Children's Services in Ealing are performing well

Today Ofsted, (the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills), has published its annual children's services rating report for 2009. According to Ofsted:

"The ratings look at performance in 152 local authorities in England for 2009 ...is a wide-ranging and robust assessment of the outcomes for children and young people in every local authority area which is strongly based on the evidence from inspections."

The rating is scored 1 - 4, where 1 indicates: "performs poorly: an organisation that does not meet minimum requirements", and 4 indicates: "performs excellently: an organisation that significantly exceeds minimum requirements"

As outlined in this letter (pdf) to David Archibald, Ealing's Executive Director of Children and Adults, children's services in Ealing are rated: 3, ("performs well: an organisation that exceeds minimum requirements").

The detailed performance profile is available here (pdf).

Ealing Arcadia Centre Development: Rejected

Good news for Ealing: John Denham, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, has rejected the Arcadia redevelopment proposal for Ealing Broadway, previously rubber stamped by Conservative-run Ealing Council and London Mayor, Boris Johnson.

Denham's decision, which follows last summer's public enquiry, is a victory for common sense and will come as some considerable relief to those of us who live or work nearby. Politicians come and go, and London is littered with evidence of their bad planning decisions. Long after the politicians are gone, it's ordinary folk like you and me who have to live with the awful consequences. This proposal was a monumentally dumb one from the get-go. Ealing Council's unremitting stubbornness over the issue has bordered on the unforgiveable. It's as if they learnt nothing from the previous Labour group's experience who pushed an equally dumb West London tram scheme proposal, running roughshod over the wishes of local people: and were unceremoniously kicked out of power as a direct result. We won't have to wait long to see if a similar fate awaits the Tories.

Latest betting for the next mayor of London

Betting odds courtesy of William Hill (click table for bigger image)

At this rate Livingstone will be looking to LBC for his pension top-up, and not to you and me. So much the better. As far as I'm concerned, he makes a far better radio presenter than he ever did mayor of London.

UK recession continues

This morning the Office for National Statistics reported a sixth consecutive contraction of UK GDP (-0.4%). That makes the current recession the longest on record. France, Germany and Japan all moved into growth three months ago, but the UK's economic woes are looking ever more like a depression.

Yes, this was a "global downturn", it started in America, and of course, Britain was "best placed to weather the global economic crisis"...."we have reduced government debt"....remember all that crap?

Yeah, well remember it next time you're in a voting booth.

Councillor Phil Taylor calls for Censorship

There were fun and games on Ealing Today's community forum last week. One upset resident is claiming that Ealing's parking enforcement is turning a blind eye to parents who park illegally at a primary school near where he lives. The resident pointed out that the local ward councillor is also a member of the school's board of governors, and has previously expressed her indifference to the residents' concerns. He asserts that her membership of the board of governors is a significant conflict of interest with her duties and responsibilities as an elected representative of that area.

Now, whether or not any of this is a credible analysis of the facts has become slightly beside the point, (for now). What was astonishing however, was Councillor Taylor's reply. It wasn't so much the pompous, preachy tone that we've now all become accustomed to, but after making his point he finishes off by writing:

"I will ask the site editor to remove your comment as I believe that it is unacceptable."

I have to say, it was very generous of Mr. Taylor to confess to this authoritarian instinct of his. Whereas most reasonable people would prefer to discuss the relative merits and truth of a comment according to evidence, and within a free and open discussion, Taylor just wants to "remove" unwelcome or inconvenient opinions without properly addressing them.

To silence people according to some dumb concept of acceptability that exists among Phil Taylor's beliefs is, quite simply, political censorship -- and nobody needs it. Happily however, it seems the site editor in this case has not found it necessary to remove the offending comment, and all is still well in the free world. There you go Phil: omniscient, ubiquitous (certainly), but not quite omnipotent...

Another new hotel for Central Ealing

This time last month I mentioned that planning permission had been granted for a new hotel in Bond Street, in Central Ealing. Well, like the buses, you wait for ages, and then two come along at the same time!

As reported in the Ealing Gazette recently, Travelodge is planning to build a ninety-nine room hotel, complete with cafe and bar at 77 Uxbridge Road, previously the offices of Prince Evans solicitors. No expected date of completion was noted.

