tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48701434656141327582024-03-13T04:21:37.492-07:00Test5 testingPaul Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00525444717679391831noreply@blogger.comBlogger1311125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4870143465614132758.post-19874255061673818982014-03-16T11:44:00.001-07:002014-03-16T11:44:41.616-07:00Jjk<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1pK4vE60ZcI/Tm5CTg53KJI/AAAAAAAAEzk/JfPs2F_WA60/s1600/saddleworth-tim-farron-300x1823.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1pK4vE60ZcI/Tm5CTg53KJI/AAAAAAAAEzk/JfPs2F_WA60/s1600/saddleworth-tim-farron-300x1823.jpg" /></a>Paul Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00525444717679391831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4870143465614132758.post-79955963155204145732014-03-16T11:39:00.002-07:002014-03-16T11:39:06.457-07:00Jj<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ADCOD6U-Sik/Tm5AeBgpUUI/AAAAAAAAEzc/CpMOla8Od-Q/s1600/nick+clegg+with+me2.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ADCOD6U-Sik/Tm5AeBgpUUI/AAAAAAAAEzc/CpMOla8Od-Q/s1600/nick+clegg+with+me2.jpg" /></a>Paul Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00525444717679391831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4870143465614132758.post-66747766809083229672012-05-20T13:06:00.002-07:002012-05-20T13:06:16.388-07:00ioihobob<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Paul Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00525444717679391831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4870143465614132758.post-89036435954599806672011-09-14T04:24:00.001-07:002011-09-14T04:24:25.835-07:00jghh<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Paul Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00525444717679391831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4870143465614132758.post-79802333765933616792011-09-12T10:33:00.000-07:002011-09-12T10:33:13.456-07:00tetstttw<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Paul Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00525444717679391831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4870143465614132758.post-78965896493054740902011-09-12T10:28:00.001-07:002011-09-12T10:28:47.631-07:00testersten<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Paul Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00525444717679391831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4870143465614132758.post-66785606098751978062011-09-12T10:25:00.001-07:002011-09-12T10:25:26.387-07:00testywoo2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Paul Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00525444717679391831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4870143465614132758.post-17061926140633120942007-09-23T07:49:00.000-07:002009-11-14T10:33:06.554-08:00My first political memories<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/RvaEHwGgPAI/AAAAAAAABEg/z2w1-_rV7gc/s1600-h/Sir_Winston_Churchills_funeral_30_January_1965.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/RvaEHwGgPAI/AAAAAAAABEg/z2w1-_rV7gc/s400/Sir_Winston_Churchills_funeral_30_January_1965.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113419695631907842" border="0" /></a><br />Thank you to <a href="http://www.lynnefeatherstone.org/2007/09/my-first-political-memory.htm">Lynne <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Featherstone</span></a> and <a href="http://norfolkblogger.blogspot.com/2007/09/my-first-political-memory-new-meme.html"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Nich</span> Starling</a> for tagging me regarding my earliest political memory.<br /><br />At first I believed that I had, with spooky coincidence, already blogged about what I thought was my first political memory the previous day when I reminisced about seeing <a href="http://paulwalter.blogspot.com/2007/09/ming-is-it.html#links">John <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Pardoe</span> speak</a> when I was ten. However, Lynne's recollection about the Cuban missile crisis has made me recall earlier memories.<br /><br />The Cuban missile crisis made me think "Kennedy" and I remembered being told that Robert Kennedy had been shot on June 5<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">th</span> 1968. I was too young to remember J.F.K being shot.<br /><br />Then I had a think and recalled an even earlier event. I remember Sir Winston's Churchill's Funeral on 30<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">th</span> January 1965. I remember looking at the television and seeing the cranes in London 's docklands which were lowered to salute Churchill as his coffin was taken by on a boat. A few minutes later I went up to our local bakery and bought some hot, freshly baked bread (funny how these things stick in your mind!).<br /><br />Later, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Biafran</span> war (1967-70), Harold Wilson with his pipe and a perilous balance of payments situation stand out as items I remember from the TV news. I also remember the day that Princess Marina died (27<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">th</span> August 1968) and when Eisenhower died (28<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">th</span> March 1969).<br /><br />I will now tag <a href="http://edtrelinski.com/">Ed Trelinski</a> (a US blogger with a close interest in UK affairs), <a href="http://www.alexfoster.me.uk/">Alex Foster</a> (who I met at the Blogger of year awards - still haven't worked out why his blog is called "Niles' Blog"), <a href="http://millenniumelephant.blogspot.com/">Millennium Dome, Elephant</a> and <a href="http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/">James Graham</a>.Paul Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00525444717679391831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4870143465614132758.post-40097690678093844802007-09-22T08:54:00.000-07:002009-11-14T10:33:06.556-08:00Will Gordon join George in the footnotes of history?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/RvUZxQGgO_I/AAAAAAAABEY/XaqB9UHC3nM/s1600-h/Old+PMs+-+George+Canning.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/RvUZxQGgO_I/AAAAAAAABEY/XaqB9UHC3nM/s200/Old+PMs+-+George+Canning.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113021285875596274" border="0" /></a>It's a fair bet that <a href="http://uk.f231.mail.yahoo.com/dc/launch?.rand=ap77ml4218i1o">George Canning</a> (left) has occasionally occupied the thoughts of Gordon Brown recently. Mr Canning was, by all accounts, a fine public speaker, a brilliant military strategist and a practical joker. His long record of public service isn't what he is remembered for, however.<br /><br />Political anoraks with the highest tog rating remember old George because he holds the record as the British prime minister who served for the shortest period - 119 days. He is a footnote in British political history.<br /><br />The reason why I say it is a fair bet that Gordon Brown has been thinking about George Canning recently is because if Gordon gets wrong his big decision about the election date, then Gordon will join George in the footnotes. If Gordon Brown calls an election for October 25th, and loses, he will have been premier for 120 days - a day longer than George.<br /><br />But unlike George, who was removed from office by the grim reaper via pneumonia, Gordon will forever be remembered as the shortest serving Prime Minister removed from office by himself.<br /><br />"Gordon Brown" will join "Eddie the Eagle" as by-words for farcical incompetence in the English language lexicon. ("Did you do any good in the snooker last night, Dave?" "No, mate, I Gordon Browned it, I'm afraid".)<br /><br />And Gordon won't want that.<br /><br />So the memory of George Canning, as well as that of Jim Callaghan (British history's "shorty" Labour prime minister) will have been weighing heavily on Gordon's mind. It's all very well talking about one brilliant ICM poll, but general election campaigns can take on a life of their own. Another banking crisis, more continued foot and mouth outbreaks (there was another affected farm announced today), one or two "events, dear boy" and a lucky break for the opposition parties could all sweep Labour from power on October 25th. Or, at least, hobble them with a wafer-thin majority.