The Declining Importance of the Arts

A brilliant post on the Independent's blog 'Open House'. Chris Schuler comments that Gordon Brown recently went to see something at the National Theatre but asked that his visit be kept quiet, questioning whether this would be the case if he attended a football match. This is a really good read, and highlights the fact that the arts are just not supported by government any longer. They are more than happy to highlight sport and remark that they enjoy listening to the Arctic Monkeys but references to the real arts are just not there. How many children will have been to the theatre for anything other than pantomime? How many will have listened to a live orchestra? I dread to hear the statistics. Drama and music need a much needed championing. They really do feed the imagination and encourage great things.

Sir John Major on Andrew Marr

Sir John Major has just been on The Andrew Marr Show and spoke of his opinions on Brown, the Blair Years, his own government and allegations of sleaze and the economy. I thought he did brilliantly. He really has that feel of an elder statesman, and one can trust him when he speaks. He wasn't afraid to acknowledge the criticisms that have come his way over the years, and he wasn't afraid to point out mistakes made. Yet he reminded viewers that it was in the Major years where the economy started to become so strong, with continuous growth from 1992 onwards, handing the Blair government an important legacy. I was disappointed his work in Northern Ireland didn't come up, but he only had about 20 minutes! A very good performance all round, and I think we need him analysing current affairs a lot more. Next time though, Sir John, don't wear pink socks!

Brown's Absence

I am so angry that Brown was not in Lisbon to sign this rotten treaty. It is absolutely disgraceful, and surely an attempt to distance himself from the signing of this thing. He obviously knows this is a bad legacy to have his name next to, and so he should just let us have the referendum. Quite frankly, losing a referendum is much less of an embarrassment than what he is doing at the moment.

Worthless Apologies

Is anybody else outraged at the fact our Cabinet ministers keep apologising, but then not taking any responsibility? First we hear apologies from Jacqui Smith over the security fiasco at the Home Office. Then we get apologies from Brown and Darling over the missing discs saga. Then we get (nearly) apologies from Harman and Hain over the party funding row and just yesterday, we get an apology from Des Browne over the failures surrounding the Nimrod disaster. All of these issues are absolutely massive. They are such great and fundamental failure that, unfortunately, an apology is just not good enough. These ministers should be taking responsibility for their actions and some of them should almost definitely have resigned. It's a far cry from Blair's days - of course, then, we didn't really get apologies at all. Perhaps this is Brown's new tactics; if they apologise they will have admitted failure. Well, it won't wash. An apology without some show of sorrow will not suffice. Their should be resignations, forced if needs be, and Des Browne should be the first to go.

Why I love Vince Cable

I have never really paid that much attention to Vince Cable. He has never seemed to jump out of the parliamentary bag as anything special. But Andrew Gimson in the Telegraph in his Parliamentary Sketches has always spoken rather highly of Cable, and this started to change my mind. But today's comment in PMQs will surely go down as one of the greatest put-downs of modern times.

"The House has noticed in the last few weeks the remarkable transformation of the Prime Minister from Stalin to Mr. Bean"

An absolute classic!

60 years

Happy Diamond Wedding Anniversary to Her Majesty the Queen and HRH the Duke of Edinburgh! A perfect example as to what marriage should be about.

European Union Corruption

2007 - the 13th year in a row that auditors refuse to sign and approve the EU accounts. Absolutely shocking. But what is more shocking is that it did not get announced on the television news, nor, to my knowledge, did any of the newspapers discuss it in a written article. In The Telegraph we had to rely on the integrity of Daniel Hannan MEP to raise the issue. If this was the British government, or a prominent business, there would be absolute outrage on both television, and I do not wonder for a minute whether it would make front page news on the majority of the newspapers! But because it is the EU, it is different. How can the public be expected to have a properly informed opinion on the European Union when they are not party to all of the facts. The average, middle-of-the-road person, I admit, probably favours, albeit sceptically, the EU. But they also probably do not know that much about it, and just what it does. Were this sort of fact spread widely, I would think their opinion would dramatically change. Daniel Hannan points out that it is not announced because we are so used to this sort of corruption within the EU. Well, in my eyes, that is no excuse not to raise the matter. I would have thought that at least The Telegraph or even The Sun would have made a bit more of an issue out of this. It needs to be raised. I find this corruption absolutely disgusting, but the silence that surrounds it, even more so.

