's absurd attack on his party's conference (also dealt with in Jonathan Calder's House Points column this week).Hughes is not the first Liberal Democrat MP to resort to such slander on his own members. Party leader Charles Kennedy launched a more comprehensive attack immediately after the general election, and the echoes can still be heard of David

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1122635686390190802005-07-29T13:46:00.000+02:002005-07-29T13:47:47.426+02:00

To see why capitalism is broadly preferable to communism, one only has to compare South Korea with North Korea. Or to look at the wreckage in Eastern Europe, which will take decades to put right.Such comparisons answer the criticism that capitalism makes people poor. The problem is rather the damage that capitalism does to the social fabric. This is why I disagree with market fundamentalists (who

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1122400320872656572005-07-26T19:23:00.000+02:002005-07-28T18:49:30.210+02:00

Anyone who thought the Liberal Democrats' president Simon Hughes was slightly barmy would have had their prejudices confirmed by a report in today's Guardian.Let's leave aside Hughes's interesting suggestion for selecting parliamentary candidates, which I predict will be quietly forgotten once nurse has given him his medicine.What interests me is that Hughes has chosen to repeat the lies about

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1122223749794490852005-07-24T18:57:00.000+02:002005-07-24T18:49:10.946+02:00

Because of the 'events' on London's tube on Thursday and Friday, this press release issued by Transport for London last Wednesday went largely unnoticed.As London's transport network continues to return to normal, the system is still suffering large numbers of security alerts due to passengers leaving bags unattended.London Underground staff are dealing with a staggering 250 unattended bags a day

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1121991946218935882005-07-22T02:05:00.000+02:002005-07-22T02:54:43.216+02:00

Yesterday (July 21st) was the 80th anniversary of the end of the so-called 'Monkey Trial' in Dayton, Tennessee, when teacher John T. Scopes was convicted of violating state law for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution.How stupid and backward these people were, we laugh. And when we hear of present-day attempts to reintroduce creationism onto the curriculum in state schools in the USA, it merely

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1121943545148484072005-07-21T12:43:00.000+02:002005-07-21T12:59:05.156+02:00

Watching Prime Minister's Questions on the TV news yesterday, I was struck by the fact that Tony Blair was flanked by two of Britain's leading young political rebels of the late 1960s.On one side of Blair sat Jack Straw, the first 'political' president of the NUS (National Union of Students), whose name was a byword for student protest in that era. On the other side sat Peter Hain, a prominent

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1121901690692174672005-07-21T01:38:00.000+02:002005-07-21T12:35:30.673+02:00

Today (Thursday) is the 175th anniversary of Belgium. Before you read any further, please rise for the Belgian national anthem.July 21st is Belgium's national day and a public holiday. The country was founded in 1830 when it broke away from the Protestant Netherlands. Belgium's creation was the last act in the round of European boundary changes that followed the defeat of Napoleon.The country was

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1121822982162570222005-07-20T01:36:00.000+02:002005-07-20T11:54:00.236+02:00

This quote was originally attributed to an American general in Vietnam. Figuratively, it also sums up the mentality of Charles Clarke and New Labour's cavalier attitude to our fundamental freedoms.Following the London bombings, New Labour is once again suggesting that, to protect us from more terrorist attacks, we must sacrifice our civil liberties. This argument is widely accepted without

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1121805693694176142005-07-19T23:31:00.000+02:002005-07-22T18:04:07.260+02:00

Has Charles Kennedy unilaterally changed Liberal Democrat tax policy?John Hemming MP raised this fear in a blog posting this morning headed "It would be nice to be asked".The confusion arises from a speech delivered by Kennedy yesterday to a meeting of the parliamentary party. The speech was reported in today's Guardian, Independent, Scotsman and assorted Northcliffe-owned local papers (including

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1121645579310174592005-07-18T02:04:00.000+02:002005-07-18T19:10:56.483+02:00

One effect of this year's general election is that it marked the transformation of the Liberal Democrats into an urban party. Which is right and proper.About 85% of the British population inhabits cities, so one cannot win an election without them. Moreover, cities are more (small 'l') liberal places than the countryside - and are therefore more promising electoral territory for the party (see my

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1121643711057574102005-07-18T01:41:00.000+02:002005-07-18T01:46:03.636+02:00

The hype surrounding the launch of the latest Harry Potter novel has left many book critics and cultural commentators in a quandary, not sure whether to praise a publishing success or disdain the populism.It is a global phenomenon - Saturday evening's French TV news reported the publication of the latest 'Arry Pott-air as a major news item, even though the French translation will not be available

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1121641914708929912005-07-18T01:12:00.000+02:002005-07-18T01:15:25.730+02:00