<br /><br />Douglas Alexander says Labour have the "cash and organisation" to go the polls in October. That's interesting. A few weeks ago, when I last bothered to check, Labour had a debt of £20 million. The last general election cost them £20 million. So if you assume that a campaign of about half the duration of the last one will cost them about half the amount, that's £10 million needed for an October campaign. Lord Sainsbury has recently given them £2 million and they say that they've had lots of other donations recently. Let's be optimistic for them and assume they have recently slashed their debt to, say, £15 million. So an October poll would leave them back where they were a few months ago - with a debt of £25 million. Their bank managers or loaners seemed just about ready to live with that sort of debt at that time, so one can assume that they will live with a level of £25 million debt again.<br /><br />So, Labour can just about finance a quick election. (The Tories, however, will probably have more money at their disposal.) But I wouldn't like to be their bank manager. £25 million is quite a debt. But, then again, they will have four years in which to pay it (or a good chunk of it) back before the next election, hopefully (for them).<br /><br />They're in the realms of knife-edge finances, though. (But then again, I will stop there on the finances subject, before someone shouts "Michael Brown!" at me).<br /><br />There is another risk with going to the country in October. The great British public, roused from its comfy armchair to walk down to the polling station on a blustery, cold autumnal day might actually come up with this collective thought: "We went down to the polls just two and a half years ago. Why on earth is that Scots-porridge oat Brown forcing us out into the cold, down to the polls so soon?"<br /><br />It's a good question. There's a good answer. Because Brown is a new prime minister and would like a nice new shiny mandate from you, oh great British voter, thank you very much.<br /><br />But then the great British voter might just reply: "Yes, but we didn't force Blair to leave office - you did, you collossal numpty", before putting their cross against a candidate from any party except Labour. After all, when you go down to your local pub these days, is your entry impeded as you are pushed back by an almighty gust of wind caused by the assembled populace angrily shouting "Brown must go to the polls now!" ? Of course, not - normal people hardly mention the subject.<br /><br />Even if Brown wins an October election we will still be left with a lingering question. Why did we use up all that time and money and run all that risk (money markets, temporarily paralysed civil service etc) of an election on October 25th 2007 when, according to our constitution, such as it is, we didn't need to have one until May 5th 2010?<br /><br />Look at it that way and you find yourself sleep-walking inexorably towards a huge neon sign flashing the words "FIXED TERMS" on it. Local councils have them. The Scottish parliament, the Welsh assembly and the Northern Ireland Assembly have fixed terms. A few old biddies sitting round in a lounge in Philidelphia 220 years ago agreed on fixed terms for those governing our cousins across the pond.<br /><br />So why the Sam Hill do we still have this refrain of "guess the election date" playing on as an almost constant leitmotif to British politics? It's insane.<br /><br />One consideration which may be kicking it's way back and forwards through the brain space of our dear Prime Minister may be this. Will the traditional Labour vote hold? Well he might ponder over this. As Ming Campbell called it, "Blue Labour" is lucky to have any of its traditional supporters still voting for it.<br /><br />Is the Labour party coming together now in Bournemouth one that would be recognised by Keir Hardie, or Harold Wilson or Clement Atlee if they, by some divine happenstance, alighted there? Well, if they bumped into Dennis Skinner or Bob Crowe they would feel at home.<br /><br />If they bumped into Labour minister Digby, Lord Jones or Labour MP Quentin Davies they might immediately give their excuses and leave, assuming they had mistakenly stumbled in on the Conservative conference.<br /><br />It's not just the personalities. The conference itself is changing. This will be the last time that the conference will be able to debate and vote on "contemporary motions". There are other changes also in the offing. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2174644,00.html">Gordon Brown</a> enthusiastically advocates those changes in an article in today's Guardian (which is helpfully succeeded with the note "Gordon Brown is the prime minister").<br /><br />In fact, the gist of Brown's argument is sound. Hand the power to decide policy to all the party members - not just the conference representatives. Very laudable. I am not sure the way he intends to do it is consistent with this aim, however: "A one-member, one-vote ballot every four years on the party programme".<br /><br />Indeed, if you read <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2172671,00.html">Tony Benn's interpretation</a> of the internal party constitutional proposals, it seems Brown is as usual, perhaps, being devious. He is, cynics would suggest, smuggling through a move to silence the conference so that it can't mess up a Blue Labour government by injecting any pink or red into it:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">If the new proposals - now endorsed by the NEC and apparently some major trade unions - are accepted, delegates will only be allowed to identify issues they want looked at by the policy forums, and the manifesto that emerges will be put to a referendum of party members to accept or reject in full, with no possibility of amendment. This would complete the New Labour project under which the conference becomes a platform for ministers and a few handpicked delegates - and, of course, a big trade fair. There would be no point in joining the party locally or affiliating as a union in the hope of discussing policy.</span><br /><br />But that's Brown's "new politics" for you. Just like Gordon's "Big Tent", where he involves people from other parties just as long as they are the ones likely to wind up their respective parties, Gordon's "Big conversation" will involve any debate as long as Gordon ends up winning it.<br /><br />Brown says the new conference process will end "resolutions without solutions".<br /><br />Well, you only need to look at this year's conference agenda, at what is on it, and, more tellingly, what is not on it, to see what Gordon Brown wants to avoid. The Unison union has proposed a "contemporary" motion saying that the equal pay law has not redressed the inequality of women in low paid jobs. It also attacks Hazel Blears' green paper which calls for councils to become "enabling authorities", no longer providing public services themselves. The GMB union criticises the management of state-owned Remploy for creating a "sense of insecurity and trauma, and...the cruellest harassment of already very vulnerable workers".<br /><br />And look what "contemporary motions" were dropped like hot potatoes from the conference agenda this year: several highly critical of the government's stewardship of the NHS, one criticising British military aid to Columbia, oh, and one slating the government for allowing the US to use the Menwith Hill base in Yorkshire for a new missile system. (What was it Ming said about sneaking "out a short statement on the last day of Parliament signing us up to host America’s Son of Star Wars on British soil?")<br /><br />So it is quite clear that Brown is attempting to muzzle the Labour party conference. This means more Blue Labour and more injustices and Tory-lite policies like the ones which Ming listed in his speech last Thursday. I can't see traditional Labour voters standing for this for much longer. Many have already stopped voting Labour. I expect more to do so.