i was thinking of rebranding myself.
give myself a make over, a rejig.
i thought i would start with the name and work out from there.
yes i could be pat2.0, but that isn't hip and trendy enough.
i need something that is edgy, that speaks of creativity. something that says desirable.
so i present the new me: the ipat.
(impressed?)
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
ambition
having watched the milibands do their thing i am struck by just how i lack ambition and drive. some of that is down to, currently, having no goals to strive for.
sure i could run for the mayor of tower hamlets (and let's be honest i couldn't do a worse job than whoever gets it) or i could even run for mayor of london (and let's be... oh i have done that one already...) though i think i should look at something a little more attainable and then work up to the bigger and better goals.
so it is time to draw a line under it in the sand, stand back to look at the whole shebang, take stock, say no more that it is time to get a move on, pull my socks up by their bootstraps so that i can give myself a kick up the backside in order to return to the drawing board to see the big picture. i need to put my foot down and get a move on before the fat lady has sung.
it is time to get my ducks in a line and on the same page, to get my game face on and perform a gut check so that i can man up. i have to step up to the plate, with my eyes on the prize, so that i can knock it out of the park to score a hole in one in order to go the whole nine yards.
it is all about knuckling down with my nose to the grindstone and my shoulder to the wheel because when push comes to shove i have to give it the old college try.
i can’t wait until the cows come home it is all about balls to the wall, pedal to the metal going like a bat out of hell bent for leather. no pain no glory.
the wake-up call has been heard, the bull has been taken by the horns, the box is being thought out of.
the mojo starts here.
sure i could run for the mayor of tower hamlets (and let's be honest i couldn't do a worse job than whoever gets it) or i could even run for mayor of london (and let's be... oh i have done that one already...) though i think i should look at something a little more attainable and then work up to the bigger and better goals.
so it is time to draw a line under it in the sand, stand back to look at the whole shebang, take stock, say no more that it is time to get a move on, pull my socks up by their bootstraps so that i can give myself a kick up the backside in order to return to the drawing board to see the big picture. i need to put my foot down and get a move on before the fat lady has sung.
it is time to get my ducks in a line and on the same page, to get my game face on and perform a gut check so that i can man up. i have to step up to the plate, with my eyes on the prize, so that i can knock it out of the park to score a hole in one in order to go the whole nine yards.
it is all about knuckling down with my nose to the grindstone and my shoulder to the wheel because when push comes to shove i have to give it the old college try.
i can’t wait until the cows come home it is all about balls to the wall, pedal to the metal going like a bat out of hell bent for leather. no pain no glory.
the wake-up call has been heard, the bull has been taken by the horns, the box is being thought out of.
the mojo starts here.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Saturday, September 25, 2010
ed
ed miliband is now the leader of the labour party.
i think i would have preferred ed balls.
yet already i am warming to ed miliband just because the news media have already started to attack him for his win. the story that is being spun is that his win was handed to him because of the unions. makes me think that the right wing attack dogs have been let lose.
that alone is enough to make me think that ed is the man.
now what are the odds on the labout party doing the sensible thing and unite behind him?
i think i would have preferred ed balls.
yet already i am warming to ed miliband just because the news media have already started to attack him for his win. the story that is being spun is that his win was handed to him because of the unions. makes me think that the right wing attack dogs have been let lose.
that alone is enough to make me think that ed is the man.
now what are the odds on the labout party doing the sensible thing and unite behind him?
banned
imagine my shock.
imagine my despair.
imagine my humiliation.
there i was in my local library - sorry i mean idea store - and in a mickey rooney judy garland moment i decided to write a blog right there, right then.
fire up the laptop.
log in.
surf.
and....
crushed - the people of tower hamlets are deprived of my words of wisdom.
yet the idea store (the new name for library) has the works of jeffery archer.
there is no justice.
imagine my despair.
imagine my humiliation.
there i was in my local library - sorry i mean idea store - and in a mickey rooney judy garland moment i decided to write a blog right there, right then.
fire up the laptop.
log in.
surf.
and....
crushed - the people of tower hamlets are deprived of my words of wisdom.
yet the idea store (the new name for library) has the works of jeffery archer.
there is no justice.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
cctv
cctv the bane of civil libertarians the country over.
bad to have them in our streets – terrible infringement of our privacy.
catch a woman dumping a cat into a rubbish bin or a bloke leaving his dog behind and no one mentions how they infringe on civil liberties.
