de Souza's Digest

De Souza's Digest has moved

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 18 May 2015 14:45:00 +0000

Click on this link for the new place.

"By God, believe in something"

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 May 2015 12:54:00 +0000

This is what Labour should do:

1) Don't become the Tory Party. Labour's 30% vote share might be pretty dismal, but the Conservatives haven't won an ideological knock out blow like they seamingly did in 1983. Around 15 million people voted for right wing parties if the UKIP vote is added, and around 14 million people went for something different. That makes us a 50/50 nation, give or take. Furthermore, on a range of issues from bank bonuses to regulating energy companies, the public are more in favour of Labour policies than Conservative ones. Some have even suggested that as few as 900 votes in key marginal constituencies swung the election enough to produce a Tory majority. Thus, a complete shift to New Labour isn't necessarily what will deliver a victory in 2020.

2) Know whose vote you have lost and why you lost it. It appears that, from initial data at least, Labour has lost votes from working class people, and from the C2 group of skilled labourers. This suggests that they haven't frightened the middle classes any more than usual, and that it was their core support that felt abandoned. Thus, one should be deeply sceptical of Peter Mandelson's veiled language of ignoring the base and returning to those people with "aspiration", since it was this very arrogance that got Labour into this mess. It assumes that working people have nowhere else to go, which could have been true in 2005 but not in 2015 or 2020. With UKIP runnnng the party close in its northern heartlands, clearly the party has to think about why. Perhaps Labour's timidity on ending austerity might have been one factor. Competing with UKIP on immigration probably served only to add legitiamcy to Nigel Farage.

3) Make Thatcherism, Conservatism and New Labourism apologise for the crash. Lack of regulation allowed greed to spiral out of control; investments in schools and hospitals did not.

4) Abandon private involvement in public services: if anything it allows the Tories to justify what they are doing.

5) Think about the leader you had and the leader you wish you had. If Nicola Sturgeon comes to mind then you might just win back Scotland. Her effortless connection with ordinary people and formiddable debate performances make her a role model for all future leaders of political parties. How many votes extra would Labour have won had she been born a unionist? Do any of the current Labour candidates even come close to matching her charisma or clarity of message? A regional accent could help. Yes Andy Burnham, I'm thinking of you.

6) Make the clear and unequivicol case for electoral reform and constitutional reform. With the union likely to be transformed beyond recognition, it is unlikley that any one party will be able to significantly speak to all parts of it. Yet there is real potential for a progressive alliance, which Labour could hope to influence. It needs to abandon its centralising control freakery and get used to speaking and working with other parties, just like it has been forced to do in the devolved bodies. This work must begin with the campaign to save the Human Rights Act.

7) Join people on the streets and campaign with teachers and nurses. Labour did best in London where it has attached itself to community groups and campaigns. It needs to do this in all parts of the UK, not just in the marginal constituencies that it hopes to win back. All seats are marginal now, regardless of majority. Labour shoud change its name, replacing "party" with "movement". It should be the party of the environment and of sustainable housing.

8) Work out what you beleive in rather than saying what you think people want to hear: UKIP has proved popular because it is clear about what it is about. I find myself drawn once again to Michael Sheen's powerful speech on the NHS, where he quotes from Nye Bevan: "Those who stay in the middle of the road get run over."

Sheen's own words are even more pertinent: “You must stand up for what you believe, but first of all, by God, believe in something.”

The day democracy died

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 13 May 2015 15:54:00 +0000

The 7th May was the ultimate paradox: millions of people chose a government that wishes to take away their rights. The Conservatives will rid citizens of their ability to seek redress against government wrongdoing through the repeal of the Human Rights Act. This act allows ordinary people to use local courts, rather than foreign ones. No other developed country sees reversing this as a priority. It is the act of a government more interested in protecting itself than its people.

The elderly couple who were reunited when placed in separate care homes by local authorities would now have to look elsewhere to assert their right to a family life. The victim who could express their feelings in open court towards their perpetrator could not claim such a right under a law that no longer exists.

And there is more.

Unhappy with how the Freedom of Information Act can embarrass the establishment, the Tories are now considering weakening that, too.

This government is thoroughly illegitimate, elected as it was with the consent of only 24% of the adult population (and only 37% of those who voted) through an electoral system that they have fought to maintain at the expense of virtually every other political party. Despite this, it has the temerity to propose a turnout requirement for strike ballots.

Just this morning, Home Secretary Theresa May was proposing a law that would limit "extreme expression" that undermined British values, but could not define what British values were. Perhaps they are whatever the government says they are, and thus such a law could be used to penalise the many groups opposed to it.