Train Travel Nightmare

A very interesting commentary by Steve Richards of the Independent, who I have met and greatly admire for his enthusiasm and love of politics - he is somewhat contagious in that regard! But, this article looks at the new links between St. Pancras Station, London and Paris. I take a slightly different view to him on how great it is to be so physically attached to Europe (!) but I completely agree with him when it comes to the situation at home. The government has no inclination whatsoever to build high-speed rail links in the United Kingdom which, I think, is a great pity. As somebody who uses the trains regularly, albeit for a short distance, I know the importance of trains for many people. And the government should recognise this importance more. They are such a convenient transport and can bring such ease to many, many people. But the fact is, they are not brilliant. It is a long hard slog down to London and, even my short distance from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to Darlington is riddled with problems. Often there are problems with the rails, or there's another train causing problems. 9 times out of 10 I'm stood up at the end of one of the carriages, in a completely packed environment. It's just not good! The trains need sorting out. As readers will know, I am not a fan of government activity in the economy. But when it is a matter of such vital infrastructure such as the railways, which could become the life of this nation, then I think the government should act. They will spend money on worthless causes, so why not begin a complete overhaul of the railways, get some of these high-speed trains running, and sort the mess out. It is wrong that is should be quicker and easier to get from London to Paris than it is to travel to Cornwall, Edinburgh or wherever. Fixing the railways will then fix people's confidence in using them, thereby fixing pollution of the environment, growing numbers on the roads, congestion and the anger of commuters. Surely, it can't be too difficult?!

Remembrance Day

I find Remembrance Day one of the most special days in the British Calendar. A day dedicated to the remembrance of those who died serving their country, and died to make the lives of you and me better, is incredibly moving and incredibly humbling. There is no politics in the occasion, nor is there anything to be gained from it (as Brown's Veterans Day may be designed for). I was also delighted to see my local church absolutely packed full with such a diverse age range. It was wonderful to see.

Another highlight of the day, for me, was My Boy Jack on ITV. It was brilliant. David Haig, playing Rudyard Kipling, was absolutely spellbinding. His performance was stellar, and his breakdown towards the end of the drama was just so moving. One of the best dramas I have seen for some time.

More Blog Changes

As the keen-eyed readers will have noticed, I have added a couple of new features to this blog. You can now subscribe to it by RSS Feed (not entirely sure what it is, but it sounds good) or by email. I hope that this will make my blog more available to people, and more accessible. I know I'm slightly unreliable on the updating front, so I think this will be a good way of letting people know when new things have been posted! I have also added something that you can find at the bottom of every post, whereby you can share things posted on this blog with other websites, such as Facebook and Newsvine. Again, I hope this allows my views to be shared wider and let my little voice enter the big maze of the internet!

If anybody has any problems with any of these features, it would be great if you could let me know, so that I can sort it out. Also, any suggestions as to how to improve these features, or, indeed, any other features you would recommend, would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

Prostitution

I meant to highlight this humorous yet persuasive article in Monday's telegraph. Andrew O'Hagan reports that Hampshire WI has voted in favour of brothels, before moving on to argue that prostitution should be legalised. This, along with drugs, is always an issue that I have had difficulties with. The ideological side of me recognises that, as it is personal choice, it should indeed be allowed. But the natural, blue-rinse conservative side of me finds the sheer idea of legalising prositution abhorrent, and something that should never happen in this sceptred isle!

But I am increasingly moving to the opinion that prostitution should be legalised. Not because I should ever have any desire to use their services, nor because I think prostitution should ever be seen as a proper profession. It should never be seen as moral and it should never become the norm in our cities. But the fact is, it happens. It happens now, it happened in the time of our ancestors and, undoubtedly, it will happen until the end of time. If this is the case, it is about time we humanised it. It is about time that it was brought out of the shadows, out of the back alleys and brought into the light, so that we can understand what it is all about, why women (and men) feel the need to enter the profession, and what can be done to bring it to an end.

