Tim Phillips-White

I've Moved.......

2009-09-09T14:11:00.001-07:00

So, this blog has now moved to a new site. Here is the new address: http://tgpw.wordpress.com/

Justice for Jean - Never Forget

2009-07-27T16:19:00.000-07:00

Jean Charles De Menezes was an innocent man who died in tragic circumstances after being shot dead by police in 2005. His story has touched people worldwide. The family and local community have maintained a temporary shrine for 4 years, outside Stockwell station, to express the huge amount of public sympathy about the manner and circumstances in which he died.

Please click on the above title / link, and sign the petition for a permanent memorial to be placed at Stockwell Tube Station.

Not in My Name........

2009-07-22T06:28:00.000-07:00

Moving Forward

2009-07-22T05:02:00.000-07:00

This is just a quick update on the new Worcestershire / Wyre Forest, Hope not Hate group. Since my last post I have been hard at work building support in the local area, and have so far been delighted with the positive response given by the majority of people.

The local faith based communities are keen to get involved, and so far we have been able to arrange meetings with local both the local clergy and people from the inter faith community.

Other local community groups have been just as positive, with only a few negative voices. We are also looking to gain support from our local political parties; so far we've heard positive noises coming from both the Tories and the Liberal Democrats - we hope to be meeting them both in the very near future. No word from our local Labour group so far though; which from a personal point of view is very disappointing.

Meetings with local union members and students will also be taking place in August.

There is a long, long way to go though.

We're under no illusion that the next 12 months are going to be easy. The BNP already have their supporters in the area; it is therefore vital that as a community we show a united front against the politics of hate, and in doing so, not only protect what we already have, but build a better future for all of us.

More updates to follow -as always, if you require further information please contact me at timphillipswhite@gmail.com .

Email from Labour NEC - European and Local Elections

2009-07-12T06:55:00.001-07:00

Below, you can read an email from our local NEC contact regarding the 'fall out' following the European and Local elections - some interesting points are raised.

Hi all

First, thanks to councillors, MEPs, candidates, activists, members

and fellow-travellers for campaigning right through to 4 June in

the face of difficulties beyond your control and which you did not

deserve.

I’ve received several requests for an extra NEC meeting to

analyse the results, and to ensure that all members are involved

in future policy-making and that the manifesto reflects Labour

values.

This has not proved possible. In fact the original plan was to

postpone the May NEC meeting to June, but a date could not be

found which fitted with union conferences and other

commitments. So the NEC will meet next on Tuesday 21 July for

a full day, to allow extended discussion. This gives time to collect

feedback, and I would be interested in:

1) reasons for Labour losses, both local and European, and

reasons for any good results against the overall trend

2) what the party leadership can do to rebuild towards the

general election, organisationally and politically

3) how members’ views can be taken into account in policy-

making. The national policy forum “Warwick” agreement dates

back to last July, before the recession, and needs reviewing, but

time and resources do not allow another full-scale forum with

thousands of direct amendments. Are members and local parties

happy to work through their NPF representatives, and if not, what

is the alternative within the Partnership in Power framework?

4) what policies represent “Labour values”?

5) whether conference should return to resolutions or stay with

the experiment on “contemporary issues” introduced in 2007

6) anything else I should know.

Second, a number of questions have been asked about the

NEC’s special endorsements panel (the “star chamber”). One of

the problems is that the panel cannot decide who it wishes to

interview. It only investigates MPs referred to it by the chief whip

and the general secretary, and then has to decide whether they

have crossed lines drawn by the Green Book or by what members

and voters would expect. However the criteria for referral are not

clear, and this has led to perceptions of unequal treatment at the

initial stage, which I share.

The national audit office is examining all MPs' expenses for the

last four years, and we expect their report to provide objective

benchmarks, and perhaps lists of "flippers", extravagant

spenders, tax avoiders, and other types of misdemeanour. I

believe it would be preferable, except in extreme cases, for MPs

to come through this process, so that their situation is considered

alongside others where similar issues are involved.

The NEC will be reviewing the process, but conflicting views have

been expressed to me recently. Members want wrongdoers dealt

with through clear evidence-based decisions, which means

waiting for the audit report and further interviews. But they also

want a speedy conclusion so we can get back to policy, which

means either ignoring some transgressions or risking summary

injustice. Again, comments are welcome.

Depending on the number of replies I may not have time to

answer every point individually, but promise to read and take

them all into account for the next NEC.

Thanks again

NEC constituency representative

Hope not Hate in Birmingham

2009-07-12T04:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a number of Hope not Hate supporters met in Birmingham following an email invite from Nick Lowles. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the recent European elections, and more importantly how we move forward in the future.

It was a great opportunity to meet other local activists, and reminded me how important our efforts are in helping to stop the BNP at a local and national level.

Following the main discussion we split into groups to discuss local activism, and I'm delighted to report that I came away feeling enthused and ready for the hard work ahead. I will now be organising activities in my local area,(North Worcestershire), and will do all I can to help out in Birmingham.

Some really great ideas came out of the discussion. I will be working hard, not only to involve the local political parties in my area, but also community groups, students, trade union members and members of the various faith based communities.

We will be organising social events, trying to recruit new helpers and organisers, and looking to mobilise support as and when needed.

This is just the start. We have a huge fight ahead of us; the BNP will be feeling confident after the European elections, and we must do all we can to put a stop to their growth. This is much bigger than party politics - we're talking about the very future of our great country. All that we love and hold dear is at threat if we don't get together and act now - those who still hold the view that the problem is not real need to wake up now before it's too late.

So, how to get involved? If you live in the Birmingham area look out for local events; many of these will probably be organised in some way by Claire Spencer, (@thedancingflea - if you're on Twitter). Claire is an excellent organiser, and I'm sure that things in Birmingham will really move forward due to her hard work. If you live in Worcestershire and want to get involved, please get in touch with me - either leave me a comment, or email me at timphillipswhite@gmail.com .

Quick Update

2009-07-12T03:54:00.000-07:00

So, it’s been a month or so since I last posted anything around these parts. There have been several reasons for this; work and life have been very busy for one thing; but there is also the fact that I've become so pissed off with politics, and the Labour party in recent weeks.

Things came to a head a few weeks ago when I almost cancelled my party membership - this has only happened once before, at the start of the Iraq war; and at that time I did in fact leave the party for a year.

Now, before anyone thinks that I might have fallen into bed with one of the other parties, let me assure you, this would never happen.

The core principles of Socialism run through me like the blood in my veins or the marrow in my bones - they are key to who I am as a person, and to how I live my life.

Like any long term relationship, there can be rough times. Times when you lose faith, times when you really wish you could just walk away.

Times when you feel powerless and ignored.

This has been my main problem. The feeling that the ‘powers that be’ disregard the views of those very people who allow them to be in office in the first place. The feeling that no matter what we say or do the heart and soul of the party will be ignored.

I honestly don’t know what to think anymore. Until very recently I would have told you that the prospect of removing Brown at this stage would be crazy. It would force us to call the general election early, which would in effect be suicide.

Now I’m not so sure.

Looking at 2010, what can we really hope for? Can win the general election? Well, in my heart I would still maintain yes; however, my head tells me something different; something I have no wish to even contemplate at this stage.

Yet, I’m still a member of Labour. In spite of all the disappointment, the broken promises, the lack of communication and weakness - I will not walk away this time. Now, more then ever we must unite as a party, as a movement for change and for good - which is what, in my heart I believe we are.

We must be strong, toughen up. Expose the Tories for what they are, opportunist and without policy. We must build on our success and put right our mistakes.

Effective leadership must come from the top; however, now is the time for us to take our party back. For all those hardworking activists to be listened to and appreciated for the hard work they carry out. Most importantly we must listen to the public; people are angry, worried about their jobs and the future for their families and friends. Our key objective must be to regain the trust of the general public, and that includes our core base of voters - the ones who now prefer to stay at home when elections take place.

We have so much to be proud of - the NHS and Minimum Wage to name but two. Now is the time to start fighting for our countries future. It would be a disaster for the UK if the Tories were to win in 2010; I for one don’t want Cameron to be our PM, and for that alone we must do all we can to ensure that doesn’t ever happen...

