Poor Man About Town

I was listening to Nick Ferrari earlier this week, he did a review of the past year; one of the topics of discussion was Blair, he had a retinue of several political pundits commenting on his tenure in office. All said he did not do enough Thatcherism but fucked up big time in Iraq. Hang on, what are these bozos on about - not doing enough Thatcherism, that's a bit like a trio of junkies commenting on a friend who died of a drug overdose not doing enough heroine. Fucking marvelous. Then Nick Ferrari invited people to phone in to comment, hardly any supported Blair and Nick put paid to their detractions fairly quickly. I think the topic came quickly to a close. It seemed as if the production team were expecting loads of people to phone to say what a swell guy Blair is.

Labels: Blair, British Politics, LBC, Nick Ferrari, Radio

Some commentaries remain timeless and classic. I was flipping some old notes which I have made from books which I have read. There were several quotes from John Braine's Room at the Top which appealed to me.

This could easily be applied to Blairism and the Primrose Hill Gang a la Miliband and James Purnell and Andy Burnham, likewise David Cameron and George (aka Gideon) Osborne of the Tories - the new of Designer Politicians.

"Whatever the suggestions were, Heylake would listen to them. He was a great improvement on the efficient zombie. Even now, I don't like to remember the efficient zombie. He had a large head with short-oiled hair and an absolutely immobile face. It was not even dignified or stony, it was dead, he seemed to take out the oxygen out of the air around him"

Check this out on charm - can easily be applied to politicians re: the above.

"The possession of charm wasn't in itself a guarentee of success but it seems to follow our bits like a pilot fish"

Labels: Blair, British Politics, David Cameron, literature, New Labour, Tories

The BBC was rather toady today - they had that dreadful celebrity cum news presenter Huw Edwards presenting Blair's resignation speech. I noted that Blair did not give his speech outside Downing Street but in his constituency Labour Club and given the rapturous greetings, rapturous applause - the placards declaring their love for Tony and Cherie - I had the feeling that the speech was delivered in front of a specially invited and staged audience.

The outgoing Prime Minister reviewed his tenure - declared all the successes - improvements in health and education along with reductions in crime. This has not really been the case, but I guess that the man wants to give himself some credit. Iraq - he said was a part of the ongoing war against terrorism. Until US / UK invasion of Iraq there was no terrorism in Iraq - but I guess that has become a rod that Blair and Bush have made for all our backs - they don't have to worry - they will not have to be around for much longer to clear up the mess.

There were a number of things that Blair precluded from his speech - why did he not mention the outstanding success of the Public Finance Initiative and why did he not mention the success of the property market making housing affordable for everyone.

Labels: Blair, PFI, privatisation, Property Developers, resignation speech

I love Steve Bell - he carried me through the dark years of Thatcherism, I've bought many of his cartoon collections from those years.

Here we have a superb summary from Steve of the Blair years.



Dp you think Blair will make a quiet departure?

Labels: Blair, British Politics, Cartoons, Steve Bell

I see that Blair has been reported that he would like David Miliband to succeed him. He's got all the credentials, cabinet toady, 12 year old modernisation thinking, industrial strength Blair clone. He has a face that lends itself to the camera extremely well but not the kind of face for kissing babies during election time without giving the poor child deeply seated trauma that will carry on through life well into adulthood.

Labels: Blair, David Miliband, politics, twelve year old

This is the crap coming out of New Labour. Now we have to shell out huge sums of money on political parties only to be regaled with boring Party Political Broadcasts on the telly, terrible poster campaigns, megaphone vans booming out up and down the high street.

Time was Labour activists used to knock on my door, not any more - who the fuck in their right mind would go around canvassing as a New Labour Activist - it's a bit like saying "Good morning, I have tuberculosis, do you mind if I come in and infect your home". No, New Labour now have to use financial means to canvas. The Conservatives are just as bad, never had them canvassing on my door.

So what does this all mean, my theory is that the mainstream political parties will outsource their campaigning to private companies, who will recruit paid activists who will be trained to knock on your door, tolerate the usual "fuck off" and hard sell you party line - short of throwing the contents of your dustbin on them, you won't be able to get rid of the buggers. My guess is that these paid activist will not be dissimilar, if not the same, to the type of individual in a dayglo tabard who accosts you in the street asking for direct debit donations to various charities - a political form of chugger.

