The Black Prince
Welcome to Casting the Net this Thursday afternoon. The big news of the last day is of course Democrats seemingly working out who they want to be their presidential candidate. Most of us knew how this would end months ago, but it’s all over now and the vast majority of liberal bloggers around the web are celebrating.
Luke’s Blog – Not everyone is happy about Obama’s victory, Luke sheds a tear for the Clintons and laments on the loss of a “golden age.”
Harry’s Place – So if Clinton was the first black president, And Obama the first Jewish one, does that make Bush the first genius president?
Quaequam Blog – More backlash against the new Lib Dem road pricing proposals, could Nick Clegg have misjudged his levels of support this time?
Cicero’s Songs – The Ukraine has the potential to be the new Poland for our own economic benefit, but it’ll never win us the Eurovision Song Contest.
Dizzy Thinks – Since when do basic websites cost over £500 a month to host? continue reading… »
Something is wrong…
Welcome to Casting the net, Liberal Conspiracy’s daily web review. As always, please feel free to share your own recommendations in the comments.
Obsolete – When an article on Comment is Free isn’t savagely mauled, something is wrong. When that article is by a Tory…
Green Ladywell – hosts the 130th Carnival of the Green.
Scribo Ergo Sum – Wards with high proportions on income support declined to vote for Boris in the GLA elections. Now, why that might be…
Socialist Unity – on why Frank Field is (surprise!) wrong on the Barnett Formula.
Jonathan Freedland – Hillary’s campaign against Obama has written the script for McCain in the next few months. But won’t that make it easier for Obama now?
Five Chinese Crackers – The Daily Heil is being selective with the truth on immigration again. Yesterday was the turn of James Slack.
Rupert Read – Away from the sound and noise of the Hillary and Obama show, it’s Green on Green in America. So long as they don’t let in McCain, why not…
Political Wire – Another great day for David Cameron, as he secures the support of Robert Mugabe.
Big brother and sour grapes
Stumbling and Mumbling – explores the roots of bastardy. And yes, it’s probably the economy again (stupid?).
Open House – Rupert Murdoch is just a very astute businessman, not an election-winning god. Or should that be demon?
This Is Zimbabwe – wants you to tell Mugabe exactly what you think of him…
Remembering the Ability in Disability – provides a reason to watch Big Brother, beating the previous 8 series in doing so…
Program your Mind – Oh look! They’re awful government apologists over on Harry’s Place who know neither decency nor appropriate detention limits. Nothing unusual there then…
Tory Troll – on Tory accusations of sour grapes which smack of…sour grapes.
Daily Kos – When a protester isn’t really a protester.
Splintered Sunrise – George Galloway is deeply upsetting in tabloids. And everywhere. What else would you expect?
Monday Morning Warm Fuzzies
MinneSattva has been bitten by the science bug, and has found a lovely article evangelising science and the scientific mindset in the New York Times (which gave me the warm fuzzies, so it did).
Steve B reports good news for religious tolerance: the seminary which trains 80% of Muslim clerics in the UK has issued a statement saying they wish to stamp out terrorism, to general applause from their students. More warm fuzzies from this entry, then.
Stephen Glenn has hollow derisory laughter for the idea that Gordon Brown has principles.
The Peak Oil Community is discussing alternatives to oil now we’re running dangerously low.
Jonny Wright thinks Yasmin Alibhai-Brown has gone bonkers.
Same Difference has a report on the charity event to get wheelchairs up Ben Nevis
Oh, and the Britblog Roundup is up at Philobiblon.
Weekend’s important blog stuff
The Daily Mash has posted about the government’s plan to lose any remaining Labour voters It’s funny because it could be true – well, up until the kicking people in the groin part, anyway.
Jonathan Calder publicises Mark Oaten’s ill-spelled and emotional refutal of the Political betting.com article about his future.
Brad Hicks has an in depth examination of institutional racism in the Missouri traffic police. Bearing in mind that Missouri is supposedly the LEAST awful state for getting pulled over for Driving While Black, this is very worrying.
Septicisle spies Rupert Murdoch positioning himself to support Obama and wonders how this will affect Fox News.
