Irish Political News

Following on from his article "A La Recherche Du Blogs Perdu", Scottish Tory Boy has gathered together the 20 blogs he was most pleased to start reading again after a six month break.

A blog miscellany for your Friday Afternoon.

I wasn't sure where to advertise these, so I thought I would start with the Wardman Wire (being the gaffer has it's privileges).

My parents are downsizing, and we have some Guy Rogers furniture for sale.

So, introducing the Matt Wardman small ads service...

Does anyone want any Guy Rogers Manhattan furniture?

Today has been a little quiet for blogging - I have been working on this, which turns into a public beta test at 11.00pm. There are a couple of glitches, but comments are welcome. I will be writing an explanation of what is what and how it all fits together during the day tomorrow. Tags: wardman wire, politics [...]

Via Bob Piper's post "Never Mind the Width" I (memo to self: spend an hour a week "wasting time" surfing new blog), I found a new and interesting blog from my area (Dronfield), Three Score Years and Ten - with the excellent tag-line:

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards" - Søren Kierkegaard

Harry Barnes was Labour MP for North-East Derbyshire for the years 1987-2005. He writes about local life (especially Sheffield Football Club - the world's oldest club founded in 1857), Iraqi and Iranian events. Here are some posts that I enjoyed reading from the last couple of months. You have to navigate the blog via the archives or search facility, as Harry does not use labels or categories.

This morning Charlotte Green totally lost it on Today on Radio 4, after reading out a short piece about an 1860 recording of a human voice on smoky paper (which sounded like Just William playing his comb). Unfortunately she giggled through an obituary of Abby Mann. Here's the clip.

“Scots Tory Boy” (who is only two of those - I think - and I’m not telling you which) has been a few months away from blog reading. As a follow-on from last week’s Free For All Friday question from Mike Rouse, he has kindly contributed an article about finding the rhythm again. A walk in the wilderness Last year I was without a computer and internet access for six months so when I was back online it was great to start catching up with favourite blogs, see which ones were still going/gone and find new ones to ponder on. A return on the wild side They’ve all had six months of continuity. By which I mean (I feel a Rumsfeld coming on: ‘There is ongoing continuity which you live, there is continuity by the victors, and there is continuity that has not yet been written and of which we know nought’) that most blogs have running themes and, whilst posts may be tagged, three or more different topics can justifiably be under the same tags. A La Recherche du posts Perdu Then you try to catch up with six months of posts. No chance, short of taking another six months to do it. And sometimes the well can become poisoned Some posts are riveting, others not - but for me it is the overall feel of the blog that keeps me there or loses me, e.g. one particular blogger whose output I supported unconditionally, wrote a post which struck me as outright bigotry (ed: hope it wasn’t me about Bonnie Prince Alex). I have been back twice but I now have such a biased view of him that despite his otherwise common-sensical views I find him difficult to take seriously because I have no idea where or when he will revert to type. But what is his type - therein is the problem - we can think about anything I post before I publish but in vino veritas I may publish and regret a post. Was the dodgy one posted “having drink taken” or is he usually tipsy and a bigot when sober? In a moment of wishful thinking did the blogger say where exactly they wish their beliefs will lead. Either way, this guy lost me at that point - and he is trying to start a serious political party. (more…)

The Wardman Wire has just celebrated it’s first anniversary (the first post was about the noise caused by English Heritage concerts on Hampstead Heath on March 6th 2007). I’ve spent most of the last year building the blog to this point, and working on various short projects professionally. Now, I’m looking for gainful employment, while continuing to edit and build the blog further in my spare time and at weekends. I am available for short or medium term contracts, full time employment or one-off projects of all kinds. If you like the work that you have seen me doing on the Wardman Wire over the year, and have an opportunity that may be suitable for me, please email me on mattwardman AT gmail DOT com - and I will be pleased to talk to you. I’m based on the Notts/Derbyshire borders, and am happy to travel or work from home. Over the Easter Weekend I will post a more detailed cv on the site here. For the record, there have been 1350 posts on mattwardman.com, and we now have around 10 writers contributing to the blog. The combined February statistics for this blog and mattwardman.co.uk were roughly 60,000 unique visitors (and around 30,000 “absolutely unique visitors”), and 140,000 page views after filtering of robots, crawlers etc; our growth rate has averaged around 30% per month in unique users since September 2007. The other political sites I have developed over the year draw a similar amount of traffic in various niches. Tags: matt wardman, employment, hire-me

