Snow Across the UK: Where We Slack

Whilst it was sudden and ferocious, I have to say that there were warnings over the past few days and that given the bad weather we get over Winter at some point in recent years, why are we so bad at coping with it compared to the US or Germany?
We need to be more alert and organised in dealing with such things

Oates's Sleeping Bag

Yesterday was a day off and, going to Cambridge for the day I took the chance to see the Scott Polar Museum and see the exhibition on Scott's attempt at being first to reach the South Pole.

Among the various artefacts, including a dairy, or notebook, of Wilson's, was a sight I never expected to see; the sleeping bag Captain Oates used until the day he died.

It was carefully cut along the front so that he could ease himself in, given that his hands and feet were heavily frostbitten, but given the size, the fact it had to be cut, and the sort of bag it was, it was not ideal for a harsh Antarctic autumn and given it was cut open and given the size of the tents (barely large for four, and given his condition, the poor man must have suffered a great deal before his death.

It says a lot about what we don't feel about history, but it also says not only about the bravery of Scott and his men, but how poorly prepared they were

Standing for CSM Committee

Last night, after much deliberation, I threw my hat into the ring last night and am now standing for a non portfolio post for the Christian Socialist Movement Executive.
For those who don't know, the CSM is a Society of Christians who are affiliated to the Labour Party or who are in sympathy. It is practically the only society within the Labour Party of which I am a member.
I am standing because I believe that the role of Christians, and indeed for any political animal worth their salt, is to help stand up for the vulnerable in the society, and indeed country, that we live in. With that in mind I want to help in bringing that about and to help encourage the CSM in it's campaigns both inside and outside the Labour Party, and indeed in communicating it's ethos and being where the battles are to both the members and those outside the movement.
If you are a CSM member I hope I can trust on your support and if you have any questions to ask or any concerns you wish to air then please do not hesitate.

Twenty Questions to a Fellow Blogger Part CLIV: Rob Carr

 Rob was born and raised in Newcastle upon Tyne and now lives in London.  Until last year, he  worked in the public sector. He now works in Westminster as Communications Manager for the Christian Socialist Movement , and as a political aide to a Labour Peer in the House of Lords.

Having grown up in a family of shipyard workers, trade unionists and Labour Party activists in the Northeast, he is himself a committed political activist campaigning for his trade union (Unite), the Cooperative Party and the Labour Party.

As well as being politically active, he is a Christian. For his sins, he supports Newcastle United. At night, he goes to the gym (sometimes) and out with friends (more often) to have discussions about football, politics and the poor quality of the ale among other things. He likes to have adventures. He doesn’t know how he finds the time either.

What made you decide to start blogging?

 I had kept a paper journal since my teens and had toyed with sites like Geocities  many moons ago. By 2009, I was writing long ranty 'messages' to my facebook wall, so I started a blog on Blogger as a natural progression to that and very quickly migrated to Wordpress. A couple of design changes and the purchase of my own URL later, and here I am 3 years older and wiser.

What is your best blogging experience?

I have to say my best blogging experience is probably an offline one. Through people reading my posts and me commenting on theirs, I've met some really wonderful people who I now count as friends. People like Hopi Sen (hopisen.com), Grace Fletcher-Hackwood at LabourList, and Sadie Smith who now blogs for Total Politics, amongst others. While my blog is yet to bring me the Pulitzer or Nobel prize for prose, it has helped build new relationships with great people.


And your worst?

The worst thing about blogging is the sense of disappointment I get seeing all the unfinished draft posts that I never got around to publishing. Political blogging, at least the type I've been doing, is a very fast moving area sometimes. A news story may break in an afternoon when I'm busy with my day job, I might catch up with it in the evening, write a draft, and go to bed. By the time I've come back to the draft the news as developed and my post never gets beyond the confines of my drafts folder. Once a month or so, I delete the totally unusable ones and get maudlin about missed opportunities to dazzle the world with my insights!