we are truly a nation of pet lovers.
bad to have them in our streets – terrible infringement of our privacy.
catch a woman dumping a cat into a rubbish bin or a bloke leaving his dog behind and no one mentions how they infringe on civil liberties.
we are truly a nation of pet lovers.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
sensitive
there i was listening to the radio when vicky simister came on, she has started the london anti-street harassment campaign or lash (not quite sure why it isn’t lashc, well i am lash is a word, lashc isn’t).
the main thrust of her campaign is one that everyone can get behind, as stated in their goals “ultimately, we want street harassment to simply be socially unacceptable”, of course this harassment is just one way: men towards women (and transsexuals, because lash is inclusive). i am not disputing that there is a problem; i live in an area where the local young males have extra macho flakes for their breakfasts.
i do have issues with some of the research quoted and the easy way that an american based informal survey of a small group of people can be applied to london, and given the status of fact.
lash does mention two british based reports, containing disturbing details such as around 10,000 women are sexually assaulted every week or that the london ambulance service is called to 450 rapes/sexual assaults a year. instead of highlighting this lash prefers to concentrate on things such as the fact that some women have experienced leering or extended staring.
(oh ok i know i am getting worked up about this aspect of it because i am a bit of a lech.)
where i really took umbrage at ms simister (who i would describe as a bit of alright if i wasn’t scared i would be accused of harassment) is the easy way she described harassment as being very much in the eye of the receiver – so for someone a smile would be enough to cause offence – the question of where to draw the line being one that remained unanswered).
just as i thought that ms simister was guilty of being far too sensitive i see that a union leader is up in arms and demanding an apology.
recently pim de lange, boss of the ferry company stena line, described britons as “quite fat and covered in tattoos”. most sane people would have a chuckle, say “arsehole” and move on.
not steve todd, head of maritime at the rmt union. nope mr. todd is mortified and says that mr. de lange’s remarks were an “"appalling, abusive and derogatory" attack.”
de lange has done the usual ‘comments taken out of context’ and issued an apology, of sorts.
todd, as is usual in this cases, says it is not enough and “is demanding a full retraction of all the statements he has made and a full apology to all british seafarers for his behavior”
personally i would like to think that british seafarers are built of sterner stuff and are not crying themselves to sleep at night because they have been described as tattooed and fat.
oddly the rmt are balloting its workers for industrial action over claims that stena line were planning to hire filipino workers on rates of £2.20 an hour. if i were in mr. todd’s shoes i wouldn’t be worried about the hurt feelings of a few of his members, though i am sure his concern plays well to them, but concentrate on making sure that the issue of low pay was firmly in the public arena and that it was the central problem that the rmt was concerned about. instead demanding an apology for an imagined hurt just means the real meat and potatoes of their compliant is lost in the mix.
while i might think that ms simister picks the wrong examples to highlight her cause, at least she can argue that ‘light’ harassment can grow into a serious problem. all mr. todd has done is paint british seafarers as milquetoasts. mr. todd would be better off using his union’s power to get behind ms. simister’s campaign to stop harassment, at least then he would be contributing to something that is trying to resolve a real and serious problem rather than trying to score points with his members.
now that you have read my guff head on over to the lash website and sign up.
the main thrust of her campaign is one that everyone can get behind, as stated in their goals “ultimately, we want street harassment to simply be socially unacceptable”, of course this harassment is just one way: men towards women (and transsexuals, because lash is inclusive). i am not disputing that there is a problem; i live in an area where the local young males have extra macho flakes for their breakfasts.
i do have issues with some of the research quoted and the easy way that an american based informal survey of a small group of people can be applied to london, and given the status of fact.
lash does mention two british based reports, containing disturbing details such as around 10,000 women are sexually assaulted every week or that the london ambulance service is called to 450 rapes/sexual assaults a year. instead of highlighting this lash prefers to concentrate on things such as the fact that some women have experienced leering or extended staring.