Millennium Elephant doesn’t believe in the “give him enough rope and he’ll hang himself” trope with regard to Mr Cameron
And finally, because Doctor Who is important, The Livejournal Doctor Who Group has a dissenting voice on how great Saturday’s episode was. At least this means that Lawrence Miles is not alone…
Men Are From Mars…
Welcome to our daily web review. Feel free to share your recommendations in the comments. Today’s guest compiler/writer is Sarah, who takes a feminist take on the blogosphere.
Pickled Politics – Sunny Hundal is my favourite male feminist. So why is he fighting with one?
Clive Davis – Describing Scarlett Johannson’s voice. And not being very complimentary!
Open Democracy – Rosalind Eyben says development policy and discourse are shifting away from gender equality… again.
Cath Elliott – Cath explains why she’s so angry, she could strip!
The F Word – Helen G on why we shouldn’t show our… er… chests.
Remembering The Ability in Disability – May I point you over to my blog, where I link to two excellent books.
Fay Young – An example of the left – in this case, a labour councillor – getting something done in Edinburgh. No anxiety over values or the efficacy of local representation there.
Alix Mortimer – Thinks that you really ought to check out Charlotte Gore’s new blog.
Legislation, legislation, legislation
Quaequam Blog! – The justice department wants us to all close our eyes and tap our ruby red shoes together chanting “There’s no legislation like child abuse legislation.” Eventually we may actually see some evidence to back it up too…maybe.
Obsolete – Scepticisle delves in to the impact Mary Whitehouse has had on our governance in lieu of the BBC show “Filth.” It also turns out Melanie Phillips is a hypocritical idiot, so no shocks there.
The blog of Dave Cole – Dave revisits one of the more interesting debates on LC and talks in depth about abortion and the “viability” argument.
Between the Hammer and the Anvil – Smoking being the new paedophilia is perhaps a little over-dramatic (as Devil’s Kitchen laments), but the liberties being ignored in the quest for perfect health are too many in number
Neil Stockley – Neil takes a superb look at the politics of ridicule, and also compares the Lib Dems to Barack Obama. I wonder who should be more flattered?
Peter Black AM – This story is already getting all over the blogosphere, so it deserves a mention…Labour to be broke by Christmas?
Moments of Clarity – In a rare instance of a debate on LC being taken outside of this site, Darrell attacks the “no platform policy” idea
Casting Back: The Guardian (2001) – John Crace’s article, in hindsight, showing naivety over the integrity of electoral systems
It’s the turbofolk, stupid
Welcome to our daily web review. Feel free to share your recommendations in the comments.
Splintered Sunrise – Voting in Eurovision isn’t just political. When was the last time Croatia and Serbia cooperated on anything but turbofolk?
Stumbling and Mumbling – Single parent children miss fathers’ money, not fathers themselves. It’s the (household) economy, stupid?
Daily Kos – Do you know what? Bush isn’t running for President. Really. Ask the White House…
Johann Hari – Mary Whitehouse was a paranoid fundamentalist. Surely the BBC at least would accept that, given how much trouble she caused them…
Lynne Featherstone – Is it time for name-blind employment?
Heleen Mees and Femke van Zeijl – The recent discovery of child abuse by UN Peacekeepers in the Ivory Coast comes as little surprise. Women and children always suffer in war.
Socialist Unity – Both the road lobby and the government have the wrong approach to road taxes. We need a more innovative approach.
Zimbabwe, abortion, and the Olympics
Welcome to our daily web review. Feel free to share your recommendations in the comments. Today’s review was compiled and written by Douglas Johnson, who blogs over at Scribo Ergo Sum.
This is Zimbabwe – It’s not just Zimbabweans who are watching the elections anxiously. Ethiopians too…
Tory Troll – The BNP exploits discontent with falsity and outright lies to push a racist agenda. Again. Why am I not surprised?
Obsolete – Tory proposals for unemployed youth show they’re still the Nast(ier) Party. Howard would be proud.
Huffington Post – McCain holds typical Republican attitudes towards abortion, contrary to his moderate image. Pro-choicers will have to (gosh!) vote Democrat, it seems…
Shashi Tharoor In an emerging pattern, McCain’s “League of Democracies,” proposals would undermine the United Nations. Just like the rest of his foreign policy, then…
The Economist – hosts a debate on whether Beijing should ever have been given the Olympics. Loathsome as the publication is, it could be quite interesting.