Just a week into Cameron’s Conservative Britain, and the government is already beginning to feel and sound like a regime.

Election Live Blog!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 07 May 2015 19:15:00 +0000

10:18: I agree with Nigel... on the urgent need for electoral reform. Five million people have been disenfranchised by First Past the Post, and that figure doesn't include all those who voted for other parties in safe seats. I'll be dining out on that statistic in my politics classes for at least the next five years.

10:11: I completely agree with Alastair Campbell on what Labour must do:"But whereas I thought we took too long to elect a leader last time, perhaps the debate about the party’s future this time should be even longer. Because perhaps one of our problems is that we did not in reality have the debate that we should have had, with ourselves and with the public, from the moment Tony Blair made way for Gordon Brown."

09:54: Okay so Cameron has at long last won an election. I STILL don't rate Cameron as a campaigner or as a leader. If he would have moderated his policies on NHS reform, he would have had a bigger majority. While he now doesn't need a coalition, in someways governing will be harder as his right wing colleagues have now become more powerful. Coalition government allowed the Lib Dems to take the blame while the Tories took the credit. It also allowed for a greater command of the House of Commons with the combined votes of both parties' representatives. This is not to ignore the fact that the Tories will be able to screw the country up in their image. But at least at the next election they will own the resulting chaos.

09:30: How ironic that my first lesson of the day is an AS History class that is focusing on why Thatcher resigned from office.

08:33: Lots of glum faces on the London tube this morning. I gave a few glaring looks to people in pin striped suits.

05:36 Well, what are we to make of all of this? The Liberals have collapsed; UKIP has become the English party of protest but their voters have been disenfranchised by the electoral system; the SNP's opposition to a Tory government will heighten tensions between Scotland and England; Labour has to start again; Cameron will continue as prime minister; the chances of the UK breaking up, and of Britian leaving the EU, have increased considerably.

05:16: Glad Hendon flipped. It really is a shocking night.

05:06: The picture is still less clear than the pundits have us believe. The Conservatives will still find it hard to do much in the new parliament without willing participants, and even if they get a majority it will be a small one.

05:00: "It's a bad night for Britain" - Oona King.

04:43: In America you can't hold two political offices due to the potential for conflicts of interest. Boris Johnson should not be allowed to continue as mayor whilst serving as an MP for Uxbridge. At least we know which Londoners will get the new buses.

04:39: Peter Hain makes a good point that many people have voted against the establishment and opted instead for SNP in Scotland and UKIP in England.

04:00: If Nick Clegg keeps his seat in Sheffield Hallam, will he give it back?

03:53: One thing Labour does need is a bloody good argument. It needs to tear itself apart for a couple of years and come through with a sense of purpose. After 2010, it stayed disciplined in the hope that people vote for a united party. It sacrificed debate over the fear of being perceived as a shambles. Now it needs to rediscover what on earth it is for.

03:50: What the hell does Labour do now? Does it go to the left to win back Scotland, or do a Blair to win England?

03:46: Marr makes a good point on the UKIP vote - electoral reform will now become the cause of the right wing.

03:41: Chuka Umunna has extended his majority in Streatham.

03:23: SNP voters being interviewed. One of them has just said "believe in Jesus because he is the son of God", or something like that.

3:11: So glad that Labour's Andy Slaughter has retained his seat in Hammersmith. He gave a great debate performance in front of my students.

3:02: Jim Murphy is made in Scotland, from girders.

02:58: On the one hand, the Tory strategy of targeting Lib Dems is genius, as the gains they make offset any losses from Labour. On the other hand, can I please just repeat the fact that the TORIES HAVE NOT WON YET. Cameron has not won a majority yet. Cameron has never won a general election outright. He isn't that good.

02:43: Tessa Jowell is on. She is very likeable. Looks and sounds baffled, or as some of my students say, "baffed".

02:38: Alex Salmond is talking of a progressive alliance to block the Tories. I hope they get a few Labour MPs to join them.

02:30: Youngest MP since 1667 - 20 year old Mhairi Black from the SNP.

02:21: We are now looking at a car from a helicopter. You know it's either an election or a police chase when that happens.

02:16: To all my Scottish friends, can you let me know what life is like up there? I am thinking of moving.

02:13: Ladbrokes are the real winners tonight. Apparently the bookies have been taking more money on a Labour victory. Oh, and the SNP have done quite well.

02:08: How the hell am I going to make sense of all this to my politics students?

02:01: Just goes to show that if you campaign on what you think people want then you'll lose, as no one really knows what people want. Better to campaign on what you believe.

01:57: Tory majority?

01:53: The Nuneaton result looks pretty bad for Labour. Its ground game seems not to have delivered. I have that 2004 John Kerry feeling.

