Birmingham: City of Dreams

Catch the Pigeon!

2009-06-16T08:51:00.004+01:00

The race of the year, at least for political hacks everywhere, is that for the Speakership of the House of Commons. I find the candidates an uninspiring bunch but I thought i would have a go at ranking them in order of preference. Having watched the hustings yesterday I feel a little depressed about the prospect for reform.

10 - Sir George Young - A likely winner but lacks any spark and seems to set himself out only because he came so close and lost last time round.

9 - Ann Widdecombe - The popular choice down the Dog n' Duck but her voice sends a shiver down my spine, plus she only wants the job for a year.

8 - Sir Michael Lord - Who? Has potential but again lacks zeal.

7 - Parmjit Dhanda - Complete outsider and probably a no hoper but he is engaging and at least seems to understand the need for reform. But appears to be in support of 'fixing' selections in favour of women and ethnic minorities.

6 - Margaret Beckett - I have always had a lot of time for Margaret but she has very little chance in this race and offered little fresh perspective.

5 - Sir Patrick Cormack - Has the presence to be speaker but again seems to favour the status quo and would act as a traditionalist if elected.

4 - Sir Alan Haselhurst - Experienced and has a track record of being a moderate Tory, i would imagine that he would have the support of the whole house but was caught up in the expenses row.

3 - Richard Shepherd - The local choice, he is the MP for near by Aldridge-Brownhills, has the past of bit of a Tory rebel, speaks with authority but again is a little short on radicalism.

2 - John Bercow - The Labour choice, but can he carry the Tories with him? Seems a little unreliable but at least he seems to be taking the right approach to the job i.e great change is needed

1 - Sir Alan Beith - Has experience and a track record of radicalism. He will have support from across the house. whilst I suspect Bercow will win I think that would be a mistake given Beith's record and his knowledge of the Commons. Much as it pains me to support a Liberal he is at least a man of integrity who 'gets' the problems facing our most important national institution.

Go Beith.

They never change!

2009-06-11T12:14:00.003+01:00

Tory Students at Oxford get caught up in racism row. Glad to see the Pretorian Guard of the Tory Party remains as mad, bad and dangerous to know as ever.

What's happened to Mike?

2009-06-11T08:49:00.003+01:00

Does anyone know what has happened to Political Betting, every time i try to visit the site i get the same page. It's the best website for political gossip in the Uk and i am starting to miss it!!!

UPDATE: It's ok everyone relax i've found the new site

RMT strike action - WHY?

2009-06-10T14:33:00.001+01:00

Can someone please tell me on what basis the RMTs strike action is justified. Is it just an effort to wind up Mayor Boris or is it just that Bob Crows ego needs a boost after his parties drubbing at the Euro Elections. The strike will only anger normal Londoners and their pay demand of 5% is way over the top in the current climate they are little better than the bankers, just trying to get what they can whilst the rest of the country tightens its belt.

Apologies

2009-06-09T15:21:00.003+01:00

I'm back...I can tell you care.

I feel i should apologise for being absent for the last month or so but work has kept me busy and to be honest I wasn't sure were to begin with blogging about recent events.

At least in Birmingham we remain a fascist free zone. I have never felt so miserable watching election night, not only did the Uk elect its first BNP MEPs but Labour managed to come second in Wales! Second in Wales for god's sake! Almost more worrying was the collapse of support for Labour across vast swathes of Southern England from Cornwall to Kent.

But tomorrow is another day, Brown is still PM and I welcome Bradshaw, Ainsworth and Kinnock into the cabinet all of whom I admire. Labour has no choice but to unite and support the PM as we enter a crucial year not only for GB but also for the Labour Party.

I, like many others have been disgusted by the likes of Purnell, Blears and Caroline Flint, they are cowards and can't even organise a coup. They have no support in the mainstream party and deserve to sat on the backbenches. I have a wee feeling that Cameron has still not sealed the deal with the British public, it is one thing to want Brown out but quite another to want Cameron in.

And perhaps worst of all we have to put up with Twenty20 cricket!

Good days and bad days

2009-04-20T08:53:00.002+01:00

Down the pub the other day,during one of those great putting the world to rights conversation, i was asked was 'smeargate' the worst moment since I joined the Labour Party. On reflection i would say no but being a bit of a list addict i thought i would share my ten worst moments.. followed later by my ten best just to keep things positive.

WORST:

1 - The 10p Tax
2 - Colin Powell addressing the UN, the moment it became clear that the Iraq war was a farce
3 - The deaths of Mo Mowlam and Robin Cook
4 - This McBride-Draper affair
5 - Any time Blair and Bush appeared together
6 - Northern Rock
7 - Browns 'six tests' for euro entry
8 - Clarke & Milburn launching 2010 vision
9 - Hutton Inquiry
10 - The 2004 European Elections

BEST:

1 -That sunny day in 1997
2- Minimum Wage being passed into law
3- John Prescott punching an idiot farmer
4- The military intervention in Sierra Leone
5- Brown becoming PM
6- 'Good Friday'
7- G20 - Brown as he should have been
8- The Southall by-election
9- Iain Duncan-Smith's quiet man speech
10- Winning the 2012 Olympics

New Library - Hope Yet for Birmingham!!

2009-04-03T13:34:00.003+01:00

Plan's outlined this week for the new Birmingham Central Library point to a massive improvement. For those who don't know Birmingham our current library is a disgrace, a bloated concret block with little natural light and architecture that would make a multi-story car park look impressive. It is ,in short, a hellish dump.

The new building appears at first glace to be a massive contrast bold, innovative but this time with windows!!! It should look decent in its suggested position so at last the people of Birmingham will get the library they deserve. So in, a rare fit of political fairness, I must congratulate the Tory Council leadership for being ambitious and creative.

