Beware the Leopard

Impressive by any measure.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/nickrobinson/2009/09/the_axe_begins.html

174. At 5:28pm on 18 Sep 2009

This entry is now closed for comments

I guess in some sectors the day does indeed end at 5.30pm

Beware the Leopard.

http://www.planetclaire.org/quotes/hitchhikers/

The Vogons would approve.

Where's Robbie when you need him?

Newsnight

'..to hear people's views and its not good news for Gordon Brown.'

Not sure, but I think you'll find that going out anywhere, and not just marginal constituencies, might just end up with the same result.

I just worry the bloke is so bad folk are growing to need him for comic relief, like Dr. Zachary Smith in Lost in Space (an oddly apt metaphor there, too): http://www.heptune.com/lis/smith.html

Trouble is, he is still at the controls, not just trying to sabotage them

Aunty deigns to mix with the hoi poloi

New resource for citizen journalists

Good to see a new entry now 'open for comments' again. Well, until it isn't, I guess. That would be ironic.

I do love the drip drip in the mainstream about those that are not 'in the club'. You know, the one where "we don't own the news any more".

But amongst the grudging concessions, you do still get the gems.

'..people claiming their right to tell their story the way they want to.' As opposed to with narratives enhanced, events interpreted or emerging truths facilitated?

I do note the concession 'All BBC journalists should know the answers to these questions - or at least the issues involved in reaching the answers.' . Well, you'd hope, but that is a mighty big 'should', and the evidence would suggest that 'we' are all in this together, you and 'us'. Just ask the Queen, depending on which way she is headed.

'...to try to help find the appropriate answers to these and many other questions, we're developing a publicly available resource.

In the spirit of sharing and education this is of course welcome, though the definitions of what is 'good', 'conventional', etc to some, and possibly not others, will be interesting. One person's terrorist, 'n all...:)

'Our intention isn't to tell people what to do or what not to do.' Good show! It might be interesting to see the response if you did.

'Nor will it be an attempt to tell potential contributors what we want them to send us.' Well, fair enough, within reason. Your ball and pitch. Mind you, who is paying for it all?

Not sure if I see a link to any more above, so I look forward to hearing more when it transpires. Maybe with a more direct way to respond, too.

Addendum - not looking like they are quite getting the desired reaction so far

Journalism.co.uk - Q&A with the National Association of Citizen Journalists: 'We can help news companies'

Them, an' us

'...the public sector is creating jobs'

Well, at least one senior member seems to be doing her bit....er...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/6200069/Baroness-Scotland-employed-illegal-immigrant-as-her-housekeeper.html

Another 'fine' (well, we'll see) Baroness Gordon has got us into.

This whole GOAT herd is really showing their mettle.

We'll have to see if, when it comes to the consequences of being in 'ignorance of the law is no excuse', some equal but more elevated members of society are treated more 'sympathetically' by their peers than the lesser orders.

I used to think the appellation Baroness was accorded at the end of a career of talented service. Now it seems to be more at the beginning of one to stuff our Houses with cronies... of evidently less than startling ability.

Guido - ++ Sunlight Reports Baroness Scotland to UK Border Agency ++

Red Rag - Why Baroness Scotland has no defence to the charge of employing an illegal immigrant.

Indy - Probe into law chief's illegal worker

Guido - More

Guid0 - Baroness Scotland Accused of £170,000 Expense Fiddle - Despite giving her his full backing, if Brown thinks Patricia Scotland can remain as Attorney General, he is stark raving mad - yes, well, we'll see, eh?

Guido - Sunday Sleaze Repeat - Hole. Dig.

Getting the message

Three Browns…

For some reason, I had imagined ‘,,,and you’re out’ to follow that. Wishful thinking.
Just watched his latest ex-bunker oratory exposition on the news, using one of the most teeth-grinding political presumptions one must endure these days.
When he says ‘What people are worried about…’ , in the same way as above, my mind takes over and overlays whatever default porky tripe he is waffling about this time, and substitutes… a) He will open his mouth, b) he will say something despite his foot still being in there, c) it will cost the country, me and my kids until they are grandparents, d) a small,oddly still powerful section of the media will ‘report’ it as his latest masterstroke and e) his very small, and shrinking Cabinet fanbase, will echo that he should be able to get on with the job as it is the right thing to do.

'Any leader' better than Brown - Yahoo! News UK

The Last Days of the Dreich

A doomed administration desperately casting around for ever more bizarre, ill-conceived and destructive ways to if not save their sorry hides, then at least make a mark (stain more like) in the history books.

