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The facade is slipping

noreply@blogger.com (Ally) — Tue, 25 May 2010 20:28:00 +0000

Isn't it a wonder that in the passing of so little time our much heralded new-way-coalition-government has shown its true colours - a deep blue streak right through its cold barely beating heart.

The hollow manifesto commitments by the Liberal Convertocrats to "protecting front-line services" now descending, as ever they would, into cherry picking front-line services for a very real lack of protection, in fact it would be fair to say - complete neglect.

The skittles fall one by one; invalidity benefit, local authorities, devolved administrations, university places, Future Jobs, trust funds and I hear today consideration is being given to the minimum wage - although quite how that particular nemesis of all things Conservative will save the gummint money is a bit too oblique for me to fathom. Today even the Times carried the ever so slightly critical headline "George Osborne goes for front line as efficiency savings fail to add up" (read it quick before you have to pay!)

If you are wondering, like me, if this is the start of something very bad, that might hurt almost as much as the previous 18 year Tory debacle - another tenure which coincidentally promised to cut public sector costs and improve efficiency, and despite selling the entire housing stock and dumping the family silver in a disastrous privatisation fetish, still failed to cut public sector costs - I can confirm I think it is...

As for a commitment to freedom of speech and liberty? That territory was clearly marked out today by Boris Johnson's decision to clear Brian Haw's protest camp, of 3279 days standing, from outside parliament - civil liberties crushed as they destroy a peaceful but no doubt painful reminder of the Tory's enthusiastic active participation in the previous administration's decision to got to war in Iraq.

Can you rewrite history, oh yeah the victors get to do that, don't they?

Super Dave and the road to Damascus

noreply@blogger.com (Ally) — Sat, 22 May 2010 10:42:00 +0000

All hail Super Dave, the man who intends gift us all our little hearts have ever desired - if his suspiciously hollow sounding promises are to believed. This simple man and his rag tag band of followers, all recent Damascene converts to the cult of Dave, are planning the great reform act of the noughties and will protect spending in key territory - that which he captured from nasty New Labour in order to secure their centre left ground.

Now secure in his liberal centre left, fortified through his unholy alliance with "the party that cannot win," we can witness the start of devastation we all expected - delivered this time with the emotionless malevolent smile of a hit-man secure in the knowledge he is only doing his job, well.

Tell me sire, super leader of the Liberal Convertocrats; how did this happen? I accept that the NHS is not a holy cow, but it is a worthwhile state institution - gifted us by the last reforming government; not the Liberal/Tory government of 1920s (although it is a fact that the Liberals have been unable to get their hands on the reins of power since - and that was an important reform,) but the Labour government of 1945. The 1940s and 50s saw a government of real reformers such as Attlee, Bevin and Beveridge, to name but a few.

There are undoubtedly places to save money in the NHS, although the experience of the last cut obsessed 18 year Tory government would not seem to back this up - medical advances cost money and save lives - reducing healthcare spending is not popular nor conducive to a progressive (ouch, that word AGAIN) health system.

As I see it there is one place that serious reductions could be made, addressing a sizable chunk of NHS spending whilst redressing a long running inequity - the terms & conditions, salaries and pensions of the elite NHS employees; consultants and doctors. It was GPs and Consultants who stood opposed to the creation of the NHS from day one, in fact Bevin acknowledged that in order to garner their support "I stuffed their mouths with gold", subsequent governments have lacked the backbone to revisit this. Now is the time to look at the salaries of senior clinical staff who are better paid than any other equivalent professional; a consultant starts at £74,000 per annum and a GP at £53,000, with typical earnings up to double that - how can we justify this disparity?

Anybody got the stomach for a bit of clinical iconoclasty?

Disclaimer: I was recently discharged from hospital after a "minor operation" which resulted in 3 weeks of fighting a post-op infection that damn near killed me.

To me, to you...

noreply@blogger.com (Ally) — Thu, 13 May 2010 09:12:00 +0000

The Empire Strikes Back?

noreply@blogger.com (Ally) — Wed, 12 May 2010 08:49:00 +0000

Dan Bull is quick off the mark, and I fear probably on the money.

