July 2009

The Archives

• Uncategorized

  A focus for our anger: Standard & Poor’s

  07.30.09 | Permalink | 4 Comments

  (Longish post alert – 2,000 words.)
  1  Where has the anger gone?
  ‘Where has all the anger gone?’ asks Duncan.
  Good question, Duncan. 
  The slightly heady days of the ‘Their Crisis, Not Ours’, for example,  seem a long time ago now, and what I suggested would happen back in September 2008 is now being played out.  The Conservatives, planning for their expectation [...]

• Uncategorized

  Oy, Ferguson – over here! I’m talking to you

  07.27.09 | Permalink | 6 Comments

  Loyal readers may remember my totally shameless attempt to boost reader numbers by picking a fight with Conservative blogger Iain Dale. 
  It didn’t work at all.  Dale, a foolish boy in many respects, knows a very fine leftwing blog, ready to persuade many millions that the course of Conservatism is deeply intellectually flawed if only it [...]

• Being Labour, Cotterill on the Council

  Job cuts: the Standard & Poor’s factor

  07.27.09 | Permalink | Comment?

  On 15 July the Conservatives who control West Lancashire Borough Council, voted through their plans to cut 57 jobs.  As I’ve already set out here, this is a reckless and unwarranted move, owing more to ideological bent than to common sense.
  The Conservatives would have you believe the plans were all carefully considered, and options looked at before the decision was [...]

• Being Labour, The world beyond West Lancashire

  The Challenge that faces us: anger management

  07.27.09 | Permalink | 1 Comment

  When you see racist, homophobic viscious, hate-filled, fact-free stuff like this in what passes for a national daily paper, and then see the comments that follow, it can be difficult not to despair. (ht: Neil).
  So much bitterness, so much anger.  All so misdirected. 
  What we need is a new focus for anger.  I’ll come to that in my next post, but here’s [...]

• Being Labour, Cotterill on the Council

  Compare, contrast, conclude

  07.26.09 | Permalink | 3 Comments

  Philip Hammond, potential Tory Chancellor if the Tories win the general election, on the Tories’ plans for savage public spending cuts:
  ‘It is absolutely not the case that people in the public services are dreading this, or saying ‘oh my God, what is gong to happen?’
  Written representations by people in public service at Conservative run West Lancashire Borough Council, [...]

• Uncategorized

  Blogostop

  07.24.09 | Permalink | 2 Comments

  I am tempted to write lots and lots of posts about lots and lots of things. 
  I would like to write about Tom Harris’s latest fact-free assault on leftie straw people, in which he believes shouting ‘the poor should get a work ethic’ is a sound policy solution, and that the left have no understanding of the [...]

• Being Labour, Leisure and culture

  The cuts of ideology

  07.22.09 | Permalink | Comment?

  So, the press have had first bite at the press release about West Lancashire Conservatives savage, needless, ideologically-driven service  cuts and redundancies, so here’s the full press release/story I gave them. I don’t know what they’ll print. More coverage to follow when I’m not so tired I could sleep for a week in a wheelbarrow.
  Press release
  The [...]

• Being Labour

  Sen and the art of career maintenance

  07.22.09 | Permalink | Comment?

  The article below about James Purnell and Amartya Sen goes up at tomorrow at Liberal Conspiracy, while I’m not around.  It’s basically a rehash of the argument set out here a few weeks ago, but with added sardony.
  Please feel free to comment here or over there, perhaps mentioning how impressed you are that the Bickerstaffe Record was doing articles about [...]

• Being Labour

  Plus ca change

  07.22.09 | Permalink | Comment?

  Further to the discussion on membership values and beliefs at Though Cowards Flinch place (see comments):

   

  ‘The reason for the campaign for democracy in the Labour party has grown is the experience of Labour governments, particularly the last one. I was not so optimistic about the government as many other people but large numbers of the [...]

• Uncategorized

  Bob and Tom and Labour history too

  07.21.09 | Permalink | 7 Comments

  Bob Piper, of Bob Piper fame, has been having a bit of a scrap with Tom Harris MP, further to a bit of a run in with John Spellar MP.
  The interesting point for me is that young Tom has a very strange understanding of fairly recent Labour party history:
  ‘Where did the challenge to Denis Healey’s [...]

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