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More EU propaganda
2007-12-24 08:01:00
So determined is the EU to force it's self proclaimed benefits down our throat that it has produced more video footage saying so - using our money. My favourite part is the beginning part that claims recent developments have made the EU "more democratic", what a joke. EU porn: Cox has blogged before about the EU wasting money on videos - you won't believe this quasi-pornographic promotion from the EU "culture" quango a few moths back (HERE).
More About: Propaganda

NHS Data Loss
2007-12-24 07:49:00
Ok, so we've been here before, just a few times. It's territory were familiar with, unfortunately for Brown. What is obvious is that these aren't individual instanced of bad management or underfunding, they are a generic failure to come to terms with a new e-World where information is moved and stored electronically. The NHS data loss being the latest example.So, how many more examples will there be? What have we had already? HMRC, tick. Department for transport, tick. Department for health, tick. Home Office, tick. Maybe it's about time for a screw up from DEFRA or DFID?Far more importantly is what will the new scandal be called? Health-gate? Patient-gate? Or will we see a Land Before Time nomenclature along the lines of Data gate I, Datagate II, Datagate, III, Datagate IV, Datagate V...etc?
More About: Loss

Democracy and the EU are ideologically incompatible
2007-12-21 08:01:00
Have you ever wondered WHY all those bureaucrats at the EU exist? Well...Cox is reading a fascinating book at the minute detailing every minutiae of the inception of the EU which importantly answers the "why" as well as they "how".A quick summary of the first few chapter tells us that during the battle of Verdun in WW1 the French soon learned that military strength was directly related to economic power (mainly coal and steel) . Germany was by far the more efficient manufacturer and industrially superior - pasting the French in the majority of encounters on the battle field.In the aftermath, those responsible for creating the EU realised that if economic power was placed under a supranational authority, conflict would not only be undesirable, it would logistically impossible.The problem was that the supranational authority had to be composed of people whose sole loyalty was to the institution and not to any nation i.e they had to be above the interests of individual nations. So, hea...
More About: Democracy

Third of goverment departments need to strenghten their data system
2007-12-21 07:55:00
A report by the National Audit Office (read the executive summary HERE) has said that one in three government departments need to action improvements to their data systems. The NAO's report examines data quality - they are the governments spending auditors and therefore need data (such as that lost by HMRC) in order to do their job.The pretty little pie chart on the executive summary states that according to their findings, 35% of data systems were "broadly appropriate but need strengthening" while a further 8% were "unfit for purpose". We know which category HMRC belongs to.The fact the NAO is feeling a bit pissed off having been dragged into the datagate scandal may explain the recommendation by them that..."When collecting data from external sources, Departments should ensure that they are aware of significant risks to data quality, and take steps to manage them." Snigger, snigger.
More About: System , Data

SEE IT: Stalin to Mr Bean
2007-12-20 08:09:00
Nick Clegg may have been recently been elected as Lib Dem leader but Vince's moment in the lime light will not be forgotten quickly. Above is a morph of Stalin to Brown to Mr Bean . Tory election material?Hat tip: PlayPolitical
More About: Mr Bean

Brown attempts to sweep problems under the carpet
2007-12-20 08:03:00
The Beeb is reporting that Gordon Brown is confident recent national disasters such as the datagate and donorgate scandals will be forgotten by the New Year. Cox isn't so sure of that.Although they may linger on a government can survive sleaze and scandal - what really could really fell the New Labour Redwood is the looming economic crisis. We see over and over again in PMQs that when Brown is stuck for a defence to Cameron's baiting he always resorts to the "10 years of economic stability" gag. How much longer will he be able to use that one?We all know that benign global conditions, deliberately low interest rates, a buoyant housing market and cheap labour have kept inflation low and credit flowing. This all about to come to an abrupt end as the markets re-adjust. Brown will blame world wide conditions for his economic troubles yet he still refuses to acknowledge their major role in the economic growth over the last 10 years - something he solely takes credit for.Brown's (perce...
More About: Problems , Carpet , Temp , Sweep

