The Right Student

Tory uses 'n-word' in House of Lords

2008-07-26T20:25:00.003+01:00

A Tory frontbencher has apologised after using a racist phrase during a House of Lords debate.
Lord Dixon Smith retracted the remark in the chamber, saying: "I apologise, my Lords. I left my brains behind. I apologise to the House."
The 73-year-old said later the phrase "nigger in the woodpile" was in common use when he was younger.
But Labour MPs called for him to be sacked, with one saying the remark was "deeply offensive".

The reason this didn't cause utmost outrage:

He apologised immediately.
Keith Vaz was the Labour MP who is heading the complaints.
It's a phrase most old people used to say as a child and it just slipped out.
As you get old, you get senile.
It's a saying, it's not racist abuse and Lord Dixon-Smith is not a racist.

I've a strong feeling that lots of people will disagree with me so feel free to comment.

Top 10 political blogs

2008-07-25T18:41:00.002+01:00

Email your top 10 political blogs to toptenblogs@totalpolitics.com

feel free to include The Right Student *winks*

If you are unsure about what blogs to include, have a look at the mighty fine selection on our blogroll.

Hooray!

2008-07-25T11:04:00.003+01:00

Picture lifted from Iain Dale's Diary

Well what a night! I like to think of myself as a realist rather than an optimist or pessimist. Last night I was sure Labour would win. In face I only had doubts post-midnight. What an incredible victory - I bet Gordon didn't sleep a wink.

Apologies for the lack of blogging in the last few days, the weather has been too nice to miss.

Excellent verdict on Dwain Chambers

2008-07-18T12:12:00.003+01:00

From BBC News:

British sprinter Dwain Chambers will not be able to run at the Olympics after he lost his attempt to overturn his lifetime ban.
The 30-year-old took his case to secure an injunction against the British Olympic Association by-law to the High Court, but the ruling went against him.
Under BOA rules, the sprinter was banned from future Games after testing positive for the steroid THG in 2003.
Chambers had argued that the ban was an unfair restraint of trade.

I must express my delight in this verdict.

He knew exactly what he was doing and he did it for months before he wa actually caught
He knew exactly that he would be banned for life if caught out
He knew exactly that he would lose the gold medals he won at the AC
He knew that his own team mates would lose their gold medals that they had fought so hard and cleanly for
He knew his future was in his own hands

So to do it is ridiculously stupid, but then to challenge this on grounds of it being 'unfair restraint of trade' is appalling and degrading not only to himself but the sport itself. I'm very glad that the judge has kept the respectability and the tough stance on cheats within the sport and had kept the lifetime ban imposed upon Dwain Chambers. He knew exactly what he was doing and deserved the punishment he got. When you commit a crime, you know what might happen to you and you should then expect it. Dwain would have been a national disgrace at the games and the fact he isn't going is a huge benefit to the sport.

A letter

2008-07-17T17:34:00.002+01:00

The following email was sent this February and I only just got round to reading it.

It is written to me (although it was Arnie who wrote the article he is basing the letter on) regarding this topic: We Must Say No To Hamas

It generated a lot of heated debate at the time and I thought I would post it here as the gentleman who emailed me has a very interesting comment to make:

Ben,

I am 59 years old. During the 1960's , I served in the US Marines in combat as a tank commander. I am writing to advise you that a cease fire is always a good idea. We used to call a cease fire on the battlefield in Vietnam, go down and meet with North Vietnamese commanders and Chinese advisors. Even a 5 minute cease fire is good. The longer the better. My view is that any way (method, etc.) that stops people from being killed is good. If we can stop the war for 5 minutes and talk, that may save some lives. The purpose in every war is to deny the enemy the means to resist. When you can obtain inactivity from your enemy, you have a lot less pressure on you mentally. You can think more clearly when no one is shooting at you.

The plan is to end hostilities as soon as possible. A cease fire is a damn good start for many, many reasons. Try viewing this particular issue from my perspective for awhile. It may bring more light and less heat to your devastating speaking on this particular issue.

