Liberal Burblings

Archive for June, 2007

Earlier this week I enjoyed an excellent game of Twenty20 cricket at the Rose Bowl near Southampton. It was great to see newcomer Adam Voges score a brilliant 66 not out. Also, Hampshire’s Chris Tremlett clean bowled (one of the stumps flew out of the ground) Murray Goodwin for a duck in the first over.

But whereas Hampshire had an average of seven runs an over, Sussex had a ten run average from early on. Hampshire’s wicket keeper missed a catch and it was all down hill from there.

But it was great to go to the Rose Bowl for the first time and also witness the Twenty20 format, which is an excellent way to attract good crowds to cricket.

The announcements at the interval (almost typed “half time” but that wouldn’t do) included the news that there would be no game at Worcester due to the ground being under several feet of water (left).

You have to feel for the ground staff. They spend their lives meticulously caring for the pitch. They spends months getting the square ready and in tip-top condition. To see it under several feet of what must break their hearts. But, as the Chief Executive of Worcestershire County Cricket Club writes:

I have repeatedly said to the media over the last few days that what we are suffering is nothing compared to the family of Eric Dickinson who recently died when his car was swept away near Pershore (Eric was a Club Member) or those who lose their homes in the floods.

Two British drivers have lost a test case at the European court of human rights in Strasbourg. Their case was supported by Liberty:

Liberty’s legal director James Welch said vehicle owners had two choices when presented with a speeding notice – to name the driver, or to refuse to provide information – both of which carried similar penalties.

“This offends against a very important principle – namely that you should not have to incriminate yourself,” he said.

“You should not be made subject to a criminal penalty in order to make you provide information that then forms part of the prosecution case against you.”

The thing that caught my eye about this case is that the alleged offence was carried out in a 1938 Alvis.

Now that is what I call style!

My photograph is of the Alvis in question which is owned by UKIP member Idris Francis, and was used by UKIP leader Nigel Farage as a campaign car at the Bromley by-election. It has also featured in a string of TV programmes and films.

“Wozza” is celebrity chef Antony Worrall-Thompson,whose full name is Henry Antony Cardew Worrall Thompson. He once said that he wanted to be a Conservative MP. More than that, he said that he quite fancied succeeding Michael Heseltine as MP for Henley.

So, the British public could have been treated to “Wozza” as the MP for Henley, instead of that apology itinerist, Bozza.

Are we better off, as things turned out? You decide.

Any road up, because of his credentials above, you would be right in thinking that my opinion of “Wozza” is that he is a complete….well “Wozza” really.

All this is leading to his appearance on GMTV, that TV station have to watch as part of my matrimonial contract. It was this morning.

He was “up against” Dr Hilary Jones, GMTV’s doctor.

I don’t mind telling you that I quite like the cut of Hilary Jones’ jib. He is an all-round good egg, particularly as he regularly warns about the symptoms of meningitis, a disease which killed son. I am also mesmerised by his hair. I have seen him “in the flesh” and it is extraordinary how he looks, on screen, as though he has a full head of hair. But that doesn’t diminish his all-round good eggness. He is a TV performer, after all.

Any road up (2), Wozza is a total numpty. He is campaigning against the smoking ban. He appeared in a smoking jacket at the Savoy to make the point. It was in Telegraph today. He had a barney with Hilary Jones on GMTV. Wozza was saying that the smoking ban is disgusting and that it will make people smoke at home where they will cause more harm to their family. When pressed by Jones, who cited a hero of mine, Roy Castle (who died of lung cancer despite never having smoked due, probably, to his playing the trumpet in smoke-filled working mens‘ clubs), Wozza said that there is “no evidence that passive smoking harms anyone”.

What a complete Wozza.

The gist of this rambling post is that dear old Hilary Jones, bless him, gave Wozza “what for” and gently and smilingly pointed out that there is “unequivocal” evidence that passive smoking is harmful.

What beats me is that Wozza (who you will notice has now escaped his inverted commas) spends his life making fine things for people to put in their mouth, then defends people who stick poisonous tobacco sticks in their mouth. I would have thought he would have realised by now that his involvement with the smoking lobby is all a bit counter-productive when you take his life in the round.

The BBC reports:

…former CBI head Sir Digby Jones is to be made minister for trade promotion…Sir Digby is to be given a peerage and will have to join the Labour Party in order to serve as a minister.

So, you have to join the Labour party in order to join the “government of all the talents”.

Er?

This is just a week after Brown offered Ashdown a cabinet post – presumably Labour membership wasn’t a condition in that case…or was it? Was the offer to Lord Stevens conditional on that crusty old conservative (or Conservative?) joining the Labour party?

I am confused. We appear to have witnessed a U-turn.

The “government of all the talents” appears to be a recruiting scheme for the Labour party , under a different name. I knew that Labour had haemorrhaged members by the thousand, but this is ridiculous.

And has Sir Digby Jones previously expressed any Labour-leaning sentiments? Not according to fellow Midlander John Hemming MP.

The spin is that David Miliband was against the Iraq war so we should all be cheering in the streets now that he has been appointed Foreign Secretary.

Today’s Guardian puts it this way:

(Miliband) is not publicly associated with the decision to invade Iraq and is said to have been privately sceptical about it.

Oh really? At the time, he may have been safely in a “home” department, approving massive expenditure on civil servants to write his “blog”. But his public parliamentary voting record shows that he has been up to his neck in support for the war and in rejecting an investigation.

There is an excellent website called Public Whip. If you put an MP’s name and a subject into its search engine, it will tell, quite scientifically, what that MP’s record has been on the issue.

For example, a search for David Miliband MP and the Iraq war comes up with the interesting observation that, based on his parliamentary record, D. Miliband was 0.8% against the invasion. Not a lot against the invasion, in other words. The 0.8% is due to him being absent from one vote:

David Miliband MP, South Shields agrees 0.8% (explain…) with the policy, Iraq 2003 – Against the invasion.

On the subject of whether a Iraq investigation is necessary, D.Miliband is only 6.3% in agreement. The 6.3% is due to him being absent from five votes on the issue:

David Miliband MP, South Shields agrees 6.3% (explain…) with the policy, Iraq Investigation – Necessary.

Iain Dale is getting remarkably steamed up about Shirley Williams. The very helpful holding statement from the party makes it clear that Williams was not offered, and would not have accepted, a government post. The offer Brown made, which has not yet been responded to, is to advise the government on nuclear proliferation, a narrow remit based on Williams’ previous experience with the Nuclear Threat Initiative.

Presumably, Iain Dale got equally steamed up about Chris Patten advising the government on Ulster Policing – did he? Williams was asked on Question Time whether she would accept the offer of a government (i.e ministerial) post. She said she thought that there was no chance she would be offered one. She has not been offered such a post, as the holding statement makes clear. So, she was right.

As “expriest” pointed out on LibDem Voice, Paddy Ashdown has served on the Parades Commission, Alex Carlile has advised on terrorism and Roy “the boy” advised on electoral reform.

This Williams offer seems no different to those roles or the Patten role. There are no red boxes or salaries or government departments involved.

Iain Dale also reports speculation from Adam Boulton that Lord Carlile will be the new Attorney General. I will comment on that if and when it is confirmed. In the meantime I won’t hold my breath or explode prematurely.

Update: Baroness Scotland is the new attorney general.