Mars Hill

Oates's Sleeping Bag

2012-02-02T10:41:00.000Z

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

2012-01-31T11:37:00.000Z

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

2012-01-31T10:50:00.003Z

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

2012-01-26T12:24:00.001Z

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!

2012-01-26T11:36:00.002Z

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

2012-01-24T12:02:00.001Z

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

2012-01-23T12:55:00.001Z

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!

2012-01-18T11:45:00.000Z

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

Anniversaries Part II: Happy Birthday Muhammad Ali

2012-01-17T12:01:00.001Z

Today the legendary former boxer is seventy. Whilst I am no fan of the sport, the achievements this man has made outside the Ring is tremendous. I wish him well

Anniversaries Part I: 100 Years Since Scott Arrived at the South Pole

2012-01-17T11:31:00.000Z

Whilst this is tremendous, I do feel that it would have been nice if the anniversary of Amundsen's attainment last month was given the same amount of celebration.
In many ways Scott was a capable and brilliant leader, but he also had his flaws and I do think that we have a problem with over-praising and over-denigrating Scott. In a similar way one should not ignore Shackleton and his amazing achievements, whilst at the same time ignoring his faults.
I am sure though a time will come when that will all happen

The Iron Lady - A Review

2012-01-12T12:03:00.000Z

So with two hours to spare yesterday I succumbed to temptation and went to see The Iron Lady at the cinema.
I was a few mins late and I did wonder if I had done the right thing as I noticed a no of the audience were of a certain age and looked suspiciously like Tories. I am sure that wasn't entirely the case but it did make an uncomfortable moment as I hoped I was going to be sitting among a cheering crowd, thankfully that did not happen either.
I have to say my feelings for the film are mixed. It needed to be longer, deal more with the issues of her premiership and it also needed to show both sides of the story (and that would have been hard), in showing not only why Thatcher was adored, but also why her opponents disliked her the way they did. It also fell into the usual pit (where film biopics are concerned) of glaring inaccuracy. Margaret Thatcher was not in the Commons Car Park when Airey Neave was murdered, she was at a publicity event elsewhere in London. It also does not make clear that Heath was Opposition leader, not Prime Minister by the time Margaret Thatcher challenged him. The use of archive footage the way they did also gave it a "Made for TV" feel.
That said, it was outstanding in some key areas. Meryl Streep did a brilliant performance and for that, merits an Oscar . It also showed her background as a Grocer's daughter and a rising politician in a way which made it clear why she became the woman she was, or indeed is, and it showed a side to her decline in a way which, whilst it showed that for longer than was perhaps necessary, was dealt with more sensitively than it could have been.
I would recommend it, but as I have said, my views of this film are mixed and perhaps the ideal three hour biopic would be difficult to make, but it does come across as a "Thatcher for beginners" and perhaps that is how we should see it

Three Cheers for the Lib Dem Rebels Over Welfare Bill

2012-01-12T11:19:00.002Z

Last nights defeat for the government thanks to Lib Dem rebels in the House of Lords was not typical Realpolitik, it was a success for common decency. Yes the deficit needs to be cut, but is cutting benefit and therefore attacking the vulnerable the way to go about it? The Conservatives have a track record on this sort of thing where you wonder if they do it because they can't fight back. Well some of them can fight back and others with bones of decency and fair play do fight back for those that can't. Any government that attacks welfare and the like in order to save costs and does not go for more undeserving cases is a government which, at best, has twisted morals.

Twenty Questions to a Fellow Blogger Part CLIII: Tom Scholes-Fogg

2012-01-12T10:15:00.000Z

Tom Scholes-Fogg is the Co-Editor of the book "What Next for Labour? Ideas for a New Generation". Formerly trained as a Chef at the Hilton, Tom has held various positions in the Labour Party at branch, constituency, and district level. His blog/website can be found here.

Whatmade you decide to start blogging?

Istarted blogging in 2009. I read many blogs as I still do and thoughtwhy not set up my own blog and see if anybody is interested in what Ihave to say. I would highly recommend people to set up a blog butthere is one problem.....it is addictive.

Whatis your best blogging experience?

Probablythe article I published about Cameron’s NHS Privatisation meeting.

Andyour worst?

Iwould say thepiece I published about the student protests in 2010, I perhaps couldhave phrased my points better.

Whatdo you regard as your best blog entry?

Thepiece I published in January 2010 about David Cameron’s NHSPrivatisation meeting. It is my most read blogto date. Sadly what I said in that blog is starting to come true.

Favouriteblogs?

Guido,Conservativehome, Alastair Campbell and Labour Uncut.

Whatmade you decide to go into politics?

Iaccidently ‘fell into’ politics. I originally trained as a chefand it is only through doingimpressions that I started listening to what politicians were saying.With my background and the values, I joined the Labour Party.

Whatpolicies do you think Labour should pursue to make themelectable to both Middle Class, and C2 voters?

Mycolleague and I tackle this very issue in ‘What next for Labour?’.I’ll try and reduce my answer from 296 pages to a few lines.

Labourneed to restoretheir economic credibility, remain pro-business, support SMEs, andaddress the bread and butter issues relevant to C2DE voters such ashousing, immigration and jobs.

Youmention a no of political issues on your blog that mean a great dealto you. Which particular issue stands out most of all for you?

I’m very passionateabout the armed and emergency services. For me it would be supportingour services much more. I think politicians need to work together onthis rather than trying toscore petty political points. Our service personnel do a fantasticjob and we should be doing more for them.

Isthere anywhere abroad which you haven't been to, that you would liketo visit?

Israel.

Isthere anywhere abroad you have visited, that you would love torevisit?

Ilove France, particularly Normandy. I have been many times and I planto visit again very soon.

Barthe present one, who is your favourite Labour leader, and ifdifferent, your favourite Prime Minister?

Thisis a tough one as a number of leaders have done a good jobso it is difficult to pick one. I would say Clem Attlee is myfavourite Labour leader followed by John Smith, and Tony Blair myfavourite Prime Minister.

WhichChristian figure has been your greatest inspiration?

TheArchbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams talks a lot of sense.

FavouriteBond movie?

Tomorrownever dies.

FavoriteDoctor Who?

Iam not a fan of Dr Who.....dare I say that?

Chocolate,vanilla, or mint?

Chocolate!Definitely. Everybody loves chocolate.

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

Iwould have loved to see the Beatles.

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

Oxford.I know a few chaps who live in Oxford and I keep saying I’ll visit.

Favouritenational newspaper?

Iread a lot of newspapers. Probably theTimes.

Whatwould you say your hobbies were?

Hobbiesinclude royal history, genealogy, tweeting and cooking as I used tobe a chef.

Andwhat would you say were your three favourite songs and threefavourite books (Bar the Bible and The Complete Works ofShakespeare)?

Songs:Anything from Adele, Feeling Good (Muse), and Just say yes (Snowpatrol).

Books:I won’t say my book.....so, the biography of Oskar Schindler, PeterKay: Sound of Laughter, and the complete works of Charles Dickens.

Scotland Decides

2012-01-11T10:03:00.001Z

I agree that there should be a referendum, but equally I believe that some respect should be given to the current constitutional procedures. The Houses of Parliament still has some authority over the Scottish Parliament and therefore the government has a right to have some say. However I do agree with regards to a two year process as this is too important an issue to be flippant about or ignore. Scotland needs to make firm decisions about it's future, let us do it carefully and thoughtfully

St Paul's Protestors Village

2012-01-10T18:36:00.000Z

Last night Rachel and I went for a walk after a meal and ended up outside St Paul's which was unplanned, but I am glad we went by because I cannot see the protests as a major problem unless they were having a major event there!
There were about 150 tents, or not much more, and the atmosphere was peaceful if subdues. There was wide enough space to enter and leave the Cathedral entrance, more than 30 ft wide in fact. Compared to the protesters who used to be camped outside the Palace of Westminster it was a walk in the Park. I honestly cannot see what the major fuss was about, unless it is a social embarrassment issue or a Royal Wedding or VIP Memorial service was about to take place.

Cameron and Tourette's and Abbott on Racism

2012-01-10T11:13:00.000Z

Both have apologised for their comments (see here and here) but it shows how careful politicians need to be when making off the cuff comments. In Diane Abbott's case she needed to be aware that Twitter is a dangerous place for this and it is hard to make comments out of context. She should have affirmed what she meant by her comments in a follow up tweet. As for Cameron, well he seems to have what one can politely call an "old school" humour (take his "calm down dear!" comments for example), but he needs to remember that he is Prime Minister and that it is important in this day and age not to needlessly cause offence. Equally it is is important for a Prime Minister to be sensitive to the concerns of the electorate and I imagine plenty of voters with tourette's feel they now have a PM who does not understand or care about their condition.