Brown's biggest gamble

2009-04-01T08:45:00.002+01:00

As world leaders meet in London this weekend our PM will be facing what I consider to be the biggest political challenge of his long career. Firstly he must reconcile the differing interests of France & Germany as well as ensure that Obama remains in confident support of Brown, as he appears to be at the moment. Secondly he must ensure that the outcome of the summit is tangible and of immidiate value.

Whilst getting them to London is an achievement in itself, nothing less than the fate of his government hangs on the outcome. Only big changes to the international financial system, which are explainable to the economic illiterate majority will bring him any measure of victory anything less be viewed as a failure. Success would give Brown the chance to reshuffle his cabinet with a view to a possible Autumn election, failure and we may as well all give up now.

News from the East

2009-03-25T09:03:00.002Z

The 'Credit Crunch' claimed its third prime minister this week as the PM of Hungary resigned following both Iceland and Latvia in ditching its leadership. Given that he got caught admitting to lying on a grand scale to the Hungarian public perhaps we should be surprised he has lasted this long. Who, we wonder, will be next?

Meanwhile in the Czech Republic the government of Mirek Topolanek has lost a vote of no confidence and will be forced to resign. This may not sound like big news, but given that the Czech Republic is currently holding the presidency of the EU a collapsing government could have a serious impact as the EU struggles to deal with the impact of the global recession and the increasing assertive Russian Bear.

Remarkable

2009-03-23T09:44:00.003Z

Having beaten Exeter in the semi-final Moseley will be heading to Twickenham on April 18th for the National Trophy Final. I'm looking forward to it aldready. HQ here we come....

Biggest Game of the Season

2009-03-20T08:57:00.001Z

On Saturday Moseley will face Exeter in a game that has been doubled up so it counts for both league points and as the cup semi-final. This is by far Moseley's biggest game since their recent revival began a few years ago. I would urge everyone that can to get down to Billesley Common on Saturday and cheer on Birmingham's top rugby team. GO MOSE.

Papal Ignorance

2009-03-18T08:41:00.002Z

I understand that the Pope told journalists on a flight to Cameroon that condoms only exacerbated the AIDS pandemic. Instead he called for a return to spiritual values. So whilst the Pope waits for us all to rerturn to God's chosen path, a path which mankind has never and will never follow, thousands and thousands can die because men who use prostitutes in Africa refuse to were condoms. Nice. Here's an idea which, whilst at odds with Catholic doctrine, may actually save lives why don't we provide free condoms, arrest anyone who refuses to ware one when visting a prostitute and educate young people as to the dangers of HIV/AIDS.

No better still lets just sit on our Papal backside and lecture journalists instead.

Birmingham Two Star Council

2009-03-05T10:35:00.001Z

News reaches the Oscott bunker that the audit Commission has downgraded Birmingham City Council from a three star to a two star rating. This is deeply worrying as it shows that the progress made in the last decade is in danger of being wiped out by a Tory administration hell bent on cutting costs rather than improving service.

Sorry to get all partisan but our glorious leader Mike Whitby is clearly not capable of giving the city the leadership it needs or deserves.

Peter Hitchens - Britain's last great bigot

2009-03-02T09:46:00.002Z

Here is an article from Peter Hitchens on the film 'Milk', which was published in the Sunday Mail this week.

"Penn and the tricky truth about gay power

I rather thought the extraordinary film Milk, starring Sean Penn as the American homosexual activist Harvey Milk, would pick up a few Oscars. This is a subject that really gets Hollywood going.
Milk is an interesting movie, though like so many these days it is much too long. It does at least hint at the extraordinarily promiscuous lifestyles of many pre-HIV homosexuals. It also contains a very telling and honest moment where Milk – no slouch at the tricks of politics – proclaims that he is
‘a homosexual with power’, and proceeds to wield it. He was the first of many."

I don't think i have to say too much, other than I find Hitchens a disgrace. Apart from the obvious fact that Harvey Milk was certainly not the first homosexual with power, i would like to also know what other films about gay politicians have been produced by Hollywood as its a subject that "really gets Hollywood going".

I also wonder if this article is another attack in his ongoing battle with blogger Iain Dale, following the last pile of homophobic drivel he published.

The man is a bigoted fool and the Mail should have nothing to do with him.

Margaret

2009-02-27T09:14:00.002Z

I have to say that I enjoyed the BBC's Thatcher drama 'Margaret' a great deal. It's nice to remember why I hated the mad cow in the first place. Also nice to see the big beasts of the time portrayed in a humorous style, Ken Clarke, Micheal Hesseltine and Norman Tebbit were all spot on but it was John Major that had me fits of laughter, the scene with him and Douglas Hurd in a restaurant really was hilarious. But it the programme served as a timely reminder that when faced with defeat MP's panic and all sense of loyalty goes out of the window, the trouble is, it worked Major won the 92 election. Incidentally, one has to admire the base cunning of Major with his 'dental surgery' that prevented him from being compromised during all the backstabbing in Westminster...genius.

Transport in Birmingham - Surprisingly highly rated

2009-02-23T09:27:00.003Z

Our survey says: Birmingham has only the second worst transport system in the UK. Poor Bristol.

On the serious side, one of the first things that struck me when i moved to Birmingham a few years ago was the awful standard of its public transport network. Anyone who has been to New Street Station will know what I mean. But it goes further than that, Birmingham needs a metro, tram or trolleybus system, it would bring our city together and make a more exciting city to visit. The city centre has expanded in recent years as both the Jewellery Quarter and Digbeth are now decent places for a night out but they are two miles apart and there is no decent links between them, surely we can have a tram that links the two?

Tory Local Government Policy - anti-democratic?