Political oratory has gone out of fashion. Most observers attribute this change to the replacement of the public meeting with television. However, playwright David Hare in Saturday's Guardian suggests the culprit is the fashion for the panel discussion.In Britain, we have long lived with the conventions of adversarial politics. The prevailing wisdom is that enlightenment may best be reached

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1121628720553020932005-07-17T21:42:00.000+02:002005-07-18T12:36:49.480+02:00

Tonight's BBC1 show Secrets of the Sexes has attracted hostility from the left before it has even been broadcast.As one would expect, a pop science programme on BBC1 in prime time is likely to oversimplify scientific knowledge. Further, the argument between nature and nurture is not new and much of the existing science remains highly contentious. However, I fear some commentators protest too

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1121624820436291482005-07-17T20:30:00.000+02:002005-07-17T20:30:55.136+02:00

Remember the daughter character 'Saffy' in the sitcom Absolutely Fabulous? It turns out that this dramatic creation was quite prescient.In today's Observer comes the alarming news that there is... a growing army - coined the 'new puritanicals' - who would be happy to see restrictions on the hedonistic activities their parents once freely indulged in.Cigarettes, alcohol, sweets, chocolates and

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1121389526227558072005-07-15T01:53:00.000+02:002005-07-15T12:00:58.473+02:00

Congratulations to Mark Hunter, who has successfully defended Cheadle for the Liberal Democrats in the first by-election of this parliament.Mark will make an excellent MP. I have known him since the late 1970s when we were both in the Young Liberals. It struck me seeing tonight's result how few of that promising YL generation ultimately made it into parliament.The leading Young Liberals and

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1121338558822153142005-07-14T13:16:00.000+02:002005-07-15T12:30:19.543+02:00

Why does everyone seem surprised and shocked that last week's suicide bombers came not from the Middle East but from Middle England?In an article in Spiked published yesterday, British-born bombers: not so shocking, Brendan O'Neill explains that most al-Qaeda supporters are a home-grown product.The harsh reality is that these young Brits would appear to be pretty typical al-Qaeda types. For

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1121161259676334792005-07-12T11:40:00.000+02:002005-07-12T11:43:07.810+02:00

Amid all the hours of TV coverage and acres of newsprint devoted to last week's London bombings, this Letter to the Terrorists was brief and to the point:What the fuck do you think you're doing?This is London. We've dealt with your sort before. You don't try and pull this on us.Do you have any idea how many times our city has been attacked? Whatever you're trying to do, it's not going to work.All

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1121115290227435072005-07-11T23:17:00.000+02:002005-07-11T23:29:35.733+02:00

Liberator 303 - out now! The latest issue of Liberator magazine has just been mailed to subscribers, and the focus in this edition is on Meeting the Challenge, the controversial Liberal Democrat policy review.Highlights in this issue include:Duncan Brack and Jonathan Hargreaves explaining the policy reviewDavid Boyle suggesting that a radical form of decentralisation may supply the Liberal

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1121019244129281442005-07-10T20:26:00.000+02:002005-07-18T23:20:43.796+02:00

Yesterday I criticised CNN's coverage of the London bombings but, where CNN was merely inept, the Murdoch-owned Fox News was positively callous.I wonder how most British subscribers to Murdoch's BSkyB, The Times or The Sun would react if they knew what Fox News has said?Thanks to Jonathan Calder for drawing my attention to the glee expressed by two Fox presenters. It turns out that these are not

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1120993330008008052005-07-10T13:34:00.000+02:002005-07-10T13:43:23.876+02:00

In a posting yesterday, Susanne Lamido reports,Islington's Lib Dem Mayor Jonathan Dearth has called on all 48 councillors to wear the white wristbands throughout July in support of the campaign 'Make Poverty History'.She adds,Good on Jonathan for taking the initiative.I couldn't disagree more and I would urge all Lib Dem councillors to ignore their mayor's silly advice.Don't get me wrong - I'm

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1120937656865010242005-07-09T22:56:00.000+02:002005-07-10T12:40:24.773+02:00

Yesterday I read that 1,500 people had blogged about Thursday's terrorist attacks in London. I felt no desire to be the 1,501st.What can one say? One can add either to the emotion or to the facts. The former would be fatuous. In the highly unlikely event one is capable of the latter, one's first duty would be to call the police, not write a new blog posting.So I'll add nothing about the events

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1120656562501080672005-07-06T15:23:00.000+02:002005-07-06T15:29:22.513+02:00

What's the betting that, in the next 24 hours, at least one American media outlet will report that the 2012 Olympic Stadium is to be built in Stratford-upon-Avon?