Kelvin Mackenzie at the Leveson Inquiry

2012-01-09T11:42:00.001Z

Bullish and unpleasant as per usual, Mackenzie was successfully routed on the Anne Diamond case and his role as Sun Editor during most of his time there. I say most of the time because he did say he was more restrained towards the end because of the commercial changes and this is where I have real problems with this sort of Journalism is that it has a "give the people what they want!" attitude and to grab their attention it goes for sensationalist muckraking, rather than to educate, entertain, and inform which is better. Why because the latter tends to be more predisposed to the truth, the former by being sensationalist is more inclined to slide off the rails, and many people expect to, or feel it is an ideal, to believe most of what they read in newspapers

The Wrong Way to Reform the Lords

2012-01-05T12:19:00.001Z

To cut in half, the membership of any Upper and/or Revising Chamber so that it has half the members that exist in the Lower and/or Primary Chamber, seems ridiculous. There are many ways to reform the House of Lords, and if you want more dedicated members and to strengthen it as a revising chamber, perhaps the best thing to do is to make that chamber elected.

Murdoch On Twitter

2012-01-03T17:23:00.000Z

So, it seems that Rupert Murdoch is now among the Twitterati.
My first thought, when realising it was genuine, was that this was a PR exercise to countenance the recent negative news and the likely bad news that will come about in the coming weeks and months.I still think that.
That said, one can expect some fascinating stuff that will come through as a result, but lets not get sentimental or too disgusted about this. At the end of the day Rupert Murdoch is a human being who has helped denigrate our media and institutions, not some mythical deity to be worshipped and/or feared

Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia

2012-01-02T13:34:00.000Z

Fantastic start to series 2. Many twists and turns and some dark humour as well, such as when Moriarity got distracted by a phone call! It also makes you realise that just when you think you have sussed out the lead characters, you find you haven't! Keep at it Mr Moffat and Mr Gatiss, you are thousands of miles from jumping the shark yet!

A Short Review of the Year 2011

2012-01-01T19:49:00.002Z

FAVOURITE EVENTS

The Arab Spring

The Wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

PEOPLE WHO LEFT US IN 2011, WHO I WILL PARTICULARLY MISS

Pete Postlethwaite

Gerry Rafferty

Susannah York

Sargent Shriver

John Barry

Gary Moore

Nicholas Courtney

Jane Russell

Michael Gough

Elizabeth Taylor

Sidney Lumet

Elisabeth Sladen

Jackie Cooper

Seve Ballesteros

Garret FitzGerald

Peter Falk

Archduke Otto of Austria

Betty Ford

Amy Winehouse

Steve Jobs

George Baker

Diane Cilento

Joe Frazier

Christopher Hitchens

Václav Havel

FAVOURITE FILMS OF THE YEAR

The King's Speech

The Adventures of Tintin

Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows

FAVOURITE PEOPLE

Rachel Stalker (for making her mark in politics, in particular in Harlow), and being a fantastic girlfriend

Tom Baker (for taking the plunge and joining the Big Finish Team)

The people of Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and Syria (need I explain why!)

POLITICIAN OF THE YEAR

Ed Miliband (for keeping a steady pace), and also to Yvette Cooper (one of Labour's best fighters), oh and Rory Weal, for THAT speech

PERSONAL EVENTS OF THE YEAR

Labour Party Conference, getting into a deeper relationship with Rachel, and life just gradually changing for the better

TWEETERS OF THE YEAR

@RDStalker, @stephenpglenn, @wildernessrose, @timrollpickerin, @santaevita, @kevinbonavia, @goldfisher2, @myrmicatforever, @moosemizz, @karinjr, @jreedmp, @Andrew_Smith_DW, @SawbonesHex, @thenicolabryant, @markgatiss, @mwtroughton , @batty_towers and @fionalaird

I hardly ever, if that, tire of their tweets and they are amusing, clever, witty, and wonderful, and helped also keep me sane during a difficult period this year :-)

FAVOURITE QUOTES

"Anybody who saw The French Lieutenant's Woman had a crush." - President Barack Obama revealing he one for Meryl Streep

"Celebrity is horrible. It's a ghastly, vile thing." -- Daniel Radcliffe

"It is mortifying to acknowledge conduct that is not only contrary of public decorum but intrinsically sad and empty." -- Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, head of Italy's bishops' conference, on Silvio Berlusconi.

"This is one of the most humble days of my life." -- Rupert Murdoch, chairman and CEO of News Corp, at parliamentary committee hearing on the phone-hacking scandal.

Happy New Year everyone

Pardon the Irishmen Who Fought in World War Two

2011-12-28T12:26:00.000Z

This is shocking. I think not only a Pardon but an official apology is long overdue. During those six years Europe (inc Ireland), faced a common enemy that threatened common decency if nothing else and that must always be recognised

Popular Politicians (or maybe not) on YouTube

2011-12-28T12:08:00.000Z

This is all very well, but two things need to be borne out here. The first is that it's not exclusive to either right or left. Secondly it does not denote popularity as the clip of the surgeon kicking out the journalists out of a hospital ward shows (amazing how Cameron immediately changes tack in that clip. If he felt that strongly why did he let the media follow him in the first place?). The key to success here is how they stand out and that is not necessarily healthy

The Marriage Tax Allowance and the Politics of Singleness

2011-12-21T22:34:00.001Z

By Rachel Stalker

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a young man in possession of a large fortune must be in want of a Marriage Tax Allowance.

Or not…as the case may be.

It also appears to be a “truth universally acknowledged” that the bible, and by extension, the church, is in favour of marriage.

This is only partially true. People who are married should love, care and remain faithful to one another. People with children should treat their responsibilities as parents with the utmost seriousness.

But Jesus Himself never married and St. Paul was single when he wrote the Epistles. Both talk in glowing terms about the advantages of staying single. Responding to a query on the subject from the church in Corinth , St Paul replies:

“Now for the matters you wrote about: it is good for a man not to marry.”

Their reasoning is spiritual but can easily be applied to the secular realm. Single people have more time to devote to wholehearted service in their community and further afield. From Elizabeth I through Florence Nightingale to Ted Heath, our nation owes a great deal to the services of single people.

World War 1, in which hundreds of thousands of single men gave their lives fighting for our country, left 2 million “spare” single women in the UK – women who, even if they had wanted to buy into the “Cult of Domesticity” would never have the opportunity. Indeed, it was these women who helped forge a new future for women that didn’t involve domesticity – emancipation and workplace rights.

Those of us who are Christian and have found ourselves on the left of British politics are here because our heart is for the outcast, the lonely, those who fall outside the support structures offered by “traditional” family life; those who don’t have a “family” to share a “family Christmas” with; the elderly who don’t have family to care for them or visit them; the young widow or abandoned wife for whom marriage is only a fading memory.

But we are also here for the heroes – for those who, with courage, tenacity, and perhaps even silent lonely tears – use their available time and resources to serve others. They are the backbone of any “Big Society” worth the name. But will our tax system ever recognise them?

Rachel Stalker is CLP Women’s Officer in Hertford & Stortford, an active member of CSM and a Future Candidates’ Programme participant.

The Morbid Fascinations of Peter Bone

2011-12-21T10:48:00.000Z

It is a morbid fascination and yet I thought until now it was patently obvious. Either Nick Clegg would be Prime Minister for a brief period, or William Hague in his capacity as First Secretary of State. A decision (between the Cabinet and (offically) HM The Queen) on which of them would be PM would be swiftly taken (likely Hague) and therefore I don't see the problem!

North Korea: What Next?

2011-12-20T11:04:00.000Z

A definite turning point. Either Kim Jong Il's successor will be a reformer or will find himself overpowered by the Old Guard and the country will end up further isolated. Time will tell, but a definite turning point not only in North Korea's history, but South Korea as well.

Cameron's Mistake Over EU

2011-12-12T15:53:00.001Z

I can understand the patriotic feelings some have regarding Europe and how some are pleased about Cameron's veto, but from a Pro-British perspective, lets see what this will mean!

It means we are unable to get a good deal for Britain on the negotiating table
It means that the PM has not shown initiative and helped other countries in terms of safeguards for EU countries
As Ed Miliband states, it is a diplomatic disaster and cites Article 217 of the EU Constitution. He still wants EU benefits but cannot negotiate how they are used. That is not patriotic, that is a flag waving spasm. Lord Heseltine has stated that "You cannot protect the interests of the City by floating off into the middle of the Atlantic"

Well done Prime Minister.In pandering to a gang of blind backbenchers and in playing the patriotic card you have succeeded in damaging Britain's interests

Peers Urged To End "Hereditary Succession" Rules

2011-12-07T11:25:00.000Z

The prospect of this happening did occur to me when the rules regarding the line of succession was changed, although there are some hereditary titles which cross gender.The Duke of Fife inherited his title from his Aunt for example, and Countess Mountbatten of Burma inherited hers from her father. But this does not go via the eldest and a Special Act had to be put through when such titles came into existence.
On a political level this does not change much. Most Peers eligible to sit in the Lords are Life Peers (meaning their title dies with them) and if the last 100 years are anything to go by the House of Lords will soon have none. However, 100 Lords members hereditary Peers and it is the principle that matters as much as the practice.