(oh ok i know i am getting worked up about this aspect of it because i am a bit of a lech.)
where i really took umbrage at ms simister (who i would describe as a bit of alright if i wasn’t scared i would be accused of harassment) is the easy way she described harassment as being very much in the eye of the receiver – so for someone a smile would be enough to cause offence – the question of where to draw the line being one that remained unanswered).
just as i thought that ms simister was guilty of being far too sensitive i see that a union leader is up in arms and demanding an apology.
recently pim de lange, boss of the ferry company stena line, described britons as “quite fat and covered in tattoos”. most sane people would have a chuckle, say “arsehole” and move on.
not steve todd, head of maritime at the rmt union. nope mr. todd is mortified and says that mr. de lange’s remarks were an “"appalling, abusive and derogatory" attack.”
de lange has done the usual ‘comments taken out of context’ and issued an apology, of sorts.
todd, as is usual in this cases, says it is not enough and “is demanding a full retraction of all the statements he has made and a full apology to all british seafarers for his behavior”
personally i would like to think that british seafarers are built of sterner stuff and are not crying themselves to sleep at night because they have been described as tattooed and fat.
oddly the rmt are balloting its workers for industrial action over claims that stena line were planning to hire filipino workers on rates of £2.20 an hour. if i were in mr. todd’s shoes i wouldn’t be worried about the hurt feelings of a few of his members, though i am sure his concern plays well to them, but concentrate on making sure that the issue of low pay was firmly in the public arena and that it was the central problem that the rmt was concerned about. instead demanding an apology for an imagined hurt just means the real meat and potatoes of their compliant is lost in the mix.
while i might think that ms simister picks the wrong examples to highlight her cause, at least she can argue that ‘light’ harassment can grow into a serious problem. all mr. todd has done is paint british seafarers as milquetoasts. mr. todd would be better off using his union’s power to get behind ms. simister’s campaign to stop harassment, at least then he would be contributing to something that is trying to resolve a real and serious problem rather than trying to score points with his members.
now that you have read my guff head on over to the lash website and sign up.
Monday, September 20, 2010
ban
i know i shouldn’t be calling for things to be banned. it is a bad idea; it is akin to book burning.
but just as there are times when book burning is a good thing – such as torching the works of jeffery archer and james patterson. there are also times when banning is a good thing. i may have argued to ban these before, they still deserve a mention.
ban anyone from using ‘narrative’ when they are talking about current events – as if we were all living in a post-modern scripted existence. so in his criticism of david cameron for the poor result of the election he points to the leadership debates as a mistake because ‘it changed the narrative’ of the campaign. when used this way narrative becomes a totally wanky word (i am pretty sure ‘wanky’ is an accepted form of literary analysis) that is full of portentous vim and vigour but really just means ‘shit happens and things change’.
though to be fair i do wish the current government was a narrative as i would skip forward a few chapters and get to the bit where they have been run off by the electorate for being ideological muggers.
ban senior politicians and business men from walking around in their suits without a tie. trust me gents it doesn’t make you look hip and trendy, it doesn’t make you look like you are ready to muck in with the rest of us, it doesn’t make you look young and thrusting. it just makes you look a tad sad with a large dollop of wannabe cred. if you really want to appeal to the kids: get the low slung baggy jeans on and get the wigger spirit on.
actually that i would pay to see: the con/dems as crips, clegg and cameron as homies with their plaid shirts buttoned at the neck, open the rest of the way down, showing the bright white wife beater vest. hell they both have the rappy hand movements.
ban members of the con/dem cabinet telling us how they sympathise with us at the unemployment and misery that the cuts will cause. yes they say we know it is painful but we are all in it together. i guess it is easy to say that when most of the cabinet are millionaires and we are not. we don’t want your crocodile tears you smug rich pricks anymore than we want your deep, dangerous, driven by ideology cuts.
as it looks like we are going to get the cuts, spare us the fake sympathy.
ban the tax payer’s alliance – they have nothing useful or interesting to say. oh and they are cunts.
mmm perhaps that is the beginnings of a manifesto for london mayor. hey and just to do my bit for the economy i would do the job for half the salary boris is getting. i know i know undercutting a working man is not the done thing for those of a socialist bent, as it is boris i reckon i can be forgiven. besides it is not like bojo isn’t already minted.
but just as there are times when book burning is a good thing – such as torching the works of jeffery archer and james patterson. there are also times when banning is a good thing. i may have argued to ban these before, they still deserve a mention.
ban anyone from using ‘narrative’ when they are talking about current events – as if we were all living in a post-modern scripted existence. so in his criticism of david cameron for the poor result of the election he points to the leadership debates as a mistake because ‘it changed the narrative’ of the campaign. when used this way narrative becomes a totally wanky word (i am pretty sure ‘wanky’ is an accepted form of literary analysis) that is full of portentous vim and vigour but really just means ‘shit happens and things change’.
