political commentator * author * publisher * bookseller * radio presenter * blogger * Conservative candidate * former lobbyist * Jack Russell owner * West Ham United fanatic * Email iain AT iaindale DOT com
Friday, July 31, 2009
Reminder: Voting Closes at Midnight Tonight
You only have until midnight tonight to send your votes in for the 2009 Blog Poll.
Email your ten favourite blogs (ranked from 1-10) to toptenblogs@totalpolitics.com.
Click on the logo above for full details and rules.
(I wonder how many papers’ news sites print the following … have been submitting it to their ‘have your say’ pages over the past hour or so…
Please join in. Bring on the summer of rage! Make your comments count.
This may be off topic but is nonetheless as important.
Why are you not taking the government to task with the apparent appointment of Mandelson as a government mouth piece?
Is he the deputy prime minister in all but name? He sits in the Lords and, by all accounts is an ‘untouchable’, especially by the media.
How has this situation been allowed to prevail? Why does the ‘public’ have to put up with an unelected and three-times disgraced politician in a position of such apparent power?
There are no methods available to remove him. This is a disgrace, a breach of trust between the elected and the electorate. How long are you going to allow this situation to continue without a ‘front page’ expose of his position, his unaccountable power and the lack of an effective mechanism to bring him to task?
I am being short changed. I don’t pay taxes for someone like Mandelson to speak on my behalf. This has to change, and soon. The longer this situation prevails the more willing I am to remove him from power in any way I feel is reasonable.
Iain I am afraid the trolls have been let through your blog again. I suggest you delete the comment at once before it encourages other trolls to post disgusting homophobic comments.
Irfan Ahmed, that post wouldn't make the Daley Gross. Do you ever think before engaging fingers? Your posts are like so many soap bubbles, all two-seconds floating; "pop" and then so-what. No thought at all just noise noise noise. Give it a rest, chum.
Do you think that a televised debate will actually strengthen parliamentary democracy in this country by creating more transparency and openness.
I think the only criticism which you have already dismissed is that it will create a more presidential system. However I feel that with the proliferation of 24 hours media and news we have to ask ourselves who is setting the public agenda? How does this constitute in regards of the body politic and the hollowing out of the state? Or is this complementary to a certain degree to create more interactivity with the body politic and the electorate thereby creating more accountability?
Did you know that the new ceremonial Lord Mayor of Norwich is a Conservative. Her name is Eve Collishaw and she was present at the gay pride event last weekend. Is this a sign that the Conservatives are now becoming a progressive force for social liberalism in Norwich?
Iain can you remember the dark days of the Labour Norwich City Council in the 1980s? It was like we were living in the Socialist Republic of Norwich then. Thank god for Thatcher and the right to buy. Otherwise I would still have to pay rent to NCC.
Hi Sarah. Thanks for asking about the definition. It is specific to the political entity. Or in more general terms the people of a politically organized nation or state for you political scientists out there.
Why then do you allow the tedious trollery aimed at the Welsh here recently?
It cannot possibly be because they were funny, because they were ancient and poorly told too.
I'm not equating dull 'jokes' with the sort of hatred gay people are exposed to. But those of a mindset which reacts to a person's nationality with a kneejerk list of gags aimed at belittling them for the crime of not being English, are very probably going to do the same to every other ethnic, religious and sexual group that differs from them.
I have not detected any anti Welsh xenophobia. Telling harmless jokes about sheep shagging is not xenophobic. If you are the sort of person who thinks nationally themed jokes are xenophobic then no doubt you had a problem with those comments. I didn't, and I am very pro Welsh.
Since you insist on getting top ten blogs, you will get input only from those who have enough time and the slightly odd mental tic of regularly visiting 10 or more blogs (a tiny tiny minority) or those who just cut and paste the names of blogs they feel they ought to name.
Your list won't be completely worthless, but only in the same way that a vacuum is not completely empty.
So how many people are going to list Iain first hoping to get a Daley Dozen slot? :P
ReplyDeletehttp://www.irfanahmed.org/2009/07/what-nick-clegg-would-do.html
ReplyDeleteFor the Daily Dozen?
Iain I think you clock is fast I make it 51 hours and 40 minutes to midnight on the 31st.
ReplyDeleteForget your 'fave' blogs!
ReplyDelete(I wonder how many papers’ news sites print the following … have been submitting it to their ‘have your say’ pages over the past hour or so…
Please join in. Bring on the summer of rage! Make your comments count.
This may be off topic but is nonetheless as important.
Why are you not taking the government to task with the apparent appointment of Mandelson as a government mouth piece?
Is he the deputy prime minister in all but name? He sits in the Lords and, by all accounts is an ‘untouchable’, especially by the media.
How has this situation been allowed to prevail? Why does the ‘public’ have to put up with an unelected and three-times disgraced politician in a position of such apparent power?
There are no methods available to remove him. This is a disgrace, a breach of trust between the elected and the electorate. How long are you going to allow this situation to continue without a ‘front page’ expose of his position, his unaccountable power and the lack of an effective mechanism to bring him to task?
