VISIONARY OR LUNATIC?

Today’s Guardian carries an in depth article on the enigma that is Peter Tatchell. Standing for the Green Party at the next general election, Tatchell has vaulted the political spectrum of this country with impressive bravado and never say die attitude. Not one to avoid controversy, his threats to “out” gay MP’s and Bishops made him many enemies, only to find himself redeemed when he tried to “arrest” Robert Mugabe in London (he actually tried twice, 1999 and 2000). For Tatchell, his belief and public stances have cost him dearly. As Stephen Moss outlines;

“He has been fire bombed three times, had dozens of bricks through the window, received a bullet through the post, been beaten up on hundreds of occasions. His enemies are innumerable; the far right, Islamic fundamentalists, lovers of the type of homophobic, misogynist rap that Tatchell calls “Murder Music”

Had this been the description of a politician involved in Northern Ireland, I would not have been surprised. This is however, a man very much part of the Westminster political village. What drives a man to continue to court controversy when faced with such insurmountable odds? As Moss states of him; “Visionary, self publicist, lunatic – which is it?”

In Tatchell’s own words it is simple;

“I love justice. I don’t like seeing other people suffer. I think to myself: that could be me, my sister or my neighbour. Since I wouldn’t like my family or friends to suffer, it would not be right for me to ignore or tolerate other peoples suffering”

The rest of the article covers his political shenanigans, and his infamous 1983 Bermondsey election battle (ironically against Simon Hughes). I have mentioned this review because I can’t quite make my mind up about Tatchell, and after finishing Moss’s tome, I don’t think he can as well. Whilst Tatchell deserves some credit for his political doggedness and commitment to a cause, his defection from Labour to the Greens smacks of political opportunism, even though the party is becoming a watering hole for a disillusioned (old) Labour cohort.

Try and check the Guardians full text, its well worth the effort. Like him or loath him, Tatchell is one of the most controversial political campaigners of the post 1960’s era and despite his adoption of a “mainstream” approach to political representation, he shows no sign of curtailing his anarchic exuberance.

BANANA REPUBLIC

Over at Curly’s Corner Shop (http://curly15.wordpress.com), the problem of potential fraudulent voter activity was highlighted with regard to postal voting in Leeds. According to David Hencke in today’s Guardian, there may also be a problem with “e-voting” and “e-centres”. In a desperate attempt to raise voter turnout, the government has approved some hair brained schemes with a technological slant. South Bucks is the most controversial Borough, where voters will have the choice of internet, telephone and postal voting. However, ministers overseeing the eight councils involved in the experiment “forgot” to grant the Electoral Commission legal permission to demand access to net servers and e- counting centres. As such, some councils are getting a bit snotty as to the degree of access they will allow, with “grace and favour agreements” being the norm. If this was Zimbabwe I could understand the problems, but it is not. We class ourselves as the “mother of all democracies”, yet we behave like a banana republic. As to the ministers concerned with a lack of attention, of course they “forgot”. With the governments technological record on the NHS data base and junior doctor applications, no wonder they neglected to involve the Commission, the only body capable of blowing a hole in this ill conceived charade. Blair's Mandarins have still to get to grips with postal voting, never mind the internet!

AFTER TEN YEARS, WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE PUT THE RUBBISH OUT!

For those of us who don’t have much time for Tony Blair, this is going to be a difficult week. As he puts the finishing touches to his resignation speeches, news papers journalists, TV bosses and radio pundits are starting to go into overdrive producing reviews, editorials and in some case, obituaries. The Guardian is no exception, informing us that Blair has “regrets over three wasted years”. Only three Tony, surely not! Lord Falconer, Blair’s “fixer”, offered the view on the PM’s behalf that “up to three years were lost after the 1997 general election” and that he was “to slow to recognise how public services needed to be reformed” and finally that “he (Blair) begins to realise that something more profound is required”. Whilst that may explain every thing up to 2000, what has happened with the last seven years? If Tony has no regrets for the state of the NHS, education, the welfare system and Iraq, then he has a very tainted and obscure view of his legacy. However, it is not only Lord Falconer who is happy to comment on Blair’s time in office, as Lord Kinnock is of the view that any advances over the last ten years will be “clouded, even possibly obscured by the association with Bush”. David Blunkett, however, is less critical, stating that it will take up to 20 years for people to value his premiership, comparing the boss he twice had to resign under as a “prophet”. Blunkett could possibly be right, but only due to the fact that in 20 years people might have actually forgotten how bad Blair was!

However, with Labour on track to loose more than 500 councillors, the SNP on the brink of usurping the Edinburgh parliament, and more and more soldiers dying in Iraq on a daily basis, there remains the possibility that it will take a future Labour leader 20 years to rebuild the Party! What will people think then?