01:48: The real winners tonight are lobbying firms - think of all those Lib Dem cabinet members they can recruit!

01:34: Yep, should have seen the Lib Dem collapse coming.

01:18: Some refreshing candour from Neil Kinnock: voters are stupid and don't know what the hell they are doing in voting Tory.

01:08: The UKIP surge has yet to be converted into seats. I wonder whether the extent of disproportion between their votes and representation will a) put the issue of electoral reform back on the table and b) make UKIP even more angry. I am fairly certain of the latter.

00:53: The Tories haven't won commons majority since 1992.

00:52: it's a masterclass on saying absolutely nothing of note. Theresa May, our future prime minister.

00:44: Theresa May rules out speculating what might happen. So, forgive me, why have you come on a programme that speculates what might happen?

00:36: Neil Kinnock's son is standing as an MP, so his wife, the Danish prime minister, has come to the sports hall to hear the result. What a quirky country this is.

23:54: We have had a really interesting two hour debate about what might happen when nobody has any idea what might happen. I might wear blue socks tomorrow. I might not. Now, shall we talk about the potential impact of me wearing blue socks tomorrow? Oh and here come the forecasts again. It feels like we have been watching Michael Fish on repeat.

23:27: First bowl of cereal. Oh look, another friendly looking Labour woman from the North West. So far, they rule the country.

23:10: We are a 50/50 nation, it seems, whatever the result. Progressive parties look set to get around 300 seats. Right wing parties look like they are going to get a little bit more.

22:47: Let's face it we all want Sunderland South to cock it up and not be the first to declare the result. It would serve them right - why should counting precious votes be a race?

22:21: Harriet Harman is not filling me with confidence that the exit poll is wrong.

22:05 Given the quality of the BBC info graphics, I don't place much faith on that exit poll that they put together. Or perhaps I am just hoping against hope that Britain in the next five years won't be as shit as they are.

22:00: Oh my goodness - if that's the result then Katie Hopkins is staying I guess.

21:59: Sorry Sophie but that map looks about as useful as an ashtray on a motorcycle.

21:55: David Dimbleby is go! Will someone shut that music off please! Oh no it's another info graphic.

20:15: Now doing what any normal person would do before watching 9 hours of politics. I am watching Deadwood.

19:20: I have voted! A quick walk round the corner to my son's local school was all it took. The last time I went into the main hall was for a Frozen singalong. In honour of this, the lady who checked my credentials turned the whole bloody room to ice. I skated over to the polling both, put a cross by Labour's Chuka Umunna (after a few weeks of agonising between the Reds and the Greens), and sauntered out to the sound of Let it Go. A lady ahead of me was barred from voting because apparently she wasn't registered. If this sort of thing is repeated often enough tonight then Nick Clegg and David Cameron's voter registration law will have done its job. Well done boys.

My prediction

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 07 May 2015 15:30:00 +0000

As a political obsessive, I have poured over every poll, watched every minute of every debate, and followed the Twitter stream #GE2015 as if my life depended on it. And now here we are - polling day UK.

I think Ed Miliband will be the next prime minister. While Labour may not have as many seats as the Conservatives, I do not think Cameron will be able to command anything like the support he needs in the House of Commons. I do not think Labour will be a) willing in the case of the SNP or b) able in the case of the Liberal Democrats to form a coalition, but will be able to govern on a vote by vote basis. I am going to stick my neck out even further and state that I do not think there will be another election anytime soon.

I was wrong about Bush V Kerry in 2004. I may well be wrong about 2015. Let's see.

Update 9th May: I have waited two days just in case all this turned out to be a nightmare. Alas, it is. The only thing I am correct about is that there is indeed not likely to be an election until 2020.

A week with an Apple Watch

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 May 2015 21:57:00 +0000

The Apple Watch tells the time very well. That might be the understatement of the year, but given that many people have ditched wearing something on their wrist altogether, it is somewhat of a novelty to once more tell the time with a simple glance, rather than with a fumble in the pocket for that thing that replaced it in the first place - our phones. The whole experience of the Apple Watch’s arrival on my wrist was elegant, from the inviting box it comes in to the way it pairs with your iPhone (a simple scan from the iPhone’s camera). The charging mechanism - a simple magnet that you throw your phone down onto and that sits on your bedside table - is no bother at all. What else would you do with a watch at the end if the day? The use of the digital crown to scroll up is so natural and obvious you wonder why no other smart watch maker thought of it. Or perhaps they did but found it impossible to craft.

A week in and I am still enjoying the way the watch switches on as soon as you raise your wrist. It has a playful element too - I love the way you can simply change your watch face to suit your mood, and how if you want to you can change bands to suit the occasion or the activity, transforming the watch from an activity tracker to a piece of jewellery.

