In a desperate attempt to secure its electoral base, the government is shamefully wooing religious extremists As every middlebrow with a newspaper column or Radio 4 slot to fill agrees, a vulgar "new atheism" is sweeping Britain. The readers of Richard Dawkins, Philip Pullman and Christopher Hitchens are, they tell us, crass because they do not appreciate the mystery of religion, the consolations...
Colin Byrne, CEO of Weber Shandwick and former Labour Party press chief, recently knocked the possible importance of internet campaigning for British elections and suggested Hazel Blears was right with her YouTube jibe. He wrote in Saturday’s Guardian: We surveyed 1,000 potential voters at the time of the recent party conferences. They were asked what communications channels [...]
An online video game which allows players to pelt MPs caught in the expenses scandal with custard pies has become an internet hit. Voters are not waiting until the general election to let politicians know what they think of them as thousands visit the The MPs’ Expenses Custard Pie Shoot-out site to vent their anger. MPs in the firing line include Douglas Hogg, the former Conservative Cabinet...
The power of the tabloids is on the wane, argues Alexander Chancellor (G2, 13 November), so why do politicians suck up to them? To a point. The perceived wisdom is that falling newspaper circulation and the rise of digital and social media is changing politics, as it has in the US. But our research shows that while digital communications and online advocacy has changed the way consumers choose goods...
A “hardcore” Islamist has been given a key Home Office job to tackle terrorism and divert fellow Muslims from the path of violence. The appointment of Asim Hafeez as head of intervention at the Office of Security and Counter-Terrorism has caused serious concern among more moderate Muslim advisers across Whitehall. It is seen as a sign of a shift in the government’s policy on radical...
The door bell rang last night and I went to answer it. Imagine my surprise to find standing there the tiniest little Witch you could ever imagine holding her hands out for treats. I want to know wtf that Hazel Blears was doing canvassing in our area!
Did anyone else read Nick Cohen’s disturbing piece about whistleblower Derek Pasquill. He is bringing a case of unfair dismissal (hopeless) against the FCO. It isn’t true to say that the BBC hasn’t reported this subject, they have. But they focus on the ethics of whistleblowing itself rather than what was ‘blown.’ Things more scandalous than several duck houses and home-flippings...
Attempts to survey and control Muslims have backfired disastrously. Will the right lessons be learnt? While the initial coverage of Arun Kundnani's report for the Institute of Race Relations (IRR), " Spooked ", has focused on accusations of spying and large-scale targeted surveillance, the most insightful aspect of the report is its charting of the transformation of counter-terrorism policy...
By Alex Smith / @alexsmith1982 The likelihood of Tony Blair becoming European president may now be dimming, but the rumours that David Miliband might be tempted by the EU foreign policy job swirl on. The Guardian today carries a double page spread on Brussels' supposed courting of Miliband. It calls him a "serious contender" who has "impressed European leaders" and is "on...
This weekend there is to be a demonstration in London organised by the Islamists of the re-formed al Muhajiroun calling for sharia law to be enforced in Britain. When they heard about this, various moderate, anti-Islamist Muslims started suggesting on Facebook and elsewhere that a counter demonstration be held. Within a short space of time, the moderate anti-Islamist British Muslims for a Secular Democracy...
Okay, I’ve bowed to popular opinion – the Hazel Blears-inspired title for our occasional video round-ups, YouTube ‘cos we want to, is no more. Instead you’re getting the drably named LDVideo. BUT just because you’ve made me drop my punning motif doesn’t mean the videos that follow are anything less than scintillating. First up, we [...]
I haven’t yet received this week’s Advertiser, but a resident rang me up yesterday to complain that Hazel Blears has been given a monthly column. I will refrain from commenting on the column itself until I’ve actually read it, but on the principle of her submitting a piece every month, I would like to comment [...]
The Conservative party has opened a new online shop, offering party mugs, tea towels and umbrellas. Paula Cocozza checks out the merchandise It really is looking like the dawn of a new era. The Conservative party has opened its online shop and, as far as political merchandising goes, it's a cut above Hazel Blears. Here are the giant umbrellas that "went down really well at conference" (says...
I recall a speaker introducing his eulogy at Ralph Harris' memorial service with the self-deprecating words 'Well, that's the first time I haven't been introduced as Disgraced Former MP Neil Hamilton' Conservative homers are also being a bit prickly over Tim Montgomerie's post on the winner of the Bracknell open primary 'to succeed disgraced Andrew Mackay'. They need to get used to it. From next year...
When Did Being Educated Start Requiring Stupidity? Was it when education became vulgar, and self-referential? I wonder about this as I sit in Bath, in Nelson's old front room after a seminar with some bright Americans. I wandered onto the internet to try and keep my mind buzzing, and I have found rubbish about global warming, the end of the recession, why America is the best country in the world ever,...
Videos