Nick Clegg gets his hands on Lib Dem tiara
2007-12-18 23:39:00
That clever cheeky chappy known for making housewives blush has, by a mere 500 votes, won the title of Lib Dem Leader. Now what?Others are speculating about what this will do for the Lib Dems but what about wider politics? As the current situation stands, both opposition parties have a young charismatic leader who looks good on daytime TV. Brown doesn't. The Tories are ecstatic about polling higher than (almost) ever before and the Lib Dems are excited about a possible return to three party politics. Labour is depressed. Both Nick Clegg and David Cameron seem open to new ideas - the Tories are modelling their school reforms on Sweden. Brown is in a bunker.Maybe Nick Clegg 's election will just make it more blindingly obvious the severe shortcomings of the incumbent PM. Maybe that's enough.
More About: Hands , Hands On

Toynbee V Porter: Get the popcorn
2007-12-17 08:05:00
Between sipping champagne and putting the World to (equal) rights, those socialists over at Guardian Towers have recently been witness to a journalistic scrap - a war of words between Henry Porter and Poly Toynbee. As an arch champion of the New Labour cause, Poly has few friends and her attack (HERE) on Henry Porter's original article on civil liberties (HERE) was countered by another convincing dressing down from Porter today (HERE).He notes the interesting shift away from traditional left-right politics to a more libertarian-authoritarian divide. Political parties are now struggling for the centre ground and often sound the same - but this could be the issue that defines them. In light of the governments bungling centralisation and it's drastic reduction of civil liberties, this new ideology could be start to sound appealing to the electorate.However, an authoritative state that knows best is still a defining characteristic of the left while individual responsibility and self d...
More About: Popcorn

Alex Salmond gains more support for Scottish independence
2007-12-17 08:02:00
A new poll for the Sunday Herald has recorded a 5% incraese in support for Scottish independence. When asked whether Scotland should negotiate with the UK government for a settlement for independence, 40% of people agreed.Does this simply reflect the recent (illegal) antics of the Scottish Labour party (HERE and HERE) making voters willing to consider any alternative to oust Labour even if the main agenda of the only credible alternative is independence for Scotland - or is there an increasingly genuine desire to go it alone?Salmond is certainly pursuing policies to wind up those south of the border, especially the south-east. His most recent proposal are to freeze council tax. Unless the English keep cool and make a strong case for the Union, he may get his way.It's shambolic that a botched programme of devolution has threatened the Union. It's more shambolic that there's no offer of a solution from the head-in-the-sand-don't-ask-the-West-Lothi an-question Labour government.
More About: Support , Alex , Independence

Next years news today...
2007-12-15 12:45:00
Craig Brown in today's Telegraph predicts what the news for the first six months of 2008 will be today (HERE). Before clicking on the link Cox thought this would be a serious analysis of the events for 2008. Turns out he was right. It's that good it warrants an extract:"Two middle-aged men and a woman enter their local police station and declare themselves to be Missing Persons.John Reid, David Blunkett and Patricia Hewitt were reported missing last year, and had not been seen since.Asked by police where on earth she had been all this time, Miss Hewitt replied: "I'm very glad you asked me that. May I say straight away that I am absolutely determined to listen carefully to any comments you have to make. And let me just add this. We are doing our utmost to ensure…"Perhaps Mr Brown would be so kind as to lend his crystal ball to Messrs Brown and Balls?
More About: News , Today , Years

Britain's "red lines" crumbling already...
2007-12-15 12:08:00
Open Europe has an interesting analysis of how the "red lines" negotiated by Britain on the Lisbon Treaty are now crumbling (read PDF HERE). In particular, it rightly notes how the government have stopped trying to convince the public that the treaty is a different entity from the constitution and now just wheezes that those "red lines" make it different for Britain.On a wider note, the recent heel dragging by the UK over the Lisbon Treaty along with the fact that Britain is unlikely to ever adopt the single currency are just a few signs that the UK does not have it's heart in Europe - and never did.
More About: Lines

What happens next...?
2007-12-14 08:05:00
This weeks competition features Balls and a small child. What happens next though? Usual rules apply, plagarism and bribes are enougarged etc.

