Vulgarity and the House of Commons
There's a fair amount of chatter regarding Claire Curtis-Thomas' bid to place "lad's mags" on the top shelf of newsagents. I'm still figuring out a logical way to approach the subject, but a side note of interest is this quote:
Ms Curtis-Thomas said descriptions of sexual acts in the 'Dictionary of Porn' in an April edition of Zoo magazine are "so graphic and repulsive I am prevented from quoting it on the floor of the House of Commons."
I think this is more rhetorical trick than real statement - it seems unlikely she would have read them out anyway - but is there any truth to it? Are there things she wouldn't be allowed to say in the House of Commons? If so, that's stupid.
In related matters, Lord Tebbit thinks that Jonathan Ross asking David Cameron:
Did you or did you not have a wank thinking ‘Margaret Thatcher'?
is
an obscene attack on - and I use the word literally, obscene - on Margaret Thatcher.
I think some people need to lighten up. Also, it would help if they watched the interview and saw the context of the query. Interesting question, though: is it ever offensive to have somebody fantasise about you? Even if you'd rather they didn't, or even if it's in a stalker-esque manner, isn't the act inherently flattering? Maybe if they were misrepresenting you, but then it wouldn't really be a fantasy about you...Not sure. This links in with lad's mags, in a way.
Incidentally, JR's (extremely good, imho) interview with DC is available on the BBC website, but the offending segment has been cut out so you should watch it here and here instead.
Labour needs a Robert Scoble
Why aren't there any ministerial blogs? From my perspective, Labour seems to have a problem explaining its position. The Human Rights Act is a good example. The tabloid press despise the thing, and I rarely hear the opposite position, which surely exists. Despite occasional mutterings, Labour are surely in favour of it, but I don't know where to look to find out why. Currently I'd turn to Labour bloggers for this. The major newspapers are no use, as decent explanation is difficult to find. There are some - David Aaranovitch etc. - who do a good job of properly investigating issues, but I don't think it should be so hard to find. The Labour website carries little in the way of argument, instead concentrating on news and press releases. The Home Office website does a good job of explaining the law, but there's very little argument in favour of ID cards, for example - there's something about how good they'll be, but nothing that addresses concerns I've seen elsewhere. I'm sure this already happens behind the scenes, and if I investigated enough I'd be able to find all the information I wanted. But, without meaning to sound lazy, it's too hard. If only there were some way for the government to communicate without the filter of the media...
Ministers are busy people, but their offices could surely find somebody to run a blog. They could respond immediately to Tory arguments, or tabloid misrepresentation, and not have to worry so much about the newspapers taking one quote terribly out of context. The important thing would be to make it genuine; glorified press releases would be pointless. You want a Robert Scoble of the Labour Party - somebody happy to say 'we screwed this up, but here's what we doing to make it right'. Maybe that goes against the grain of modern politics, but I think it's going to be necessary. Tony Blair's great at explaining his position, but he's not enough. The odd Guardian article or 10-word soundbite from other ministers just doesn't cut it any more. I want to see John Reid tell me what the hell a respect squad would actually do. I want to see Patricia Hewitt explain why NHS redundancies are necessary. I want to see Alan Johnson point out the huge rise in school food standards, and be happy to acknowledge Jamie Oliver's role in the affair. Would it be official government comment? Tricky. Would they allow comments? Probably not if they've ever looked at Comment is Free, but trackbacks maybe.
Sure, the majority of people don't read blogs. But people who do (he says, tentatively) are often the people best equipped to communicate. An increasingly tech-literate younger generation is seeing a government that doesn't know how to communicate with them. Blogging wouldn't solve the problem of Labour's increasingly out-of-touch image, but I think it would help.
Update: Hat-tip to Jo in the comments for pointing out David Miliband's blog. He's Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the blog certainly seems to be a good start. Should have done my research properly 
B4L, and personal posts
Recent comments on a few Bloggers4Labour blogs have, in particularly caustic style, suggested that B4L bloggers should not discuss anything other than politics, and discussing anything else (particularly sci-fi) makes us look pathetic. These people happen to be your basic trolls, but more polite versions would raise three issues:
- The idea that discussing sci-fi / other 'geeky' topics is something to be ashamed of, and that others will laugh at us. I think I demonstrated my contempt for that particular theory here.
- The idea that personal posts have no place on blogs ostensibly about politics. Jo has an excellent response here: "What I’m trying to say is that this is my blog about my thoughts, my opinions and my life. I just happen to be a Labour activist."
- B4L should only aggregate political posts. This, as far as I'm concerned, is entirely up to Andrew of B4L. He built the system, and can choose to aggregate whatever he likes. I like the community feel of B4L, as the inclusion of non-political posts makes it feels much more like a group of real people
than just political pundits(edited - original phrase wasn't really what I meant), but it's really nothing to do with me. I'm not trying to pass the buck, I'm just saying that B4L is whatever he wants it to be. WordPress blogs can supply category feeds, and if Andrew were to ask for a feed that only contains political posts (and I'm certain he'd be a damn sight more polite about it than random commenters) I'd be happy to supply it.