Arthur C Clarke, the science-fiction author, has died at 90. One of my favourite Sci-Fi authors - I liked his work because he never lost the human dimension. Clarke’s books were about fallible human beings learning to adapt to changed circumstances created by logic and his imagination. For me, that was always deeper than the approach taken by other authors trying to imagine technology developing far enough to become proto-human. Others will comment on his other achievements - such as the invention of geostationary satellites, and the scope of his contacts and writing. I’ll leave it there. Another writer who was formative for me gone. Tags: arthur c clarke, 1999 a space odyssey, obituary

Arthur C Clarke, the science-fiction author, has died at 90. One of my favourite Sci-Fi authors - I liked his work because he never lost the human dimension. Clarke’s books were about fallible human beings learning to adapt to changed circumstances created by logic and his imagination. For me, that was always deeper than the approach taken by other authors trying to imagine technology developing far enough to become proto-human. Others will comment on his other achievements - such as the invention of geostationary satellites, and the scope of his contacts and writing. I’ll leave it there. Another writer who was formative for me gone. Tags: arthur c clarke, 1999 a space odyssey, obituary

It seems to me that Steve Job’s application of Ockham’s Razor will continue. The keyboard will be abolished and we will all have to communicate with our Macs in morse code using the single mouse button. Hmmm. Tags: steve jobs, ockham’s razor, mouse button, macintosh, mac

I have been re-reading a book by Alistair Cooke: Memories of the Great and the Good (aff), a set of essays about figures in US life and culture from the 1930s to the 1990s. George Abbott was a Broadway Theatre Producer, was involved in his first broadway production in 1926, and his last in 1989. This is Cooke on George Abbott and his pacemaker, writing in 1995: “He lost his second wife in 1951, and for thirty-two years he was mostly alone. But twelve years ago, when he was ninety-six, he decided to marry again, a youngster in her early fifties. Last year he came into New York from his house up the river and pattered down the aisle at a revival of his Damn Yankees, just to be sure they were pronouncing the final t’s. Last week, he was busy at this favourite occupation, tinkering with, rewriting and revising a revival of Pyjama Game. This week, he died in his sleep at a hundred and seven. A dozen years ago, he had to have a pacemaker. He had a lifelong suspicion of doctors and their wizardry, and he wanted to know if “there was any snag to this thing”. Only, replied the doctor with well-rehearsed facetiousness, “that you’ll have to have a new battery after ten years”. “Hot damn!” said Mr Abbott. Ten years later, when he was a hundred and five, sure enough he had to have a new battery. “Hot damn!” said Mr Abbott, his chronic suspicion of doctors confirmed yet again. One day, in his late nineties, he was playing golf with his wife and for the first time, and who knows, perhaps the last, fell down on the fairway. In alarm his wife ran over to him, saw the long lean figure still prostrate and shouted: “George! George! Get up, please. Don’t just lay there.” He opened an eye. “Lie there!” he said.” (*) aff indicates an affiliate link. Tags: pen portraits, george abbott, damn yankees, pyjama game, alistair cooke

Freeform Fridays are a new experiment on the Wardman Wire: Im wondering about inventing Freeform Fridays, where I will give a platform to anyone with something interesting to say - a sort of virtual Speakers Corner. In my mind there needs to be somewhere on the blog which is relatively unstructured, to be a total change from the quite tightly timetabled nature of the rest of the week. Id see that as an opportunity for young or new bloggers to address a slightly wider audience - one of my priorities for asking people to write columns has been to look for good new writers, who would like the opportunity to write for a different audience or in a different style. Id like to see articles about eclectic political subjects on Fridays - for example how the mistresses of Charles II have an impact on life today, or a piece about the history of Hogarth, or even something about how political eras and movements can be studied by the distinctive hats they wore. Friday also needs to be more relaxed, partly because that is the feel of most of our workplaces and homes, but also to move the blog into the weekend mode. Id welcome any suggestions you have in the comments box below. As it happens, I am away on short notice (10pm last night) at the Jeecamp today, so as an experiment I have a few “lighter” postings myself today - and I have emailed the regular writers inviting any contributions. I wonder if anything will happen? Tags: freeform friday