There are three main reasons why I think the situation should be brought into the open:

1. If it is legalised, it will take prostitutes off the streets and into safety. They will no longer have to go out to sell themselves, as the consumer will be able to seek them out. This is good both for the prostitute, who will be much safer, and the communities who are plagued by prostitutes on street-corners. No longer will they have to be 'terrorised' by scantily clad women and kerb-crawlers.

2. Prostitutes would be afforded legal protection, like every other profession. All kinds of abuse will be able to be dealt with properly. Prostitutes will no longer have to take the beatings and attacks that many currently do. The chance of murder would be minimised also. Because their profession would be legal, there would be no worries of them approaching the police force about attacks that have taken place.

3. Legalising prostitution is probably the best way of bringing it to an end. As I said, it will never come to an end completely; such a vision would be unrealistic. But it can be minimised. Making it legal would encourage prostitutes to seek help and find a way out of the profession. Again, it is about bringing it out of the dark and into the light. Education and advice would be able to be used to deter people from entering this. The issue would no longer be demonised, but would be able to be approached properly.

The fact is, as O'Hagan points out, many of the problems attached to prostitution are there simply because it is illegal. The crime, drugs and violence associated would be severely limited if prostitution were legal. It is important to recognise this.

Whilst the legalisation of prostitution is not ideal, it is certainly no worse than the situation we currently have.

Hope of cure

As regular readers of this blog will know, I am passionate about promoting the cause of the elderly and find the Alzheimer's disease one of the most distressing that there must be. It is a shame that it does not get as much coverage, both from the media and politicians, as it should. There is a story in today's Telegraph that there is more hope of a cure for Alzheimer's through stem cell. How people can possibly oppose stem cell research when so much good can come of it, I will never know.

Party Funding Talks Die

I am absolutely delighted that party funding talks have come to an inconclusive end. The idea of the state funding political parties has always been an idea that I have despised and something which I hope never happens. This is not the way to ensure a democratic society.

Constitutional Shake-ups

Is nobody else fearful as to the enormous quanitity of constitutional changes that are being proposed at the moment? I, for one, most definitely am. There seems to be something in the air at the moment making politicians want to tear history to pieces and replace it with something that will be altogether different and, quite frankly, altogether inferior.

Of course, the most important topic at the moment is Cameron's endorsement of the idea that only English MPs should be able to vote on matters that affect English voters. I have to say, I support this - but very cautiously. Had Labour better thought out their devolution policies, this would never have been necessary. But the fact is, we have a situation where Scottish MPs can be elected to Westminster, and then vote on issues that effect people who have not elected them to power. It is absurd! Of course, one of these such MPs is our Prime Minister. It is quite simply ridiculous that he has no say on Scottish education and health policies, yet can dominate the debate in England, despite not being an English-elected MP. People who know me may be surprised by my support of this. I think of myself as British first and foremost - not English. But the fact is, at the moment, the system is just plain unfair. And how Harriet Harman can blame the Conservatives for threatening the future of the United Kingdom is beyond me! Labour introduced a biased system of devolution which has ultimately led to the SNP being elected to power in Scotland. Yet more rubbish from Labour!

As well as this, we have Gordon Brown's desire for a written constitution and formalised Bill of Rights. Why?! As I commented not so long ago, this will make no difference whatsoever to our liberties. The British 'unwritten' constitution has worked for so long, based on convention and practice. It is only in the last few years that this has been threatened by New Labour's bodged revisions of the Constitution, with its devolution and House of Lords reform (which, again, was not thought out properly).

We also now have a moving campaign for Fixed Term Parliaments, which has been endorsed by other bloggers, primarily Iain Dale. Again, this is something I am very wary of. Yes, it will take the decision out of the Prime Minister's hands, but is this a good thing? It is a flexible system which allows for crises and emergencies to be taken into consideration. It also allows a Vote of No Confidence to bring down a government. The system also ensures that we never have a sitting-duck government. Were fixed terms brought in, the civil service could wind down with the implementation of policies, waiting to see whether a new government is going to be elected. Superficially, it may solve problems. Actually, it may cause many more.

