Vince comes up trumps again.....
On R4 Today's prog: Short-selling on government owned bank stocks is an `open invitation to gamble against the taxpayer` You couldn't get a better soundbite nor a better Treasury spokesman. Use it! (more)
Simon Hoggart enjoys Alan Beith's memoirs
In his Saturday column for the Guardian Simon Hoggart wrote of the pleasure he takes in reading the memoirs of our more obscure politicians. Discussing Alan Beith's A View from the North he said: Sir Alan Beith, the former deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, has almost nothing to say about the departures of Jeremy Thorpe, Charles Kennedy and Menzies Campbell, though each one was fascinating in its own way.But his description of the deaths of both his first wife and his son is deeply moving, and you'd never find that in a more overblown memoir. (more)
Recycling Christmas Cards - yes it matters!
Did you know that last year, only 7% of all Christmas cards were recycled in the United Kingdom? Shameful really. Although I do wonder if that takes into account all those that would have gone into recyling boxes and bins operated by local authorities around the UK? Anyway, this year it is key that we all do our bit. Did you know that if each person in the UK recycles just ONE Christmas card, the Woodland Trust would be able to plant 15,000 trees - that is just amazing. Well the Reeves household will be recycling just over 60 cards ... (more)
Nationwide reports house prices down 18%
Now on BBC. Actually `ONLY` 16%! (more)
Another two complaints to the BBC
At 6:17 today on Today prog the Economic reporter said that Government guarantees to business were a Conservative idea. I have pointed out the wider view! Yesterday I pointed out that on another programme they used two intellectuals - Steve Richards and a guy from the Spectator - to put the framework of the two main [...] (more)
Buildings Fail to Green Up to Expectations
Many of the Scottish Government buildings have failed to come up to the expected standards for their Energy Performance Certificates it has been revealed. Many including the Scottish Parliament had also failed to meet the deadline of yesterday to display their certificate. St Andrew's House and Victoria Quay in Edinburgh were found to be massively energy inefficient and creating a far larger carbon footprint than they should. On the scale of A for best and G for worst the Scottish Government set out to get its buildings audited by the start of this year but many have fallen short of ... (more)
Welcome to my freezer, sorry, home...
Ros and I have spent most of the past three weeks in Suffolk, and I have returned to London to find that my house is like a refrigerator. Odd really, because I could have sworn that I had set the timer on the boiler to come on twice a day, heating the house and boiling some hot water to prevent frozen pipes and the like. It clearly hasn't worked because the temperature in my office (formerly the (more)
How bad is sexual bullying in schools?
I'll admit to a natural suspicion of claims that everything's got much worse since the good old days. It's not that they're never true; but we're worryingly good at seeing the past through rose-tinted spectacles. So I wasn't sure what to make of tonight's Panorama, on the apparent growth in sexual bullying in schools. To summarise the programme, sexual bullying is now commonplace in our secondary schools, ranging from calling someone gay or slut through groping to full sexual assault and even rape. Even primary schools are seeing inappropriate behaviour. Parents are concerned and the Internet and TV were wheeled ... (more)
Happy New Year
A belated one, as I have been away in a magically frost-bitten Scotland - where else? This shot was on route to Peebles. ... (more)
Randommy McRandom
1, I finally plucked up courage to take the Fitness test on Wii Sports and it thinks I am 53. FIFTY THREE! 2, alexwilcock sent me a homemade DVD of Doctor Who bits as part of my birthday present, and all I can say is that whoever created most of them is a filthy pervert. I approve! :D (more)