Located at X on map

Boris Johnson gets it right

"And if you want one decisive example of the terminal lunacy that afflicts this government, I give you the case the other day when a pair of female police officers discovered they were not allowed to babysit for each other, unless they both secured OFSTED credentials in baby-sitting.

Who is sitting there in OFSTED handing out degrees in baby-sitting to female police officers?

I don’t know – but I know that whoever it is no doubt draws a handsome salary and benefits and bomb-proof public sector pension and that is where the axe should fall.

Get rid of the nonsense, but don’t chop the investments essential to the UK economy. Cut the baby-sitting monitors, but don’t cut Crossrail. Cut the baby-sitting monitor human resources department, but don’t cut the tube upgrades. Cut the baby-sitting monitor equal opportunities action day but don’t cut the great projects and investments that will deliver jobs and growth now, and make London more attractive for generations to come."

Amen.

How refreshing.

New hotel for Ealing town centre

The next meeting of Ealing Council's planning committee is scheduled for tomorrow, Sept 2nd. I don't see anything of note on the agenda this time, but in case you missed it, at August's meeting they granted planning permission for a brand new hotel to be developed in Bond Street, right in the centre of Ealing town. The intention is to transform four storeys of the empty Swiftcall office block, (26-42 Bond Street -- adjacent to Ealing Green and above the now defunct Old Orleans restaurant), into a fifty bedroom hotel. Under the plans, Old Orleans would become the hotel's reception, lobby and hotel restaurant.

On the face of it, this looks like good news. To me, the west side of Bond Street near the Green has never looked right, and now looks more bedraggled than ever. Why we've never had a large modern hotel in central Ealing is something I've never understood -- so this is long overdue. Unlike the Arcadia nightmare, it looks like a positive step in the town's regeneration, and for once we can all look forward to seeing the arrival of the builders. The application was submitted in May, so I expect the negative impacts of the current economic climate have already been factored into the development's financial planning.

Ealing Jazz Festival 2009 -- some more photos

Photographs taken Saturday 1st August

CLICK ON THE PHOTOS FOR BIGGER IMAGES

Mike Westbrook and The Village Band (Mike Westbrook on euphonium, Kate Westbrook singing)

Mike Westbrook and The Village Band

The Township Comets featuring Miss Pinise Saul and Lucky Ranku playing some old Zila numbers. As expected, they brought the house down, and played three encores!

The Township Comets

My wrist band

Had a wonderful time. See you next year, same time, same place.

Ealing Stroke Unit -- Latest

Ok folks -- it's official. Yesterday "Healthcare for London" published the details of their London-wide strategy for trauma services across the capital. You can wade your way through the ton weight of reports, but to save you the trouble: bottom line is, Ealing Hospital's high-performing stroke unit is going to close. The key sentence can be found in appendix 3e, page 23:

"It should be noted that five hospitals that presently serve as strokeunits (A&E hospitals) would no longer offer stroke, acute, or rehabilitative care.These are Ealing (Southall), Central Middlesex (Harrow), Queen Mary’s (Sidcup),The Whittington (Islington) and Chase Farm (Enfield)."

Southall? I thought it was in Hanwell. Never mind -- wherever it is, it'll be flatlining shortly.

So if you're planning on having a massive stroke in Ealing from next year, cross your fingers the journey to Harrow or Hammersmith will be shorter than the journey to Heaven. And spare a thought next time you see the blue lights flashing in your rear view mirror, battling east along the Great West Road.

How did our politicians perform then? Ealing Council spoke up for Ealing Hospital but didn't exactly rock the boat. Virendra Sharma, to be fair, did his best. Stephen Pound for once fell unusually silent and ostrich-like -- and did nothing. Ian Gibb followed developments and supported Ealing Hospital. Angie Bray, who seems to ignore any issue that looks like trouble, didn't have any kind of vocal opinion. Phil Taylor who has an opinion about everything was somewhere else. Nothing from Bassam Mahfouz. Looks to me like they all failed.

Anyway, here's the map of the future (red cross = stroke unit):

Closure of Ealing stroke unit -- Pound still not interested

As reported by Conservative candidate for Ealing North, Ian Gibb, incumbent MP Stephen Pound still hasn't got round to signing Virendra Sharma's Early Day Motion opposing the proposed closure of Ealing Hospital's stroke unit (EDM here).

