++ bonne anniversaire Asterix! ++

SH

Thank You BBC

Personally, I thought it was an excellent edition of Question Time, with Nick Griffin being ridiculed left, right and Centre (that's Chris Huhne, Baroness Warsi and Jack Straw respectively..... controversial!)

A final musing - the viewing figures for tonight's programme will be one of the biggest for a long time, by my guess.

For that, the BBC was right to invite him to speak. For a brief period politics has mattered again and hundreds (if not thousands) of people have been moved to demonstrate, to stand up and be active in the fight against fascists.

At the same time, the actuality of the BNP has been made visible for all to see. A Free Press has held politics to account, and we are free in our minds, without pressure to agree that the BNP are homophobic, racist and well, frankly, pathetic.

Nick Griffin in truth came across less like a baby-eating monster but instead as an inarticulate and foolish man.

The popular opinion at Scouse House towers however is that it is impossible for anyone to have watched that programme and make excuses for them - if you voted BNP you must now accept you voted for a party whose politics are abhorrent in the modern world.

But I celebrate the debate, and the popular discussion. Beats talking about Jordan and Pete again.

SH

LET NICK GRIFFIN SPEAK!

RING IT FROM THE CHURCH BELLS... Nick Griffin should be allowed to speak on BBC's Question Time.

Quite apart from the fact that we can't ignore the fact he has an electoral mandate, and we could not, should not, ignore those men and women who cast their vote.

But we should let him appear because he is going to prove the whole theory about why free speech is good for society. Tonight Nick Griffin is going to stand up (metaphorically) on national TV and show everyone he is a complete fuckwit.

And I welcome that.

Because there is a wider danger we are treading perilously close to falling into.

The Danger is that politics has become sidelined from dailylife. A select few who care enough to read a broadsheet will know how bad the BNP are, but to be honest, until I saw Nick Griffin speak the day after the European Election, even I didn't realise how bad they are.

And We select few decide to carry out our arguments and disagreements in private. That we should stop Nick Griffin speaking on Question Time, is to say that we are capable of resolving the issues our county faces, including extremism, behind the scenes and not to worry your pretty little innocent minds because we will take care of it for you.

Free Speech is about shining a light in dark corners and opening to the world to see what people actually believe.

We have to have faith that when his extremist points of view are laid bare to the country, the BNP will become less not more popular.

We have to have faith that every time they speak, we are capable of pointing out the idiocy of their argument, the hate and bile behind it and the damage they can do.

We have to have faith in ourselves that we can win the argument against racism and extremism.

And we have to have faith that the country will reject him and his ideas when they appreciatewhat they actually are.

SH

Re: the Sun - a reality check!

Conservatives are (rightly) making a fuss over the Sun's decision to back David Cameron - announced in a triumph for good spin operations on the same day as Gordon Brown's speech to Labour party conference.

I say rightly because this is straight out of political playbook 101.

However, as similar as Labour's response is to the Tory response of 1997, this time there is slightly more a ring of truth to the idea that the opinion of a newspaper doesn't matter as much anymore.

However again, that's not the point I'm going to make which is instead a swift spiritual reality check to the head (I hope!)

The Sun (wait for it....) is a (gasp) RIGHT WING PAPER (double gasp)!!!!!

Why is no-one saying this?

Unhelpful attitude to Europe? Check.
Opposed to the idea the state can be a delivery agent for good? Check.
Lazy bastards who can't check facts and blame scousers for things they haven't done! Check.

Don't get me wrong - I'm very grateful for their support in helping to get new labour elected, but this would be less of a blow if we came out and said that the policy cost of earning the Sun's support is too high and Cameron is welcome to them.

For almost ten years, the party of the centre left has had the support of a right wing paper. No wonder people have been known to comment that they're all the same and no-one can tell the difference. We've been given the answer to that on a plate and this is a real chance to paint the clear red water between the parties and start identifying the differences between the ways we would run the country. After all if the Sun can tell the difference.....

It is a feature of our newspapers that they are politically aligned and the Sun's move needs to be seen as a return to the natural order of things, not a prediction of electoral success. When the Mirror comes out for Cameron I'll start to worry.

SH

British Public Sector Innovation

In a coincidence that's too large to handle, today I am inspired to write about the ability of the British public sector to think outside the box and create new opportunities for economic development and technical innovation.

At a fringe event at TUC Congress, Louise Ellman MP's presence led to the telling of the story of Lancashire Enterprises, which was an astounding success at providing economic investment and job creation in Lancashire, despite opposition from the Conservative Government.

Then home today I read about this:

In the Seventies, British Rail actually patented a design for a flying saucer!

That's right - the same british spirit that created concorde, nuclear energy, the advanced passenger train also attempted interstellar travel. Love it!

SH

the UK's deadliest biscuit misses out Pretzels

You may laugh but research like this has real value.

After all the leader of the free world almost died due to a snack.

SH

Insights into Poverty

I've just been watching Hans Rosling presentation to TED about how data can give us insights into poverty. A refreshing view of how countries develop, and the priorities we must place within development.

Overheard/read this morning

Read in NewScientist this morning...

"In order to understand nose-picking......."

OK

"...it is important to differentiate between dried nasal mucus......"

yeah....

"and the stranded rhabditiform larvae of intestinal worms."

WHAT??!?!?!!!?!?!

Tories don't have enough support in the north

One of the papers yesterday had a story about the tory's concern that they still hadn't built up a level of support in the north without which they can't win. 