2009-02-17T08:54:00.002Z

Today's announcement by the Tories of their proposals for local government reform will cause a great deal of concern for those of us who care about local government. Scrapping regional bodies is controversial but hardly anti-democratic and nor can directly elected mayors be considered so either, in fact I'm rather a fan. But holding referendums if Council tax goes over a certain threshold? Surely that is what Council Elections are for, if a Lib Dem Council (for example) puts up Council tax by 10% then the public have the right to use their vote to remove them. I have always believed that referendums are dangerous and should be used as little as possible (if at all), extending them to issues such as Council Tax just makes Local Councillors even weaker and means they hold even less responsibility.

Come on Cameron if you really support Local Democracy restore Councillors responsibilities.

Photos of the ol'country

2009-02-11T12:45:00.003Z

These three sites offer brilliant photos and titbits on my favourite places in France.

1 - Avignon In Photos

2 - Paris by Pete

3 - Paris Daily Photo

So thanks to Pete, Eric & Nathalie for making my day a little less grim.

Any more suggestions welcome

Six Nations Week One

2009-02-09T09:58:00.002Z

So far so good then for defending champions Wales. My verdicts on all the teams:

England: An easy victory but the team lacks so much pace as to make them look like pensioners on the pitch.

Italy: What were they thinking! I have always had a soft spot for Italy but their lack of strength in depth will always make their task hard especially away from home.

Wales: Looked good and still posses all the elements that won them the grand slam last time round, but injuries to Ryan Jones and Shane Williams will worry fans.

France: A poor result but they showed enough flare to worry Scotland & Wales who will have to travel to Paris.

Ireland: Team of the weekend, they played like the good ol' days with confidence and a great set of running backs but they will need to be on top form in every game to pick up the title.

Scotland: Same old sorry story they try but they just cannot produce for eighty minutes, looked confortable in possession but lacked any bite and defence was easily shredded by Welsh team playing within themselves.

May you live in interesting times......

2009-02-05T11:12:00.002Z

Just so people don't get the idea that it is only in the UK that politics is being effected by the mother of all all recessions. In Ireland the government has just unveiled an emergency budget that will cut the pay of public servants by 7% and cut spending on social services and international development, commentators believe Brian Cowens government to be on its last legs. In Iceland the government collapsed last week and in came Europe's first openly lesbian head of government, but she may soon find herself deep in electoral trouble as the far left Green-Left alliance now heads the polls. In Latvia the Minister for Agriculture has just resigned after mass street protests after protests by farmers. In Germany Deutsche Bank has posted its first annual loss since WWII.

I find a little perspective helps.

Jacqui Smith on a chicken run?

2009-02-03T09:15:00.002Z

Is our esteemed Home Secretary (and Villa Fan) Jacqui Smith about to do a runner to a safe seat away from her her less than comfortable resting place in Redditch. Whilst I understand the logic of such a move i have a great deal of sympathy for the activists in Redditch who no doubt would have fought like hell to keep her in place, but now face the prospect of fighting an almost hopeless election with a fresh candidate and little central support. My suggestion would be for Jacqui Smith to fight the election in Redditch, then should she lose (unlikely as that is!) I am sure a backbencher of a certain age can be persuaded to stand down soon afterwards.

Welcome to the Club

2009-01-30T08:46:00.004Z

As highlighted by this blog a few weeks ago Iceland is set to join the European Union, I think this is fantastic news. I like Iceland and its people and I think they will be better off inside the club. It may also be good news for whales as I hope the EU will use membership negotiations as an opportunity to restrict Iceland's hunting.

No time ....

2009-01-29T10:33:00.003Z

When did life become so busy.. so little time for blogging. so in the best style of a lazy b******d here's a few links that have tickled my fancy in the last few days.

1 - The man Prescott shows us Labour bloggers how it should be done.

2 - The FT questions new boy Ken Clarke's position on Heathrow

3 - French Politics raises some cynical questions on what the current French general strike will achieve.

Enjoy

Good Grief!

2009-01-28T09:18:00.000Z

Well well arn't we doing well!!!

Slum Dog Millionaire

2009-01-22T08:50:00.003Z

Last night I had the pleasure of going to the movies, for the first time in months, to see Slum Dog Millionaire. Having heard the response of critics to this film, Kermode for example views it as Danny Boyle's Best, i was looking forward to an outsatnding film.... It wasn't. It was good, very good in fact but certainly not Boyle's best and certainly not the best film of the last year.

I can't help feeling that the normal cinema audience has been fed such light weight crap over the last few years that any film with a touch of magic and depth is seen as a work of genius.

For those who care these are in, my opinion, the ten best films since 2000:

1 - Goodbye Lenin (2003)
2 - The Lives of Others (2006)
3 - The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
4 - Bad Education (2004)
5 - Downfall (2004)
6 - Y tu Mama Tambien (2001)
7 - Hotel Rwanda (2004)
8 - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
9 - Last King Of Scotland (2006)
10- Cockles & Muscles (2004)

Just typing that list has made me feel good.

Issrael & Gaza

2009-01-16T09:50:00.001Z

To understand the conflict in the Middle East, if that is possible, you could do worse than start here.....

The Euro - Time to re-open the debate?

2009-01-15T08:55:00.002Z

I have just listened to an interview of Radio 4 (details to follow as soon as i can get hold of them) on the subject the Euro. Ten years on is it time to reopen the debate? I would say yes, i know that there is little chance of the UK adopting the euro in the short term but with Iceland, Sweden and Denmark all looking to join isn't the UK and its pound becoming dangerously isolated?

Tory gerrymandering?

2009-01-14T09:29:00.003Z

David Cameron has made a few suggestions about how to re-balance the House of Commons. Naturally as a Labourite i would love to be able to attack these proposals as gerrymandering but unfortunately in all good consciousness i can't. The fact is that the UK's election system is skewed in favour of Labour at the expense of the Conservatives. This is quite simply unfair. Whilst no system can be perfect there is clearly still something slightly wrong with our system when Labour needs as little as 35% to form a majority whereas the Tories need over 40% (assuming the Lib Dem vote doesn't collapse completely)

Politically I believe that politics is self correcting, voters will get the outcome they want, so whilst a few extra seats for the Tories might make a minor difference now in the long term it will have little impact on who gets to run the country.