Today I’m planning to attend the Jeecamp in Birmingham, which I only spotted (via Martin Stabe) last night. This is an unconference (i.e., a self-organising workshop - an intellectual Potluck Supper, if you will) around the theme of: JEEcamp is an opportunity for a range of people to get together to talk about how on earth journalists and publishers can make a living from journalism in the era of free information, what the challenges are, and what we’ve learned so far. It is also an opportunity for people with different skills and experiences to network, share those experiences, and perhaps suggest partnerships or new projects. The plan is that 2 and 2 will make more than 4. I’ll report back during the day, or at the weekend. Tags: jeecamp, martin stabe, unconference

This is the current front page at the Sun: The site is currently undergoing maintenance. Sorry for any inconvenience, please come back in a little while. Tags: the sun, under construction, site upgrade

This is the current front page at the Times Online: Times Online has got the builders in. We’ve closed for a couple of hours to make some improvements to the site. I wonder what is afoot? More later. Tags: times online, under construction, site upgrade

Every so often a sequence of as few as 3 words grates like a screwdriver on a blackboard. From the Independent’s “computer games” column this week, by Rebecca Armstrong the “Games Mistress” in a review of “Patapon“: …you’re the ruler of a bunch of winsome little warriors who can be manoeuvred through the beat of a tribal drum - but if you don’t have pitch perfect rhythm… Pitch perfect rhythm !!!! Aaaaarrrrgggghhh ! Presumably her lingerie is perfectly aerodynamic, her cold tap is perfectly articulate, the cornflakes she had for breakfast are an excellent building material, and the tyres on her car are ideally flavoured to the correct degree of orangey tastiness. This Games Mistress needs to be gently taught not to make category errors by the Belles of St Trinians (old and new versions below), if necessary by torture on the wallbars of the gym (sorry - I couldn’t find a picture of that scene). (more…)

I’m a life member of the National Trust. A highly recommended investment. But there are three of us who are members in the household, so we get three sets of everything: Handbook. Magazine. Regional Newsletter. Puffs for Appeals. Puffs for Third Parties allowed to use the list. Puffs for god-knows-what-else. Renewal reminders (does not apply to me). And all the rest. This morning I called them up and was able to opt out of everything, except for the things that matter such as the AGM mailing and Handbook. They have a system where you can opt out of individual items. And I still get to see everything. I reckon that will save a good chunk of tree each year. The phone number you want is 0844 800 1895. You will also need your Membership Number or Post Code, and will need to satisfy them that you are you (not too difficult). You know it makes sense. Tags: national trust, mailshot opt-out, gumf

Over at Poliblog Perspective I’ve put up a demonstration of the process that I go through when editing an article. Using Sadie Smith’s new Westminster Watch report, I have posted “before” and “after” examples. I have done the pair of articles as a tutorial demonstration for new people joining the blog, it may be of wider interest. Guidelines There are only a few guidelines I give to people writing for the blog, and I try to keep editing as light as possible: Nothing actionable (i.e., dont get me sued). Write as if for an intelligent tabloid publication or at the level of the Economist. Unless there is a good reason not to do so, use regular Subheads such that they convey the sense and flow of your argument or article. A good test is to delete the text, and see if the headings and subheadnings still give the gist of the article. Tags: wardman wire editing process, subheads, headingsm style guide, editorial guidelines

From Miss Wagstaffe observing Westminster (”Things you don’t see in the Senedd“) Checklist: Warm coat, scarf, hat, thermal underwear, whisky-filled hipflask, sandwiches, tea-filled vacuum flask, tissues, a reliable friend or companion, a large banner of your choice, and a speech prepared for the media. They get far more formidable man-eating creatures in the Senedd. Dig the crazy black leather coat. I’m sure there’s a Member of the Senedd who wears one like that, but I’m blowed if I can find them. And as for Holyrood… Tags: senedd, torchwood, welsh wagstaffe. welsh assembly, weevil

I note in passing that Guido has reached 666 on Technorati. If I post this to … say … Daily Tech Tips, I think that will put him back with the angels, as I don’t think I’ve linked to him from there before. Iain Paisley may consider himself vindicated. [Update 8pm. That’s better.] Tags: guido fawkes, tech tips