<br /><br />So, Gordon Brown cannot completely rest on his laurels. He cannot be entirely confident that, if he goes to the polls on October 25th, he will escape the company of George Canning in the altogether chilly environs of the footnotes of British political history.<br /><br />Oh, and, by the way, George Canning was a Tory. Very appropriate company for Gordon.Paul Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00525444717679391831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4870143465614132758.post-59271234439835823802007-09-21T03:24:00.000-07:002009-11-14T10:33:06.559-08:00Ming is "it"As I foresaw, one of the advantages of having a media conference narrative of "leader on last legs", is that when the leader gives a half-way decent speech at the end, the media narrative then, with typical hysteria, turns turtle and majors on "leader rises from dead".<br /><br />But the media coverage is not <span style="color:#000000;">all glowing</span> and Ming's <a href="http://www.libdems.org.uk/conference/brighton-2007-menzies-campbell-leaders-speech-part-1-of-3.7749.html">speech</a> far exceeded the description "half-way decent".<br /><br />I always look forward to immersing myself in wall-to-wall media coverage of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">LibDems</span></span>. I was not disappointed as I sat down to the teatime news programmes yesterday. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ITV</span></span> started their coverage of Ming's speech with a huge caption reading: "Ming finds his Zing" (<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/20/nlibs620.xml">James <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Gurling</span></span> </a>seems to have been ahead of them with that one). That gold standard of UK political commentary, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/nickrobinson/">Nick Robinson</a> said the speech should "stop the mutterings - for now".<br /><br />And there's the rub. We had all this after last year's autumn conference speech and after the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Ealing</span></span>/<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Southall</span></span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Sedgefield</span></span> by-elections. A few weeks of calm, and then it all kicks off again. "Ming too old", "Young Turks vie for position" etc etc.<br /><br />So why should this time be any different? Why, as the <a href="http://politics.guardian.co.uk/columnist/story/0,,2173959,00.html">Michael White</a> said this morning, have "tectonic plates shifted"?<br /><br />For me, it's different because of the sheer comprehensiveness, passion and heart-stopping liberalism of his speech yesterday.<br /><br />My earliest experience of live politics, as opposed to my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">grandfather</span> swearing at Harold Wilson or Nasser whenever they came onto the telly, was when I was ten. During the 1970 general election campaign I was able to wonder a few hundred yards down from our house and stand and observe what, in those days, was an endangered species, a genuine Liberal MP. John <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Pardoe</span></span> was his name. A big bear of a man with real charisma and passion. He used to stand on top of his <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">landrover</span></span> with his microphone and bellow out a stump speech. I can't remember what he said. If you asked me a few minutes after he had spoken what he had said, I probably wouldn't have been able to tell you much of what he said. But I knew one thing for sure. This man was "it". He was speaking the truth, he knew what needed to be done in the country, and he expressed it with such down-to-earth and gripping passion that I knew I was a Liberal like him.<br /><br />Listening to Ming's speech yesterday was a similar experience. Ming is "it".<br /><br />You just have to take his opening paragraph:<br /><br /><em>Let me start by asking some questions:<br />What kind of country is it where the government responds to the threat of climate change by allowing green taxes to fall as carbon emissions rise?<br />What kind of country is it where the richest in the land pay a lower rate of tax than the people who have to clean their offices?<br />What kind of country is it where the government halts a criminal investigation into corrupt arms sales to placate commercial interests?<br />What kind of country is it where the government colludes with the Tories to exempt <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">MPs</span> from freedom of information?<br />What kind of country is it where the government sneaks out a short statement on the last day of Parliament signing us up to host America’s Son of Star Wars on British soil?<br />And what kind of country is it where the government leads us into an illegal and disastrous war and then stops people from protesting against it?<br />Well, I’ll tell you what sort of country it’s not:<br />It’s not a liberal country.</em><br /><br />Well, that's fired me up just on its own. What an awesome list of the wrongs of the past few years of Labour government! It is to the credit of the speechwriters that they stacked the speech with the full set of these sorts of points in a highly organised way. That opening is all the more arresting for the fact that all those six points are the type of thing that is all too easily forgotten in day-to-day media coverage. It demonstrates cutting-edge liberalism that Ming and his team collated that list, and the other points later in the speech.<br /><br />Ming's scathing critiques of the other two leaders were brilliant. First on Cameron he was stunningly accurate as well as funny:<br /><br /><em>This year, David Cameron is going back to basics.<br />Last year the Conservative conference was about health, happiness and the sunshine glinting through the trees.<br />This year it will be flag, fear – and foreigners.<br />But why the right-turn?<br />I’ll tell you why.<br />Because he’s under pressure.<br />And without convictions of his own, the Tory leader is buffeted by the beliefs of others.<br />He’s done a u-turn on grammar schools.<br />An about turn on identity cards.<br />And a wrong-turn on human rights.<br />Margaret Thatcher would have to concede:<br />He turns if you want him to.<br />The laddie’s all for turning.<br />But we’re not for turning – we know exactly what we stand for.</em><br /><br />But he was even more <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">skillful</span> in shooting that old fox, Gordon Brown:<br /><br /><em>Mr Brown is working hard to convince us that there has been real change in Number 10:<br />That his arrival has somehow wiped the slate clean.<br />That the last ten years of waste, failure and disappointment are to be forgiven and forgotten<br />Well, not so fast Gordon.<br />You spent a decade blaming everything on the previous Conservative government.<br />But as Chancellor over the last ten years you had unparalleled influence over government.<br />You could have raised green taxes to tackle climate change.<br />You could have stopped the ineffective, expensive and unnecessary identity card scheme.<br />And you could have prevented Tony Blair from embarking on the catastrophe of the Iraq war.<br />But you <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">didn</span>’t.<br />This is your legacy, Mr Brown:<br />The environment degraded.<br />Civil liberties eroded.<br />Iraq invaded.<br />Not to mention the record for which you - and you alone - were responsible as Chancellor.<br />A smash and grab raid on private pensions.<br />A steady, disturbing rise in the number of home repossessions.<br />And a national economic backdrop of £1.3 trillion in personal debt.<br />With a record like that it’s no wonder that the Prime Minister wants to start afresh.