Super Sarko to the rescue!!!!!

2009-01-06T11:51:00.003Z

I would be interested to know on what basis Nicholas Sarkozy is negotiating his way around the Middle East?

Is it .....

A- As president of France?
B - As last year's president of the EU?
C - As just some bloke who likes to get to any international crisis first and make alot of noise before heading back to Paris safe in the knowledge he has achieved sod all?

Any ideas?

Predictions for 2009

2009-01-02T12:44:00.002Z

1 - There will be no UK general election in 2009

2 - The BNP will win a seat at the European Parliament

3 - The Liberals and Tories running Birmingham will start to fall out

4 - Aston Villa will qualify for the champions league - but will go out of of the UEFA cup at CSKA Moscow

5 - Sarkozy will become increasingly dominant in the EU

6 - Iceland will hold a referendum on membership of the EU and vote in favour of joining.

7 - Clegg will find himself in troubled waters as Liberals receive a thrashing in the European Parliament elections

8 - A Bill to regulate blogs will be introduced following a series of high profile libel cases.

9 - Sarah Brown will assume an ever increasing public role.

10 - The Pound will regain much of its value and return to around 82p to the Euro.

Was Powell a racist?

2008-12-31T09:51:00.002Z

As regular readers will know I am currently ploughing through Simon Heffer's stately biography of Enoch Powell. The question most often asked about Powell is whether or not his 1968 speech in Birmingham was racist in character and furthermore was the man himself?

I believe that their is no easy answer to this question, I suspect that Powell did hold some deeply racist views but he was not a racist in the extreme sense of the word, ie someone who hates someone purely for the colour of their skin. His use of language and belief in Englishness of blood rather than citizenship or birth makes my skin crawl. For example when he said, quoting a letter, 'the black man will have the whip hand over the white man' he expressed the deepest and darkest racist sentiments of fear based on race, fear of the savage, fear of the stranger and fear of being weak in the face of overwhelming primitive force. Many of the excuses made for Powell and his speech are feeble given the man's intelligence and ambition, he knew what he was saying and he knew the impact it would have. There is no excuse for quoting rumour and prejudice as evidence and no excuse for pandering to fear of difference.

Interestingly much of the thought behind the 'Rivers of Blood' Speech came from his time in America and his perception of race relations in the USA. I wonder how he would have reacted to Obama's election as US president?

Powell was not a monster but he was foolish and arrogant. His belief in the English nation and its qualities was based on the boys own comics he read as a child. He believed in a a permanence of institutions, culture and values that not does not exist either here or anywhere else. Nothing is permanent and English values and customs are constructions largely Victorian in origin but often with deep roots. My favourite example of this is England's reputation (or myth) as a land of animal lovers when over a few generations ago we revelled in bear baiting, fix hunting, hear running and cock fighting.

Anyhow I shall continue my adventures in Enoch land and report further findings later.

Birmingham's leaders

2008-12-18T09:38:00.003Z

This is the Birmingham Conservative group, Notice anything...............................

.....apart from the fact they are a bunch of lookers.............................hardly representative of modern Birmingham are they? Surely they could find just one or two Asian or Black councillors

Royal Mail - Is there an alternative?

2008-12-17T10:30:00.002Z

Mandy is now in for a proper fight over the Royal Mail part privatisation now that Jim McGovern (who you ask!!) has resigned as a PPS. No doubt the CWU will be up in arms and there will be strikes galore, but what ultimately is going to change if the left of the party has its way. The Royal Mail will remain a business with the mother of all pension problems and another, perhaps less sympathetic generation of politicians will have to deal with the problem.

I consider myself to be to the left of the current government but on this occasion I think we have no options left but to consider part privatisation as a way to secure the future of the Royal Mail. But lets make sure its on a fair basis for the tax payer and the consumer not like the Rail and Utility privatisations of the 1980s and 1990s.

When capatalists go bad....

2008-12-12T11:04:00.002Z

So those lovely Barclay Brothers have decided to close all their businesses on Sark because the people of that island had more sense than to vote for their cronies. I suggest we form a solidarity pact with these brave people to promote revolution and the overthrow of these despots.

How dare the people use their vote to promote their own interests rather than those of the wealthy few.

RIP Oliver Postgate

2008-12-09T08:59:00.000Z

Thanks for all the fun.

Well worth a look

2008-12-08T11:08:00.002Z

A good local blog that has only just caught my attention is Hagley Road to Ladywood. If it manages to produce articles like this on a regular basis then it will become essential reading.

PS Congrats to Villa and Mose this week as both pulled out storming results.

Powell & Foot

2008-12-05T09:46:00.003Z

I have just starting wading through Simon Heffers weighty biography of Enoch Powell, something struck me almost instantly. Powell had a tendency to idolise his fellow man it began with Nietzsche and moved on to other characters later, some famous some just friends. This struck me as being rather similar to another old time politician Michael Foot, whose biography by Kenneth Morgan i read recently. Foot was another man who had a tendency to gravitate towards strong characters, including Powell himself. This same point was made by Harry over at Crooked Timber, who points out Foot's negative role within the Labour Party.

Both men were also highly intelligent but had blind spots and obsessions the size of Jupiter. Both were rather negative and both had absolute faith in their beliefs. Foot in the power of socialism and Powell on the importance of the 'nation'. My belief is that either would have been disastrous Prime Ministers but the fact they both came close shows how powerful the cult of their personalities was. Foot, whose politics I sympathise with, was foolish when it came to understanding politics he wanted to educate not to change the country because to do that you have to win. The same could perhaps be said of Powell, but as I have only just started his biography I will hold my judgement until I know a little more.