So far so good. There are annoyances though. Apps on the watch take too long to load and it seems that, so far at least, it is hard to store anything apart from photos and music on the device. Podcasts can only be streamed. That will change with an update, I am guessing. Essentially, if you use the watch like an iPhone it will disappoint. Use your iPhone to read long articles and to write emails, and to do basically anything that takes longer than 30 seconds. Anything less than that then the watch is perfect and indeed preferable. The watch is perhaps not something to play around with and waste time with. It isn’t a kick back device like an iPad. In many ways, you don’t go to it - it comes to you. The notifications that you receive - perhaps a text message or a news update - can be glanced quickly and conveniently, and awareness of them is made through a simple little tap from the watch itself. Yes, a tap. The watch is, in essence, a triage for your working day. It allows you to quickly decide what is important and what needs your attention.

I have been particularly impressed with the fitness app. The focus on movement and standing up, with a gentle push towards a little exercise (but not too much) each day, seems important and for most people, within reach. I have walked far more, and more quickly, to reach the goals that are adjusted upwards or downwards depending on how the watch senses you are faring. If I want to check my heartbeat, I simply swipe down on the watch face. I find the ability to do this frankly amazing. It is a consequence of our tech-soaked existence that such a thing isn’t surprising to many people.

A number of apps developers haven’t really understood or comprehended what to make for the watch yet - this of course will change as people use it, and then find uses for it. Yet some have understood the simplicity of what is required. Shazam seems to have found its perfect medium on this device, so too my travel apps that tell me the next train or bus. I am sure the turn by turn navigation will assist people in finding their way on foot. Text messaging is acceptable on the watch if you are writing something short. Siri works quite well and calling someone is rather fun, so long as you have bluetooth headphones. Checking calendars is more convenient than on the phone.

The best technology allows us to focus on things that matter, rather than distract us by making us fiddle to make it work. The Apple Watch is trying to get us to this place, although its interface doesn’t allow for it, not yet. It is a little too busy, a little too iPhone. Nevertheless, I do find that I use my other technology (certainly my iPhone) a little less, ironically due to a watch that is packed full of it. This can only be a good thing.

Again and again and again and again

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 21:07:00 +0000

Anthony King has given his thoughts on why Labour aren't breaking away from the Tories in the opinion polls. Speaking on The Guardian's Politics Weekly podcast, the Essex University professor argues that successful campaigns repeat the same message over and over again for several years. It is something the Tories have been partially successful at, pointing out that in 2010 the country was "on the brink" even though it really wasn't (the crash happened in 2007-8 and Britain had come out of recession in good time before the general election). Labour, meanwhile, have not stuck at anything - One Nation Labour sounded good but little flesh was added to the bones.

Over the past five years, Ed Milliband has talked a bit about predatory capitalism, a bit about the "squeezed middle", and a bit about everything else before moving on to other hobbies. This is not to say that he is not having a good "short campaign", but that he is having to make up for the failure of not having a long one. He is having to spend the campaign introducing himself to an electorate he should have already introduced himself to. Imagine if, five years ago, he would have adopted Elizabeth Warren's assertion, that the system is rigged in favour of the rich, and that he was the man and that Labour was the party to fix it? Instead he allowed to Tories to set the tone. Too many people still believe that further austerity is necessary, and that is solely down to the failure of Labour to create an alternative narrative over the past five years.

If Labour are not in government after 7th May, it will be because of this.

Trying on the Apple Watch

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 11 Apr 2015 14:36:00 +0000

The experience of walking into an Apple Store and trying on an Apple Watch proved to be far more relaxing and enjoyable than the previous scrambles associated with iPhone and iPad releases. My initial impressions are that a) the watch is really well built, b) looks great and c) is actually very easy to use. I was surprised by this, as many of the reviews indicated that it was a bit fiddly. In just a few minutes of try on time I became all too aware of just how convenient and useful this device will become. And besides, I miss wearing a watch.

My thoughts on the UK General Election, so far

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 11 Apr 2015 13:13:00 +0000

Ed Miliband is a far more formidable campaigner than the Tories expected. He is good at throwing back the mud that is being lobbed at him, both from the Conservative press (Daily Mail reveals Miliband used to have girlfriends shocker!) and from Cameron’s minions. Witness his mock outrage at Tory Defence spokesperson Michael Fallon who accused him of stabbing his brother in the back.