One Small Victory

2009-06-06T02:55:00.000-07:00

A quick update from the local county council elections here in Worcestershire. As readers will know, the BNP decided to stand in the one Kidderminster ward with an Asian candidate, standing for the Tories.

I am delighted to report that the BNP were defeated on this occasion, with the Tory candidate, Mr Ahmed winning the seat. As such, a big thank you must go out to the clear majority of local residents who chose to reject the hate filled policies of the BNP.

One must still call into question however the three hundred residents who did vote BNP. Many of these, I’m sure were taken in by the BNP advertising campaign, as well as the ineffective campaigning from the other parties. It just goes to show that even after this one small local victory, there is still a lot of work in the community to do in order to change hearts and minds.

On a personal note, I took it upon myself to conduct what amounted to a one man door step campaign on behalf of Hope not Hate, and in the space of several weeks managed to deliver over two thousand leaflets. I hope that in some way the public took note of the real danger that the BNP represent, and if so, it makes the sunburn and aching feet all the more worth it!

All that awaits now are the European Election results on Sunday………

BTW: As mentioned above, the BNP recieved 300 votes - Labour only recieved 225, putting them in last place in that particular ward.

Newsquest and the BNP

2009-05-21T00:24:00.000-07:00

Printed below you will see a copy of a letter that I sent to the Kidderminster Shuttle, (a Newsquest publication), following the announcement that the BNP were intending to field a candidate in the Worcestershire County Council elections on June 4th.

As you will see from a previous post last week, they have decided to stand in a ward that just happens to have an Asian candidate.

Cynical move to target ward

I was disappointed to read in the the Shuttle that the BNP intend to field a candidate in the forthcoming local elections.

The shameless way in which the BNP have targeted this ward is beyond belief – to parachute their candidate in against the only local candidate of Asian decent, (the Tory candidate Mr Ahmed), is not only shocking, but also cynical to the highest degree.

I feel that I must also mention the comments provided by the BNP spokesman , Simon Darby. I am disappointed that you decided to print such inflammatory comments as part of the article.

Darby has a history of provocation, and I would hope that the people of Kidderminster are not fooled by this man, or his party.

It is now time for all the other main political parties, (and members of the public), in the area to unite and fight against the threat that the BNP pose to democracy and the future of our communities, town, county and country.

Tim Phillips-White, Kidderminster

I am pleased to say that they have published the letter in this weeks edition.

However, this still does not excuse the non-removal of BNP adverts from the online editions of their publications,(including the Kidderminster Shuttle). After increased pressure earlier this week, Newsquest did remove the offending items, but only it seems for twenty four hours. They have now returned.

For my part, I will be contacting Newsquest again today, to again ask for the averts to be removed once and for all.

Dark Days........

2009-05-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to avoid writing about the events of the past few weeks following the Telegraphs revelations. The reason for my absence is simple; I had no wish to churn out the same platitudes time and time gain, that and the fact that in no way would I ever use the phrase, "Pigs in the trough", "Pigs with their snouts in the trough" or "Self-Serving pigs, with their snouts in the trough and probably up your bum, so there...".

Whilst this has been a dreadful few weeks for democracy and our political system as a whole, being known as a Labour party member has been something akin to being involved in animal torture. The ridicule, the scorn and disgust - directed both at the party and at myself for being stupid enough to support Brown and his rapidly sinking rowing boat.

Why, in that case do I still support the party? Why, when I really feel that I've had enough do I carry on regardless?

The only real answer to this is quite simple really....

I do not support New Labour. I am not a member of New Labour.

I am a very proud member of the Labour Party. Always have been, always will be.

I believe in equality for all. Opportunity for the many and not the few. I believe in a welfare state that lends a helping hand to those most vulnerable in society, including our greatest achievement - the National Health Service.

New Labour is dead. I mean really dead, rotting, causing one hell of a stink and classed as a great danger to public health.

In spite of all the turmoil, anger and tribulations - this can only be a good thing for all of us on the progressive left of the party. This may sound churlish twelve years later, but the fact is, voting for Blair was the lesser of two evils. Many of us were so happy to finally have a Labour Government that we'd probably have even supported James Purnell if we'd had too.

Blair and his colleagues began to strip away the heart and soul of the party - quite deliberately. They tool a calculated risk that even disaffected Labour voters had no where else to go, and at the same time won over the floating voters of middle England who were sick of Major and Tory sleaze.

What Blair did is unforgivable - he changed the party to such a degree, that here, today in 2009, it is almost unrecognisable to a large section of society. They betrayed the heart and soul of the party, stripped away the very essence that made us proud to be involved with the party in the first place.

Here, twelve years later we see the result, we are unelectable, our leader and Prime Minister appears to lost all authority over his ministers and MPs,he appears weak, and spends far too much time dithering over decisions where quick,decisive action is required.

There are dark days ahead for us, make no mistake.

Should we change leader at this stage? Until this week, I would have answered no to that question. To change leader at this stage would mean calling a general election shortly after. There would be only one outcome to this - slaughter. The party would be destroyed, and Cameron would be handed an election victory based not on the strength of his own policies, but on the public hatred and disgust at Labour.

Twelve months on, we may still suffer a very heavy defeat, however I don't believe that things would be quite as disastrous as the result of an early election.

So, do we stick with Brown, in the vain hope that he can regain his moral authority over the cabinet and the PLP. Or, do we call on Alan Johnson to save us? In all honesty, at this moment in time I really don't know the answer to that question.

BNP - a little too close to home

2009-05-14T09:41:00.000-07:00

Disappointing news from Worcestershire today. Until this week, the BNP had seen fit to leave my town alone, preferring to stick to the more industrial Black Country area west of Birmingham. As I said, that is until this week.

I found out today,via a screaming front-page headline in our local paper, that a BNP candidate would be standing for election to Worcestershire County Council. I don't want the BNP in my town, I hate the idea that a district of Kidderminster will be represented by Tony Gervis and his fascist cronies.

As I mentioned before, this has made the front page of our local paper, the Kidderminster Shuttle, who even managed to get a few words from Simon Darby on the subject - honestly, how this man sleeps at night I don't know?

Take this as an example:

"We don't want immigration to turn Kidderminster into a place like Handsworth or Lozells in Birmingham. What About English people and their rights?"

I should point out at this moment that the population of Kidderminster and it's surrounding areas are probably 98% white British. This is bullshit of the highest order from Darby, and whilst I'm not surprised, I am disgusted by the very fact that he's even been in the area recently.

Now, all this is bad enough, it really is. Until that is you take a look to see which ward Gervis will be contesting, and more importantly, who the opposition is.

This is where the BNP really come into their own. We have one Asian candidate in the area, Mr Mumshad Ahmed, from the Conservatives, and it wouldn't take a genius to work out where the BNP candidate has been parachuted into. As I said, this shouldn't come as a great surprise, these are quite normal tactics from the BNP; however, this shouldn't detract from how despicable these tactics are,not withstanding the fact the their candidate lives at least twenty miles from Kidderminster.

The time for action in Kidderminster is now. The BNP can not be allowed to gain a foothold in this area, something that frightens me the most.

I have began to speak to the other local parties - unity now is more important than ever, and I'm hopeful that I can persuade the other candidates to provide a united front on this one subject.

This Saturday, I will be taking part in a HOPE not hate day of action in Worcester -I'm hopeful that some of those involved can be persuaded to join my fight in Kidderminster to rid the town of people such as Darby and Gervis.

Bob from the BNP - Part Three

2009-05-05T09:53:00.000-07:00

So, readers, here we are with the third and final instalment of my charming email correspondence with 'Bob', from one of the regional BNP offices in London. As you will know, the resourceful Bob obtained details of my email address, and proceeded to send me several hateful, but equally pathetic emails.