I wonder what the usually vociferous right wing blogosphere are going to do with themselves now - I have a few suggestions...

Political party commits suicide

noreply@blogger.com (Ally) — Tue, 11 May 2010 21:30:00 +0000

An allegedly liberal left wing party committed suicide tonight. When told of its death during an interview Queen David the Mad Axewoman laughed hysterically, screeching "tonight is the night." The interviewer then asked what was happening tonight, to which she replied

The same thing we do every night, Paxman - try to take over the world!

In an entirely coincidental incident the word Progressive was found badly assaulted and close to death near Dictionary Corner earlier this evening. It is reported that the victim bore striking similarities to an innocent interviewee subject to a CIA interrogation not witnessed by MI6.

Progressive appears to have been inappropriately abused and overused - the attackers completely misinterpreting its true intent.

reported a Police spokesman, a source said.

Police are seeking information or witnesses and ask for any members of the public who may have information regarding either of these incidents to come forward and give them a clue, as they are rather busy dealing with dictionary wielding rioters burning membership cards.

'moff to bed...

I can't believe it's not Labour

noreply@blogger.com (Ally) — Tue, 11 May 2010 18:13:00 +0000

In all likelihood we'll reach the conclusion of Lib Dem whore like vacillation today. The Lib Dem ruling elite (I know, an elite LD anything is an unlikely proposition) meet this evening after which I expect Brown will quit as the Liberal Convertocrat tango begins; New Labour resigned to the place of all failed experiments - the bio hazard disposal sack.

Labour will spend a little while in opposition preoccupied with finding a new leader before facing the inevitable election as the Convertocrats revert to their constituent states.

The new Labour leader (as opposed to the New Labour leader) will almost definitely seek to re-brand the party in his own image, one more acceptable to the English electorate - just a thought;

The I can't believe it's not Labour party

That should do it...

Edit: How prescient am I? I've just heard Mandelson saying that he's not bitter...

I can't believe he's not bitter

Cameron leans on Nick

noreply@blogger.com (Ally) — Tue, 11 May 2010 09:24:00 +0000

So the Lib Dems are now negotiating with Labour whilst Cameron watches the grains of power slip through his fingers with a look that's somewhere between panic and the anguish of a child who has had his face slapped by the playground bully - nasty Nick.

Nick on the other hand disingenuously tells us that his negotiations "have reached a critical and final phase" and Dave concurs, "it's decision time".

Remind me again Nick, who are Labour negotiating with?

Our inchoate political masters are no poker players; reminiscent as they are of some kind of upside down swan - chaotic on the surface with the all the serenity of a drowning bird drawing its last breath beneath.

Democracy by its very nature cannot satisfy the desires of the entire electorate, in this case however it looks as if it has managed a clean sweep - nobody is happy with the potential outcome(s). As Labour supporters brief against a pact, the Lib Dems flip and flop left to right and the Tories show increasing frustration at their 11 million votes having the redemption value of fun-fair tokens, the one issue they all seem to be united on is electoral reform - why?

How would a "more representative" system solve this problem? The one outcome we can be guaranteed from a PR/ATV/STV voting structure is more of this kind of thing; minority rule and coalitions. Look at Europe, Scotland or Wales if you require evidence. Somebody please tell me why, in the face of impending fiscal implosion, are we rearranging the furniture? "Because it's fairer" really doesn't cut the mustard.

If there are no decisions today I expect a minority Torygeddon government, with a half-life measured in pico-seconds.

Oh joy another election looms!

the all new 2010 Election version 2.0 here we come...