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1120473799232391332005-07-04T12:43:00.000+02:002005-07-04T12:43:19.250+02:00

Yesterday I was passing through Cologne (as one does) and, with a couple of hours to spare between trains, left the station and walked into the nearest pub, the cavernous Alt Köln.I also walked inadvertently into the city's three-day gay pride festival.As I sat among the fake oak beams, nursing a glass of the local kölsch beer, a man aged at least 60 walked in to the bar, wearing only a black

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1120009410786407982005-06-29T02:10:00.000+02:002005-06-29T05:32:21.706+02:00

Am I the only Liberal Democrat to feel somewhat queasy about the party's enthusiasm for smoking bans?I regularly visit smoky pubs and cafes with no ill effects, yet the sharp decline in air quality over the past ten days due to the heatwave has made me ill (hence the lack of postings lately). I'm not the only one to suffer, yet there remains far more political enthusiasm for banning smoking than

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1119354996235018842005-06-21T14:01:00.000+02:002005-06-21T14:22:16.186+02:00

Last Saturday, I visited one of the finest greasy caffs in London, if not the whole of Britain: the New Piccadilly in Soho. (My passion for the traditional caff was revealed in this earlier posting).The New Piccadilly (address: 8 Denman Street, London W1, just off Piccadilly Circus) is one of the last survivors of the once-commonplace 1950s Italian-run cafe, with Festival of Britain-inspired

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1119124973705491402005-06-18T22:02:00.000+02:002005-06-19T13:52:36.993+02:00

"NOW IT'S WAR" screamed the front-page headline in Friday night's London Evening Standard, reporting the breakdown in talks at the EU summit.No it isn't. "War" is when countries fight one another with bombs, bullets and missiles. "War" is when thousands and sometimes millions of people get killed. "War" is something few journalists on the Evening Standard have ever experienced.All that these

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1118971431220921592005-06-17T02:21:00.000+02:002005-06-17T03:24:30.633+02:00

New Labour needs this reminder (not that they would understand)."Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire." - W.B. Yeats.

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1118944667593518152005-06-16T20:01:00.000+02:002005-06-16T20:04:37.300+02:00

Thanks to Will Howells for drawing my attention to the news that the Liberal Democrat parliamentary party elected a new chairman yesterday.Paul Holmes, MP for Chesterfield, defeated the incumbent Matthew Taylor by 36 votes to 23 (59 of the 61 eligible MPs voted). The significance of this vote is that Taylor is close to party leader Charles Kennedy, whereas Holmes is perhaps the most militant of

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1118942059398388872005-06-16T19:14:00.000+02:002005-06-16T19:14:19.446+02:00

Here are two rather good animations satirising ID cards:A British song...... and an American nightmare.

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1118910870220319132005-06-16T10:26:00.000+02:002005-06-16T10:34:30.286+02:00

The Glasgow Herald reports that Sir Ming Campbell has just negotiated a "six-figure" deal for his autobiography. The book is due to be published in time for the autumn party conference in 2006.Most politicians' autobiographies are deadly dull but Ming seems aware of the pitfalls:"I was rather surprised to be approached because politicians writing their memoirs have got to be careful that they

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1118742516535405172005-06-14T11:50:00.000+02:002005-06-14T17:36:50.226+02:00

Did you know that the Liberal Democrats held a leadership election yesterday? Neither did I, until I read this report:Kennedy unopposed as leaderCharles Kennedy has been returned unopposed as the Liberal Democrat's leader.Under the party's rules, the leader must be re-elected within 12 months of each new parliament.Mr Kennedy said: "I am delighted to be returned unopposed as leader. This is a

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1118741502503040002005-06-14T11:30:00.000+02:002005-06-14T11:31:42.516+02:00

Ruth Kelly's statement yesterday about the extension of school hours reinforces my view that the chief function of the state school system is child-minding rather than education.Apart from that, Jonathan Calder makes some perceptive comments in his Liberal England blog. I wish I could share Mary Reid's optimism but I fear the government's motives are cynical and economistic.We are not as affluent

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1118740709820038922005-06-14T11:18:00.000+02:002005-06-14T11:55:24.620+02:00

As you no doubt lead very busy lives, this press statement from the Liberal Democrats last week may have escaped your attention:Belated recognition for darts welcome - RussellBob Russell, Liberal Democrat MP for Colchester, today welcomed Darts' recognition by all the Sports Councils in the UK as a sport. Mr Russell, who has long campaigned for today's change, said:"This is great news for

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1118616628988134602005-06-12T23:48:00.000+02:002005-06-13T00:51:06.506+02:00

I never thought I'd be endorsing Geoff Hoon. But in an interview in today's Observer, he had this to say on the subject of our identity:Despite more people travelling and working across the Channel, the argument had 'gone in the wrong direction' since 1975, with scepticism hardening. Yet it should be possible for Britons to feel European too: 'I can support England if they are playing Scotland at