Below, you will the third and final email, in it's full glory:

On Fri, May 1, 2009 at 3:24 PM, bob wrote:
>
> I have sent you just a few emails and I have received numerous replies.
>
>
>
> The BNP lists were leaked by people like yourself and those on that list received harassment and death threats. Some people were physically attacked. A lot were elderly people. You seek to dehumanise us but most of us are actually Ex Labour activists and supporters and left leaning. We are neither fundamentalists or Extremists when compared to the wreckers of this country and the war mongers.
>
>
>
> Put yourself in my shoes. I have your email addresses and more. Do you see the irony of it all coming full circle. Is it not time to repent for your sinful ways and turn your back on doing the dirty work of the state.
>
>

So, is this just pathetic attempt to put the wind up a thirty five year old part time activist, or should I be worried about this at all? To be honest, my first natural reaction is fucking anger - how fucking dare they send me shit like this!

I've yet to decide how to reply - any ideas?!

Bob from the BNP - Part Two

2009-05-01T06:38:00.001-07:00

I've been receiving some fairly hateful emails from one of the BNP offices based in London this week, and I'm sorry to say that even after a polite request for these to cease, (stupid, I know) - they still seem to be continuing.

Take today's email for example: Reasons to Vote BNP and Muslims Hate Gays - yet another tour de force of lies and bullshit.

Once again, this shows the subversive and desperate measures that the BNP will take in order to obtain votes at the expense of the disillusioned voter.

This extract from the email is a good example:

The Anti-Democratic organisation Searchlight is ordering the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community not to vote for the BNP through its front group "Hope Not Hate".

This follows Harriet Harman's venom filled interview with PinkNews.co.uk, she said: "the BNP are homophobic and reactionary", amongst the usual smears. This is the same woman who once favoured making sexually explicit child porn photos or films legal — as long as the kids were not harmed.

She also wanted the age of consent lowered to 14 and incest to be decriminalised.

Further proof that we must all stand together to defeat the BNP.

HOPE not hate

2009-05-01T05:33:00.000-07:00

Following on from my blog earlier this week regarding the very real threat of BNP success at next months Euro elections, I mentioned that it was vital for local activists to work together at this important time.

For more information on the excellent Searchlight campaign - HOPE not hate, please see the web address below. Their site will provide you with information with regards to activities in your local area.

http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/

Gurkhas vote defeat....

2009-04-29T10:26:00.000-07:00

I am so proud of those Labour MP's who felt unable to vote with Government this afternoon and decided to abstain.

I think it was just about clear to everyone just how out of step the Governments plans were amongst the other parties, and more importantly, throughout the country.

Congratulations to Nick Clegg - he made his point well during PMQ's - leaving Gordon the defend the indefensible. A word also for Martin Salter - a true hero.

Working together to stop the BNP

2009-04-29T09:57:00.000-07:00

Good article in the Guardian today by Peter Hain with regards to the challenge we all face in defeating the BNP and the far-right.

This time last year I posted a blog commenting on how the main political parties were being far too complacent in their handling of the BNP. For a long time it has seemed all too easy to ignore them, or treat them as a minor annoyance. Twelve months later, here we are facing the very real prospect of the BNP gaining seats at the Euro elections in June; a risk that we have to all take very seriously.

Now, more then ever, the time has now arrived for unity amongst our three major parties. This has to happen at national and at a local level; there needs to be a clear agreement as to the best way to confront this problem head on, and in Labour's case, on how to reconnect with a section of our local support who now feel more aligned to the BNP and their dressed up policies.

The old ways of protest no longer work, no amount of shouting or banner waving is going to seriously damage their chances next month or beyond. The second part of the answer remains at grass root level, we need to be out there, on the doorsteps challenging the BNP's policies at each and every opportunity,showing people the truth behind the spin, and more importantly, reconnecting with the white, working class vote before we lose them for good.

The problem is real and growing, the challenge is there. We must all face this head on, work together, and hopefully make some real progress in our communities and the country as a whole.

Just imagine the prospect of BNP Euro MP's....

'Bob' from the BNP

2009-04-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post....

It's always nice when you have look at your emails to discover that some idiot from the BNP has come across your email address. I would therefore like to thank 'Bob' from the BNP in London for sending me a load of racist bullshit to read today, one of which was entitled "The Media and Global Jihad" - a most interesting read.

Anyway, I thought it would be the polite thing to do to reply to him, so I have. Oh, and here are his contact details, just in case you feel like saying 'hello'....;.

london@bnp.org.uk
dateTue, Apr 28, 2009 at 11:50 AM
subjectThe Media and Global Jihad
signed-bybnp.org.uk

Even more old crap from 2006.....

2009-03-17T12:04:00.000-07:00

Don't know where I keep digging these up from.....first written in 2006.

Sly & The Family Stone: There's A Riot Going On

Try to imagine the most fucked up, off its head album that you can? If you multiply that thought by about a hundred the answer you'll get is There's A Riot Going On; the 1971 album by Sly & The Family Stone.

By 1970, the band should have been at their creative and commercial peak. A run of top selling albums and singles had been topped off with a performance at the Woodstock music festival. However, things were far from good; the band had been missing performances and Sly was slipping into drug problems of epic proportions.

On top of that, their new album was taking forever to record.

The majority of the album was being recorded at Sly's rented LA mansion. His home had become like your worst nightmare; full of friends, hangers on, drug dealers, drug addicts, armed bodyguards and several pets. These included a vicious pit-bull and, for some reason, a baboon.

Recording sessions went on and on. Sly, often working for days on end without sleep; kept awake by a cocktail of cocaine and PCP. The bands record label, Epic had no idea what was going on at the house; recording costs increased and the release date was put back time and time again. Even the bands manager had no control over Sly; who by this stage had become a law unto himself.

People involved with the making of this record are not even certain if their contributions are included on the finished recording. If you look at some of the people possibly involved however, its amazing. At some point, Miles Davis, Billy Preston and Bobby Womack were involved, although its almost impossible to tell where. Billy Preston however, was almost certainly responsible for the electric piano parts on Family Affair.

We talk these days about Lo-Fi albums; recorded work that has a rough, recorded at home feel to it. This was the original Lo-Fi album. The songs sound raw and the sound quality at times is really poor. Don't think that this was on purpose however. The only reason the recordings have this quality to them is because the tapes were almost worn out due to the amount of re-recording and overdubbing that took place in the studio. One story recalls how Sly would get various girls to sleep with him on the basis that they could sing backing vocals on the album. This would take place and when they'd left and Sly had had his way, he would wipe the vocal tracks and start again.

I think this album is amazing. Compared to the bands earlier work, its a very dark, bleak recording. If you compare it to the other major release of 1971; the seminal Whats Going On by Marvin Gaye, you can see how these two albums are the polar opposites of each other.

Gaye's album shows concern for the environment, war and the people affected by the fall out of Vietnam. But most of all it does carry a positive message of hope and faith in God. The Family Stones album is down in the gutter; its the 1970's and life looks bad. Too many problems, not enough time, and no solutions.

This is a late night album; one which sounds best at three in the morning when you cant sleep and the world seems against you. Its very easy to sink into the tracks on this album, to become part of them, letting them envelop you - proper headphones music.

This album contains some key Family Stone tracks, Family Affair, Runnin' Away and (You Caught Me) Smilin' amongst them. I love the whole album, in Slys hands, warm funk rhythms become a vehicle for regret and despair. The first four tracks on this album, (Family Affair included), Luv' N' Haight, Just Like A Baby and Poet are just incredible; lyrically and musically.

If you've not listened to this before - get it. You need this album

Some old crap from 2006.....

2009-03-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

This is an old blog I found the other day, written when I was still full of hope for the future!!!!

Worcestershire, May 1991: I'm stuck at home revising for my A-Levels. God its boring, summers just started to arrive, and I'd rather be anywhere then here in my bedroom, surrounded by history and economics text books.

Most of my mates have left school already, and are probably making the most of the weather getting pissed down at the local on cheap beer. Not me though, I've got to stay here for the time being; working and feeling sorry for myself. I really want to get this all over with; finish school and get to my eighteenth birthday in July, then I'll be free of all this unbelievably tedious shit

Home, July 2006: Thinking back, 91' was such a great year for music for me personally, (leaving out the start and demise of my ill-fated band - think New Order / Happy Mondays with Birmingham accents). Two of my all time favourite albums had been released that year 'Blue Lines' by 'Massive Attack' and 'Road to Freedom' by The Young Disciples. Both releases radically changed the way I looked at, and thought about music.

