Is there any point complaining about a sensationalist media?
Let me get this out of the way before I start – I’m not an activist or a campaigner. For various reasons, I’m not a great joiner of campaigns or parties or a signer of petitions.
I’m more than happy to bump my gums about issue x, y or z online, but my net contribution to the UK’s political scene is zero. Thus, I try not to instruct people who actually get off their backsides and do things.
That said, I think we need to have a chat about strategy here. It seems to me that a lot of time is being wasted complaining about things that simply can’t be altered.
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Vodafone: the sequel
Being old, I’m not a great one for the latest techie news, but this story did interest me.
It seems that mobile network providers, including our friends at Vodafone, are very upset at the news that Apple have come up with its own integrated SIM card which will allow it to bypass the range of providers in Europe…
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#RoyalWedding, #RoyalWedding
The commentary on Twitter is a fantasic cross-section of Britishness. Add your own two-line couplets, crowdsourced or composed, in the comments.
#RoyalWedding, #RoyalWedding
Look how quick the news is spreading
I’m really pleased for Kate and Will
But will the tax payers foot the bill?
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Why Nadine Dorries is better off not blogging or Tweeting
contribution by Humphrey Cushion
It all started when I saw a tweet that Tony Curtis had died (RIP). In his honour I asked Twitter which avatar I should wear for a “tweetalongasomelikeithot” in the afternoon.: my Gangster, Captain or the Drag Act one I made for earlier.
Twitter chose the Drag Act… (Ivana S Uckuoff as she is fondly known 
)
I never got to have the tweet-a-long in the end sadly as I was distracted by Nadine Dorries’ blog post yesterday, urging people to grass up the unemployed on Twitter to the DWP.
For a laugh, I tweeted ‘oopsie, she’s caught me’… what followed is in equal measure hilarious and disturbing [blogger Guido Fawkes 'outs her' not long after]
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50 things you didn’t know about Ed Miliband
You thought you knew Labour new leader didn’t you? Hah!
Not until you’ve read these facts (from this FB group):
1) Ed Miliband can solve a rubik’s cube in eighty seconds.
2) Ed Miliband can put I before E, even after C.
3) Ed Miliband has kept a tamagotchi alive since 1993.
4) David Miliband plays squash; Ed Miliband maintains a powerful presence in World of Warcraft.
5) Ed Miliband can speak klingon and four other fictional languages.
6) Ed Miliband sent David Miliband the first Rickroll.
7) Ed Miliband has seen every episode of Mythbusters.
Most men need a watch to tell the time; Ed Miliband can do it by staring at the sun and making a quick equation.
9) Stephen Hawking is just a robot designed by Ed Miliband.
10) While being ideologically opposed to his political views, Ed Miliband admires Sir Patrick Moore for his work on Gamesmaster.
11) David Miliband learned about women’s rights by reading Germaine Greer, Ed Miliband learned about women’s rights by playing Ms. Pac-Man.
12) Ed Miliband knows the length of a piece of string.
13) Ed Miliband has several clones; one of whom was specifically created to get the highest score ever on Tetris.
14) Ed Miliband has never needed to buy an iPhone – he has simply modified his first generation iPod over the years to fit with the current trend.
15) Ed Miliband appears in several deleted scenes from “Tron”.
16) Under Ed Miliband, the next Labour Party AGM will be Star Trek themed.
17) Ed Miliband physically owns all seven chaos emeralds.
18) Ed Miliband has read every article on wikipedia.
19) If a tree falls in the woods, Ed Miliband can always hear it. He’s that good at paying attention.
20) Ed Miliband has a carefully planned survival tactic in the event of a zombie apocalypse.
21) Ed Miliband invented Monster Munch.
22) Ed Miliband gave The Stig his first driving test; and failed him for being too wreckless.
23) Ed Miliband once opened up a PC and took it all apart; he then put the pieces back together and created a Mac.
24) Ed Miliband has never lost at pogs.
25) Ed Miliband disproved The Party when they told him 2+2=5.
… the other 25 ‘Facts About Ed Miliband’ are here.
Tales from A Journey
Well it looks like the media’s interest in Blair’s A Journey is finally winding down.
Journalists took a predictable tack on the memoirs: some defended Blair’s achievements, some pondered the issue of war crimes, and others took a salacious interest in the Brown vs. Blair revelations. But there was another side to the memoirs that caught my eye; a side that was barely reported at all, save a few fleeting allusions.
That side is best summed up by the Guardian’s Julian Glover, who casually observed, “There are at least three gushing sexual passages, more Mills and Boon than prime ministerial memoir.”
I’m sorry, what? Cherie is on the what, now?
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Sanity, liberalism and hypocrisy. And MORE BOOZE!
Much of the most interesting work that I’ve done has been paid for by the drinks industry. So I’m about as impartial on this article as Mao Zedong on ‘whether or not Chinese-style communism was a good idea’.
Nonetheless, the often-missed point about the drinks industry, is that we’re an interesting, jolly, fun and indispensable part of society. A wedding without some champers, or a night out with the boys without a few beers would be shit.