Brown to resign - Lib Lab pact imminent?

noreply@blogger.com (Ally) — Mon, 10 May 2010 16:49:00 +0000

Two days of negotiations between the Liberals and the Conservatives and no progress. Is anybody surprised? Really? Did you miss the Conservative's unequivocal statements on electoral reform during their lackluster election campaign, if you did please let me summarise it for you

"PR? No fucking way"

Gordon Brown may be the least popular prime minister since Thatcher amongst large numbers of voters and as Nick Clegg made clear during the election campaign, he is unacceptable to the Lib Dems - but he isn't the most stupid. In a decision that clears the way for a coalition between Labour and the Lib Dems Brown has just announced his intention to resign rather than wait for his party to kick him out "Thatch stylee".

I can hear the blood curdling screams as Conservatve voters the length of the country realise, through the mist of their self obsessed bubbles, that this move clears the way for a considerably more palatable coalition to the Lib Dem membership - oh yeah and PR.

I predict the blogosphere will burst into flames in the next 10 seconds...

How's that FPTP looking now?

noreply@blogger.com (Ally) — Sat, 08 May 2010 15:16:00 +0000

Click on the image to view a bigger better exploded pie

Are the Scots to blame? No, democracy is...

noreply@blogger.com (Ally) — Fri, 07 May 2010 12:35:00 +0000

The BBC have just announced the result of the plastic head roadshow - we're hung, interesting times indeed. If you count yourself as a fan of onanistic political psephology, go indulge yourself - the BBC is wall to wall with your favourite pron in gargantuan quantities.

It's clear the Scots, and Welsh, remain terrified of the dawn of the Thatcher zombie - a spectre that has no doubt been added to the annals of Celtic folklore. The struggle of the dreadful 1980s grows exponentially in awfulness on each retelling and has destined the Conservative party in Wales and Scotland to 'also ran' for many generations to come, perhaps even permanently.

Unlike many voters in England, the Celtic fringes of the UK ignored the shitstorm of Conservative diatribe emanating from Murdoch's feeble excuse for a fourth estate and voted defensively. So what does this disparity mean for UK politics?

England decisively chose the Conservatives, a glance at the BBC election map shows a blue and frustrated land, with a more than likely 290 or so of the 533 constituencies returning a Tory MP. Given this polychromatic diversity there are calls for England to declare unilateral independence, whilst blaming the Scots and Welsh for this dissatisfying outcome. That may suit the befuddled thinking of Mr Salmond or Brown hating little Englanders, but it's wrong:

Let's look at this another way; there are large swathes of England where Labour dominates, many of which in common with Scotland and Wales were rapidly de-industrialised under Thatcher and her Friedmanite assault on British economics. I hear few calls for the unfair apportion of blame for our current situation being leveled at Yorkshire, the North West, the North East or London, nor calls to ostracise them; left to form themselves into independent republics - or whatever.

The Conservative campaign, specifically their impressive inability to connect with large numbers of working class voters, coupled with the anomalies of first past the post, carry the responsibility for this less than convincing outcome. To pursue imagined regional / tribal / nationalist name calling is the very death of democracy - how far do we take this insane logic? Do the Lib Dems, Tories and Labour all establish sovereign states based on their regional heartlands - forever living in a red / blue / whatever utopia? Hell let's go all the way and give every micro-geographical difference, right down to council wards, the right to self determination - the posh end of town vs the poor end of town - the very definition of absurdity.

Albeit for many of us reluctantly, we should accept that the Tories are the largest party, irrespective of the BBC's twisted logic on the possession of number 10 being 9/10ths of the law (what the fuck?) It is only right that the Tories be given a chance to form a majority or minority government.

The Lib Dems should grow up and move on from their tedious complaining about the electoral system, they knew it would prejudice their vote before the election. To state the blindingly obvious: that's why electoral reform is one of your key policies. They should now try form alliances and secure whatever concessions they can, although it's obvious that as far as the Tories are concerned electoral reform is firmly off the negotiating table. Electoral reform is something that will rightly continue to generate high levels of noise, and perhaps if we have a succession of hung parliaments under first past the post we may see a change - although how replacing FPTP with a system that will guarantee perpetual minority government would resolve electoral unhappiness with the current situation is beyond my simple analysis skills.

