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The level and degree of swearing has in recent years gone off of the scale and I agree that it is far too much. The use of strong language on television has grown particularly bad. Whereas once any programme on before a certain time would be fronted by a warning about strong language it now seems to be the norm. I'm not suggesting series such as The Sopranos or The Wire be toned down as in those cases the context allows it, but in some programmes it's ludicrous.
It's not only swearing but also other coarse and crude language which seems to be endemic now, comedians being the worst offenders by far. Even genuinely funny comedians such as Michael McIntyre and Rhod Gilburt go into language that's totally uncalled for, not befitting their main act, and surely narrowing their audience.
I don't like the f word
Interesting piece in The Daily Telegraph (Australian version) about the foul mouth of Kevin Rudd, the Labo(u)r Prime Minister. He's a 'swear bear' (and his swearing pre-dated the recent slide in his opinion poll ratings). "Those Chinese f****** are trying to rat-f*** us," said Rudd at last year'...
Of course charities can take up possitions on issues and it is none of the State's business, as some comments have said, but I don't think Alex was suggesting legislation. I think rather the article was a more general note questioning the wisdom of charitable organisations taking up political possitions, particularly ones outside their remit (as in the Salvation Army case) or likely to alienate a large section of their potential donor pool. I would never donate to Oxfam, for example, because of their advertising budget for campaigns against free trade.
In the US there is I believe more public awareness of the difference between charities that focus on doing good and those that focus on campaigning, lobbying and politics. We need to start being more aware of this here, and perhaps here legislation could help (maybe deny charitable status to any organisation spending over 10% on admin and lobbying).
Charities adopt "liberal" positions that are nothing to do with their core mission - a mistake, perhaps
Whilst She Who Must Be Obeyed and I enjoyed a drink in a lovely pub in Southwold this weekend, a chap from the Salvation Army came around collecting donations. I've always admired the work and dedication of the organisation so I shoved a few quid in the pot and in return he gave me a copy of ...
I have to take a different line and instead commend DC for ditching the awful Blair-era outriders and light jumping motorcade. Good for him!
We are not living in a Tom Clancey novel or Iraq. Less than a year after 9/11 The Queen travelled down the Mall with Prince Phillip in an open top car as part of her Golden Jubilee - if she can do it, why not the PM? The Queen of course has even been shot at whilst riding in a parade but still continues.
Did Margaret Thatcher have outriders during the IRA bombing campaign which, unlike Al Qaeda, targetted her and her close allies personally. Did the menacing message after the Brighton Bomb that "you have been lucky once but will have to be lucky always" make her cower behind bodyguards twice her size and travel in motorcades? No. Churchill in the War also was a huge target but carried on walking the bomb damaged streets, as did the King, and both stayed in London.
In all of our years we have lost just one PM to the assasins. Hopefully we shall never lose another, but let us not become paranoid. Motorcades just aren't British. If we start living in fear and changing our ways then we are letting the terrorists win.
Take the outriders, Prime Minister
It is difficult not to applaud David Cameron for his egalitarian streak over London’s traffic. Indicating his intent to do away with motorcycle escorts certainly sets him apart from the sort of politicians who would speed through special politburo lanes in their Zil limousines. But just as he ca...
Caroline,
I studied there, and am not insulting or "slagging off" the University of Essex as an institution. I am saying that architecture wise it's a disaster zone - which was the general concensus when I was there.
Optimists vs Pessimists
The University of Essex is a truly ghastly place, a monstrous carbuncle despoiling a glorious area of parkland once painted by John Constable, an essay in 1960s architecture that was deemed so bad - even at the time - that development plans for 29 towers were cancelled after the first 6. Within i...
The University of Essex has many strengths, architectural beauty is not one of them.
Optimists vs Pessimists
The University of Essex is a truly ghastly place, a monstrous carbuncle despoiling a glorious area of parkland once painted by John Constable, an essay in 1960s architecture that was deemed so bad - even at the time - that development plans for 29 towers were cancelled after the first 6. Within i...
My thoughts entirely, Steve.
Tory candidate for Aberdeen South steps down for family health reasons
The Press and Journal has the story: "The Conservative candidate for Aberdeen South has pulled out of the race to win the seat at the general election. A spokesman for the Tories confirmed last night that Mark Jones had stepped down because of family health reasons. The news was greeted with “sh...
If council officials don't take elected councillors seriously because of what they wear and so fail to do their job then they are to blame, not the councillor, and should be dismissed.