Ch 4's Black Mirror

2011-12-06T14:13:00.000Z

So on Sunday night I tentatively watched Black Mirror. Incidentally those with a sensitive disposition should look away now
I say tentatively because, whilst I have a warped sense of humour, I do draw the line at bestiality and this episode was about a member of the Royal Family kidnapped and threatened with execution unless the PM (played by Rory Kinnear) had relations with a pig, live on television by 4PM that afternoon. In the end that is what happened, although it turned out that the Princess had been released half an hour earlier and the man responsible was an angry performance artist as opposed to a terrorist.
Now I am trying to work out the satire here and if anyone can help me, please tell me what it is. Thing is I think with humour there is a line to be drawn and this was crossed. It will be popular in some quarters because it is subversive, but whether it helps us to understand the politics and the society we live in, and whether we are prepared to, or want to see that society change for the better, is another matter

Osborne - A Profile

2011-11-30T11:49:00.002Z

I happened to read yesterday's Guardian profile on George Osborne and several things struck me.
The first was a reminder to when I was helping Rachel in her campaign and she said to me at one stage whilst we were talking about the economy "You really don't like him do you!" The answer to that is somewhat mixed and indeed I have been disgusted with Osborne's attitude and behaviour over the past few years as this blog shows.
What concerns me about Osborne is not really to do with him being a Conservative, or even a Thatcherite Conservative (Iain Dale and Tim Montgomerie are Thatcherites and I like and respect them, even if I strongly disagree with them from time to time), it is not even to do with his occasional barbs (William Hague is good at them and is liked by a no of Labour activists inc myself), it's his determined approach without thinking of the consequences and lack of proper self awareness.
When he makes snide comments you get the impression it is meant. This is someone who fails to properly take into account that those on the receiving end will remember and will hold it against him. Then there is the hypocrisy with his attacks on Gordon Brown, and yet as this profile shows, Osborne has been seen in the same way in the way he conducts himself as Chancellor, and, not for the first time he is seen as someone who prefers politics in general and out-manoeuvring people, rather than the job in hand. It is also the seeming refusal to admit mistakes and being at the forefront, rather than being a back-room boy, which may well count heavily against him. Yesterday's Autumn Statement was not very encouraging with Osborne blaming others, as he and Cameron usually do. If he continues down this path he may well find he has no political career, and for someone who has some of the talents he has, to see them ruined by his own cynical opportunism, bullying attitude, and lack of financial prowess, that would be a sad sight indeed. The no's of ordinary people suffering as a result of his policies even more so.

Osborne's Autumn Statement

2011-11-29T09:57:00.000Z

Of course we don't know what he is going to say, but it looks like he will state that growth is much slower and borrowing much higher than he expected.
I find this to be of some concern. I am not an economist, but if that continues then we are at risk of a Double-dip recession. I just hope Osborne now fully appreciates the value of having a Plan B which many have urged him to use for some time

The Leveson Inquiry

2011-11-28T11:14:00.001Z

I thought I was cynical, I thought I knew exactly what the tabloid press (some more than others) were like. I was wrong, some of the stories given by witnesses shocked me and made me realise just how out of control, arrogant, immoral, and hypocritical some of the tabloid press are.What also sticks is that when sanctions will be put against them, as they should be, they will no doubt trot out the usual cliches of frrodom of the press (which I agree is important) and making themselves out to be latter day Woodward and Bernsteins. Forgive me, but I cannot imagine Woodward and Bernstein behaving in the way journalists (or rather muck raker's) and paparazzi have done in the way witnesses at the Leveson Inquiry have described. The sooner strict rules and sanctions are brought in, the sooner the self regulation comes to an end, the better.

Congratulations to Suzy Stride

2011-11-28T10:37:00.000Z

Warmest congratulations to Suzy Stride for being elected as Labour's Parliamentary Candidate for Harlow.Whilst I am disappointed Rachel did not do so well, Suzy will make a fantastic MP for the constituency and Rachel has now enough experience under her belt to try elsewhere and has made a fantastic start

I'm Back

2011-11-26T12:58:00.000Z

Apologies for the long delay, as I have been spending most of my spare time, if not doing housework etc.. helping Rachel in her campaign to be elected as Labour's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Harlow.
It's been tough, but (obviously I am biased as Rachel is my girlfriend ad a Mars Hill contributor) Rachel has done extraordinarily well. Six months ago she wasn't on any list and to be shortlisted on the first occasion she goes for a seat, and a Labour target one at that, is incredible.
I hope Rachel does win tomorrow, but if not she has done extremely well and should be proud of her achievements

The Iron Lady - Official UK Trailer

2011-11-14T19:50:00.000Z

Seems a bit gushing in support of her though! Hat tip to Archbishop Cramner

A New Italy

2011-11-14T19:45:00.000Z

Like many I was pleased to see the back of Silvio Berlusconi's administration, with it's sleaze, his incompetence, and it's general lack of respect. Hopefully this new government will last for a couple of years and will be more efficient in running the Italian economy and be able to work in harmony with other EU leaders and with the Italian people who have been cheated out of a popular government for so long, whilst being fed charisma without substance

Joe Frasier

2011-11-09T21:39:00.000Z

Saddened to read of Joe Frasier's death yesterday. I have to say I have never been and never will be a fan of boxing, I find the sport barbaric, but that said the "Thriller in Manila" is a match I have some interest in, for the simple reason it took place when I was a few hours old (I was born on September 30th 1975), where Muhammed Ali beat him after fourteen rounds. Apparently they were major rivals who became friends later on and you do hear of some boxers being friends before and after fights, but maybe it's me but I do find the whole boxing thing a bit awful and I certainly wouldn't want to beat up any of my friends in a boxing ring, professional sport or otherwise!

Philip Gould RIP

2011-11-07T10:38:00.000Z

Was saddened but not surprised to read about this as I saw him interviewed in September on the Andrew Marr Show, where he talked about facing death with terminal cancer.He was a decent guy and you don't get too many of those in politics.
His legacy is a rich and lasting one and one that extends beyond the UK (indeed according to the Dictionary of Labour Biography, he helped advise the Clinton Campaign in the 1992 US Presidential elections) , this being that Gould's main view was that the Labour Party needed to adapt to the times and needs of the people, so what might have worked in 1964 might not have worked in 1997 and what worked in 1997 might not work today and so on. He was a pragmatist and one with a social conscience and we always need more people like that in the Labour Party, and indeed in British politics.

Rachel Stalker for Harlow

2011-11-05T06:48:00.000Z

As some of you may know, Rachel is on the shortlist to be Labour Spokesperson for the Parliamentary seat of Harlow. Her campaign website can be found here and her blog can be found here

St Paul's Protestor's "Can Stay Till January"

2011-11-03T10:52:00.000Z

A great response and one that shows a U Turn from St Paul's and the City of London. Both sides are now being reasonable and not knee jerk about this!
The Right need to realise two things when dealing with these protests. One, many of them are not anti-capitalist, rather they are against the abuses of capitalism. Two, the left here is made up of individuals, many of them decent hard working people, rather than corrupt-ridden hard left millitant unions, as was the case in some main disputes during the 1970s. If they can recognise that then maybe we can get some real dialogue going and get some positive results!

Giles Fraser's Resignation

2011-10-28T13:01:00.000+01:00

Personally I felt he had no alternative given his convictions, but it shows how strongly he feels about this given he has no Plan B with regards to his job. I do think those involved with the running of St Paul's would stop, think, and prayerfully consider what Christ would want them to do and how the Church may well be percived by those looking on! Christianity means not just accepting that Christ died for our sins and that we must love the Lord with all our hearts, strength, and mind. It also means loving our neighbour as we love ourselves and we should constantly ask and remind ourselves what that means!

Line of Succession Changed

2011-10-28T12:46:00.000+01:00

Am very pleased with this and feel it's about time. Put simply if ones gender should not be a bar in any other job why should women be at the back of a succession queue within each immediate family within the Royal line of succession?
It's a pity though that it is not retrospective but I appreciate that may cause problems, and I am also glad that the ban on marrying Roman Catholics has been lifted, but agree with Alex Salmond that it is a pity that the ban on Catholics ascending to the throne is still there. I can understand why, it's simply because the monarch is Head of the Church of England, well there is an answer to that isn't there, you destablish the C of E, but that will cause uproar for all sorts of reasons and, whilst that is understandable in some cases, clearly some would rather prefer what is comfortable to what is a basic moral right

The Coalition after 18 months - from the right

2011-10-28T10:30:00.010+01:00

It is nearly eighteen months since the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition was formed. A perspective from the right...

For many Conservatives the phrase "this Tory [sic]-led government" leaves us wishing "if only". For the Coalition is a restraint on many of our hopes and ambitions for the country, and such frustration is only tempered by the need to tackle the deficit and get this country back on track.

When the election result came through so did a stark warning about a potential market meltdown. At the time a coalition to sort out the country's immediate problems seemed the best way forward in the circumstances. Some of the prices to be paid were done with soft currencies anyway. And in other areas there was the prospect that simply being in office could knock some sense into the Liberal Democrats. The early signs were that such hopes were being realised.

And of course there was the AV referendum when my party learned to adore John Prescott as many Conservatives worked with Labourites together in the national interest. The prospect of a change, not just to the voting system but to a political culture that would just encourage more shameless Cleggism, was seen off, seemingly for a generation. Another demand had cost far less than we feared.

