November, 2004
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BBC News dumbing down?
November 30, 2004 by dafyd
Category 1 | Tags: rant | Comments Off
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ThankYouTony.com
November 30, 2004 by dafyd
I came across the site ThankYouTony.com as I was browsing the World Wide InterWebNet.
Whereas, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair, has vigorously supported the United States in the disarmament of Iraq;
Whereas, the United Kingdom is a strong and loyal ally to the United States;
Whereas, Prime Minister Tony Blair has committed substantial military forces of the United Kingdom to the current action in Iraq;
The American people extend their heartfelt thanks to Prime Minister Tony Blair for his courage and leadership; and
Extend their deep appreciation to the United Kingdom and the men and women of its armed forces.
Once again, the Americans manage to carve their own way across the world, completely ignoring global opinion.
Hah!
Category 1 | Tags: hmm | Comments Off
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David Blunkett – the end is nigh?
November 28, 2004 by dafyd
I’ve not blogged about the whole David Blunkett affair thing yet, because I believe quitevery strongly that his personal life is exactly that – not something for everyone to pick through as they feel like it.But over the last few days, as more and more allegations of impropriety emerged, I started to wonder whether his personal life had started to leak into his public one.
To quote the Sunday Telegraph (much as I’d rather not…):
The Home Secretary allegedly used his position to facilitate the granting of permanent residency for Leoncia “Luz” Casalme, a 36-year-old nanny working for Kimberly Quinn, the married woman with whom he had a secret three-year affair.
[...]
It is the allegations that he used his powers as Home Secretary to do favours for his mistress, however, that will cause a political storm. Our investigation can reveal that, in addition to his help for the nanny, the Home Secretary allegedly:
· Shared confidential security information with Mrs Quinn, in what a friend of hers described as “pillow talk”. This included advice to her parents to avoid Newark airport, in New York, hours before a security scare and giving Mrs Quinn advance knowledge of police raids in Manchester that led to the death of an officer in January, 2003;
· Ordered a policeman to stand outside Mrs Quinn’s Mayfair home to safeguard her against anti-capitalist rioting that had been expected during a May Day demonstration;
· Gave her first-class rail tickets in August 2002 which are thought to have been assigned to him for his work as an MP;
· Put pressure on the American embassy to issue a temporary passport for William Quinn in May 2003, so that Mrs Quinn and her son could join him on holiday in France;
· Used his government chauffeur to drive Mrs Quinn to his home in Derbyshire for weekend trysts;
· Took Mrs Quinn, the publisher of The Spectator, to Spain for a wedding, accompanied by four security men and a driver, with much of the cost allegedly met by the taxpayer.
Of course, when the story about his affair with Ms Quinn/Fortier broke, he flew the Home Office Press Officer out to France (I think), to discuss tactics of response there. If that isn’t an abuse of ministerial privilege, I don’t know what is.
As I’ve said, I don’t really care if he did or didn’t have an affair, nor do I care about the results of the paternity tests he’s trying to get. Most of the accusations levelled by the Torygraph above are fairly petty – but if the serious ones are true, he should seriously reconsider his position. In fact, he should be made to reconsider his position by the PM.
An interesting parallel is that with Boris Johnson’s alleged affair with Petronella Wyatt – Wibbler has linked to a couple of articles on it over at Boriswatch.
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Michael Howard has left the building
November 27, 2004 by dafyd
I came across this article on the site of one of Britain’s foremost tabloid newspapers (tabloid, not compact) – complete with picture:
YES, I’M A PM IN DISGUISE
TORY leader Michael Howard hopes to get his party All Shook Up for the next election – by adopting an Elvis Presley song.
Instead of playing Elgar or Andrew Lloyd Webber tunes, he wants his battle buses to blast out The King’s A Little Less Conversation.
Aides believe the line “A little less conversation, a little more action please” would focus on Labour’s failure to deliver on key pledges.
Mr Howard, a big Elvis fan, is said to do a mean impersonation of the pelvis-thrusting legend. Our picture shows how he could look in action.
READY FOR A BIG SWING?
Songs Michael ‘Elvis’ Howard might sing include: True Blue Suede Shoes, Howard Dog, Love Me out-to-Tender and I’m Right, You’re Left, She’s Gone.
Give you three guesses which paper it was in…
Talk about blowing a minor story out proportion…!
