DEM not gonna CON dis NATION: Rolling UK politics in the short-lived Cleggeron era

and the Labour gov didn't rush to outlaw, say, Angling. Despite what the Tony Banks fringe might've wanted.

Remember that BBC one-off drama from the mid-'90s - Giving Tongue? Michael Angelis, Charlotte Coleman, etc. A new, young, female MP from hunting country drives through a fox-hunting ban in a new Labour administration but she's just a PAWN in a political GAME to expose the Lords as an anachronism and get it abolished (cos they will inevitably oppose it, utterly at odds with public opinion). But OH NOES she actually gets it passed. So she wins but the party machine loses. What a downer.

I often think of this when the foxy-boxing ban comes up. I often think of Charlotte Coleman anyway.

Yeah, poor girl...

I am mildly in favour of repealing the ban tbh. Field Sports is one of those things that might/mightn't be morally dubious but isn't a criminal issue for me.

Can't agree with this. That sort of institutionalised sadism belongs in the past. You may as well legalise dog fighting and badger-baiting.

A lot of the dudes that suffered under the ban were not comedy toffs.

Think that this line was overplayed by the pro-hunt lobby. I'm all for the government investing in rural economies and creating local jobs, but the quaint old hobby of animal mutilation is not the way to go.

i coldn't give 1x fuck about foxhunting. banning it was a massive diversionary tactic.

And repealing it will be that tenfold, just a political move without any sort of moral basis.

I think it's easy enough to draw a distinction between dog fighting and fox hunting. There's probably a bunch of other threads for this so I won't go on but I still think that a thing can be morally abhorrent (not my opinion on hunting but anyway) without being illegal.

I still think that a thing can be morally abhorrent ... without being illegal.

That's an interesting discussion a total clusterfuck in itself, I think. Where do we set the bar for legislation against moral wrongdoing?

"capitalism has killed more people than Hitler"

– ken livingstone

^ pfft. obviously. i can think of more victims of capitalism than just hitler.

lawl

I sb'd NV because he only started driving at 53, tbh

too creepy
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01637/cleggeron3_1637590f.jpg

NSFW: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teresa_May

ha ha i saw teresa a while ago

Which one?

without the h (just the wiki)

sad that there isn't a tehresa may

Brecow returned as speaker virtually unopposed although I think I heard Dorries shout "nay".

Bercow obviously.

http://www.bloggerheads.com/images/nad-banner.gif

Cameron goes after the 1922 Committee: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8693078.stm

Liberal Conservatives in 2015, anyone?

Murdoch has already visited Downing Street

Breaking news: LATEST: Extradition of computer hacker Gary McKinnon on hold as home secretary reviews medical evidence. More details soon …

Hooray for Theresa May?

Jeremy Hunt's Twitter assault on Clegg mysteriously disappears
http://www.bloggerheads.com/archives/2010/05/jeremy-hunt-memory-hole.asp

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/may/19/royal-mail-privatisation-plan

er

Cable believes that while Royal Mail remains in state ownership it cannot compete in a liberalised postal market.

vs

The company made an operating profit of £184m in the first six months of the year, up slightly on the previous year.

And here was us foolishly saying "how much damage can they do? what else is there left for them to privatise?"

The company made an operating profit of £184m in the first six months of the year, up slightly on the previous year.

tbf the issue is getting the pensions liability off govt books

The government is likely to offer to meet workers' retirement benefits if privatisation goes ahead, as Mandelson did last year.

what else is there left for them to privatise?

Welfare (don't know how that would work tho) ... NHS, of course ... still a lot I'd say

The BBC, libraries...

tbf the issue is getting the pensions liability off govt books

Yes but "they can't compete" doesn't cut it as an excuse when they clearly can. They'd be better attacking it from "unfair state funded advantage" like they do the BBC.

Oh yes, I was thinking about libraries recently, I imagine a lot of them will probably be shut (xp)

The company made an operating profit of £184m in the first six months of the year, up slightly on the previous year.

"Operating profit" isn't the same as real profit though. Operating profit is what companies report when they're haemmoraging money elsewhere.

Still, it'll be amusing to watch the Labour MPs who were wholly in favour of privatising the Royal Mail last year suddenly decide it's a terrible idea.

It is a terrible idea obviously. Not to mention that the real reason it failed was because no one actually wanted to buy it.

Oh yes, I was thinking about libraries recently, I imagine a lot of them will probably be shut (xp)

BIG SOCIETY!

What kind of sociopath would close a *library*...? Oh wait.

BIG SOCIETY!

Big books, big words, big deal (just using the officially sanctioned language of The Coalition)

Still, it'll be amusing to watch the Labour MPs who were wholly in favour of privatising the Royal Mail last year suddenly decide it's a terrible idea.

If you think that's amusing, wait till the vote on voting reform!

Big Society Bank

On Big Society Street, the Big Society Bus Stop is right outside it, it's between Big Society McDonalds and a big branch of Big Society Boots

Don't worry, it'll soon close and be turned into a Big Society Tescos.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00719/HIPs__2__719315a.jpg

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00719/Home_Information_Pa_719232a.jpg

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00719/HIPs__3__719301a.jpg

Blond woman next to la Allsop looks like John Major in bad drag.

Big Society Eric

Is that a Post Office?

They're very good at gimmicks this lot aren't they, red tape to-day, Cameron walking to Parliament yesterday, tomorrow Clarkson hacking down a speed camera on the A1.

I think it's something to do with getting rid of HIPs - the red tape surrounding selling your house. Either that or it's was a giant house-shaped cake.

So basically we're back at a situation where every single buyer has to get their own searches etc done for each property, well done everybody.

By the way, well done to the kids at City & Islington College, just along from my gaff, for booing the Traitor Clegg yesterday

i used to live right opposite!

Yeah, I figured as much what with the fragrant Allsop there, that was her thing. I suppose now they've done it she's redundant, except as Lords fodder.

xp

More New Politics in action, fix the House of Commons, fix the House of Lords, fuck up your backbenchers