But as time passes the urgency declines and we are left facing another three and a half years of the government being unable to set a clear direction due to its internal divide. And as more and more legislation is passed where the two parties are in agreement, what is left will be endless potential for division as each party seeks to draw its lines in the sand. Nor is there a clear escape route - the fixed term legislation makes it far harder for a hung parliament to be put out of its misery.

And it's not as if a coalition is the only possible government. In the same week that the UK said No to AV, Canada elected a majority Conservative government after five years of a minority one. The Canadian Conservatives did as much as they could in minority and have been rewarded with a majority. Whilst David Cameron struggles with Nick Clegg to repatriate powers from Brussels, Stephen Harper is pressing ahead with, amongst other things, the long awaited abolition of the Canadian Wheat Board's monopsony.

Sure a lot of our aims require a majority in Commons for them, whether won in an election or negotiated item by item, but not everything a government does is dependent upon a majority. And another heave might well have got us over the line.

Do I wish for the destruction of the Coalition? No, at least not at the moment. Now that it's here it's better to let it carry out the programmes it's begun, rather than risk an Ed Miliband government undoing them. However I would like to see some more Conservative leading and less Liberal Democrat tail wagging.

St Paul's Cathedral and Monty Python: Christian Behaviour

2011-10-22T11:28:00.001+01:00

I haven't been following the news much this week, but I was struck by Timothy Moore's blogpost about the protest outside St Paul's and I have to say that from what I have heard about the protest I agree with him.
I appreciate the Health and Safety aspect but these protesters do not want to make life difficult for tourists or worshippers, they want to protest against the corrosive abuses within our society. Namely greed! Christ , as it is said, mixed with the poor and vulnerable and, yes there is nothing wrong with being rich (so long as ones wealth is used wisely), but wealth is not to be worshipped and it is sad that some churches which operate near the City of London, do seem to largely ignore the responsibility side of what the Bible says about money so as not to cause offence and yes one should avoid offence, but not at the cost of diluting the Gospel.
In a similar vein I caught a repeat of that infamous debate between Michael Palin and John Cleese Vs the then Bishop of Southwark and Malcolm Muggeridge on BBC Four on Wednesday night. Repeated from Nov 1979 it makes riveting television although as a Christian I feel embarrassed by Muggeridge and Mervyn Stockwood (the said Bishop of Southwark). I didn't fully agree with Cleese and Palin, but I love the film and accept their premise that the film attacks the inconsistency of followers, not Christ himself. As it was Muggeridge and Stockwood turned it into a slanging match complete with insults ("You'll get your thirty pieces of silver!" from Stockwood).
Please remind me of this in future, but Christians are called to love ones neighbour and ones enemies and even if it was playing to the gallery (which would be more disgusting), it is ones duty to listen and learn. Stockwood and Muggeridge found themselves up a blind alley and did not do that and sadly probably turned a lot of people away from looking at a relationship with Christ in one night.

Coulson Turns Against News Corp

2011-10-19T11:20:00.000+01:00

As with previous cases, when someone thinks he is going down, he will turn against those on his/her side who think are to blame. In an issue as murky as this, it will be interesting to see what falls out, that said I doubt News Corp's reputation will fully emerge unscathed from all this. Murdoch has upset too many people over the decades for one thing

Daily Mail? No Thanks!

2011-10-13T22:03:00.000+01:00

As regular readers over the past few years will know, the Daily Mail is not my favourite newspaper and Steve Coogan last night on Newsnight just about hit the nail on the head regarding that said paper (Hat tip to Left Foot Forward).
But it's not just the fact it paints a picture of Britain, or how Britain should be that is inaccurate, they also go for straw opponents. The classic was yesterday when Paul Dacre laid into the "Liberal class" (see towards end of article).
The way the likes of Dacre, or Mackenzie, or Littlejohn go on, anyone would think the "liberal class" had as much power as a newspaper proprietor. They don't. I mean! Did the "Hampstead liberal" with it's trusty lieutenant the BBC, really hold sway over the past thirty years which has seen the dominance of the Thatcherite tendency, eighteen years of solid Tory rule, privatisation en masse (some good, some for the sake of ideology and a quick buck)! No it didn't. Did the Daily Mail, Express, and right-wing gutter red tops who hurt and attacked not only celebrities and then used the argument "free press" a la Woodward and Bernstein when criticised, but also attacked groups of ordinary people who fell into the prejudices of their editors (The possible worst case being Mackenzie's alleged loathing of Liverpool and his papers coverage of Hillsborough)! Sadly yes it did and yet it seems to hate those winging lefty middle class liberal types who clearly pose a major threat to our British way of life! Maybe it's because we not only oppose them, we can easily show them up for what they are and hold them with the contempt they deserve.

Hunting Liam Fox

2011-10-10T10:47:00.000+01:00

I think it's fair to say that Liam Fox has a no of political enemies, and not all of them outside the Conservative Party or among One Nation Tories. According to Iain Dale, some of them exist within the MoD and you have to consider that if a right-wing libertarian like Iain can dispassionately point out that Liam Fox is in trouble and put forward evidence to back that, then Liam Fox is in trouble.
Aside from the analysis about Fox's future concerns, there is the fact that Adam Werrity having cards saying he is "Special Advisor" shows that, not for the first time and sadly not for the last, the mere whiff of close access to power can cause some to throw common sense away. That is the tragedy and that is what politicians and those close to them need to be on the lookout for.
One final thing, Harry Cole has suggested that David Davis could succeed Liam Fox. If true that would be news, given the events of the past few years and the evidence that there is little love lost between Davis and Cameron, but this is politics and stranger things have happened

Shadow Cabinet Reshuffle

2011-10-07T10:39:00.001+01:00

I think it's dangerous for any predictions yet, although I think it's obvious the top three, Balls, Cooper, and Alexander, will remain in their posts. I hope old hands like Hilary Benn remain and that deserving talent like Jamie Reed get promoted (Declared interest, he's a friend of mine).
In any case let's hope we see an array of faces old and new who can easily make their opposite numbers feel uncomfortable for the next year or two

Osborne or Johnson?

2011-10-04T13:37:00.000+01:00

So I am back from Conference and I see the Conservatives have a major dilemma. Who to pick as PM when Cameron quits circa 2018
Well aside from the arrogance (and bear in mind they don't even have a majority in Parliament), the Tories have in assuming they'd be in power in 2018, whatever makes them think that the electorate would accept Osborne or Johnson as PM!

Then There Were Three!

2011-09-30T21:27:00.000+01:00

Yet another member of the Mars Hill blog team interviewed by Winkball! Rachel caught on camera on the last day of the Labour Party Conference, where she was delegate for Hertford and Stortford CLP

Tuesday at Conference

2011-09-28T09:50:00.000+01:00

My last full day. I attended and helped out at the CSM Prayer breakfast, attended a Tony Benn booksigning, went to the Northern Ireland Labour Party reception, and attended a worthwhile event hosted by the Co'Operative Party and CSM on the awful effects of our loan culture, at which Stella Cresay, the MP for Walthamstow, spoke eloquently and passionately about constituents of hers who had sufferedas a result and who ended up owing far more money than they earn in a month. Her website goes into brilliant detail on this.
Yesterday seemed to be the day to bump into many friends, aquaintances, and people one had spoken with at previous conferences, so good to meet up again with Kevin Bonavia, Iain Dale, Alex Hilton, Tony Benn, Simone Webb, Gillian Troughton, Rob Carr, Andy Flannigan, Greg Rosen, Lord Kinnock and apologies to anyone I missed out and that list is just yesterday :-)

Monday at Conference

2011-09-27T10:24:00.000+01:00

Very busy day. Not just attendiung events but the sheer energy of the place, meeting people all the time etc.. Tires you out. I attended a good fringe meeting (and well turned out) on Palestine/Israel, where Ben Bradshaw, Arelene McCarthy, John McCartthy and Medhi Hassan among others were on the panel. It seems that the Palestinian issue, especially given last week at the UN, is one that is growing, will not go away, and has many on the Palestinian side, if not their sympathy.
Then I attended the Irish reception of Labour Parties and got to meet up with good friends Kevin Bonavia and Sara Ibrahim among others. BTW Wasn't Ed Balls' speech a blinder yesterday, one of his best I thought and look on BBC iPlayer if you want to see it in it's entirity

Winkballing all over the place

2011-09-26T22:51:00.000+01:00

I see that Paul has managed to get spotted by the Winkball team at Liverpool this week for Labour conference.

For the sake of balance, I also got interviewed last week at the Liberal Democrats conference in Birmingham

Both of us it seems on day one.

Sunday at Conference

2011-09-26T11:02:00.000+01:00

Well at was at the church service at St Nicholas this morning, hosted by CSM. Andy Flannigan spoke and Stephen Timms spoke at reception afterwards in place of Ed Miliband who was otherwise busy. attended a Progree meeting and the East of England reception, plus, bizarrely, a Downton Abbey Party hosted by Simone Webb. One of the great but strange things about conference is the speed and the unusual situations one finds oneself in. Which reminds me, yesterday I was briefly interviewed for The Daily Politics over Ed Miliband's performance using small balls

Stephen's on the BBC News Website

2011-09-20T10:43:00.000+01:00

One of our contributors, Stephen Glenn, is quoted as mentioning his views on the coalitions' progress on the BBC's News Website, so on behalf of the other contributors and myself, congratulations are in order.
Whether we agree with him is of course another matter ;-)

Fisking Kelvin Mackenzie on Scotland!