What do you regard as your best blog entry?

There are a fair few posts where I think I've hit the political nail on the head with a great piece of analysis and thinking. But my favourite post is from Feb 10, 2010. That was the first anniversary of my Dad's death and is my obituary to him. It's easily the piece of writing I'm most proud of. I repost it every Feb 10th and fathers day.


 Favourite blogs?

I have a problem with my RSS reader. I really need to have a cull on the number of blogs I follow. I read LabourList and left foot forward every day, along with Hopi Sen, Alastair Campbell, Richard Murphy, stumbling and mumbling, and Lansbury's Lido.

What made you decide to go into politics?

I grew up in the north east in an extended family of shipyard workers, trade unionists and party activists. Watching the end of industry in Newcastle was pretty profound for me and I always had a really strong sense of the injustice around me. I was always an active person, speaking up for  classmates at school, getting involved in community projects and then party politics. It just seemed a natural way to continue to voice that sense of injustice I see.

 What is the best and the worst thing about working for CSM?

The best thing about working for CSM is seeing the difference I can have. Whether that's the testimony of a Christian who has got involved in activism or an MP who I can see is going on a journey discovering how social justice and Christianity can go hand in hand. A few years ago, I was exploring my calling with a Vicar. I wanted to go be a worker in the mission field, but was concerned that I was feeling pulled toward politics. Imagine how good I felt the day it dawned on me that politics is mission!
The worst thing about my job is probably when I or Andy have some great idea but realise we can't do anything with it, because we just don't have the resource. It can be frustrating seeing ideas not get
off the drawing board. However, I try to take a long vew and file them in a notebook for another day.

 Why are you standing for the NEC and why should Labour activists vote for you?

It's very difficult for someone to get elected to the NEC if they're not on a 'slate'. I felt that, with the changes in communication and prominence of social media, I would have my best chance of standing this year and maintaining independence. I'm a strong believer in keeping the party united and as an independent centrist feel I can easily communicate with all sides of our 'broad church'. I want to stand on the NEC as someone who is capable of airing the views of all members, whether on the right or left of the Party. I would hope that activists would want to vote for a fellow activist who is a believer in growing our activist base rather than just having members who pay a subscription but don't do anything. Elections are fought and won on the doorstep and we must equip members to get out there and campaign in their communities to make a difference.


Is there anywhere abroad which you haven't been to, that you would like to visit?

I'd love to explore South America. I have a dream of travelling from Tierra del Fuego, up the western side of the continent through Chile and Peru.

 Is there anywhere abroad you have visited, that you would love to revisit?

 I adore North Africa. I was in Tunisia last year and have been to Morocco and Egypt before. The Arab spring had already change Tunisia when I went but I'd love to see it now it's had a first election, and I think I'd want to pop over the border into Libya, but that might have to wait a while!


Bar the present one, who is your favourite Prime Minister, and if different, your favourite Labour leader? 

Well, the present PM is never going to be my favourite! I have a soft spot for Harold Wilson. He had a brilliant touch for reaching out to voters, being seen by the electorate as 'one of us' long before Mandelson and Campbell had even thought about spin. He also had a talent for managing the party through some politically divisive issues and keeping it united.

Which figure has been your greatest inspiration?

I think this is the hardest question in this interview. I'd love to be able to name one person. A Mandela or Gandhi. A Churchill or Brunel. But I think the people who inspire me more are people I meet on a day-to-day basis who've overcome whatever life has thrown at them and succeeded. My brother, Paul, is a great example. Since infancy, he's been blind and paralysed down one side and yet today he works as a gardener. I struggle to get my head around that some days, but it never fails to inspire me.


Favourite Bond movie?

I'd have to go with one of the Connery films. Probably Thunderball. Though Craig is my favourite Bond.


Favorite Doctor Who?