Your comment about business is interesting. Increasingly the upper ranks are dressing down - the boss doesn't need to wear a suit and tie, he's the boss, leaving the suit and tie to middle managers trying to impress. Councillors should dress down.
Should councillors wear jeans to council meetings?
There is an Adjudication Panel for Wales tribunal under way at present involving a dispute over councillors in Flintshire. An independent councillor Cllr Patrick Heeson is accused of bullying Council officers and refusing to be interviewed by the Ombudsman. A Conservative councillor, Cllr Alison...
You are very probably right. Councillors in suit and tie often look self-important, indeed most of the pro-suit comments on this thread cite the importance of the office as reason for the formality. This formality however puts most people off - they do not see the office as that important.
Should councillors wear jeans to council meetings?
There is an Adjudication Panel for Wales tribunal under way at present involving a dispute over councillors in Flintshire. An independent councillor Cllr Patrick Heeson is accused of bullying Council officers and refusing to be interviewed by the Ombudsman. A Conservative councillor, Cllr Alison...
Should councillors wear jeans? Of course they should, absolutely yes, providing they want to wear jeans. The same applies to Bermuda shorts, t-shirts, wooly jumpers, gorilla costumes, anything really. I really couldn't care what my councillor wears. In fact I'd rather councillors dress normally than decide their role is so important that they must wear a suit.
If council officials cannot respect someone not wearing a suit and tie then they are not fit for their role and should be dismissed. I want councillors who will run my council well; they demonstrate that through their words and actions, not their ability to wrap a piece of silk around their necks or their sartorial choices.
Should councillors wear jeans to council meetings?
There is an Adjudication Panel for Wales tribunal under way at present involving a dispute over councillors in Flintshire. An independent councillor Cllr Patrick Heeson is accused of bullying Council officers and refusing to be interviewed by the Ombudsman. A Conservative councillor, Cllr Alison...
These posters are brilliant, exactly what we need at the moment. I agree that they are negative, and that we will need a possitive message, but Labour has been let off the hook on these issues too much so it's neccessary to remind voters of these things before setting out an alternative vision.
I'm particularly glad to see the one stating "National Debt" rather than "deficit". As I said about the previous "We can't go on like this..." posters, no one understands the term "deficit" but "National Debt" they do very much!
They also keep it simple - one message per billboard, where the other had three - and is well designed to be seen by passing motorists, again unlike the last one.
Well done M&C.
As for spoofing, MyDavidcameron has announced an end to it's billboard spoofing, so that's them out of it. By featuring Brown's image the spoofs created can only be either anti-Brown or sycophantical Labour ones.
Tories launch anti-Brown posters
24 hours ago the party launched a second round of its 'I've never voted Tory before...' posters but the party has gone negative tonight. The first fruits of CCHQ's new relationship with M&C Saatchi can be seen with the launch of a poster campaign targeting Brown's record. There are seven ads in ...
The big argument against this is - as Iain stated - the fact that our time zone is a huge part of our competitive advantage. The further forward we move the clocks, the harder it becomes to do business with the US and Far East. If anything I would move our clocks backwards, to place us more equidistant time wise between the US and EU. With globalisation and in particular the internet, video conferencing and augmented reality, geographical location is increasingly irrelevant. Time and language are more so.
As M suggested, it would make far more sense to change the time you get up if you want to live by Continental time. The level of road deaths could be cut by changing school hours, which could be done on a local level. As for tourism, I don't see how the time affects that.
Tobias Ellwood MP: It's time to revisit the debate about introducing permanent daylight saving time in Britain
Tobias Ellwood MP is shadow tourism minister in the Conservative Culture, Media and Sport frontbench team. Tonight the nation will once again conduct the annual ritual of moving our clocks forward, providing an instant feel good factor as we bask in lighter evenings and are finally liberated ...
Very well put, Graeme.
I have never understood the concept of "hate crimes" being an identified seperate category of crime which is considered more serious than other technically identical crimes; aren't all physical crimes "hate crimes"? Murder is murder, assault is assault, whether perpetrated on the grounds of race, sexuality, religion, age, class, wealth, accent, choice of football team...
The Left's desire to perpetuate identity politics has simply replaced class warfare with group warfare, deeming us all "victims" with grievances which they can "solve" through legislation. The truth is we are all individuals and should be treat as such, but that rather undermines the concept of Labour's client state.
