Today, prayers are being said throughout the country for Anthea and Michael Hill and their family.
Michael Hill is the Rt Rev Michael Hill, Bishop of Bristol. With his wife, Anthea, he was involved in a car accident on Sunday. Anthea Hill has a suspected broken neck and was undergoing an operation today in Oxford. Fortunately, Michael Hill was released from hospitalisation on Sunday with a broken collar bone.
The Hill family spent a long time living in Newbury while Michael was Archdeacon of Berkshire. The family frequently attended our local church and Michael addressed our Church Men's group (women welcome).
My wife refers to Michael as "The Venerable Yob". While this might seem fascetious, it is in fact an affectionate tribute. Michael has a remarkable history in that he was once a youth gang leader. From his testimony it seemed to be a pretty serious gang, at that. He had not even attended church at the age of 18. As a result, he comes across as a remarkably down-to-earth person.
Michael Hill is the sort of Bishop who is danger of giving faith a good name.
Tuesday, October 3, 2006
Monday, October 2, 2006
Great Accreditation Fiascos of Our Time No 94
That was the title of an Iain Dale posting today where he railed against the delays and queues at Bournemouth. It has now temporarily disappeared from his blog site. It was on there long enough to attract about six comments and I was about to add one saying: "Let optimism beat pessimism. Let sunshine win the day" - but the posting disappeared as I typed.
No doubt Iain will reinstate this delicious posting later. It was one of his finest. In fact, it brilliantly answered the question: "What is Iain Dale for?"
Fortunately, the remains of the posting are preserved on Google Blogsearch:
"Great Accreditation Fiascos of Our Time No 94
1 hour ago by Iain Dale Following on from Huw Edwards having to wait four hours for his pass, I can now bring you news that the American Ambassador can't get into the conference as he hasn't had security clearance. You really couldn't make this up, could you? ..."
No doubt Iain will reinstate this delicious posting later. It was one of his finest. In fact, it brilliantly answered the question: "What is Iain Dale for?"
Fortunately, the remains of the posting are preserved on Google Blogsearch:
"Great Accreditation Fiascos of Our Time No 94
1 hour ago by Iain Dale Following on from Huw Edwards having to wait four hours for his pass, I can now bring you news that the American Ambassador can't get into the conference as he hasn't had security clearance. You really couldn't make this up, could you? ..."
"Let sunshine win the day?" What would Norman Schwarzkopf say?
There was an iconic moment in Cameron's speech yesterday, when he said:
"So let us show clearly which side we are on. Let optimism beat pessimism. Let sunshine win the day."
What a load of nonsense! I can't imagine any other serious politician currently or in history being daft enough to emit such twaddle as "Let sunshine win the day".
Simon Hoggart has brilliantly lampooned the statement today:
"Let sunshine win the day!" cried David Cameron. Never before has a Tory conference been addressed by Polyanna and Morecambe & Wise. It seems at odds with Conservative policy on global warming - they're against it - but it summed up the spirit of the speech. Let motherhood reign! An apple pie on every window sill! Don't forget your factor 15 and the new Maeve Binchy!
Stephen Tall has also commented quite pithily on this. And the prize for wittiest reply goes to Liberal Voice.
Words, short of pithy Anglo-Saxon ones, fail me. To properly describe Cameron's statement, not for the first time, I am forced to borrow a phrase, from General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr, which I believe originates in the US Army:
"Bovine Scatology"
"So let us show clearly which side we are on. Let optimism beat pessimism. Let sunshine win the day."
What a load of nonsense! I can't imagine any other serious politician currently or in history being daft enough to emit such twaddle as "Let sunshine win the day".
Simon Hoggart has brilliantly lampooned the statement today:
"Let sunshine win the day!" cried David Cameron. Never before has a Tory conference been addressed by Polyanna and Morecambe & Wise. It seems at odds with Conservative policy on global warming - they're against it - but it summed up the spirit of the speech. Let motherhood reign! An apple pie on every window sill! Don't forget your factor 15 and the new Maeve Binchy!
Stephen Tall has also commented quite pithily on this. And the prize for wittiest reply goes to Liberal Voice.
Words, short of pithy Anglo-Saxon ones, fail me. To properly describe Cameron's statement, not for the first time, I am forced to borrow a phrase, from General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr, which I believe originates in the US Army:
"Bovine Scatology"
Sunday, October 1, 2006
Bournemouth: No cheer for "liberal conservatism"
I watched Cameron's speech on BBC Parliament.