And then, of course, we come to the European Constitution. A complete and utter rejection of British democracy and more transfer to the European Union. The self-amending clause means that Europe has ultimate control over many areas. Westminster will no longer have so much say over amendments to treaties and articles. This is bad news for Britain.

I don't know how many of these constitutional changes will come into effect, but I am very worried that they will. Gordon Brown seems to be prioritising his tinkering with the constitution. One would have thought real issues would take priority. Instead, we see changes to the House of Lords, the constitution and parliament itself being proposed. Most of the things being proposed aren't problems. The only one that really needs to be resolved is the distorted devolution. Apart from that, let us just leave things be when they don't need to be fixed.

Slight Admin changes to Blog

Having just received around 30 of these spam messages in my comments, which are, I believe posted by computer software of some sort, I have added the "word verification" option for when comments are posted. There is no comment moderation of any sort nor is there a necessity to be registered. I was simply informed that this was the best way to fix the problem of spam! Apologies for any inconvenience.

Brown promises me Liberty

Apparantely, now I have to lay my faith in Gordon Brown for my liberty. He has announced that the civil liberties war conducted by New Labour over the last 10 years is going to be reversed. Why do I highly doubt this? Perhaps it is that cynic coming out of me again!

One of his main proposals is a Bill of Rights and, possibly, a written constitution. I have already written about the proposal for a written constitution, and, as you would probably guess, I am absolutely against it! I am also against a Bill of Rights (and yes, I know this is a Conservative proposal as well...why else would Brown propose it?!) But I just don't think that a Bill of Rights would help. We already have the Magna Carta and the 1688 Bill of Rights - this country has a history of protecting our civil liberties, and it was not really until New Labour that these were eroded. These civil liberties have been enshrined in our law for hundreds of years. I do not believe that we need it updating, especially by the government that eroded them in the first place. The other problem with a Bill of Rights is that it could easily be distorted, rather like Labour's Human Rights Act, making sure that the criminal is afforded protection above the victim and the general public. This would be disastrous.

What strikes me about all this, is that spin is involved quite a bit. Brown recommends "new rights of protest". Well, let's all hail New Labour for allowing us these rights!! Those rights were there years before New Labour were here. It was New Labour that got rid of them, so, I apologise if I will not be worshipping at the Prime Minister's feet for allowing me to protest. A new freedom of the press is another such proposal - what absurdity!

He also wants to alter the Freedom of Information legislation, allowing previous Cabinet papers to be released. Whilst I would welcome this, I don't feel it is that important. As the Telegraph points out, this could simply be proposed to embarrass the Shadow Cabinet in the next General Election. But, far more important is ensuring open government in the here and now. That is of vital importance.

But, of course, all of Brown's proposals for a new liberal society are diluted by the fact that he defends ID Cards, DNA testing and a greater surveillance on and intrusion into private lives. We must remember, that this is the man who has increased tax, increased spending, made people more dependent on the state, and interfered more and more in our private lives. Economic action and social action always go together. His economic authoritarianism immediately makes him a social authoritarian. I am not living in hope that this naturally authoritarian government is going to change its spots. I just hope that further tinkering with our constitution will stop.

Neville Miliband?

A story in The Independent today tells how the Chairman of the Commons' European Scrutiny Committee compared the Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, to Neville Chamberlain. This, of course, is in reference to Chamberlain's claim of "peace in our time". Of course, the Foreign Secretary was utterly offended by this claim. I find it childish and immature when people get so highly strung over jibes such as these. Anything to do with Adolf Hitler must be avoided at all costs, and the slightest mention of it provokes outrage. I wrote some time ago on the Bryan Ferry incident, where a perfectly legitimate comment was blown out of all proportion. Was the Chairman of the committee comparing Miliband to Hitler himself? No, he was comparing him to a Prime Minister who failed to recognise and comprehend the threat that he faced from overseas.