No Poofs
A warm & friendly welcome awaits all guests at Susanne Wilkinson's Swiss Bed & Breakfast in the idyllic village of Cookham, near Maidenhead in Berkshire. Unless you're gay, of course, as Michael Black and John Morgan found out when they attempted to check-in to Ms Wilkinson's 'warm & friendly' ...
I like the idea of the bus adverts, but I think they need to be like billboards and carry more of a message. We need to tell people why they should vote Conservative - better schools, less red tape, stop the debt etc - otherwise it just isn't noticed.
I also wonder why neither bus adverts mention their websites, the website should be mentioned on everything! The long domain name won't help.
Melanie Hampton is the latest candidate to advertise on the back end of a bus
We recently highlighted the ads on the back of buses in Batley and Spen forming part of the campaign being waged by Conservative candidate, Janice Small. This means of getting the message across has also been adopted by Melanie Hampton in Mitcham and Morden - who has also just set up this new ca...
Boris Island isn't quite that "crack-brained" as it first sounds, but I must admit my support for it in principle has been drifting of late, though I still favour it to continued use of LHR.
Gatwic could be an option, but I don't know enough about the site to make any fair comment. My concerns about CPO would still remain.
High speed rail is not the vote losing issue that the author claims, providing it is designed well. The HS1 route for example closely follows motorways and main roads throughout really, and no one takes any notice of it now, which would make it a good advert for future routes.
Perhaps HS2 could go to Glasgow where there are 2 airports and 4 runways?
The other side of the political equation on Heathrow starts to become apparent
I haven't written about Heathrow for a while, I think this was my last post on the subject. My view is still that the Conservative policy of blocking expansion would be very bad news for British businesses and taxpayers, as Heathrow is Britain's hub airport and preventing it competing with othe...
The use of CPO for the third runway is totally unacceptable, and the argument of "necessity is the argument of tyrants, the creed of slaves." If the Conservatives are to stand for anything then it must be for individuals and their property rights. An Englishman's home is his castle.
The other side of the political equation on Heathrow starts to become apparent
I haven't written about Heathrow for a while, I think this was my last post on the subject. My view is still that the Conservative policy of blocking expansion would be very bad news for British businesses and taxpayers, as Heathrow is Britain's hub airport and preventing it competing with othe...
A few from my blog - http://www.davidbreaker.com/?p=678
"British jobs for British workers"
"1.3m NI numbers for foreign workers"
"No more boom and bust"
"I said no more Tory boom and bust"
Look out this afternoon for an online poster generator and our version of MyDavidCameron - http://www.mybillboard.net
If they can mess with our posters, shouldn't we have fun with theirs?
On Monday Labour launched this poster and Tory Rascal hit back with this: Here's another example: Please use the thread below (or email me) to suggest other variations on Tory Rascal's theme and we'll put the best up later today...
Fears of abuse may condemn you to suffering, change the law and abuse will condemn others to die. The law must protect all life, not only those lives a CPS official subjectively views as sufficiently enjoyable. One abuse is too many and you cannot eliminate that risk. Do you really think no one is pressured into killing themselves where euthanasia is legal, through direct pressure, deliberate neglect, psychological and physical abuse, feeling a burden, or because it's what others do? I'm fairly certain you could make a person suicidal.
Protecting vulnerable life trumps protecting the right to suicide.
Mark Field MP: The safeguards for "assisted dying" are illusory
Mark Field is Conservative MP for Cities of London and Westminster. Inevitably an MP’s direct personal experience has a strong bearing on his or her views on ethical and moral issues, which are generally subject - rightly - to a free vote in Parliament. My own father’s terminal cancer and deat...
You can tweet links to websites, articles, videos... The 140 tweet is just a hook.
Closing the deal 7/10: David Cameron should join Twitter (and soon)
According to the table above, just released by Tweetminster, the Conservatives are at a disadvantage on Twitter. @MayorofLondon and @Conservatives are our two biggest players but @DowningStreet (which hopefully we'll soon inherit) and @SarahBrown10 have many fifteen times as many followers. I'...
They aren't reading the overtly political ones such as @Conservatives but they are reading ones which offer something else - either news (@10DowningStreet) or celebrity (@StephenFry) or interest (@SarahBrown).
Closing the deal 7/10: David Cameron should join Twitter (and soon)
According to the table above, just released by Tweetminster, the Conservatives are at a disadvantage on Twitter. @MayorofLondon and @Conservatives are our two biggest players but @DowningStreet (which hopefully we'll soon inherit) and @SarahBrown10 have many fifteen times as many followers. I'...