Pickled Politics – Blogging will change politics. The abortion debate was a turning point for the left.
When you have nothing to lose…
Welcome to Casting the net, Liberal Conspiracy’s daily web review. As always, please feel free to share your own recommendations in the comments.
Charlie Brooker – In the sort of hateful prose he is famous for, Brooker sums up what being a left-leaning person is like right now.
Johann Hari – If Brown is really over, what’s he got to lose? Go for it dude, be the PM you always wanted to be. You can be brave when you have nothing to lose…
Earthpal – Huge infrastructure projects threatening indigenous Amazonian tribes? No, it’s not history from the eighties, it’s happening right now.
WashPo – Hillary made the mother of all cock-ups last week, hinting that Obama could still be assassinated – RFK syle, on Sunday her team blamed Obama for the controversy.
A Very Public Sociologist – Naomi Klein is promoting her new book, The Shock Doctrine. Get the rub here.
Bob Piper – Wants Indi hacks to put some meat on their Cruddas-Brown speculation…
Scribo Ergo Sum – BoJo has kept a promise! Shame it’s one that will probably mean more expensive public travel for London’s needy.
What’s Brown and rubbish?
Welcome to Casting the net, Liberal Conspiracy’s daily web review. As always, please feel free to share your own recommendations in the comments.
OurKingdom – Boris’s election is historic. The UK’s traditional governing party the Tories have become urban, even multicultural. Even in London, where Labour fielded its most gifted politician, they lost. Boris’ victory is no joke, it’s a serious indictment of the state of the British left. Platitudes simply won’t do, the Left must get a grip.
Westmonster – Yesterday I reminded Joe Lieberman that the Cold War was over, maybe I was too hasty?
Andy Worthington – Andy’s book on Guantánamo Bay is excellent, and to make it doubly excellent, he’s posting additional chapters online as information emerges.
Dolphin Hotel – The Tories are the government in waiting.
Chicken Yoghurt – There is no ideological swing, it’s just that Labour is a bit crap at the mo.
Mike Smithson – Why the Tories *will* win the next General Election.
Pickled Politics – It’s not just Obama with the dodgy Reverend. McCain’s in serious haot-water over the views of Rev John Hagee. Sunny asks: will Hagee be overlooked as conservatives claw at Obama over Rev. Wright?
Gay-ass rappers
Welcome to Casting the net, Liberal Conspiracy’s daily web review. As always, please feel free to share your own recommendations in the comments.
Jenni Russell – Russell is stark in her assessment: Brown has to go. But with the weakest cabinet in living memory, who could possibly step-up? A proper leadership election, with manifestos and hustings is the way forward.
Anton Vowl – The Mail’s new online message-board takes us to new depths.
Joe Lieberman – Attacking Obama for promising dialogue. Has no one told Lieberman the Cold War is over? He’s backing McCain, no doubt.
andrew golis – Featuring an excellent video by Jay Smooth on hip-hop and its ridiculously primitive homophobia. There *are* gay rappers, and they’re coming to get you…
Freemania – Upon closer inspection, Nick Clegg’s tax plans start to look a bit wooly. Indeed, “piffle” says Tom.
Scribo Ergo Sum – More on the Scientology is a cult controversy (it is).
A Very Public Sociologist – Remembers the uprisings and political flux of May 1968.
Finally… I’m moving to Tallinn, Estonia in June. I’ll still be writing and editing the NetCast, but I’m looking for writers who would like to write maybe one or two instalments per-week. Please drop me an email at aaronh [at] liberalconspiracy [dot] org if you’re interested.
Fundies and Cultists
Welcome to Casting the net, Liberal Conspiracy’s daily web review. As always, please feel free to share your own recommendations in the comments.
The Curvature – As America considers its first black president, Cara brings us a shocking account of domestic violence ignored by police. Oh, did I mention the caller is black?
OurKingdom – Last night Des Browne voted with Nadine Dorries in the Human Embryo and Fertilisation Bill, in line with his belief in the sanctity of life, yet he refuses to outlaw cluster bombs, which disproportionately target civilians and children. How so, Des? You wouldn’t be one of those awful hypocrites, would you?