I suspect we will find ourselves at the ballot box within the next 12 months as David Cameron struggles to maintain confidence in his government, one faced with tackling the deficit and its terrifying consequences. The predictably reactionary Conservative solution will almost definitely hammer all but the very wealthy, with the bulk of the population suffering real hardship.

As for Gordon Brown, he should resign for this appalling performance; the worst for Labour in a long time and comparable only, in my lifetime, to the dismal embarrassment that was the campaign led by the lovable, but bumbling, Michael Foot. Only then might we see a real positive Labour party emerge from the ashes of the sell-out experiment that was New Labour - an insult to the generations of committed members of the labour movement.

The regions are not to blame for this outcome, neither are the devolved administrations or politicians - democracy is the 'villain' - deal with it. Perhaps we should go with a minority government, try out the likely outcome of a proportional system for a while - it might help us decide if electoral reform is really necessary. Personally I've had it with totalitarian government by parties aided and abetted by large majorities, as have the British electorate - or so it would appear from this result. A period of serious scrutiny and open debate on every government decision might actually work to the benefit of us all, who knows?

Uncertainty? A crisis? No it's politics, and I love it...

A representative democracy?

noreply@blogger.com (Ally) — Wed, 05 May 2010 20:11:00 +0000

I've come to the whole Internet social revolution rather late, and in particular blogging. Blogging appeals to me for many reasons; for me it's not about self aggrandisement nor a wish to become a journalist (as if) - what it is about is a space for me to exercise my feelings of political disenfrachisement coupled with an opportunity to engage with others who are interested in politics - something I find quite difficult in my day-to-day 'real world' life.

On first pass the UK blogosphere seemed to me to be dominated by the ideology of the right, it took me sometime to understand their funny reactionary rightwing libertarian philosophy for what it was. Often bitter, hateful and unnecessarily abusive at any price, truth and humanity put aside for a chance to simply complain and blame - but informative and entertaining at times and a perfectly legitimate expression of free speech. Their dominance? A simple reaction to the 13 years of Labour political dominance, nobody likes a winner who shoves it in your face - and New Labour did.

Hatred of those in power is after all one of the few genuinely international pastimes, one that unites the human race; criticising, complaining about and blaming politicians for everything, and anything. Without exception we want their priorities to be our priorities - surely such unrealistic and selfish expectations can only ever result in disappointment? Sure, it feels good to have a scapegoat; god forbid we should look to ourselves for solutions and perhaps carry a little blame for the state we're in.

Political bloggers cover the entire spectrum; from regular folks (if there can be such a thing) to idiots, clowns, artists, psephologists, intellectuals, philosophers and crooks - and available in every political shade - as are our politicians. We are a reflection of the very people we support or hate in our blogs, and spill so much sweat observing.

Tomorrow is just another day, one where we elect our representatives - a cross beside the name of the individual who we believe most closely share our priorities. They are not gold plated, cast iron, flawless angels of the highest order - they are a mirror image of our society, representative of us, like it or hate it - and if you are politically engaged through blogging; much closer to you than you may care to admit.

Would I vote for me? Hell yes.

Can I find a candidate like me? No.

Like most of the 50% or so of the population who happen to be women, my choices are limited by my birth - and a political space dominated by white middle class men. Tomorrow 4 out of 5 candidates are men, in the 382 'safe seats' listed by the electoral commission only 71 of the candidates are women - and no I didn't include Hilary Benn.

So if you can find a like-minded representative standing as a candidate tomorrow, bully for you - no excuses now - just get out and vote. Me?

It looks like I'll have to wait the 200 years or so that it'll take before I can cast a vote in a true representative democracy - every candidate in my constituency is an oleaginous middle aged man who fails to see the inequity of our system - all patronisingly assuming "women's issues" to be limited to that of family, childcare and education - it's enough to drive me to a 15 year term in Cornton Vale.

Any suggestions for creative ballot paper spoiling?

David Cameron met a black man

noreply@blogger.com (Ally) — Tue, 04 May 2010 17:17:00 +0000

Tim Ireland over at Bloggerheads took his mini DV cam for a walk around London whilst wearing a mask, the resulting video has got to be one of the best of this campaign - callmedave met a black man - dontcha know?