2011-09-17T13:08:00.002+01:00

Normally I wouldn't even bother fisking a column by Kelvin Mackenzuie, but I was drawn attention to his usual diatribe against Scots this morning and noticed a couple of things that concern me and should concern Daily Mail readers.

The first thing that bothered me was when he said:

As things stand, the Scots receive 19 per cent more State money per head than the English, which leads to the disgraceful situation where we are giving people who don’t even like us free prescriptions, free universities and the like, whereas we haven’t enough money to do that for our own people.

I would like Cameron to address this issue — after all it won’t cost him politically as he has more chance of seeing Gaddafi in Scotland than a Conservative voter.

Is it me or is Mackenzie writing that without being fully aware of the pain and misery felt by Scots over Lockerbie and how his remarks could be taken? If this is on the same level as his Hillsborough comments then it doesn't just show Mackenzie to be nasty, it shows him to be incompetent and foolish as well!

He then stated:

I do not want to keep paying. So I suggest we bring those clever folk from Israel who put the wall around their country and get them to do the same for Scotland. Then we can give the Scots independence and perhaps suggest they merge their currency with Greece.

We could call it the Skinto.

I am sure the people of Israel and Palestine, who suffer violence, misery, and hardship, will be happy to be compared with Scotland and England where the issue, if it is to the level Mackenzie suggests, is purely economic.

A word of free advice to Kelvin Mackenzie. Make a monumental effort to change the unpleasant habits of many years and think before you click send

Martin McGuinness - President of Ireland?

2011-09-17T11:54:00.002+01:00

I doubt very much I am alone in having two minds about Martin McGuinness. On one, I have difficulty forgetting that he was involved to some degree with the IRA during the Troubles and was possibly privy to, and therefore probably involved, some of their biggest terrorist attacks.
But McGuinness the peacemaker I cannot help but admire.He and Ian Paisley both managed to let go to some degree, the bitterness from their respective pasts and move forward into the bright sunlight future of Northern Ireland that we hope to see. Whether Northern Ireland one day becomes part of the Republic or will always remain part of the UK, I hope that the more positive aspects of the distinctive nature of the Province, from both nationalist and unionist, is respected and cherished
So it is that I have mixed feelings about McGuinness aiming for the Irish Presidency. Will this help foster tension within the Unionist community (I think some is inevitable) ? Or will it also help create a better dialogue between North and South and help bring Sinn Fein further from the political cold? Over the years I have gradually come to see that Adams, McGuinness and their followers do not want to return to the past. That they see peace and dialogue as permanent, and I hope that, come what may this election, that will continue.

Total Politics list is from Mars (Hill that is)

2011-09-16T17:00:00.000+01:00

With Paul and Rachel away out of regular Internet access this week I may as well post this.

Mars Hill Blog is ranked 57th in the Total Politics Top 100 Labour Blogs for 2011.

Personally I'm loving the fact that one of the team is the actually ranked number 5 on the Liberal Democrat list. Just don't tell the Total Politics team, they'll have apoplexy.

So on behalf of Paul, who did most of the blogging this year, and the rest of the team who have joined him recently, thank you for you votes and keep reading.

10 years on the silent route over Edinburgh

2011-09-11T16:35:00.003+01:00

Ten years ago I was sitting in my office on Queen Street in Edinburgh. the window from my top floor (or actually attic) office offered a view of the Firth of Forth and Fife beyond. But also of course a view and noise of all the planes that headed in over the Firth and Leith on their way to or from the airport off to the west.

We were a small team of four with me as the Administrator for three counsellors. From the other office one of them came in and told be to turn on the radio and try and find out online what was going on in New York. Her husband had called her to tell her that a plane had just hit the World Trade Centre. A few minutes later there was a gasp from both offices. We'd just heard the news that a second plane had hit the second tower.

This was in the day when small business still had dial up and the Internet was incredibly slow. The BBC pages that I would normally access without any difficulty were so slow as to drag information up sometimes 20 minutes after I'd requested it. Everyone was trying to do what I had been told to find out what was going on. But I already through my online life had friends all over the world and my thought was where were they. I logged unto forums to see if anyone had any news from any of the New York based ones.

Within hours all flights were being grounded. Nobody knew, or at least was saying what level of threat there was, so the precaution was to ground all civilian aircraft. Later in the afternoon I saw the last few aircraft coming in to land with RAF jets nearby, I assume from Leuchers.

My drive home to West Lothian took me alongside the Airport at Ingleston what my Northern Ireland eye noticed was an increased police presence in the area at that time, but for the busy early evening landing our as I queued in the heavy traffic from the Airport to the Motorway there was a lack of planes taking off or landing. There was to be an eerie emptiness in clear September skies for a number of days after that point. No vapour trails, no planes, no lights from wings for night landings and no noise overhead. It was strangely comforting to see vapour trails in the sky once again once the global flight ban was lifted.

We I got home I found my then fiancée and her family all huddled around watching News 24 or Sky News (I don't recall which) something they never did. I joined them as soon as the dag was walked. It was harrowing to watch and she and I started to check up on our online friends who we'd yet to hear about. One who should have been above the impact zone of the North Tower was fortunately on a business meeting elsewhere. However, what was even worse for us a couple of weeks later was pictures on one of her flatmates cameras from his holidays. One picture had the time stamp 14:59 10-Sep-01 it was a view from the observation deck on the South Tower of the North Tower with its TV antenna. Of course his camera was still using British time for the time so the time was 24 hours before a view from there would have suddenly dropped as the first Tower collapsed. He'd left New York that afternoon to fly to Philadelphia and this was his last tourist excursion in NYC.

We of course didn't know at the time where else might be a target. We didn't know if there were more planes up there aiming for locations. For someone from Northern Ireland who knew on the ground if there was heavy police presence going one way, especially during the IRA's London campaign when I worked there, that you head the other way the thought of planes being used was far more awful to comprehend.

I'd been used to the occasional no warning bombs. But could not imagine what it would have been like for those on floors that saw a plane heading straight for their office window and in a few brief seconds to comprehend their fate, knowing it was too late to do anything about it.

9/11 - Shock and disbelief

2011-09-10T21:00:00.003+01:00

For me 9/11 happened off stage. Maybe that's why it at first seemed so unreal.

People often talk about where they were when big events happened and how they experienced them. But for me I was totally oblivious of what was happening in the wider world until several hours later.

At the time I was working in Marks and Spencer in Canterbury and that day I had an all day shift. I had no access to television or the internet, and my mobile phone was switched off all day. As far as I was concerned it was just another day. I spent it working the various tasks in the coffee shop and whilst I did have a lunch break which must have been around the time the planes hit, it was spent eating, reading a newspaper and chatting to other staff.

The news only came that evening as I was walking home when I passed the house of a local councillor whom I'd help get elected earlier that year. He was out in the garden and I stopped to have a few words with him. He mentioned that the World Trade Center had been destroyed. I just couldn't believe him and thought he was pulling my leg. It seemed so impossible - like saying the Moon had vanished.

I'd visited New York only a year earlier, at the end of a holiday along the east coast. With only two days in New York and warned about lengthy queues I choose to make the World Trade Center my main tourist visit. Standing on the roof of one of the towers and looking out over the city truly was an awe inspiring experience. And it was just impossible to believe that it was no longer there.

I walked the rest of the way home wondering just how true all this was. I got in to find my flatmate watching the news on television and got the whole story of that day in one go. My reaction was a mix of horror at what had happened, but also worry as my parents were in the States, visiting my sister, and I had no way to communicate with them. Matters were made worse as we didn't have an internet connection in the flat itself. So I grabbed my laptop and jumped in the car and drove the short distance to the university campus where I had a key for one of the offices with a network connection. That evening was spent in the office fruitlessly searching the internet for some way, any way to get in touch with them (it's amazing how back then the internet played no role whatsoever in family communications). Eventually I realised I would have to wait for them to get in touch with me.

Looking back it seems strange that my focus was such as it was. But I guess that when faced with such events that seem so incredible sheer disbelief can make it hard to comprehend it all. It was only slowly over the next few days that everything really began to sink in and we were left wondering what the "War on Terror" would bring.

When the Twin Towers Fell...

2011-09-10T12:08:00.002+01:00

It was my first week at university when the attacks happened in the US. I had moved from my tiny rural village home to be immersed in the cultural craziness and diversity of a very international college in the heart of Liverpool city centre. I was incredibly excited, but also terrified of meeting so many new people so quickly, and having to live in a totally new environment and live and work with a whole load of people from around the world I had never met. On 9/11 I was on the way to the first welcoming meeting of the new intake, but as I stepped into the lobby of the building, the massive plasma screen on the wall displayed the first impossible video footage of the first plane going into the tower. I stood horrified, and for a moment oblivious to the crowds gathering around me to watch as events unfolded. It was a mixture of disbelieving silence and frantic American accents on mobiles calling home that soon filtered into my consciousness, students calling friends and family and checking whether they were ok. We were all still gathered there as the news came in about the second plane...and at that point we were all shocked out of our paralysed horror. Anger and sadness and rage swept like a wave over the group, and the rest of the day passed in a haze for most of us. The teachers came and told us that everything had been called off for the rest of the week while some students organised flying home - some Americans to be with family, and even some conscripted forces students recalled to their units. The rest of us had no place of grounding to turn to in this new place, so over the evening most of us drifted towards the LIPA bar and mulled over the events of the day over our first student beers.