This is the second of three extra Blog Platform columns to outline the current writers and features on the Wardman Wire , and to look at future developments. This article talks about the “occasional columns”. Currently we have 3 of these. Not a Number Mike Rouse stopped writing regularly for the blog when he left 18 Doughty Street. The column covered the important area of the interaction of technology and new media, and how this would effect politics and political communication. This is a column I’d like to restart - as it is an area of rapid change and high interest. Free Speech I’m expecting Free Speech to be one of the main themes in UK politics over the next 5 years - especially as there have been increasing circumscribing of many different freedoms in the UK over the last decade. We gave extensive coverage to the Usmanov case, and will continue to do our bit to campaign for the right to freedom of expression in the UK - and in particular reform of the UK Libel Laws. Any politician who will commit themselves to reversing many of the repressive laws we have seen introduced - from the restrictions on demonstrations to the centralisation of personal information will be in a strong position to ask me for my vote at the next election. If there is a writer out there willing to contribute a weekly (or more occasional) article around Civil Liberties to the blog, this column is waiting for you. I should add that I am always willing to back good writers or bloggers who do not yet have much experience or a high profile. Hot Issue This is a column we wheel out when there is a currently contentious issue - it consists of a summary of different viewpoints, and some analysis from the writer. Wrapping Up I will add further occasional columns as and when seems necessary. There will be one more article in this series on Monday morning. I will put up a few indicators as to where I hope to take the blog over the next 3-4 months. Tags: hot issue, not a number, free speech, wardman wire

Back in early December I posted a run-down of the list of weekly columns on the Wardman Wire, using the excuse that the site “has been a bit of a building site recently with a lot of changes”. I’m pleased to say that the move from a personal political blog to a site with a wider team of writers is nearly complete - so there may be a bit more stability round here for the next few months (at least in terms of who is writing). This is an extra Blog Platform column to map out where we are and where we may be going. What Happens each Week I’m doing a rundown by day this time. There’s more to say, but I’ll keep this post as short as I can manage. Now that the rate of change on the blog is slowing down (at least in terms of new and guest writers), I’ll see if I can be more reliable at making sure that things appear on the right day. Our practice is - with one or two exceptions - to publish the column each day at 11:00am, to give time for the article to hit the RSS feed in time for the lunch break. Then nothing else appears until perhaps 4pm. As ever, the best way not to miss anything is to subscribe to our RSS feed. Nearly Every day “The Daily Roundup” is currently a roundup of 10 or a dozen newspaper stories designed to provide “blog fodder” for our readers. It focuses on interesting and occasionally unusual stories. On good days it is published around 1am; on not quite so good days with breakfast or a little later. As you can see from the podcast player in the sidebar, we experimented with a daily podcast - I hope to take that forward, but I’m thinking about a practical approach. The “Morning Funny” (which needs a better name) is a cartoon or joke which appears at the start of the day - usually at around 9:00am. There are agreements in place with 5 or 6 different cartoonists to reproduce their work, and I sometimes re-recycle a joke from the Adam Smith Institute Jokester; make that “used to re-recycle” - he has retired. Monday “The Day Job” is about what bloggers do when they are not blogging. I have only done one of these, and intend to increase the frequency. Tuesday “Politics Decoded” is Garbos weekly political comment column - running for 6 months now. Garbo publishes his “bon mots” before lunch on a Tuesday with the reliability of Mr Gordon asking Mr Cameron questions at PMQs instead of answering them. (more…)

I felt the first earthquake of my life this morning, at just before 1am. According to The Times, it was actually 12:56: Britain was shaken by a huge earth tremor at 12.56am this morning which was felt by people from Yorkshire to the South Coast. Thousands of people reported their homes being shaken violently and furniture moving and hundreds more took to the streets for safety and to check for damage. The epicentre of the tremor, which measured 5.3 on the Richter scale according to the British Geological Survey, was centred on the village of Holton cum Beckering, about 15 miles northeast of Lincoln. According to the US Geological Survey, the epicentre was 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) from the Earths surface. The tremor is the biggest in Britain since 1984 when north Wales was hit by a quake which registered at 5.4 on the Richter scale. I live in a very solid old stone house, and the feel was as of a sideways shake for perhaps 20-30 seconds coming up from the ground through my office chair. I am maybe 70 miles from the reported epicentre of Market Rasen. A long enough time period for the cats to look very worried. Police in the Midlands received more than 5,000 calls in hour and in Dudley 12 people walked into the police station in their pyjamas. People reported buildings as large as blocks of flats shaking for up to 30 seconds when the quake struck at 12:56:45. There was damage to property and localised power cuts but no reported deaths or serious injuries. An interesting experience, that will doubtless have been a boost to those couples at the crucial moment at the crucial time for whom the earth moved. Tags: earthquake, report of earthquake, earthquake in english midlands, leeds earthquake, 5.3 magnitude richter scale