<br />But it’s a record for which we will ensure that he takes responsibility:<br />In spite of your claims of change, Mr Brown, not much really has changed.<br />New Labour remains blue Labour.<br />And you’re still wrong.<br />Wrong on nuclear energy.<br />Wrong on council tax.<br />Wrong on student fees.<br />And you are wrong, wrong, wrong on detention without charge.<br />We don’t need a change of tone in this country:<br />We need a change of policies.<br />And you, Gordon Brown, have not delivered.</em><br /><br />I think we should all re-read that about once a week. To me, that is a main plank of a general election campaign.<br /><br />There was one tricky patch in the speech, it should be said. When Ming mentioned the EU referendum he only got subdued applause. When he said: "We would ask the British people the real question – whether they wish to remain in the European Union or not. I will proudly lead the Liberal Democrats at the forefront of that debate." he received no applause at all, even though it sounded as though he wanted some, from the way he said it. Maybe conference were a bit miffed at being told 'he will lead' us in a referendum campaign on EU membership when it has not yet considered what that referendum should consist of, if it is to be any different (some might say) from our manifesto commitment.<br /><br />But, apart from that, the speech went on as it began. A <em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">crie</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">de</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">coeur</span></em> of liberalism. "A classic liberal speech", as Paddy called it. "Ming Emperor rallies his weary troops" as the Telegraph put it.<br /><br />So Ming has put the party to bed - for now. He has sounded a "clarion call" (<a href="http://politics.guardian.co.uk/libdem2007/story/0,,2173443,00.html">Nick <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Clegg</span></a>) in advance of a potential election. But that's not enough.<br /><br />It's all very well making me happy. It's all very well making most of the "troops" happy and fired up. 'Classic liberal speeches' fire us all up. But they don't necessarily fire the country up. I do believe that we have policies, such as the 16p basic rate of tax, which will sell themselves very well to the electorate. If every voter had a copy of Ming's speech and read it, then we'd be home and dry. Unfortunately that isn't going to happen, of course.<br /><br />So we have the media issue - how do we get our message across (apart from the obvious <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Penhaligonesque</span> method of putting it on a bit of paper and sticking it through a letter box)? Unlike <a href="http://davidnikel.wordpress.com/2007/09/20/analyse-this-nick-assinder/">David <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Nikel</span> </a>I am not angry at the likes of Nick <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Assinder</span>, who wrote a typically petty piece on the conference on BBC Online. Like all journalists, Nick has to write something, and normally gets asked by his superior to write in a certain vein. It's no good getting angry with journalists. They have to put bread on the table at home. We are not going to change the media (except perhaps in a very small, incremental way). And they do us some favours - as we can see today's and yesterday's coverage of Ming's speech.<br /><br />We have to work with the media rather than constantly belittling them.<br /><br />Yes, it is a pain in the neck to have this constant "who will succeed Ming?" stuff. But look on the bright side. At least we have some obvious successors to Ming. Where are the obvious successors to David Cameron? There aren't any. Strangely enough, it is a credit to Ming that he has successors waiting. It is the job of any manager to ensure that there is a succession plan for him/herself. Ming has ensured that and has gone out of his way to foster his team of "young <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">turks</span>".Paul Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00525444717679391831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4870143465614132758.post-23281987584334593732007-09-20T12:49:00.000-07:002009-11-14T11:02:01.486-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/RvLO-TrMCuI/AAAAAAAABEA/MOss69mxGEM/s1600-h/mugnew1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/RvLO-TrMCuI/AAAAAAAABEA/MOss69mxGEM/s400/mugnew1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112376096847563490" border="0"></a>Paul Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00525444717679391831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4870143465614132758.post-83736613889235821542007-09-20T05:24:00.000-07:002009-11-14T10:33:06.563-08:00Great speech from MingQuick reaction on the speech. Great. He pressed all the right buttons. A real liberal speech - outlined a real, distinctive position and made clear Brown/Cameron's <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">appalling</span> failings. There was a tricky patch when he mentioned the EU referendum. I think he was particularly strong with his devastating <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">critique</span> of Brown.<br /><br />Ming's speech really could be offered as a summary to answer the question "what is a liberal?" as well as "what are the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">LibDems</span> for?"<br /><br />It was a brilliantly written , comprehensive speech. He showed real passion. I am not just saying that. He was shouting almost at some points and he looked really confident and energetic.<br /><br />The full text of the speech is <a href="http://www.libdems.org.uk/conference/brighton-2007-menzies-campbell-leaders-speech-part-1-of-3.7749.html">here</a>.Paul Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00525444717679391831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4870143465614132758.post-88739323842265629742007-09-20T03:52:00.001-07:002009-11-14T11:02:01.491-08:00Ming's speech - Live blog<div>11.52 Tim Clement-Jones is "shaking the tin" bless him.</div>Paul Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00525444717679391831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4870143465614132758.post-38426041683052310882007-09-20T03:52:00.000-07:002009-11-14T10:33:06.566-08:00Ming's speech - Live blog11.52 Tim Clement-Jones is "shaking the tin", bless him.<br /><br />11.59 Dead Liberals are in the spotlight. Chris <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Rennard</span> announces that John Stuart Mill has been voted the greatest Liberal in history. When you think about it, a bit of a no <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">brainer</span>. (But then again a no <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">brainer</span> surely needs no thinking about....I hate this waiting) Well done to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Millster</span>.<br /><br />12.06 Chris <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Rennard</span> looks forward to his 50<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">th</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">LibDem</span>/Liberal conference/assembly in his home city of Liverpool next March.<br /><br />12.07 The Party Conference broadcast video is being played while the mass ranks move onto the stage to be the backdrop.<br /><br />12.09 Warm applause for Ming's goal in the video.<br /><br />12.10 Ming walks into the hall. Elspeth is wearing a plain white suit/coat. Very subdued for her.<br /><br />12.12 Ming starts with some questions. Climate change response of Labour - green taxes fall. Richest pay lower tax rate than their office cleaners. Criminal investigation into arms sales stopped. Tories trying to exempt <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">MPs</span> from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">FOI</span>. What kind of country? Government sneaks out "son of Star Wars" announcement on last day of parliament. Illegal disastrous war - stopping protests. What kind of country? Very passionate. It's not a liberal country. That's why <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">LibDems</span> have never been more necessary.