It was horrifying at the time, but one thing I did realise afterwards was on that day in the bar, we skipped over the usual boasting small talk and ego trips and focussed for a long time on what was real in that moment - an overseas tragedy brought close to home; an anger at the terrorists that fired up latent activism; an encounter with death that made us question what really mattered, and had all of us opened up to each other in the way that perhaps only adversity can. I sometimes we could be like this with one another the whole time, without something having to shock us into being real. I wonder what would be different if we were all real from the outset, and what would really matter to us? I wonder how many of us are bold enough to try...

9/11 - Ten Years On

2011-09-10T11:57:00.000+01:00

Ten years ago tomorrow, I was working at a local coffee shop and was just finishing my 6AM-2PM shift when my Boss came in and told us of a plane hitting one of the Twin Towers in New York City. Like many I assumed it was a small bi-plane and thought of the time when a such a thing happened many years before with the Empire State Building. My Boss added that it was a terrorist attack.
I was picked up at work by my Dad who told me the same story and it was only when I got home that the full horror of what happened started to emerge. It was on all the terrestrial TV Channels, the horror of the fact it was two commercial planes, news of attacks on the Pentagon, some mentioned a bomb attack near the State Department (later proved to be inaccurate), in London Canary Wharf was being evacuated and, as I was going to London that afternoon, I had to swiftly cancel my journey. I remember being horrified as I saw the Towers collapse and thinking "All those people.." who were still trapped inside. It was horrifying and one swiftly realised that history was in the making and that the devastating impact that was taking place would be felt for decades to come.
In the days and weeks that followed there was a sense of shock and anger. I can well empathise with the desire for revenge as well as justice, to want to make those responsible pay dearly for the deaths and misery they have caused, but we must never, ever, in our quest for justice, put ourselves down to the level of those responsible. We must never behave in a way that would shock and appal us if it was anything else.
Ten years on, the World has indeed changed. We are more alert with regards to the issues of terrorism, we still have to face down Al Qaeda, even though Bin Laden was killed some months ago. But life is still the same in other contexts. We still go where we like, we still eat, drink, sleep, meet with friends and relatives. Al Qaeda took many things away from us on 9/11, but not everything, and not the most important things

9/11 - How Ground Zero Looks Now

2011-09-08T10:49:00.000+01:00

No words needed

Blair, Murdoch, and Accountability

2011-09-06T12:12:00.000+01:00

There is something disturbing about this on a no of levels. The first is simple, Wendi Deng's comments could be translated as "We go down, Blair goes down!" and that this is just the tip of an iceberg where offers of help are made with the possible blackmail.
The second disturbing thing is (assuming this is true) doesn't the former PM have any proper understanding of the word ethics? Wasn't he aware of how being Godparent to one of Murdoch's daughters caused a conflict of interest in his role as PM! What if he was still in Downing Street!
I appreciate success Prime Ministers' have been scared of Murdoch, but it seems that all, from Thatcher onwards were prepared to turn a blind eye. A sad reflection on our society and a sad reflection of what power and fear does to people

Happy 65th Birthday to Freddie Mercury

2011-09-05T11:03:00.001+01:00

Protests Disrupt Israeli Philharmonic Proms Night

2011-09-02T11:33:00.000+01:00

I can see the protesters point, but it was badly planned and organised at the wrong people. The Israeli Philharmonic are accepting of all musicians and protesting at the Royal Albert Hall during Proms season was not going to win friends and influence people!
Perhaps they should have aimed their protests at those who actually support and actively back Israeli occupation, and work out ways of committing peaceful protest there. Last nights action did little, if nothing for their cause

Abortion and Dorries. What Isn't Being Done!

2011-09-01T11:44:00.000+01:00

Much has been said around the blogosphere and twittersphere about Nadine Dorries's proposals for wider counselling on abortions,
What bothers me however is not the debate itself, but the language used. This is an issue which involves trauma, hurt, depression, anger, etc.. Many of those on both sides have a lot of emotional investment on this issue, for whatever reason and so why are people (inc Nadine Dorries) not being careful with their language, throwing accusations, instead of trying carefully and gently to win people over. How is anyone going to convince those who disagree on an issue such as abortion by being like this?
It's important to bear in mind the decency and humanity of the opponent, however disgraceful you find their views. It's important not to patronise, accuse, belittle, otherwise you will achieve almost zero in the long term.

Paul and Rachel Discuss Greenbelt 11

2011-08-31T12:58:00.000+01:00

Click here to hear the Mars Hill Podcast where Rachel and I discuss what has been Rachel's first Greenbelt experience

Podcast Interview with Lord Glasman

2011-08-30T22:41:00.000+01:00

Click here to listen to my podcast interview at Greenbelt with Lord Glasman, where he talks about Blue Labour and his hopes for the role that Labour can work with churches cam play in reaching local communities blighted by poverty

Fantasy Twitter Cabinet, or Just for Fun

2011-08-27T17:20:00.001+01:00

Recently Archbishop Cramner has published a list of what his fantasy cabinet of bloggers would consist of. Something I myself did some years ago, although this one was a coalition, it was one where, with all respect to Tom Harris, Iain Dale, and some others listed, would cause me to want to emigrate given who else was primarily on the list (Melanie Phillips among other hard right-wingers)It did make me think though, who would your fantasy coalition cabinet would consist of. So given Twitter is the main medium, I thought I would respond with a centerist dominated coalition full of fellow tweeters. Some are friends, some are not political, but are popular on Twitter, and obviously I had to be careful which Tories got which jobs. Some would not get along with each other at all, in fact some would be working closely together where one wondered at the possibility of fireworks, but it would hardly be a dull coalition of fellow tweeters as I am sure you will agree. So here it is:

Prime Minister - Paul Burgin (@Paul_Burgin)
Deputy Prime Minister and Constitutional Affairs Secretary - Rachel Stalker (@rdstalker)
First Secretary of State and Leader of the Lords - John Prescott (@johnprescott)
Foreign Secretary - Karin Robinson (@karinjr)
Chancellor of the Exchequer - Jessica Asato (@jessica_Asato)
Justice Secretary - Tim Roll-Pickering (@timrollpickerin)
Home Secretary - Kevin Bonavia (@kevinbonavia)
Minister for Women - Simone Webb (@santaevita)
Defence Secretary - Malcolm Mann (@myrmicatforever)
Business Secretary - Chris Burgin (@tristophe)
Work and Pensions Secretary - Kevin Maguire (@Kevin_Maguire)
Energy and Climate Change Secretary - Jamie Reed (@jreedmp)
Health Secretary - Linda Jack (@lindylooz)
Education Secretary - Sara Batts (@Batty_Towers)
Environment and Rural Affairs Secretary - Colin Baker (@sawboneshex)
Communities and Local Government Secretary - Emily Hewson (@emilyhewson)
Transport Secretary - Iain Dale (@iaindale)
International Development Secretary - Steve Richards (@steverichards14)
Northern Ireland Secretary - Stephen Glenn (@stephenpglenn)
Scotland Secretary - Tom Harris (@TomHarrisMP)
Welsh Secretary - Owen Jones (owenjones84)
Culture, Media and Sport Secretary - Fiona Laird (@fionalaird)
Leader of the Commons - Michael Bater (@greenleftie)
Minister Without Portfolio - Tim Montgomerie (@timmontgomerie)
Chief Secretary to the Treasury - Alex Hilton (@alexhilton)
Chief Whip- - Raeven (@raevenm)

Attending Cabinet Meetings, but not members

Paymaster General - Claire G (@angliasolutions)
Cabinet Office Ministers- Mark Ferguson (@markfergusonuk) and Walaa Idris (@walaaidris)
Minister for Universities and Science - Chris Meadows (@kiff76)
Attorney General - Sara Ibrahim - (@sara_e_ibrahim)

Let's Not Forget Gaddafi's Victims

2011-08-25T12:11:00.000+01:00

Whilst this is all splendid news and Colonel Gaddafi is now more or less on the run, let us not forget that he has yet to be caught and that there are still pockets of Gaddafi supporters about, let us also not forget those who suffered under his regime and the victims of those who died as a result of his actions, and how mixed the feelings of the relatives of those victims feel. Whether it is the families of those who opposed Gaddafi and disappeared, or the relatives of those who died in the Berlin nightclub bombing of 1986, or the relatives of the four Beirut hostages who were killed after the Tripoli bombing, or the relatives of those who were killed at Lockerbie, and many others. For them it is likely a bittersweet week and my thoughts and prayers are with them.

Murdoch, Desmond, or neither!

