You disagree with me, therefore you are an 'ist'

The state of debate:

So I'm 'hard Right' because I'm in favour of liberal democracy?

It's a sad, true, but ultimately effective negotiating technique, if conceded by those to whom compromise is not weakness.

Pitch at a grotesque extreme, wait, gain, pitch further, wait...

Quango!

Quangos blow millions on ‘irrelevant’ celebs

Regional development agency claims are not credible

John Walsh: 'Quangos are absurd little organisations with large amounts of cash to splash' - little?

Has to be done.... DOWNING FALL

What goes around... (as in spin)...

Gordon Brown's Downfall - The Prequel

Hitler's BNP membership gets leaked

Gordon Brown saves the World at PMQs 10th December 2008

The BBC and Hitler are finished

Angry Draper

The Downing Street hand-shake

Downfall McBride

The McBride Downfall: The Sequel

Economy Question Time - The Elephant in the Room

Gordon Brown - the dance of the comedian

Gordon Brown - an edited homage

Jon Stewart to Jacqui Smith: What's with the list?

downfall - european election edition

Gainspotting

BEAN THERE, SEEN THAT, MADE THE T-SHIRT

A poster on a blog made a suggestion to which I had to reply:

Perhaps we should all work for the Government?

Or quangos, or any other of the myriad non-income generating entities that nonetheless do require money, from somewhere, to function.

The trouble with a bean-counting, bean-assessing, bean-managing and bean-taxing economy, overseen by a beano-philic national media, is that there is a slight problem with an ever-reducing number of folk actually making beans being burdened by all of the above.

They collapse, and we all starve. Even the parasites.

QUOTE OF THE DAY - Now I know why it is called "The Silly Season'

Michael Jackson's brain returned to family

QUOTE OF THE DAY - Ouch

Greek woman 'sets fire' to Briton's genitals

She will face a magistrate today to see whether the case will go to trial on charges of causing bodily injuries and of endangering private property.

It's Friday and, well, I found it funny. Even if I doubt the victim did

Too much son, not enough Illumiere

Something interesting has happened in the BBC blogosphere.

A fixture has gone on hols (like MPs, many in the state broadcaster seem to get the same as my kids), and the substitute is scoring well.

It has been noticed.

However, I have been minded to offer a cautionary comment to those who see her contribution as an improvement, and one to be retained.

However.... for some reason (I surmise below), the number of posts is currently significantly down.

This may be a problem. The market rate talents of the boxtickocracies need measures to justify their worth, and hence, regardless of the value of meeting the theoretical main remit (quality journalism) one tends to find that controversy pays better and hence gets hired and protected. Think Polly T in the Grauniad (at the BBC, on occasion). Or, for 'balance', the new Telegraph commentariat regime, where some new bloggers boast of being hired just to provoke. Any old nonsense will do as long as you can crank up a 500+ thread, even if it is folk going 'Huh?'.. or worse.

As many have already mentioned, I am settling in to savour more factual, objective reporting, with links and without narratives being enhanced or events being interpreted thanks to unique access and bestowed briefings resulting in little more than unsubstantiated gossip and spin.

Which may well mean I don't need to comment as the topic is served. Executives please take note. Numbers don't always mean quality. Noise need not accompany light for full sensory illumination.

Addendum

The author has penned another blog - Open primaries for all? - and I was struck by her use of 'left-wing' to describe a publication. I have found this happens rarely, and was moved to comment:

As, with many 'guest' commentators invited in at the drop of a producer's iPhone, it is a rare instance where I have seen a publication that is not 'right wing' or 'conservative' labelled as anything at all, I was wondering if there was, anywhere, an accepted (hah!), objective list/chart/guide where the political positionings of various reference sources was listed. I am not a big 'wing/ist/zi' designation fan.

If not, and to any degree of standardisation, I am in a variety of minds as to whether these appellations should be used. But for once I don't err on shades of grey. I think it should be one or t'other. The 'all' option is, inevitably, open to subjectivity. While 'nothing' remains, in the care of the reader's own eyes and independent thought, still mostly objective.

I am erring on the latter. That said, the provenance of a source is still often very pertinent to the take it/they provide, and of course there are also the numbers and extremity of views held that remain the gift of those who book individuals or quote stories.

Tricky. But as I suspect my preference will be in the minority, and as 'all' will... should be revealed, it can be refreshing to see the possible context of a quoted source and why some who use them may prefer that environment. So long as it is applied equally from all directions.

One also looks forward to certain 'research', by various 'think tanks', etc being framed by affiliations that might colour (blue, red, green...) their findings, being too often merely a means to introduce a spurious degree of separation from what are too often partisan opinions. And without the time or means to check more deeply, if taken at face value for some in the audience, this can stray into misrepresentation.

Sad, but not unexpected

Another day, another nail...

34. At 08:52am on 06 Aug 2009, you wrote:
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.

3. At 8:52 am on 6 Aug 2009, JunkkMale wrote:
24. At 8:48pm on 05 Aug 2009, Rustigjongens wrote:

It is to be hoped if, on current evidence not expected, that the major media, and our 'government', might investigate and comment on the accuracy, and implications of the brief letter from Carol Rigby in today's Telegraph:

SIR – If the troops in Afghanistan have all the kit they need, why have I just received a letter from my son stating that he is looking at someone with the soles of his boots falling off and has been told they will not be replaced? Furthermore, their body armour is being held together with tape and the malaria tablets have run out.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/letters/5978848/Assisted-suicide-denies-the-value-of-life-and-is-an-affront-to-Western-humanism.html

When they all return from school hols, after the 'silly season' passes and things get back to super 'normal' for those more privileged (Copyright: Alan 'the gift that keeps on giving' Yentob: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/5979697/Alan-Yentob-defends-BBC-over-Arlene-Phillips-ageism-claims.html ), that is.

ps: Having posted on another site, a 'defender' leapt in, missing the first line and pointed out he actually said 'ordinary folk' in the penultimate para. Indeed he did. Like that helped their case. LOL.

