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Archive for category Politics

Alastair Campbell ‘is a tabloid newspaper’

Dec 1

Posted by webmonge in Politics | No Comments

I was thinking about Alastair Campbell and his little rants against the press this week and was amazed at his chutzpah.

I mean here is a man who spent his time in the previous government manipulating the press. I was thinking that as annoying as tapping into a c-list celeb’s voicemail to see how many times she has split up with her boyfriend, that the consequences are nowhere near as grave as 1000s of killed Iraqis. But hey what is the life of thousands of people that you are partly responsible for killing and maiming when you can have a cheap dig at ‘the right wing press’ or the ‘Murdoch machine’.

We watched over years as Alastair Campbell and other spin doctors manipulated the press and the country to further their own political agendas and to have the ability with a straight face to criticize the press for what he has made a career out of takes tremendous ram sized balls.

I was thinking all of this and then read this wonderful article on the daily mash

Repeat after me

“Forty five minutes. Invasion of Iraq. No weapons.”

A massive waste of money from our previous overlords

Jul 5

Posted by webmonge in Marketing, Politics, Software | 1 Comment

A report published by the Central Office for Information found that across government, £94 million has been spent on the construction and set up and running costs of just 46 websites and £32 million on staff costs for those sites in 2009-10.

This is just a small drop in the ocean of how easy it is to overspend other people’s money. The previous overlords must have thought it was funny or clever to spent £126 million pounds on 46 websites. What kind of value is that. If there was ever a better way to illustrate that government is not the answer to every question asked.

The fact that there was not a riot about some of the things done in the past few years is beyond me.

Can you believe there is a website for national chip week – brought to you by The Potato Council. The amount of tax spent is £18 million just to help promote potatoes. We have spent £18 million promoting potatoes. No money left over to promote courgettes. Different government websites compete for attention. For example the Department of Health’s Change4Life healthy living campaign to try get you to eat less chips.

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Fantastic articles with extreme wordiness

Jun 17

Posted by webmonge in Humour, Politics | No Comments

I have never been a good writer. Often I imagine that even a short post I have written contains scores of errors. This does not stop me laughing at articles that are extremely wordy, bloated with self aggrandizing obscure references or use 20,000 words when 9 will do. I am thinking mostly of the Guardian in which I read an article and find myself on page 2 and still wonder where the journalist is going even though it is just an article on ‘best beaches in France’.

You have got to read this article at the Guardian about the Spanish defeat to the Swiss at the World Cup: The Swiss killed Bambi but Spain’s defeat is not the end of the world.

There is a an article much funnier than this though and you have to read it it believe it. It is quite a few years old but if you want to read a nauseating article which can’t help to make you laugh, then head over to the New Statesman to read We cannot be killed by Sion Simon. (Massive Hat tip to Guido from several years ago but the World Cup article reminded me of this and I needed a good laugh)

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Are you champagne socialist – poll

Jun 16

Posted by webmonge in Humour, Politics | No Comments

ARE YOU A champagne socialist?
Answer yes to three or more of these and you are considered a champagne socialist
YES NO
1 Do you read The Grauniad
2 Do you think bankers should be taxed higher but you think it is fair that civil servants pensions are huge in comparison to the private sector
3 Do you have a second home in Tuscany or France. Or actually do you just own a second home (inspired by Polly Toynbee)
4 Do you send your kids to a private school while at the same time attacking free schools (This is not all aimed at Polly Toynbee)
5 Do you buy your food in Waitrose
6 Do you ever buy anything from John Lewis
7 Have you ever bought anything from a designer label (sunglasses included)
8 Do you buy fair trade when getting your coffee at Starbucks, Nero or Costa
9 Do you mainly listen to Radio 4
10 Did you go to Oxford or Cambridge
11 Do you own more than one car?
12 Have you ever had a holiday on a yacht
13 Do you own any shares, even those that have been given, donated or left to you in a will?
14 Have you ever traveled first class (train or plane)
15 Have you ever been to a developing world country and stayed in a hotel

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The Hypocrisy of Malcolm Wicks –

Apr 27

Posted by webmonge in Politics | 4 Comments

The second reason I will not be voting for Labour in Croydon North.

