December 2008

The Archives

• Breaking News

  Go on, you choose

  12.29.08 | Permalink | 5 Comments

  Right then, that’s enough of that Christmas-mullarkie.  Battered out a funding bid for some left-wingery this morning (more possibly anon if anyone’s interested) and I’m feeling more together than I really should on the first day back after holiday-dom.
  There are a few blog-based thoughts swishing about in my head, so I’ll give readers the choice [...]

• About me

  Top ten politics books what I have read

  12.24.08 | Permalink | 2 Comments

  Lists seem very popular at Christmas.  
  So, mildly inpired by Dave’s excellent analysis of the type of books he used to have to read to get so clever, here for no particular reason is my totally unanalysed list of books I enjoyed in 2008, some new(ish), some newly discovered. 
  If this list idea proves popular, I may do 10 top ten things [...]

• Bickerstaffe Thoughts

  Update on Bickerstaffe road speeds and safety schemes

  12.23.08 | Permalink | Comment?

  Here are a few quick notes to go with the Christmas leaflet going out around Bickerstaffe tonight and the next few days about the various campaigns for road speed limits and safety schemes.  There will be further coverage in the next edition of the Bickerstaffe Record (hard copy), out soon ( i.e. when I’ve written it).
   1) Liverpool Road from [...]

• Being Labour, Cotterill on the Council, The world beyond West Lancashire

  Political/executive relations in local government and the hypocrisy of political depoliticisation

  12.23.08 | Permalink | Comment?

  (Long post alert – 2, 500 words approx.  Word version here if it’s easier.)
  There was an interesting reaction from the Chief Executive of Conservative-controlled West Lancashire District Council to the recent coverage in the press (which took it from this blog) about the Council’s use of 5 stars on its new logos.
  In an email to staff and members and others on the mailing [...]

• Breaking News, The world beyond West Lancashire

  The Social Fund consultation – the baby and a lot of bath water

  12.22.08 | Permalink | 1 Comment

  I go away for day and when I return there’s a hell of a hullaballoo about this amazing scoop by the Mail on Sunday who have ‘obtained’ the European Social Fund consultation paper. I’m not entirely sure how this counts as headline-grabbing investigative journalism when it’s been not very hard to find on the DWP [...]

• Uncategorized

  The Conservatives are losing – so they’re getting ready to blame the electorate

  12.19.08 | Permalink | 1 Comment

  Hat tip to Tom at New Direction for linking to this Stephen Glover article in the Daily Mail about how the Conservatives are likely to lose an election because their top two are their top two, and how they’d be better of with K Clarke (semi-ret’d).
  I’m not really fussed who runs the Conservatives, but this bit [...]

• The world beyond West Lancashire

  Further debate on Welfare White Paper and its implementation

  12.19.08 | Permalink | 1 Comment

  Dogstarscribe has posted an excellent contribution on the welfare reform white paper, linking into what I had to say the other day but assessing the role of the private and voluntary sector in implementing it; he suggests, rightly in my view, that this may lead to a situation where contract-retention and KPIs further reduce any notion of Adviser fliexbility.  I [...]

• Breaking News

  Front pages held as Bickerstaffe Record comments policy reviewed

  12.18.08 | Permalink | Comment?

  Tom Harris’s quick comments policy statement has reminded me that I really need to  review mine before the festive period really gets going.
   Now, with an average hit count of around 90,000 per day, rising to around 300,000 when I bother to do a post and there’s words to look at as well as the picture [...]

• The world beyond West Lancashire

  Optional algebra, German protectionism dressed up as fiscal rectitude, the collective action problem, and what it all might possibly mean

  12.17.08 | Permalink | 2 Comments

  Here’s a very interesting post from Paul Krugman, that clever Keynesian bloke, about  Germany’s ‘interesting’ and mixed reaction to the fiscal stimulus ideas being promoted by Gordon Brown. A big hat tip to Next Left for pushing it my way.
  Krugman starts from the proposition that Europe is, or soon will be, in a position where interest rates [...]

• The world beyond West Lancashire

  Hopi dismantles Conservative doublespeak on ‘welfare reform’, but gets earful from me anyway

  12.16.08 | Permalink | Comment?

  Hopi Sen’s done a very interesting post which does a marvellous job of ‘doing detail’ – the kind of post I love – and thereby showing up the total inconsistencies of the Conservatives (in the shape of David Cameron) over ‘welfare reform’.  Cameron wants to look tough, then the wants to look compassionate, then he [...]

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