No shit. 

I think we can honestly say the conservatives have not exactly pursued many northern-friendly policies. The high-speed rail link (happening anyway) strikes me as about the only one.

In contrast the Tories have gleefully played to their power base about the closing down of the regional agenda and quangos if they win the next election.

I've oft repeated that the conservatives want to abolish RDAs for the wrong reasons. They say it's to save money but in truth RDAs only spend locally money that used to come from the centre. In other words, the closure of RDAs actually means goodbye to regeneration projects from town centres to local community projects, the country over. 

People aren't stupid. Public investment in our cities and towns has revolutionised the places we live and brought in private investment that never went their previously. The Tories want to return to a laissez-faire system that has kept poor northern areas starved of investment for decades.  

People aren't stupid. When the Tories say RDAs will go, northerners know they will be left to fend for themselves again. Like it wasn't hard enough last time. 

SH 

 

Protesters in Westminster

Walking along victoria, this group from the climate camp decided to climb up on the roof of what I assume is Eon's building to protest against new coal power stations. Personally I wish they'd climb on the roof of those who complain and stop wind farms going up but that's just my view.

The Best Standard Committee Report. EVER!

http://www.markpack.org.uk/the-best-standards-commitee-ruling-ever/

 

SH

My brain experiment

Today I visited John Moores University, where I had agreed to volunteer to o under a psychophysiology examination as part of a research study. I'd like to imply it was my particular brain they were interested in, but that's not true - I was wired up and had to carry out some tasks. Being a psychology test though they weren't just interested in how my brain works (but why it works???), but also how I would react to various stimuli....

Emma did psychology at the University of Manchester, and had told me about what they got up to there, so I half expected to be suddenly invaded by zombies (or students dressed up as them) or a priest come in and give me an ethical dilemma, or something to test me. I even began to wonder if the fact one of the electrodes wouldn't stay on me right ear lobe was part of the test...

In truth there was a bit of grooming in the tasks I did, but not too much. It was worth doing just because I had never done anything like that before.

(and yes, I am flashing a bit of my right moob in this picture.....;-)

SH

Mao's March - a lesson in American education

At great risk of copyright infringement, I had to quote this letter from the Economist:

 

"Texas's high school exam still flunks an appalling number of students despite efforts over the years to lower standards and make passing easier.  I took the test three years ago.  One page showed a map of the Long March in China, with a massive arrow indicating where Mao and his men moved through the countryside.  The accompanying question did not test students' knowledge of Chinese history, but asked, "which end of the arrow symbol marks the destination and which end of the arrow marks the beginning?"

 

Brian Reinhart, Houston.

I reject your offer!

Dear Hewitt and May,

 

You recently sent me an email, saying you had not heard from me after sending me a promotional email in the past, offering me shirts for £19.50

 

I have no objection to you carrying out a marketing exercise.  However, there is a basic element of the whole supply and demand equation missing.

 

You don't make shirts in my size.  That's why I will never buy anything from you.  In fact I am amazed how small the range of sizes actually is.  Is your company snobbish when it comes to larger people?

 

The irony is, that as much as I spend on nice shirts and clothes, I will continue to spend it in the likes of Debenhams rather than the more stylish range you supply.  Given your reliance on presenting your company as tailored fashion - I have to rely on a high-street chain.

 

Let's have a look at your offer - for £19.50 I would get £10 off next time and £40 of wine vouchers.  oh, and a shirt.  You apparently are competing with Jesus with what has to be, I admit, a much more impressive trick of turning cloth into wine.  Now that's a marketing exercise!

 

Yours hoping you would invest that money in making ranges that I might actually be able to buy,

 

Tris Brown

Couldn't. Make. This. Up

Wedding turns to horror as the bride's bouquet causes plane to crash

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1199683/Wedding-turns-horror-brides-bouquet-causes-plane-crash.html#ixzz0LJzosQhF&C

Outbreak of wild scooters in nottingham

---- Sent from my iPhone ----

A typical Daily Mail story

The Daily Mail is complaining that a proposal to lower national speed limits (first I've heard of it...) would damage the country, in particular our open spaces..... get this...... because of all the extra road signs that would have to be put up.

 

Can't help but feel they are missing the point somewhere....

 

SH

Fond Memories

Admitting to complacency

I have to admit than when it comes to The Speaker (which I can never say without being reminded of this) I have been complacent in caring much about either the position or the individual.

 

People's understanding of what the Speaker does is extremely low and my knee-jerk reaction is that when parliament became obsessed with the removal of Martin, and electing a new one, that to the outside world it would appear like Extreme Navel-gazing during a period of crisis.

 

For the record, I also think MPs have had plenty of opportunities to put the current system right by themselves and can't just blame it on the Speaker.

 

However, listening to the hustings for the Speaker, organised by the Hansard Society (#speakershustings) I am surprised by the candidates' willingness to engage with and lead the coming period of constitutional updating.

 

Whoever wins is going to have to do more than just chair debates and earn a position in the public mentality as someone who wields influence and, much more importantly, is in touch with wider public opinion and can nudge/steer/cajole/order politicians in the right direction.

 

SH

Letter to Ofcom - GMTV's political coverage

Dear OfCom,

I would like to complain about GMTV's coverage yesterday of Parliament's discussions about electing a new Speaker of the House.