THE SUNDAY ROAST

In a week when wheelie bins became more important than Iraq, those two dustmen Blair and Brown still managed to dominate the headlines in some shape or form. In an attempt to avoid the obvious reference to the Labour leadership race, here are three little snippets from the Sundays.

NO BRONZE, NO SILVER, JUST GOLD

I hate to keep going on about it, but the ugly mess that is the Olympic funding has raised its expensive head again. The Sunday Telegraph leads with the headline “Cover up of £1bn hole in Britain’s Olympic bid”. Consultants warned government aids in September 2004 that the estimates that ministers were using to promote the bid (£3.4bn) were at least £1bn short of the mark. The figure to date has reached £9.4bn, so even the consultants were well short. Labour sources in both the Treasury and Culture Department have no defence for these errors, merely choosing to deflect attention by trying to portray opposition criticism as anti games and anti Britain. Such a pathetic attitude adds further weight to the accusation that if they can’t get the Olympic figures right, how the hell can they look after our money and get the economy right?

Talking of consultants, there has been a flurry of new companies registered at Companies House whose remit is to provide Olympic related services. What’s the bet that the directors of said companies include some very famous sporting names linked to officially appointed Olympic government posts? Though not running in 2012, I envisage Lord Coe emerging from the games covered in gold!

“HEY BIG SPENDERS, SPEND A LITTLE DOSH ON ME” SANG TONY FROM HIS BATH

The Times has its yearly look at the richest 1000 people in Britain and Ireland. As per usual the 19^th annual survey has a plethora of land owners, banker’s, musicians and media moguls. Oh yes, and the usual list of “no workers” who have inherited their monies. Two areas which drew my attention; Firstly the regional breakdown. The North East has only 16 people out of the 1000 listed who were born, live or have interests in this area. Sadly, we are bottom of the “wealth by region”. Whilst this does cause me concern, I still have great pride in the north’s business acumen and talent. Devastated by the collapse of heavy industry, the region still fails to attract the levels of investment experienced by other parts of the country. We therefore do very well with what we have. The continued regeneration of Newcastle and Sunderland will hopefully attract more commercial, technological and industrial investment, so next year will hopefully see some improvements. The second area is that of political donors. Some of the names may be familiar, especially to Deputy Assistant Commissioner John Yates, head of the “cash for honours” enquiry.

Gordon Crawford - £500,000 - donation on loan basis

Sir Chris Evans - £1,000,000 – arrested in the enquiry

Sir David Garrard - £2,300,000 – donations linked to dubious planning decisions granted in his favour.

Richard Caring – £2,000,000 – built his empire in the far east rag trade, paying monthly wages that in the UK wouldn’t even buy a Burger King special.

And what about those rich list members who have also parted company with large amounts of money over the years? Who can forget Bernie Ecclestone, the boss of Formula One motor racing? Rumour has it he talked to Tony over the phone whilst both were in the bath (separately I may add), with the Irishman finally handing over £1m to New Labour in January 1997, four months before Blair was elected. The government then decided after the election to make Formula One exempt from the ban on tobacco advertising. You scrubbed up fairly well there didn’t you Bernie? Or Lakshmi Mittal, the steel magnate worth £900 million who donated £125,000 to New Labour? He received a letter of support from Blair to the Romanian prime minister backing his bid for a Romanian steel plant. Keith Vaz, the Hindujas, Lord Irvine, David Blunkett, five-homes Meacher, Cheriegate? The list of scandal goes on and on. I haven’t even looked at the Conservative list, their not in government; though I’m sure it will also have an element of duplicity. Labour’s problem is that they have been so blatant and arrogant with their policy of wining, dining and rewarding the rich and famous.

DON’T MOVE, HE’S GOT A CAMERA!

Over in America, tensions over possible terrorist attacks have not dissipated. Local film and TV director, Mike Figgis, landing in LA after a long flight, informed immigration officials that he was entering the country “to shoot a pilot”. The Sunday Sun describes how Figgis then spent the next five hours being quizzed by airport officials, finally convincing them that his comments related to camera shots, not the gun kind. As they say, only in America!

MAYOR OF LONDON

At last the build up to local elections seems to have gathered some steam. National papers are starting to pay for and publish their Mori polls, and the “regionals” have at last been woken from a “Snow White” deep sleep and moved from “cats up trees” to actually who may govern their readership.

For “Rise Like Lions” the regional council elections are very important, not just because they give a national reflection, but additionally because they will set the tone as to how our communities are administered.

However, after 10 years of very disappointing Blair rule, and in view of the Iraq fiasco, I am looking for more than just a Labour “bloody nose”.