Now, of course, the threat that we face this time is completely different to the situation in 1938, and I am sure the Chairman of the Scrutiny Committee would be the first to recognise this. But there are comparisons to be made. The Government's belief that its so-called "red lines" are secure are just as plausible as Chamberlain's belief that appeasement against Hitler would be successful. There was the same triumphalism - Blair came back from the European summit in June announcing that Britain had won and secured her red lines, just as Chamberlain triumphantly told the British people that he had secured peace with Hitler. The question remains to be asked...when will the government recognise their mistake? Clearly, the invasion of Poland was a good enough sign for Chamberlain that his policy had not worked! What will it take this time? One would have thought that an infringement of the red lines would be enough to make the government realise that they've been fooled. But, worryingly, I don't think it will. Such an infringement would be brushed under the carpet by the government, and it certainly would get no news coverage. Considering that this Constitution has a self-amendment clause, anything could happen in the future - our red lines will be eroded before they have even been set down.

Offer the people a referendum Mr. Miliband - do the honourable thing.

Bye, bye Ming!

So, Sir Ming has been unceremoniously ejected from the Lib Dem leadership (whatever the official line is!) I actually had a good deal of respect for Ming; he always came across as a statesman rather than a politician in my opinion. I disagreed with him on almost everything, but I would listen to what he had to say, and know that it was coming from what he believed. But, let's be honest, it is obvious why he was ousted from office. He lacks charisma and he is not particularly appealing to the average voter. Yet, his age has also surely played a factor, and I find that quite disappointing. Why on earth should age play a factor? If the man is feeling up to the job, then let him get on. The Liberal Democrats of all parties should be aware of the fact that William Gladstone, one of the greatest Prime Ministers in our history, became Prime Minister for the fourth time at the age of over 82 and a half years. And, of course, Sir Winston Churchill was at a ripe old age when he was Prime Minister. There is too much of parties wanting the 'young executive' look, in my opinion, and age should play no factor unless it is clear that they are not up to the job.

But who is going to replace Ming? I believe it will be Nick Clegg. He is on the right of the party, has great charisma and will probably be able to connect with all voters. And if Nick Clegg does become leader, he could prove rather dangerous to the Conservative Party. He will be able to move onto the patch that David Cameron has claimed for himself, and take back some voters that may have moved. We will have the Cameron-Clegg youth appeal and, again, this will take voters away from the Tories. Of course, if there is a hung parliament after the next election, Clegg may be more inclined to go into coalition with the Tories, rather than with Labour. In that respect, he may be quite useful! The Tories would do well to watch him.

A Return to Blogging

Well, no doubt this post will get a small audience due to my lack of posting for the last two months, but I wish to make it known that I have returned to the world of blogging. Can I apologise to those of you who read this blog and relied on it for your fixture of right-wing rantings. Granted, you may be small in number, but I'm sure there are a few of you! Several factors have contributed to my lack of posting, not least British Telecom (more about that later). Also, having spent the majority of my summer working in a supermarket, blogging has not been getting enough of my attention as it should have! But I have returned now, and hope to carry on where I left off. But there have been some slight changes to my thinking as you shall find out. But, let me summarise the last two months...!

Edinburgh
As last you read, I was performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It was brilliant! If you have never been you should definitely pay it a visit. The performance that I was in got some 4 and 5*reviews, but unfortunately The Scotsman (the nationalist rag it is) only gave us 2*....that's life!

Gordon Brown
As I predicted, Gordon Brown is proving to be a terrible Prime Minister. I could not believe it, when, over the course of the summer, I was reading rave reviews of him from all of the newspapers. In this age of cynicism, how could people have been so fooled by him? People forgot that, before he became Prime Minister, they were worried that they did not know what he stood for, what he believed, and what he would do as Prime Minister. A couple of floods, a few cases of foot&mouth, and an unsuccessful terror threat suddenly changed all of this. He didn't even have to do anything, and people were worshipping at his feet. And now we can see his policy changes and the fact that he is spinning just as much as Blair ever did (if not more) is now quite clear.