I am being short changed. I don’t pay taxes for someone like Mandelson to speak on my behalf. This has to change, and soon. The longer this situation prevails the more willing I am to remove him from power in any way I feel is reasonable.
Now done, after considerable thought over the past couple of weeks…
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteIain I am afraid the trolls have been let through your blog again. I suggest you delete the comment at once before it encourages other trolls to post disgusting homophobic comments.
ReplyDeleteIain is it possible just to vote for one blogger if we wish.
ReplyDeleteSarah, thanks for alerting me. I am getting a lot of those at the moment. Not nice, is it?
ReplyDeleteBladerunner. No.
Sorry Iain I just read the rules about voting for your favourite blogs. Sorry to have wasted your time.... Thanks anyway for the reply.
ReplyDeleteDo you predict there will be a televised debate between Cameron and Brown?
ReplyDeleteIrfan Ahmed, that post wouldn't make the Daley Gross. Do you ever think before engaging fingers? Your posts are like so many soap bubbles, all two-seconds floating; "pop" and then so-what. No thought at all just noise noise noise. Give it a rest, chum.
ReplyDeleteDo you think that a televised debate will actually strengthen parliamentary democracy in this country by creating more transparency and openness.
ReplyDeleteI think the only criticism which you have already dismissed is that it will create a more presidential system.
However I feel that with the proliferation of 24 hours media and news we have to ask ourselves who is setting the public agenda? How does this constitute in regards of the body politic and the hollowing out of the state? Or is this complementary to a certain degree to create more interactivity with the body politic and the electorate thereby creating more accountability?
How would you define the 'body politic?'
ReplyDeleteThis is an example of interactivity between the public and the local body politic.
ReplyDeleteIt's also bloody hilarious.
This is what happens when someone fails their A level politics course.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xuz-jDcOSiQ&feature=related
Did you know that the new ceremonial Lord Mayor of Norwich is a Conservative.
ReplyDeleteHer name is Eve Collishaw and she was present at the gay pride event last weekend.
Is this a sign that the Conservatives are now becoming a progressive force for social liberalism in Norwich?
Iain can you remember the dark days of the Labour Norwich City Council in the 1980s? It was like we were living in the Socialist Republic of Norwich then.
Thank god for Thatcher and the right to buy. Otherwise I would still have to pay rent to NCC.
Hi Sarah.
ReplyDeleteThanks for asking about the definition. It is specific to the political entity. Or in more general terms the people of a politically organized nation or state for you political scientists out there.
Sarah, Eve is a good friend of mine. I first met her in the 1983 election campaign in Norwich North.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest even though the Lord Mayor's role is ceremonial I am proud to have my local Cllr as Lord Mayor.
ReplyDeleteI have met Eve myself and she made a good impression on me.
She doesn't suffer fools easily.
Iain, you rightly remove homophobic trolling.
ReplyDeleteWhy then do you allow the tedious trollery aimed at the Welsh here recently?
It cannot possibly be because they were funny, because they were ancient and poorly told too.
I'm not equating dull 'jokes' with the sort of hatred gay people are exposed to. But those of a mindset which reacts to a person's nationality with a kneejerk list of gags aimed at belittling them for the crime of not being English, are very probably going to do the same to every other ethnic, religious and sexual group that differs from them.
"Why then do you allow the tedious trollery aimed at the Welsh here recently?"
ReplyDeleteIain I think its a legitimate question and you have not answered it.
I think it was right that you removed homophobic comment but I think that any xenophobia aimed at the Welsh is equally as repugnant.
I have not detected any anti Welsh xenophobia. Telling harmless jokes about sheep shagging is not xenophobic. If you are the sort of person who thinks nationally themed jokes are xenophobic then no doubt you had a problem with those comments. I didn't, and I am very pro Welsh.
ReplyDeleteSince you insist on getting top ten blogs, you will get input only from those who have enough time and the slightly odd mental tic of regularly visiting 10 or more blogs (a tiny tiny minority) or those who just cut and paste the names of blogs they feel they ought to name.
ReplyDeleteYour list won't be completely worthless, but only in the same way that a vacuum is not completely empty.
Hmm, harmless?
ReplyDeleteYou didn't have a problem with them, but then you're not Welsh.
When they are trotted out so tiresomely often you might not feel the same way.
Where do you draw the line on nationally-themed jokes then - thick Irishmen, tight-fisted Scots, cowardly Italians?
I'm not sure they're xenophobic, but bloody hell Iain, surely this blog's reputation was not built on that sort of humour.
Surely it ought to aspire to having something funnire to say about the Welsh than that they shag sheep.
Alan Johnson really is a dic* head.
ReplyDeleteThe Welsh deserve it.
ReplyDeleteDo we now?
ReplyDeletePositively Shavian, Iain. You certainly attract the cream of the UK's bloggers here.
I sent my list in a couple of weeks or so ago. It will be interesting to see the anamysis and results.
ReplyDelete