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Spending Challenge is back!
George Osborne is nothing if not persistent. First his much-derided Spending Challenge website was taken down after being swamped with racist and other offensive statements.
Then his Spending Challenge Facebook page – announced via a much-trailed web conference between David Cameron and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg – was deleted after it was beaten by a goat.
And, finally, Robin Hood Tax launched their own, much more sensible, alternative. But now Spending Challenge is back for more.
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Coalition’s cock-ups show why they’re losing popularity
contribution by Andy Slaughter MP
I was given two insights this week into why the Coalition’s honeymoon may have come to a premature end after 100 days.
Nick Clegg came to my constituency to preach the virtues of social mobility, but chose as his platform a Project for deprived children which his Coalition partners are evicting and whose grant they are taking away.
Clegg’s cock up was reported as exactly that – a gaffe.
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At least Tony Blair’s book title makes sense
Tony Blair’s forthcoming memoirs have already been getting some attention.
Obviously, I’m not important enough to have not read them in advance. But nor will I be reading them when they are published. And it’s not just because, as Dave Osler notes, they will contain nothing new (except, perhaps, new lies).
It’s because the title of the book tells us everything we need to know already.
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In defence of Young Tories
The inestimable Laurie Penny took upon herself the grim task of “infiltrating” a Conservative Future bash hosted by the Young Britons’ Foundation and found, shockingly, that those in attendance tended to be of a right-wing bent, approving of Margaret Thatcher and perhaps a trifle strange.
Without wanting to question Laurie’s journalistic integrity, you also can’t help but wonder whether when you go into something with an already pre-determined level of contempt for those you’re about to meet, you’re looking from the outset for confirmation of your view.
That said, having your leg stroked and your bottom pinched by your social betters is hardly likely to make you reassess your initial verdict.
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Ed Balls – repeatedly punching the Coalition in the face, and loving it
Whatever you might think of Ed Balls’ policies or ideas, you have to hand it to him for forcing the Coalition on the defensive over Michael Gove’s mad education plans.
Let me put it another way. While David Miliband is busy drafting up a credible deficit reduction plan, prompted by his biggest media cheerleader – John Rentoul – Ed Balls is just going out there and repeatedly punching the Coalition government in the face.
I know which one I prefer.
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Government’s Spending Challenge website now offers you comedy gold
The government’s Spending Challenge website, launched last week on Friday, invites us to send our ideas for cuts.
A team has been put together right at the heart of government," claims the blurb on the homepage, "and their job is to make sure that your ideas and comments are taken seriously."
Which is deeply worrying, because for the most part the contributors to Spending Challenge give the impression that they have moved there directly from the Daily Express comments board.
Many entries have little bearing on government doing "more for less" and instead reflect personal hobby-horses, like the ubiquitous "Bring Back Capital Punishment".
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Martin Kettle, the condensed version
Shorter Martin Kettle
Despite having been prime minister for less than 2 months, David Cameron is potentially the best all-round leader of this country of the modern era.
Not based on any of the actual policies which he and the coalition are pursuing, as that might suggest otherwise, but simply because of his charm, good manners and false ingratiating behaviour at prime minister’s questions.
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Do the England squad need better incentives?
One has to feel a bit sorry for North Korea’s football squad. Despite a spirited performance against Brazil yesterday on Tuesday, and managing to go in 0-0 at half time, they lost 2-1.
By any normal standards it was a remarkable result for a squad in which only 3 members play overseas.
Indeed cheer might be taken from the fact that the 0-0 draw between Portugal and Ivory Coast was probably one of the worst world cup games ever, suggesting that North Korea might produce a surprise upset and qualify for the knock-out stages.
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Life imitates art
Just a little pictorial commentary for a dull Wednesday evening…
Philippa Stroud – a correction
Over the last few days, a sizeable number of articles have been published about Conservative Party candidate, Philippa Stroud, which contain a error of material fact.
As Ms Stroud has, seen fit, through her lawyers, to contact a number of media organisations and invoke the provisions of s106 of the Representation of the People Act, under which it an offence to knowingly publish an untrue statement about the character or conduct of a parliamentary candidate during an election period, we feel compelled to issue the following correction on behalf of the blogosphere.
It has been suggested, by numerous sources, that in 1999, Ms Stroud ‘wrote’ a book entitled ‘God’s Heart for the Poor’ in which she allegedly explains how to deal with people showing signs of ‘demonic possession’.
Further inquiries indicate that although Ms Stroud is, indeed, listed as one of two co-authors by Amazon, this is, in fact, incorrect, as indicated by the following statement, which appears on the personal website of the books’ other listed author, Christine Leonard:
God’s Heart for the Poor, ghosted biography/how to for Philippa Stroud. Kingsway, Aug 1999 Out of print
It would appear, therefore, that Ms Stroud ‘wrote’ this particular book only in the same sense that Wayne Rooney is the ‘author’ of an ‘autobiography’ and Katie Price is a successful ‘novelist’; and so, on behalf of the blogosphere, we unreservedly withdraw the claim that Ms Stroud is a published author.