The problem with the local elections is that whilst the change of party within one ward may change the controlling element of a Council, it doesn’t necessarily involve a major swing at national level. Labour have in their tenure as a government lost more seats at council level than they have gained, but they still control the Westminster agenda. Where a battle can be won however, and something the national press have ignored, is in the elections for the Mayor of London. I will follow this post with a full review later, but rest assured, this will be Brown’s first test!

SHAME ON YOU THAMES WATER

CREATING A STINK!

One final piece of “Number Crunching” for these weeks Private Eye.

• 130 million – pounds of profit for Thames Water last year

• 130 million – litres of sewerage leaked from Thames Water plant last weekend

As the Eye would say, perhaps the two are related

WHAT A LOAD OF S**T

As an owner of a shop which sells fresh food, I subscribe to email “food alert warning” via the governments Food Standards Agency. The latest release, received this morning, is still warning about problems re the Seafield Waste/Thames Water spillage contamination. What was surprising however is that the Scottish Environment Protection Agency last night issued a statement saying water tests were back to normal. Why the contradictory evidence? Basically because neither agency knows what the other is doing. Whilst the water tests may be clear, any fish in the area, particularly prawns etc, cannot be consumed for many months due to their absorption of sewerage, something which SEPA failed to mention. Devolution has produced a serious breakdown in communication, so what will full independence lead to?

VIVA EL GORDO

Tony Benn has a well known and well used set of criteria which he puts to foreign leaders to ascertain the degree of democracy in their country. Normally reserved for “outing” despots etc, perhaps they should be put to Gordon Brown. Certainly on points 2, 4 and 5 the Scottish electorate have more say than we do.

1. What power do you have?
2. Where is your power from?
3. In whose interest is it exercised?
4. To whom are you accountable?
5. And how do we get rid of you?

WHAT A LOAD OF RUBBISH

Todays “Rossinisbird’s” blog has a wonderful tale of supermarket buffoonery (follow the link from the side bar for the full text). The offending company is Sainsbury’s, who also happen to have a store next to my shop. Standing in the queue this morning, the store staff were giving away heavy duty carrier bags as a PR exercise in saving the environment. The irony was the fact that each bag proceeded to be filled with foodstuffs whose packaging probably outweighed its contents. If this wasn’t bad enough, each bag was filled with advertising leaflets, a free magazine and photocopied A4 sheets of paper advertising this weeks alcohol specials. We all know that none of this will be read by consumers and will find its way into the bin very quickly, probably along with the bag. I also noticed that the store staff all head new t shirts on advertising the new bags in glorious Technicolor. Unbleached cotton? I don’t think so! What is more annoying, Sainsbury’s half hearted attempt to convince us all that they are a “green” supermarket, or its contempt for its own customers who it assumes are daft enough to fall for this PR stunt?

DAYLIGHT ROBBERY

Readers of this blog will be well aware that we have serious concerns about the funding of the London 2012 Olympics, the fear being that swathes of Lottery and government grant money will be redirected from longs standing causes to prop up this sporting white elephant.

It would appear that we are in good company as once again the Private Eye “Number Crunching” comes up trumps!

• £7m – Money pledged by Gordon Brown last year for an “annual schools sports festival”
  

• £500m – National Lottery funding withdrawn so far from sports facilities to help pay for Olympics

“THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS”

A FRIDAY COLUMN WITH AN ALTERNATIVE TAKE ON THE WEEKS NEWS

Let’s start this week’s review with a local snippet. Shield’s Gazette reporter Paul Myles-Kelly earlier this week revealed how the Independent Alliance of prospective councillors in South Tyneside had hit the road in their “Battle Van”. Ahmed Khan, who instigated the idea of the van campaign, said “We wanted to bring a bit of razzamatazz to the campaign”. It is only the British who could link “van” and “razzamatazz” together. No fire work displays, no Madonna concerts, no day glow wrist bands and no extravagant fund raising dinners, just a van! Perhaps Jane Branley lent Mr Khan her old “Scooby Doo” videos (check out the “Mystery Machine”). Not to be out done, I think I say the BNP out in a Robin Reliant fitted with stabilisers so that they can turn corners. In order to get round the fact that none of them have a driving licence, they had the engine removed, an elastic band put in and peddles fitted. The thought of them going head to head with the “razzamatazz van” reminds me of “Wacky Races”. Roll on the “Ant Hill Mob”!