Ealing's stroke unit has been rated in the top 25%, however as a result of a London-wide strategy to establish four new "major trauma centres" across the capital, the unit is set to close. A final decision is expected this month.

As Gibb points out, Pound is an enthusiastic signer of EDMs on all manner of topics, from chickens to Hugo Chavez, but when it comes to the health of his own constituents, he appears uncharacteristically reticent! Why?

Ian Gibb's article here.

Arcadia (Leaf) Development -- Public Enquiry underway

"Arcadia Centre" -- the story so far...

Some time ago, Ealing Council thought it would be a clever idea to build an ugly high rise housing estate in Haven Green, right in the centre of our town. In 2007, a planning application was submitted by Glenkerrin, a group of Irish developers. After a consultation process, the application was revised to include seven buildings: an 85.7m tower, 567 new flats and 37 new retail units. On December 17th, 2008, at a highly charged sitting of the Council's "Planning Committee" (who turned out to be a committee of stuffed shirts), under the chairmanship of Councillor Ian Potts (Conservative, Ealing Broadway -- remember that name next time you're voting), rubber stamped the revised application, and ignored an unprecedented tidal wave of objection from local residents.

Then on January 21 2009, when Mayor Boris Johnson added his rubber stamp to the plan, it seemed to be game, set and match to the vandals and wreckers.

Finally, when all appeared to be lost, and in a highly unusual move, Hazel Blears, the then Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, called the application in (pdf), effectively taking the matter out of the -- incapable -- hands of Ealing Council. The final decision, which may be delayed until next year, now rests with central government.

Which brings us up to date. As part of the new review process, a formal independent public enquiry was launched yesterday in Ealing Town Hall, and may last for up to twelve days. Among those giving evidence are Ealing Council (who, by the way, are forking out £1.5m of your money to pay for some of the most expensive planning barristers in the business), and "Save Ealing's Centre", a group funded by local residents.

Will Good finally triumph over Evil? I wouldn't bet on it, but let's wait and see.

"Waiting for Godot", Theatre Royal Haymarket

So last week we went to see Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

Things got off to a very promising start with a quick visit to Kettner’s in Romilly Street. It was here, once upon a time, that Oscar Wilde wooed young Bosie. Instead, I was very happily entreated by a couple of tasty venison sausages in a red wine sauce, washed down with fine red Bordeaux. Life was good, and as we made our way across Soho to The Haymarket, it was just about to get better.

All was set… a classic play, the creative hand of Sean Mathias, and an all-star glittering cast: Sir Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Simon Callow and Ronald Pickup. The lights dimmed – the magic commenced. I can truly say we weren’t disappointed. It was enchanting from start to finish. In particular, Callow’s burlesque interpretation of Pozzo was the cherry on an already delectable cake…


Stewart, Callow, McKellen

For anyone not so familiar with the play, Godot is a story of camaraderie between two hapless vagrants as they wait, forlornly and apparently in vain, for the arrival of a mysterious Mr. Godot. The exact purpose of the rendezvous is never properly explained, beyond that Mr. Godot may have some “offer” for the two tramps. In that way, curiously, the play is premised entirely upon an event that apparently will never happen – a non-event: Godot isn’t coming. So what are we waiting for?

Variously the play has been described as absurdist, or even existentialist – it’s a matter for the literati; but in simple terms it is a kind of metaphor, a tragicomic yet uncompromising reflection upon life’s manifold shadows: the loneliness, the fear, the boredom, the frustration, the constant bewildering search for meaning.

And yet within that terrain, there is also a rich seam of humour, and it is that which so characterized Mathias’s production. No comedic opportunity of the text was lost, but pounced on with relish and indulged. I never thought I could laugh so much at something so despairing. Indeed some of the po-faced critics and purists have seized upon this with a reproachful frown – as if someone had just farted in church. I disagree. In the end it is theatre, in the end it is entertainment.

In over thirty years of visiting West End theatres, I could name other productions I’ve enjoyed as much, but I’d struggle to name more than five. Perhaps three from the mid-eighties: Richard Griffiths’s “Volpone”, Lauren Bacall’s “Sweet Bird of Youth”, McKellen again in a 1984 production of Chekov’s “Wild Honey”, or more recently we had Spacey’s “Moon for the Misbegotten”… all of them quite brilliant in their different ways. For me, Godot can comfortably join this class.