though to be fair i do wish the current government was a narrative as i would skip forward a few chapters and get to the bit where they have been run off by the electorate for being ideological muggers.
ban senior politicians and business men from walking around in their suits without a tie. trust me gents it doesn’t make you look hip and trendy, it doesn’t make you look like you are ready to muck in with the rest of us, it doesn’t make you look young and thrusting. it just makes you look a tad sad with a large dollop of wannabe cred. if you really want to appeal to the kids: get the low slung baggy jeans on and get the wigger spirit on.
actually that i would pay to see: the con/dems as crips, clegg and cameron as homies with their plaid shirts buttoned at the neck, open the rest of the way down, showing the bright white wife beater vest. hell they both have the rappy hand movements.
ban members of the con/dem cabinet telling us how they sympathise with us at the unemployment and misery that the cuts will cause. yes they say we know it is painful but we are all in it together. i guess it is easy to say that when most of the cabinet are millionaires and we are not. we don’t want your crocodile tears you smug rich pricks anymore than we want your deep, dangerous, driven by ideology cuts.
as it looks like we are going to get the cuts, spare us the fake sympathy.
ban the tax payer’s alliance – they have nothing useful or interesting to say. oh and they are cunts.
mmm perhaps that is the beginnings of a manifesto for london mayor. hey and just to do my bit for the economy i would do the job for half the salary boris is getting. i know i know undercutting a working man is not the done thing for those of a socialist bent, as it is boris i reckon i can be forgiven. besides it is not like bojo isn’t already minted.
babestation
i am not sure what is cause and what is effect but when i have babestation on the tv i am reluctant to sleep.
more proof, if any were needed, that i am a dirty old man (though perhaps slightly soiled middle-aged man would be a better description).
but the gorgeous gymnastics of jada are hard to resist.
crikey i need a job....
more proof, if any were needed, that i am a dirty old man (though perhaps slightly soiled middle-aged man would be a better description).
but the gorgeous gymnastics of jada are hard to resist.
crikey i need a job....
Sunday, September 19, 2010
70th
"Today we salute the few and give thanks for their bravery, sacrifice and our freedom."
so said raf chaplain in chief raymond pentland
i think that pretty much says all that needs to be said about those that fought and died in the battle of britain.
so said raf chaplain in chief raymond pentland
i think that pretty much says all that needs to be said about those that fought and died in the battle of britain.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
answer
i know you have all been worried and wanted to know the answer.
what was the question? i hear you cry.
could i tie a tie?
the answer is: yes i can still tie a tie and get a neat knot.
you can all relax easy now.
what was the question? i hear you cry.
could i tie a tie?
the answer is: yes i can still tie a tie and get a neat knot.
you can all relax easy now.
clue
more often than not the clue is in the name.
oxford university - a university in oxford.
national portrait gallery - a gallery full of portraits.
runcorn train station - a train station in runcorn.
british broadcasting company - a british broadcasting company.
see it is easy.
sometimes you have to dig a little deeper.
the big society.
b s
bullshit.
see it is so true.
oxford university - a university in oxford.
national portrait gallery - a gallery full of portraits.
runcorn train station - a train station in runcorn.
british broadcasting company - a british broadcasting company.
see it is easy.
sometimes you have to dig a little deeper.
the big society.
b s
bullshit.
see it is so true.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
dream
there i was walking home.
i was a bit stressed. thinking about the interview that faced me in the morning. do i, don’t i wear a tie? do i own a tie? (answer: i do now). can i tie a tie? (answer: i’ll find out in the morning).
in between sartorial worries i considered the various possible questions and answers. what are your strengths? what are your weaknesses? where do you think you are going to be in 5 years time? answer: who knows, brain hurts, save me!!
as i mused and cogitated movement caught my eye.
hold on! hold on! babe alert.
at the other end of the road there she was a vision of beauty. long thick curly black hair. pouty lips, olived skinned, tall, athletic.
hubba.
oh so much more than hubba. she was hubba hubba.
each step we took brought us closer. the closer we got the more stunning she was. all i could do not to stare, all i could do not to let my tongue hang out.
hold on! hold on! she is walking towards me.
check: is zip done up? yes. phew. check: is anything caught in my teeth? no. result. check: any stains on my t-shirt? no. double result.
as she gets closer she is even more phwoar . she is still coming towards me. a smile playing on those fulsome lips. she puts her hand out to me to stop me.
be still my beating heart.
the voice is like a summer breeze that has smoked too many cigarettes and drunk too much bourbon.
i listen, attentively. hopefully.