QUOTE OF THE DAY Defensive actions

From the mouths of Beebs. Or... the gifts that keep on giving...

Alan Yentob defends BBC over Arlene Phillips ageism claims

You have to hand it to the market rate talents, who 'we' might lose were they not paid massive amounts to be retained from going to... er... ITV?

'...normal people found it "difficult to understand" why they needed thousands of pounds for dinners and expensive gifts.'

Now, you might see where I am going here, but does this suggest that Mr. Yentob seem to be saying that they are 'not normal', or is it ab...

Ordinary Joe vs. the volcano

Following on form the last post on competence over perception.

Totnes Primary: now, how big is Sarah Wollaston's house?

It’s simply a fact of life, as there seems no ‘better’ way: the gatekeepers control the game because they own the pitch and the ball.

The players my change a tad, and the scores may vary, but running the game and its rewards is still theirs.

It’s true from anything from local awards juries to debating panel selections… to how ‘we’ get to ‘choose’ our leaders.

But, I have to say, this seems a tad better than before, and hence a direction to be applauded and supported.

If only for this: ‘…The career politicians out there should take note.’

And I could give a rat’s pitootie for what an MP’s house size is so long as they are paying for it honestly whilst doing the job they are meant to do, and well.

WUVI-journos, of all hues, take note.

The right person for the job is the right person

The problem for Harriet Harman…

…to assume that [this] balance* can best be achieved by a tick box quota…
*Plus, IMHO, most else.

However, in today’s world, and especially its governance, this seems pretty much to be the way things are ‘run’.

Which might explain our current, and future, predicaments.

However, in just a few areas, those of lifetime job security, unwarranted pay awards, index-linked salaries, etc, in just a few sectors, this policy does at least still seem more than rewarding.

Oddly.

Whipped into shape

Labour discipline is breaking down

There does seem to be a fine line between laudable discipline and rampant self-delusion, especially when it comes to governing/serving your country. That would be a democratic, freedom of speech-appreciating one that in theory elects proxy representatives and not tribal party rulers with Whipping boys and girls as their unacceptable 'fronts'.

IRONY ALERT - If a tree falls in the forest, and no one PR's it...

Gordon Brown's summer holiday – social working for a week or two

Especially this.

Equally unique

Tories will allow TV product placement

Cripes, I am running out of options to vote for come election time.

Certainly this writes off the Conservatives for me.

At best... a horde of new staffers to be wined and dined to 'objectively' shovel tat onscreen in the name of 'saving' money. PTOO! (Pull the other one!)

Or, at worst, there is even less connection between actions and accountability by 'losing' it in the Council Tax???! Barking.

When in doubt, play the person

And make sure your have a referee that is 'selective'.

Watched the Sunday Andrew Marr Show.

A very able substitute interviewer in Stephanie Flanders, though I did feel she softened a tad for her last guest (ms. Harperson). Sisterhood? As I have heard this 'if all else fails' strategy trotted out by Labour ad nauseam, and unclarified/checked by some who sit across from their spokespersons, is it really true that the Opposition is spending all its time 'arrogantly' claiming the election is in the bag. If so it would indeed by unwise, but I cannot recall personally having heard any such thing. The Conservatives can hardly be blamed for the claims of the media about them, much as some in the media might see merit in allowing a very tired Government to try and spin things this way.

Telegraph - Pandora's outbox: good luck burying bad news in the Internet age

Here was me thinking it was going to be a more political commentary in nature.
And I was going to challenge it.
Because, with a few notable exceptions, the Westminster brigade do a pretty good job of ensuring that what the MSM covers on TV and in print seldom comes close to what actually seems to surface and simmer a while in the blogosphere.
For instance, Ms. Harman is doing the rounds of the BBC claiming the Tories are crowing they have the next election in the bag, when I have heard no such thing (dumb if they did). Oddly, to date no interviewer seems to have been as rigourous as some out there in the ether in asking where they might see evidence of this.
As to this, I’d hardly put it under ‘burying bad news’. It’s more a caution on having odd reporting standards, poor editorial check and balance systems and how not to handle the PR crisis management of a cock-up subsequently.
Burying bad news is a whole new level of cynical news management and, sadly, too many are still getting away with it… or being allowed to by a way too comfy selection of lazy media types who seem to think they are an ‘elite’ by having access, in turn granted only by the audience their employers provide those with a story to spin (or hide).

Boycott Birmingham Airport

Birmingham airport parking charge a rip-off

Just got back from that greed-dripping, box-ticking farce of a system they now run at the airport.

Not only is it a total rip-off, there was a huge jam as several drivers hadn't twigged that they really were expecting you to not drop off but park, exit the car and pay before exiting. And no clear signage to deal with that not unsurprising lack of comprehension at how low these 'businesses' can sink.

So in fact the whole thing is designed to, and only increases congestion! So the 'claim' that this is to make things smoother and/or aid security is total b*ll*cks.

When the bean-counters and box-tickers rule the world goes to hell.

Where I have a choice, they are no longer one of them. Interesting business model.