By the way, I strongly believe that when the time comes to place my troops in harm's way, it must be about very, very serious reasons, not bs. Then, we go all out to take the target out in the least amount of time. We close with and destroy them. We swarm them and break their resistance. Brother, this is the most serious behavior that we can engage in. Try not to take it so non-chalantly. This is a serious matter.

Take care,

CK

Excellent US Election Video

2008-07-17T13:49:00.002+01:00

Hat-tip to politicalbetting.com

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

A few unrelated thoughts..

2008-07-16T13:25:00.003+01:00

For a change, instead of doing a few blogs, I am simply going to use this post to round up my political thoughts, for the day. So -

Is it now government policy to release tax proposals, for the coming year, about a week before a by election? I mean, we had the 10p tax thing just before Crewe, and now we have the 2p fuel duty announcement just before Glasgow. A more cynical man could suggest that this government is playing politics with the economy..
Not all Tories are rich. I was watching PMQs on BBC Parliament, today. Afterwards, a debate came on regarding the 'John Lewis list', MP's expenses, transparency, all of that stuff. During Theresa May's speech, she took quite a few interventions from Labour members who suggested that reform of expenses would mean only Tories could be MPs, as all Conservatives are rich. Next time I see my bank manager I will tell him that. I expect to be laughed at.
Some honourable members (on all sides) seem to be completely detached from reality. During the (previously mentioned) debate, a Labour MP suggested that, if the allowance for furniture in second homes was removed, less well off members would have to sleep on the floor. I am sorry, do you not recieve a salary of around £60,000? I am sure you could find enough money in there for a bed, if you tightened your belts, a bit..
'Planted questions' turn PMQs into a tedious and dull affair.
Labour MP Jim Devine is the least eloquent parliamentarian I have ever seen. If I was not in a charitable mood, I might suggest he talks balls.
Margret Curran has made another massive error of judgement, with the 'herogate' scandal (not a good name, is it?). I would explain, but Guido does it more justice than I ever could. Read about it here.

So there we have it, that is my round up for the day.

Jonathan Ross naked in a supermarket

2008-07-15T19:16:00.004+01:00

Bet that got your attention.

Well, having read about Dubai banning all nudity on beaches I've decided that I actually agree with them. The beach is just as public and may even be more family-friendly than a supermarket so why are there differing nudity laws? I mean everyone knows about Jonathan Ross stripping off on a beach, but what if he did it in a supermarket? I'd run screaming, so why are we so tolerable of people getting their kit off on a beach? Shorts or speedos, yes. Bikini, yes. But nothing less than that please, there are children about.

itunes USA v Europe

2008-07-15T18:31:00.003+01:00

With the news that itunes is scrapping the 4p reduction in its online music, I am growing increasingly annoyed at the fact we pay much more for our music than the US.

UK: 79p
US: $0.99 (47p)

Why are they allowed to do this? Surely it's just downloading data from the internet. Why is it more expensive to download a song from the UK than in the USA? It's ridiculous.

Why?

2008-07-15T18:00:00.002+01:00

A quote from the BBC -

Since 1997, foods not commonly consumed in the EU have had to be formally approved (by the EU) before going on sale.

But why? What on earth has this got to do with the EU? Yet another example of unnecessary EU interference in every day life.

(UNCONFIRMED) Does Scottish Labour want independence?

2008-07-15T15:54:00.003+01:00

Just to stress the point, this is an unconfirmed story. I questioned whether I should publish it, but I just can't find confirmation, one way or the other*.

Anyway, the Glasgow East by election. Quite a ferocious campaign going on, north of the border. An ICM poll released earlier this week gave Labour a 15% lead over the SNP, already demonstrating a big swing to the nats, so anything is possible. But as you know, in high profile political contests, all sorts of celebrities get rolled out, to explain why they support one candidate, or the other (quite why celebrity endorsement affects voting behaviour is a bit baffling to me, but there we go..). Today we saw just that. Taggart actor John Michie came to the east end of Glasgow (poor chap) to support Margret Curran's campaign. I am sure they did all of the usual stuff, pose for photos, talk to the non political, kiss babies. You know, the type of thing you do in elections.