While I realise that Ann Widdecombe and Margaret Beckett are two well-known Members of Parliament, providing an element of recognition to GMTV's viewers instead of other contenders who will likely be faceless grey men (emphasis mine) to their audience, any decent broadcaster would have shown caution at an attempt to popularise this important election.

Given the wholesale loss of confidence in Parliament at the moment and the desperate need for our Institutions to repair their reputation, one crucial element of this process will be the successful dissemination of information and education about what is actually happening in Parliament.

For this reason, to choose the easy option of focussing on Beckett and Widdecombe (which, I admit sounds a bit like an ITV detective series) in some half-hearted attempt to treat the election for the speaker as if it is a grown up Big Brother is an example of shoddy half-baked political reporting which will cause as much disaffection as anything else.

Let me be clear about two things: neither Beckett or Widdecombe will win the election for the speaker and I do not want to see Eamon Holmes in a bikini.

Any decent political editor will have been able to advise GMTV that Beckett is unlikely to win, because the mood of the House is that the next speaker must be a Conservative after two Labour MPs, and Widdecombe has practically denied herself a victory by deciding to step down as an MP at the next General Election.

To choose to focus on these two MPs, raises an important question about the interplay between politics and popular broadcasting.  People all around the country who wouldn't normally talk about politics yesterday started gossiping around the water cooler about who the next speaker would be - that much is a good thing and shows the power of the popular media to engage people with the political crisis we are facing. 

However those same people think it is a battle only between Beckett and Widdecombe - that is a bad thing.  When it turns out to be neither, what can we say for people's engagement with politics then? 

Viewers have been neither educated or informed and instead their looming disengagement is a direct response to GMTV breaking the social contract between broadcaster and viewer - I will watch, if you are honest with me.

SH

Mother nature rocks!!!

View from the Viking parliament

Midnight saturday

Just listened to the most amazing Latin jazz band in downtown
Reykjavik after a most excellent meal in a wonderful eclectic
restaurant. Only cost £40 each.....

Everything you could want to buy in one store!

Beautiful surroundings!

It's midnight in Iceland and it's still light!

Schooling in the modern age

I have been absolutely blown away today by seeing rosebridge school in Wigan. The headteacher is obviously an inspiring leader and her (and her staff's) accomplishments over the last five years are stunning!

I get most of my modern day schooling insight from Waterloo road, which I'm sketchy about watching at best.

This however, is on a different level entirely. Exam scores have risen from 9% to 70% and bad behaviour has been rooted out.

More impressive is the hands on facilities they have built. The school has taken over the factory next door to provide construction courses while agricultural land is used to teach students how to and the economics of farm. In partnership with higher education (myerscough college) the school is linked into the next steps of students' education. There are other businesses onsite to give students real life experiences and a whole host of schemes to provide individual learning.

The whole thing sounds amazing and light years away from the type of schooling I had as a child. How cool does all this sound?!?!??

I don't know what else to say without falling into gigantic mass of hyperboe, but suffice to say I was moved to write about this amazing school.

SH

Gordon and his twits..... I mean tweets

Have a look:

 

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9fead1cc-3a71-11de-8a2d-00144feabdc0.html

Oh no, I've lost!

http://www.losethegame.com/demorgen.htm

I really hope they don't get mixed up....

Seafood and mortuaries provide growth for AFOS A COMPANY that manufactures specialist equipment for hospital mortuaries and smoked salmon production has won more than £2.5m of new orders.

What is Boris up to?

You may have read the serialisation of Camer(one)'s biography in the papers this weekend, which on Saturday concentrated more on Boris than on Camerone.

 

Didn't anyone else think it weird that a book about Camerone had to be sold by stressing the amount of info about Boris inside it?  I've written before about how Camerone is the only one from the Conservative Front bench who can guarantee news coverage.  It doesn't look good when even he needs to borrow from Boris.

 

Anyway, a lot was written about how ambitious Boris is, leaving unasked the question of how willing Boris will be to sit happily in charge of London.

 

In this week's Regen and Renewal is a story about Boris' intention to stand down after only one-term (subscription required).  Is this a shot across Camerone's bows? Has he been puffed up by the weekend's coverage and decided to fire a warning salvo at the leader?

 

Or is it simply true?  Boris is going to stand down, become an MP again and challenge Camerone?  after all, why else would you swap limitless power in the country's biggest city for an MP?

 

SH

What to call myself?

I now face one of the most difficult decisions I have ever faced - what web domain to get.

 

Unlike other times, when (let's face it) I've never really been convinced it would last very long, I have now reached a point in my life where I want this domain to last me forever.

 

I want a personal email address and website that captures me and who I am perfectly and will be robust enough to last.  It must be professional enough to use with anyone and personal enough to represent me.

 

I could be boring, with some version of my name.

 

I could be more off the wall by using the word I have applied to all my technology - Juttutupa - which means "place of conversation" in Finnish.

 

I could bring to life the company Joos and I dreamed of while we studied late into the night in our kitchen - Calwood International.

 

I could strive for something else entirely random - Prego - for example is my favourite word.

 

Or I could use a made up word (suggestions, anyone?)

 

decisions, decisions......

 

SH

Can Councils work together?.....

....is potentially one of the most important questions for the future of the country's economic prosperity.  Especially if the Tories win the next General Election.

 

For this reason, Conservatives should read this report by the Audit Commission.

 

It evaluates Local Strategic Partnerships

 

Why do I think this is important?