“can you tell me where the nearest argos is?”
fuck. fuck. fuck. hear that noise? it is the sound of dreams shattering. shit. shit. shit.
oh you naughty tease.
hiding my disappointment i gave her the directions she needed. i watched her go. bent over and picked up the pieces of broken desires.
interview? what interview?
i was a bit stressed. thinking about the interview that faced me in the morning. do i, don’t i wear a tie? do i own a tie? (answer: i do now). can i tie a tie? (answer: i’ll find out in the morning).
in between sartorial worries i considered the various possible questions and answers. what are your strengths? what are your weaknesses? where do you think you are going to be in 5 years time? answer: who knows, brain hurts, save me!!
as i mused and cogitated movement caught my eye.
hold on! hold on! babe alert.
at the other end of the road there she was a vision of beauty. long thick curly black hair. pouty lips, olived skinned, tall, athletic.
hubba.
oh so much more than hubba. she was hubba hubba.
each step we took brought us closer. the closer we got the more stunning she was. all i could do not to stare, all i could do not to let my tongue hang out.
hold on! hold on! she is walking towards me.
check: is zip done up? yes. phew. check: is anything caught in my teeth? no. result. check: any stains on my t-shirt? no. double result.
as she gets closer she is even more phwoar . she is still coming towards me. a smile playing on those fulsome lips. she puts her hand out to me to stop me.
be still my beating heart.
the voice is like a summer breeze that has smoked too many cigarettes and drunk too much bourbon.
i listen, attentively. hopefully.
“can you tell me where the nearest argos is?”
fuck. fuck. fuck. hear that noise? it is the sound of dreams shattering. shit. shit. shit.
oh you naughty tease.
hiding my disappointment i gave her the directions she needed. i watched her go. bent over and picked up the pieces of broken desires.
interview? what interview?
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
christmas
as i strolled around my local sainsbury's, agog at the work they have done on it,while trying to work out just what they had done to the main part of the store i stumbled across a sight that brought a chill to my bones.
no: not the shelves filled with halloween tat. so much of it cluttering up the place.
nope that wasn't it.
i was taken with the wall of chocolate gift boxes.
i like chocolate.
and bend me over and insert a mars bar but there you go chocolate christmas tree decorations.
for fuck sake. it is still september. it is far too soon to be banging on about christmas.
so in the spirit of the extended season - may i wish you all a happy christmas.
(don't be expecting any cards.)
no: not the shelves filled with halloween tat. so much of it cluttering up the place.
nope that wasn't it.
i was taken with the wall of chocolate gift boxes.
i like chocolate.
and bend me over and insert a mars bar but there you go chocolate christmas tree decorations.
for fuck sake. it is still september. it is far too soon to be banging on about christmas.
so in the spirit of the extended season - may i wish you all a happy christmas.
(don't be expecting any cards.)
Monday, September 13, 2010
hacked
the news international phone hacking scandal rumbles on.
we have had the recent revelation that the standards and privileges committee effectively bottled calling rebekah brooks to give evidence. one of the reasons given for this omission was that there had been a friendly reminder that if the members of parliament pressed news international then there would be payback.
payback in the form of looking for skeletons in the cupboard that could be ‘revealed’ to the public.
i can understand their reluctance to continue. it is not like people are going to rush to the defence of politicians. as one mp, tom watson, has pointed out that the red tops are the big beasts in the modern jungle and they have no predators.
ah tom, tom, tom. you are mistaken. there is a weapon that mps could use against the press barons and their editors. yes tom, unleash the full force of the state against them, have the branches of the intelligence service return the snooping favour. set the spies to look into their dirty secrets and be prepared to publish them – in the interests of fairness, of course.
it is what i would do.
perhaps that is another reason why i am not prime minister.
we have had the recent revelation that the standards and privileges committee effectively bottled calling rebekah brooks to give evidence. one of the reasons given for this omission was that there had been a friendly reminder that if the members of parliament pressed news international then there would be payback.
payback in the form of looking for skeletons in the cupboard that could be ‘revealed’ to the public.