The Tory ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK strategy, warning of Labour CHAOS, has not worked, but simply reaffirmed the opinion of swing voters that they are indeed the “nasty party” that lacks an agenda other than cutting up the welfare state. Cameron has perhaps recognised this and made pledges on NHS spending to show that they are the party of HOPE. Yet this latter strategy feels less authentic to voters now that the former one has been allowed to fester. To many, the turd simply can’t be polished.

David Cameron is not a good campaigner. He is too afraid of meeting the public and doing a Major or Blair, which involved risking angry exchanges with voters by, respectively, walking about shopping centres with loud speakers and donning wellies in floods.
Labour has a really tough job on its hands to show voters in Scotland that the the SNP is too radical while at the same time promoting the idea that the reds (not Greens) are the radical ones in England. Factor in the message that Labour are, in fact, the Tories in disguise on immigration and on cuts, then it is easy to see why they are not completely trusted. The party is trying to be too many things to too many people, and that is why I think they should have come out fighting against more austerity, and to defend tax increases to pay for investment in public services. Unlike the Tories, Labour needs core vote policies to appeal to core voters. They need to reaffirm their religion. Everyone knows, meanwhile, that the Tories worship at the alter of capitalism - they need to get out their place of worship and see what others pray for. Given that the NHS is THE ESTABLSIHED RELIGION OF THE UNITED KINGDOM AND NORTHERN IRELAND, this isn’t a bad place to start.

I am intrigued to see that in key marginal seats Labour is contacting more residents than the Tories. Miliband has borrowed heavily if not in style than in strategy from the Obama team, and invested heavily in a ground game that prioritises local engagement. Is it too little, too late (it certainly looks that way in Scotland), or a key element in making Labour the largest party in Parliament?

It seems to me that Labour needs to look left and the Tories need to come in from the right. So far, Labour has looked both ways and the Tories are getting hardons about submarines.

IOS on Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 19:57:00 +0000

My daughter Bethany, somewhere in France

We set off on 4th August, leaving our house in South London at 7am. We were fully laden with our fifteen month old Bethany in her buggy, her soon to be four year old brother Nathaniel, our rather heavy ruck sacks, a picnic bag with the day's provisions, a general holdall for passports and important documents, and, most importantly, a games bag, into which we stuffed our iPad Mini with retina display, and an iPad Air. This was going to be one long trip, taking us first to Brixton tube station on the 118 bus, then to St. Pancras International on the London Underground in order to hop on the Eurostar to Paris. After a four hour lay off involving a dash across that city on the Metro, we boarded a train to Brive in the Dordogne region and were picked up around 8pm local time by my father-in-law, who then drove us another hour to a remote holiday house somewhere in the South of France. We know we are lucky and blessed to have these opportunities, but nevertheless such a trip is no small challenge when you have young children to entertain. Hence the games bag. Hence the reliance in IOS devices, not just for the train but for the entire time in France.

This is not to say that we only played iPhone games instead of admiring the French countryside, or that Rovio's still fabulous Cut the Rope could somehow replace the experience of venturing into a massive cave with impressive stalagmites and stalactites. Yet there is a place for IOS devices on holiday. Here is my diary of when and how we used them.

- This article was written on Pages throughout the holiday. It is such a smooth experience since the recent updates, and I find it difficult to justify paying a subscription for Microsoft Office on the iPad, even if some of the good stuff also comes free.

- I took pictures of everyone splashing around in the pool, of a dramatic thunderstorm on the horizon, and of a very odd museum in Souilliac that had a collection of early automated toys, all on my iPhone. Indeed, I rarely used my point and shoot camera, a situation that would have seemed unthinkable even a year ago. Granted, other family members didn't follow suit and I have to admit that some of their pictures looked a little more polished. Yet I had the advantage of convenience, as it takes just a few seconds to grab your phone from your picket and send the iPhone into burst mode, a necessary feature when you have children who won't sit still. There are some pictures that I have that I am certain would not have otherwise have been taken had it not been for my iPhone. This is doubly true for video. The idea of taking a camcorder on holiday, which seemed like a good idea for my honeymoon in 2007, now seems like an anathema now.

- My son and his cousins watched Frozen and sang all the songs, including Let it Go, on the iPad Air, while the adults prepared for dinner. It was a very sweet scene.

-I checked WeatherPro HD and Dark Skies every day for thunderstorm alerts, a necessary activity to plan your day in region prone for stormy weather at that time of the year. To be fair, some family members cast doubt on their accuracy, but I felt they both got the temperature right at least.

-My nephews made an interactive story for fun on the wonderful, and free, Adobe Voice app. I read Dissolution, a historical fiction novel by CJ Samson, about the court of Henry VIII, on iBooks. I didn't get very far though. If I am being honest, I have ceased to read many paper books but have yet to really fall in love with reading books on the iPad, in part because the iPad offers so many other distractions. Such distractions include podcasts, including one from the BBC on the history of the coffee house through the ages, which was accessed via the Downcast app on my iPhone.