Category 1 | Tags: hmm | Comments Off
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Boris on ID Cards
November 25, 2004 by dafyd
As for the article alongside which the “interesting” ads reside, it’s possibly one of Boris’ best. It’s great to see him back on form. You can read it on the Telegraph website, but I thought I’d jot down a few of the highlight. The article is on the proposed new biometric ID cards… or Blunko-cards as Boris calls them!
You know what you need on these dark winter mornings, when you get into your freezing car, and you sit there in a state of shivering depression, because the windscreen has been frosted to damnation, and the wipers are too puny to make any difference?
I’ll tell you what you need, my friend. You need an ID card! Just take one of the new £85 biometric Blunko-cards, and scrape-scrape, hey presto! Frost’s all gone.
Absolutely. The Girovend / CardWise cards we used to have at Nottingham High School were used for exactly that purpose, as well as for many of the other uses being thought up on Boris’ website.
I am sure that we will all find it a handy, if expensive, addition to our wallets and handbags. But I tell you this. If I am ever asked, on the streets of London, or in any other venue, public or private, to produce my ID card as evidence that I am who I say I am, when I have done nothing wrong and when I am simply ambling along and breathing God’s fresh air like any other freeborn Englishman, then I will take that card out of my wallet and physically eat it in the presence of whatever emanation of the state has demanded that I produce it.
As murky says on his blog, that opens him up to some mickey-taking the next time he sits next to Paul Merton – I’m sure Have I Got News For You can find him a nice ID card to eat…
Category 1 | Tags: rave | Comments Off
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World Peace for Sale?
November 25, 2004 by dafyd
The Google ads next to Boris Johnson’s latest column on the Daily Telegraph site make some fairly interesting reading – have a look at this screen-capture!
How much is ‘World Peace’ going for on eBay, then? A quick search finds … hmm, strangely enough, not a lot. What a pity. There’s a lot more on ebay.com, but still no one proposing a lasting solution, available to the highest bidder. Oh well – it looks like Messrs Bush and Blair are just going to have to pull their fingers out and work it out themselves. That said, maybe we’d best leave Bush out of it…
Happy Thanksgiving to all you American types, by the way…
Category 1 | Tags: hmm | 1 Comment
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Nothing is Original…
November 24, 2004 by dafyd
This is good… although I am a huge fan of Mr Potter, I have to agree that there is nothing particularly original about the concept of the novels:
Category 1 | Tags: rantandrave | 2 Comments
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The Lumley Run
November 23, 2004 by dafyd
So… tonight is the first Lumley Run of the year. What, you might ask, is the Lumley Run? Kick off your shoes, relax in an armchair, and let me explain:
The Lumley Run is most definitely a great Castle tradition. Seven miles from Durham Castle is Lumley Castle, where in past times, Castle livers-out were housed. A tradition arose of running the seven miles between the two castles, pausing for refreshment at each and every hostelry en route. Notwithstanding the fact that this comprises some 23 pubs, each year a number of castlemen run the seven miles and drink the 17 pints that constitute the course.
All the competitors who finish the course are admitted to the Lumley Run Club, and get a tie… woohoo!
You may be shocked and surprised to discover that I am not doing the run… but a couple of Freshers who are good friends are… I guess they might not be at our 9 o’clock tomorrow morning!
In case you are interested, the Lumley Run is the ‘race‘ referred to in the Castle Song:
Gentlemen of Castle
Come from near and far, (near and far!)
Now the race is over
We’re heading for the bar, (bom bom bom)
Nearer still and nearer,
On to victory, (victory!)
Floreat Castellum,
Pride of varsity, (bom bom bom)
Floreat Castellum,
Balls to S. R. C.!Category 1 | Tags: thecastlesaga | 1 Comment
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Mea culpa
November 22, 2004 by dafyd
I was wrong. I take it all back.
The USA has a government website at http://www.barney.gov. I kid you not.
It’s this chap’s website:
Check out the ‘Photo of the Day’ archive – some of them are really cute… but one has to wonder whether maybe these White House staffers have a little too much time on their hands…!
Category 1 | Tags: rave | Comments Off
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Hedgehogs
November 21, 2004 by dafyd
We must be the only country in the world to have an official Government website with the an address like www.hedgehogs.gov.uk. What is that? I know, of course… but do you?
Have a look – and make sure you watch the videos! That way you’ll be “King of the Road“…
Category 1 | Tags: rave | 1 Comment