As a snapshot, these things got much applause, often without a suggestive pause from Cameron:
Then Monsieur Cameron really used his best resounding applause-getting oratory with this declamation:
"Social - responsibility - that - is - the - essence - of - liberal - conservatism"
You could have heard a pin drop. Not a single clap. Oh dear.
As a snapshot, these things got much applause, often without a suggestive pause from Cameron:
- Praise for Thatcher
- A call for parents to bring children up with the right values
- "We've got to stop selling alcohol to children"
- "We need less violent and homophobic lyrics in the music industry"
Then Monsieur Cameron really used his best resounding applause-getting oratory with this declamation:
"Social - responsibility - that - is - the - essence - of - liberal - conservatism"
You could have heard a pin drop. Not a single clap. Oh dear.
Cameron policy cover-up?
There is a nice tidal wave developing marked "Where's the beef, Dave?"
However, I can remember one policy which Cameron has announced - I wonder if anyone can remember any others?
The one I remember was announced in late June. Cameron announced he would scrap the Human Rights Act and set up a "British" Bill of Rights. The idea fell apart on a minute's inspection, but one wonders why Dave is so bashful about this idea? Why isn't being presented in depth at the Conservative conference?
Also, DC seems to be saying that we should wait patiently for his policy commissions to report back.
However, I can think of several examples where the overwhelming gist of the findings of his policy commissions have already been aired.
First, transport. John Redwood's team have already published their recommendations. The
centrepiece seemed to be proposing that drivers could turn left at red traffic lights. Presumably to preserve the ancient British rights of car drivers to kill pedestrians and cyclists.
In September we had an airing of what was coming out of Steve Norris' tax working party and heard from the Sunday Times:
TAXES on motoring, flying and other polluting activities would rise under a Conservative government, according to George Osborne, the Shadow Chancellor.
In July we heard some of the things coming out of Kenneth Clarke's constitutional commission. "Tory's plan to restrict Scots MPs" was one. There was also this suggestion from Tory Alan Duncan:
I'm beginning to think it is almost impossible now to have a Scottish prime minister because they would be at odds with the basic construction of the British constitution.
We also heard in February that "Tory leader David Cameron wants to strip the Queen of some of her historic constitutional powers".
So, far from having no policies, Cameron has announced at least one major one and we have seen several others bubbling up from his policy commissions and from him. Why aren't these proposals being put to the Conservative conference for debate and the verdict of party members?
Why, instead, are they, humiliatingly, reduced to pressing buttons to vote pointlessly on "hot topics" like "alcohol does more harm than drugs".
However, I can remember one policy which Cameron has announced - I wonder if anyone can remember any others?
The one I remember was announced in late June. Cameron announced he would scrap the Human Rights Act and set up a "British" Bill of Rights. The idea fell apart on a minute's inspection, but one wonders why Dave is so bashful about this idea? Why isn't being presented in depth at the Conservative conference?
Also, DC seems to be saying that we should wait patiently for his policy commissions to report back.
However, I can think of several examples where the overwhelming gist of the findings of his policy commissions have already been aired.
First, transport. John Redwood's team have already published their recommendations. The
centrepiece seemed to be proposing that drivers could turn left at red traffic lights. Presumably to preserve the ancient British rights of car drivers to kill pedestrians and cyclists.
In September we had an airing of what was coming out of Steve Norris' tax working party and heard from the Sunday Times:
TAXES on motoring, flying and other polluting activities would rise under a Conservative government, according to George Osborne, the Shadow Chancellor.
In July we heard some of the things coming out of Kenneth Clarke's constitutional commission. "Tory's plan to restrict Scots MPs" was one. There was also this suggestion from Tory Alan Duncan:
I'm beginning to think it is almost impossible now to have a Scottish prime minister because they would be at odds with the basic construction of the British constitution.
We also heard in February that "Tory leader David Cameron wants to strip the Queen of some of her historic constitutional powers".
So, far from having no policies, Cameron has announced at least one major one and we have seen several others bubbling up from his policy commissions and from him. Why aren't these proposals being put to the Conservative conference for debate and the verdict of party members?
Why, instead, are they, humiliatingly, reduced to pressing buttons to vote pointlessly on "hot topics" like "alcohol does more harm than drugs".
Cameron: We've got no principles or policies, but I've got a wonderful webcam
The Sunday Mirror quotes some of the things David Cameron will say today:
In his speech today, Cameron will defend his lack of policies by comparing his drive to reshape the Tories to building a house.