So,lets go back to 1991. Probably looking for an excuse not to do any work one day I was flicking through a copy of Melody Maker. As usual, I was casting my eye over the singles reviews for that week; in doing so, one in particular catches my eye; a new release by some band from London called Saint Etienne. The single was called 'Nothing Can Stop Us'.

Being the 'big fish' musically amongst my group of friends, I'd always thought that I was clued up when it came to new bands and new releases; but I knew nothing about Saint Etienne - had never heard of them before.

The review made the record sound incredible; over the intervening years I must have damaged a few brain cells, but I can still just about remember general gist of things. The reviewer mentioned that the record felt like the first day of summer; the first really warm day of the year, when the leaves are out, the birds are singing away and you can take your school jumper off and wrap it around your waist. More importantly anything could happen..

This review captured my imagination so much - sure the sun was indeed shining outside and the birds were singing; but I was trapped inside revising. I wanted to know what this record felt like. More importantly, I wanted to see if the review was in fact correct, or if he'd been talking a load of old shit.

As I often did back in those days, (before the wonder of the internet), I caught the bus into down and purchased a copy from the local Our Price; I'm still amazed that they actually had it in the first place.

The cover gave little away, (God, I LOVE reading record covers!!), except for a gorgeous photo of the singer Sarah Cracknell on the back, (you can imagine what a seventeen year old thought about that). It was always, (still is), so exciting buying new records; jumping off the bus and walking home as quick as I could, running straight up the stairs to my bedroom to play this latest gem - almost quite ritualistic in a way.

I had no idea what to expect, none at all - and then I heard it for the first time.

By St Enids toenail what a record!!!!! The Northern Soul bass and drums, the magical guitar stabs, all topped off with Sarah Cracknell's wrap around, gooey vocals..

The review was so right, this record sounded almost perfect to me; despite the 60s soul references, the record sounded so new, clean and modern. The main thing however was that it planted a massive smile on my face - its still there fifteen years later as I sit here listening to the record again whilst writing this.

A great record should make you feel something; make you giddy, feel drunk or high; make the blood rush to your head. A great record should make you want to dance, sing, fall in love, kiss someone - it should make ANYTHING seem possible.

That record was aptly named, because it made me feel all of those things back then; and it still does now

They could have left it there; just released that one, perfect record. That would have been enough; of course though, they've released stacks of great records in the years since then.

TPW 4/7/06

The Pure Evil of Twitter

2009-03-14T04:46:00.000-07:00

I have a small confession to make, nothing too major, but something that’s been bothering me anyway. I’ve been spending far too much time on Twitter.

Not only that, but the state of mind of one or two of my small band of ‘followers’ has started to not only concern me, but frankly has me tearing my hair out.

Don’t get me wrong, Twitter can be fun, it can be distracting and quite amusing at times; but there are some disturbed maniacs out there who take the whole thing way too seriously. Have we really come to a point in 2009 where people consider strangers on Twitter to be their real life ‘friends’?

I’ve come across some odd behaviour this week, what can only be described as stalking, I swear, some people must spend all day on there – and I feel bad for spending the odd hour here and there…. Then there are the people who are so obsessed with every living moment of every Z List celebrity; spending their time practically begging to be followed. I’m not in any position to judge another persons behaviour, but come on, for fucks sake, get a fucking life…Or at least a fraction of one.

Conclusion - keep away from Twitter!!

Oh, and why the fuck is Bill Oddie following me!!??

Guess what?! I'm back!

2009-03-12T11:17:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's right kids; after the best part of eight long months I have now returned; and i'm bloody well pissed off!

So, the gloves are now off, new blogs will follow and heads will roll!

In saying that, even though I've got a lot to get off me big old chest at the moment, I will be posting a lot more music based stuff and a lot less political guff...

This is just a quick 'hello' - I will be back very soon...

Oh, and Happy 40th Birthday to Mr Graham Coxon.....

TPW

Buffoon Barnbrook's Blogging Bonanza

2008-05-29T04:35:00.000-07:00

In recent weeks I’ve been impressed, if not a little obsessed, by the continued steam of stupidity appearing on the blog of Nadine Dorries. I must admit that it has become an entertaining part of my daily routine, even if this does leave me a little ashamed.

However, I’m pleased, (alarmed), to see that an even bigger buffoon has entered the blogging world. Step forward Mr Richard Barnbrook – BNP London Assembly member.

It’s been widely reported this week that Barnbrook now has a blogging profile on the Daily Telegraph website, even so I was a little late in getting chance to look at it following my failed attempts to get Marriella Frostrup to agree to marry me whilst at the Hay Festival.

Ballet loving Barnbrook has only had chance to post a few blogs so far – however, I’m sure you’ll all agree that he’s obviously started in the way that he means to go on. For example; take two of his chosen topics: ‘Lilly Allen and the BNP’, and the tour de force that is ‘Blame the Immigrants’.

The latter is a hate filled rant that is simply abhorrent. However, as a supporter of free speech, I do feel that groups such as the BNP should be given a platform to air their views; to suppress them only makes their case stronger. One could argue that a national newspaper should not be allowing individuals such as Barnbrook the opportunity to air such disgraceful views – one only has to look at some of the comments from his supporters to see what the true views of the BNP faithful really are.

What really is disgusting is Barnbrook’s behaviour following the tragic death of Robert Knox in Sidcup. In front of his own camera crew and speaking in front of a group of the victims friends, Barnbrook said that:

“This is a sickening situation and it is primarily down to people coming to this country... the majority 75% (of murders) are done by ethnic minorities and when only 33% come from ethnic minorities, the figures speak for themselves."

Coming after the half-crazed rant on his blog, it seems that there really are no levels to which the BNP won’t stoop in order to gain publicity.

Barnbrook even gives out what is supposedly his own mobile phone number so that supporters can contact him if they want to attend a meeting outside City Hall.

Pathetic.

Barnbrook is an idiot, but he’s also a dangerous idiot. The way to fight the BNP is not to censor them; this will only play straight into their hands.

The Madness of Queen Nadine

2008-05-27T09:02:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make – being a committed atheist makes this a hard thing to do; but a confession it is none the less.

Even here ensconced in Hay on Wye, attempting to appear far more intelligent than I could ever hope to be, I find I’ve become obsessed by the ever more crazy outpourings of Nadine Dorries.

Today’s news from Nadine really caught me by surprise. Apparently, she’s been in contact with various leaders from the Muslim world, who, like her were horrified by the abortion bill result this week.

Now, perhaps this is just a little bit too bloody obvious, but do you think that these Muslim leaders would be just as horrified if they knew who Nadine’s partners in crime were!?!? Now, I’m not sure, and this is only a slim chance; but do you think they’d have a problem supporting an MP who openly has the support of a group who describe Islam as a ‘false religion’…

Mmmmm, I wonder…..

Deluded is not the word…..

Nadine Dorries - Humility Personified

2008-05-23T08:57:00.000-07:00

Nice to see that every fundamentalist Christian’s favourite stooge – Nadine Dorries, has been crowing on about the Crewe and Nantwich by-election result.
Funny that, as I’m sure Cameron would hate that sort of triumphalism.

Poor Nadine’s mood must have improved over the last 24 hours – as she now seems to be full of goodwill for all around her!

“Congratulations Edward, the warmest welcome awaits you. What a stonking, amazing victory that was.”

“How incredible is Eric Pickles? What an amazing man.”

“Did you see David Cameron? He was bursting with energy and pleasure and goodwill to all men.”

Nadine’s own personal supply of goodwill does not however stretch to my favourite old teacher – Jacqui Smith. Not only has she had to suffer a brutal assault at the hands of the Police Federation this week; now Nadine has also got it in for her.

“The ridged look on Jacqui Smiths face gives me huge pleasure.”

“She is possibly the most arrogant and least pleasant of all the Labour women. There will be no seat turning from red to blue which will give me as much pleasure as that one.”

Steady on Nadine! Baring in mind some of the people you’ve been spending time with recently, I really don’t think you should be passing judgement on your fellow MPs.