i can understand their reluctance to continue. it is not like people are going to rush to the defence of politicians. as one mp, tom watson, has pointed out that the red tops are the big beasts in the modern jungle and they have no predators.
ah tom, tom, tom. you are mistaken. there is a weapon that mps could use against the press barons and their editors. yes tom, unleash the full force of the state against them, have the branches of the intelligence service return the snooping favour. set the spies to look into their dirty secrets and be prepared to publish them – in the interests of fairness, of course.
it is what i would do.
perhaps that is another reason why i am not prime minister.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
choice
i can't say i have seen much of larry king.
yet the american interviewer has been doing the job for years and is greatly respected. he has conducted 40,000 interviews with some all of the biggest names in politics, sports and entertainment.
he is also famous for wearing braces.
he has decided to retire, well he is 76.
tough act to follow.
tough shoes to fill.
oh they have chosen piers morgan.
wtf!
or more accurately: what the fuck!!!
each and every time i see piers morgan i just want to slap his smug face until it is bright red.
just more proof that the cream doesn't always rise.
(this has been a blog on behalf of the 'i-didn't-have-much-to-say-so-i-filled-the-space-with-this party. no talk show hosts were harmed.)
yet the american interviewer has been doing the job for years and is greatly respected. he has conducted 40,000 interviews with some all of the biggest names in politics, sports and entertainment.
he is also famous for wearing braces.
he has decided to retire, well he is 76.
tough act to follow.
tough shoes to fill.
oh they have chosen piers morgan.
wtf!
or more accurately: what the fuck!!!
each and every time i see piers morgan i just want to slap his smug face until it is bright red.
just more proof that the cream doesn't always rise.
(this has been a blog on behalf of the 'i-didn't-have-much-to-say-so-i-filled-the-space-with-this party. no talk show hosts were harmed.)
Friday, September 10, 2010
balls
a couple of days ago there was an interview with ed balls in the independent. in it he said “i'm more of a risk taker. in fairness to gordon he did take big risks but he agonised about them...”
now i know the macho strain in politics makes it almost impossible for politicians not to try to be tougher than the last guy. there are times when it just comes across as not just empty posturing but also as witless.
for me this is one of those times.
as ed balls was one of gordon brown’s closes allies in the labour government i am guessing that the point of his quote is to put a little distance between him and mr. brown. ed balls isn’t going to dither, he is going to be decisive. fair enough.
call me old fashioned, call me stupid but i have to say i am quite relieved that gordon brown agonised over big decisions, that he didn’t act rashly or without a lot of thought.
why?
because leaders of parties and countries are not playing a game of cards where all that is at stake is the pot on the table and the risk just relates to the person playing the game.
perhaps the reason gordon brown (and i am guessing several other prime ministers) agonised over his decision is that he understood that the choices he made affected the whole of the population and as such shouldn’t be taken lightly.
so ed, if you happen to be reading this (and i am sure you are) if you really want to convince people that you are ready to lead the labour party stop pretending to be so fucking rough and tough, realise that politics is a game, it isn’t. trust me ed we will think much better of you if we know you are thinking about the decisions you are making and that you are giving them some consideration rather than taking a risk on flipping a coin.
now i know the macho strain in politics makes it almost impossible for politicians not to try to be tougher than the last guy. there are times when it just comes across as not just empty posturing but also as witless.
for me this is one of those times.
as ed balls was one of gordon brown’s closes allies in the labour government i am guessing that the point of his quote is to put a little distance between him and mr. brown. ed balls isn’t going to dither, he is going to be decisive. fair enough.
call me old fashioned, call me stupid but i have to say i am quite relieved that gordon brown agonised over big decisions, that he didn’t act rashly or without a lot of thought.
why?
because leaders of parties and countries are not playing a game of cards where all that is at stake is the pot on the table and the risk just relates to the person playing the game.
perhaps the reason gordon brown (and i am guessing several other prime ministers) agonised over his decision is that he understood that the choices he made affected the whole of the population and as such shouldn’t be taken lightly.
so ed, if you happen to be reading this (and i am sure you are) if you really want to convince people that you are ready to lead the labour party stop pretending to be so fucking rough and tough, realise that politics is a game, it isn’t. trust me ed we will think much better of you if we know you are thinking about the decisions you are making and that you are giving them some consideration rather than taking a risk on flipping a coin.