The Time’s on Tuesday had an absolute corker head line;

“Worker was stealing £1m yacht one piece at a time”

James Light wanted his own £1 million Sunseeker motor yacht, but instead of saving up for it or getting a bank loan, he decided to steal the components from his employer, who just so happened to be Sunseeker themselves. Items found by police included a 4ft radar mast, a widescreen TV and electric lights. Now is it me, but didn’t security notice some thing strange? Surely the size of this man’s pants would have been a give away? Where on one’s person would you hide a 4ft radar mast? Don’t answer that question, let’s just move on.

Still with the Times, and still mesmerized over the size of James Light’s lunch box (that’s were he apparently hid the TV fittings) I was further assaulted with;

“Want out? Call her ‘Gordon’ in bed”

Thinking I’d picked up the Daily Sport and anticipating a Brown/Blair bedroom romp exposé, I read on. Sadly, the article informs women how to spot the signs that they are being dumped by their respective partners. Sadly for Tony Blair, the advice comes a little too late to save his relationship with Gordon. However, the former could do worse than take note of the signs and watch the actions of a certain Mr Miliband as the years go on!

My BBC news email update carried a lovely story about Mary Doherty, who lives at Urmston Cottage Care Home in Greater Manchester. Celebrating her 102^nd birthday this week, Mary has seen off 2 world wars and 21 Prime Ministers. The secret of her longevity, “eating no veg”. So there you have it, despite the world’s top scientists advocating the “5 a day” rule, vegetables are actually very bad for you, something which school children have been claiming for decades. I suspect that the true answer may have something to do with the tap water in her care home, as Mary’s best friend and fellow resident Maggie Redmond, is also 102 (its either the water or the fact that nobody in there can count). Asked what she would like for her birthday, Maggie replied “a Chippendale”. Such is the state of British care homes, they don’t even supply settee’s!

Most news papers this week had page on page of Boris Yeltsin obituaries. The death of anyone is always a shame, especially if you lived in Chechnya when Boris sent the troops in or had a young son in the Russian army when the local population had the nerve to fight back. Let’s also not forget the thousands who have been either killed or forced into the sex trade by the Russian Mafia which dominates and really governs the old Soviet nations. Whilst Yeltsin may have been at the forefront of the fight to end communism, he was also at head of the queue when the bribes were being handed out. This then is his true legacy, not the picture of a knight in shining armoury taking on tanks, as has been depicted by many tabloids.

What the press didn’t reveal however, was that the local authorities refused to cremate Mr Yeltsin as they feared the alcohol in his body would cause the fire to burn out of control. Embalming was also not considered necessary as he had been pickled for a long time. The effects of Mr Yeltsin’s death were also felt in the economic world, where shares in Smirnoff plummeted. As tributes pored in like vodka into a glass, world leaders and politicians were quick to pass comment, with Charles Kennedy saying “he was like a mentor and trainer to me, he taught me all I know”. Charles then hiccupped and fell of his stool. Mr Ivor Corruptov, head of Smirnoff’s Russian division, described Boris as “a friend and best customer”.

Yeltsin now lies in (a) state.

The BBC’s website described how visitors to the “Zizzi” restaurant in London got more than their starter when a man cut off his penis with a knife. A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said the reasons for the mans actions were unclear, but it may have something to do with leaving a tip!

Finally, it was left to the Times again to offer the best coverage re the GMTV phone in fraud. Tucked away at the end of the article was the fact that Walt Disney owns 25% of GMTV. Due to its association with the fraud, Disney executives have been forced to reclassify its roster of well known films.

Pinocchio
The story of a GMTV executive who could not bring himself to tell the truth

Fantasia
A country populated by people who think they have a chance of winning phone in competitions

Dumbo
A specific person who thinks he/she has a chance of winning phone in competitions

Treasure Island
A bunch of pirates steal money of GMTV viewers and hide the money on an (Camen) Island.

The Happiest Millionaire
A robbery heist film starring Gary Corbett, Director of Opera Interactive, GMTV’s call in service provider.

Robin Hood
The follow up to the above, where Corbett robs the poor and gives money to the rich i.e. himself

The Greatest Game (N) Ever Played
Says it all

Have a great weekend!

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

The little post below was just to see if I had got the hang of adding pictures to articles and it looks as if I have. We enter a new era then at Rise Like Lions. Prepare to be inundated with mugshots, action sequences etc.

Going back to the Independent’s Labour freebie, after ten years of Blair it serves as a good reminder of the fools and sycophants which he has surrounded himself with at various times of his tenure. Like Robin Hood, Blair went along his merry little way picking up fools, village idiots and the afflicted. Here are some names to jog your memories:

TREVOR BEATTIE
A self confessed socialist, but who managed to somehow forget his principals when Blair give him a £10m contract to coordinate Labour’s 2001 election campaign. “Working for a Labour government…is my vocation in life”. Of course it is Trevor, and with £10m of Labour Party member’s money in your back pocket, you need never work again!