Malcolm Wicks has applied far less onerous standards to the protection of other people’s personal information as he has to his own.

The hypocrisy dossier: POWER 2010 exposes MPs double-standards

see the dossier here: Power 2010

Malcolm Wicks supported the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill in an effort to safeguard his ‘privacy’, he also:

  • Voted in favour of introducing ID cards, which collect and store 50 pieces of personal data on a vast and insecure central database
  • Backed the ContactPoint database that now documents all of our children; though MPs can get their children “shielded” for the sake of their privacy
  • Support the retention of innocent people’s DNA profile on the national DNA database.

There are 18 other MPs – all of whom are standing for re-election – exemplify the worst aspect of the last Parliament – that there is one rule for politicians and one rule for everybody else.

These overlords have one rule for them and another for everyone else

Out of nearly 650 MPs these 18 have been identified as Parliament’s worst examples of politicians who practice ‘one rule for them and another for everyone else’. All of them are Labour MPs.

One of the other reasons I won’t be voting for Labour in Croydon North is my experience with Labour Councillor Maggie Mansell who was very rude and unpleasant when I welcomed her at my door.

Check out your local MP

You can see how they vote on major issues here: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/malcolm_wicks/croydon_north

Here is how Malcolm Wicks stacks up on a variety of issues:

  • Voted moderately for introducing a smoking ban
  • Voted strongly for the hunting ban
  • Voted very strongly for replacing Trident
  • Voted very strongly for the Iraq war
  • Voted very strongly against an investigation into the Iraq war
  • Voted strongly for introducing student top-up fees
  • Voted very strongly for introducing foundation hospitals
  • Voted moderately against laws to stop climate change
  • Voted a mixture of for and against greater autonomy for schools
  • Voted very strongly for Labour’s anti-terrorism laws
  • Voted very strongly for introducing ID cards
  • Voted strongly for equal gay rights
  • Voted very strongly for allowing ministers to intervene in inquests
  • Voted moderately against a transparent Parliament
  • Voted moderately for removing hereditary peers from the House of Lords
  • Voted very strongly for a wholly elected House of Lords

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My Experience with Labour councillor Maggie Mansell

Apr 12

Posted by webmonge in Politics | 5 Comments

A knock at the door late on Sunday afternoon. My heart slightly sinks. I have just had a few mouthfuls of a well earned roast dinner after a long day of hard gardening.

Political non-engagement

I open the door to a lady asking me to sign a petition to help get some unsightly rubbish cleared up from the local area. It has been a big issue in South London and who wouldn’t want to put their name on such a petition. I sign it and we chat about it for a minute or so as I start to shift uncomfortably and look back to the Mrs as she eats her lovely roast. Mine is calling to me but I have kept some of that annoying British politeness at being interrupted on a Sunday evening.

I make stirrings to close the door  saying “thanks” when comes the “Sorry, but I can see you are about to have dinner”

I reply “I have already started dinner” but she interrupts “Can I ask how you will vote in the next General election?”

Ah! The penny drops, the petition is just a thinly veiled ruse to get you to chat about an issue no one would ever disagree with before lunging for the vote for me because I care about the local issues trick.

“I have not decided yet but it won’t be Labour this time” and “I am going to go back to my roast din…”

Again I am interrupted “What if it came down to just Labour and the Conservatives”

“I won’t be voting Labour” I say

She leans towards me and barks “WELL, YOU MUST EARN OVER 100,000 a year then”

I interrupt and tell her she is being rude and I must return to my dinner. I start to shut the door and she shifts to be seen in the ever closing gap. She boom out, this time not getting eye contact with me but leaning to be seen over my shoulder to my wife eating dinner behind me… “What about you Mrs H….., how will you vote in the coming….”

Door shuts.

What a rude woman. I wrote an email to her but never received a reply.

See my other reason for not voting Labour in Croydon North

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