David Cameron
I don't know what to put it down to, but over the summer, I have grown into much more of a party loyalist. Whether it is my sheer hatred of the Brown government and all involved (Harman, Darling, Balls etc.) or the fact that he has started to make sense, I now see Cameron as absolutely and fundamentally essential to the Conservative Party. I always knew that he needed to withdraw from the traditional Conservative agenda to appeal to the core voter, and I always understood this. But for some reason, I could never be loyal to him. Now, after a summer of policy announcements, and an absolutely brilliant conference speech, I am behind him all the way. He has a good way of making actually quite right-wing speeches sound quite cuddly and...fluffy! That is essential. Though a little more right-wing talk would be nice...!!

British Telecom
This dreadful advert for privatisation is the reason why I have not had internet access since the beginning of September. I moved into a new house in Newcastle at the beginning of September, and immediately contacted BT to reconnect the phone line. What absolutely dreadful service! It took just under a month until they had it reconnected, and this is after I had to make several phone calls. I kept getting put on hold and shunted from department to department. Nobody knew what to do, and this did not improve when, having got the phone line, I wanted the internet. They have two computer systems you see, and the broadband department only have the old system and, of course, I'm on the new system!! What a mess. Anyway, in future, I will hopefully steer clear of BT!

Well, that's it for now, but I hope to be posting here a lot more regularly. I look forward to it!

Edinburgh Fringe Festival

For the next two weeks I shall be performing at the Edinburgh Fringe, the world's largest theatre festival. I went last year with our youth theatre and we performed Shakespeare's Othello, in which I played Iago. That production got a 4* review and we packed the house nearly every day. This year, we are taking something up that we have written and devised entirely ourselves. It is called 45 minutes and basically explores the journey of one family who have only 45 minutes left to live. In 2002, Tony Blair announced to the Commons that Iraq had chemical and biological weapons which could be activated within 45 minutes; in our play, this hypothetical situation becomes a reality. It may sound like a rather crass and perhaps cliche play, but I believe the subject of death is explored very delicately and it is perhaps the family drama that takes priority rather than the ever-impending doom!

It would be great if somebody reading this would take the opportunity to come and see it! From the 6th-11th August, we shall be performing at Venue 260 with a 2 for 1 offer on the 6th. From the 13th-18th August, we shall perform in Venue 45, a slightly larger venue!

I hope to see some of you there!

Alzheimer's Breakthrough

I have long been an advocate of better treatment for the elderly and more research into the terrible disease that is Alzheimer's. Often I have used this blog to highlight incidents that have occurred which shows the terrible way in which elderly people are often abused by this government and the country as a whole.

So I am therefore delighted to be able to come here and express my joy that the Telegraph has today reported that a cure to the dreadful disease looks set to be discovered. Of course, it will be some years before it is developed, but it really is a medical breakthrough. The question is, will the NHS supply it, or will 'stop smoking' drugs and salsa lessons keep taking priority? Let's hope not.

David Cameron and Africa

Much has been written about Cameron's decision to go to Rwanda rather than stop in Britain at this time of flooding, and most of it has been critical. I, however, see no problem with him having gone. Granted, he does need to be here holding the Government to account but many criticise his decision simply as being bad for PR. I think it is very much on the contrary. Where I think previous Conservative leaders went wrong was that they were never really seen abroad. With Cameron going around the world, we can envisage him as Prime Minister, and see him as some kind of international statesman. Given that many criticise him for being young and inexperienced, it is very important for the electorate to view how he would handle the international arena. So, full marks on that decision Mr. Cameron!

In fact, something that he has said whilst in Africa has excited me greatly. Practically for the first time since Cameron became leader, he has said something that I wholeheartedly agree with and have been wanting to see for some time. He has highlighted one of the fundamental flaws in the European Union; its opposition to complete free trade and, really, its hypocrisy on the Africa front. The EU likes to paint itself as the body that ensures that these modern issues (climate change, terrorism, Africa etc.) are properly addressed. Of course, those of us that have broken out of the spell of the EU know that it is largely nonsense. As it stands, the European Union acts as a protectionist bloc and greatly discriminates against Africa. Tariffs and quotas are in place, effectively ensuring that Africa remains forever in poverty. What is the point in giving aid when there is this enormous and ridiculous anomaly? Trade is very often the answer to issues and never moreso than in this case. Get rid of the barriers and give African business, and Africa in general, a chance. I am delighted that Cameron has taken this stance. It should hopefully appeal to those pro-Europeans who may not realise just what the EU is doing. Good job Mr. Cameron! More announcements like this, and I may contemplate calling myself a Cameroon!!