You might be wondering where this is going. After all, if DI Robbie Ross wants to support a SLAB candidate, and if the SLAB candidate is happy to accept his endorsement, what is the problem? Well, the problem of this. You see, last year John Michie appeared on the BBC programme This Week. Many issues were discussed, most relating to his native Scotland. Independence was one of those issues. John Michie (apparently) explained how he believe independence would lead to more entrepreneurial activity, how it would be a good thing for Scotland.

So, Margret Curran is happy to be endorsed by an apparently pro-independence actor. Does she not consider this a big issue, or is she a closet nat? It has to be one of the two..

*If anyone could find me a copy of This Week from April 26 2007 (maybe the BBC producer who I know reads this blog), I would be very grateful.

We're from the valleys boyo!

2008-07-15T15:31:00.002+01:00

This is the actual transcript of a 999 call from a gentleman living in the valleys:

Control Room: "South Wales Police, what's your emergency?"
Caller: "It's not really. I just need to inform you that across the mountain there's a bright stationary object."
Control room: "Right."
Caller: "If you've got a couple of minutes perhaps you could find out what it is? It's been there at least half an hour and it's still there."
Control: "It's been there for half an hour. Right. Is it actually on the mountain or in the sky?"
Caller: "It's in the air."
Control: "I will send someone up there now to check it out."
Caller: "OK."
The mystery was soon solved, as the exchange between control and an officer at the scene, makes clear.
Control: "Alpha Zulu 20, this object in the sky, did anyone have a look at it?"
Officer: "Yes, it's the moon. Over."

This is one of the reasons I stay in Cardiff - no offence to any of my valleys friends who read this.

Swindon Council

2008-07-15T13:20:00.002+01:00

Swindon Council have stated they may not pay the £400,000 to maintain speed cameras where all the fines go to the government. I certainly agree with them there. If Westminster wants all the fines then they should supply the money to maintain and put them up.
However, I do disagree with speed cameras on the whole except for when they are the only option left. On a straight road with traffic junctions constantly (like Swindon & Doncaster to name two I know) they are a hazard. Constantly looking at your speedometer to make sure you don't sneak over 30mph is going to cause accidents, not prevent them, especially when you combine it with junctions and lights you have to constantly stop at. Speed judgement is much more effective and safer.
On the other hand however, if it's a windy road where there have been accidents and people skidding off constantly, causing £unlimited of public money on emergency services and wasted lives then yes, I do believe they should be in place. Use speed cameras where it's sensible to and where they are most effective, not where they'll make the most money. We could say this until we're blue in the face but it wont make any difference.

Gordon Brown told he'll win the next general election

2008-07-10T19:10:00.001+01:00

Any other captions?

What will Cameron's victory song be?

2008-07-09T19:41:00.003+01:00

Labour had 'Things Will Only Get Better' so what about Cameron?

This one?

Maybe this one?

I wonder who gets this one?

Feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments

George Bush is shit

2008-07-09T12:57:00.003+01:00

Group seeks Bush sewage 'tribute'

McConnell handed in his petition at City Hall on Monday

A citizens group in San Francisco wants to pay an ironic tribute to President George W Bush when he leaves office - by naming a sewage plant after him.
The group, calling itself the Presidential Memorial Committee of San Francisco, wants the issue voted on at this November's election.
"It's important to remember our leaders in the right historical context," said petition organiser Brian McConnell.
The Republican Party thinks the plan stinks, and it will fight the measure.
Mr McConnell's group has submitted more than 12,000 signatures on a petition to the San Francisco Department of Elections.
If at least 7,168 of those signatures are found to be valid, the question of whether to rename Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant after the outgoing president will be added to the ballot papers in November.
"In President Bush's case, we think that we will be cleaning up a substantial mess for the next 10 or 20 years," said Mr McConnell.
"The sewage treatment facility's job is to clean up a mess, so we think it's a fitting tribute."
'Ashamed'
But one Californian Republican, Patrick Dorinson, said the plan was "a horrible idea".