Even more apt is the last of the Caledonia in the bunker (the original, full YouTube Downfall well worth a revisit) sending out callow Jugend in the form of water (and out of their) depth monitors Milibands D. and E. (future of labour, apparently) to lecture the world on the evils of flying (whilst rather ignoring a) how they go there and b) how where the left from is being pushed through for expansion) and this latest title-heavy, competence-lite entity to try and convince that if she thinks its common sense well, then, it just must be.

Bearing in mind previous and current levels of service delivery, the notion of a few (thousand... hundred?) extra public self-servants coping with vetting 1/4 of the population at all seems... optimistic, let alone in a timely and, crucially, effective manner.

The politics of naked self-preservation leading to gambles that can only serve the interests of the few, at best, on the slim chance that any of these desperate initiatives achieve anything.

You couldn't make it up...The World's gone mad...

...take your pick.

On SKY:

An MG worker feels hard done by because he is driving a car THAT IS 5 YEARS OLD when he used to get a new one every 9 months!

Meanwhile, the CRB nutters are looking for fresh blood.

One thing I didn't hear was that the thing costs money. Or is this new fine based on a free check?

And with a a relative who has one professionally, I cannot see how this 'check' is in any way thorough or enduring, and hence is little more than a money making, jobsworth-creating box tick exercise. See Ian Huntley. Another apt metaphor for today.

A few years back a few Darwin award winners dumped their kid off to the Cubs, despite it not meeting that night.

So I see this kid sitting, on his own, on a lonely strip, where he'd have been for a few hours.

He didn't know his telephone number or address, so I had to drive him around until he saw his house. Typically ungrateful parents.

Now I would either leave him there or, just maybe call our mighty, responsive police force.

Nice state to be in. Not.

Latest:

Looking right now at Baroness Morgan being interviewed.

She does not have a clue. A true ninny nanny from Gordon's GOAT herd.

And the notion that a serious law, with consequences, may or may not apply is a farce.

And the fact that at some magical point of regularity of contact with children a paedophile 'activates' is plain daft.

It's on a par with thinking such individuals don't know who to take a bus to prey elsewhere with the various area 'lists' also announced as 'solutions'.

It is either all or nothing or is meaningless as 'protection', though it is obvious that shuffling paper offers little enough of that.

http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/126475

Labour’s Britain was exposed yesterday by the revelation that thousands of criminals, including rapists and paedophiles, were let off by police.

Another facile fudge form a spin-obsessed Government of no talents.

And their response to serious questions?: 'I don't want to get into that'.

Why come on then? We need honesty from these people; not insults to our intelligence.

Telegraph - Anger grows over 'paedophile checks' on parents who volunteer to help with children's activities - is it really called he Vetting and Barring Scheme,???

Gaurdian - Libertarianism on the rise?

Straight Statistics - Safeguarding a sinking ship

Quango! - Is it a bird, is it...

David Cameron: quangos and politicians for the chop

Odds on Dave will form a quango to discuss quangos

I rather fear that, once in power, the discussion paper for the Gloucester Old Spot Airborne Appreciation Board will soon be dug out to see just how many can be popped in on £200k + perks + index-lined + expenses + comms budget, to provide all necessary hands-off deniability or fake ‘independence’ to point out when a bit of dodgy policy needs some research to support it, that a new administration could wish for.

Choice for today: rubbish, or another kind of rubbish

A tad worrying that some in the chatterati classes seem to be buying into the the 'enemy of my enemy...' approach of the MSM a tad uncritically.

From setting up Murdoch as the alternative the BBC, to allowing the BNP onto QT, two wrongs still do not make a right.

Or maybe that's more 'inviting on an extreme right' does not make for 'balance'.

Yes, the BNP should get its platform equally to show its colours and be judged accordingly.

But if we are talking QT... on the BBC... any notion that it will be more than an agenda-dripping, rigged ratings-fest farce of heat over light is risible.

As with any 'panel' put up by the MSM today, especially when audiences, and their responses, are still in the hands of the few, who can invite on, and moderate off according to personal whim.

Yet still Yamato Brown blunders on

Brown rocked as aide quits over war

On his solo, symbolic suicide mission to satisfy Emperor Hubris with few on board save a 'loyal' senior GOAT herd of senior officers who really have no place else to go.

Plus, unfortunately, the press-ganged crew of the rest of the country who the guys upstairs in the driving seat have barely given a second's thought to as they aim for final pay offs, directorships and cushy lecture circuit fees.

If Mr. Brown gets rocked much more he will be spinning in place.

Hope springs...

I had to chortle at this:

Gordon Brown: 'I'll take pay cut to help jobless'

I have to say my first thought was to ponder if he might also consider a job cut to help... well, with everything really.