Liberal Burblings

Archive for October, 2006

I can remember seeing the news of the Aberfan disaster. I was only seven at the time, but I remember watching the pictures on the TV.

Today is the 40th aninversary of the disaster. John Humphrys was a young television reporter sent to cover the tragedy. He knew the area very well, so that added an extra poignancy to his experience. On the BBC website he remembers the events and says:

I have been a journalist for getting on for half a century now. I have reported wars and disasters all over the world, many of them involving many, many, many more deaths.
But there has never been anything to compare with Aberfan…

…although the first hours of that first day were indescribable, what was even worse in one peculiar way was watching them taking the coffins out of the chapel – small coffins.
There’s something unbearably poignant about the size of a child’s coffin. It just wrenches at you.

…I have always said and I will always say that nothing – nothing – I will ever see will compare to the horrors of that day.

According to a survey by ‘Unlock Democracy‘ the Conservatives have “literally died off” across much of the north of England.

This news has brought intense debate at Conservative Home. Some of the gems deposited there by Tory supporters so far include:

Can a party with a priority list that has more Kensington and Chelsea councillors, than residents of the North West and Yorkshire really expect to seen to be taking the North seriously?

I think we got 90 votes in a council by-election in Manchester this week, coming behind the Greens and BNP

You could ditch the 15 Old Etonians in the shadow cabinet for a start.

One of the most forgotten facts of the last General Election, is that across the regions of the NE, NW, YK & Hm, we actually got a lower % of votes than in 2001. We barely moved in the Midlands.

The previous two generations were blighted with severe bouts of recession under Conservative governments. It means there is little love for the Conservative Party, therefore affecting membership.

I am also concerned at the phenomenal implosion of conservatism in Cornwall.

Referring to the Muslim veil debate, on Thursday David Cameron told ITV’s “Frost Tonight” :

I think there is a danger of politicians piling in to have their tenpence-worth and really they have to ask themselves whether this is having an overall good effect or not.

He also said he was concerned British Muslims were left feeling “targeted”.

No doubt one of the people in Cameron’s mind when he spoke of politicians “piling in” to the veil debate was the politician last Sunday who ‘piled in’ with a lengthy article on the subject, including this thunderous comment:

The shock waves (of the veil debate) have reverberated around Britain, loudest in the Muslim communities. Which is not to say Jack Straw was wrong. He was not. His comments were perfectly proper and he highlighted an issue that is both important and difficult: the question of the very unity of our nation.

This politician suggested that a “voluntary apartheid” is being created in this country and ‘targeted’ Muslims with these searing remarks:

At its very least, there is a growing feeling that the Muslim community is excessively sensitive to criticism, unwilling to engage in substantive debate.

Much worse is the feeling of some Muslim leaders that as a community they should be protected from criticism, argument, parody, satire and all the other challenges that happen in a society that has free speech as its highest value.

No doubt David Cameron was thinking of that sort of remark when he said he was “concerned” that the Muslim community were feeling “targeted”.

As the remarks last Sunday were made by David Davis, David Cameron’s front bench spokesman on Home Affairs, are we to take it that the Conservative party executed a complete U-turn on this issue between Sunday and Thursday?

Or, more likely, is this yet another case of the Conservative wanting to blow its dog whistle for its core voters (reading the Sunday Telegraph), while simultaneously blowing its Pied Piper flute for new voters (watching ITV in London)?

Referring to the Muslim veil debate, on Thursday David Cameron told ITV’s “Frost Tonight” :

I think there is a danger of politicians piling in to have their tenpence-worth and really they have to ask themselves whether this is having an overall good effect or not.

He also said he was concerned British Muslims were left feeling “targeted”.

No doubt one of the people in Cameron’s mind when he spoke of politicians “piling in” to the veil debate was the politician last Sunday who ‘piled in’ with a lengthy article on the subject, including this thunderous comment:

The shock waves (of the veil debate) have reverberated around Britain, loudest in the Muslim communities. Which is not to say Jack Straw was wrong. He was not. His comments were perfectly proper and he highlighted an issue that is both important and difficult: the question of the very unity of our nation.

This politician suggested that a “voluntary apartheid” is being created in this country and ‘targeted’ Muslims with these searing remarks:

At its very least, there is a growing feeling that the Muslim community is excessively sensitive to criticism, unwilling to engage in substantive debate.

Much worse is the feeling of some Muslim leaders that as a community they should be protected from criticism, argument, parody, satire and all the other challenges that happen in a society that has free speech as its highest value.

No doubt David Cameron was thinking of that sort of remark when he said he was “concerned” that the Muslim community were feeling “targeted”.

As the remarks last Sunday were made by David Davis, David Cameron’s front bench spokesman on Home Affairs, are we to take it that the Conservative party executed a complete U-turn on this issue between Sunday and Thursday?

Or, more likely, is this yet another case of the Conservative wanting to blow its dog whistle for its core voters (reading the Sunday Telegraph), while simultaneously blowing its Pied Piper flute for new voters (watching ITV in London)?

Via Stephen Tall’s blog (about his visit to 18 Doughty Street) I watched the video of “Vox Politix” from Monday.

I got to 4 minutes and 38 seconds, lost the will to live, then turned to listening to “Peters and Lee’s greatest hits” to cheer me up.

I’ll watch 18 Doughty Street in six months when they have hopefully made the thing look more like a professional television station and less like one of those horrid community stations we used to get on NTL. Lighting, sound, cues….all terrible.

And I know I am a political anorak but even I don’t want to inflict on myself an hour of political discussion led by Iain Dale.

I have started to do my bit in trying to eat fish from sustainable sources only. So the other day, when I was offered fish and chips, I asked for “anything other than cod or haddock” (as I understood that these species are at risk).

I was brought a delicious meal of battered Skate and chips. My hunger and conscience were satisfied in one fell swoop…until I happened to surf onto the Marine Conservation Society’s list of “fish to avoid” …which includes skate!

They also have a list of fish to eat.

It turns out I am OK eating haddock as long as it is not from Rockall. I am OK eating Cod from the Atlantic as long as it is organically farmed and Cod from the Pacific as long as it is MSC certified. And it is OK to eat Mahi Mahi as long as it is handline caught from targeted fisheries only.

So the next time I go to the Fish and Chip shop I will present the chippie with a questionaire as to the provenance of her or his fish:

Cod?
Pacific? Y/N
Atlantic? Y/N
MSC certified? Y/N
Line caught? Y/N
Haddock? Y/N
From Rockall? Y/N
…you get the picture

…or perhaps I will just ask for cod and chips, as I don’t really want to get a name for being a bit of a pernickety fish wuss.

Mind you, buying fish from supermarkets is a little easier as the Marine Stewardship Council publishes a list of fish in supermarkets which is from sustainable sources (click on “where to buy”).