If you are curious (I must admit I was) as to who is performing the song, it's Common People by Pulp, as performed by William Shatner from his Has Been album, ably assisted by Ben Folds and Joe Jackson - it's good innit?

Louisiana 1927

noreply@blogger.com (Ally) — Tue, 04 May 2010 15:25:00 +0000

Louisiana 2010?

I hope not...
(Pic above from the Exxon Valdez clean up, Prince William Sound, 1989)

Nick Clegg - Ridiculous?

noreply@blogger.com (Ally) — Tue, 04 May 2010 10:47:00 +0000

John Shuttleworth has the very short measure of them all

Musing and abusing

noreply@blogger.com (Ally) — Tue, 04 May 2010 10:14:00 +0000

Clegg and Cameron - two halves of the same sour grapefruit. Two doppelclangers so alike that it is hard to tell one from another - they blend and repeat like an agitating fractal spewing off into the space beyond space, competing with each other to occupy the void.

Brown? He carries himself like a broken robot; a Japanese corporation's failed attempt to build a convincing bipedal metal skeleton - the silicon skin failed to adhere properly. The simplicity of a convincing smile beyond the ability of engineers. Batteries now expiring, imperceptibly at first, but now obvious to all sitting in uncanny valley - hollow eyes, waxy skin and the badly synced voice, hoarse with repetition, now teetering on the edge of sound bite entropy.

On thunder's day where will I mark my mark?

On the margin, outside the inside - that's the place

Forget about the election...

noreply@blogger.com (Ally) — Mon, 03 May 2010 14:28:00 +0000

Chris Morris, the genius behind Brass Eye and Most Hated Man in Britain™ has released his first feature film "Four Lions". If you want to spend Friday getting over the election outcome - you know the sort of thing, pick one from -

crushing disappointment
celebrate success
absolute diarrhea inducing terror
wondering who is responsible for Nick Clegg's polishing, cos he's no longer shiny

then I recommend a trip to the cinema. The film is a distinctively subversive Morris take on modern jihadism, with a nod in the direction of Ealing comedy. Four Lions (gotta love the title) is on general release from Friday, trailer below - enjoy.

See you at the Odeon, Lothian Road on Friday?

Weather Forecast - oxymoron?

noreply@blogger.com (Ally) — Mon, 03 May 2010 06:22:00 +0000

What is it with the accuracy of BBC weather forecasting? It may be my imagination, and looking at the Met Office's self-audited accuracy figures it would appear so - for it is they who supply the BBC with their data - yet the Beeb's weather forecasts seem to be no better than random output delivered as authoritative fact.

I know it's a fine British traditional to gripe about the weather - the smalltalk of preference for all but the football obsessed, and I am aware that I should blame the Met Office - but again, griping about the BBC is another tradition as deep set as wife beating and heart disease, and who am I to deviate from this worthwhile inheritance?

Weather forecasts, delivered in that bored monotone, with no indication of probability, come close to sport reports as the breaks in the broadcasting timetable that most makes me want to stick forks in my eyes and knitting needles in my ears, but all is not lost - I have a suggestion to help spice things up:

Let's construct a Weather Wheel of Fortune and tie forecasters to it. The newsreader or continuity announcer can introduce the weather forecast with a spin of the wheel and then various blindfold celebrities, Chuck Norris comes to mind, can throw a pre-determined number of Sabatiers in the direction of the clicking noise of the wheel and the inevitable screaming of the lucky forecaster. The level of injury would equate, with unfailing accuracy, to the expected weather; a complete miss = the weather is going to be great, death=weather not so good. Good old-fashioned family entertainment and a weather forecast to boot.

I'm willing to bet the accuracy of the weather wheel would be up there with the recently announced new IBM Power 7 supercomputer the Met Office are picking up at PC World later this year in the company Mini Metro - and at a fraction of the price. As Reith would have it; entertainment, education and information - what's not to like?