CHARLIE WHELAN
Who can forget Charlie? A public school communist (what on earth does that mean?) Whelan had to take a dive when he was caught leaking information about Peter Mandelson (more about him later)

ALASTAIR CAMPBELL
Campbell perhaps sums up all that is wrong with Blair’s tenure at the top. Unelected, unaccountable and unstoppable, Alastair managed to leave dirty finger marks on almost everything from Iraq (the dodgy dossier) to the resignation of Greg Dyke at the BBC (sexed up approach to the document). Spin began with Campbell, and whilst it still continues today, nobody did it with such ruthless opportunism as he did.

JO MOORE
Her infamy derives from the “now is a very good time to get out anything we want to bury” email which she sent out on 11th September 2001. Despite a good wrist slapping for her insensitivity, she tried it again on the day of Princess Margaret’s funeral. Even this was too much for Tony and Co, and Jo was suitably ushered of the scene. Her only contribution to political history will be the cultural phrase “a good day to bury bad news”. Shame on you Jo.

PHILIP GOULD
I have included Philip in this list not because he has been embroiled in scandal or took bungs, but because he introduced Tony to “focus groups”. FG’s as those in the political know now call them (how inventive) dominate the direction of Blair’s policy mandarins. Not a pen or paper clip can be purchased or NHS policy approved without them first going to a “FG”. Thanks Philip, thanks a lot!

DEREK DRAPER
Not enough attention has been paid to Drapper re the “cash for honours” scandal. Drapper, who was unable to keep his mouth closed, bragged that he had access to government as he was a “Tony crony” and for a fee could get what you wanted. “Dapper Drapper” is now employed as a psychotherapist. Well would you believe it!

And finally

PETER MANDELSON
The King of Spin and founder of New Labour. Made of Teflon, Peter has been embroiled in scandal his entire governmental life. His undisclosed loan from Geoffrey Robinson and his meddling in the passport application for one of the Hinduja brothers give Peter the unenviable title of being one of the very few ministers who has been forced to resign/sacked from the cabinet twice for being naughty! Well known for not being one of Gordon’s most favourite people, perhaps Mr Brown has already made out Peter’s EU P45.

So there you have it, a sorry bunch for a sorry ten years. Democracy has been eroded under Blair’s tutelage, and to be honest, I can’t see things changing under the new incumbent.

NOT BAD FOR 70P

Could be worth picking up a copy of todays Independent, which has an excellent insiders guide to "The Labour Machine" and also a pretty good music section. Apart from that, its full of twaddle!

POISONED CHALICE

Interesting figures in today’s Guardian concerning the local elections. Together with ICM, published poll shows the following;

LABOUR – 30% - DOWN 1
CONSERVATIVES – 37% - DOWN 4
LIB DEMS – 21% - UP 3
MINOR PARTIES – 12% - UP 2

More importantly for Gordon Brown, a majority of voters, 54%, say the next election should bring about a change of government, with only 21% happy to stick with Labour. When the Chancellor finally completes his coup, he’s going to have problems. With EU changes looming and inflation, unemployment and business unease all on the rise, he’s also going to have to rebuild the parties support from a low not surpassed since 1984.

No wonder then, David Miliband didn’t want the leadership. But one man who clearly does is Michael Meacher. Writing in today’s Guardian letter section, he dismisses John McDonnell’s challenge, and is scathing of Brown’s record on PFI, the environment, inequality, means testing and Trident; in fact the whole gambit of a Chancellor’s duties.

Gordon is in for a pretty rough ride then; faced with a rocky economy, a disgruntled electorate and a party being fired up by “Meacher the Preacher”, he will be lucky to last his planned 4 years!

BROWNS BRITAIN: A VISION

Today’s Guardian also has a lovely little freebie in the form of a pamphlet reproducing Roosevelt’s famous “We have nothing to fear but fear itself” speech. Whilst the tome is familiar to all those who find these things interesting, it is the foreword which drew my attention. The author? You’ve guessed it, Gordon Brown. Two paragraphs leapt out as I perused his comments;

“Roosevelt was addressing……a nation of closed banks, shut down factories, shattered confidence and millions without hope or work”

and

“Roosevelt did not offer a detailed programme. The old order had collapsed; the old certitudes were as bankrupt as the countless companies that had gone under. Roosevelt did not know exactly what to do. He would try a policy and, if it failed, try again until he found something that worked.”

Now I’m not a believer in crystal balls, but I think Gordon has been gazing into his! If you substitute “Roosevelt” with “Brown”, then you have an economic and political picture that many of us envisage will emerge with Brown at the UK helm. Stick this in your diary for 3 years hence, and we’ll see who was right!