"First you prepare the ground," Cameron will tell the Tories faithful. "Then you lay the foundations. And then, finally, brick by brick, you build your house."
He will add: "But preparing the ground is just the first stage. Now we must show what we will build there. That means laying strong foundations. Not pulling policies out of a hat.
"Policy without principle is like a house without foundations. It will not stand the test of time."
This chimes in nicely with what Cameron's spinmeisters have been saying - that their conference will announce no policies and that first, they say, the party must lay out a "solid foundation" of principles before designing any policies.
So the Conservatives have no principles or any policies at the moment. Or at least if they have any principles they are not sure, collectively, what they are.
But they have a leader who acts beautifully in front of the webcam, so that's alright then.
The Observer gives another angle on the Cameron speech:
David Cameron will echo one of President John F Kennedy's most famous speeches today when he asks the British public to stop asking what the state can do for them and instead ask what they can do for each other.
In other words: don't look at us for any policies folks - or principles or even leadership, for that matter.
The Times borrows an Americanism and says that the question to be asked about Cameron is: "Where's the beef?"
Devastatingly, The Times goes on to say:
He is wrong...to think that he can get by purely by steering the Tories towards the centre ground and offering a few touchy-feely ideas. To take him at his own words, where is the principle? A Conservative party has to stand for a smaller state and lower taxes, for freedom of the individual rather than an interventionist state. It has to believe that private enterprise is generally better at doing things than the public sector. It has to demonstrate that it would be more effective at controlling crime and immigration than Labour. Above all, it has to show that it believes in something. Mr Cameron has yet to show that he believes in anything other than Mr Cameron.
In his speech today, Cameron will defend his lack of policies by comparing his drive to reshape the Tories to building a house.
"First you prepare the ground," Cameron will tell the Tories faithful. "Then you lay the foundations. And then, finally, brick by brick, you build your house."
He will add: "But preparing the ground is just the first stage. Now we must show what we will build there. That means laying strong foundations. Not pulling policies out of a hat.
"Policy without principle is like a house without foundations. It will not stand the test of time."
This chimes in nicely with what Cameron's spinmeisters have been saying - that their conference will announce no policies and that first, they say, the party must lay out a "solid foundation" of principles before designing any policies.
So the Conservatives have no principles or any policies at the moment. Or at least if they have any principles they are not sure, collectively, what they are.
But they have a leader who acts beautifully in front of the webcam, so that's alright then.
The Observer gives another angle on the Cameron speech:
David Cameron will echo one of President John F Kennedy's most famous speeches today when he asks the British public to stop asking what the state can do for them and instead ask what they can do for each other.
In other words: don't look at us for any policies folks - or principles or even leadership, for that matter.
The Times borrows an Americanism and says that the question to be asked about Cameron is: "Where's the beef?"
Devastatingly, The Times goes on to say:
He is wrong...to think that he can get by purely by steering the Tories towards the centre ground and offering a few touchy-feely ideas. To take him at his own words, where is the principle? A Conservative party has to stand for a smaller state and lower taxes, for freedom of the individual rather than an interventionist state. It has to believe that private enterprise is generally better at doing things than the public sector. It has to demonstrate that it would be more effective at controlling crime and immigration than Labour. Above all, it has to show that it believes in something. Mr Cameron has yet to show that he believes in anything other than Mr Cameron.
Another gloomy poll for the Tories
Hot on the heels of yesterday's YouGov poll, an ICM poll in the Sunday Mirror today confirms the slide of the Tories with their lead over Labour 'crashed' to just one point.
The Mirror beautifully summarises the Cameron conference dilemma:
Today's devastating results for Cameron comes as he battles to prove his party is not a "policy-free zone". He will face a backlash after his Shadow Chancellor George Osborne ruled out tax cuts at the next election.
The pledge will put Cameron on a collision course with rightwing Tories at their conference in Bournemouth. It flies in the face of a Tory tax commission which is set to recommend next month tax cuts of almost £20billion.
The Mirror beautifully summarises the Cameron conference dilemma:
Today's devastating results for Cameron comes as he battles to prove his party is not a "policy-free zone". He will face a backlash after his Shadow Chancellor George Osborne ruled out tax cuts at the next election.
The pledge will put Cameron on a collision course with rightwing Tories at their conference in Bournemouth. It flies in the face of a Tory tax commission which is set to recommend next month tax cuts of almost £20billion.
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