What I do know, however, is that Powells upbringing and personality made for a very strange young man.

A Grand Night Out

2008-11-30T11:24:00.003Z

I and the lovely Mrs OscottLocal spent a lovely evening last night at the George Coller Memorial Fund' s annual ball. The charity, which I have been known to help out with on occasion, is a wonderful Birmingham institution that aims to help children with asthma. It was founded after the death of the Chair's son a few years back following a prolonged battle with asthma.

But beyond the serious message of the evening and the serious fundraising work we were entertained by the likes of Jo Enright, Andy Townsend and Ben (the guitarist). I would urge anyone who wants to help the charity to give them a call on 0121 681 9587.

Brummie of the year

2008-11-28T15:46:00.001Z

Birmingham: It's not Shit asks you to cast your vote for Brummie of the year.. my vote went to Adam Smith a nice guy and a journalist form the old school (i.e get pissed before sending copy)

A very bad idea?

2008-11-28T08:53:00.002Z

So Damien Green the Conservative Shadow Immigration Minister has been arrested and his offices searched. Regular readers will know that I am no fan of the Tory Party but i have very serious concerns about this action. There will be a perception that Labour is using the Police, a point made well by PoliticalBetting. Even if the Police are acting on their own initiative then this is very dangerous territory for a democracy to be getting into.

Green has clearly annoyed someone at the Home Office a great deal and I do not believe for one instant that this was not done without the knowledge of the Home Secretary. I am sure the truth will come out in the wash but whatever Mr Green has done this is no way for the British Police to behave. Whatever your feelings about the way Mr Green uses sensitive information we must respect the position of parliament as an institution.

Big City Plan

2008-11-27T10:46:00.003Z

So Birmingham's ruling Tory-Lib Dem coalition have set out the first stage in the 'Big City Plan' - their vision to make Birmingham a more pleasant place to live and do business.

Some of the ideas sketched out so far are actually quite could like providing better links to Digbeth and the Jewellery Quarter (surely the best two parts of the city). But lets not forgot that it was the Labour party under Dick Knowles and Albert Bore that began the process of breaking down the Queensway Collar which did so much harm to our once glorious city centre. For those readers who don't know Birmingham well, the Queensway is a giant 1960s ring road that encloses the retail and commercial heart of Birmingham and has acted as a deterrent to growth ever since it was built.

I just hope that the final plan includes a proper proposal for dealing with mass transportation. Whilst I accept that Birmingham may never get the tube system it so desperately needs we should at least see a tram (or the existing metro scheme) extended to bring more areas of the centre of our city into the zone of prosperity that extends from the Bull Ring to Brindley Place.

Its Aubry....

2008-11-26T08:47:00.002Z

By just 102 votes Martine Aubry, daughter of Jaques Delors and founder of the 35 hour week, has become the first secretary of the French Socialist Party. This means that the Socialist nomination for the next French Presidential Election is wide open. Royal may yet prevail but this is a boost to the anything but Royal camp.

From a British perspective the battle for the leadership of the PS should be used to shine a light on how our own leadership battles work, do we have powerful regional fiefdoms? and if so what role do they play in the selection of our leaders?

The French Socialists - It's a virtual draw

2008-11-24T08:55:00.001Z

Congratulations must go to the PS for managing to cock up the relatively straightforward process of selecting a leader. Aubry (of 35 hour working week fame) beat Royal by less than 1% and already accusations of dodgy voting are circulating. At least Gordon Brown's 'succession' as Labour leader resolved the issue quickly this dispute could go on for months.

How not to write a law...

2008-11-19T08:53:00.002Z

Jacqui Smith, who I am normally a big fan of, today announced plans to make the buying of sex from a women forced into prostitution or who has been trafficked illegal. This is a noble idea indeed but I cannot begin to imagine how it will work.

Do prostitutes who have not been forced into the trade get a certificate of some kind?
Are men meant to ask prior to the commencement of the 'transaction'?
Or are men simply assumed to be psychic?

This Bill is going to get torn about in the Commons and will probably end up as a meaningless shambles. Nice idea through.

Sports Report

2008-11-17T08:52:00.003Z

Well done to Aston Villa, a fine win away at Arsenal. Just a shame they managed to cock it up at home to Middlesborough. I still think 4th is beyond them but 5th really should be the target from now on, it's worth remembering that Villa could get to the final of the UEFA cup an still not be in Europe next time round unless we get that 5th spot.

Moseley continue to fight hard for scant rewards as they went down to a wet 19-12 loss to Doncaster at Billesley. Fair play to Donny, they are a decent side and fought hard defensively to ensure Mose never really looked like winning. A slightly worrying sign was the small crowd obviously the weather and the England international has an impact but if we want Mose to stay competitive in the 1st Division then we need to start getting more fans through the gates. On the pitch Mose must learn how to hols their lineout in the face of pressure from a bigger team, as the old syaing goes 'you don't win nout without the ball'

Idiot Journalists

2008-11-14T08:48:00.003Z

Can someone please tell all journalists everywhere that a percentage point is a different thing to a percentage. for example when describing cuts in interest rates a cut from 5% to 4% is not a 1 per cent cut it is a a cut of one percentage point. This may seem picky but this annoys the crap out of me.

Home News & the International Story of the Day

2008-11-12T08:44:00.002Z

On the Oscott front our esteemed local Councilllor Keith Linnecor has launched a campaign to save local shops, I wish him all the best it would be a real shame to see our part of Birmingham become a wasteland like some parts of South Birmingham where all the little independent shops closed a long time ago. One of my greatest complaints about the UK is the dire state of independent retail, we must value our little shops as they are what give our towns and cities their character.