2011-08-24T21:05:00.000+01:00

I once predicted some years ago that when the Murdoch empire would collapse there would be champagne parties in several parts of London. Okay that was hyperbole, but given the response to News International's problems this summer I don't think I was far wrong.
But whatever happens next we must ask ourselves that if Murdoch's empire falls or he sells off his newspapers, who will fill the vacuum, and given which newspaper has been filling in the News of the World's shoes, according to Stephen Glover, it is a disturbing possibility that it could be Richard Desmond.
Let's face it. The media in this country could do with less Richard Desmond's and less Rupert Murdoch's, and more businessmen who have a Reithian mindset in putting forward an agenda compared to a Northcliffe mindset. That is not to say Reith was faultless, but his view of the BBC to educate, entertain, and inform, as opposed to Northcliffe's (founder of The Daily Mail and The Daily Herald, later The Sun), which was to give people bits of gossip and something to hate, is a far nobler aim to go for. In short, to use old fashioned language, the communications industry in this country is in danger of being run by too many spivs and not enough gentlemen.
The sad aspect to this though is twofold. The first is that, in the understandable desire to rid themselves of Murdoch, people are not aware of the looming presence of Richard Desmond, a porn baron, and someone who seems to hardly conduct himself well at critical moments. His newspapers aren't exactly what any sensible person would call a newspaper in the traditional sense (more redundant gossip about Princess Diana than actual news) and in short, someone not quite up to the mark. For anyone who loathes Murdoch, ask yourself if you want an individual such as Desmond, or others like him, to dominate the media in this country?
The second is that we need to look at the people's media tastes. It is, for me anyway, a sad scenario that a newspaper, sorry I meant tabloid, will savage a celebrity, print salacious gossip, (not always with foundation) and that paper will be rewarded because some individual wants to do the crossword or like to read about the private lives of others when they themselves would resent any such intrusion into their own lives.
We need to look at how our media is regulated and how we need to get rid of the cancer that pervades our media culture, and News International's problems have given us a good moment to do that, let us not waste it.

Russia: Twenty Years On

2011-08-21T10:27:00.001+01:00

I remember well waking up in the small hours of the 19th August 1991. It was a school day, and I could hear my parents talking outside the bathroom as Dad was about to get ready for work in London.He usually listened to the BBC World Service as he started to get ready and the news that shocked him and Mum was that there was a coup in the USSR and Gorbachev was under house arrest. This was going to have a severe effect on the Markets and it was the fear in the back of our minds and those who were into politics who wanted to see the end of communist domination in Russia. That those who were against reforms would rear their heads and take over, after all it happened to Khrushchev over less.
At the time I was doing my GCSEs and one of the options I had taken was History. At around that time or shortly before we had been looking at the Russian civil War and I feared that the same could happen again. When the end did come, when the Coup Plotters realised they had no support, it was not only swift and brutal for them but also for the Soviet Union. To everyone's joy and amazement the USSR was over and Russia was going to be a multi-party republic. What was beginning in 1917 and was cruelly extinguished by the October Revolution that year, had resumed.
So what now, twenty years on? Well Communism is still no longer a dominant force, the free market economy still reigns in Russia, bit there is organised crime which has had it's tentacles in Russian society for years and there are still pains around the birth of Democracy
in Russia. The irony is that Gorbachev, with his political commitments today, seems more of a
Democratic alternative to Putin. The last Secretary General of the USSR vs the elected Prime Minister of Russia

Twenty Questions to a Fellow Blogger Part CLII: Stephen Glenn

2011-08-16T11:37:00.002+01:00

Stephen was born in Northern Ireland, went to University in England and spend most of a decade in Scotland, where he stood twice for Westminster, fell in love with Livingston Football Club and started blogging in 2005. He's been an active Liberal Democrat for most of the last 23 years, so much so that he often spends his birthday at or travelling to/from Autumn Federal Conference. Stephen is one of Mars Hill's bloggers and runs his own blog Stephen's Liberal Journal..

What made you decide to start blogging?

I started back in 2005. It was just after the general election, in which I stood for Linlithgow and East Falkirk for the first time, and I knew that I would be standing again for public office. So I started out basically trying to talk about local issues. Within a month though one of the local MPs Robin Cook had died and my readership numbers then went through the roof as being the only blogger on the spot for that particular by election. I then realised that as much as, no more so, my local issues people did want to read about my take on national issues so that carried on.

What is your best blogging experience?

Checking my stats one day at lunchtime and seeing numbers had gone through the roof. The reason was that my take on the Prince of Wales calling his friend Sooty had been added as the an finally article on the Independent's round up of the coverage. When a small blog can get over 3,000 hits by lunchtime it is a good dayhttp://stephensliberaljournal.blogspot.com/2009/01/exclusive-lionel-talks-to-sooty.html

And your worst?

During the Dunfermline and West Fife by election I came back on a Sunday Morning after doing a delivery to find some of the smokers out in the car park telling me I was quoted in the Scotland on Sunday. It was during the leadership election to replace Charels Kennedy and it was a line, or rather a part of a line, taken from my blog Simon Hughes coming cleam about his sexuality. The conditional clauses from the sentence were all taken out, so instead of a supportive statement as written it appeared to be one of condemnation. Therefore it was mixed feelings to have one of my first quotes lifted by a national title.

What do you regard as your best blog entry?

With almost 3000 of them down the years it is difficult to pin point an absolute best, though those that tend to be rather personal seem to be the ones that give most to readers, they also tend to be the hardest to write. Although one that a lot of people tell me still has an impact on them and has been the start of a rather ongoing series down the years on the subject.

http://stephensliberaljournal.blogspot.com/2009/05/why-i-need-to-still-go-to-church.html

Favourite blogs?

I like the blog of my friend Caron http://carons-musings.blogspot.com/ especially as back in the day, I used to get all sorts of how do you do that questions as she was starting out. But she really has come on as a blogging voice not just in Scotland but for the Lib Dems.
Three Scottish friends from different parties got together to merge their blogging into Better Nation last year. http://www.betternation.org/
I think I'd better include another Northern Irish blog and try and avoid nepotism so there is Ed Simpson who whenever he says something tends to not hold back.http://newunionism.blogspot.com/

What inspired you to go into politics?

Growing up in Northern Ireland the politics there never really inspired me much, it was all so negative against the 'others' whoever they might be. At the time there was no devolved powers and Maggie was in control. There was the excitement of the new SDP working with the Liberal party. They were standing up for social justice and democracy while at the same time tackling the environment and embracing Europe in a way that would benefit the UK. It was therefore a straightforward matter at my first Freshers Fair having been away from home less than a week to sign up for the Liberal Democrats.

What was the best and the worst thing about running the Yes2AV campaign in Northern Ireland?

The best thing was the way this really was a cross community campaign here in Northern Ireland. Even though the unionist parties didn't officially come on board there were many good contacts within the unionist parties that were doing their bit. The worst thing would have to have been the result, reading the news coming in from all over the country and knowing the voite was lost before I even had the first declaration of my long day. However, it was somewhat tempered by Northern Ireland having the best overall regional result.

Do you have any personal political ambitions regarding the Liberal Democrats or Northern Ireland politics?

Having stood in the last 2 general elections I'm looking forward to standing once again as a Liberal Democrat. As the Lib Dems don't currently stand in Northern Ireland my involvement in Northern Ireland politics is currently ensuring that there is liberal voice being heard. Before the Yes2AV Campaign I was involved in responding to consultations based firmly on Lib Dem principles. I'm doing that again, plus also involved as the co-ordinator of LGBT Lib Dems NI in getting the equality message across.

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

I'd love to go to New Zealand, and that come from before Peter Jackson made it Middle-Earth. It has a mix of beautiful scenery, history and fully merges it's native population into hits modern society.

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

A hidden gem of Europe is certainly Malta. I've been there twice and could still go back. There is so much history all happening on that one little island and all of it is respected and looked after.

Who, excluding the present leader, do you regard as the best Liberal Democrat/Liberal/SDP Party leader, and if different, the best Prime Minister?

I'd have loved to have seen Paddy Ashdown getting a chance in Government. In some of the early televised PMQs he was the one who often stole the show. He was a natural leader who still very much has his finger on the pulse of so many things. He took on the party from the brink of bankruptcy and led us along the path that eventually led to almost one in four people voting for us.

Which Christian figure has been your greatest inspiration?

Growing up in Bangor, Northern Ireland I had the benefit every August if attending the World Wide Missionary convention so had heard many of the mission leaders of well known organisations speaking. Seeing as I ended up spending a year with Operataion Mobilisation and so many Summer and Easter campaigns with them I would say that George Verwer and his world map jacket had the biggest influence and inspiration on me. George and the OM prayer emphasis on the world at large has also shaped the way I look at the world, the news and prayerfully approach things. It isn't always the headlines that get my attention but the little small paragraphs that get me looking up a less well known country in Operation World.

Favourite Bond movie?

Going out on a limb here but Daniel Craig's Casino Royale really blew the cobwebs off the old franchise. It came with an explosion just when the franchise needed it and presented a Bond more like the one Fleming wrote about in the books (yes I have read them).

Favourite Doctor Who?

I used to always answer this with Tom Baker, but David Tennant is now up there. May have to rewatch more of my classics collection.