Still, at least her Christian values come shining through in the end!

“PS I haven’t been triumphant or complacent in this blog have I?”

Oh, Nadine!!!!

Can’t see the Dunwoody for the trees

2008-05-23T06:08:00.000-07:00

Battered, bruised and humiliated – but enough of my private life; it’s safe to say that last night did indeed turn in to a long, dark night of the soul.

It’s one thing to expect a defeat, but even I was shocked by the spanking we received last night. To lose the seat was bad enough, but to see such a massive swing towards the Tories confirms my worst fears as to just how unpopular Gordon Brown and the government really are amongst a section of traditional Labour voters.

We really must now finally wake up and realise that not only have we lost those Tory voters who were happy to support Blair in the absence of a credible Tory leader, but that we are also losing traditional, long term Labour supporters from all parts of society.

This wasn’t just about voters wanting to give the government a damn good kicking; I’m worried that there are now actually Labour supporters who feel that they would be better off under a Conservative administration.

Of, course, this by-election has been a fairly easy process for the Tories – after all, we’ve done most of the hard work for them by being so bloody inept. One must also look at a poorly conceived and run campaign, which unfortunately dominated the headlines, taking away any serious message that Tamsin would have been able to put forward. The Tory campaign team couldn’t believe their luck; such is the hatred for Labour at this present time, they found it easy to fight a campaign without actually having to say much in the first place.

However, in saying that, I still feel that too much has been made of any potential fall out from a negative, childish and ill thought out campaign. The facts are simple; the large turnout shows that suburban Tory supporters are now coming back out to vote for Cameron; this coupled with the ever increasing amount of pissed off Labour supporters now switching to the Tories could well spell disaster, and as some are now saying shows a real change of tide in the countries political landscape.

As for the Lib Dems, I had expected a section of the Labour vote to transfer to them as a form of mid-term protest, (looking back - I wish it had!), however, this didn’t occur. It now seems as if they also lost votes to the Tories, something that I’m not awfully surprised by. Still, this does not bode well for their chances at the general election.

One thing I would say however is how much dignity Tamsin showed last night following her defeat. I’m sure many of us were very moved by her speech, and I hope that the party can show a bit more of the fight and commitment to socialist values that were not only showed by her late Mother, but by her also.

More to come when I’ve had chance to recover and get rid of my Tory induced hangover……

Vote Comrades, Vote!!!

2008-05-22T02:30:00.000-07:00

Well the day of the Crewe and Nantwich apocalypse has finally arrived. For days now the dark clouds of defeat have been gathering over one of the few openly socialist homes in north Worcestershire, (mine in case you wondered!).

It’s been hard to escape from the general vale of gloom and despair closing in on my small group of remaining party supporters. However, like a true pessimist, I’ve been doing my best to prepare for anticipated spanking that we are due to receive today. These preparations have mainly involved purchasing large amounts of very cheap and very nasty wine – at least I think it’s wine, it did come from my neighbours shed, so one can never be sure. I’m sure I caught him cleaning his paintbrushes with it the other day. It also seems to serve as a wonderful deterrent to over curious cats.

However, like an unexpected late night phone call from the girl you really fancy at work, I’ve woken up with a fresh sense of hope and optimism this morning. Now, I can assure you dear readers that this doesn’t happen too often; perhaps just once a year, and only on days of the week beginning with a ‘T’.

So, even though the odds are stacked against us; even though the campaign and been a disgrace and a bloody shambles; Labour supporters MUST get out there and vote today.

Like me, there are a lot of Labour supporters in Crewe who are thoroughly pissed off with the party. You can almost smell the sense of betrayal in the air, and it stinks; however these people must think very carefully about where they place their votes today.

Make no mistake, things are very bad right now, and it looks as if they could get a hell of lot worse by this evening. Even then, from a personal level, the thought of Labour supporters voting Tory is beyond my comprehension. This is something that I could never, EVER dream of doing; to be honest the very thought of it disgusts me!

Various sources tell us that the Lib Dems will benefit as a result of the governments retreating support. Now, I would admit that I’ve voted Lib Dem in the past; in fact I did a few weeks ago at the local elections. This is totally different though.

By switching to the Lib Dems, the only thing that will be achieved is a Tory victory. Lets be honest here - there is a far greater chance of Scarlet Johansson phoning me this afternoon and inviting me out for dinner then there is of the Lib Dems winning this seat. In their heart of hearts they know this – one only had to see the Cleggster at PMQs yesterday - he didn’t even mention the by-election.

So, if I could speak to the Labour supporters in Crew today, I would urge them to get out and vote – I know the outcome looks bleak, but we must stick together. If we have any hope of fighting back, then we have to start now, before it really is too late.

Dial 999 – Jacqui Smith Assaulted!

2008-05-21T06:21:00.000-07:00

I’m concerned to note that my old economics teacher, Ms Smith has been severely assaulted, battered and bruised… Somebody really should call the police to report this heinous crime.

Hmmmm, we might have a small problem there, seeing as the vicious attack was in fact carried out by the police; in particular by Police Federation chairman Jan Berry.

One thing I will say in support of Jacqui – it takes a certain amount of ‘balls’ to sit there and take such a verbal bashing – especially when you’re in the wrong.

Ms Berry is spot on with most of her comments:

"Your decision not to honour the pay award was a breach of faith. It was a monumental mistake, and I don't say this lightly when I say you betrayed the police service.”

The government seem to still be living under the delusion that the Police in this country would not seriously consider strike action, or indeed act upon it. Perhaps ten years ago that may have been true. However, we live in different times, and the public perception of the government is that they no longer care about the poorest or low paid in society. Now, this is obviously rubbish, however, the one thing you should avoid at all costs is to piss off key groups of public sector workers, who play such a vital role in the running of our country.

The True Horror of the Paul Weller Haircut

2008-05-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

So, I was sat at home last contemplating making an effort to do some much needed housework and awaiting news on the abortion bill – as you can tell just another normal evening in my increasingly middle aged world!

It’s at times like this that you need something to stir you from your self inflicted lethargy – a shock to the system, and by God I got one whilst watching Jools Holland on BBC2.

Now, I love Mr Weller; I would consider him to be one of the greatest songwriters that this country has ever produced; I’ve even been buying his records for nearly twenty years now.

However, nothing prepared me for the shock of his latest coiffure. However hard I tried, I just couldn’t take me eyes of it. Paul was playing some songs from his excellent new album; I kept trying to listen, I really wanted to listen – but I couldn’t, the hair had me transfixed.

Never before has the sight of a mop of silver hair made me think that I really should go and mop the kitchen floor. The sense of horror and despair that I felt throughout the rest of the night cannot be put into words!!

Please Paul, I’m coming to see you play live later this year – please, for my sake and for your own dignity, cut your hair!!!

Dispatches - In Gods Name (Channel 4)

2008-05-20T06:57:00.000-07:00

As MPs voted last night on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, it has been rather disturbing to watch as a ground swell of Christian Fundamentalists attempt to hijack the debate for their own means.

My worst fears were confirmed last night whilst watching an excellent episode of the programme Dispatches on Channel 4. In case you missed it, the episode – In Gods Name, was compelling viewing, and should hopefully serve as a warning to those who fail to see the dangerous and insidious nature of their various activities.

What really impressed me about the documentary was the way in which the programme makers simply allowed those being interviews to give their opinions, no matter how offensive, without resorting to sensationalist reporting.

As far as faith goes, I would consider myself to be a committed Atheist; however I choose not to condemn or ridicule those who do have a religious faith of any kind. It is an individuals right to practice their own religion and to worship as they see fit; however, this must go both ways.

The heavy handed tactics of those who see it as their place in life to force their Christian views upon those non evangelicals has always made me feel very uneasy.

For example, I feel we have to question why we have government regulated and approved, (independent), faith schools in this country, as featured in the programme. These children are being taught a hard line, almost fundamentalist version of Christianity. At one point, I was amazed to see a young girl sitting a science test, where one of the questions being asked was “In how many days did God create the Earth?” This is a science test we’re talking about here, not a religious education lesson.