Away from Home (in France to be precise) comes the news that Ségolène Royal will run for the leadership of the Socialist Party. For those not well versed in the ways of French politics the story so far runs a little like this. Ms Royal's former partner and father of her children, Francois Hollande is the current leader of the Socialists he is standing down, Ms Royal stood as the Presidential candidate and lost to Sarkozy, she blamed those inside her own party for not supporting her, M. Hollande wanted the gay mayor of Paris Bertrand Delanoë to be the next leader, it was speculated that rather than stand herself Royal would support a weak third-party candidate, but now it appears she wants to do a Sarkozy and have the party to herself. (Thanks to French Politics for most of the info)

The EU Audit

2008-11-11T08:51:00.003Z

I've always considered Iain Dale to be a reasonably responsible blogger. but today he seems to have got his wires crossed. The BBC had widely reported that for the first time in 14 years the EU accounts have been passed by the annual Audit . Regardless of your feelings towards the European Union this must be viewed as a step in the right direction, however Mr Dale sees it differently.

Hmmm...

Go Mose Go

2008-11-10T09:19:00.003Z

Another win for Moseley RFC as they continue their fight for mid-table safety. This time the Black & Reds travlled to Sedgley Park (its between Bury & Manchester) and coming away with a 17-44 win. Good news, I am sure you will agree. But with the visit of Doncaster to Billesley next Saturday Mose are heading for a much tougher test.

It's just a shame Villa coundn't show the same kind of steel as they surcumbed to the mighty Middlesborough 2-1 at Villa Park. Lame.

Glenrothes - What it all means

2008-11-07T12:37:00.002Z

There is no way to argue that this result was anything other than a slam dunk victory for the Labour Party. The SNP will try to claim that a slightly increased vote share is a positive result. it isn't, not by a long way. The most interesting aspect of this election is that Labour got more votes than it did at the last election, the party's base therefore remains strong (in Fife at least)

3 things we learn from this result.

1 - The Lib Dems are F**ked
2 - This result will have very little to do with anything that may happen in England at the next election
3 - Salmond and Independence have very little traction in Scotland as a whole.

I will ponder over the weekend if i can describe myself as a Unionist... I have always assumed I was not but maybe its time to consider my position properly.

Can this week get any better?

2008-11-07T09:31:00.004Z

Holy Crap..... Labour holds Glenrothes by nearly 7,000 votes. Labour actually increased its share of the vote. This is an outstanding result and one which illustrates that Salmond is a busted flush.

Congratulations to all involved especially Lindsay Roy MP!

More thoughts later..

A great day

2008-11-05T14:44:00.003Z

No words can really describe the feeling you get on a day like today. It was a wonderful night and the United States has a president it's people can be proud of. Rather than go into a long diatribe about why this result is important, i'm pretty sure you can all read newspapers and other blogs for that sort of thing, I just thought I would give my highlights of the night.

10 - Watching Simon Shachma go toe-to-toe with John Bolton on the BBC
9 - Florida going Blue
8 - Wolf Blitzer on CNN - what a name!
7 - Hillary Clinton trying to look happy as she cast her vote
6 - A Million people crowded into Chicago's Grant Park
5 - Al Franken battling to become a Senator in Minnesota
4- Elizabeth Dole losing
3 - Ohio
2 - Jesse Jackson crying like a baby as California declared
1 - Obama and his family stepping on the stage, the moment it became reality rather than fantasy

So there we have it a true moment of history, i just hope our US cousins enjoy it.. It is their May 1st 1997.

US Election

2008-11-04T09:23:00.002Z

To all my US readers... make sure you vote and for all that in holy and good in the world vote Obama. Not just because he is a Liberal, very intelligent, surrounded by wise counsel and will symbolise the victory of decent America but also to stop nut bags Palin getting anywhere near the White House.

As for me i shall be staying up late, eating chili and not going to bed like i did in 2000 thinking the Dems had one only to be horribly shocked at 7 in the morning by the news of idiot boy Bush's win in Florida. It still hurts.

Five for the morning

2008-10-31T08:57:00.003Z

5 interesting things spotted on the web:

1 - As my girlfriend put it 'Obama should win just because of this'
2 - Excellent new history of Birmingham website (hat tip Birmingham: It's Not Shit)
3 - A convincing argument for a European Stability Fund (hat tip: French Politics)
4 - The excellent Michael Tomsky on Sarah Palin
5 - Cllr Bob Piper on the Stamford Millions

Enjoy

The day cricket became a joke

2008-10-30T10:36:00.000Z

Congratulations to the ECB and Alan Stamford for turning cricket into the biggest sporting joke since Eddie the Eagle. For those not well versed in the politics of our beloved national game essentially the England cricket team has prostituted its self to a Texan Billionaire. He has then treated the players (and there wives) like the cheap whores they have become, much to the players surprise.

Welcome Back Ollie

2008-10-29T09:54:00.000Z

Glad to see Ollie Thomas back where he belongs.

One of my abiding memories of watching Moseley as they battled away in National Division Two was seeing Ollie kick points from all over the pitch including from behind the half way line.

Unfortunately however good a kicker he was his physical strength and passing let him down on more than one occasion but a stint down in Cornwall for the Pirates should have done him some good in that regard so hopefully he can make a substantial impact and help Mose push on against Esher this weekend.

Burrrrrr....

2008-10-29T09:00:00.000Z

Good lord it's cold.

Polls, Polls and more Polls

2008-10-28T10:43:00.000Z

New ComRes poll out today in the Indy shows Labour slowly gaining ground and cutting the Tory lead.

Is a crisis always good news for the incumbent?

My gut feeling is no, however Gordon Browns reputation and approach to politics seems to suit the moment this could be his time. Next week will will have the result of the Glenrothes by-election and that will be very interesting indeed. I suspect the Labour Party would never have let Gordon Brown do walkies in the constituency if they thought a defeat was on the cards. But we shall see.