Oceanside could become Bush's Bay Area memorial

"This is why San Francisco is considered wacky," the former California Republican Party spokesman told the Associated Press.
"It makes me ashamed to be a San Franciscan if this is all they've got time to do."
And a city official stressed that Oceanside offered "extraordinary environmental benefits".
"That's not our understanding of what the authors of this initiative believe the current president has delivered," said Tony Winnicker of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.
Mr Bush will leave office in January 2009.

What a great idea, now what about re-naming a loan repayment agency "The Alistair Darling Bailiffs Company" or a playschool "The Ed Balls Nursery"?

I'm back!

2008-07-07T18:43:00.002+01:00

Finally after 4 weeks of living with my partner in internet-less limbo between moving properties I have now moved into my new house in the Cathays area of Cardiff and have the internet!

So expect me back blogging regularly whilst living in between the Battersby's on one side and a muslim family intent on hammering things on the other. What a fun year this will be.

Quotes of the day-

Janice Battersby [next door 'speaking' to young kids]: "You're being TWATS, the lorra ya!" and "Get your fucking coat on, it's fucking raining".

Great example to set to children who look about 8 and 14 years old.

Helen Clark

2008-07-05T23:54:00.002+01:00

Oh dear, former MP for Peterborough Helen Clark seems to have had a tired and emotional outburst, which is now on Youtube. No political point to be made here, just watch the video and be amused.

Nice bit of Labour bigotry..

2008-07-05T12:48:00.005+01:00

Let me have you imagine a scenario. Close your eyes, relax and imagine you are reading a newspaper. Lets say The Telegraph. You can take your time with this, read it at your own pace. But when you are ready, turn to page 15. On page 15, you see an article written by a Conservative MEP. This MEP discusses moral issues, a perfectly acceptable topic, you should think. Then the article turns into an attack on Judaism, concluding that Jews should be banned from being members of the British Government. You are shocked at this. You pick up your phone and call your friend. He is shocked at this. You turn on the BBC and they are clearly shocked at this, the Tories certainly are the nasty party, talking about disqualifying someone from office purely on religious grounds.

A shocking scenario, and one which you think completely unbelievable. However, if we change a few of the details, something really quite similar has happened recently. Labour MEP Mary Honeyball wrote an article, here, calling for Catholics to be banned from office, for no other reason than their faith.

Shocking. Imagine if a Tory wrote it.

Hahaha, goodbye Wendy

2008-06-28T10:34:00.004+01:00

You know, if this was happening to any other party, I would feel slightly sympathetic. After all, seeing an MP resign on health grounds, and the leader of the party in Parliament go, on grounds of being useless, all in a couple of days, leads to quite a difficult situation. Combine this with being consistently behind in the opinion polls, and an apparent inability to cope with opposition, then you will see that Scottish Labour is in trouble.

But this is not happening to any other party, this is happening to the Scottish Labour party, so I am delighted (apart from the MP resigning on health grounds, obviously I am not delighted at that). Lets hope they continue to collapse, and the Scottish Conservatives continue to surge in the opinion polls. After all, Scotland does need a viable alternative to the SNP (ok, maybe that last sentence was slightly optimistic..).

Lembit Opik

2008-06-27T18:07:00.003+01:00

Quick one this, as I am currently suffering from a fit of laughter.

Whilst browsing the blogosphere, I came across a story that really does deserve wider coverage. According to the Pendroni blog, written by a woman with the most Welsh name ever, Heledd Fychan, Lembit Opik was noticed, during a meeting of the Welsh Grand Committee, reading a copy of Hello magazine. Just as Miss Fychan said, 'being an MP is an honour'. Reading a copy of Hello during a debate devalues the position massively, and, in my eyes at least, makes Mr Opik look like little more than a publicity loving joke.

No enthusiasm? What are you talking about?

2008-06-27T17:07:00.006+01:00

It seems that by-elections are like buses, you wait ages for one and then two (or three) come at the same time. And so, just as we congratulated Edward Timpson on winning in Crewe, we should congratulate John Howell for retaining Henley, in the face of determined Lib Dems.

