I don’t normally do meme posts. I don’t do them for three reasons. First of all, they’re usually really boring and read like an excuse to write a post when you can’t think of anything interesting to say. Secondly, I don’t usually find the theme that interesting and can’t think why anyone else would. Finally, I’m [...]
Entries from August 2008
August 29, 2008
Found in the recycling bin…
People keep sending me memo’s from Downing Street…* To Gordon From: Stephen Pre Conference Run in As you asked we’ve been looking at how to handle some of the froth that will sourround the polcy meat of economic policy announcements in the run up to Conference. We judge there will be three main issues raised [...]
August 28, 2008
Is Andrew Lansley an idiot or does he think we are?
I’ve just received a jaw dropping press release from Andrew Lansley, the Tory Shadow Health Secretary, criticising Labour for not doing enough for the health of people in the East End of Glasgow following a WHO report that says life expectancy is shockingly low. He says: “This report highlights just how badly Labour have failed the poorest in society. Despite [...]
August 28, 2008
In praise of bureaucracy.
Thank god we’re not living in a post bureaucratic age. Today, I am feeling very grateful that we have a smoothly functioning bureaucracy, the existence of which means that despite having lost my passport a few days before I was supposed to fly to South Africa for a long planned holiday, I now have a receipt entitling me [...]
August 21, 2008
Obvious Placeholder post
Here is a post written to update the blog when I have little inspiration after writing a darn long post yesterday.
August 20, 2008
I am considerably fairer than you
So George Osborne has decided that he is no longer an advocate for flat taxes, has decided that after thinking about it for a while, he is an uber-moderniser and written an article claiming that his party is now the party of fairness. Well, woop de doo. John Rentoul points out that from the very [...]
August 19, 2008
Facebook Follies
This week is the ultimate dead calm week in politics. Virtually everyone’s away, and if they’re not away, they’re sitting around their offices watching the olympics on the internet and playing fake scrabble on facebook. How can politics compete with beach volleyball and word games? It can’t, obviously, even though one of the less well [...]
August 18, 2008
Predictable behaviour patterns.
You are a youngish politician. You’ve been a minister for four or five years, but are stalled at the most junior level of the ministerial ladder and you know that the whips office don’t particularly rate you for promotion. You worry that after years of loyalty you’re now the most frightening of things, disposable. You [...]
August 17, 2008
Corrr, you go away for one day…
Some eagle eyed readers may have noticed that on Saturday I apparently posted the same video about six times. Quite impressive, as I was at the time up in Newcastle, busy drinking seeing for myself the impact of successful urban regeneration policies.* Apparently I tried to post a few youtube videos on the blog a [...]
August 15, 2008
Don’t be so nervous.
Dear nervous (or ambitious) government ministers. Please stop typing “XXXXXXX Reshuffle” into google and visiting this blog. It’s just paranoia. I’m sure you’ll be fine. You won’t find anything interesting and it just makes you look silly when I look at my google stats. You know who you are.