So there you go my friend, if there are any tickets left and you think you can afford such an extravagance in these straightened times, then this Ealing Rambler humbly suggests you could do a lot worse for a night out.

The Polish Community in Ealing

With a population of 305,300 (and growing), Ealing has the third largest population of the thirty-two London boroughs, (behind Croydon and Barnet). Recently the numbers have been bolstered by an influx from Eastern Europe, but in particular from Poland. Since Poland’s accession to the EU in 2004, some 21,000 Polish nationals, newly resident in Ealing, were issued with national insurance numbers. This means Ealing has received more Polish folk, than any other local authority in the UK.

It’s no coincidence of course – Poles have been coming to Ealing for decades. Prior to EU accession, the most significant periods of migration occurred as a consequence of the two world wars, and especially the second. Fleeing the ravages of Nazism and to support the Allied war effort, thousands of Poles made their way to Britain’s shores. When eventually the Nazis were defeated, Poland fell captive to a new Soviet empire and a new era of occupation. So it was that thousands of displaced Polish servicemen (and in some cases their families too) were unable or indeed unwilling to return home. Of those, a great many settled in West London, and in particular in Hammersmith and Ealing.

Not surprisingly then we can find plenty of signs of Polish life dotted around the borough – like the Polish (and very busy) Catholic Church near the Broadway, (“Our Lady Mother of the Church”), the restaurants, cafes, and many delicatessens, the Polish Centre in West Ealing, the group “Zywiec” (a local folk song and dance group), and of course, last but not least: the people themselves.

There’s no doubt that for a long time the Polish have contributed much to life in Ealing, as they do today. In celebration of this, a lottery grant was recently provided to support the “Polish Lives in Ealing” project:

“This project will underline the important role that Polish residents have played in the local community for nearly 70 years. It will preserve the memories of the earliest settlers as well as spanning the generations between those who arrived in the 1930s, those who were born here, and the most recent arrivals.”

The project is headed up by local historian and writer Jonathan Oates, a very knowledgeable fellow based at Ealing Central Library.

And finally, my absolute favourite Polish connection in Ealing, and a gem in the blogosphere, is Michael Dembinski’s beautifully written blog account of growing up here in the sixties – “Grey Jumper'd Childhood”. Michael, who returned with his family to Warsaw in the late nineties, records with striking clarity, recollections and details from his childhood that will resonate with anyone of his generation. If he’s reading this now, I just wish he would write more!

Recommendation 02: The Kebab Kid

Ok folks, listen up! As part of my free service on this blog, I like to make an occasional recommendation, and today’s is an especially good one!

Feeling peckish? Then rev up your little vespa and whizz down to New Kings Road. Number 90 to be precise …it’s where you’ll find: “The Kebab Kid”.

That’s right, kebabs. These guys have been making them for years, and they are experts. You’ll find no mechanically extracted cat food in this shop. All the meat is lean and deliciously fresh – straight from Smithfield Market, with no additives or emulsifiers, or any of that kind of stuff. Even better, they make all their own dressings and sauces, and they’re ever so tasty.

The Kebab Kid

Hanging up inside the shop is a personal testimonial from Jamie Oliver, but don’t let that put you off, because this establishment has the ultimate in commendations: it’s where London’s hungry cab drivers go! Sometimes you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a taxi rank, except all the cabbies are sitting in the back, kebabs in hand, munching their way in silence…to cabbie heaven.

But don’t take my word for it – try it yourself. I recommend the chicken shawarma, with all the dressing and chilli sauce. Bootiful.

Question: where’s the best place to buy a decent kebab in the borough of Ealing? (I’m stuck for an answer on this one).

Smear, scandal and now election defeat: Labour is a spent force

They’ve even been beaten in Wales. They’ve been kicked into third, fourth or fifth place up and down the country. The party is hopelessly split between those who really want Brown to go but haven’t the bottle to get rid of him, and those who would take their chances – heads buried deep in the sand.

Last night, at an emotionally charged meeting of the PLP, Brown pleaded for loyalty and support. It was high drama, a Hollywood moment, a time for cheers and rousing applause. In the end, he got what he wanted – a kind of support, and a kind of closure. It seems Labour finally nailed their colours to the mast, for which now they will pay a very heavy price.