 

Economic Development, even now, has a number of contributing factors.  One is always going to be the national picture - how is our economy doing, what are interest rates? and so on.

 

Another, I strongly believe, is location.  The reason I think this can be contentious is because sometimes it is more than just whether there is an empty building/site and is it close to roads/rail.  Sometimes/a lot of the time it has to be Nice.  Leafy Green areas are always going to be preferable to a shit hole.  Are the bars pleasant and fun, or are you convinced that if you put on a bad song on the jukebox you're going to be knifed?

 

Location is why Local Authorities are always looking for ways to spruce up their town centres, tear down their (usually) god-awful 60's designed buildings and create something locals can be proud of.  And so they should - that's what we expect!

 

Thirdly, is whether the city/town/area works. Can you get planning, are the roads swept, rubbish collected, local employment agencies efficient, open and interested colleges, etc etc.

 

Both these last two are dependent on a well-run local authority, of that there is no argument.  But at the moment we stand on the crossroads between two ideas on how to support this from the national government.

 

The regional agenda has seen RDAs in place with hundreds of millions of pounds to invest in local authority schemes, but also, crucially support them.  I accept sometimes this support might feel more like persuasion, but the key point is that dialogue occurs between local authorities and between councils and the RDA.  There is a feedback mechanism that tells people how things are going and what other ideas exist that might help them.

 

On the local level, within the LSPs, RDAs and Government Offices also provide support to individual organisations, sometimes with money, sometimes by strategies which show them the path to greater impact.

 

The second idea belongs to the Conservatives should they form the next government.  In this idea is the much looser arrangement of local authorities to define their own partners and, should they wish to, the right to devolve down to them powers and money from the RDA.

 

Crucial, absolutely fucking crucial to this, therefore is the ability of local authorities to deliver that joint working on their own, one part of which is LSPs - hence the Audit Commission report is important.  And the implications is that maybe Local Authorities are not so ready

 

Any other support will have to come from Whitehall - I would be intrigued to know if Whitehall is ready for that?

 

SH

buying your way into politics - at 21

Have just read an excellent article by Tulip Siddiq in Progress.  You can read it here, but this is my favourite paragraph:

A major obstacle exists within the culture of unpaid internships that is almost necessary before one can really enter into politics. This immediately puts BAME members at a disadvantage as statistics show that 75 per cent of the BAME community live in 88 of the poorest boroughs across Britain. I was lucky that I had the means to intern for free for a whole year but not everyone can afford that luxury.

I have always worried about what it means to be able to participate in free internships.  There is no doubt in my mind that I would be working in Brussels now, if I had been able to work for free in a stagiere.  In truth, I have never been lucky enough to have the personal finance to be able to work for free for anyone.

 

Yet, when an entire system has an entry-level built around working for free, then it isn't a surprise that politics tends to be staffed entirely by people of a certain background (and I mean this from every political persuasion).

 

SH

 

 

Great Council Minutes

A member of the public asked if the Council was creating dissent amongst the electorate by deliberately placing autocratic minded people in leading positions where they assumed power, were never wrong and which satisfied insatiable egos at the expense of harmonious public relations?

 

The Leader required further information in order to answer this question in full.

 

Rotherham Cabinet, 11-2-9

Chocolate coins are now deemed safer than Government Debt

From the Financial Times

Chocolate coins are now deemed safer than gilts

In recent months the cost of insuring against a default on UK gilts has surged as investors have fretted about the ever-spiralling levels of British debt, says Gillian Tett

I'm hoarding before the Christmas Rush.....

 

SH

misstep by the Quangocracy

Regular readers (! - welcome Tim) will know that one of my favourite pastimes is reading the language of what is said and this story here is a great example of how many (good and worthy) unelected public bodies are making enemies, particularly within the Conservatives:

http://www.thebusinessdesk.com/yorkshire/news/10550-budget-2009-leeds-city-region-unveiled.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Yorkshire_22nd_Apr_2009_-_Daily_E-mail

 

The story is ultimately about local authorities taking more control over powers and investment within their boundaries.  The whole country will (maybe) watch with interest at whether the pilot experiment to give powers similar to those in Greater London to 2 city-regions outside London; Manchester and Leeds.

 

It is a triumph for devolution that the Government will do this

It is a triumph for Northerners that we are seen as leading the way

It is a triumph for local democracy that locally elected members can be trusted (not always the case) to make this work

 

So why isn't there a single quote from a spokesperson from a local authority?

 

It is the equivalent of the Soft Drink Federation putting out the press release claiming success for Coca Cola's new drink - and just as bad for our health (easy shot - sorry Coke).

 

SH

you've got to love a phrase like.....

"Greater Tax Justice"

    Gavin Hayes, Compass

 

 

How important is the Budget on Wednesday?

The CBI says the "Worst of the Recession is over". This will comfort many people, but is also the starting block for a week which will see the country discuss fiscal tightening, public spending cuts, the value of new taxes - all of which will be a grand way of saying: "how painful will rescuing the economy actually be?"

 

Today the Chancellor has put a number on it.  After nationalising the banks, the country won't be able to profit from selling them again in the upturn - in fact Alistair Darling has admitted we will probably lose £60bn on the deal.  Alan Sugar would not be happy.