ABOVE THE LAW

Surprise, surprise, the House of Commons wants to amend the Freedom of Information Act. The planned changes have already been knocked back the Commons, but government mandarins have ditched decency and decorum and allowed it a second chance. So what are the changes? Many senior MP’s want their correspondence and expenses claims made exempt from the Act. Now there’s a thing – over paid, expenses running into hundreds of thousands of pounds per MP, extended summer holidays and a secure pension scheme; and now above the law. The arrogance and audacity of this self proclaimed elite never ceases to amaze me. (Its Rogues gallery for you lot). It is left to the Liberals who, not surprisingly, have taken the moral high ground and will attempt to “filibuster” the amendment. Never have I been so glad of their ability to generate a lot of hot air!

Moving on, before the law changes follow the links below to view the expense and salary claims for my MP Stephen Hepburn, and for good measure his neighbour Mr Miliband.

www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/stephen_hepburn/jarrow

www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/david_miliband/south_shields

ALL ROUND GOOD GUY

James Alan Ball, MBE May 12 1945 - April 24, 2007
All Round Good Guy
RIP

NOT FOR THE COLOUR BLIND!

At last I know that somebody actually reads this blog! Yesterday I commented on the fact that the Shields Gazette were particularly non -committal on the forthcoming local elections. So what has happened today, well would you believe it, an 8 page election special! Should I claim all the credit; something tells me that this was already in the pipe line and perhaps I was being a bit too eager!

Moving on then, what did the candidates actually have to say? Well, in two cases the BNP had nothing to say; with no pictures and no address for the Biddick/All Saints and Monkton Wards, how can the voters in these areas actually vote for you? You may be ugly, but you cant be any more repulsive than your politics, so at least lets have a mug shot (literally please, I’m sure you all have criminal records as well). That’s enough attention for the far right, so lets move on to the far left. John Bissett’s statement re the Monkton Ward is a classic bit of plagiarism from either Zola’s “Germinal” or Marx’s “Communist Manifesto”. Well done John, but when people are trying to dodge drunken youths on a Saturday night, the last thing they are concerned with is the fact that “they don’t control the system, it controls them”.

Sarcasm to one side, I take these elections very seriously, and have studied ALL the party candidate submissions carefully. So what stood out? To be honest, it was the relevance of all the candidates’ submissions. In true GMTV style, here’s a list of questions. Read them, and then see who said what. (This little quiz will cost you nothing, and I shall make no money from it! Keep going, it’s worth it. I have colour coded the answers for the BNP)

WHO SAID WHAT

1. “Disgusted with Labour….. Who have done nothing for the town apart from making promises”
2. “Very interested in the economic regeneration of the town”
3. “To restore control of local govt to local people”.
4. “Calling for a reduction in violent crime and anti social behaviour in the town”
5. “To work…. To press for the Council’s housing stock to be modernised”
6. “To see more service form children”
7. “Believes children should have access to…. Safe areas to play away from busy roads”
8. “To make the community a better place”
9. “Put real issues on the agenda”

THE ANSWERS

1. BNP
2. INDEPENDENT
3. UKIP
4. CONSERVATIVE
5. LABOUR
6. PROGRESSIVE
7. GREEN
8. LIB DEMS
9. SOCIALIST

I would defy any sane individual resident of South Tyneside to disagree with any of the statements above. However, where the problems occur is when we see who said them. Here then, is the crux of local political elections. Look at the larger picture, and cast your vote wisely. What we need is representation, regardless of political baggage, so vote for the candidate who you think will deliver this!

KEEPING HIS POWDER DRY

Philip Webster in today’s “Times” has a reasonable take on the Labour leadership soap opera. Whilst the article covers very little that is new ground, he does have a very interesting series of quotes from David Miliband.

Commenting on what he expects from a new Brown era, he says;

“We need to build on what we’ve done, but clearly post Blair politics cannot be a re-run of 1997 – 2007”

After ditching Blair’s approach in one fell swoop, Miliband goes on to say of Brown;

“He is the leader; we are not passive bystanders”

and

“We have also got to come forward….. with a bold and clear programme for how we meet the problems of 2017”

After months of dithering, Miliband has set his stall out clearly. Not convinced of his chances of taking Brown on for the leadership, he has given way to allow him a free run. However, he is going to be no lackey himself. Hopefully, this will see an increased roll for assertive cabinet politics and a return to MP’s governing and not an unelected, P.M. appointed elite. But how will the Stalinist sympathiser take this early broadside swipe at his leadership? The old adage “keep your friends close but your enemies closer still” will allow Gordon to keep close tabs on Miliband, but the closer the future usurper gets, the stronger his desire will become to occupy the top job. And that’s when Gordon’s problems will really start!