EU Reform Treaty bit embarrassing for Miliband
2007-12-14 08:02:00
Cox thought this clip from the BBC was very amusing - it shows Miliband going on his own to shake the hand of the EU president at the signing of the Constitution Reform Treaty. You can see the president blatantly asking where Brown is hiding why Brown isn't there - Miliband even looks at his watch in a "Brit trying to talk to a foreigner" kind of a way to explain that he's on his way.Barroso, the president, is a well informed man (he has enough civil servants to sink a battle ship) and probably knew exactly where Brown was and why he wasn't there. He knew all the cameras were there, flashing away and recording the moment. It seemed as though he just wanted to stick the knife in.
More About: Reform Treaty

Shocker! The government admits it doesn't consult on taxes!
2007-12-14 07:54:00
Musing over the latest Hansard report Cox stumbled upon this little gem from Jane Kennedy in answer to a written question on Capital gains tax:"Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps were taken by his Department to consult the (a) Federation of Small Businesses, (b) ...British Chambers of Commerce, (c) Confederation of British Industry and (d) Institute of Directors on changes in taper relief on capital gains tax before publication of the 2007 pre-Budget report. [172806]Jane Kennedy: The Government do not generally consult on changes to tax rates. Following the publication of the pre-Budget report the Treasury has held constructive discussions with representatives from a number of business groups."No shit! Perhaps if they were to change their approach and actually listen to people they would have avoided this CGT row. Moreover, they probably could have avoided the embarrassing u-turns on IHT, plane duty, etc - you get the picture.
More About: Taxes

The Sun: Lesson in Economics 101
2007-12-13 08:10:00
The Sun today gives Gordon Brown a run for his money (seriously) on the economic front in a response to one Lord's comments that millions could be saved if we switched off the Chirstmas lights. The explanation:"WE could save £70m if we switched off all our Christmas lights, says killjoy minister Lord Rooker. But in the great scheme of things, that’s peanuts — less than MPs claim in out-of-pocket expenses. Why not go the whole hog and cancel presents for the kids and airline tickets to faraway places?......We could all stay in over Christmas and New Year — and pay off the national debt.But if there are no lights, nobody will feel festive enough to go shopping. Businesses will go bust with thousands out of work. The economy would go into freefall." Would go into freefall? Anyone else think the last line should read "would free fall FASTER"?
More About: Economics , Lesson

Crime Survey
2007-12-13 07:45:00
If I weren't before, I am now officially a statistic. As I mentioned before I was "randomly selected" to participate in the national crime survey and did so tonight.I have never known anyone to be used in a national poll before so the whole experience new. I got asked about:- The Justice system and how effective it is- Crime in my area (obviously)- Chavs/graffiti- Public nuisances- How safe I felt etc etc in my areaThere were two questions which threw me......one question, which was asked as part of a series of questions examining how susceptible I felt to certain types of crime, asked if I was "afraid of being raped". Cox is a bloke, btw. ...the second one asked who should receive the tougher sentence if two people, one 15 and the other 21, in two separate, unrelated instances, committed and were found guilty of the same crime. The only answers were: the 21 y/o should recieve a tougher sentance; the 15 y/o should recieve the tougher sentence or both the same.Although I think the s...
More About: Survey

Prime Minister's Questions
2007-12-12 21:26:00
GORDON BROWNStill shakyEven quicker to resort to "lowest employment, lowest inflation"...blah blah. We'll see how long he can keep that one going for...Unsuccessfully tries to embarrass Vince Cable through references to Lib Dem regicide.CAMERONContinues his grooming "PM in waiting " image by putting forward considerations for tackling Kosovo problem (2 Qs)Later rinses PM for lack of integrity etc etc (4 Qs).Didn't pin Brown into a corner as much as could have. VINCE CABLERecovers admirably from Brown's attempted put down a Lib Dem back-stabbing my saying "given the PMs current circumstances the PM would be wise not to speculate about leadership elections"
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Brown begins to regret underfunding the army...
2007-12-12 08:12:00
The moment the Prime Minister wished had been more generous to the Armed Forces . [Photo: Yahoo]
More About: Brown , Army , Regret

Barack Obama and Oprah team up
2007-12-12 08:11:00
Above is a clip of Barack Obama and Oprah on a rally and as you can see Obama was he Barackin' her world. She proclaims "he is the one" to the many thousands watching in the stands - a political involvement one would never see in Britain.Would Britain ever be swayed by a similar political endorsement from a celebrity of Oprah's standing? The only example I can think of is of "Cool Britannia" - when Noel Gallagher went to Downing Street in 1997. Of course Labour and Blair had already won a landslide by this time but it still added to an overall mental imagery.
More About: Team