- We made a packing list using Apple's own perfectly functional Reminders app, and ticked things off as we threw them into our bags for the journey home. When I needed some timeout from all the family board games, I watched Game of Thrones (finally it has hit the UK iTunes Store) on the iPad Mini with Retina display. The visuals looked stunning on this device.

-I used Apple maps as a SatNav when we hired a scarily big car from a remote airport. I was very impressed by how reliable it was (far better than the overrated Google Maps) in even the most remote parts of the French countryside.

- I used Day One, perhaps the best travel journal app, to store pictures, thoughts and even some song lyrics that came into my head.

- We used all manner of travel tools, from the Bus Mapper app that tells Londoners when the next bus is arriving, to searching the Man in Seat 61 website the provides European rail times and other useful advice.

As with so many areas of my life, these devices serve to enrich an experience, rather than being the experience themselves. They cannot ever replace the wonderful, natural scenery of such a beautiful part of the world. They cannot replicate the social experience of visiting a boulangerie to pick up the freshest smelling bread. Yet they can get you there. They can help you remember through photos and other things, just how much fun we had. Now that I have these devices, I wouldn't want to go on holiday without them, that's for sure.

Some of the most stupid things British politicians have ever said

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 01 Apr 2015 09:15:00 +0000

1) Thatcher: “Where there is discord, may we bring harmony.” This Francis of Assisi line was blurted out by Britain’s first female PM as she walked up Downing Street in 1979. For 11 straight years she presided over inner city riots, the miners’ strike and the poll tax demonstrations, and sacked most of the people who she didn’t like. They then sacked her.

2) Blair: “I think I am a pretty straight sort of guy.” The Daily Telegraph claimed in 2011 that Blair visited the son of former Libyan dictator Muammar Gadaffi to lobby on behalf of JP Morgan. There are also allegations that Blair used his position as Middle East envoy to lobby for a telecoms deal in the Palestinian Authority. The former British premier then came on our TV sets to refute the allegations: “People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well I’m not a crook,” or something like that anyway.

3) Conservative election slogan 1970: “Tomorrow will be better than today.” This read something of a sick joke by 1974 when a 3 day week was imposed and the lights went out. A better slogan might have been “Tomorrow will be completely shit but vote for us anyway.” This approach could work for Cameron in 2015.

4) Cameron: “We are all in this together.” The 50p rate of tax for high earners was reduced to 45p. Value Added Tax, the UK’s equivalent of sales tax, was hiked from 15 to 20%. Everything the poor bought in the shops suddenly cost more. Cameron brought people into the heart of government who help rich people avoid tax. A secret memo reveals that a day before uttering these words, Cameron toyed with “Eton shall prevail!” instead, but it was ditched due to fears of alienating those who went to Harrow, the rival to Cameron’s beloved Hogwarts.

5) James Callaghan: “You can’t spend your way out of recession.” Yep, Jim, you’re right. When people don’t spend, the government should join them. This worked really well in the 1930s and paved the way for the roaring 1940s. It’s why you defeated Thatcher in 1979.

The year is 1959

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 17:49:00 +0000

Labour manifesto 1959:

“The businessman with the tax free expense account, the speculator with tax free capital gains, and the retiring company director with a tax free redundancy payment… ”These people have never had it so good. It is not so good for… the chronic sick."

Time for some cut, copy and paste, Mr Miliband?

Just like us

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 21:34:00 +0000

A few things to expect from the UK General Election 2015:

Cameron will try not to wear a tie all the time in a bid to show he is just like us.

Miliband will try to wear a tie a lot to show he is prime ministerial. When he is not wearing a tie he wear a jumper, to show that he IS THE BEST DAD IN THE WORLD, HELL YES!

Clegg will be interviewed an awful lot because no other poor sod from the Liberal Democrats wants to be associated with this election. He has already been photographed with a hedgehog, so clearly, he is just like us.

The SNP's Nicola Sturgeon will hide Alex Salmond in a cupboard because he really does want to change the meaning of 'us', and while she does too, she just seems so nice.

Natalie Bennett from the Green Party will stay away from too many interviews just in case this happens again.

Nigel Farage will drink an awful lot of beer.

,

Soccer socialism

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 15:19:00 +0000

The Guardian's David Goldblatt details how the English Premier League is ruled by an elite who have scant regard for the fans. His suggestions on how to reform the game are persuasive, especially an idea that is not new. Richer clubs should donate a proportion of their obscene TV revenues to help smaller clubs that develop young talent. You can read the article here. Thanks to Mathew Jenkins for sending the link.