Paul Linford – Musing a Labour Party run by Alan Milburn.
donpaskini – George Monbiot is right to criticise Labour, but he must also be fair and acknowledge its genuine achievements.
anticant’s arena – How on earth can it be an arrestable offence to call Scientology a cult? I mean, some dude just made it up! More over at Steven Poole’s always-excellent UNSPEAK.
tygerland – Even some conservatives think Bush went too far in Israel, when he alluded to Obama’s “appeasement”. Indeed, Bush’s only foreign policy successes are the result of d.i.a.l.o.g.u.e.
Finally… I’m moving to Tallinn, Estonia in June. I’ll still be writing and editing the NetCast, but I’m looking for writers who would like to write maybe one or two instalments per-week. Please drop me an email at aaronh [at] liberalconspiracy [dot] org if you’re interested.
A neocon trojan horse?
Welcome to Casting the net, Liberal Conspiracy’s daily web review. As always, please feel free to share your own recommendations in the comments.
Robin Lustig – US presidential candidates are kicking around the idea of a “League of Democracies”. While the UN is clearly a flawed organisation, European countries are cautious of undermining it, and wary of neoconservative “democratic evangelism”. As someone in the comments adds: “I guess Israel would be one of the first ones to be included in this “league”, right?”
Labour Outlook – How the Cabinet voted on the Hybrid Embryo bill. No surprises, guaranteed.
Guardian – Obama warns the GOP to “lay off” his wife, Michelle. Tim Worstall explains why he’s too late.
Political Betting – Is Alan Milburn plotting Brown’s overthrow after the expected defeat in the Crewe & Nantwich by-election?
Earthpal – Ever see Alexander Payne’s political masterpiece, Election? The Earthpal household have their own budding Tracy Flick.
Wine and fishes
Welcome to Casting the net, Liberal Conspiracy’s daily web review. As always, please feel free to share your own recommendations in the comments.
Huffington Post – 75,000 and a flotilla of boats watched as Barack Obama spoke on the banks of the Willamette River in Portland, OR. Reports that Obama turned water into wine are unconfirmed.
OurKingdom – [Book Review] Paul Kingsnorth (author of Real England) reviews Vron Ware’s Who cares about Britishness?
A Very Public Sociologist – Lefties muse theoretical and practical approaches to environmentalism. You know, still kicking capitalism, but from a green perspective.
Amnesty Blogs – Patrick Corrigan digs out some great quotes from American literary legend, Gore Vidal.
Philobiblon – Natalie Bennett has her say on the abortion debate and the Human Fertility and Embryology Bill.
e8voice – [video] Watchers of US politics must watch this video.
Dave Cole – Making the case for Paul-Henri Spaak as the “individual [who] has had the most influence on humanity worldwide since WW2”.
Sadie Smith – Those hypocritical Tories in Crewe and Nantwitch.
Punch, Judy and Clusterbombs
Welcome to Casting the net, Liberal Conspiracy’s daily web review. As always, please feel free to share your own recommendations in the comments.
Amnesty – What gets me, is that 21% of Britons quite like cluster bombs…
Kevin Maguire – A high profile political blogger is arrested and sentenced. Time for blogger solidarity?
Under the microscope – If America is worried about the increasing scientific prowess of Asia, why is it treating its female scientists so poorly?
The Sharpener – The Sharpener is back. *wipes tear from eye* It kicks off with a characteristically sardonic piece, with John Band hoping that our Punch and Judy politics continue.
Get Your War on – [Cartoon] Pointing out what a mess we’re in (scroll down for latest). via. Justin
Westmonster – So George W. Bush hasn’t profited from the Iraq War. A missed opportunity, I say.
The Tory Troll – Are we about to see a power-struggled within the BNP?
Oh, and I’ve been asked to plug this Obama song.
Edwards *hearts* Obama
Welcome to Casting the net, Liberal Conspiracy’s daily web review. As always, please feel free to share your own recommendations in the comments.
Dawn Teo – Why Edwards *hearts* Obama.
Gail Collins – There is one scenario where Hillary wins. And yeah, it’s a bit far-fetched and involves the state of Oregon slipping into the Pacific…
tygerland – [video] Clinton Speaks
Indigo Jo Blogs – On Ghayasuddin Siddiqui and the Quilliam Foundation’s launch event.