An odd weekend

2008-10-27T13:06:00.000Z

I am not sure anyone will care but I had a slightly odd weekend. Not least because we got locked in the Bull Ring on Saturday night and then got locked in New Street Station on Sunday Night. Weird. Turns out the former was the fault of a rampaging mob of Bluenoses and the later remains a mystery.

In between these imposed confinements I also had the chance to catch Russell Howard of Mock the Week Fame at the Alexander Theatre. One line he came up with struck a chord. Birmingham he said is "titling on the edge of gentle lunacy".. brilliant and spot on.

Sport round-up

2008-10-27T08:58:00.000Z

Another trip to the Westcountry and another narrow defeat for Moseley, this time at the hands of the Cornish Pirates (that's a team for those who think Cornwall still resembles a Robert Louis Stevenson novel).

Meanwhile Aston Villa cruise to a 4-0 win at Wigan ..easy..easy...easy. It was in fact a fairly kind result for Villa as Wigan are a decent side.

Also well done to Redknapp for getting the Spurs job, i have always liked the man and so wish him well even if it would be deeply humorous to see them go down.

Couldn't happen to a nicer man

2008-10-24T09:40:00.001+01:00

Just to lighten the mood... did you hear about the homophobic Austrian politician who crashed into a tree after visiting a gay night club to console himself after breaking up with his long term gay partner and successor as party leader.... shame.

It the big R

2008-10-24T09:03:00.000+01:00

So i suppose we had better get used to the fact that the UK is entering a recession. I can hardly remember the last one, but what i can remember is the high street of the small town I grew up in losing almost all of its shops. I can recall there only being a butchers, a newsagents and a chemists. Today there are dozens of shops many of the them catering to a wealthy clientele. There is even a cheese shop in which Rory Bremner has been spotted. I fear for that cheese shop.

Euro elections: why the pundits are wrong

2008-10-23T09:17:00.000+01:00

Now that Brown seems to battling through the current crisis and the Tories appear to be on the backfoot commentators now seem to agree that losing Glenrothes by-election will not bring about a coup. Instead they have, en masse, decided that the Euro & Local elections will be the crucial point. I disagree.

Let us remind ourselves that Labour got a mere 22.6% of the vote at the last Euro's and elected just 19 MEPs but then the Tories only got 26.7%, the reason UKIP. at the next election i expect UKIPs vote share to plunge to around 10% as a result both the Tory and Labour vote will recover. Brown can therefore claim an improvement. As for the locals we hardly have any seats left to lose.

I am convinced therefore that Brown will survive a poorish result and lead Labour into a 2010 election.

Opps - Gideon on the Ropes

2008-10-22T09:03:00.000+01:00

This is what we all like to see, a good old fashioned Tory scandal... Money, yachts, Chums from Oxford etc etc. Clearly the Tories forgot that Mandy is back and one thing you do not do is mess with Lord Mandy.

The fact that even the True Blue Telegraph and Mail are running big with this story suggests that Cameron has a battle on his hands. I'm sure anyone who saw him on the ten o'clock news will agree that he looked more flustered than he has in the past. This is a true test of his abilities to manage a crisis but it could also be an opportunity to offload a potential rival before the next election.

Freaks of Nature? Birmingham's MPs

2008-10-21T09:49:00.001+01:00

For those who don't follow local politics here in Birmingham I though I would do a few pen pics of our local politicians. The good, the bad and the utterly useless. Part One, i.e this part, will focus on the current crop of Members of Parliament that have the privilege of representing Birmingham at Westminster.

Richard Burden, Labour, Northfield

Old fashioned sort of Labour MP broadly on the left but fairly mainstream. Strong supporter of Palestine and various other traditional left wing causes.

Liam Byrne, Labour, Hodge Hill

Blairite high flyer with a strong reputation in Westminster. Has a local difficulty with a popular Liberal candidate. Now in the cabinet as a legislative enforcer.

Roger Godsiff, Labour, Sparkbrook & Small Heath

Little known outside his constituency. But does have an unnerving habit of appearing on the radio but only to talk about football.

John Hemming, Liberal Democrat, Yardley

Verging on being a comic strip character. A self made millionaire turned play boy liberal with a taste for Councillors. Largely responsible for turning South East Birmingham into a Lib Dem Fortress. Not to be taken too seriously, but a decent enough local operator who knows the value of press coverage even for daft stories.

Lynne Jones, Labour, Selly Oak

Trendy leftie with a thing for Palestine. Lost out to McCabe in the battle for the new Selly Oak seat after major boundary changes.

Khalid Mahmood, Labour, Perry Barr

A Controversial but cunning politician who has battled his way into parliament. Raised in Birmingham and one of the few genuinely local figures in the Parliamentary Brummie Section. Traditionally viewed as being on the right of the party but has lent further left in recent years surprisingly supporting Jon Cruddas for deputy leader.

Steve McCabe, Labour, Hall Green

Scottish, Trade Unionist and Whip. Fairly typical of the mainstream of the Labour Party. Descent man who uses a pretty straight bat.

Andrew Mitchell, Conservative, Sutton Coldfield

A True Blue Tory through and through. Dull but effective with a history of low status jobs in Westminster currently Tory Shadow International Development Secretary. Having a massively safe Tory seat should be around for as long as he wants to be.

Clare Short, Independent Labour, Ladywood

Looks and sounds like a primary school teacher but has proven to be an extremely polished politician both in opposition and in Government, as Secretary of State for International Development, a role in which she excelled. Resigned from Blair's cabinet over Iraq War despite voting for it. Has clearly gone a bit barmy since.

Sion Simon, Labour, Erdington

Previously a Blairite but then signed the infamous Curry House Letter that led to the downfall of Blair. Holds a safeish Labour seat but with a resurgent local Tory Party led by the boy wonder Bobby Alden. Now a government Minister for Skills. Has been known to jog past my house.