Last week the Independent had a survey of a number of advertising agencies , and mentioned their slogans. I thought it would be interesting to see what bloggers think of them - we all come up with our own slogans (except the Wardman Wire, which doesn’t have one - yet). The agencies included are: We are fallon, JWT, DDB, Leo Burnett, M&C, SAATCHI, Saatchi & Saatchi, CHI & Partners, BBH, TBWA\London, Ogilvy, Group UK, rkcr y&r, Wieden + Kennedy, Euro RSCG London, WCRS. I’ve included the name of each agency, the slogan, and the paragraph of “blurb” they use to introduce their advertising services. The poll is at the bottom - who would you trust ? First the slogans and blurb to compare, then the poll. It is open until the end of February (i.e,. 11:30pm on the 29th). We are fallon Slogan: none They say: “We choose not to have a fixed positioning point. In an increasingly open media and creative environment, where more is possible every day, we feel that it doesn’t make sense to pre-pack what we do. What we do, and how we do it, is fundamentally bespoke and about building the confidence to do something different.” JWT Slogan: ‘Time is the new currency’ They say: “The power of brands can be measured in their ability to attract people’s time. Time is what’s most valuable to people all around the world, and the way they spend it is predictive of the way they spend their money. Our role is to ensure that more people spend more time with our clients’ brands, in the knowledge that their money will follow.” DDB Slogan: ‘Co-creation’ They say: “Co-creativity is a process that puts consumers at the heart of the solution. It’s agnostic about where the best idea comes from " online, branded content, advertising, an event " in fact, it is increasingly likely that it is through combining all of these and more that the most creative and influential ideas will be gained.” Leo Burnett Slogan: ‘Creating ideas and building brands that truly matter to people’ They say: “We help our clients to create well-loved brands that have a genuine role in people’s lives. Our approach is driven by the belief that creativity can profoundly affect human behaviour, and that marketing communications, at its most effective, is a two-way conversation between the brand and the individual.” M&C SAATCHI Slogan: ‘Brutal simplicity of thought’ They say: “The slogan comes from the idea that it’s easier to complicate than simplify. Simple messages enter the brain quicker and stay there longer, so brutal simplicity of thought is therefore a painful necessity.” Saatchi & Saatchi Slogan: ‘Nothing is impossible’ They say: “From the outset the Saatchi brothers broke the rules, challenged industry norms and created work that was groundbreaking in every respect. Brands are faced with the danger of becoming commodities that lack differentiation, but we believe that bold and infectious creativity can drive loyalty beyond reason for brands.” CHI & Partners Slogan: ‘Big ideas for ambitious brands’ They say: “The idea is to show that we offer more than just ads. We deliver big ideas that can be brought to life wherever the consumer comes into contact with the brand. These big ideas act as a platform for one strong advertising campaign after another.” BBH Slogan: ‘When the world zigs, zag’ They say: “Our first ad was a poster for Levi’s black denim: a flock of white sheep heading one way, with one black sheep going the other way. The message captures our approach to life.” TBWA\London Slogan: ‘The disruption agency’ They say: “All brands have ambitions to outpace the competition, but too many go through life copying their competitors. We aim to uncover the clichs, assumptions and conventional wisdom that hold a category back, then look for opportunities for brands to grow by disrupting those conventions.” Ogilvy Group UK Slogan: ‘To be most valued by those who most value brands’ They say: “The slogan was coined in 1993, but its roots go deeper, to David Ogilvy’s belief in the power of brands, as long as they stay relevant and continually refresh their appeal. Our view is that branding is a genuinely useful concept that helps good companies defeat bad ones, so the clients we most want are those who share this belief. We don’t apologise for this idealism, since the most successful brands tend to have longstanding ideals at their core, which can be dramatised in myriad ways over time.” rkcr y&r Slogan: ‘Brand energy’ They say: “We believe that only brands with the energy to constantly delight their audience with new ideas and innovations will survive, so we’re structured in a way that ensures creative energy flows as freely as possible. There are no departments, no gatekeepers between creative teams and clients, and minimal hierarchy.” Wieden + Kennedy Slogan: ‘Creating strong, provocative relationships between good companies and their customers’ They say: “We believe that great brands lead from the front. They provoke, inspire and change the cultural landscape. The most successful brands have fans, not customers, and the relationship between a brand and its fans is based on dialogue, not monologue.” Euro RSCG London Slogan: ‘Contagious ideas’ They say: “We live in a world where consumers can more judiciously edit what they consume, [and can] mould and reconfigure ideas relatively easily and be far more expressive to their friends, family and colleagues about what they like and don’t like. Contagious ideas live beyond the space in which they first appeared by creating word of mouth, word of keyboard or media interest.” WCRS Slogan: ‘A brand’s best friend’ They say: “Our slogan was based on a very simple belief; that if we could make a brand successful, then our own success would follow. It’s very focused on the client. Other agencies have a house style that they use for all their campaigns, but we believe every brand should have its own voice.” Who would you trust? On this evidence, who would you have to write your blog slogan? Which agency would you let write your Blog Slogan? We are fallon? JWT? DDB? Leo Burnett? M&C SAATCHI? Saatchi & Saatchi? CHI & Partners? BBH? TBWA\London Ogilvy Group UK? rkcr y&r? Wieden & Kennedy? Euro ESCG London? WCRS? View Results  Loading … Blog Slogans: An Exposition I have collected a number of blog slogans together - from blogs I have read recently, and from this week’s Britblog Roundup. What do you think? Meral’s Musings : Female, Liberal Democrat Councillor. Candidate for the Greater London Assembly, for North East London (Islington, Hackney & Waltham Forest) My take on current affairs and life. A Somewhat Old, But Capacious Handbag: Things I like, things I’ve made, and suchlike mental pocket lint. Stop! Honour Killings:International Campaign Against Honour Killings Northwest 6: News about West Hampstead for Ravenshaw, Broomsleigh, Glastonbury and Dornfell Streets Rolled-up Trousers: Osama Saeed putting a bit of stick about mind the gap: a Cardiff-based feminist network Diamond Geezer: life viewed from London E3 Unmitigated England: A Country Lost and a Country Found As a Dodo: The obituaries you’d like to see. Surreal Scoop: News of the world as it should be, perhaps before it happens. Stephen Pollard: Never Knowingly Understated Amused Cynicism: La libert consiste faire tout ce qui ne nuit pas autrui Small Differences…: …and not a little narcissism Between the Hammer and the Anvil: the inevitable result of asking a stupid question Mr Eugenides: Trying to hold back the rage Chicken Yoghurt: Chicken Yoghurt is the boulevard of broken dreams of Brighton-based writer, Justin McKeating. Iain Dale’s Diary: Politics, Gossip, Humour, Commentary Labourhome: Back to the Roots Conservative Home: No other slogan Liberal Democrat Voice: Our Place to Talk Bloggerheads: Welcome to the Hard Shell Cassilis: No other slogan Harry’s Place: Liberty, if it means anything, is the right to tell people what they don’t want to hear The F Word: contemporary UK Feminism Political Betting: No other slogan John Redwood’s Diary: incisive and topical campaigns and commentary on today’s issues and tomorrow’s problems Mike Ion: “Aspire not to have more but to be more.” Oscar Romero Wife in the North: Just how grim can it get up north? Very. One woman’s lonely journey into the Northern heartlands. Our Man in Newcastle: Back Home Again Pickled Politics: Current Affairs for a Progressive Generation UK Polling Report: No other slogan. Disgruntled Radical: Crumbs from the breakfast table of an unreconstructed Liberal Tygerland:occasionally acerbic, cultural and political comment ORDOVICIUS: blogito, ergo sum Blood & Treasure: A man of excellent naturall Parts; but very Sarcastick and the greatest Buffoon in the Nation A Pint of Unionist Lite: “Be Britain still to Britain true, Amang ourselves united; For never but by British hands Maun British wrangs be righted!” Paul Smith’s Blog: The cosmos interpreted by some conscious matter of the cosmos. Cllr. Gavin Ayling: No separate slogan. What You Can Get Away With: No separate slogan. Phil Tayor: Ealing councillor sounds off revolts.co.uk: The definitive source for academic analysis of backbench behaviour in Britain. Your Friend in the North: advice to intellectuals: let no-one represent you Jeremy Hargreaves: No separate slogan. Disgruntled Radical: Crumbs from the breakfast table of an unreconstructed Liberal Greenbanana PR: Connecting ideas, thoughts and comment because if youre green, youre growing Ellee Seymour: MCIPR, PRESS CONSULTANT, JOURNALIST, POLITICAL AND PR BLOGGER. ProActive PR The Poliblogs: The Ultimate Round-up of the Political Blogosphere Which is your favourite? Wrapping Up I’m not going to comment on agency websites, except to note that at least two say “under construction”, and that there are (to me as a web designer) a depressing quantity of “flash ‘n’ splash” pages in evidence. My top 4 slogans (for today) are - in no particular order: Harry’s Place: Liberty, if it means anything, is the right to tell people what they don’t want to hear. Your Friend in the North: Advice to intellectuals: let no-one represent you. Between the Hammer and the Anvil: the inevitable result of asking a stupid question. Paul Smith’s Blog: The cosmos interpreted by some conscious matter of the cosmos. If you have a good suggestion for a blog slogan for the WW, drop it into the comments. Tags: advertising, public relations, advertising agencies, blog slogan, blog quip, We are fallon, jwt, ddb, leo burnett, m&c saatchi, saatchi and saatchi, chi and partners, bbh, tbwa, ogilvy group, rkcr y&r, wieden and kennedy, euro escg london, wcrs