<br /><br />Brilliant start.<br /><br />12.14 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">LibDems</span> leading fight against climate change. Examples: Wales, Scotland. Recent green organisations audit where we came top. Policies: green taxes - vision for zero carbon Britain.<br /><br />12.15 Media critics. Obsessed with Young Turks. (Married one!) I answer to you and not the media. Big applause.<br /><br />12.16 Thank goodness we can confront difficult issues. Say controversial things. That's real leadership. That's my leadership. We're on <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">the</span> cutting edge of critical issues. "I won't have it any other way".<br /><br />12.17 Hard choices. Labour. Gordon gets into power and the first thing he does is praises Maggie Thatcher. Maggie, Gordon, Tony, Dave, Ian, Michael....confused? You must be. But I don't want to be like any of them. Big cheer/applause.<br /><br />12.18 Conservatives. Right turn. No convictions. Cameron <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">buffeted</span>. Grammar schools etc. Wrong turn on human rights.<br /><br />12.20 He turns if you want him to. The lad is all for turning. Nice one. We're not for turning. Fit for purpose - radical, responsible, Liberal.<br /><br />12.21 We'll be ready for election. Fight for every vote. To rattle cages.<br /><br />12.22 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Ealing</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Southall</span>/<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Sedgefield</span> - hard work -principal challengers to government. Tories pushed into third place. Applause. Mayor of London - three great candidates on shortlist. Sustained applause.<br /><br />12.23 Boris Johnson. the blondest suicide note in history.<br /><br />12.24 Age. I will make it an issue. Experience. Judgment. War decisions.<br /><br />12.25 Tragic <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">folly</span> of Iran war. Ability to trust <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">LibDems</span> if Iran military action proposals from the US come.<br /><br />12.26 Brown doesn't get off hook - he could have prevented Iraq war, ID cards, lack of green taxes - chancellor for 10 years<br /><br />12.28 Brown's legacy - we see now. Personal debt. We will ensure he takes responsibility. New Labour remains Blue Labour. Wrong wrong wrong.<br /><br />12.29 Don't just need change of tone - need change of policy and B<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">rown</span> hasn't delivered. Farmers. Must get farmers back in business asap. Collapse of trust in leading banks. Queues. Underlying of excessive debt/reckless lending has not been addressed - responsibility with Brown.<br /><br />12.30 Conservatives not fit for purpose. No environment commitments. Agreed with war. Bucketful of policy proposals. Advice from the Vulcan - straight from the bridge of SS Free Enterprise - policies Dave, but not as we know them.<br /><br />12.32 Tories still don't know what their policies would be. Suffering from identity crisis. Don't know whether to hug or hang <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">hoodies</span>.<br /><br />12.33 Environment, taxes, Iraq etc - cosy consensus Labour Tory - we alone can break<br /><br />12.34 That doesn't rule out co-operation. Steel, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Ashdown</span> and Kennedy were all proved right when they stood up to Labour/Tories.<br /><br />12.35 When they try to shout me down - I would not be silenced. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">LibDems</span> will never be silenced (rendition, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Guantanemo</span> etc). That includes Europe. We must make case. Cameron wants to restrict us to narrow referendum - let's have an honest debate with a real choice. Applause (3 on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">clapometer</span>). Tricky moment.<br /><br />12.42 Freedom is indivisible. Racial/sexual/sexual orientation - I stand with those prejudiced against and so too do <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">LibDems</span> - strong <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">applause</span> - tricky moment over.<br /><br />12.43 You can't be a part time liberal. Faith. Guarantee all religions accept tyranny of none.<br />Good phrase.<br /><br />12.44 Listing people he has met. Homeless. Injured soldier. Powerful piece about price of war that should never have been.<br /><br />12.44 too many forgotten people. Social exclusion. I'm angry. I'm deeply angry. Things have got to change if we want to be one truly united Britain. Big applause. Government must stand for interests of all but vested interests of none.<br /><br />12.45 Change governance once and for all - throw open the doors of government and let the people in. No more secret arms deals full stop. Fair votes. End of lottery of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">FPSTP</span> system. Real Freedom of information. Wholly elected house of Lords. Bill of rights. Put the protection of the environment at the heart of constitution - guarantee rights to clean water, air etc<br /><br />12.46 Our challenge is to extend freedom to everyone. London. Deprivation. Gap between rich and poor is wider than when Labour came to office. Who'd have thought it? Big applause. Social mobility in decline - UK at bottom of UNICEF league table for child well being.<br /><br />12.48 That's the record of Brown/Labour. Social housing queue. Pensioners struggling. People whose background change their prospects. Education. Proposal for extra money for children who are <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">struggling</span>. Where opportunity is denied, freedom is denied also.<br /><br />12.50 William <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Beveridge</span>. Challenges still there. Five giants. We should lead fight for five freedoms.<br /><br />12.51 Confidence in the law and crime prevention at all time low. Brown increased taxes for less well off. We will close tax loopholes. Cut rate of income tax to lowest for century. Shift tax from income to pollution. Cuts for average families.<br /><br />12.52 Clean environment. We will fight for the five <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">freedoms</span>. I will lead party into GE with energy, passion...liberalism has never been needed than it is today.<br /><br />12.55 We alone can break cosy consensus. We only can make people free from fear, climate change. Only we will fight for free, fair and green society. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">We're</span> not the real alternative - we're the ONLY alternative. Sustained applause.<br /><br />12.56 Not two against one. But one against two. I joined to change country - that is what we can achieve together.<br /><br />Lots of applause.Paul Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00525444717679391831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4870143465614132758.post-32423680339730831642007-09-20T00:54:00.000-07:002009-11-14T10:33:06.568-08:00Ming: 'It's not two on one now, it's one on two'That was a phrase that Ming repeated several times at the interview last Sunday with the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">LibDem</span> Blogger of year <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">shortlisters</span>.<br /><br /><em>It's not two on one, now. It's one on two.</em><br /><br />What he means is that instead of the two non-governmental parties opposing the government, we now have just one of the non-governmental parties, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">LibDems</span>, opposing both Labour and the Conservatives - what he is calling the "cosy consensus", in his speech this morning.