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.

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...