Giesla Stewart, Labour, Edgbaston

First ever Labour winner of the Edgbaston seat a crowing moment on the 1997 Election Night. In recent years has made a few enemies by railing against Browns leadership and the Lisbon Treaty. Can be considered to be doomed but a changing demographic could see her scrape home at the next election.

Moseley RFC

2008-10-20T13:16:00.001+01:00

Upon my arrival in Birmingham one of my first ports of call was the local Rugby Team, at that time Moseley were battling away in National Division 2 (the 3rd Tier of English Rugby) since then the club has been promoted into Div 1 and they finally are starting to get a bit of stability after years of uncertainty.

For those unfamiliar with the clubs history, Moseley were one of the biggest team in England boasting many internationals and a tradition of success streaching back into the mists of time. Sadly the club failed to make the transition to professionalism and not only did it slip down the leagues but it also neatly went under and lost its home ground in Moseley. After three years of struggle at the Birmingham University Ground the club is now resurgent with a permanent home at Billesley Common. Planning permission is in place for a brand new stand that will make the facilities at Billesley permanent.

The team are now sat confrotably in mid-table and look to have put the bad times behind them. But we still need more people turning out to watch what is some of the best quality rugby available in England. The atmosphere at a rugby club on match day is so different to any on offer at a big time football team that it ensures every game is fun regardless of the result.

Blogging Thoughts

2008-10-20T09:12:00.000+01:00

The world of blogging seems to be becoming more divided between what I describe as professional blogs, opinion blogs and expert blogs.

Iain Dale, Mike Smithson & Paul Staines fit into the professionals section, as they earn significant money from their work and have a large audience, by blog standards. Whilst Dale and Staines are pioneers of political blogging they are massively partisan and therefore fit fairly comfortably with the older world of print journalism.

Opinion blogs are blogs like my very own, strictly amateur, covering every subject under the sun, often poorly written and usually falling well short of excepted journalistic standards.

Then we have the expert blogs like this or this. These are often tied to traditional media and on the whole are less partisan, more in depth and as one would expect more reliable sources of information.

I am sure that blogging moving out of its eraly stages into a more professionalised era, it remains however a great bastion of free speech. We may more interconnection and professionalism in blog jouralism but also a more corporate approach being taken with better branding and advertising.

Best Internet Game Ever

2008-10-17T12:29:00.000+01:00

This has to be the most fun you can have on a desk.

For myAmerican & French readers .. its cricket.

Bob the Builder

2008-10-17T09:05:00.000+01:00

One of my many little obsessions, i.e subjects I can get very angry about without actually knowing much about, in architecture. I think there is a great debate to be had on the relative merits of different buildings but it is a subject that often seems to stifle proper debate. On one side with the majority who prefer, in fact adore, classical design and view any building built after 1920 as an expression of function rather than having any aesthetic qualities worthy of comment. Then there is the much smaller group of people, who tend to be involved in architecture, who view modern buildings as paragons to mankind's brilliance and who view the majority as backward looking conservatives who clearly do not understand the beauty which they are presented with.

I like to think there is a happy balance to be struck between the two. Birmingham is an ugly city, there is no hiding from that fact to pretend otherwise is just plain weird. It highlights how architects can get urban design incredibly wrong. Many of its modern buildings are impressive structures that if stood alone would look bold, innovative and yet have a certain majesty for example: The Bull Ring

Unfortunately collectively these buildings make Birmingham look like a complete mess, because it has seemingly has no overall structure holding the city together. I just wish that planners would work more closely with architects to develop an urban environment that has a level of symmetry. Beauty is often not so much to do with the design of one building but in the way it fits into its surroundings. The best example i can think of to illustrate requires a short hop to the North and into Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. The Royal Museum of Scotland, below, sorry about the picture quality, is an example of how to work within an older street setting and yet produce a beautiful and functional building.

Let this be an example to those who seek to once again re-develop Birmingham.

First Proper Post

2008-10-16T09:24:00.000+01:00

Anyone who has not been living under a rock can have missed the fact that the economy has gone a bits tits up lately. I think we can draw several lessons from what has been going on in recent months;

1 - If you deregulate the market greedy people will push the new rules to their limits.

2 - Sometimes even the most freemarket of administrations will have to use state power, all politicians are hypocrites when faced with a crisis.

3 - National governments are powerless in the face of global trends (ok so we already knew this but its worth highlighting again in case anyone forgot about the whole Globalisation thing)

4 - My house is now owed by the British taxpayer

5 - Very few of our elected leaders, civil servants or bankers understand the flow of money around the globe.

Finally, isn't it lucky that a big power happened to be in the Presidency of the EU during this period. Would the PM of Slovenia, Finland or Ireland been able to cut a deal like Sarkozy managed at the weekend?

A Pointless List

2008-10-15T12:05:00.000+01:00

As a man, I do enjoy a good list, So here's a rubbish one

Top 10 places in Birmingham

1 - Digbeth in general
2 - The Lord Clifton Pub, Hockley
3- Moseley Rugby Club, Billesley
4 - Sutton Park
5 - The Jewellary Quarter
6 - The Barton's Arms Pub - Aston
7 - The Mac Cinema, Cannon Hill Park
8 - The Anchor Pub, Digbeth
9 - Villa Park
10 - Victoria Sqaure,

Not another new blog

2008-10-15T11:08:00.000+01:00

Just when you thought there were too many blogs in the world along comes another one. But this one is different... well no actually its pretty much the same as all the others. You know the usual stuff; self opinionated rants, trivial facts and petty squabbles with fellow bloggers.

Mostly this is just an excuse for me to write something creative every now and again. So i hope you enjoy my first foray into the wonderful world of blogging and please don't get too worried if it all goes quiet occasionally as i do have few other things to keep me busy as well.