The Whiskey Priest

This Blog Has Moved

2008-01-04T11:25:00.000Z

To www.gavinwhenman.com. See you there!

This Blog is Moving

2008-01-03T17:29:00.000Z

The paucity of posts today has a very simple explanation: I've been working on my new website over at www.gavinwhenman.com. Yes, that's right, I'm so vain I've even set up a site using my name as the domain. I'll put up a placeholder tomorrow directing people to the new site, but after three and a half years, this post will be the last proper one written for the Whiskey Priest (I'm also dropping

Nick Clegg's Nickname

2008-01-02T20:55:00.000Z

Wit and Wisdom is inviting suggestions for what Nick Clegg's nickname should be. Ming was Merciless, Cameron calls himself Dave, and Gordon is not Flash, so what should Nick be? I'd like to be the first to suggest "Tosspot". Nick "Tosspot" Clegg does have a certain ring to it and would bring back into fashion what has become a much-maligned swearword. Re-engineering this phrase for the 21st

The Two Kellys

2008-01-02T18:25:00.000Z

Just spotted this on the BBC News website, from their coverage of the New Years Honours: Perhaps [Tom] Kelly's most difficult moment came during the "cash-for-honours" affair, when he failed to tell the press that Mr Blair was being interviewed by the police, having not been told himself. This little mishap (which was hardly his fault, after all), pales somewhat in comparison to the time he

Liberal Democrats and Conservatives: A Love Story

2008-01-02T16:29:00.000Z

Anybody else noticed how obsessed the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives are with each other, at the expense of attacking Labour? From the Clegg / Cameron debate through to donation rows and instant-a-fisking of policy proposals (and not-so-instant-a-fisking), the two parties (or rather, their activists, it has to be said) can't take their eyes off each other. If the political system was a

Britblog Roundup and more patronising of the female folk

2008-01-01T12:25:00.000Z

The 150th* Britblog Roundup is now up on Redemption Blues and my post on the Gender Balance Awards gets, well, it gets a roasting (and not in the good way) from The Chameleon (as well as on this week's BBC Pods and Blogs). Since I saw the post yesterday, I can't help thinking of two words that perfectly summarise the opposing argument laid down by The Chameleon. I've been debating whether to post

FFS It's Monday: New Years

2007-12-31T12:00:00.000Z

Barely 12 hours to go before another new year rolls around, predictably enough coming almost 366 days after the last one. Another year of floods in the summer, partisan punch-ups in Parliament and Ant and fucking Dec to look forward to. Doubtless there will be something new to make the year seem less monotonous than it actually is, I've got my money on Simon Cowell finally disappearing up his own

2007: A Year in Posts

2007-12-31T11:25:00.000Z

Continuing a long tradition (is it a tradition if I've only done it once?), here are my favourite posts of 2007 My Reply to a pompous email: I'd forgotten how silly my response was. But I think his final word was just a bit unfair. An explanation of how the media works. In a rare display of courage, I post the banned photo of David Cameron. I struggle to install a printer on Windows Vista.

Dumbest Legal Arguments of the Year

2007-12-30T15:25:00.000Z

Slate, one of those online magazines that we can't seem to do over here (possible exception: The First Post), has compiled a top ten list of legal howlers from the Bush White House for 2007. Here are the headings: 10. The NSA's eavesdropping was limited in scope.9. Scooter Libby's sentence was commuted because it was excessive.8. The vice president's office is not a part of the executive branch

O'Loan made dame in honours list

2007-12-29T10:55:00.000Z

And not for services to the Labour Party.

Patronising the little women - the Gender Balance Blog Awards

2007-12-27T18:25:00.000Z

Will Howells has meme tagged me to come up with some nominations for the Gender Balance Awards. This, I was shocked to discover, isn't about honouring hermaphrodites that blog (Gender Balance... they've got it as they have both male and female genitals. No? Fine, you try writing something witty after gaining three stone in four days) but rather honouring these wee little ladies that have both the

Britblog Roundup

2007-12-24T12:25:00.000Z

Thanks to Mr Eugenides for linking to my post on our glorious new leader (subtitle: sticking the knife in early) in this week's Britblog Roundup. The Realpolitik podcast also got a mention.This is probably my last post before tomorrow, so Merry Christmas one and all!