Since I’ve been doing an early morning podcast I’ve taken to listening more often to the 5:45am programme “Farming Today” on Radio 4. When I first started listening occasionally, in the 1980s, the programme came complete with market prices of sprouts, turnips and carrots. Then it had a (mercifully short) phase - which may have been in the green fog when organics were fashionable but not yet practical - where it seemed to want to be a sort of consumer programme to do with vegetables. Now, we have a good balance - ranging from current affairs for the farming niche, to best practice and the occasional interview. The programme’s Saturday sibling (Farming Today this Week) is a weekly roundup. Walnut Farming in Italy And Sunday is “On Your Farm” is an account of a visit to an unusual o typical farm. At Christmas I posted one of a visit to a Walnut Farm in Italy. I have reposted the programme below - 15 minutes long. Download audio file (20071225-bbc-farming-today-almond-farmers.mp3) I have included three features I found interesting below. Fly-tipped Asbestos Back in September I snagged an interview with a farmer frustrated about Asbestos that had been fly-tipped on his land. The clearance cost was going to be ?3000. The attitude of the Department of the Environment was legally correct but unforgiving: “We sympathise, but it is your problem. Fix it or we move in, move it, and send you the bill”. 5 minutes. Download audio file (20070916-bbc-radio-four-farming-today-fly-tipping-asbestos.mp3) Fair Trade for Farmers A programme which looks at the application of some Fair Trade principles for sustainability in British Farming (I have always found it quite bizarre that a campaign based on respect for the environment should ship products across the world). Download audio file (20080103-bbc-radio-four-farming-today-fair-trade-for-uk-farmers.mp3) Update on Organics And finally, here is a programme from late January about organic farming from the “farming” not the “organic” side. This programme looks into pressure on the supply chain to match the growth in demand - for example a fourfold increase in the price of organic grain which (as the required foodstuff) threatens the supply of organic animals. Download audio file (20080125-farming-today-bbc-radio-4-organics-0529.mp3) RSS And the best bit is that it is available via a podcast feed here, so you don’t evenahve to get up early. Wrapping Up There won’t be anything more on this blog until the “House Rules for Parliament Article at 3:00pm - today’s is by Tim Ireland of Bloggerheads. Copyright All copyrights for material acknowledged as belonging to the BBC. Tags: Farming today, audio, organic, organic food, fair trade