<br /><br />It is a powerful point. Rather than list off those policies on which Labour and the Tories have agreed on in the last ten years (there are too many), it is easier to list the policies on which they have disagreed.<br /><br />In the early days, they disagreed on the Minimum Wage. The <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">preponderance</span> of each party's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">MPs</span>, in a free vote, have disagreed on Hunting with hounds. There have been differences of tone on Europe and immigration - but nothing substantive. On most issues, both parties have fallen in with the other in a game of "Anything you can do, we can do better". A sort of Daily Mail reader bidding war.<br /><br />So Ming's "It's one on two" and "cosy consensus" phrases are actually a clever distillation of the UK political picture which highlights the injustice of a system which is erring more and more towards what used to be, and perhaps still is, called the "right wing". That's a situation brought sharply into focus with Gordon Brown's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">cosying</span> up to Margaret Thatcher and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,,2169810,00.html">subsequent comparisons</a> to George Orwell's <a href="http://www.online-literature.com/orwell/animalfarm/">Animal Farm</a>:<br /><br /><em>The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig...but already it was too late to say which was which.</em><br /><br />As an aside, Ming developed his "one on two" <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">leitmotif</span> in the Sunday interview, saying that "it's one against one - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">LibDem</span> against Labour in the North and one against one - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">LibDem</span> against Conservative in the South". He then attempted a further bit of juggling with basic maths but stumbled a bit and got a bit tangled up. He reminded me of a slightly discombobulated Ted Rodgers on the telly programme<a href="http://www.ukgameshows.com/page/index.php/3-2-1"> 3-2-1</a> (below) when he used to do a little trick with his hand to put up three, then two, then one finger in a very fast sequence. Most of the audience of 3-2-1 were left utterly baffled by the programme, but I have high hopes that this "cosy consensus" and "one against two" theme will be better understood by the public. It might even pass as a rallying call for the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">LibDems</span>, if we are <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">allowed</span> rallying calls. I suspect we'll have to receive a couple of shots of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">mogodon</span> to calm us down.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/RvInXjrMCsI/AAAAAAAABDw/AvTWGD__xKg/s1600-h/321_tedinaudience.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112191812685793986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/RvInXjrMCsI/AAAAAAAABDw/AvTWGD__xKg/s400/321_tedinaudience.jpg" border="0" /></a>Paul Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00525444717679391831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4870143465614132758.post-67782177786400348752007-09-19T10:54:00.000-07:002009-11-14T10:33:06.570-08:00What more does Ming have to do? Streak?We had a Party Conference Broadcast this evening. The title was "Environment Action Now". It had a straight-forward narrative involving the floods in July. Ming appeared against that backdrop. He was in "animated mode". I know, the electrodes had been applied. Ha Ha. But I did find his words and body language reasonably arresting. What more does he have to do? Streak?<br /><br />It was a nice touch to see Ming playing football with his gandsons at the end. You can watch the broadcast below this post.<br /><br />Later on the Six O'Clock News, Nick Robinson put viewers' questions to Ming.<br /><br />Nick started by reading an email question: "Ming Campbell's clearly a smart chap, can he not see that the country will not back a leader they feel sorry for?"<br /><br />Ming appeared very assured and answered robustly that he had an agenda to take on Climate change, implement a fair tax policy, and improve citizens' rights, which have been whittled away by this government.<br /><br />Nick said that a party colleague had described him (Ming) as a victim of "barely disguised ageism".<br /><br />Ming replied that people are concerned about performance, judgement, fairness and experience.<br /><br />Nick said "You used word "fair" - is it fair to increase the taxes of people earning a combined household income of £67,000?"<br /><br />Ming answered that the UK average income is £24-25,000 so that people earning £70,000 are on 2.5 times average - "shouldn't they be asked to pay a little more? - If you are going to benefit 90% of the people you can't do it with smoke and mirrors"<br /><br />Nick ended by asking if Ming faced a big challenge tomorrow.<br /><br />Ming said that he intended to send LibDems home with a spring in their step and that he offered policies to change the face of Britain.<br /><br />There's more <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/7003045.stm">here</a>.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mRCcvVkKgU8"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mRCcvVkKgU8" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>Paul Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00525444717679391831noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4870143465614132758.post-39939370110963271922007-09-19T02:49:00.000-07:002009-11-14T11:02:01.496-08:00<a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/RvDxATrMClI/AAAAAAAABC4/Q8hgz98G5tE/s1600-h/brave_smiles.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/RvDxATrMClI/AAAAAAAABC4/Q8hgz98G5tE/s400/brave_smiles.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111850564649224786" /></a>Paul Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00525444717679391831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4870143465614132758.post-32335532468733006432007-09-19T01:54:00.000-07:002009-11-14T10:33:06.574-08:00163 families would not now be grieving if there had been more people like Ming in the CabinetI did a <a href="http://paulwalter.blogspot.com/2007/09/mr-balloon-bursts.html#links">quick cut and paste </a>last night about the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ICM</span> poll showing Cameron behind Ming and Brown in the popularity stakes. Yes! Ming is more popular than Cameron. So stick that in your pipe, oh detractors, and smoke it!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2007/09/19/cameron-less-popular-than-campbell/">James</a> quite rightly says that it is the Tories who should now be tearing themselves apart.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2172264,00.html">Jonathan <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Freedland</span></a> in the Guardian concludes that Cameron has not stayed the course of "modernisation" as Blair did for years:<br /><br /><em>...if Cameron thinks he's done enough modernising so that he can now soothe the Tory heartlands with the old songs on Europe and immigration, he's wrong. To win, he has to be able to hold a line long after the political classes, and especially his own party, have become bored rigid by it.</em><br /><br />I have moved on from being bored rigid by the continual "Ming faltering line". The media are just pathetic. First, we got <a href="http://paulwalter.blogspot.com/2007/09/guardian-wet-themselves.html#links">the Guardian </a>blowing a quip totally out of proportion. Then this morning Radio Four majored on "Nick <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Clegg</span> ready to takeover" or some such of nonsense. It turns out Nick <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Clegg</span> had a woolly suggestion that he might stand for the leadership if and when there is a vacancy (couched around support for Ming and an attack on his detractors) reluctantly squeezed out of him (I think he had a soft part of his anatomy placed roughly between two bricks) at a fringe meeting which was not even recorded.