August 12, 2005

Robin Cook's funeral: Labour without Blair

Robin Cook’s funeral was moving. It was also interesting to see Labour without Blair. ‘Les absents ont toujours tort’ (Philippe Néricault Destouches).

Posted by Simon Holledge at 11:42 PM | TrackBack

April 01, 2005

BREAKING NEWS: Tony Blair website blitzed

The Blair government website was blitzed in the early hours of the morning by a line of spinning green capsules. The attack may have been bioviral or cyberoptical. Software was wiped out; hardware losses are still unknown.

pmattack1.jpg

First attack - off target, but closing in
Click to enlarge the image.

pmattackdet1.jpg

First attack (detail)

calflood4.gif

Second attack - direct hit!
Click to enlarge the image.

pmattackdet2.jpg

Second attack (detail)

Posted by Simon Holledge at 05:15 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

March 16, 2005

New Labour's 'tipping point'

Labour dissident Mark Seddon has an interesting article in today’s Guardian. He attacks New Labour’s attempts to control the selection of Labour candidates for the general election, but what is significant is his speculation on the ‘tipping point’, the point at which Blair might begin to lose control over his party:

“The tipping point for Tony Blair and possibly for the New Labour project will be decided by the size of any majority in the forthcoming general election. Much under 60 and Tony Blair’s nightmare becomes a reality: for his majority will then be made up of the leftwing Campaign Group MPs, aggrieved former ministers and the awkward squad.”

www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1438496,00.html

Thanks to ‘BackIngBlair.com’ for picking this up.

www.backingblair.co.uk/2005/03/out-with-old-in-with-new-labour.html

Posted by Simon Holledge at 02:01 PM | TrackBack

December 19, 2004

Thatcherism there and here

Fraser Nelson in the Scotsman has an interesting article on Thatcherism as the acknowledged inspiration behind government policies in America.

How long will it be, I wonder, before New Labour formally declare themselves to be the legitimate heirs of the Baronesss and all her works?

news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1448142004

Posted by Simon Holledge at 07:00 PM | TrackBack

September 10, 2004

50 things Labour hasn't done since 1997

In December last year, Mark Lazarowicz MP (Edinburgh North and Leith) kindly sent me an inconsequential list of ‘50 things Labour has done since 1997’. I responded with my own list of ‘50 things Labour hasn’t done since 1997’. Looking at the list again almost a year later, I don’t think it needs much revision!

Labour has:

  1. Failed to democratically reform the House of Lords.
  2. Failed to support the United Nations on Iraq.
  3. Failed to safeguard the rights of British subjects in Guantanamo.
  4. Failed to correct social abuses in the armed forces (e.g. Deepcut murders).
  5. Failed to resolve the issue of Scottish MPs voting on English affairs (but not vice versa, the ‘West Lothian Question’).
  6. Failed to respect the legitimate rights of Londoners to run their own affairs (e.g. the Underground).
  7. Failed to introduce curbs on smoking in public places.
  8. Failed to accelerate the introduction of broadband and advanced fibre networks (AFN).
  9. Failed to bring terrorist suspects in Britain to court.
  10. Failed to end the practice of slopping out in British Prisons.
  11. Failed to supply the army in Iraq adequately for a war theoretically involving weapons of mass destruction.
  12. Failed to object to the use of torture in foreign countries to obtain information about terrorism.
  13. Failed to recognize the rights of immigrant children (e.g. Barlinnie etc.).
  14. Failed to resolve the symbolic issue of fox hunting.
  15. Failed to formulate any international policies concerning the Internet (including spam abuse).
  16. Failed to relieve congestion points on motorways.
  17. Failed to reform the Crown Prosecution Service.
  18. Failed to join the euro.
  19. Failed to encourage a fixed rate mortgage system for house loans.
  20. Failed to encourage recycling of domestic rubbish.
  21. Failed to formulate a viable national policy for the fishing industry.
  22. Failed to guarantee the rights of secularists and humanists, on an equal basis with faith communities.
  23. Failed to formulate a policy to make computers available to all primary and secondary schools pupils, and to use computers in examinations.
  24. Failed to maintain an impartial relationship with both American political parties.
  25. Failed to develop cheaper and more humane alternatives to imprisonment.
  26. Failed to respect the independence of the civil service.
  27. Failed to encourage organic farming.
  28. Failed to run intelligence services producing reliable information.
  29. Failed to interest the public in political processes.
  30. Failed to modernize voting systems.
  31. Failed to introduce fair, consistent and stable government charging for monopoly services.
  32. Failed to make the legal system more accessible to ordinary people.
  33. Failed to reform the appointment system in the NHS.
  34. Failed to devolve the power to tax to the Welsh Assembly and Scottish Parliament.
  35. Failed to reform the out-of-date British GP system (NHS).
  36. Failed to modernize the diplomatic service and to utilize British government property overseas productively.
  37. Failed to reform British Telecom and the rest of the telecommunications industry.
  38. Failed to increase national productivity.
  39. Failed to reform the Post Office.
  40. Failed to create an English Parliament responsible for English affairs
  41. Failed to modernize the railways.
  42. Failed to revive manufacturing industry.
  43. Failed to modernize and scale down the monarchy.
  44. Failed to significantly reduce poverty and inequality.
  45. Failed to encourage the arts.
  46. Failed to deal with drug abuse.
  47. Failed to introduce a modern curriculum to British schools.
  48. Failed to reform private education in Britain.
  49. Failed to develop significant use of alternative sources of energy (wind farms etc.).
  50. Failed to modernize the police and police methods.

Posted by Simon Holledge at 12:54 PM

August 30, 2004

Jack McConnell's strategy

According to the BBC news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3610212.stm Jack McConnell is going to announce that the Tories, and not the SNP, are now Labour's main opponents in Scotland.

This is in line with London Labour's strategy of claiming electoral successes on the basis of Tory failures, while shrugging off the victories of other parties. This probably makes some sense for Labour, but it also shows how desperate they are to maintain the British two party system.

Posted by Simon Holledge at 12:22 PM