But this is not a blog to celebrate Conservative triumph, instead I want to talk about a phrase that seems be slipping into Liberal Democrat vocabulary. Throughout the Crewe campaign, we heard the Lib Dem candidate Elizabeth Shenton repeat over and over that she 'detected no enthusiasm' for the Conservative party. The Tories then went on to win the seat for the first time since 1945, with a massive 17.6% swing from Lab to Con. The Lib Dem vote, in both real terms, and as a proportion of the total votes, declined. Now the Conservatives have retained Henley, with a five figure majority. This is after the Lib Dems fought hard to make an impact on the seat, devoting a lot of time, effort and expenditure to gaining it. So what did the defeated Lib Dem candidate, Stephen Kearney, suggest? That there was 'no positive enthusiasm' for the Conservative party.

I just don't understand. If 19000 Conservative votes suggests no positive enthusiasm, what does 9000 Lib Dem votes suggest? Visceral hatred? If opinion poll leads regularly exceeding 20% over Labour don't indicate positive enthusiasm, what does? Come on guys, at least admit the realities of the situation. These next few years are a great opportunity for the Libs to replace Lab as the party vying with the Conservatives to win elections, but not if you keep burrying your head in the sand about the current political reality.

EU Expenses

2008-06-26T15:32:00.003+01:00

Wow, I have just stumbled onto this report from RTL about yet more expenses abuse from MEPs. It is really worth watching.

However, could you ever imaging the BBC producing a clearly well investigated piece like this?

Heinz - A publicity stunt gone wrong?

2008-06-26T14:28:00.002+01:00

Heinz have pulled the ad featured above after it received 200 complaints over the gay-kiss. Like 99% of people in the UK, I am disgusted but feel there is an ulterior motive for this which I will go on to in a bit.

Firstly I see absolutely nothing wrong with this. It was even screened after the watershed on commercial TV and was only a brief peck. I get really angry when 'Family groups' claim that anything that is shown to people which involve homosexuals 'promotes the gay lifestyle'. You can't 'promote' the lifestyle. You're not going to get some kids thinking "oh I'm going to be gay now". Most teenagers now have gay friends or have gay relatives, they know what happens in the real world, you can't just cover up their eyes and keep them in a bubble all their lives.

Also, 200 people complained. That's nothing. A man on The Wright Stuff claimed that was 1 in 30,000 viewers. People complain about everything. The Big Brother race row caused almost 100,000 people to write in and complain. I didn't realise Big Brother had that many people watching it! Why would Heinz withdraw the commercial after only 200 complaints??....

My take on the issue is that it's a publicity stunt gone wrong. Heinz knew exactly what was going to happen. When they created it they must have thought "I bet we get some right-wing nutters foaming at the mouth complaining about this". Surely 200 complaints is something that would be expected. Obviously not and they withdrew it - cue huge commotion which is seen now.

If it wasn't a publicity stunt and they really did it to 'protect their business interests' then they've messed up there. Yes, they may have lost 200 customers but I'm sure they would have covered that loss up by people actively buying Heinz products after seeing the advert and thinking 'finally a company that isn't scared of stepping into the 21st century'. I was certainly feeling positive about Heinz when I saw the advert and was delighted that gay behaviour is included in society. Just imagine a day when a movie blockbuster has a gay main character in it and people just pass it off as normal. That'll be the day. Anyway, apologies for digressing. Now that Heinz has taken the commercial off the air, the loss will be huge, there is already an exponentially increasing petition currently at 6,500+ (500 people have signed in the last hour) and numerous campaigns causing people to boycott Heinz. I certainly will be and have urged my friends to do so.

Sign the petition here: http://www.petitiononline.com/heinz/

Wow, I should rename the blog "The Left Student" after this, although I have a feeling a blog by Arnie on Harriett Harman later may balance things out again.

Blogging

2008-06-25T17:36:00.000+01:00

I'm currently in the process of living with a friend until I move into my new house on the 1st of July so my blogging is rather non-existent at the moment. I do apologise.