Or alternatively you could credit us all with a degree of numerical intelligence and stop delivering your forecasts as fact, a linear narrative of what is going to happen - the only possible outcome of an authoritative "this is how it's going to be" forecast is to look wrong most of the time - and you do. Now what about a probability percentage? Yes, yes - most of us understand that this doesn't mean percentage of land mass to be affected, size of raindrops, cloud cover or visible sun.

Oh shuddup...

noreply@blogger.com (Ally) — Sun, 02 May 2010 21:57:00 +0000

As our beloved mainstream media are intent on 110% (don't say it) near-hysterical speculation over the propects of anung parliament, I'm being driven to desperate measures to silence them:

So far my 'near permanently tuned to Radio 4' loo wireless set is now tuned to Planet Rock, my TV has been replaced with 14 days of iTunes on random and my newspapers are now papier mache piñatas - each symbolically stuffed with sickly sugary sweets and childishly defaced photographs of each of the party leaders. I don't know why; but it is a remarkably satisfying pastime scrubbing large crayon mustachios and genitals on their vacant fizzogs. The piñatas should at least provide some light relief on Thursday evening.

In the unlikely event that one of the obsessing journalists responsible for this overwhelming noise and speculation should visit my little corner of the Internet I thought it would be useful to clarify the realistic permutations possible:

Conservative / New Labour (yeah yeah I know - hell freezing and all that)
Conservative / Lib Dem
New Labour / Lib Dem

Not exactly national lottery odds now are they, so please - enough...

Sanctification of the bigot...

noreply@blogger.com (Ally) — Sun, 02 May 2010 12:42:00 +0000

Just how did we find ourselves here?

Given the plethora of real social and political issues facing the British electorate - most of which were assiduously ignored by the three monkeys participating in the stultifying spectacle that was the leader's debates - how did immigration end up as the headline grabber it never should've been?

I am going to avoid the temptation to point out, in detail, that which should be blindingly apparent to any semi-demi-hemi-well-informed adult - immigration is not to blame for the risible state we're in - it is not the issue it has become, merely a diversion from what really matters. Where, when and how you came to this country is irrelevant, 1000 years or 2 months ago - what's the difference? Where in time do you draw the line for your abstract definition of an immigrant, surely technically we are all both emigrants and immigrants? Or does the pejorative only apply to those who have moved in YOUR lifetime, in which case ask yourself - what makes you so special?

It does however suit an anti-immigration right wing shite-wipe press to make Brown blurting "bigot" an issue, does anybody really believe the faux-outrage exhibited by Murdoch's machine was genuine?

Did you miss their very public shift of allegiance?

The same publishing house that supported the demise of socialism by backing Blair are still chipping away at the few vestiges of a society based on equality and freedom, red or blue it doesn't matter to them; what does is their support for the very same institutions in thrall of the accumulation of money that fucked an already unfair wealth-distribution system: Brown's inheritance; Blair's Britain, the bastard child of Thatcher's turd. Capitalism collapsed and we all failed - failed to take notice of just how significant that was - many too busy blaming those pesky Poles and their like.

Our country's blind shift to a political median that would have been considered far right wing in the 1930s is unforgivable, the focus on immigration/emigration/refugees/asylum seekers a very telling symptom of that.

Is Gillian Duffy a bigot? Sure she is - otherwise, what was the point of that ignorant rhetorical question?

The most disappointing aspect of this tragic comedy? Brown could not muster enough conviction to stand by his veracity - now isn't that symptomatic of something lacking? Courage and convictions come to mind...

Papal pederasty popped

noreply@blogger.com (Ally) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:33:00 +0000

The inimitable Tim Minchin, no further comment required...

The fact remains: if you protect a single kiddy fucker then pope or prince or plumber you're a fucking motherfucker.

Don't vote, part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Ally) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:47:00 +0000

I'm no fan of the Indy, but this viral video really hits home - the futility ~~humanity~~...

Don't vote, let them know who's in control...