My main problem with these proposals is that the report seems to view high speed rail's primary purpose as transporting passengers. Railways have never historically made profits through focussing on passengers, with very few exceptions, as the real money lies in freight. Building a network around transporting primarily passengers will simply make the operation less economical, and I say that both as a railway enthusiast and supporter of high speed rail.
What is needed is a high speed network shadowing the major motorways used for cargo haulage, with roll-on roll-off interchanges at the major motorway junctions, so that a lorry can drive onto a train outside Birmingham or Glasgow and not be seen on the Tarmac until Calais! Passenger services should be secondary.
The report also bases its views on the assumption that Heathrow is a permenant and ever expanding option, which due to its location it should not be and indeed cannot realistically be.
Tony Lodge: Why we risk getting High Speed Rail so wrong
Tony Lodge is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Policy Studies and chairman of the Bow Group's Transport Committee. The Right Track – Delivering the Conservatives’ Vision for High Speed Rail, by Tony Lodge and with a foreword by Lord Heseltine, is published today by the Bow Group. Britain ...
I don't think making them listen to any length of debate would make any difference, MPs are already following party lines almost all the time that they may as well vote by proxy. The problem is MPs don't want to be MPs but instead want ministerial careers and the Whips and party leaderships control this. If we want proper legislators we need to separate the legislature and the executive so that MPs aren't trying to please anyone but their electorate.
A note on diversity and the duties of an MP
Far be it from me to speak on this matter for all concerned but, in the absence of any other voice articulating this argument I will write just this once upon a subject area I steer clear of wherever possible, namely “diversity” – in its politically correct pigeon hole sense – and in particular b...
If you switch on BBC Parliament you'll see that they rarely turn up for debates anyway, and if you look up Theyworkforyou.com you'll see the rate of voting against party line is negligable. I can't see how electronic voting could make things any worse than it already is.
Indeed electronic voting could increase independence from the Whips as voting against party line via laptop would be less uncomfortable than lining up like sheep with the "enemy side"! With e-voting all MPs could be required to vote, ending the situation where Whips convince those planning to rebel to instead abstain by being in their constituency that day!
A note on diversity and the duties of an MP
Far be it from me to speak on this matter for all concerned but, in the absence of any other voice articulating this argument I will write just this once upon a subject area I steer clear of wherever possible, namely “diversity” – in its politically correct pigeon hole sense – and in particular b...
In no way am I advocating lazy MPs and fewer hours work, simply more normal hours. And nowhere did I suggest having MPs who are not working in the national interest.
A note on diversity and the duties of an MP
Far be it from me to speak on this matter for all concerned but, in the absence of any other voice articulating this argument I will write just this once upon a subject area I steer clear of wherever possible, namely “diversity” – in its politically correct pigeon hole sense – and in particular b...
As a "disabled person" I've got mixed views on this. Whilst I understand the desire to get a broader range of experience into politics I do not think pigeon holing people and throwing money at them is a good idea and unintentionally could sound patronising.
It would be far better to "headhunt" suitable candidates, and provide support through the usual party channels, rather than use taxpayers' money channeled through "disability charities" who will often have their own agenda. A lot of disabled people, myself included, do not have anything to do with these charities.
If you ask me the two roadblocks are (1) campaigning and (2) the hours. The first the Parties could solve themselves by offering support, and the second needs reform of Parliament to introduce more normal hours, electronic division voting as used by MSPs, and a return to focussing on legislation rather than being uber-councillors. The second I believe also explains why we get fewer female MPs, as the job in its present morphed form doesn't suit everyone.
Conservatives promise £250,000pa to help disabled people become MPs and councillors
The Conservatives yesterday promised £1m to fund a four year programme that would help more disabled people become MPs, councillors and civil servants. Tory spokesman on disability issues, Mark Harper MP is quoted in The Guardian: "Despite there being over 10 million disabled people in the UK, ...
Wouldn't it make sense just to send a letter to every member in the borough listing the wards needing candidates and asking if they'd be interested. I've never seen or heard of such a letter and have no idea how candidates are selected here.
Head hunters used to recruit council candidates
I know there is often concern that councillors can become a self perpetuating clique. Once elected they can remain for long time, if they are in a safe ward, with deselection only likely if there has been some scandal or rebellion - rather than being deselected simply because they have done a po...
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