 

Behind this, you can see some clever political communications.  The Government's opposition has been trying to portray the country as a bankrupt result of economic mismanagement, about to embark on a historically damaging turn to the IMF for help.  Their basis for this is the hundreds and hundreds of billions of pounds used to bail out the banks and guarantee loans.

 

Some estimate 200-300 billion (!) has been spent.  Of course, a lot of this is has bought shares and forms only guarantees - the actual amount lost is a lot less.

 

So Wednesday's Budget will have to lay out the groundrules for how we are going to spend less and raise more in taxes to cover only the £60bn hole.

 

See how that works - you're actually grateful we've only lost £60bn!

 

Anyway, back to the economy....

 

Context is crucial, and in the coming months we will see all those special initiatives the Government has been promising coming to life.  The lifeblood of cash should start flowing through the veins of the business community very soon, and businesses will start to see a growing sense of confidence.

 

Similarly at a breakfast with the Governor of the Bank of England recently, he pointed out that there is a natural uptick in manufacturing after the initial panic.  Manufacturing has seen sales fall off a cliff, and has responded by halting production and selling off stock.  However, eventually this will be sold, and it will be necessary to start up the production line again.  Whatever the state of the economy at this point, there will be a boost in confidence as people start being active again.

 

For Alistair Darling, his challenge now is to juggle the two mammoth tasks of tackling the problem of the strength of our economy, and not destroying growing optimism with the solution.

 

SH

Tweenbots! Cute commentary on human existence

Just when you are ready to write of the human race (it isn't that bad really...) you discover this:

 

http://www.tweenbots.com/

 

An experiment so cool, with such wonderful results, I want to try it here in Manchester and see what happens......

 

SH

profelitists

A number of newspapers are carrying stories this morning about the domination of the professions by the well-off.  Sorry to get all classist about this, but I can understand Law being heavily burdened by the privileged, but when industries such as Media are, which depend on creativity and ideas, regardless of where they originate, then its a bad sign for a significant part of our economy.

 

I'm not surprised really - I remember reading about Camilla Parker-Bowles son being caught doing coke in Cannes, where he was working in the film industry.  I was at home reading my Variety and dreaming of being given some kind of lucky break to enter the film industry (still me secret desire).  Of course, I don't believe for a second he got there by his own merit.  I believe he got there by family connections - and if I remember correctly the story proved me right.  A not-very-good film promoter in Cannes getting coked up at the age of 21 or something.

 

Sure, my personal story is a tragedy....... But there is simply this bigger picture to consider that if we do not live in a society where hard work, talent, and opportunity can give you a life you want, then our economy will never make the great strides we need.

 

SH

Turning to god as an answer to the recession

From Greg Mankiw's blog

 

http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2009/04/faith-based-economics.html

One Trillion Dollars!!!!!!

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2358332.ece

Apple have let me down

Apple have just given me a first hand example of how customer service can let a company down - even when you are trying to excel at it!

The clicker on my iPhone headphones hardly works any more. I will be walking down the street clicking away like furiously with only the odd one registering which means instead of changing tracks I keep pausing and unpausing the track I'm listening to. Combined with the look of frustration on my face, other people must think I've discovered a new sport or a new form of musical masturbation.

In truth it's annoying as hell.

So I went into the apple store on my lunch break to see if they can advise me - turns out they can't. Without waiting. For days.

Turns out, the headphones are considered part of the phone so I need to see an engineer - called the 'genius bar' (oh purlease)

While the image of a man in grubby overalls at the back of the shiny apple store saying "ooo, 's going to cost ya" amused me for a moment, it wasn't very helpful. Especially as you need to book an appointment in advance.

Now I understand why a brand like apple wants to seem genius and push the boat out, but like all machines, there needs to be a reality check where it interfaces with humans.

I've tested my headphones on another iPhone - the conversation in-store would to something like this:

'Genius': click, click. It doesn't work. Would you like a new set, sir?
Me: yes please.

2 minutes! Max! For that I have to book in advance, for the weekend - which I then can't do, because you can only book two days in advance so I have to remember to log back on on Friday to go in on Sunday, and no I can't come back at 16:40, because I have a job.

All this for a two minute conversation.

I love my iPhone and they could do no wrong but now the shine is tarnished.

Plus, Apple's website doesn't work properly on an iPhone!

SH

VW ad banned for the wrong reasons

Ofcom have banned a volkswagen advert where an engineer fights several versions of himself, finishing with a tagline along the lines of "the only people we have to beat are ourselves".

I hate this advert. But not for the same reasons as all those people who complained - I just think it's shit. Potentially a good concept, but let down by taking itself way too seriously.. If you're message is that arrogant it helps to show a little humility first. On a practical note I think the style of the piece makes it hard to identify that it is in fact the same engineer fighting with himself.

If I had a chance to recut it I would pause longer on the first assailant to give the audience time to realise who he was and then do a Tongue in cheek challenge to come attack with his hand a la Morpheus from the matrix. By adding a softer more comic ironic feel I think the whole ad would perform better.

Less people might have complained about it too!

SH

Free Range Turtles

Turtle Wax have started using free range turtles in their products:

 

http://www.freerangeturtles.com

 

SH

What's in Your Basket?

Looking at the ONS' basket of goods for the RPI, I was keeping an eye out for possible regional variance.  In truth, I think the ONS has (as you'd expect from statisticians) left no room for criticism.

 

However, it's not a complaint, but I did wonder if there is in fact regional variations - does the cost of bread rise differently in different regions, for example?  I'm curious now, with no way of finding out, unless the ONS collects the data regionally and stores it that way?