Don't vote, part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Ally) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 11:23:00 +0000

Don't vote...

noreply@blogger.com (Ally) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 11:12:00 +0000

I have an underlying natural inclination towards anarchy, it's hard to explain to others - particularly when confronted by those who blindly buy into the stifling 'accepted norms' of our capitalist democracy, without question; home ownership, acquisitiveness, negative attitudes to the young, the supremacy of the baby boomers, the rejection of science in preference to mumbo-jumbo-pseudo-supernature, the right to wage war and kill and the all too obvious tattered trim of our society - the corrupting influence of power and money.

As I see it there is a natural affinity between the creativity of the random nature of the universe; energy, matter and chaos and revolutionary politics.

So my advice for the forthcoming election, courtesy of Billy Connolly -

"don't vote, it just encourages them"

Now wouldn't that be interesting?

Turnout: 0%

reboot...

The disputatious SNP and ego...

noreply@blogger.com (Ally) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 10:29:00 +0000

Alex Salmond, the king of Scotland, is off to the court today. His decision to spend £50000 of his party supporters hard won money in this manner, money raised in a last minute fund-raising campaign, raises some serious questions over his judgment - a whole barrel of them I think.

'Why bother?' being the first one of course - this looks like an ego trip for the normally camera-shy and retiring King Alex. Let's look at the possible outcomes:

1. The Court laugh his request out the door - Alex grandstands a little on the injustice of the British state, one that is institutionally biased against him and his delusional ego. A very hollow complaint that's neatly undermined by the fact that he appointed Kenny and Elish - they run Scottish justice, don't they?

2. King Alex is indulged by the court and granted a legal remedy of some sort, he grandstands a lot, celebrating the veracity of his convictions. The BBC hurriedly re-run their one (of the three debates), Alex gets to smugly sneer at the three headed CleggCameronBrown hydra. The population of the UK is instructed to forget everything that happened in the previous debates, under pain of death - and the pollsters are legally obliged to reset their polls to pre-debate figures. Every voter outside Scotland ignores the red-faced Scottish smart-ass, they've had enough of his kind anyhow.

The SNPs decision to get all legal on the BBCs ass smells - it looks like petty jealousy and is patently ridiculous, if ever there was a reason to question the judgment of the SNP's management team and its leader this is it.

Some more of my questions for you:

Why just the BBC? - what about Sky and ITV?
Do you really believe legal action will it make any difference, more than £50000 spent campaigning?
Do you enjoy coming across as a snide child, green with envy and prone to tantrums?
Do you believe that you are a UK party?

I refer you to the arboreal defecatory habits of the ursine...

noreply@blogger.com (Ally) — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 10:58:00 +0000

Do politicians lie? Is telling the truth an unnecessary commitment in politics - the need to deliver manifesto commitments once elected, at any cost, justification in itself to lie to the electorate or the house?. Or is it necessary to knowingly deceive in an election manifesto by making promises cannot be delivered to secure the election for your party and its deliverable policies?

The need to lie, during an election, and thereafter in government or opposition could be the fault of the electorate; perhaps we expect convincing mendacity to be part of the arsenal of a politician - this skill is prized in negotiators, diplomats and spies after all.

In the 90s William Waldegrave was hung out to dry by the press and politicians alike when asked whether it might ever be acceptable for a minister to say something untrue to the House of Commons, and he replied that in "exceptional circumstances" it might be, Waldegrave was pilloried: an example of tory sleaze, ironically his reply even used by Labour politicians as justification when caught to be wanting in the "truth department".

Gordon Brown's government is on public record as refuting the binding nature of manifesto commitments, so what are manifesto promises other than punts in the popularity game? His own introduction of "legally binding" manifesto commitments in this election are nothing but a sorry confirmation that we have been lied to in past manifestos - as if ever we had any doubts.

Given that we cannot believe or expect any of the commitments made in the manifiesta documents launched over the last week or so, what's the point in all that effort and publicity? Just what criteria should we voters use to select the next government?

Listen to what's not being said...