<br /><br />Pathetic.<br /><br />So boredom is now being replaced by mild anger, on my part. Anger at the ridiculous, pathetic media pack mentality. I live in hope that Ming will be described as 'Lazarus rising from the dead' after his speech tomorrow. It would be par for the course.<br /><br />And I have to admit I am still working up to being livid at the smug idiots who make sneering remarks about Ming's age. Humour I can handle. But not the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">unhumourous</span>, sneering remarks.<br /><br />Ming is fitter than many men, indeed journalists, half his age. He is mentally agile. He is a life-long liberal. He is wise and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">authoratitive</span> and he was given the job by an overwhelming majority of the party membership.<br /><br />To constantly snipe at his age is utterly disgraceful. It is pure, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">bigotted</span> prejudice. As Ming quite rightly says, if there had been more people his age in Blair's cabinet, we would not have gone to war in Iraq and 163 British families would not now be mourning the loss of a son or daughter. (Imagine 163 crying families sat in front of you.)<br /><br />Of course, to the smug self-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">satisfied</span> people who sneer about Ming's age, that is a secondary consideration to making lazy jibes.Paul Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00525444717679391831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4870143465614132758.post-26799977710713895872007-09-18T15:07:00.000-07:002009-11-14T10:33:06.575-08:00Mr Balloon bursts<p style="font-style: italic;" class="first">David Cameron is Britain's least popular party leader among voters, <a href="http://uk.news.yahoo.com/itn/20070918/tuk-cameron-popularity-drops-dba1618_1.html">according to a new poll</a>.</p><p style="font-style: italic;">The survey found that voters' satisfaction with the Conservative leader's performance was lower than for either Prime Minister Gordon Brown or the Liberal Democrats' Sir Menzies Campbell.</p><p style="font-style: italic;">The ICM poll also showed Labour re-establishing an eight-point lead over the Tories following a sequence of surveys at the start of this month which put the parties virtually neck-and-neck.</p><p style="font-style: italic;">Labour's advantage is the largest recorded by ICM since Mr Cameron became Tory leader in 2005.</p>Paul Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00525444717679391831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4870143465614132758.post-87254159096798301272007-09-18T03:23:00.000-07:002009-11-14T10:33:06.577-08:00Ming goes down the pan<a href="http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/steve_bell/2007/09/17/bellready512.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/steve_bell/2007/09/17/bellready512.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/cartoons/0,,337484,00.html">Poor Ming!</a></div>Paul Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00525444717679391831noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4870143465614132758.post-71570232321598809182007-09-18T01:53:00.000-07:002009-11-14T10:33:06.578-08:00Ming's position on the EU referendum is not the party's positionThat was the main nugget I took from the meeting with Ming on Sunday, when the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">shortlisters</span></span> for the "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">LibDem</span></span> blogger of the year" award interviewed him.<br /><br /><a href="http://loveandliberty.blogspot.com/">Alex <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Wilcock</span></span></a>, drawing on his <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">encyclopedic</span> knowledge of the party's labyrinthine policy procedures, pointed out that the party, as we spoke, was having a <a href="http://jonathanfryer.wordpress.com/2007/09/16/europe-at-brighton/">consultative session</a> on <a href="http://consult.libdems.org.uk/europe/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/europe-consultation-paper.pdf">Europe including</a>:<br /><br /><em>13. In either case, would a referendum as part of the ratification process (of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">constiutional</span></span> treaty) be (a)appropriate or (b) unnecessary?</em><br /><br />Why, Alex asked (and I paraphrase) has Ming been pontificating on this subject before the party has deliberated on it?<br /><br />Ming robustly answered that if you are leader of the party and you are asked a question by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Paxo</span></span>, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Humpster</span></span> or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Naughtie</span></span>-boy you can't just say "I don't know - I am waiting to be told what to say by the Consultative whatsit of the party" (again I am paraphrasing).<br /><br />Fair point (but as <a href="http://millenniumelephant.blogspot.com/2007/09/day-2448-millennium-meets-sir-ming.html#links">Fluffy has pointed out</a>, it is a good idea to make sure this is clearly pointed out in these situations).<br /><br />Ming then repeated the argument against a referendum on the current EU treaty under discussion, and for a plebiscite on the whole issue of the UK's membership of the EU. He finished by saying with great aplomb:<br /><br /><em>That is my own position.</em><br /><br />That prompted me to ask (sneakily - as Mark Webster was trying to wind things up):<br /><br /><em>You say that's "your own position" - so it's not the party's position then?</em><br /><br />"The party have yet to vote on the matter" (meaning - no it's not the party's position) was Ming's response before repeating that, as leader, he has the right, indeed sometimes it is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">beholden</span></span> on him, to express his own view.<br /><br />So that's it then. All this referendum stuff is Ming's view - not the party's view. Anyone got any sellotape to <a href="http://gaffauk.blogspot.com/">reform the odd membership card</a>?<br /><br />However, I am curious as to how long this issue will meander on before there is a proper vote by the party. The consultative process on Europe is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">targeted</span></span> to produce a document for the autumn conference next year. I would have thought the next spring conference is the only time we could take a vote on this issue. But it would have to be some sort of shoe-horned-in item on the agenda, I would have thought. One for the conference committee.<br /><br />One other small point about the interview (apart from the fact that my brownie point reservoir at home is now on "full" due to my nearest and dearests witnessing the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Mingster</span></span> interview with great excitement) is that Ming swore - if "bloody" is a swear word, that is.<br /><br />He spoke about the grammar schools issue which, for the Conservatives he said, was the "keystone in the bridge", adding:<br /><br /><em>Pull that out and the whole bloody thing falls apart</em>Paul Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00525444717679391831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4870143465614132758.post-91419303546867540442007-09-18T00:53:00.000-07:002009-11-14T10:33:06.580-08:00Ming: We speak for the hard-upGreat news: Our leader fluently explained out tax policies on live radio at 7.50am!<br /><br />It can be done. It is worth listening to the interview with Carolyn Quinn on Radio Four's Today if you missed it. If you go to their <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/">web page,</a> just click on "7.50" under "Today's Top Stories" and you can listen to it.