 

Finally - the only thing I could see on the list, which is affected by political (rather than market) decisions is the cost of public transport.  Ken Livingstone has successfully managed to bring the cost of travelling by public transport down in the capital (using his preferential treatment from the Treasury - London receives at least three times the subsidy per capita than anywhere else in the UK on transport), while costs outside rise.  In truth, the capital is so expensive anyway that this minor variance will not mean a hill of beans - but it is the only element of the basket which seems to me to be more affected by politics than the market.

 

Below is the list of items that are counted.

 

Food

 

Bread

·         Large white loaves - sliced and unsliced

·         Large wholemeal loaf

·         Bread rolls

·         Pitta bread

 

Cereal

·         Flour

·         Rice

·         Pasta

·         Breakfast cereals

·         Corn based snacks

 

Biscuits and Cakes

·         Various selected biscuits

·         Sponge cakes

·         Doughnuts

·         Pack of individually wrapped cakes

·         Fruit pies

·         Crackers

·         Chocolate wafers

 

Beef

·         Rump steak

·         Braising steak

·         Mince Topside

·         Frozen beefburgers

 

Home-Killed Lamb

·         Loin chops

·         Shoulder

 

Imported Lamb

·         Leg

 

Pork

·         Loin chops

·         Shoulder

 

Bacon

·         Gammon

·         Back

 

Poultry

·         Fresh / chilled chicken

·         Fresh chicken breasts

·         Frozen chicken breasts

·         Fresh turkey steaks

·         Rotisserie cooked hot whole chicken

 

Other Meat

·         Pork sausages

·         Cooked meats – eg ham

·         Meat pies

·         Canned meats

·         Frozen chicken nuggets

·         Chicken kievs

 

Fresh Fish

·         White fish fillets

·         Salmon fillets

·         Frozen prawns

·         Processed Fish

·         Canned tuna

·         Fish fingers

 

Butter

·         Home-produced and imported butter

 

Oils and Fats

·         Margarine / low fat spread

·         Olive oil

 

Cheese

·         Cheddar - home-produced

·         Parmesan cheese

·         Selected speciality cheeses

·         Other regional cheeses

·         Cheese spread

 

Eggs

·         Various sized eggs

 

Milk

·         Full-fat and semi-skimmed milk - shop-bought and delivered

·         Milk Products

·         Fresh cream

·         Pro-biotic drink

·         Yoghurt

·         Fromage frais

·         Chilled pot dessert

 

Tea

·         Tea bags

·         Coffee and Hot Drinks

·         Ground coffee

·         Instant coffee

 

Soft Drinks

·         Various pure fruit juices

·         Squashes

·         Lemonade

·         Cola

·         Mineral water

·         Various fizzy drinks – cans and bottles

·         Energy drinks

·         Fruit smoothie

 

Sugar and Preserves

·         Sugar

·         Various jams

 

Sweets and Chocolates

·         Various selected popular brands of sweets, chocolates, gum and mints

 

Unprocessed Potatoes

·         White loose and pre-packed potatoes – old and new varieties

 

Processed Potatoes

·         Crisps - single and multi-packs

·         Frozen chips

 

Fresh Vegetables

·         Fresh tomatoes

·         Cabbages

·         Cauliflowers

·         Carrots

·         Mushrooms

·         Onions

·         Lettuce

·         Cucumbers

·         Courgettes

·         Organic vegetable

·         Broccoli

·         Peppers

 

Processed Vegetables

·         Canned tomatoes

·         Canned baked beans

·         Canned sweet corn

·         Frozen peas

 

Fresh Fruit

·         Cooking apples

·         Dessert apples

·         Pears

·         Bananas

·         Strawberries

·         Grapes

·         Oranges

·         Grapefruit

·         Avocado pears

·         Peaches / nectarines

·         Kiwi fruit

·         Organic fruit

·         Small oranges

·         Plums

 

Processed Fruit

·         Various canned fruits

·         Salted / roasted peanuts

 

Other Foods

·         Soup

·         Various sauces – eg tomato sauce, mayonnaise, pickle

·         Ready cooked meals

·         Other convenience foods – eg frozen pizza, dehydrated noodles / pasta

·         Ice cream

·         Baby food

 

 

Catering

 

Restaurant Meals

·         Restaurant main course

·         Restaurant sweet course

·         Restaurant cup of coffee

·         Pub hot meal

·         Pub cold snack

·         Burger in bun

·         In store cafeteria meal

·         Fizzy drinks

·         Fruit juice

·         Bottled mineral water

·         On board catering

·         Muffin

 

Canteen Meals

·         Staff restaurant main course

·         Staff restaurant dessert / pudding

·         Staff restaurant hot snack

·         Staff restaurant sandwich

·         Staff restaurant soft drink

·         Prices for school meals

 

Take-aways and Snacks

·         Fish and chips

·         Pasty / savoury pie

·         Burger in bun

·         Kebab

·         Sandwich

·         Coffee

·         Tea

·         Caffe latte

·         Ethnic take-away

·         Pizza delivery / takeaway

·         Soft drink Crisps

·         Cinema popcorn

·         Vending machine drink

 

 

Alcoholic Drink

 

Beer On Sales

·         Draught bitter

·         Draught Lager

·         Draught stout

·         Draught cider

·         Bottled lager

·         Bottled cider

 