Greenback women

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 21:05:00 +0000

What have Susan B Anthony, Rosa Parks and Eleanor Roosevelt all have in common? They are not guilty of genocide. Andrew Jackson, America's seventh president, is. His policy of ethnic cleansing against native Americans earned him a place on America's 20 dollar bill. It is time to end this injustice. Put a woman on 20 and vote which one here.

Posted with Blogsy

Abbott's Nazi outburst

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 19 Mar 2015 19:08:00 +0000

Its politics is known for brash commentary and brutal internal party coups, but prime minister Tony Abbott has gone too far, even for Australia.

How Cameron lost his landslide

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 16:11:00 +0000

Elections are seldom won. Usually, the party in power does something to bring about its own downfall. For the Tories in the 1990s, its squabbling over Europe and lies over the danger of Mad Cows Disease, did for John Major's administration. It had little to do with the presence of an articulate and youthful Labour leader, Tony Blair. Likewise, if Cameron loses in 2015, his Conservative Party will only have itself to blame. Peter Kellner of You Gov wrote a convincing article about an alternative universe, one in which Cameron campaigned in favour of changing the electoral system, in the 2011 referendum on AV. If adopted, then many of those veering towards the more right wing alternative, UKIP, would have likely placed the Tories as their second choice, helping them in key marginal seats. Yet, in the real universe, the Tory leader was happy to defend an electoral system that does not give voters the chance of ranking candidates in order, nor one that benefit his party.

Similarly, if the "Cameroons" are licking their wounds on 8th May, they may consider all the missed opportunities of ridding themselves of their "nasty party" image. Their conversations should analyse the severity of a cuts programme that killed the economy for two years, when Labour spending plans (by no means profligate) would have sufficed. And let's not forget the reorganising of the NHS, despite promises to leave it alone. The party now owns the A&E crisis, and the inevitable forthcoming stories of private companies botching operations.

It might well be the case that David Cameron leads the largest party after the General Election, but given the state of the opposition, questions should be raised about how he squandered the chance to win big.

Update 22nd March: Conservative peer and pollster Lord Ashcroft comes to a similar conclusion in his latest analysis.

When Malcolm X came to Brum

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 22:20:00 +0000

White only streets and "n*****s go home" signs are often associated more with the deep south than with the black country. Yet a fascinating Channel 4 documentary covers a less well known story of Conservative politician Terry Griffith, who in 1964 encouraged legal segregation in his West Midlands constituency of Smethwick. Following Griffiths' election to parliament, a British Ku Klux Clan was also formed. Malcolm X got on a plane.

While Griffiths lost his seat at the next election, it is chilling to hear some of his comments echoed by Cameron, Miliband and Farage in today's political discourse on immigration.

The Big Friendly iPhone

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 10:03:00 +0000

Giants. They take some getting used to. Yet most are friendly - take Roald Dahl’s BFG or Julian Donaldson’s Smartest Giant in Town. And then there is Tim Burton’s Karl from Big Fish. In this film, young Edward Bloom asks: “Has it ever occurred to you that maybe you’re not too big? That maybe this place is just too small?”

Similar to large fictional characters, the iPhone 6 Plus is misunderstood. I have had the 64 gigabyte gold version for three months now, and I love it. Granted, holding it and pressing things took some adjustment, especially coming from an iPhone 5s. Yet other phones seem so tiny all of a sudden. Apple does a great job in making us realise what we were always missing - Touch ID is perhaps the best example. A bigger, sharper screen makes all the difference when reading and producing things such as editing presentations in Keynote. I use my iPad Air 2 far less now, even if it is, ultimately, a better “kick back and relax device” than a phone. The iPad Mini is now surplus to requirements, other than for watching Frozen with my daughter.

In addition to the large screen, the camera is fantastic. Along with IOS 8 and its impressive processing software, I have taken real pleasure in editing, cropping and stylising my photos as I hitherto never considered possible on a phone. There are still a few creases to iron out - landscape mode is not great for typing, for example, but this is nothing a software update couldn’t fix.

The Plus is a phone I want to hold more than any previous device I have owned, in large part because it is made so well and feels so light. It also solves another problem - this time one that everyone is all too well aware of: poor battery. I listen to a lot of podcasts, browse plenty of news sites and often watch a programme from BBC iPlayer on my way to work. Yet the battery never dies. I never have to plug it in, apart from at night.

The iPhone 6 Plus makes my life easier and it’s fun to use. When Apple Pay comes to the UK, it will be even better.

What a speech

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 22:13:00 +0000

Actor Michael Sheen teaches a few politicians how oratory is done. Speaking at an anti-cuts demonstration in Wales, and in appalling weather, he comes to the defence of the NHS. Brilliant.