An Explanation

I suppose I should really apologise for my absence over what seems a very long time. Unfortunately, I just seem to have much less time to sit behind a computer than I did a couple of months ago. I am now working practically full time in a supermarket, and when I am not there I'm usually to be found rehearsing for a play that we are taking to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival next weekend! I know I don't have legions of readers, but I felt some sort of apology and explanation should be issued. I hope to be back to blogging a bit more soon and am actually about to post a few new posts, but I don't know when I'll next be completely active!

I hope you are all well and enjoying our 'summer'...!

What I feel as well...

Most of you will probably have seen this on Iain Dale's site, but it echoes completely what I was feeling when watching Gordon Brown on Sunday AM yesterday...

Racist Row on Big Brother...again!

I'll keep this short, as there has been extensive coverage already. Big Brother has removed "Emily" from the house for calling a fellow contestant a "nigger", in a gangster-type context.

I understand completely why people will think that the right decision was made. However, I disagree with it. I don't think that she should have been removed - a ticking off and an explaniation would have sufficed. This is a matter of free speech. One should be allowed to say pretty much anything unless it is said in an inflammatory way. This was not said in such a way. I find it horrible that the word can be used in rap songs and as a term of endearment amongst some black people, but it is terrible if a white person uses it. I personally think that it is a horrible word, and would never use it. But I never use the "f-word" nor the "c-word". As far as I am concerned, it is just a swear word, though it has great historical connotations.

I think there has been a complete overreaction. What annoys me most in cases such as this is that they claim they are doing it to make an example. Yet people don't know why it is a bad word. They should explain why it shouldn't be used. Reacting like this does not solve the problem - it simply glosses over it.

(And I quickly flicked onto Big Brother's Big Mouth presented by the delightful George Galloway. I was annoyed that there was a completely disproportionate amount of black people in the audience. Again, things are being skewed somewhat.)

Yet Another Olympic Mess

This has just made me so angry! First of all, the fact that £400,000 was spent on designing this. That is £400,000 of public money on a logo. Anybody could think of much more important things to spend this kind of money on. It simply adds further insult to injury by the fact that the £400,000 logo is absolutely diabolical. I mean, what is it? It is, quite frankly, a mess! There is nothing there that makes me proud of the olympics. There is nothing there that inspires me, or makes me think, immediately that it is about the Olympics. I just cannot express how angry this makes me. Tony Blair said, "When people see the new brand, we want them to be inspired to make a positive change in their life." Absolute piffle.

Why is it that these things are always handled by fools? They just do not get it at all, do they?! How could they not know, that this would get an absolutely awful reception? Surely, somebody must have dared them to design such a thing? I actually hope that is the case, because I just cannot believe, nor do I want to believe, that somebody would willingly do this. Why do those from above always have to miss the opportunity. Something as simple as a logo means a lot, and definitely sets the tone of something. And actually, I think this probably is setting the tone of what the olympics will be like.

People have submitted their own ideas on the BBC website, and I like all of them better than this! My particular favourites are:



and:


This is surely what advertising and branding is about? Both of these designs show ingenuity and an artistic flair. They are so clever, and immediately say what it is about. They are colourful, without being brash, and are just neat and tidy. They are both perfect options.

I cannot actually believe how angry this has made me. The whole affair just smacks of incompetence, and it worries me just how tragic this whole affair is. I hope that a massive U-turn is made, and the Olympic Committee or whatever they call themselves, buy the rights to either of these images. Surely, they must realise that they are much better than the tat that they have created.

Guess Who?

"The one thing I have come to despise more than anything else in my 10 years is cynicism."



That's right - Tony Blair!! That is the equivalent of a farmer complaining about the smell of fertiliser. The sorry fact is Prime Minister, you are personally responsible for much of this cynicism.