Another quality gaffe from Dubya
2007-12-11 08:09:00
Repetition in politics can get boring (Cox is thinking particularly of "education, education, education" or "tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime") but somethings that never get old are Dubya 's verbal gaffes.In a televised address he gave out the wrong help line number so that home owners expecting to get through to a call centre providing adivce on higer interest rates instead found themselves getting through to Freedom Christian Academy in Texas.Adding stupidity to embarassment the President repeated the incorrect number, 1-800-995-HOPE, twice instead of 1-888-995-HOPE which left left callers hoping for a miracle (which they probably enquired about when the school answered).Those eager for more entertainment on the Dubya front can visit: http://www.dubyaspeak.com/
More About: Quality

EU goes back on it's word and "recognises" EU symbols
2007-12-11 07:54:00
After a great fanfare about the Reform Treaty not being a cover name for the defunct constitution because it did not oblige the creation of EU symbols, such as an anthem, those devious eurocrats have got their way after all and added an amendment to the end of the constitution treaty that recognises the "symbols" of the EU. For symbols read: flag / anthem / motto / salute / bow etc.The annexed declaration is under No 52 and reads as follows:"Furthermore, the Conference has noted the declarations listed hereafter and annexed to this Final Act...52. Declaration by the Kingdom of Belgium, the Republic of Bulgaria, the FederalRepublic of Germany, the Hellenic Republic, the Kingdom of Spain, the Italian Republic, the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Lithuania, the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of Austria, the Portuguese Republic, Romania, the Republic of Slovenia, and the Slovak Republic on the symbols of the European Union"As ...
More About: Word , Back , S word , Symbols

Young Labour
2007-12-10 08:10:00
The snazzy new Young Labour website has been launched, take a gander, HERE.Interestingly, they have an open text feature inviting users to state what they would do "if they were prime minister". Very tempting.Labour have been somewhat behind on the youth front for while and have failed to gain a serious following from the younger generation - apart from muesli eating Guardian reading students. Perhaps it's because the left is more prone to infighting that they have not had much success in uniting under a single banner. Moreover, as the British media is shockingly left leaning there is little ambition for rallying together and networking with one another.On the other hand, the Tories are a dab hand at promoting themselves amongst the youth and even have training seminars designed to improve debating skills and teach budding Tories how to deal with the Media (HERE).Iain Dale has previously noted (HERE) the importance of groom future leaders here because being media savvy and handling...

Crime etc
2007-12-10 08:05:00
You know those surveys you think you'll never be part of - like opinion polls? Something that everyone makes a fuss over but no ones knows of anyone who has actually been quizzed? Well this Wednesday I was "randomly selected" to take part in the National Crime Survey in the comfort of my own home.Suffice to say Cox shan't be giving a glowing account of law and order up in t'North but I was interested to note that Lindsay Hoyle has tabled an Early Day Motion congratulating Lancashire police for coming joint top in a survey of constabularies in England and Wales.The motion says:"That this House congratulates the Lancashire Police Constabulary on being rated the joint best in England and Wales according to the Government's Police Performance Assessment rates; recognises that Lancashire scored well in the seven categories measured, which were tackling crime, resources and efficiency, serious crime and public protection, protecting vulnerable people, satisfaction and fairness, implem...

Top Labour donor cautious amid dodgy dealings
2007-12-10 08:00:00
As a result of the dodgy donations by David Abrahams, one of Labour s top donors, Willie Haughley, has said he will stop donating to the party until the funding crisis is over. When someone is banged up, presumably.If those enthusiastic enough to give money to political parties are stopping doing so it's only indicative of the wider distrust with which people regard politicians. Dono rgate has seriously undermined Labour and looks even worse because of Brown's constant preaching about his moral compass.In scandals such as this, all politicians get tarred with the same brush which is why Cameron has frequently been heard saying that "we all get things wrong in party funding" in order not to appear as someone engaging in ecstatic schadenfreude at Labour's expense. The public don't like gloating and it would be unwise to do so as Ashcroft is hardly whiter than white.