What they said then

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 Feb 2015 20:04:00 +0000

The New Statesman has a comprehensive roundup of the promises the UK Conservative Party made before the 2010 General Election, all of which were subsequently broken.

Thanks to Chris Horner for the link.

Did your MP attend the arms dealer dinner?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 05 Feb 2015 21:52:00 +0000

Here is the list - it appears the weapons makers have tentacles extending to all the major UK parties.

For the full article, click here.

The US Congress – a white man’s paradise?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 16:57:00 +0000

My A Level Politics students have amazed me again. Over to them...

Do elections make Congress more representative? 
By Taylor Munroe and Eini Afrah

There have been 11 elections since 1992. These frequent elections are fixed so politicians cannot choose to fight an election when it suits them. It can be argued that elections make Congress more representative, as voters choose candidates in primaries, which mean candidates must consider the views of the folks back home who vote in large numbers, making them not only accountable but representative as well. However, incumbency advantage means few elections are truly competitive. A striking 96% of incumbents won re-election in 2014. In addition, only 9 Senate seats switched sides.

Do people in Congress resemble the people they serve?

By Dervisa Draganović and Samah Saad

It is fair to argue that people in Congress do not (emphasis on the do not) resemble the folks back home. Evidence to support this claim includes the fact that only 20% of Senators are female. It should be taken into consideration that the total female population in America is 161 million. Granted, the locality rule means that Congressmen must come from the district they represent. There are 43 African-Americans in the House of Representatives, due to the creation of majority-minority districts, an area that is gerrymandered to ensure that the majority of constituents are from minority backgrounds. Yet Only two African-American are in Senate. Only two out of 50 states have ever elected a black Senator.

In addition, there are only 2 independent members of the Senate and none in the House of Representatives. The Democrats and Republicans therefore control 533 out of 535 seats in Congress. Is it fair to say that people in Congress resemble the people they serve when two parties control over 99% of the seats in Congress? We think not.

Are members of Congress effective in serving their constituents?

By Hana Khader-M, Soumaya Hersi and Fowsi Ali

Members of Congress are expected to “bring back the bacon” (federal funds) to the “folks back home”. Marcy Kaptur secured pork to expand the Toledo Farmers’ Market. Moreover, Members of Congress have on average 30 members of staff answering constituents’ letters and drafting legislation. They have offices in their district / state and in Washington.

However, some $700m was spent by super PACS representing corporate groups in 2014. They want something in return...

Are small political parties fairly represented in Congress?

By M’hamed Aouicha and Humza Aslam

Third parties are not fairly represented, because there are only 2 independent members of the Senate and none in the House of Representatives. Furthermore, the Democrats and Republicans control 533 out of the 535 seats in Congress. This emphasises that third parties are not fairly represented. Moreover, due to the increase in partisanship between the two major parties, third parties do not get as much recognition in comparison to the two major parties. Third parties that do form and flourish tend to get taken over by the major parties. For example, the Tea Party was subsumed by the Republicans. And that’s not good for anyone, is it?

Is this the funniest app of the year?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 20:48:00 +0000

Dubsmash is two months old but has proved a sleeper hit, allowing you to combine selfies with voiceovers of famous movie lines. It's free so try it - you'll be in stitches.

iPad Air 2 - a review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 18 Jan 2015 12:02:00 +0000

I have been using the iPad Air 2 since the beginning of November. In almost every way it retains, and improves upon, the wonder of using all the previous incarnations of Apple’s audacious tablet. The original iPad felt truly unique to anything that had come before. There was a wow factor to it. Following that, the iPad 2, was lighter and faster, and proved to be workhorse. The next few versions were iterative updates. A retina screen here; a smaller bezel there. At some point though, iteration reaches an end point. The minor improvements, taken as a whole, establish an experience that is so far removed from the initial revolution that it feels like another coup attempt. Enter the iPad Air 2. It is again lighter, the screen is sharper, everything is faster and yes, gold is sexy. I use it for work whereas before I just used it to kick back. Its improved memory means websites don’t have to constantly reload. Gameplay doesn’t suffer lag - Telltale’s Game of Thrones is truly immersive as a result. With IOS 8 I can make phone calls and send texts. Indeed, taking the software and improved hardware together, this is perhaps the most convenient device Apple has ever produced, save perhaps for the new iPhone. I still like the way I feel when I use an iPad. The new version is a delight to use, especially with Touch ID and all the other little pieces (improved FaceTime camera; a notification centre that’s actually useful). Steve Jobs’ assertion that the iPad was a “truly magical device” is no longer an overstatement.