<br /><br />I thought Ming responded particularly well to pressure from Carolyn Quinn about the impact of our policies on those earning over £68,000 (the top 10%), by retorting:<br /><br />"What about those on lower incomes, those struggling to make ends meet, who speaks for them? We speak for them".<br /><br />Well done Ming! - have an extra bacon rasher as a reward.Paul Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00525444717679391831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4870143465614132758.post-39961859294784383482007-09-17T14:19:00.000-07:002009-11-14T10:33:06.581-08:00The Guardian wet themselves<em>The Lib Dem chief was centre stage doing a question-and-answer session with comedian Sandi Toksvig when the topic turned to prime minister's question time.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>Sir Menzies protested that everyone gets nervous before such events. Sandi disagreed.<br /></em><br /><em>"Well, I must be a failure then," Sir Menzies retorted.</em><br /><br />This has caused the <a href="http://politics.guardian.co.uk/libdem2007/story/0,,2171061,00.html">Guardian</a> and other organs to require a clean set of underwear, they are so excited.<br /><br />Ahem. Any decent actor will tell you that the day you don't get nervous before going on stage is the day that you die on stage.<br /><br />Of course, Sandi Toksvig doesn't get nervous before she goes "live". She is a daily broadcaster and basically opens a microphone and chirrups. "Rolling rowlocks" is the nautical expression to describe such broadcasting.<br /><br />I realise that all the journos are looking for a noose to hang Ming with, but this isn't it.<br /><br />PS. The <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article2476440.ece">Times </a>has a different report of the conversation saying that Tosvig agreed that people get nervous before performances but added that Ming didn't make her feel nervous to which Ming replied "Well of course - I am a failure". Surely if the papers are going to have communual hysteria about a remark they ought to agree on what was actually said should they not?<br /><br />UPDATE: It appeares The Times version was more accurate than the Guardian version quoted. I apologise to Ms Toksvig as it seems she does get nervous after all, as any pro does. I withdraw my "rolling rowlocks" allegation.Paul Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00525444717679391831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4870143465614132758.post-5551670179954424362007-09-17T10:54:00.000-07:002009-11-14T10:33:06.582-08:00Ming v Bloggers - photosHere are some photos from yesterday's interview of Ming by the five bloggers short-listed for "LibDem blog of the year".<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/Ru66cfeau3I/AAAAAAAABA4/FQrUQpyKLVo/s1600-h/ming8.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/Ru66cfeau3I/AAAAAAAABA4/FQrUQpyKLVo/s400/ming8.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111227625760275314" border="0" /></a>Ming meets Lib Dem Blogger of year, James Graham.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/Ru671feavDI/AAAAAAAABCY/eznhPYncLTw/s1600-h/blogming5.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/Ru671feavDI/AAAAAAAABCY/eznhPYncLTw/s400/blogming5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111229154768632882" border="0" /></a>From left: Ming, Jonathan Calder (back of), Mark Webster (moderator - obscured), James Graham.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/Ru67oveavBI/AAAAAAAABCI/CvnBOQfv2RM/s1600-h/blogming3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/Ru67oveavBI/AAAAAAAABCI/CvnBOQfv2RM/s400/blogming3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111228935725300754" border="0" /></a>The back of Alex Wilcock's head is an addition to the previous photo.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/Ru67Nfeau-I/AAAAAAAABBw/qgH5c28eB7s/s1600-h/ming7.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/Ru67Nfeau-I/AAAAAAAABBw/qgH5c28eB7s/s400/ming7.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111228467573865442" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/Ru67HPeau9I/AAAAAAAABBo/KEAtlUCI3Eo/s1600-h/ming6.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/Ru67HPeau9I/AAAAAAAABBo/KEAtlUCI3Eo/s400/ming6.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111228360199683026" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/Ru67A_eau8I/AAAAAAAABBg/hHKcloGueDg/s1600-h/ming5.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/Ru67A_eau8I/AAAAAAAABBg/hHKcloGueDg/s400/ming5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111228252825500610" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/Ru667veau7I/AAAAAAAABBY/NV7ijSwSt7Q/s1600-h/ming4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/Ru667veau7I/AAAAAAAABBY/NV7ijSwSt7Q/s400/ming4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111228162631187378" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/Ru662_eau6I/AAAAAAAABBQ/OFS18EUU6r4/s1600-h/ming3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/Ru662_eau6I/AAAAAAAABBQ/OFS18EUU6r4/s400/ming3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111228081026808738" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/Ru66uPeau5I/AAAAAAAABBI/RZK1x9ibnvk/s1600-h/ming2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/Ru66uPeau5I/AAAAAAAABBI/RZK1x9ibnvk/s400/ming2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111227930702953362" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/Ru66oPeau4I/AAAAAAAABBA/j1g0QcbbyJk/s1600-h/ming1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0_1jH0TaDjU/Ru66oPeau4I/AAAAAAAABBA/j1g0QcbbyJk/s400/ming1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111227827623738242" border="0" /></a>Paul Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00525444717679391831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4870143465614132758.post-5646300288410851802007-09-17T07:53:00.000-07:002009-11-14T10:33:06.584-08:00Church allows "one of the (financial) killings of the century"<a href="http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article2419379.ece">The Times </a>reports:<br /><br /><em>An historic collection of religious books whose sale for £36,000 was approved last year by a Church of England diocese has been sold on by a book dealer for more than £500,000.<br /></em><br /><em>The Diocese of Truro sanctioned a deal in September 2006 to sell hundreds of old Bibles and manuscripts from its library to John Thornton in a move to clear shelf space.<br /></em><br /><em>The decision to sell at such a low price has astounded antiquarian booksellers, who have described it as “one of the killings of the century”.<br /><br /></em><em></em>The fascinating bit of this story is this:<br /><br /><em>In 2004 the Truro diocesan board of finance approved plans by the trustees of the library to sell all the pre1800 volumes to a dealer. They failed to call in a recognised auction house to make a valuation. Instead, they invited a number of dealers to make offers.</em><br /><br /><em>..."failed to call in an auction house"...."invited dealers".....</em><br /><br />Doh!<br /><br />How many times has one heard the story of the little old lady living alone who gets a call from a nice dealer in a lovely trilby hat and smart suit who takes a flattering interest in her antique bits and bobs and is most kind enough to offer her a very large sum of money in crisp £50 notes, there and then, for her wares?<br /><br />This story is usually used to warn people not to let their precious antiques go to dealers but to do it through a recognised auction house.<br /><br />Such a story is needed to warn unsuspecting members of the public.<br /><br />One does not expect the Church of England to fall foul in such a situation. They are, after all, a professional organisation with full time staff paid to manage their assets.<br /><br />....mutter...mutter...beggars belief...must have been born yesterday......<br /><br />Legal action is being considered by the diocese involved, apparently.<br /><br />Oh dear. I won't hold my breath. <span style="font-style: italic;">Caveat emptor</span> works both ways.Paul Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00525444717679391831noreply@blogger.com4