Thursday, September 09, 2010
cunt
andy hogarth is the managing director of one the country’s biggest employment agencies. in a recent piece in the sun (i know i shouldn’t read it but…) commented on the fact that two-thirds of the people he employs are from eastern europe.
“a lot of it is hard, physical, monotonous work that pays just above minimum wage. for them it’s a good job, but it’s not enough to tempt brits out of bed.”
maybe the problem doesn’t lie with the british worker, but with the british employer?
a while back ian duncan smith teamed up with frank field to find the causes of poverty. in order to save them time, in order to save them money and just to show that i care let me give them a very big clue: “work that pays just above the minimum wage”.
that is where poverty starts.
in and of itself the minimum wage is a good thing, but there is no way that it can keep pace with increases living costs such as rent, energy, transport and food. it is not that people are scared of work; it is that they don’t understand how they can work hard and still not have money at the end of the week.
any system where the wages of the workers have to be supplemented by the state in order that they can live has something fundamentally wrong with it, that andy hogarth can happily talk about the fact that a lot of the work he offers is just above minimum wage is something we should be worried about, if not ashamed of.
as michael moore once said to pointed out to phil knight of nike that if the workers couldn’t earn enough money then they are not going to be buying the goods that are being produced dirt cheap and sold for high prices.
in answer to andy hogarth, perhaps the reason why east europeans are happier to work for minimum wage is that they are not planning on staying here permanently, they are not worried about setting down roots. they can take short term hardships at work because back home the money they are earning here is worth more.
maybe andy hogarth should direct his anger at the employers for not providing a living wage, pay the staff more, get better workers, more people earning, more money spent, more money spent, more things bought, more things bought the more profit there is.
it is just a thought.
“a lot of it is hard, physical, monotonous work that pays just above minimum wage. for them it’s a good job, but it’s not enough to tempt brits out of bed.”
maybe the problem doesn’t lie with the british worker, but with the british employer?
a while back ian duncan smith teamed up with frank field to find the causes of poverty. in order to save them time, in order to save them money and just to show that i care let me give them a very big clue: “work that pays just above the minimum wage”.
that is where poverty starts.
in and of itself the minimum wage is a good thing, but there is no way that it can keep pace with increases living costs such as rent, energy, transport and food. it is not that people are scared of work; it is that they don’t understand how they can work hard and still not have money at the end of the week.
any system where the wages of the workers have to be supplemented by the state in order that they can live has something fundamentally wrong with it, that andy hogarth can happily talk about the fact that a lot of the work he offers is just above minimum wage is something we should be worried about, if not ashamed of.
as michael moore once said to pointed out to phil knight of nike that if the workers couldn’t earn enough money then they are not going to be buying the goods that are being produced dirt cheap and sold for high prices.
in answer to andy hogarth, perhaps the reason why east europeans are happier to work for minimum wage is that they are not planning on staying here permanently, they are not worried about setting down roots. they can take short term hardships at work because back home the money they are earning here is worth more.
maybe andy hogarth should direct his anger at the employers for not providing a living wage, pay the staff more, get better workers, more people earning, more money spent, more money spent, more things bought, more things bought the more profit there is.
it is just a thought.
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
quote
i have mixed feelings over tony blair, he is not the demon made out by many, nor is he the saint that some paint him as. on balance he probably did more good than harm, regardless of that the iraq war is going to loom over his achievements.
that the war overshadows him is evident when it came to his book signings. ‘stop the war’ coalition, along with some from the ‘real ira’ were out to protest his signing in dublin. they threw shoes and eggs (they missed) they chanted (including that he had blood on his hands – of course it doesn’t matter that the ‘real ira’ have killed people – they are freedom fighters. no really that makes it ok) and they were outnumbered by those who wanted to get a copy of the book signed.
one of the strands of comment about the event was the cost of protection that was incurred protecting mr. blair. of course one could argue that there isn’t a price too high to ensure that we all benefit from freedom of speech.
in response to it all mr. blair cancelled the signing at waterstones in piccadilly and the book launch at the tate modern. a shame really i had been looking forward to going to both, not that i can afford his book.
blair doesn’t care about having to cancel. the book is selling like billy-o.
oddly he is criticised for cancelling because he is seen as caving into to protests (the same people would have complained about the cost after the event) thus proving that in some cases you can never been right in politics.
