a Northumbrian abroad
Politics
In defence of Nick Winterton. Ish.
Feb 20th
If you haven’t already listened to Radio 5 Live’s interview with Sir Nicholas Winterton, which followed on the heels of a similar interview with Total Politics, have a listen to that BBC interview now.
The story which broke on Thursday was still rolling two days later, as I woke to a debate on my local radio station asking “should MPs travel first class?” It won’t surprise you that when asked the question in the context of Winterton’s outburst, most callers were of the opinion that MPs should be made to travel standard class. In fact, sod standard class, they should be dragged on a rope attached to the back of the train while working people queue up to use the toilet (between stations, naturally).
Yet, as someone who commutes five days per week in standard class, I find Winterton’s point uncontroversial when examined dispassionately.
A private environment
First – it is in the nature of many people (myself included) to look over the shoulder of people who are reading / using a computer, in any environment. We are natural nosey parkers. This is something I lamented last month while checking my inbox on the gay social networking site Thingbox, whilst on a train. (Those of a sensitive disposition should note that the screenshot contains some rather close to the bone humour, and, ahem, strident language. I have concealed the identities of the guilty.)
In first class, most train companies put three seats in to a space which would take five seats in standard class. Many customers will have their own table. Just as a point of logistics it is harder to rubber-neck the papers / screens of your fellow travellers. It could also be argued that there is a culture of discretion. As MPs often help those who are in the most dire of straits, we should consider whether casework correspondence in particular could be read in standard class.
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What #Trafigura can teach political parties and others
Nov 8th
It comes round so regularly you could set an incredibly slow clock by it – the question “will the next election be the Internet election?”
It’s impossible to answer that question without first defining what an “Internet election” is. Traditionally to my mind there have been two possible definitions:
- An election where a stasticically significant number of seats, ten or more, change hands either as the direct result of online campaigns by political parties candidates, or because positive online campaigning was a critical factor.
- An election where any number of MPs, as low as a single MP, is undeniably ousted from their seat by a negative campaign either by political opponents or independent critics, mustered online.
But a third possibility is emerging.
My belief is that when we look back on the General Election of 2010, for all the effort poured in to them the defining story will not come from My Conservatives, or the Liberal Democrats’ soon to be launched competitor, Act.
It could come from a signature pre-planned campaign. If, for example, the TaxPayer’s Alliance aren’t working right now on a postcode searchable system in which voters can see what their sitting MP has claimed on expenses, and what their opponents have said their approach to expenses will be, then they need to sack the person responsible for their digital effort and re-hire quickly.
More likely, the defining online moment of GE2010 will come from Twitter. Watch this short video before you go any further:
Music for Remembrance Sunday
Nov 8th
For as long as I can remember – probably about the age of six or seven – I’ve attended Remembrance Sunday, either as a young chorister or later as a face in the crowd. Each year I also privately mark the two minute silence for Armistice Day, and I have to admit to some sadness that it’s seven years since I worked for a company which stopped the whole place at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
As Armistice Day continues to somewhat inevitably fade from the public consciousness, the two conflicts in Iraq and the conflict in Afghanistan have made Remembrance Sunday ever more relevant and prominent. Today we have no choice but to look the human cost of political decisions directly in the eyes – it must be deeply sobering for those entrusted with national leadership.
Anyway, without wishing to be maudlin, whatever your reason for remembrance and reflection today I hope Perotin’s Beata Viscera helps you along your way.
(Starts after 8 seconds of silence. Translation.)
Vlog: Church and state – something public buildings can learn from churches
Nov 7th
To the Church of St Peter, Chillesford today. There’s always a slight moment of apprehension when you try the door of a rural church – you never know whether or not it’s open to the public. This church had an approach which was simple, but put the visitor at ease straight away.
I’ve been looking for an opportunity to try out the video camera on my new phone (HTC Hero), and though I’m a bit disappointed with the recording quality, here’s the resulting vlog on that church, and some thoughts on opening up public buildings.
It’s not exactly “yes we can”
Oct 19th
There’s so much top-notch work coming out of the government comms teams these days that it comes as a surprise to see them cock up something as straight-forward as a press conference backdrop.
The shot above shows a press conference earlier today:
- That could be a short essay behind the PM. It’s not exactly “yes we can”, is it?
- “Copenhagen” has been changed in to a mark, with a footprint graphic too small to be clearly seen on screen. It doesn’t really add anything to my understanding, it’s just another message.
- The Copenhagen website address is obscured, and there’s a different address on the podium.
Sky News used less than ten seconds of this presser, and there were three too many things fighting for my attention. The end result is that minutes later, I can’t remember a word the PM said.
However, to be fair, looking closely at the photo above it was either a couple of roll-up stands, or the PM with a chandelier growing out of his head – sometimes you have to make the best of a bad lot!
The #Trafigura question #CarterRuck don’t want you to see
Oct 12th
Alarming news from the Guardian tonight http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/oct/12/guardian-gagged-from-reporting-parliament who say that they have been banned from reporting the text of a Parliamentary Question, which is published on the parliament website, and covered by parliamentary privilege.
Lawyers Carter Ruck have secured an injunction which prevents the reporting of this written Question to the Secretary of State for Justice:
Paul Farrelly (Newcastle-under-Lyme): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of legislation to protect (a) whistleblowers and (b) press freedom following the injunctions obtained in the High Court by (i) Barclays and Freshfields solicitors on 19 March 2009 on the publication of internal Barclays reports documenting alleged tax avoidance schemes and (ii) Trafigura and Carter-Ruck solicitors on 11 September 2009 on the publication of the Minton report on the alleged dumping of toxic waste in the Ivory Coast, commissioned by Trafigura.
Carter Ruck are acting as a menace to democracy. If you have a twitter account please post a link to question 61 at http://bit.ly/cpIn5, using the hashtags #Trafigura and #CarterRuck.
Alarming news from the Guardian tonight who say that they have been banned from reporting the text of a Parliamentary Question, which is published on the parliament website, and covered by parliamentary privilege.
Lawyers Carter Ruck have secured an injunction which prevents the reporting of this written Question to the Secretary of State for Justice:
Paul Farrelly (Newcastle-under-Lyme): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of legislation to protect (a) whistleblowers and (b) press freedom following the injunctions obtained in the High Court by (i) Barclays and Freshfields solicitors on 19 March 2009 on the publication of internal Barclays reports documenting alleged tax avoidance schemes and (ii) Trafigura and Carter-Ruck solicitors on 11 September 2009 on the publication of the Minton report on the alleged dumping of toxic waste in the Ivory Coast, commissioned by Trafigura.
Carter Ruck are behaving like a menace to democracy. If you have a twitter account please post a link to question 61 at http://bit.ly/cpIn5, using the hashtags #Trafigura and #CarterRuck.
Leave aside for the moment that trying to injunct information which has been published online is like trying to plug a seive one hole at a time, you may say ‘does it matter? Isn’t Parliament full of expenses fiddling crooks anyway?’ Well, yes it does matter… If any legal outfit is allowed to get away with obscuring or concealing the work of an elected Parliament from the people who elected it, then the potential consequences are far reaching and deeply serious for the politics of this country.
Carter Ruck have gone much too far in this ill-judged attempt to stand between people and Parliament. The injunction must be overturned, and if there’s a decent person anywhere at the top of that company, they’ll publicly apologise for their actions.
[PS I'm indebted to Steven Barnett for pointing me to the Wikileaks account of the Carter Ruck injunction, and for reminding me that there are still questions over the conduct of Barclays]