Chocolate, vanilla, or mint?

Chocolate

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

Would have loved to have seen The Doors and could never tire of seeing Crowded House

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

Would tend to go for a weekend away where I have friends, although I do in the first two, I have friends I'd like to see eslewhere first. Also as this is August and I'm having withdrawal symptoms from the Fringe it would have to be Edinburgh.

Favourite national newspaper?

Grauniad

What would you say your hobbies were?

Lawn Bowls, geneaology, reading and following sport (yeah most sports)

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

Three favourite songs are always subjective based on current mood as there are too many to like

Summer in the City by Aztec Camera
I Like by Divine Comedy
Gave it All Away by Boyzone

Although ask me on the last night of Lib Dem conference and I'll mention three favourites from the Liberator Songbook.

Three books though are set in stone
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy: A trilogy in five parts (yeah didn't like part 6)
The Lord of the Rings
Any Terry Pratchett

Podcast Review of the Week - 8th-14th August

2011-08-16T11:00:00.000+01:00

Here you can find a Podcast I have done where I look at the riots over the past week and look at the myriad of reasons

Of Riots and Revolution

2011-08-15T15:42:00.000+01:00

So everyone has been talking about the riots since they occurred - and indeed the TwitterSphere was buzzing as it happened. There were panicked messages back and forth between friends and families, checking if they were ok. There were suggestions to those on the frontline from those safe at home - use a watercannon, plastic bullets, call in the Army, call back parliament, call Boris. Some fled the city till the worst blew over, some stood their ground armed with homemade weapons, some banded together in peace marches to appeal to the better natures of the protesters. And once the worst of it had died down, there was the angry aftermath, thousands of voices of accusation and blame fired in all directions at all peoples. It seemed that anyone who had a political opinion found something in the riots to pin on the other side, and each section of society further divided itself against the rest.

I was at home, watching the tweets, reading the blogs, listening to the news, the interviews, the assessments and proclamations. I could hear the fire engine sirens and the police choppers overhead for nights in a row, and I began getting the bus to work and leaving early to avoid any potential trouble. I watched from the window the semi-apocalyptic scene of business closing early and boarding up their windows and bringing down the iron grills, from the small local stores to the Waitrose in Angel. I was worried, I was angry, I was shocked and appalled and disbelieving that this sort of thing could happen, while at the same time entirely unsurprised. To keep me company and drown out the world outside, I put on an episode of the West Wing - the one where there is a shooting in a divided community, and the Presidential candidate struggles through the entire show to find something to say that will make the situation better. Me makes a speech in the end about blame and compassion, of which this is a small part:

"You know, I find myself on days like this casting about for someone to blame... I blame every one I can think of and I am filled with rage. And then I try and find compassion. Compassion for the people I blame. Compassion for the people I do not understand, compassion. It doesn't always work so well... Blame will not rid our streets of crime and drugs and fear ... will not strengthen our schools or our families or our workforce. Blame will rob us of those things and we have had enough of that. And so I ask you today to dig down deep with me and find that compassion in your hearts. Because it will keep us on the road."

I have felt the anger and fear, and then I have tried to exercise compassion, and not play the blame game that comes so easily - and makes for such good television debates and political campaigns. I think our churches are good at teaching us to respond with compassion, and to make that compassion into action, to go out and help those who have been hurt, and those who have done the hurting. I loved the pictures of the crowds hitting the streets with brooms and shovels to clear up the mess - but one thing struck me as I watched.

I admired those who helped, but as they talked, they still spoke in terms of 'us' and 'them'. The people who had done the rioting and the looting were still so 'other'...the implication being that they were not like that. Yet when I see those people going to court, forming their excuses and giving their validations for their criminal actions, I can't help but wonder what part I played in this. These people are all our people, part of our society, part of our school system and local community - and we contribute to those things just as much as they. Until we can stop wanting so much, how can we blame those who grabbed a new hi-fi from a looted store? Until we can calmly respond with love to injustice, how can we blame those who become so angry that they stampede in the streets? If we rationalise to ourselves the little white lie, how can we judge those who rationalise other criminal behaviour?

We can feel so powerless when these extreme situations arise - but we always have just as much power as we have always had. We can choose to make a different decision, form a new response, and cultivate compassion in all things - we can change ourselves, and take responsibility for who we are in the world, and how we effect it. We can model our best selves, and then share our time, our energy and our compassion with others, and in so doing start the same kind of revolution as a lone carpenter from Galilee once did. I think that he is the best model for compassion - he meets everyone where they are, accepts them in themselves, but leaves no-one unchanged.

What would it be like if we did the same?

Twenty Questions to a Fellow Blogger Part CLI: Raeven

2011-08-15T12:34:00.006+01:00

As Mars Hill is becoming a team effort, I felt it was good that you got to know some of the team a bit, so it is that they have agreed to be interviewed for the Twenty Questions series. First up is Raeven, who also runs the A Rose in the Wilderness blog

What made you decide to start blogging?

I had been skeptical about blogging in the past - so many people with so little to say - but actually, everyone has a unique voice that should be heard, and while I was encouraging others to speak out, I was reminded that my voice is special too - and how better to articulate the things you believe than in the Blogosphere?

What is your best blogging experience?

I once wrote a response to a 'Thought for the Day' type piece, and a vicar friend of mine decided he wanted to include my ideas in a Sunday sermon!

And your worst?

None yet, but even if I do get some negative/hurtful responses to what I say, at least I've said it!

What do you regard as your best blog entry?

Each blog post of mine is my favourite until I write the next, because it resonated with me at that moment, and I think that is what matters to me...I think my best blog posts are those that resonate with others too, perhaps realising that the small, silent opinion you hold is shared by other like minded souls.

Favourite blogs?

I have a few favourites, but my top three of the moment:

www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/ – Politics, brains, social action and the day to day life of the RSA's chief executive.

http://www.simonparke.com/bloggers/ - Bloggers of the Round Table - everyday reflections from unconventional minds

http://www.sarahdenordwall.blogspot.com/ - from my favourite performance poet

What inspired you to start writing?

Strange thing is, I don't remember a time when I didn't write, so I'm not sure what inspired me to start...but there are a lot of people who inspire me to continue - my top two are Sarah de Nordwall of Bardschool fame and Emi Beth Caddy, my writing buddy who is incredibly talented herself, but there are many, many others...Thanks!

You seem to have a yen for poetry, do you have any favourite poets?

I tend to have favourite poems, rather than favourite poets, and this is the one that resonated with me most:

Freedom, William Stafford

Freedom is not following a river.

                 Freedom is following a river

                      though, if you want to.



                 It is deciding now by what happens now.

                 It is knowing that luck makes a difference.



                 No leader is free; no follower is free--

                      the rest of us can often be free.

                 Most of the world are living by 

                 creeds too odd, chancy, and habit-forming

                      to be worth arguing about by reason.



                 If you are oppressed, wake up about

                 four in the morning; most places

                 you can usually be free some of the time

if you wake up before other people.

What are the best and worst things about living in London?

The best things are the reasons everyone comes to London - the sheer amount of life and colour and magic happening all the time that can be sought out or stumbled upon every day. The worst things come back to me when I'm feeling homesick for a small Island, like the lack of true, close community, the air of cynicism that descends too often, and the lack of space, silence and sky - hard to see the stars with streetlights drowning out the sky.

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

I'm not much of a traveler - I've been to Europe and Canada and enjoyed it so much at the time, but I find so much richness just outside my front door that I don't dream of far horizons often! If I had the chance I would return to Italy and see more of the artistic and architectural legacy of a rich and beautiful religion - though maybe not in tourist season!

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

Oops...answered that one above!

Do you have a favourite political figure in history?

...

Which Christian figure has been your greatest inspiration?

I think I'm going to answer these two questions with the same answer. Jesus seems to have had the best way of dealing with the politics of his day, and the politicians - I don't think anyone sense has been so talented at cutting through the crap (am I allowed to say crap on this blog?) and getting to the real issues. I think this inspires me too...I love dealing with people when they are being real, and open and honest about where they are and what they think...one of the reasons I write too.

Favourite Bond movie?

The World Is Not Enough

Favorite Doctor Who?

I'm really liking the current Doctor - I think Matt Smith has really nailed the genius child aspect of the character!

Chocolate, vanilla, or mint?

If its ice-cream, then mint every time...though milk-choc-chip swirl makes the choice irrelevant...

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

I fulfilled a dream last year by going to see my all time favourite band - Jon Bon Jovi! It really was an incredible experience...and one I wouldn't mind repeating!

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

Cambridge, definitely...I love the richness and academic insanity...and the lazy days on the river...

Favourite national newspaper?

I don't actually read the newspaper - I get all my news from the BBC website every morning.

What would you say your hobbies were?

Reading, cooking, writing

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

I'm a total book geek, and go through a book every two days, so this is a tough question! I love Lisa Jewell, because her writing is so honest and real - Jasper Fforde creates amazing worlds that it is so easy to get drawn into...I think those two count for about 20 books so...

Songs again is a tough question, because what I listen to matches my mood, but Karl Jenkins, Andrea Bocielli and Lady Gaga are