If you have enjoyed reading this blog or find that the comments leave you with steam coming out of your ears, then please leave your thoughts via the message section. Thank you.

QUOTES OF THE DAY

The actions of GMTV and Opera Interactive are based solely on financial greed. Here we go then……..

Greedy eaters dig their graves with their teeth.
French Proverb

One of the weaknesses of our age is our apparent inability to distinguish our need from our greed.
Author Unknown

We are born brave, trusting and greedy, and most of us remain greedy.
Author Unknown

GENETICALLY MODIFIED TV

The row and scandal over GMTV’s phone in quiz provider, Opera Interactive, continues to rumble on like an unanswered phone. Despite breaching Icstis (the premium rate regulators) guidelines over 20 times since 2005 (with fines of over £206,000) GMTV bosses claimed not to be aware of the company’s reputation. Other statistics relating to the affair are even more revealing:

£75m ~ the amount Gary Corbett, the owner of Opera, is said to be worth

£40m ~ initial estimate of how much GMTV would have to pay back those swindled

£4m ~ GMTV’s anticipated fine for breaching any Icstis guidelines

SOURCE; THE TIMES:24.04.07

Clearly, these figures are staggering and at the moment Opera Interactive and GMTV are involved in a verbal spat as to who is to blame. What is missing from TV and press coverage however, is the word “police”. If GMTV have to initiate public refunds of £40m, then this is clearly a case of fraud and somebody needs to be arrested, charged and held accountable. It’s also an indication that whilst the swathe of reality TV programmes and phone in shows may be rich pickings for media companies, it is attracting a business ethos which is brining the industry into disrepute. So far GMTV are the worst example of this “phone in fraud”, but their not the biggest players in the market. I wonder whose next? If you have the answer, please phone 0870 293847, calls charged at £1 a second, min time 1 minute. Lines closed last week.

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SHERYL CROW'S B(L)OG

Sheryl Crow has entered Rogues Gallery today, not so much for being a rogue, but for sheer stupidity. Yesterday she called for the world to cut down on the number of sheets of toilet paper it uses. Crow suggested that we should limit ourselves to;

"only one square per restroom visit, except, of course, on those pesky occasions where two to three could be required".

No problem Sheryl, you stop releasing records and I won’t be forced to run to the toilet after listening to them!

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LOCK YOUR DOORS, EUROPES COMING!

With Miliband's constant denials of a leadership challenge finally being taken seriously by his supporters and the press, it would appear that Brown’s passage to the throne is clear bar a few minor spats along the way. But whilst Blair talks about the legacy he will leave the country when he retires, what will he be leaving his erstwhile cohort Gordon? Basically, a crocked pot! With the NHS on the verge of calling in the receivers, tax options virtually exhausted, the economy on the brink of an abyss and Iraq on a steady course to annihilation, Brown’s garden doesn’t look to rosy!

However, what has been conveniently ignored by the propagandists in both camps is that ever contentious issue of the European Union and all things foreign on “that side” of the water. The EU is one of the very few subjects which gets all political parties excited (as much as the Liberals can get excited). Whilst Brown may worry where he is going to get the funds to bail the country out of the mess he created, it is with Europe that he could find himself facing serious problems.

With its new constitution on hold since 2005 (when the French and the Dutch unceremoniously gave it the boot) European mandarins have been slaving away in an attempt to find another way to inflict it on the masses. Under Germany’s six month presidency somebody had a “eureka” moment and decided to “chop” the constitution up into sections and introduce them separately. In this butchered form the codicils can be classed as “mini treaties” and would not require member state referendums. Very clever and very sly, but not as sly as Tony who has gone along with the conspiracy and added Gordon’s name and address to the petition, probably without even asking him. Blair told the FT when asked if a referendum was needed;

“No. If it is not a constitutional treaty, so that it alters the basic relationship between Europe and the member states, then there isn’t the same case for a referendum”

There you are then, the answer to the old conundrum “when is a constitution not a constitution, when it’s a treaty stitch up”. But what Tony didn’t tell the FT was that these treaties cover everything the constitution did, incorporating defence, taxation and foreign policy, all issues that when given the go ahead will hit Brown like a returning boomerang.

So far there haven’t been too many voices of descent, perhaps because Labour have adopted there usual “if we can’t see it doesn’t exist” stance and the Liberals actually have no objection to Blair’s tactics. There only remains William Hague who has commented on the longer game which is being played here;

“What he (Mr Blair) is saying now sounds suspiciously like an attempt to introduce elements of it by the back door, despite its decisive rejection the voters of France and Holland”

Here, here!