Labour's Hollywood moment

Only the most delusional Labourite would dispute that heavy defeat at the next general election is looming large. All that is left is to name the date. Bring it on Gordon.

European Election: votes in Ealing borough

This table shows the breakdown of the Euro election 2009 vote in the borough of Ealing:



Compared to 2004 the Labour vote has dropped by just over 6%. Without wishing to over-simplify matters, this is roughly the same as the vote share received by the pro-Tamil candidate Jan Jananayagam. Perhaps if she hadn't appeared on the ballot paper, Labour might have fared better.

My conclusion is that the Conservative vote has held up strongly, but I see nothing in the data to suggest anything other than a very tight contest at the next general election, especially in Central Ealing.

European Elections: it’s a bit sad…

It’s a bit sad to learn we now have a couple of racist BNP ninnies representing Britain in Europe. That’s democracy folks. However, if the London Assembly Member, Mr. Barnbrook’s performance is any indication, their contribution will be an instantly forgettable mix of embarrassment and unintended humour. They will contribute nothing of substance.

No need to get hysterical about the BNP’s vote-share either. Historically they’ve done a little better while Labour is in power, and particularly when the government is unpopular. Once the Tories are back in charge, the BNP will be back in the box.

...........

Elsewhere Daniel Finkelstein, on the BBC’s results programme, made one of my favourite comments of the evening. He said that Michael Foot was perhaps one of the biggest winners of the night: Foot’s lamentable record of being the worst ever election loser for Labour having now been surpassed. Bravo.

...And isn’t Jeremy Vine annoying, prancing about the set in front of the computer graphics pretending to be Peter Snow. I suppose we should be grateful for small mercies: at least he didn’t put his silly cowboy suit on this time. The BBC’s Department for Dumbing Down must have gone to bed early.

Click here if you want to be reminded why it's important to forget it...

Closure of Ealing Hospital Stroke Unit

Virendra Sharma, Labour MP for Ealing Southall, has tabled an Early Day Motion in opposition to a proposed closure of Ealing Hospital's stroke unit. So why exactly has Stephen Pound, his party colleague and fellow MP for Ealing North, declined to sign it?




Stephen Pound (and friends)

Squirrels fight back!

Further to recent reports that Prince Charles has declared war on Britain's grey squirrel population, the squirrels are fighting back.

General Tufty of the Grey Army's horse-chestnut infantry brigade, declared:

"We expect to take the gardens of Buckingham Palace by dawn. It is imperative to cull all royal families throughout the squirrel world, and to establish new grey republics."

Developing.

Recommendation 01: The Drury Tea & Coffee Co. Ltd

OK folks, chuck your old freeze dried coffee in the bin -- it's muck! You know it is.

Get yourself a cafetiere, if you don't already have one, and head straight for The Drury Tea & Coffee Co. Ltd. Post haste.

It's at 3 New Row, just off St Martin's Lane, and is the best coffee shop I know in London.

My favourite is the Costa Rica Tarrazu Coffee, but their Moka D'or blend is also delicious.

My spies tell me that the truly wonderful Tom Courtenay (that would be Sir Tom to you lot), was spotted hiding among the teas last Friday. So there you go! Tea, coffee and screen legends. You'll be in good company.

Plane lost in ocean storm

Plane lost in ocean storm: 228 people missing.

I can hardly begin to imagine the horror of crash landing in a passenger jet, in the middle of a vast, dark watery nowhere.

“Full fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes;
Nothing of him that doth fade
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.”

The Exhibition Road Scheme

For the benefit of anyone not so familiar with South Kensington, Exhibition Road is the long boulevard that connects South Kensington tube station with Kensington Gore, at Hyde Park. Along its way, the road provides access to a long and impressive list of museums, and other culturally significant institutions – not least the Royal Albert Hall. This makes it a very busy place, particularly for pedestrians.

To improve things, the “Exhibition Road Scheme” was proposed by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, to:

“improve the pedestrian experience and increase safety for all road users”.

“The project also includes high quality paving materials and street furniture, better lighting, more tree planting and public art to make Exhibition Road a world-class streetscape.”

As it should be – sounds good. As much as I’m a bit of a petrolhead, I think any good idea to improve the beauty and utility of Exhibition Road should be welcomed.