Alix Mortimer – The way the government handled the 10p tax change was a “disgrace”, but the way it has handled the climb-down is just pathetic.
Mark Pack – The Tories have been exposed as hypocrites… surely not???
Question That – The sticky moral wicket that is the Human Fertilization & Embryology Bill. Ian looks specifically at the “father figure” amendment – from a Libertarian perspective.
The Curvature – The US pro-choice lobbies are divided over Obama and Clinton. One is accusing the other of “dividing the movement”. Another tale of Liberals bickering amongst themselves?
Gladiators and shitbags
Welcome to Casting the net, Liberal Conspiracy’s daily web review. As always, please feel free to share your own recommendations in the comments.
Laurence Boyce – An account from the latest blogger audience with Nick Clegg.
Random Acts of Reality – Ponders another shitty night in an ambulance crew.
Dave Hill – Some inter-newspaper bitchiness causes smiles in the Hill family.
Obsolete – The sad death of a middle-class white boy has spurred on commentators to call for zero-tolerance policing, with The Sun claiming New York is now safer than London. Septicisle argues that figures suggest otherwise.
A Very Public Sociologist – Gladiators is/are BACK!
Bel is thinking – Political Journos concentrate too much on the Westminster narrative, rather than what policies actually mean to the voters.
Freakonomics – Why charitable donations to help those in Myanmar Burma will be meagre compared to Katrina and the Asian tsunami.
Mike Power – On the “All round shitbag and Lib Dem MP for Birmingham Yardley, John Hemming”.
From bad to…
Welcome to Casting the net, Liberal Conspiracy’s daily web review. As always, please feel free to share your own recommendations in the comments. Apologies for the absence of the review yesterday, it was my little boy’s birthday and we had many Spider-man related things to see to.
New Mandala – There is no way that the Junta in Myanmar can pretend Cyclone Nargis didn’t happen, or hide behind local bureaucratic incompetence. Then again, its downfall has been predicted all too often.
JayWalk – The Chinese responses to recent disasters, convey a change in its political approach.
Adam Bowie – On Chinese TV’s moderated footage of the carnage, and how twitter propagated the news of disaster.
Political Wire – Is insolvency about to throttle Labour?
OurKingdom – Did Labour use the politics of fear on the Crewe and Nantwich by-election. Desperate times…
Cassilis – Labour – and the left in general – just don’t get it: David Cameron’s new “compassionate conservatism” is real, rooted in history, and ideologically sound.
peezedtee – Eight reasons why it’s time to call time on Labour.
Pickled Politics – And three reasons why Obama will be president.
Critical, not terminal
Welcome to Casting the net, Liberal Conspiracy’s daily web review. As always, please feel free to share your own recommendations in the comments.
Anthony Painter – Thinks Hillary should manage her climb-down carefully, for the benefit of Obama and the Democratic Party. Interesting position, and one which lends itself nicely to the idea, floated by Mike Smithson, that Obama may pay-off Clinton’s campaign debts.
David Brooks – Arguing that the Tories’ greater emphasis on society may prove to be the road to salvation for a struggling Republican Party.
BBC Magazine – A Surrey based company is this month to launch the National Staff Dismissal Register, a business service that will monitor employee dismissals and allow prospective employers to check against the register for alleged accusations – proven or not… Several major employers have signed up.
Remembering the Ability in Disability – Kudos to the BBC, which now offers subtitles on 100% of its programming.
Dave Cole – Boris, by banning alcohol on the tube, has not only indulged in the worse sort of un-enforcable gesture politics, he has proven himself a hypocrite. continue reading… »
You can read articles through the front page, via Twitter or rss feeds.
» How bad is the feline obesity crisis?
» Why don’t MPs pay back tuition fees instead of increasing ours?
» Obama is right to slam BP – and why capitalists should too
» Why does Phillip Blond see civic cohesion as a security issue?
» So what if the Labour candidates went to Oxbridge?
» Last night’s Labour hustings: will it get interesting or turn to torture?
» It’s now down to Ken to win London for Labour
» The Labour people need
» Blog Nation: what would you like to see discussed?
» The Labour leadership’s token contender.. and it’s not Diane Abbott
» In defence of these fraternal nominations
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