Beer Off Sales

·         Canned lager

·         Canned bitter

·         Bottled cider

·         Bottled lager

 

Wines and Spirits On Sales

·         Whisky

·         Vodka

·         Wine

·         Champagne

·         Liqueurs

·         Spirit based drink

·         Mixer

 

Wines and Spirits Off Sales

·         Whisky

·         Vodka

·         Brandy

·         Bottled white wine

·         Bottled red wine

·         Champagne

·         Fortified wine

·         Bottled rose wine

Spirit based drink

 

 

Tobacco

 

·         Cigarettes

·         Selected brands

·         Vending machine cigarettes

·         Mentholated

·         Other Tobacco

·         Cigars

·         Hand rolling tobacco

 

 

Housing

 

Rent

·         Private furnished rent

·         Private unfurnished rent

·         Local authority rent

·         Registered Social Landlord (RSL) rent

 

Mortgage Interest

·         Average interest payments (estimated/modelled)

 

Depreciation

·         Depreciation costs proxy (price index for houses purchased with a mortgage)

 

Council Tax

·         Average council tax bills for households in Great Britain

·         Average rates bills in Northern Ireland

 

Water and Other Charges

·         Average water charges

·         Average sewerage and environmental charges

 

Repair and Maintenance Charges

·         Fees charged by plumbers, electricians, carpenters and decorators

·         Gas service charges

 

DIY Materials

·         Ready mixed filler

·         Wallpaper

·         Wallpaper paste

·         Paint

·         Varnish

·         Paint brush

·         Various tools - eg hammer drill, screwdriver

·         Aluminium ladder

·         Door handle

·         Taps

·         Power point

·         Shower head

·         Pieces of timber

·         Ceramic tiles

·         Hire of domestic carpet shampoo/cleaner

·         Woodscrews

 

Dwelling Insurance and Ground Rent

·         Dwelling insurance premiums of selected companies

·         Ground rent proxy (price index for houses purchased with a mortgage)

 

 

Fuel and Light

 

Coal and Solid Fuels

·         Coal

·         Smokeless fuel

·         Electricity

·         Average of the electricity companies’ tariffs

 

Gas

·         Average of the gas companies’ tariffs

 

Oil and Other Fuels

·         Butane gas

·         Kerosene

 

 

Household Goods

 

Furniture

·         Dining room furniture – eg table, chairs

·         Bedroom furniture – eg wardrobe, beds

·         Living room furniture – eg armchair, sofa bed, leather settee, bookcase, table lamp

·         Kitchen furniture – various kitchen units

·         Office furniture – home office desk

·         Outdoor furniture – eg wooden patio set

 

Furnishings

·         Selected carpets

·         Rug

·         Laminate floor covering

·         Hardwood floor covering

·         Curtains

·         Fabric roller blind

·         Duvet

·         Duvet cover

·         Bed sheet

·         Towels

 

Electrical Appliances

·         Cooker – electric

·         Washing machine

·         Fridge / freezer

·         Dishwasher

·         Vacuum cleaner

·         Telephone

·         Mobile phone handsets

·         Selected small appliances – eg iron, kettle, fan heater, fan

·         Personal appliances – eg hair dryer, electric razor

 

Other Household Equipment

·         Cooker - gas

·         Gas fire

·         Kitchen equipment - eg ovenware, pans, scissors, plastic food container

·         Tableware - eg crockery set, cutlery set

·         Glassware - eg tumbler

 

Household Consumables

·         Washing powder

·         Washing-up liquid

·         Dishwasher tablets

·         Light bulbs

·         Aluminium foil

·         Toilet rolls

·         Kitchen roll

·         Fabric conditioner

·         Bin liners

·         Household cream cleaner

·         Bleach

·         Ball point pen

·         Wrapping paper

·         Envelopes Greeting card

·         Printer paper

·         Inkjet cartridge

·         Clear sticky tape

·         Batteries

 

Pet Care

·         Cat and dog food – moist and dry

·         Small pet – eg hamster

·         Animal cage

·         Vets’ fees

·         Annual booster injection

·         Dog kennel boarding fees

 

 

Household Services

 

Postal Charges

·         Charges for letters, parcels, postal orders

 

Telephone Charges

·         Fixed line telephone charges – eg line/instrument rentals, call and operator charges

·         Mobile phone charges – PAYG and contract Mobile downloads

·         Subscription to the Internet Cost of directory enquiries

 

Domestic Services

·         Domestic help fees In home care assistant fees

·         Childminder fees

·         Nanny fees

·         Playgroup fees

·         After school club charges

·         Gardeners’ fees

·         Window cleaning fees

·         Dry cleaning charges

·         Driving lesson fees

·         Home delivery charges

·         Charge for home removals

·         Self-storage fees

·         Electrical service charges

·         Charge for various electrical equipment repairs - eg washing machine, PC

·         Cost of catering for a function

·         Watch battery replacement

 

Fees and Subscriptions

·         Trade unions and professional organisations subscriptions

·         Estate agents’ fees

·         House conveyancing fees

·         Surveyors’ fee for house valuation

·         Charge for home buyers’ survey

·         Home contents’ insurance premiums

·         Fee for birth and death certificates

·         Marriage licences

·         Passport fees

·         Various bank fees – eg overdraft charges

·         Money transfer fees

·         Foreign exchange commission

·         Driving test fees

·         Private school fees

·         Evening classes

·         Solicitors’ fees – including will drafting

·         UK university tuition fees

·         Cost of basic funeral / cremation

·         Pet insurance

·         Nursery fees

·         Mortgage arrangement fees

·         Charges for advertisements in newspapers - local, national

 

