Archive for May, 2007

Patricia Hewitt - “I’m no Superman.”

Last week’s picture from the Channel 4 Newsroom Blog.

New picture for Channel 4 Newsroom Blog.
Tony Blair is distraught at the Home Information Pack (HIP) fiasco.

There is also a link to a larger version as I was too thick to realise that it wouldn’t reproduce too clearly at the smaller size - Thanks C4 Online team.

When they do eventually come in, MPs will vote on whether they should be exempt from the Freedom Of Home Information Packs Act - It would be a gross intrusion of privacy for them to have to reveal details of the home they want to sell, or at least one of them.

First this :
Mr Bush is said to have been briefed by White House officials to expect an announcement on troop withdrawals by Britain during the first 100 days of Mr Brown’s premiership, according to the Sunday Telegraph. It claimed officials had expressed fears about Mr Brown and said they believed any relationship between himself and Mr Bush would be “at an end” if there were any “gesture politics” over troop levels.”

Then this.

Iraq Decision Was Right

We wait with baited breath, as does The Whitehouse.

The News Of The World reports that Prince Harry will serve in Afghanistan and quote one of his friends :
“His trip will be shrouded in secrecy. He will disappear. It will be a case of smoke and mirrors. There are many options available to stop people finding out.”

Well, some of the quote is accurate, but the truth is that Prince Harry will return from 6 month’s duty in IRAQ next week.

His appearances in the media have been part of a carefully crafted campaign of disinformation, based on the tactics used in World War II to deceive Germany about the movements of General Montgomery.

The film rights have already been secured.

In another piece of royal movie news, Paul Burrell is to star in the semi-autobiographical production of a no-holds barred exposé of his career as Princess Diana’s butler, ‘The Thief, The Prince, His Wife & Her Lovers’.
Helen Mirren has been approached to reprise her role as The Queen.

Having just witnessed the smug little sycophant Hazel Blears on the BBC avoiding giving a straight answer yet again, it amazes me that she is a front runner for Deputy Leader of The Labour Party - or maybe it shouldn’t.
Asked several times about David Maclean’s Freedom Of Secrecy Amendment to the Freedom Of Information Act, she waltzed around the question of whether she would have voted for it or not (because she wasn’t in the Commons to do so.)
An exasperated Andrew Marr concluded she would have and that was the end of things.
I’m sure behind the scenes, Hazel Bliars was dancing around like a kid with a happy meal in McDonalds, telling all her friends how good she was at playing the word game called politics.
Because Hazel didn’t say she would have voted for the bill, she let someone else voice the obvious conclusion so she can still deny it as long as it suits her power hungry political aspirations.

End of spin ? Give us a f*cking break !

She claims that, in an effort to communicate with the public, she spent three days behind a checkout at Tescos.
How many people did she serve ?
One
“What do you think of this Tesco Value baked beans, Hazel? Would you buy them ?”
“Oh, I’m pretty neutral on the issue and, although some say the quality is similar to higher priced products I can understand those that expect more colourful packaging, a low salt option and a tin that hasn’t been dented deliberately.”
“But would you buy them Hazel?”
“Well, as I’m behind the counter and 45 metres away from the north end of aisle 3, I’m not in the position to pick up a tin of beans but I’m sure that those who have done so have made the right decision in their heart of hearts and I respect their values.”
“But would you buy them Hazel?”………

Three days later an exasperated customer crawls out of Tescos, leaving a queue of hundreds of others at Hazel’s checkout holding goods beyond their sell-by date, immune and distrustful to anything anyone at the store ever says to them again.
To paraphrase an old Billy Connolly sketch,
“So, Father, you’re saying that Tescos is really the Labour Party ?”
“And you know, in a way it is, son. “If you think you’re the only store in town but you keep on, pardon my Latin, bullshitting your customers enough, then you customers will vote with their feet.”
“So, Father, you’re saying Labour will get a justifiable kicking if Blears is manning the checkout ?”…..

Blears isn’t playing the game of politics to communicate with the people, otherwise she would give straight answers to straight questions.
The art of avoiding straight questions is only appreciated amongst the political ‘elite’ and careerists; if you’re good at it, you do well within your own party and bugger the electorate.
I remember Polly Toynbee claiming that politicians were essentially good people and they shouldn’t be treated with the level of cynicism that they currently experience.
Maybe there are some, Polly, but as long as all parties restrict access to, and the media only seek, approved spokespeople then all we see and hear are pathetic, morally diminutive careerists such as Hazel Blears. And we can only make a judgement on the evidence presented.
If Tony Blair is George Bush’s poodle, then Hazel Blears is Tony Blair’s pooper scooper and she hasn’t been emptied for years.

I’m travelling, so no new images today.

However, I should point you in the direction of this brilliant idea - McDemos.

From Mark Thomas’ site “In this busy 24/7 world you often don’t get the time to make your voice heard, so isn’t it about time you contracted your protesting needs out?”

Tracey Moberly, Tony Pletts and Mark Thomas have teamed up to bring you McDemo’s, a new service where they will do your demos for you in exchange for a small fee. Now you can fight for your democratic right to vote without leaving the comfort of your own home/shed/tent/whatever. More details can be found on the McDemo’s website.