However, controversially, the proposal involves a complete redesign of road architecture using the so-called “shared space” concept. This was the brainchild of a Dutch civil engineer and traffic planning expert, the late Hans Monderman. His theory was that if all symbols of demarcation are removed from a road, then drivers and pedestrians have to “negotiate” for use of the shared space, and therefore, being more socially integrated in the activity, the risk of accident diminishes. Or in simple terms: road markings, footpaths, traffic lights, and everything else indicating a right of way gets chucked out: therefore cars have to slow down, pedestrians can mill about anywhere in the shared space, and everyone has to be more careful.



A Shared Space

But I’m sceptical.

There are a couple of, admittedly, ad hominem bases for scepticism. Firstly, Ken Livingstone’s thumb prints are all over this project. Livingstone has a pathological hatred of private motor cars, and as mayor, had a record of trying to tax or indeed, to physically push cars off the roads. So why would we not expect this scheme to represent yet another unfair deal for drivers? Secondly, looking at the “Shared Space” website, I’m dismayed to see it’s utterly replete with left-wing dogma and other statist nonsense:

“It is necessary to create more space for human beings for the wellness of individuals and the survival of our democratic constitution”. (Yep, I knew we’d need the smelling salts again).

“The primacy for the planning of public space, which is now controlled by technology, is handed back to the politicians”. (…EU funded initiative of course).

In other words, these guys are quintessential social engineers: using real engineering principles to physically modify and control social behaviour.

More than any of this however, my gut feeling is that cars and pedestrians just don’t mix. I hope I’m wrong, but I reckon someone’s going to get hurt, or flattened, and the police will have one helluva job to prove culpability in a court of law. I think we’re adopting an inappropriate solution to a genuine problem on the basis that we have some phoney EU funded, ideologically driven, research suggesting that in particular road environments we get improved safety. But what if they’re wrong? If they’re wrong, who now among the politicians is volunteering to carry the can? Isn’t there a better way of doing this, even if it means more restricted access for drivers?

The F Word

“The F Word” is a feminist website. It describes itself as a webzine for UK contemporary feminism, the purpose of which is to “help encourage a new sense of community among UK feminists”. Ok, so firstly, what was wrong with the old sense of community, and where did it go? And why exactly does “The F Word” think we need a new one?

Back in the early days of the sixties when, (unlike today), feminism enjoyed a heavyweight intellectual basis, their movement successfully deconstructed a particular way in which injustices became embedded within society. In doing so, they shed light on possibilities for social modernization at a time when virtually every other aspect of people’s lives was characterized by change. In that way, although the primum movens of feminism was justice for women, (which, by the way, is not the same as equality), its intellectual compass was much broader and far more significant.

Today however I’m not such a big fan. There are so many different, and sometimes opposing, strands of opinion trading under the banner of feminism, that now it looks more like a political in-fight between irrelevant pressure groups who seek to seize the f word, and to control its agenda.

There is however one unfortunate quality a lot of these voices seem to share, and that’s an intolerance of people and ideas designated as hostile. Whether it’s “Woman’s Hour” or “The F Word”, criticism is always carefully managed, and routinely censored. Those deemed most critical of the cause are casually dismissed or smeared as misogynist.

For example, let’s look at rule 1 of “The F Word’s” comments policy:

"Have your say

(…or not)

...In order to keep this blog as a feminist and friendly space…

(friends being people who don’t point things out even when we’re wrong)

…comments will be subject to some rules. We do not seek to censor debate:

(…but we’ll mercilessly censor you when you say things that upset us)

...the beauty of the internet is that anyone can set up their own blog or website to express their views.

(good, then you can’t censor this)

1. This blog is a safe and friendly space for feminists and feminist allies.

(This blog isn't)

Debate and critique are welcome where it is constructive and deepens analysis or understanding. Anti-feminist comments will not be approved.

(ergo, anti-feminist comments can never be constructive or deepen analysis or understanding…yep, I’m beginning to understand the kind of debate you welcome, it’s called: meaningless debate)

…We get to decide what's anti-feminist."

(…how Orwellian)

In other words, this is a website that cares more about disseminating “The F Word’s” propaganda, than it does about telling the truth.

But why does this brand of feminism, with its new sense of community, have such an appalling lack of self-confidence? I'd love to ask them, but you know what would happen.