Betting on the Democratic primaries

2007-12-21T14:23:00.001Z

As promised on the podcast, I've placed a bet on the US Democratic primaries: Richard's gone for Hilary Clinton at odds of 2/5.

Blogger Desktops

2007-12-20T14:55:00.000Z

Shane Greer has asked me to reveal my desktop to the world, so here goes (click to enlarge): I tag: Will Howells Richard Holloway James Graham A Very British Dude Maggie Bob

The Oldest Monarch

2007-12-20T11:25:00.000Z

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (or "Madge" to her friends, in homage to her favourite character from a popular daytime soap), today becomes the oldest monarch the UK has ever had. The Onion takes a look at one of her greatest achievements:

Realpolitik 8: Not the Christmas Special

2007-12-20T00:25:00.000Z

This week's Realpolitik podcast is now available here. In the show: This podcast gets a mention on BBC Radio Five Live’s Pods and Blogs, thanks to Matt Wardman. Nick Clegg is the new leader of the Liberal Democrats. Is a progressive alliance with the Conservatives in the offing, and what about that god thing? The US Presidential race, Mike Huckabee and Chuck Norris. Somehow, our data ends

6th May 2005: What You Didn't Read

2007-12-19T11:55:00.000Z

After today's press coverage of Nick Clegg's win, criticising his 50.6% win on a 64% turnout: "Labour today squeezed back to victory in yesterday's general election by the narrowest of margins, taking just 35.3% of the vote, with the opposition grabbing 64.7% on a turnout of just 61.4%. Serious questions are being raised about Labour's mandate to govern, with many calling for a reform of the

FFS It's Tuesday: Our Glorious New Leader

2007-12-18T20:25:00.000Z

Sticking the knife in good and early... Proving that white, middle class men can finally go far in our society, after decades of discrimination and underachievement, Nick Clegg has been elected leader of the Liberal Democrats by a margin so thin as to be insignificant - 511 votes. On the bright side, under the Florida system of counting, Chris Huhne would have won. Last month, I wrote about

The New Lib Dem Front Page

2007-12-18T15:55:00.000Z

A welcome change, but is it permanent? Because I certainly hope that this design for the Lib Dem party front page, which has only gone up in the last hour and a half, sticks around: Very Web 2.0 and certainly more attention grabbing than the previous offering, which can still be viewed here. PS. Free punch in the face to the first person who cracks the joke "A welcome change, but is it permanent

Nick Clegg is the new leader of the Liberal Democrats

2007-12-18T15:29:00.000Z

And writing as someone who voted for him (final mention of the Duncan Borrowman monitor, I promise), well done to the chap. Lib Dem Voice has the results breakdown, the young one squeaking in with 50.6% of the vote, just 511 ahead of the Huhney monster. He kicked off his leadership with a sturdy, but not exactly inspired (unlike Ann Treneman's coining of the phrase "Winter of Disc Content" in

Israel on Google Maps

2007-12-17T11:55:00.000Z

Google avoiding controversy anyone: With the main roads and towns in Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia showing up on Google Maps, the company has taken the decision merely to mark out the Green Line in Israel - Palestine, probably in an attempt to avoid endless emails from the two sides disputing the details.

Tony Blair on Barneycam now on Youtube

2007-12-14T16:55:00.000Z

Meaning rather than just putting up a transcript, I can actually post it here, hooray!

Realpolitik 7: Wiiii!

2007-12-13T21:55:00.000Z

In this week’s Realpolitik podcast, spot the obvious technical flaw as myself, Richard and an old friend of ours, Alex Baker, discuss: Canoe Man and the world’s most incompetent case of fraud. Should we be locked up for 42 days without charge as Jacqui Smith plays detention lottery. Should we nationalise Brighton Rock, Led Zeppelin or even Northern Rock? Wind could power all UK homes… if

Atheist World History

2007-12-13T19:54:00.001Z

Via, once again, the Daily Irrelevant: Click to enlarge, four-eyes.

THE Clegg Facebook Picture

2007-12-13T18:55:00.000Z

Those of us who signed up to the Clegg campaign on Facebook received a message Monday imploring us to change our profile picture to show we've voted for the dark-haired handsome one. Responding to this diktat, James Graham has had the bright idea of putting one erect middle digit in the air and changed his picture to this: Serves them right for ordering us around I suppose.