Even more worryingly, this was followed by a fourteen year old girl at the school confirming that she thought that the Earth was somewhere between six and ten thousand years old!?! A quick look at her text book confirmed that this is the kind of information that these children are being taught to believe.

Is it me!?!? Perhaps I’m being too judgemental here? Surely it’s wrong for us to be allowing children to be taught this bunkum? Can it be right for children to be taught that the Bible should be taken quite literally as Gods word? The obvious and only answer to this must be a resounding NO…

It was fascinating to see the different lines of attack from within the fundamentalist community. Some prefer a more direct approach – openly spouting their vile anti-Islamic and homophobic views in public; for example at gay pride events, or on sites where proposed Mosques are due to be constructed. What is more worrying are the more professional and media savvy groups such as the Lawyers Christian Fellowship; represented during the programme by Andrea Minichiello Williams – their public policy director.

Now, Andrea is a self confessed fundamentalist; and as such it is disturbing that along with the LCF she has free access to lobby various members of the House of Lords and Parliament.

Whilst disturbing, it was less of a surprise to find out how closely the LCF have been working with the one and only Nadine Dorries. In fact, it transpired that Andrea has been working as a key member of the Dorries abortion campaign to reduce the abortion limit to twenty weeks – although as any liberal thinking person knows, their key objective would be to make abortion illegal in this country. So, with that in mind, let’s just think about this for a moment; what we have is an elected Tory MP receiving help, advice and backing from a group whose policy director not only admits to being a Christian fundamentalist, but also claims that Islam is a false religion. We could also mention that she is a homophobe who when asked estimates that the Earth is probably about four thousand years old, and rejects scientific evidence with regards to carbon dating.

So, we have to ask ourselves, should an elected member of parliament be associating in a professional capacity with a group such as the LCF?

When confronted with Andrea’s particular brand of Christian beliefs. Nadine didn’t seem unduly concerned. Then again, I wasn’t particularly surprised by this – her main areas of support obviously come from various parts of the wider Christian community. This iuncludes another organisation involving Andrea - Christian Concern for our Nation - their website makes interesting reading...

I think that serious questions need to be asked with regards to the levels of influence that groups such as the LCF have with our elected officials. Hopefully, documentaries such as this will help to open the debate with regards to the growing influence of Christian fundamentalism in this country.

George Bush - Comedy Genius

2008-05-19T07:04:00.000-07:00

I’ve realised over the weekend just how fortunate we are to be in the midst of such a golden period for piss poor political memoirs. Forget all about loyalty, self-respect, or God forbid honesty; our three favourite literary titans have been sticking the knife in quicker then
Jack the Ripper on a quiet night out in Whitechapel. Of course, my personal award for such gross crassness can only go to one person, and that person is everyone’s favourite “socialist” Cherie Blair.

Obviously, the press has been full of obnoxious quotes from this tome of shit all weekend, (also known as “Speaking for my Bank Account”). It would be far, far too easy to mention the slightly disturbing contraception equipment episode – however, the thought of this is so horrible that one wonders if she carries a very small member of Opus Dei around in her luggage at all times – just in case…..

However, my favourite quote so far refers to Gods representative on Earth – George W Bush.

We’re indeed so very fortunate that our Cherie is such a fantastic ‘judge’ of character, otherwise we might have overlooked the following valuable piece of information:

“George is actually a very funny, charming man with a quirky sense of humour. No one can say that he doesn’t have a sense of humour.”

Well, thank you so much for pointing this out to us all Cherie. All this time I’d just assumed that Bush was just a war mongering, dangerous, Christian fundamentalist, idiotic buffoon. It just goes to show how easy it is to misjudge someone – with this in mind; here are a few of his more hilarious ‘quirky’ jokes….

"The regime . . . has aided, trained and harboured terrorists, including operatives of Al Qaeda. The danger is clear: using chemical, biological or, one day, nuclear weapons, obtained with the help of Iraq, the terrorists could fulfil their stated ambitions and kill thousands or hundreds of thousands of innocent people in our country, or any other."

Oh, George!!! Stop it!!!!

"Saddam Hussein has longstanding, direct and continuing ties to terrorist networks. Senior members of Iraqi intelligence and Al Qaeda have met at least eight times since the early 1990s. Iraq has sent bomb-making and document forgery experts to work with al Qaeda. Iraq has also provided al Qaeda with chemical and biological weapons training. We also know that Iraq is harbouring a terrorist network, headed by a senior Al Qaeda terrorist planner."

PLEASE STOP!!! You’re killing me!!!!

Q) What’s the first sign of madness?

A) Suggs walking up your driveway……..

That really is enough.........

Misappropriation of Llamas spells disaster in Crewe and Nantwich

2008-05-19T06:30:00.000-07:00

Loyalty is an admirable quality; but as we all know, loyalties can be tested, and God knows my own personal loyalty to Labour has been stretched to breaking point during he past eleven years.

Our campaign in Crewe and Nantwich, (note: I still use the word ‘our’ – I’ve not been able to sever all links just yet), has been nothing short of disgraceful. To sink to such lows not only brings further shame to Gordon Brown, it’s also a complete insult to the voters in the area.

When the government is prepared to insult voter’s intelligence in such a crass, pathetic and xenophobic manner, you really do begin to wonder just how far they are prepared to go between now and Thursday.

The shameful nature of Labours character assaination of Edward Timpson on grounds of class, money and privilege could be considered a good enough reason for Labour voters to transfer their support. This not only shows how desperate and out of touch the party have become, but also show their utter contempt for the voters and the political system in general.

Playing the race card during the campaign has not only been irresponsible, it is also abhorrent. It’s one thing to concentrate your campaign on class – it’s quite another to suggest that the Tories are against ID cards for foreign nationals; especially as it is common knowledge that they are against ID cards FULL STOP! This is scaremongering more fit for the pages of the Daily Mail, rather than from the government allegedly running the country.

Those responsible for the planning and running of the campaign are not fit to serve in public office in any shape or form, and should be thoroughly ashamed of their actions. If, as is expected we lose on Thursday, it would be refreshing to see Dunwoody apologise for the dirty and cheep way that the campaign has been handled.

As for the Tories, it’s been all too easy for Cameron to pour scorn upon the ‘class war’ tactics of Labour. Not only will this by-election effectively come down to a referendum on Gordon Brown; it’s also allowed the Tories yet again remain unchallenged with regards to matters of policy. So, once again, Cameron is allowed to continue Brown bashing; more language from the playground signifying absolutely nothing.

It will be interesting to see just how big any potential swing to the Tories will be. To hear long term Labour voters considering switching to Tory always saddens me – vote Lib Dem for Gods sake!!

Talking of the Lib Dems, it’s a great shame that so much of the media coverage has been so taken up by the continued brouhaha. I would have liked to see them be able to take advantage of Labours ineptitude and the Tories lack of credible ideas.

The result on Thursday could be very close; a Tory win could hasten the end of Brown, whilst a Labour hold would be a serious knock to Cameron’s progress in the North of England. If the unexpected does happen, and Labour actually wins, expect Toy voices across the country to chime out that they didn’t actually expect to win a safe Labour seat in the first place – no matter how unpopular the government actually are.

Oh, and as for those poor Llamas - Timpson doesn’t actually own any. Yet another Labour cock up….

The Death of New Labour

2008-05-16T03:29:00.000-07:00

Another week goes by and it seems that we’re another week closer to Druggy Dave Cameron taking over as the Supreme Leader. Hang on a minute though. I can’t quite believe that I’ve just said that, let alone let the thought enter my embittered mind.

It’s a painful and sad fact to accept, but I can’t hide from the truth any longer. New Labour is finally dead, and we’ve two years to wait until the machine is switched off for good. Two long years until the most disadvantaged in society are put of their collective misery.

From various blogs and commentators this week I’ve read news about the Brown and Labour fight back. This has manifested itself in a serious of measures and proposals designed to woo back those who were furious about the 10p tax rate balls up. All well and good, and whilst it is only right that a Labour government should help those of us who are less well off, or on low wages – the majority of help following the new proposal will go to the middle income families.

Once again, a short term plan designed for short term gain – a cynical ploy prior to the Crewe and Nantwich by-election next week; and one which will not fool the voters.