Stephen Pound, gets around

In my part of Ealing the current MP is a fellow called Stephen Pound, and boy, does he get around!

Rent-a-quote Steve claimed £4,251 in mileage costs. Holy crap. Apparently that converts to....11,004 miles --Kerching! (em...Ealing Broadway is about 8 miles from Westminster).

What's up -- is he moonlighting as a taxi driver? He certainly looks like one.

"Said he drove between his constituency and Westminster two or three times a day to get 'out and about'".

That's right Steve, we all do that. And of course, if someone would check the congestion charge records, that would completely prove the probity of your claim...wouldn't it?

I'm heading into town tomorrow -- any chance of lift?

Pink Vote

This morning “Tory Bear” addresses the question of the gay vote.

He writes:

“Every so often TB gets contacted by various gay Tories who are sick to the back teeth of being told by Labour members that gay people have a moral duty to vote Labour. This sort of homophobic fear mongering by the left has to stop.”

Now I must declare an interest in this story, since about two years ago I bravely came out as a Tory voter…and on a stormy night, after a few glasses of Margaux, goodness knows what else I could get up to!

That aside, does TB’s indignation stack up?

I seem to recall it was the Conservatives who opposed the repeal of the hated “section 28”. And it was William Hague who sacked Shaun Woodward from the Tory front bench for taking a principled stand on the issue.

With just one exception that I can think of, (the “Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994”), all the gay rights legislation has been enacted by Labour governments: from the Sexual Offences Act 1967 that decriminalized certain aspects of homosexual behaviour, to the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations of 2007.

Furthermore, a quick look at the voting records show that when Labour brought forward various pieces of legislation dealing with for example, age of consent, civil partnerships, anti-discrimination and so forth, the Conservatives were lukewarm. Mostly they abstained, or in the case of the usual suspects, (Ann Widdecombe, Peter Bottomley, Nicholas Winterton et al.), voted against the motion.

I have to say, I despise the State when it seeks to interfere in people’s lives, and I can’t stand all the social engineering we’ve been subjected to in recent years, yet I do believe there are some basic requirements of a decent society, about which the Conservatives have made mistakes.

Slowly the old guard are disappearing from the ranks -- hopefully the Tories are changing in this important respect. Time will tell. Pip pip.

RANT 01: Nick Robinson

What’s up with Nick Robinson? Who cares if he’s the venerable political editor for the BBC – these days the only good thing I can think to say about him is that he isn’t Andrew Marr.















Here is a man carrying the ultimate gold card of British journalism, and a contacts list most aspiring hacks would kill for, and yet recently, he’s been calling it all wrong – then playing catch-up.

April wasn’t such a good month for Robinson’s lot. “Smeargate” confirmed what many had suspected about the Lobby – that they were little more than cogs in a Downing Street spin machine. So, as if to prove he wasn’t in someone else’s pocket, Robinson pulled off a half-decent Budget interview with the Chancellor, and even showed some teeth. But then, when the Telegraph switched on their “Chinese drip” of scandalous revelations about MPs' expenses, predictably he reverted to type. His initial reaction was to play the story down:

“Yet now the reputation of the mother of all parliaments has been brought low by rules…”

Yep, that’s right Nick, it was the rules wot done it guv – not the thieving MPs.

“…Nothing revealed today has been enough to trigger an investigation let alone a resignation…”

Right, and how hollow does that sound just two weeks later?

And so he went on, with touches of top spin here and there, trying to sound balanced, objective and fair, but really desperately wanting to convey the (mistaken) idea that things weren’t nearly as shameful as some of us “corrosively cynical” types were making out.

In the conspiracy of the so-called “progressive consensus”, of which political correctness has been the most exoteric expression, Auntie Beeb’s job has always been to say reassuring things to a docile public. But the public’s visceral reaction to news about their troughing MPs was anything but docile, and Robinson completely misread it. Even then, as the line of the thundering tsunami of anger swelled visibly on the horizon, he peered bird-like to camera, through super-strength spectacles – and persisted! Nick my friend, it’s very simple: people really understand money, and times are hard.

None of this has done him any favours, and as one columnist put it:

“Poor Nick Robinson looks like he has had the stuffing knocked out of him. Those columnists who have made a career out of saying we should have more respect for politicians look pretty stupid now.”

I think so too. Rant over.