This is a list of articles in the press this morning. I have asterisked the ones that I recommend as worth reading. Most of the others are either largely personal attacks or seem (to me) to misrepresent what he said. Guardian Riazat Butt Archbishop backs sharia law for British Muslims Elizabeth Stewart Q&A: Sharia law (*) Andrew Brown Laws of the land (*) The Times Ruth Gledhill and Philip Webster Archbishop of Canterbury argues for Islamic law in Britain Ruth Gledhill Has the Archbishop gone bonkers? Daniel Finkelstein Why the Archbishop is wrong about Sharia Ian Edge and Robin Griffiths-Jones Does Islam fit with our law? (*) Daily Telegraph Jonathan Petre Archbishop Williams sparks Sharia law row (*) Christopher Howse Sharia is no law for Britain (*) Gordon Rayner Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury Williams attacked over Sharia law comments BBC Archbishop sparks Sharia law row Christopher Landau Sharia law and the British legal system (*) Nick Tarry Religious courts already in use (*) And from the blogs Archbishop Cranmer highlights some of the nuances, but thinks the ABC has been foolish. Global Dashboard (highlighted yesterday). Tags: abc, rowan williams, archbishop of canterbury, law lecture, sharia in uk I have stolen the original list of newspaper articles from Simon Sarmiento over at Thinking Anglicans.