The parties standing in the country is now so low, that I find it hard to see what, if anything could bring around a reversal in fortunes for the government, short of an economic miracle.

Brown will soon find himself in an impossible position; such is the disdain that large sections of the public have for him – an actual achievements are ignored because it’s very east to blame Brown for everything that goes wrong. A general malaise has set in due to the continued turmoil and ineptitude.

There are those who feel that the part has moved too far to the right, (myself included), in an attempt to capture the hearts and minds of middle England. I’m proud to be a socialist, and to see ones party become almost unrecognisable does not sit easy with me, or with the core support of the party throughout the country. This is the real problem that Brown faces – how on Earth can he win back this support, and convince those who rightly feel betrayed that he is still the man to run this country?

Would a change of leadership help at this point? No, this would be suicide, and would turn a probable election defeat in 2010 into a massacre. The process of removing Brown and electing a new leader is a longwinded and cumbersome process. Of course, the main point here is the question of who would actually put themselves forward? So, with this in mind it seems unlikely that the coup de grace will happen anytime soon. However, it is almost certain that Brown will be bloodied further by both the Crewe result and vote on 42 day detention, (although it seems, as reported in today’s Guardian, a climb down of some sorts now seems to be on the cards).

The Crewe and Nantwich result will really show just how decimated support for the government has become in what should be a safe Labour seat. The party’s behaviour during the campaign has been nothing short of shameful – and to see Charles Clarke defending their tactics on Newsnight only makes matters worse.

I’ve come to the regrettable conclusion that the best thing for the party would now be a spell in opposition – too many Labour MPs and ministers who entered parliament with the rise of Blair have no idea how to act during the hard times. The early success of New Labour has left us with a group of MPs who are so out of touch with the public that it’s completely pathetic.

A spell in opposition would give the party time to regroup and rediscover its heart and core values. As I mentioned – New Labour is dead, and we need to move forward and learn from the mistakes of the past eleven years. However, one should not assume that a Tory victory in 2010 will lead to years in the wilderness. The Tories can not, and should not be trusted. The party may like to come across as family friendly and promoting opportunity for all, however the truth might prove to be very different. In Cameron, they have a slick leader, who, to be frank has more front than Woolworths – talks the talk, but can he back it up with firm policies?

I doubt it. This is the party that opposed the introduction of the minimum wage, yet still claims to be on the side of the low paid.

As for myself, at the recent local elections, I voted Lib Dem. This is the second time in recent years that I have taken that decision. How I would vote in a general election remains to be seen. The recent behaviour of the government goes against the very core of my political beliefs. It has always seemed unthinkable to me that I could ever transfer my support to another party, however, this is the decision that many traditional Labour supporters now face.

Is this the best we can do!?

2008-05-15T04:17:00.000-07:00

Story from today's Mirror. I know we need all the help we can muster in Crewe, but must we continue with the 'Tory Toff Timpson' angle? It's all a bit pathetic really.

Tory activists for by-election hopeful Edward Timpson have undermined his claims he is more than just a rich toff - by canvassing in a £50,000 Bentley.
Four campaigners for wealthy Crewe and Nantwich candidate Timpson were spotted on a council estate climbing out of the luxury motor carrying pamphlets and blue Conservative balloons.
One onlooker said: "So much for modesty and saving the environment with such a gas guzzler. The Tories must think we are really green to believe them."
Timpson, 34, a barrister whose family have earned millions from a shoe repair chain, has been accused by his Labour rival Tamsin Dunwoody of being "some rich kid who probably hasn't even visited Crewe station".

The Case for a Secular State

2008-05-07T04:33:00.000-07:00

Let’s get one thing out of the way from the very start – I don’t care about what you personally believe in. I don’t care what religion you follow, or how strong your faith is.

To be honest, it doesn’t bother me if you were to worship a flying rhino, with eight pink legs that can speak French – although, actually, I might come along to see that.

What I do care about is the way that religion is taught to young people around the world and in the UK. Let’s go back in distant time to my childhood; I grew up in a fairly normal, working class family, where my Mother tried to raise me as a Christian. I was sent to the local Church of England school for the first seven years of education – a traditional religious upbringing where you don’t even question your faith or religion – you just accept it. Now, as I grew older, I did begin to question the facts about religion, and soon realised that it wasn’t for me at all – but at least I was left to make that choice of my own free will.

I strongly believe that it wrong for us to have state faith schools in this country – regardless of the religion involved... To my mind, any form of what I would class as religious indoctrination is wrong, and in some cases harmful. I think that it is perfectly possible to raise ones children in a responsible, kind and moral manner; without the need to force your religion upon them at an early age. Let them learn and then make their own minds up when the time is right for them.

I think we could have a more inclusive and fair society if we could manage to raise a generation of children not divided by religious dogma. I don’t think you can separate the rise of evangelical Christianity from the various other extreme forms of faith.

Last night Channel 4 aired a programme called Jesus Camp – it might have been a repeat as I seem to have missed it the first time around. Every so often, I’ll sit and watch something that will infuriate me so much that I’ll just unleash a stream of abuse at the television. My neighbours must, on occasion think that I’m out of my mind.

However, in this case I feel that my anger was justified! The programme featured the ‘Kids on Fire’ summer camp - where children, some as young as five or six, are preached to, taught to fear sin and how to serve the Lord. Now, far be it from me to comment on how other people raise their own children – but let’s be honest, anyone who puts their own children through an ordeal such as this isn’t fit to be a parent in the first place.

Jesus Camp left me dumbstruck. All of these children appear to come from loving families; however they all gave the impression of being brainwashed. I don’t know about you, but I find it slightly creepy to see a nine year old girl evangelising about God, and in the process sounding like a thirty year old. The methods used by the teachers at the camp were more then questionable - shouting at small children and telling the about the evils of sin is not the way to raise your kids.

It’s not right to tell children for example that homosexuality is evil and wrong, that they’ll go to hell unless they follow the word of the Bible to the letter, and most worryingly of all – that they should be prepared to lay down their lives for Jesus, should it be required.

I don’t think that politics and religion should ever mix in a modern society – the rules at Jesus Camp are different though. At one point a life size cut out of George Bush is placed in front of the children – they are then asked to pray for him and his government. Personally, I think they should be praying for the rest of us instead.

The good news is that the camp has now closed.

By all means teach children about religion in school; but teach about multiple faiths. Help them to understand the backgrounds of different faiths and cultures – in effect make it a part of school history lessons. Let them grow up happy without the burden of religion on their shoulders.

What a Clunker

2008-05-06T04:27:00.000-07:00

In a break from my normal Sunday morning routine, I took the slightly unwise decision to haul myself from my drunken slumbers to monitor Gordon Browns vital signs during his interview on the Andrew Marr Show....

I have to say that on this basis the future doesn’t look good…

Now, I would hate for people to think that my private life is so grim that I spend the early morning hours thinking about Gordon. That being said, I was fascinated to how our not so supreme leader would come across following last weeks kick in the balls at the local elections. Would he, as I hoped, come out fighting, admit past mistakes, and actually give the public some hope and confidence that he actually intends to take his head out of the sand and do something about it. Or, as I expected, would we hear the same old tired platitudes that we’ve been hearing from embarrassed looking ministers since last Thursday?

I’m afraid to say it was the latter. Brown looked uncomfortable and embarrassed, and as usual tried to look for holes in the ‘slick salesman’ style of Druggy Dave and his Eton chums.

It would be obvious to even an inanimate object that Brown doesn’t possess the most outgoing and gregarious of personalities – he even admitted as much to Marr. The one thing that Brown should stop being concerned about is personality - I honestly think that the general public don’t give two figs about this. What we want and need is a PM who we trust; a real leader who can get his polices across to the country. Stop worrying about what the Tories are up to – we don’t want to see more cat fighting between you can Cameron; what we want to know is was you intend to do about the mess we’re in.

However, despite all that has happened, and against my better judgment, I still find myself rooting for Brown – the clunking underdog. Now, this may come down to the very large working class chip residing on my shoulder, but I could never contemplate showing support for Cameron; and I’m yet to be convinced by Nick Clegg.