As I'm from Tyneside, I was delighted to learn that all planets have a north, even Gallifrey. So my favourite Doctor is the ninth, Christopher Eccleston. I liked his mix of mischief, cheekiness, and dark sadness.


Chocolate, vanilla, or mint?

Can't I have all 3? I guess I'd have to go with mint. I can't have vanilla with lamb!

Which Band, past or present, would you most like to see in concert?

 When I was little, I fell over and hurt my leg one night. My dad took me to casualty at the main hospital in Newcastle, the RVI. It's just along the road from St James' Park, home of Newcastle United. That night Queen were playing. My dad and I sat in the car with the windows down listening. Sadly, I never got to see them from inside the stadium and would love to have.


In terms of visiting for the weekend, Oxford, Cambridge, or Barsby, Leics..? 

People who know me tend to know I'm a big fan of architecture. Not enough people spend their time looking up as they walk through their cities. There's some magnificent sites to see. And Oxford has more than its share of them. I adore walking through the colleges and churches there.


Favourite national newspaper?

I think if I had to choose one it'd be the guardian. But I rarely buy it, I tend to read the top stories of guardian, independent and times online.

What would you say your hobbies were?

 I play guitar and drums poorly, but it's cathartic. I am also quite a decent artist but don't have space for supplies. I've taken up jogging since December, but that's more chore than hobby!


And what would you say were your three favourite songs and three favourite books (Bar the Bible and The Complete Works of Shakespeare)? 

I've often played desert island discs in my head so this should be an easy one. Paint it black by the rolling stones, lady winter by Lindisfarne, and battle of the bean field by the levellers are my favourite songs du jour. I reserve the right to name totally different ones in a week though! As for books, Dumas' The count of monte cristo is one I've read over and over since I was young. The Odyssey by Homer is another perennial favourite. And an utterly impartial history of Britain by John O'Farrell is a great recent read that I thoroughly recommend.

Mandelson Not Totally Right on Ed Miliband

I agree with Peter Mandelson up to a point. Yes the public want to see austerity measures, but they also want incentive for growth, they also want the vulnerable in society protected from cuts. There are imaginative ways one can go about that and it is a pity that the coalition are being unimaginative

The Oscars. Who Will Likely Win and Who I think Will Win!

This years nominations are not much of a surprise, bar one or two. But like everyone else there is liley a difference between who I'd like to see win and who will likely win. Who I'd like to see win is in Italics. Who I think will win is in bold.

BEST PICTURE

War Horse


The Tree of Life

The Artist

Moneyball

The Descendants

Midnight in Paris

The Help

Hugo

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

BEST DIRECTOR

Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist

Alexander Payne - The Descendants

Martin Scorsese - Hugo

Woody Allen - Midnight in Paris

Terrence Malick - The Tree of Life

BEST ACTOR

Jean Dujardin - The Artist

Demian Bichir - A Better Life

Brad Pitt - Moneyball

George Clooney - The Descendants

Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

BEST ACTRESS

Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs

Viola Davis - The Help

Rooney Mara - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady

Michelle Williams - My Week With Marilyn

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Kenneth Branagh - My Week With Marilyn

Jonah Hill - Moneyball

Nick Nolte - Warrior

Christopher Plummer - Beginners

Max von Sydow - Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Berenice Bejo - The Artist

Jessica Chastain - The Help

Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids

Janet McTeer - Albert Nobbs

Octavia Spencer - The Help

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAYPLAY

The Artist - Michel Hazanavicius

Bridesmaids - Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig

Margin Call - JC Chandor

Midnight in Paris - Woody Allen

A Separation - Asghar Farhadi

BEST ANIMATION

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Descendants - Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash

Hugo - John Logan

The Ides of March - George Clooney, Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon

Moneyball - Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. Story by Stan Chervin.