Having watched the first 15 minutes of Ashes to Ashes, I have two conclusions already: 1 - I thoroughly approve of DCI Alex Drake (legs AND fists: gorgeous). 2 - Somebody in the BBC has been itching to remake the Sweeney with decent cars. Watch out for historical errors on the Audi Quattros. If I remember, only the original (140mph -ish) version was available at the new set date.   Tags: the sweeney, ashes to ashes  

After my post mentioning the Nottingham High School yesterday, I thought I would make a Prefect headcount: Nottingham High School Prefects 1955: 19 Nottingham High School Prefects 1980-81: 37 Why does regulation always breed like rabbits? Or does it just reflect a growth in entropy? I should add 3 notes: Miss Wagstaff will be pleased to know that she had a namesake in the 1955 cohort. The 1980-1 figures ignore 93 (ninety-three) “House Prefects” listed in the School Record, which - bearing in mind that the annual intake was something like 120 boys - seems to be a hell of a lot. House Prefects are (-ish) to Prefects roughly what Mrs Thatcher’s “little Bishops” were to the “big Bishops“. I don’t have figures for the school attendance in 1955. Tags: nottingham high school, prefect, wagstaff

I’ve been clearing out the archives - a salutary experience. I’m trying to cull around 75% of a library which goes back to school exercise books. Among artefacts from the past, I have found - in addition to a set of university books that I would have sold had I had more sense - some interesting items. Some Old Nottinghamians A tranche of “Old Nottinghamian” school magazines and photos from the 1950s and 1970s - which means that in there somewhere there may be the odd photo of the likes of Ed “The Campaigner” Davey, Ken ” Smokin’ ” Clarke, Ed “The Enforcer” Balls, and Geoff “The Commuter” Hoon in their youth. Apparently in 1955, the school mock-election gave more votes to a Communist than to the Labour candidate: “The 794th meeting of the debating society (May 20th 1955) took the form of a Mock Election. The voting was as follows: R.P Soble (Con): 123 C.M Williamson (Ind.): 113 N.M Neattie (Nat Lib): 45 D.L Richards (Comm.): 36 T.P. Dolby (Lab.): 10″ And there was a dizzying amount of networking going on: “We should like to thank our fellow-editors from other Schools who have sent us copies of their magazines. These are:- The Loughburian; the Elizabethan; the West Bridgefordian; the Mountaineer; the King Edward VII School Magazine; the Stonyhurst Magazine; the Wheatleyan; the Cottonian; the Derbeian; the Alumnus; the Centaur.” (more…)

It’s Sunday, it’s 6:00am, and it’s ITV3 (UK Sky channel 119) so it must be a double dose of The Rockford Files. These are the 1974 original titles. This is in wmv format. '; ourTags+=''; ourTags+=''; ourTags+=''; ourTags+=''; ourTags+=''; ourTags+=''; ourTags+=''; if (typeof writeTags == "undefined") { document.write(theTags);} else {writeTags(ourTags); }//--> And the same file is on Youtube here. None of this wimpy TV 2.0 Timeshift stuff on here. Watch it at the real time and get your content into Google while Finkelstein is still in bed. Here are a couple more Rockford snippets: Jim in Europe: A 1994 interview with James Garner (Some noise at the bottom - sorry)