If these bozos want to bestow their crappy version of democracy on us, then they will have to get off their arse and work for it...bloody state scroungers!

Labels: BBC, Blair, Britain, democracy, politics, Television

I see that the Trident upgrade has been voted in by the Holier Than Thou Alliance of New Labour and Conservative. Gosh, it's great to have a democracy, we and the Yanks have spent billions on bringing democracy to Iraq. Yes, in a democracy your political representative can vote for bombs that can bomb the fuck out of anybody who needs to be deterred. I heard one New Labour mp saying that it was necessary because the Chinese and the Russians are building up their nuclear bomb capabilities. Worst still, they have embraced Capitalism as their economic operating system - so we must be singing from the same economic hymn sheet, aren't we?.

So why the fuck do we feel the need to possibly bomb out the Russians and the Chinese. The Russians are not a bad lot, they flog us cheap gas; the Chinese, likewise, the sell us lovely electrical goods. Our electricity bills would rocket if the Russians turn off the gas. As for the Chinese, we would be deprived of lovely electrical goods so that we will be soon be watching only one tv channel in monochrome on 405 lines were we to vex the Chinese enough.

Do you know something, we spend decades convincing the Chinese and Russians that Capitalism ain't such a bad thing; but don't you think that they are getting a little too cheeky of late? So, I guess the New Labour is right in thinking that if they got very cheeky, then we should start rattling our rockets at them.

Update: The Tories and New Labour voted together to agree to the upgrade - same policies - same parties.

Labels: Blair, Conservative, New Labour, politics, Tories, trident

The G8 Summit at Gleneagles was a free feed and free advertising for the very exclusive golf club. Guess what? The British tax payer had to foot the bill for this party.

The summit was a foregone conclusion, George Bush made it clear that he would not modify his stance on global warming and that he would not compromise American interests.

Well, the whole bollocks of this could have been discussed in a broom cupboard in some Whitehall office in a lunch hour for the all good that it did. I would not have minded, footing the bill, as a taxpayer, for some cheese and tomato sandwiches and one or two packs of biccies.

Instead, Blair had got us to shell out mucho spondooliks on this free feed to which some crap pop star called Bozo was invited to say his piece on Africa.

Labels: Blair, Bono, G8

It's Sunday the July 3rd, the fans have gone home and there is much mess to clear up. The G8 Summit is a real happening, a free feed and booze up for the world's leading politicians. The usual rabble of anti-capitalists / globalists were drowned in the apolitcal tsunami created by Bob Geldof, who has has single-handedly made us all aware of the existence of Africa with its impoverished, disease-ridden and starving Africans! Before this historic event, Africa and its impecunious Africans did not exist; Sir Bob put them on the map. Well done Sir Bob; 5 billion people can't be wrong (today's News of the World - has Sir Bob turned around its opinions on African illegal immigrants into the UK?).

The question that really does beg to be answered is why no black acts at the main UK event?. Why did they have to go to a siding in Cornwall? Yes, Bob Geldof has certainly made us aware of the Africa and Africans, but they are somewhere over there - on an advertising hoarding in Sidcup. Sir Bob's piousness turns into pomposity - his sincerity has been running on empty.

The best part of this gig was Sir Bob teaming up with Blair on MTV. How come they did not go on a British TV network but chose a Yank one instead - pretty vacant, huh?, get my drift, these guys are too good for us Brits! - I heard there was much pawing and fawning over each other. Pope Bob beatifies Blair and makes him a saint overnight. St Blair makes a declaration that Africa had influenced him into entering politics (wow, let's go for a spin, St Blair). How clean is your image?

I am a cynic when it comes to events like this; they are massive advertising campaignes for pop stars and politicians. The best comment on the whole event came from none other than other Robbie Williams who was invited to do his stuff for Live 8. He had come out of quasi-retirement in LA; the young interviewer invited him to comment on Starving Africans - he did not answer the question but invited the youngwoman to get his rocks off with him. Yes, he was crass; yes, he was advertising his product and yes, he was advertising sexual prowess, but he did not attempt to make any pretence of it. After all, it's only rock and roll.

Labels: Blair, bob geldolf, G8, Live Aid