Tinker Tailor Solider Spy - Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

The Adventures of Tintin

The Artist

Hugo

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

War Horse

In stating all of that though, the chances are I am a bit off the mark ;-)

Another Setback in the Lords for the Govts Benefit Cap Plans

When you get the Bishops arguing against and a Lib Dem rebel no less than Lord Ashdown, then the Coalition need to start to think about whether they are on the right track here. This deals with the wellbeing of a child and children are among the more vulnerable members of society. I trust the government realises that

That Iain Dale Tweet and Public Drunkenness

Many have tweeted and blogged on this, either defending Iain to the hilt or, in more cases, castigating Iain in rather unpleasant terms for what he tweeted. I can understand the latter if they do not know Iain and have only heard of him due to his tweet going viral.
Iain has put forward a strong defence here and it is this I want to address. First of all let's get the criticism out of the way. As I mentioned in my twitter feed I disagreed, and still do, with Iain's actions, namely the "slapper" comment and the taking of the photo. I accept Iain's comment about what the phrase may mean in Essex, but Iain must equally know how that phrase is seen elsewhere and how that may be interpreted. Taking a photo, whether that person was hiding their face or not also struck me as somewhat "off" shall we say, but then Iain does admit in his defence it wasn't very chivalrous. There is also the point that when we someone behaving badly as this woman seems to have done we do not know what is going on in their lives at that moment, but that is not a defence of the woman, merely an observation.
So that's the criticism. I would now like to point out a no of things, namely to Iain's harshest critics. 1) How well do you know Iain? As for me, I wouldn't say he is a friend, we don't mix in the same circles, but he is an acquaintance I get along with and he has been rather helpful and gracious to me (and others) over the years and I have not forgotten that. I have also heard one or two fellow lefties say he is one of the nice guys among the Thatcherite Conservatives and on that I agree. I may strongly disagree with his politics, but I do not doubt his thoughtfulness or his sincerity.
2) Do you travel to and from Central London on a regular basis, especially late at night? I haven't, but I do several times a month on occasion and it is not fun. There is the rush to get back home safely. The waiting for the train at a major station (in my case Kings Cross) and not feeling 100% safe, especially as there is more chance of you being bothered by strangers. Then there is the cattle trucks (as I tend to call them, although to be fair it has not been so bad lately), for the journey home, in finding a spare seat and a degree of personal space. Occasionally one has to deal with loud drunks and yes, many of them are possibly unhappy, and yes it could be any of us on the way home after a few at an event, but trust me. Being on the receiving end is unpleasant. I have had a drunk try and start a conversation with me when I was almost trapped in a crowd by one of the entrances and have pretended not to hear him. I have been stuck on a replacement coach at around 11PM. with an aggressive drunk on board holding up the journey (see my story here). Imagine facing that after a long day, a busy day, and you are tired and you just want to relax and go home! I disagree with Iain's actions but I can certainly see how he was provoked, and whilst his actions were wrong it does not confirm him as an obnoxious right-winger as some would have you believe, rather as someone who has been tired and exhausted and simply snapped. I don't agree with that, but cannot judge him due to, if nothing else, the times I have felt angry in similar situations.
But what does this say about our society? Iain is right, we do need a debate about public drunkenness and the horror it causes, and I have mentioned this before.Maybe I was wrong when I wrote that about the banning of alcohol (although I still see that as a strong option), but certainly we need perhaps tougher sentences as a deterrent, because this does raise the issues of public safety and well-being of others. Hopefully Iain's recent situation may bring that into the open.

Hislop: Bring The Public To Account!

This could be seen as facile, but I think Ian Hislop has a point and it is one Jamie Reed (the Labour MP for Copeland) and I briefly touched on during this Podcast last summer. Put basically the worst tabloids would not behave as they have done unless there was a market for it, and so the public should ask themselves why they buy the papers they do, what they constitute as news, and whether they had their part to play in the damage caused by such papers!
We can all do immense damage by simple actions and by a hunger for muckraking and we should admit that, to ourselves if not to others