Aaranovitch on traffic wardens
David Aaranovitch writes an excellent piece on traffic wardens and calming measures:
Ask almost any conscientious school governor or PTA activist. You can send out a zillion letters, put up a gallery of posters, invite endless consultation — and no one but the same half-dozen parents will respond. Then, as in the case of the school-run permits, suddenly it affects them. Wardens are moving them on as they attempt to triple park in a narrow road. Bang! Why didn’t you tell us? It’s a disgrace! Boom! There’s a campaign group and the local paper moans about a dearth of discussion.
Perhaps indignant passivity is a product of representative democracy, in which the citizen almost expects to be protected from her own prejudices by the enlightened representative. Under this system we are free to dissociate ourselves from the results.
I wonder whether this doesn’t infantilise us all. Perhaps we should be forced to live more directly with the consequences of our own decision-making, through much greater use of local plebiscites or the setting-up of citizens’ juries, who can hear all the facts and then decide on the complicated question of, say, whether the discomfort of motorists is more important than the lives of children.
It does irritate me when drivers complain. You're in a car capable of killing anybody in an instant. The onus is not on other people to accommodate you.
Does the same apply to speed cameras? I think it's extremely likely. I'm trying to educate myself on road safety so that the next time somebody explains how they're justified in speeding in a 30mph zone I can properly nuke them from orbit.
Morris People
If you're reading this outside of the UK, chances are you'll doubt me if I tell you that there exist in this country groups of people who dress in white, wear large hats, strap bells to their belts, place furry things around their ankles and whack each other with sticks while dancing around public places, all to the sound of an accordion. It is, however, true. They're called Morris Dancers and it's a very old form of folk dancing. I just saw some:
It's traditional to take the mickey, but I don't think anybody really dislikes them. They have a certain charm, although Skuds points out that it's open to misinterpretation...
(note: YouTube doesn't seem to like this video, and it may well disappear at some point)
Superpowers
Going superhero crazy at the moment. The Spider-Man 3 teaser is out. The film itself isn't released until May '07, mind.
Speaking of which, you know what I did today? I had five servings of fruit and vegetables, that's what I did. I probably average 2-3, but not today. No. Today I had the full full five. Fruit and vegetables: you are done. Fruit and vegetables: you are now, in fact, my bitches. I don't know whether I'll develop the superpowers right now, or if it'll take a few hours. I await with anticipation.
The UN should step in
Previously, I would never have considered myself anti-American. But I am now forced to revise my stance over a truly important issue. They get Superman Returns two whole weeks earlier than the UK. This Friday, in fact. Two weeks! Have they any idea how excited I am about it? Two weeks of reading first sentences of blog posts. Two weeks of posters, newspaper articles, and odd conspiracy theories. There are already adverts everywhere, and whenever I hear the first bars of John Williams' score I get the shivers. It's just not fair, dammit. And now look: I have to pick up all my toys. Hmph.
First attempt at night photography
Yesterday evening I decided to take some night shots of the theatre, so took a walk with my camera and tripod. I'd never tried serious night photography with a tripod before, preferring to balance on nearby stable surfaces while attempting to hold the camera still for multiple seconds, which rarely works. I didn't know whether I should be nervous about walking around at 2200 with a camera, but hoped I was just being paranoid. Happily, it was fine.
I left a little too late to capture the theatre at its best - the riverside restaurant was closed so the prettier lights were turned off - so took a couple of shots of a nicely lit cafe on the far side of the river instead. I felt silly for a minute before deciding that was ridiculous - what's wrong with taking pictures? I started to head home and nearly crossed the main bridge before deciding it would be good experience to try photographing the theatre anyway. The shots turned out better than I'd expected, and I'd forgotten that very dark skies turn blue on long exposures:
I wandered around for another twenty minutes, taking shots of the basin and the front of the theatre. Was cool - I enjoyed it.
My tripod is a £25 Dixons model that I picked up during my A-levels, and is very, very bad. The head doesn't turn smoothly, and often I'll try to tighten it into a position only to to have it shift into its own alignment. I'll have to replace it at some point, but it's better than nothing. I'll try to take it with me more often, or at least leave it in the car.
A secret faux pas
In Tesco this morning, a passing woman gave me a sly sideways glance and said 'I saw that'. I don't know what I did. As far as I remember, I was deciding between brands of chicken pie. Maybe I committed some major faux pas of which I'm not even aware. Like 'thou must not dally in front of freezers on a Monday' or something. Or maybe it's a secret one, created purely to confuse young men. That'll be it.
Hello!
Hey, thanks for coming! I'm Andrew, and this is where my headthinks come to breed. They often meander around humanism and photography, but they're flighty and you can't trust them, so anything is possible.
Do feel free to email me - I get lonely:
Your hair looks swish, by the way - have you done something new?
Recent Comments
- vicky: going up this weekend having done all the welsh peaks except 4 snowdon, cant wait
on Climbing Snowdon. - vicky: what, how can u live in the 21 c and say that, probably a sexist thing
on Climbing Snowdon. - vicky: da iawn laura, cant believe what im hearing, all this fuss, anyway love the site, and i agree, normal people who swear and curse clomb mountains cos we live in the...
on Climbing Snowdon. - Andrew: Did a few quick test shots to check the light levels, then balanced the camera on the arm of a bench, set it for a 20s exposure and hoped for the best
on ISS. - lynsey: Wow, how did you take that photograph?
on ISS.