Any further correspondance on this matter will, as matter of course, be referred to the response provided to the plaintiff in the case of Arkell vs Pressdram.
Do Daily Mail journalists cry at night?
The pathetic and desperate hatchet job on Nick Clegg, by our friends at the Daily Mail, was pretty much instantly rebutted last night, in just 140 characters.
@DougSaunders: British journalism in microcosm: 2002 op-ed by Nick Clegg: http://is.gd/bCESl Resulting Daily Mail front pager tomorrow: http://is.gd/bCETh
Merely linking to the article that was the basis for Tim Shipman’s front-page piece shows the real context, debunks the Mail‘s outrage, and exposes their highly partisan agenda. Iain Dale is right: this will backfire on the Conservatives (regardless of whether they actually had a hand in placing the smears), and further highlight The Slow Death of the British Newspaper As We Know It.
Alongside the online rebuttals and link-sharing, we see the rise of the satirical #hashtag, in this case #NickCleggsFault (seeded by Justin McKeating, I believe), and Chris Applegate has updated his seminal Daily Mail Headline Generator to capture the Zeitgeist:
WILL NICK CLEGG GIVE YOUR HOUSE SWINE FLU?
A few questions present themselves. The first is the obvious perennial: how deep does this sort of ridicule penetrate into the national conversation? Are these jokes just a distraction for a insular blogosphere, the “Twitterati”, or does the meme spread out enough to properly counter the spin being spread by the Mail?
Social marketers will spend all election trying to answer this question… but whatever the level of influence right now, I think it is safe to say that it grows on a daily basis. Meanwhile, the tabloids diminish in stature. This is now a given.
But what I really want to know, is this: What do the journalists at these outlets really think about the satirical attacks on their paper? I can well imagine a bunker mentality affecting the editorial team at the Mail, or the Express, or the Telegraph – these are intense and high-stakes positions, after all.
But does this attitude extend to, say, a young journalist working on the news desk? Or the sub-editors? Or the music reviewers? Or the poor chap (or chapess) who has to moderate all the angry comments!? What do they think when they see the Daily Mail Headline Generator and the #NickCleggsFault hastag cluttering up their screens? Just as the Mail’s readership is not a monolith, we know that their staff cannot be either.
I would love to know their reaction to these kinds of online surges – and not out of any sense of schadenfreude, fly-on-the-wall, Downfall-type snigger. I think it would be a genuinely useful insight into how major media operations operate in the second decade of the 21st Century.
Any pseudonomynous contributions in the comments would be gratefully received.
Why have these prominent Tories gone missing?
Paul Waugh is disappointed that there isn’t a bit more stuntery when senior Tories go into hiding on the campaign trail, a la the great Oliver Letwin man hunt in 2001.
While this is now a much cherished British General Election tradition, the field does seem excessively crowded this time around.
I wonder if bookmakers offered odds on who was seen at the launch of the Tory manifesto today.
In order of most missing ….
1. Not-Lord Ashcroft
Not-Lord Ashcroft has not been seen at all, to my knowledge, though he has a very strong interest in the marginals campaign. Does anybody know if the non-dom deputy party chair is in the UK or Belize (to where he billed his 2005 election polling, to avoid VAT)?
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Tories get excited about ‘air superiority’ against Labour
I’m struggling to see any sense at all in some over-excited Tory Boys at campaign HQ boasting to The Times about establishing “air superiority” in the campaign over Labour.
“We’ve got more executive jets than you” is their rather testosterone-fuelled boast, contrasting their fancy campaign toys with Gordon Brown’s plan to let the train mostly take the strain.
David Cameron’s campaign will exploit “air superiority” over Gordon Brown, as the Tories use their cash advantage to leave Labour grounded … With Labour compelled to make a virtue out of the necessity imposed by their relative poverty, the Conservatives said the party had not leased a single aircraft but had booked a number of different ones … It will be Mr Cameron’s use of executive jets that is likely to become a symbol of the campaigns’ contrasting styles, however.
Firstly, I am sure their candidate Rory Stewart would caution the Tories that you can’t win a war from 20,000 feet; still less a General Election. Despite the Tories’ reticience to roll back Labour’s popular top rate tax hike, they have probably got a fair share of the executive jet owning classes.
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You can read articles through the front page, via Twitter or RSS feed.
» A final goodbye to Phil Woolas and his rubbish
» Blast from the past: when Michael Gove wanted to restrict and privatise education
» More light finally shed on the allegations against Julian Assange
» Oxbridge isn’t racist – but it’s failing the working class
» Labour Yes! campaign unites party on vote reform
» WikiLeaks is More Than Assange
» Not getting the point on violence against women: a report from Bristol
» SABmiller: world’s second largest brewer is dodging millions in poorer countries
» Is The Times ‘helping terrorists’ to attack WikiLeaks?
» How we’re ending the law to bring foreign criminals to justice
» Is it always a ‘sell out’ to discuss difficult issues?
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