Despite being taken apart by Marr, I still feel that the basic socialist principles of Brown are still in tact. I believe him when he tells people that he wants to live in a country of opportunity for all. When Brown tells us that he entered politics because he wants to rid the country of injustice and create a fair society – I still believe him. Brown needs to be stronger then ever, have courage in his convictions and win back the core Labour supporters who deserted the party last week.

The odds are against this happening, and in the very near future Brown needs to have set out a plan for not only the long term future of the country, but also policy idea to assist the people in the this country who find themselves suffering......

2008-05-03T05:36:00.000-07:00

Modernism: Clean Living Under Difficult Circumstances (first posted 2007)

I read a brilliant blog recently by Dayo, a true music enthusiast. He has such a great musical knowledge that I admire, and I always try and follow up his on his selections.

In this particular blog, he talked about a music scene which came out of the disco and soul scene of the late 70s. As well as talking about the music, he also described the whole scene; the music, clothes, hair styles, magazines, TV shows etc the whole lifestyle.

Check out this blog and others here: http://www.myspace.com/sundayo

Dayos words got me thinking about Modernism; the movement that can trace its background in the UK back to the end of the Second World War.

When a lot of people think of modernism, or the "mods", there is every chance they automatically think of scooter riding lads in the 60s, fighting on beaches and listening to the Who.

They'd be wrong.

Modernism comes in many forms, but one aspect always rings true - its about moving forward; never looking back. Of course, the key themes are always the same: a love of fashion, music and working class style. It also continues to this day. It didn't end in the 1960's.

Each generation that comes along brings with it their own music and style; your average person on the street would never be aware that this was even happening until its become part of the mainstream.

By the time the public became aware of the mods in the early 1960s it was all over for the true modernists the whole point was to be different, exclusive and part of something new.

Bands such as the Who were never mods, they were marketed as such, but they were never really part of that scene and to their credit they never actually said that they were. Bands like the Action and the Small Faces were different - working class lads who loved American soul music and clothes.

The real mods however were never into bands like the Who: they listened to soul music - period.

The original mods had moved on by the time these bands appeared, they had no wish to be part of the media circus and marketing exploitation that followed. Another thing to remember is that these kids were getting older the mods were young by the time you reached twenty you would have probably been classed as over the hill.

So there we go some people think that mod died in the mid 1960s, but as I mentioned, it continues to this day in different guises always with the same principles.

The skinheads and suede heads of the late 1960s and early 1970s were mods. Instead of soul they were listening to ska and bluebeat and they adapted the fashions they were wearing.

Other movements sprung up during the 70s, the most famous being the Northern Soul followers. Again, black American soul being the music of choice, the clothing adapted for dancing all night.

Through disco and soul came the casuals - adding exclusive sportswear labels into the mix.

All these underground groups in their own way come from the mod tradition.

The first time I became aware of this would have been in the late1980s when acid house kicked off. For a while it seemed as if we were part of something secret and special; for a start this new music had appeared that seemed to be made just for young people like us. House music hadn't entered the mainstream at this point, it was still underground, the exclusive preserve of those in the know.

Like Dayo mentioned in his blog, we also had our own fashions, hairstyles, fanzines and magazines.

For a while it was fantastic, however, things change; an underground movement becomes part of the mainstream culture, and before we knew it house music was everywhere; becoming more commercial and pop orientated as time continued.

A lot of my friends jumped ship at this point, and some stuck with it through the horrible commercial records and super clubs of the 90s. Or, moved onto the grunge guitar bands like Nirvana.

The drum and bass and garage scenes carried this tradition on further toward the end of the century.

Me? Well, I moved onto hip hop, soul and jazz always looking for new things to listen to, always trying to discover new music wherever in the world it came from. Now, in 2006, I think that my musical tastes are probably the most eclectic that they've ever been and I hope that continues.

I dont know where the mods are today in society? I dont know where that next group of brilliantly dressed, stylish kids are going to come from; or what music they're going to be listening and dancing to?

I've always thought in recent years that the modernists of today were listening to more leftfield, electronic music and listening to DJs such as Gilles Peterson.

One thing is certain, they're not the people going to mod revival nights, dressed in their mohair suits and looking like extras from Blow Up.

A quote from the great Norman Jay sums things up perfectly:

"You never look backwards at that age. What for? This is what is happening now; you need the music to go with the lifestyle, to go with the attitude."

"Forwards. No looking back"

Post Election 'Blues'

2008-05-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

For those of us on the left, it’s been a rather disheartening week to say the least. As with many other parts of the country, my local council has now turned a rather nasty shade of blue. As a result, I have now taken to my bed with a large bottle of something strong...

I could be there for quite a while.

Even though the local election results this week were not exactly unexpected, the sheer volume of the Tory swing has been nothing less than devastating to Labour; and coupled with the election of Boris Johnson as Mayor of London, it is going to be increasingly hard to see or imagine just how Gordon Brown can recover in time for the next general election.

In trying to come to terms with this huge shift in public opinion, it only makes matters worse to hear various Labour ministers being trotted out to remind us all that it was not only a ‘very bad night’ for Labour, and that in future they were going to ‘listen more’ to the public.

Time is fast running out for a government already in freefall, and yet they don’t seem to have grasped the basic problem – the fact that due to unpopular government policy and general ineptitude they are losing their core support in the country – those traditional Labour voters who feel so betrayed that they feel compelled to transfer their support. It could be argued that in some cases this was a mid-term protest vote, and that these voters will revert back to their normal voting patterns come the general election. However, it seems more likely that unless drastic action is taken, then these key votes will be lost for the foreseeable future.

There can be no doubt that there are people in this country today who feel betrayed, financially insecure and let down; and one shouldn’t under-estimate the ramifications of long-term Labour voters switching their votes to other parties.

Since 1997, the move by Labour to the centre ground and the attempts to woo Tory voters has left traditional Labour voters wondering where the hell their party has gone to. Regardless of Browns other blunders, the decision to play politics with Cameron and Osbourne, and a misguided attempt to attract floating Tory votes has been a amazing miscalculation; just how many low / middle income, working class voters are ever going to be in the position to worry about the inheritance tax threshold? You ignore your bread and butter support at your peril – the government has been foolish enough to do this, and as a result may well pay the ultimate price in two years time – a return to opposition.

Another, far more worrying result of the shift in support has been the growing support for the far right BNP. Just a few miles north of Worcestershire, (where I live), in Birmingham and the West Midlands, the BNP fielded candidates in many of the contested areas. Upon reading the areas election results, I was shocked and depressed to discover the amount of votes recorded on Thursday. Even though the amount of actual seats won was minimal, in may cases they managed to finish in the top three – more often then not at the expense of the
Lib Dems. This is a very worrying trend, and one that seems to be reverberating throughout various parts of the country. One only has to look the London Assembly elections, where Richard Barnbrook, an odious little fascist, now has a seat. He also managed to attract 69,710 votes in the Mayoral election.

So, where in the community are the BNP gaining this support? With all the will in the world, it would be a far cry to change the disgusting views of the BNP hard core support. What we need to address are those people, possibly supporters of the other three main parties who have perhaps voted BNP for the first time. This takes me back to an earlier point – these are the people who feel so disenfranchised with mainstream politics, that they felt the need to look toward the BNP. As so often seems to be the case at the moment, immigration is obviously key issue to these voters – and from here on in the government and other main parties need to be exlplicitly clear about policy going forward. The debate has for too long now been hijacked by the tabloid and right-wing media – ramped up stories being drip-fed to angry people who are only too ready to accept these stories.

There can be no doubt that the three main parties, both on a local and national level, must now work together to address this problem, by doing all they can to stem the tide of discontent, therefore brining these voters back from the brink. The situation is clear – if those of us in the majority fail to do all that we possibly can to fight the rise of the fascist right, (however slow it might seem); then they will continue their insidious rise in our local communities. Our main parties must now do all they can to counteract the policies and views put forward by the BNP, in the hope of reducing their support. This can only be achieved through honest and open debate, without the need for short-sighted groups and individuals to hard back to the gisgraceful words of Enoch Powell forty years ago.