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1118424892114101182005-06-10T20:26:00.000+02:002005-06-11T13:27:05.300+02:00

So, the government's religious hatred bill has been brought back from the dead. This is a cynical ploy by New Labour to win back the Muslim vote. And it is also a nod to various noisy religious bigots, such as those responsible for last December's Sikh theatre protest and January's manufactured anger about the BBC's screening of Jerry Springer - The Opera.Liberals, whatever their religious

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1118276729724789802005-06-09T02:08:00.000+02:002005-06-09T02:48:52.653+02:00

A six-day gap between blog postings can be explained by a short visit to northern Greece.Normally, whenever I am away anywhere, it is not long before I try to track down an internet connection to check my e-mails, visit favourite websites and add another blog posting. Not so this time.Compared with most other developed European countries, Greece has an unusually high level of mobile phone

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1118272407291606202005-06-08T23:58:00.000+02:002005-06-09T03:01:01.003+02:00

Fears of globalisation are clearly not confined to the militant anti-capitalist protestors, who will probably be indulging in an attack on the Edinburgh branches of McDonald's and Starbucks during next month's G8 summit.Underlying the "no" votes in last week's French and Dutch referenda was a more widespread fear about the speed and nature of globalisation. Yet it seems odd that the European

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1117642432037137852005-06-01T18:34:00.000+02:002005-06-01T18:48:51.423+02:00

Liberator 302 - out now! The post-election edition of Liberator is published and mailed to subscribers today. And the magazine's controversial assessment of the recent general election has been reported in today's Guardian.Highlights in this issue include:Commentary and Radical Bulletin taking apart the post-election spinning.David Boyle and Jeremy Hargreaves on the need for the Liberal Democrats

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1117584015912119672005-06-01T01:58:00.000+02:002005-06-01T02:32:25.276+02:00

The Liberal Democrats have, rightly, been strong opponents of the government's plan to introduce ID cards. However, it appears that no-one has informed the party's own conference staff.The booking forms for passes for the party conference have been redesigned to be more invasive, to a degree that would make Charles Clarke proud.I have just downloaded from the party's website the registration form

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1117458678419360692005-05-30T14:44:00.000+02:002005-05-30T15:19:44.300+02:00

I had assumed that the Liberal Democrats' internal dispute about the rights and wrongs of local income tax had been settled, at least for now.Then last Friday I received an e-mail from the ALDC:ALDC in conjunction with the Lib Dem group on the LGA has produced an online questionnaire on Local Income Tax. The main purpose of this survey is to find out from the campaigners, councillors and

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1117420777376461112005-05-30T01:03:00.000+02:002005-05-30T12:46:34.946+02:00

The French have voted against ratification of the European Constitution, by a margin in line with the final opinion poll predictions ("non" 55%, "oui" 45%, turnout 70%). This vote is evidence of a fundamental problem, not so much with the EU but more with politics in general.The consequences of the French vote will be profound although the immediate effects will be less dramatic than many

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1117134992904145322005-05-26T21:24:00.000+02:002005-05-26T21:28:42.963+02:00

Stop me if you've heard this one before, but introducing ID cards will save £1.3 billion.Laugh? I nearly had my iris scanned.Since no-one has been convinced by any of the government's other arguments, New Labour's latest wheeze is to claim that the cost of ID cards will be offset by the prevention of identity theft, currently running at £1.3 billion a year. Nice try, but it is a fraudulent

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1117118750688036672005-05-26T16:40:00.000+02:002005-05-26T16:47:17.040+02:00

I have never understood the obsession with Star Wars and find the hype surrounding the latest 'prequel' thoroughly tedious. Perhaps it is the knowledge that something so blatantly commercial is fooling large numbers of fans into believing that it is somehow counter-cultural.If you share my cynicism, you will find your position vindicated in this story:Two Star Wars fans are in a critical

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1117117282385818312005-05-26T16:22:00.000+02:002005-05-26T16:54:04.323+02:00

It has been obvious for almost a year that the nascent ideological dispute within the Liberal Democrats would finally burst out as soon as the general election campaign was over.What is odd is that this dispute should manifest itself in an argument about local income tax (see my earlier postings on 23 May, 24 May and 26 May).The election was scarcely over before the right-wing ginger group

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8621884.post-1117064022040634602005-05-26T01:20:00.000+02:002005-05-26T15:44:29.383+02:00

I am a fan of the BBC but not an uncritical one. So I was horrified to read in Wednesday's Guardian a report that the venerable BBC World Service is to be turned into a "24-hour rolling news service".I cannot claim to be a regular listener but do occasionally hear it in the middle of the night, when the Radio 4 frequency broadcasts the World Service. I find the surreal mix of programmes curiously

Simon Titleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.com1