over at the daily telegraph they were banging on about how they had an exclusive interview with tony blair, the only newspaper to have one. one of the things that struck me as i read the mary riddell conducted interview was just how similar it was to the andrew marr one i had watched on the bbc. i couldn’t work out if they were told that they could only ask certain questions which meant the answers had a rehearsed feel to them, or that blair had decided that no matter what the question was he was going to give pretty much the same form answer.
in one part of the riddell interview she asked if his dash for cash was unseemly. she pointed out that blair gets £2.5m from jp morgan chase and a reported £2m from zurich financial services.
to which blair replies: “i am basically a public service person. i spend two-thirds to three quarters of my time on unpaid work.”
fuck me tony get off the cross. if i could bag £4.5m a year from doing very little then i am pretty sure i could give up a large chunk of my time to work for free. yet it wasn’t even that that annoyed me it was that the ‘free work’ that tony is doing is all pretty much geared to making sure that brand ‘tony blair’ has a lot of equity in it. that it ensures the tony rolodex is filled with names that are useful to him and to those who might employ tony as an advisor in the future.
it is not like tony is giving up his time to work at his local hospice or is stuffing envelopes for a small charity; no he is doing very public global work. so the ‘free work’ he is doing will all go to fill the coffers at a later date.
if i am honest i don’t even begrudge him that.
what pisses me off and makes my nipples ache in anger is that he has the gall to get all sanctimonious about it, that he gets on his moral high horse about how he isn’t about the money, that he is all about the service.
arsewipe.
when he was being elected he was all about the aspiration. it is a little hard to sell the idea that you are still aspirational when you are rolling in cash
take my advice tony: keep up the good works, just don’t ask us to be sympathetic to all the ‘free work’ you do.
that the war overshadows him is evident when it came to his book signings. ‘stop the war’ coalition, along with some from the ‘real ira’ were out to protest his signing in dublin. they threw shoes and eggs (they missed) they chanted (including that he had blood on his hands – of course it doesn’t matter that the ‘real ira’ have killed people – they are freedom fighters. no really that makes it ok) and they were outnumbered by those who wanted to get a copy of the book signed.
one of the strands of comment about the event was the cost of protection that was incurred protecting mr. blair. of course one could argue that there isn’t a price too high to ensure that we all benefit from freedom of speech.
in response to it all mr. blair cancelled the signing at waterstones in piccadilly and the book launch at the tate modern. a shame really i had been looking forward to going to both, not that i can afford his book.
blair doesn’t care about having to cancel. the book is selling like billy-o.
oddly he is criticised for cancelling because he is seen as caving into to protests (the same people would have complained about the cost after the event) thus proving that in some cases you can never been right in politics.
over at the daily telegraph they were banging on about how they had an exclusive interview with tony blair, the only newspaper to have one. one of the things that struck me as i read the mary riddell conducted interview was just how similar it was to the andrew marr one i had watched on the bbc. i couldn’t work out if they were told that they could only ask certain questions which meant the answers had a rehearsed feel to them, or that blair had decided that no matter what the question was he was going to give pretty much the same form answer.
in one part of the riddell interview she asked if his dash for cash was unseemly. she pointed out that blair gets £2.5m from jp morgan chase and a reported £2m from zurich financial services.
to which blair replies: “i am basically a public service person. i spend two-thirds to three quarters of my time on unpaid work.”
fuck me tony get off the cross. if i could bag £4.5m a year from doing very little then i am pretty sure i could give up a large chunk of my time to work for free. yet it wasn’t even that that annoyed me it was that the ‘free work’ that tony is doing is all pretty much geared to making sure that brand ‘tony blair’ has a lot of equity in it. that it ensures the tony rolodex is filled with names that are useful to him and to those who might employ tony as an advisor in the future.
it is not like tony is giving up his time to work at his local hospice or is stuffing envelopes for a small charity; no he is doing very public global work. so the ‘free work’ he is doing will all go to fill the coffers at a later date.
if i am honest i don’t even begrudge him that.
what pisses me off and makes my nipples ache in anger is that he has the gall to get all sanctimonious about it, that he gets on his moral high horse about how he isn’t about the money, that he is all about the service.
arsewipe.
when he was being elected he was all about the aspiration. it is a little hard to sell the idea that you are still aspirational when you are rolling in cash
take my advice tony: keep up the good works, just don’t ask us to be sympathetic to all the ‘free work’ you do.
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