Labour Deputy Leadership

Having just watched Newsnight, I have now come to the conclusion that the Deputy Leader candidates are simply a line-up of fools. I have never listened to such incompetent proposals being declared for a long time! No matter how much they try and dress it up, these are simply Old Labour, socialist fools. Most are agreed on the need for more redistribution of wealth, and reducing the gap between rich and poor; policies like these just don't work.

Hilary Benn is a man that I have always rather liked. I think he is straight-talking and truly believes what he says. But the man is a socialist, and it would be difficult for me to warm to him if he continued this view. Yet he is definitely the nicest one there and a man that I would not mind seeing as Deputy Leader.

Hazel Blears is just, quite frankly, a pain in the neck. Whenever I see this woman being interviewed, she never gives a question a straight answer; she must always twist it and answer something completely different. She's probably one of the most right-wing out of the line-up, but dishonest and untrustworthy. (I did, however, feel slightly sorry for her because I could not quite believe how much shorter she is than the rest!)

Harriet Harman is a woman I have never really come across before, but I thought she was absolutely dreadful. She was very quick to declare herself hypothetically opposed to the Iraq War, and indeed, almost all of Labour's policies thus far. The question must be asked, why has she stayed in government for so long? She is probably the most Old Labour out of the lot, and if the only reason she should be elected is because she is a woman, then it is a sad day for democracy.

Alan Johnson didn't really say an awful lot, I didn't think. I have a lot of respect for Alan. He was the candidate who, in that debate, probably stayed loyal to Blair, and was also the one who did not advocate too much redistribution of wealth. I actually think, honestly, I would (if I could) vote for Alan Johnson. I think he's fairly straight, and probably the least likely to revert to socialism.

Peter Hain is a man I despise. Hard as I try, I just cannot bring myself to like this man. He is arrogant and cocky, and a general pain in the proverbial. Trying to make himself out as the saviour of Northern Ireland disgusts me, as has his constant attempts throughout this campaign to distance himself from the government. A definite no!

Jon Cruddas I actually quite liked. His being left-wing isn't much of a problem, because he doesn't want to be in government; he sees his role as a simple internal administrator, almost. He, therefore is probably the best choice!

Two things struck me in this 'performance'. The way in which all seemed very quick to distance themselves from Labour's actions over the last 10 years, and the amazing way in which they espoused socialist ideals. Whatever happened to Peter Mandelson declaring that "We are all Thatcherites now". The Left, like Gordon Brown's Budgets, is resurfacing through stealth. I suppose, now that they have had a decade in power, they feel that they can attempt to reimpose state control on all aspects of life. The main problem is that this time, the voter doesn't have an Opposition that wishes to cut back tax and dismantle the bloated public sector. They're all on the middle ground, but the problem is that this middle ground is no longer in the middle.

Reporters without Borders

I recently came across a very campaign group called Reporters without Borders. It is an international organisation, which fights against censorship and laws that undermine press freedom, and also aims to defend journalists against imprisonment in the more oppressive countries such as North Korea. It has a very thorough website covering all corners of the planet, documenting areas where freedom is under threat.

This really does look like a brilliant group and one that looks as though it has quite a lot of weight behind it. Annually, it publishes a report which profiles countries individually and discusses the problems that are faced regarding press freedom. There is also a ranking system in place, to order countries as to the press freedom that they have. Finland tops this list, and the UK, somewhat disappointingly comes 27th, below countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Latvia and Estonia! Astonishingly, however, is the USA, coming in at just 53rd.

I have seriously just discovered this group in the last couple of minutes, so have not had chance to explore the website thoroughly, but am certainly looking forward to doing so. A campaign for freedom of press and freedom of opinion, throughout the world - can't be bad!

God Save the Queen

I was delighted to hear that Her Majesty the Queen was crowned ITV's Greatest Living Britain tonight. I mean, who else, really could it be? She is Britain! Though, I was disgusted that Lady Thatcher was beaten by the universal British figure and icon that is...Robbie Williams. I am afraid that that just shows the superficial society that we now have.

God Save the Queen!!!