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IS ANBODY THERE?

Despite polling day being less than two weeks away, we have had very little candidate press coverage in the Shields Gazette. Although we have a varied roster this year with the presence of 6 BNP candidates, the letters page has been virtually empty of comment and candidate profiles have been non existent. Surely voter apathy hasn’t spread to the pens of those illustrious journalist’s in Chapter Row? Let’s hope that the articles are all banked up and ready to be printed closer to the election.

Talking of the BNP, it would appear that they are not the worthless bunch of idiotic morons that I have assumed them to be. Crackpot sympathisers of the far right party have hacked into somebody’s wireless internet connection and used the account to send untraceable threatening emails. Pretty clever stuff really, considering that half of them can’t even fasten their shoe laces. It does show that we are entering a new era of computer fraud and manipulation, and that the idea of internet and email voting as a way of increasing turnouts may not be such a good idea as some thought. If a bunch of reprobates like the BNP can achieve this, what would the covert committees of Blair’s Number 10 bunker be able to achieve? Watch out Gordon, victory may yet elude you!

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OUT WITH THE NORFOLK TURKEY AND IN WITH THE RUSSIAN ONE

Rogues gallery has seen some changes today. Receiving their eviction orders are Bernard Matthews and Michael Vaughan, making way for GMTV, Boris Yeltsin and Le Pen. Why Yeltsin? Two reasons; firstly he invaded Chechnya, causing death and mayhem on a scale not seen since Stalin, and secondly because he was as drunk and as corrupt as you could possibly get, setting the tone for the mafia dominated country that Russia now is.

QUOTES OF THE DAY

Saturday, Sunday and Monday’s papers are dominated with the “cash for honours” scandal. The lesson? Power corrupts!

It is said that power corrupts, but actually it's more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power.
David Brin

When men are pure, laws are useless; when men are corrupt, laws are broken.
Benjamin Disraeli

Our worst enemies here are not the ignorant and simple, however cruel; our worst enemies are the intelligent and corrupt.
Graham Greene

FRESH AIR

What a busy weekend – actually had a little time outside the house and away from the shop. Sunday was spent walking in Allendale, starting from the market square and quickly hitting the moors for a good 13 mile walk over barren and moon like fells. Perfect! The day was finished with a half of Allendale Brewery’s “Callew” real ale at a local hostelry. Roll on retirement! The only thing that spoilt the day was the thick blue haze of smoke which clouded your vision and clung to your clothes as you entered the pub. I for one will be glad to see smoking banned in pubs, but then again I’m a non smoker. I dread to think however, what effect this will have on the traditional working men’s clubs in this region. Their survival is perilous enough as it is without alienating the vast majority of their clientele. Pubs in Scotland have suffered as a result of the ban, and it will be interesting to see what happens in England and Wales.

MAKE MINE A DOUBLE YOUR LORDSHIP

Tucked away on many news items is the fact that Scotland Yard detectives have finally finished their investigation in to the “cash for honours” case and passed their findings onto the CPS for a decision as to whether any charges will be made. With 136 people interviewed, 216 pages of reports alone, 6300 documents and some very high profile arrests, I think it’s clear to say that the police must feel they have a case. But will this be enough?

Put it this way, if Blair was to form his own law firm it would be called;

“Blair, Straw, Darling, Falconer, Hutton, Hoon, McCartney, Goldsmith and Browne Partnership”

With at least 9 members having a lawyer/legal background and with several being called to the bar (that’s a legal term, not a summons to buy a round of drinks), there is a danger that the “old boys network” may have a bearing on any outcome. (I should also qualify this statement by briefly mentioning the PM’s “first lady’s” background. We all know about the goings on at Matrix, so perhaps the “old girls network” will come into play as well!). Far be it for Rise Like Lions to cast any aspersions, but I would suspect a lot of favours are being called in at CPS headquarters. Unlike many people’s pension funds, Blair and Partnership will be hoping that their contacts pay dividends!

Let’s just hope that like Assistant Commissioner John Yates, the Scotland Yard detective who has headed the inquiry, the CPS heads stick to their convictions, literally!

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QUOTES OF THE DAY

I have been accused of writing columns which are dominated by cynicism. I prefer to call it insight. However, here are some quotes from that master of cynicism, Woody Allen.

If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a large deposit in my name in a Swiss bank.
Woody Allen

More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly.
Woody Allen

To you I'm an atheist; to God, I'm the Loyal Opposition.
Woody Allen

My Lord, my Lord! What hast Thou done, lately
Woody Allen