 

Clothing and Footwear

 

Men’s Outerwear

·         Suit

·         Casual coat

·         Trousers - formal, casual

·         Casual jacket

·         Fleece

·         Jeans

·         Jumper

·         Various shirts

·         Tracksuit bottom

·         T shirt

·         Shorts

·         Replica football team shirt

·         Branded sports sweatshirt

 

Women’s Outwear

·         Blouse

·         Skirt

·         Dress

·         Trousers

·         Jeans

·         T shirt

·         Top

·         Shorts

·         Cardigan

·         Jacket

·         Casual Coat

·         Jumper

·         Rainwear

·         Swimwear

 

Children’s Outerwear

·         Schoolwear – trousers, skirt

·         Tops – sports and fashion

·         Jeans

·         Jumper / sweatshirt

·         Jacket

·         Babygro / sleepsuit

·         Trousers

 

Other Clothing

·         Underwear – eg pants and bra

·         Socks

·         Tights

·         Nightwear – eg nightdress/pyjamas

·         Tie

·         Scarf

·         Knitting wool

 

Footwear

·         Shoes – formal, school, casual and fashion

·         Boots – formal, fashion and outdoor/adventure

·         Training shoes – sportswear and casual

·         Sandals

 

 

Personal Goods and Services

 

Personal Articles

·         Umbrella

·         Handbag

·         Watch

·         Spectacle frames

·         Prescription lenses

·         Contact lenses

·         Luggage – trolley case

·         Flower vase

·         Picture / photo frame

·         Wall hanging mirror

·         Various items of personal jewellery

 

Chemists’ Goods

·         NHS prescription charges

·         Multi-vitamins tablets

·         Condoms

·         Tampons

·         Disposable nappies

·         Tissues

·         Selected medicines and surgical goods - eg indigestion tablets, pain killer tablets, packets of cold/flu drink powder, plasters

·         Toiletries - eg toilet soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, shower gel, shampoo, hair gel, permanent hair colourant, razor cartridge blades, sunscreen cream / lotion

·         Various cosmetics - eg lipstick, face cream, perfume, mascara, liquid foundation

 

Personal Services

·         Hairdressing charges

·         Full leg wax

·         Basic manicure

·         Dental charges

·         Eye test charges

·         Dental insurance

·         Subscriptions to private medical plans

·         Private surgery fees

·         Non NHS medical services – eg physiotherapy, chiropractic medicine

·         Residential and nursing home fees

·         Slimming club fees

·         Flower delivery

 

 

Motoring Expenditure

 

Purchase of Motor Vehicles

·         Second-hand cars

·         Proxy for new cars

·         New motorcycles

·         Second-hand motorcycles

·         Caravans

 

Maintenance of Motor Vehicles

·         Car service

·         MOT test fees

·         Roadside recovery services

·         Automatic car wash

·         Exhaust / brake fitting at fast fit auto centre

·         Hourly labour charge for car mechanical repairs

·         Selected spare parts and accessories - eg wiper blade, battery, tyres

 

Petrol and Oil

·         Ultra low sulphur petrol

·         Ultra low sulphur diesel

·         Motor oil

 

Vehicle Tax and Insurance

·         Vehicle excise duty

·         Selection of premiums charged by a sample of motor insurance companies

 

 

Fares and Other Travel Costs

 

Rail Fares

·         UK rail fares

·         London Transport fares

·         EuroTunnel fares

·         Other underground/metro fares

·         Bus and Coach Fares

·         Fares charged by principal bus and coach operators

 

Other Travel Costs

·         Taxi fares

·         Minicab fares

·         Self-drive car and van hire charges

·         Various ferry and sea fares

·         Air fares

·         Road tolls

·         Other means of transport - eg bicycles, boats

·         Car park charges

·         Push chair

 

 

Leisure Goods

 

Audio-Visual Equipment

·         Flat panel televisions

·         DVD player

·         Digital radio

·         DVD recorder

·         Personal MP4 player

·         PCs – desktop and laptop

·         Audio systems

·         PC peripherals

·         Satellite navigation system

·         Freeview Box

 

CDs and Tapes

·         Pre-recorded DVDs, including DVDs purchased over the Internet

·         CDs, including CDs purchased over the Internet

·         Recordable CD

·         Selected CD-ROMs

·         Rewritable DVD

·         Music downloads

·         Pre recorded Blu-ray disc

 

Toys, Photographic and Sports Goods

·         Various toys, including some toys purchased over the Internet – eg soft toys, construction toys, activity toys, dolls

·         Board games

·         Computer games consoles

·         Computer games

·         Digital camera

·         Digital camcorder

·         Disposable cameras

·         Film and digital processing

·         Acoustic guitar

·         Child’s swing

·         Child’s tricycle

·         Sleeping bag

·         Barbecue (gas)

·         Sports equipment – eg golf balls, squash racquet, football, fishing rod, football boots

·         Water sports equipment – eg windsurfing equipment

·         Portable digital storage device

 

Books and Newspapers

·         Adult and children’s fiction and non-fiction paperback and hardback books – including some books purchased over the Internet

·         National daily newspapers

·         Sunday newspapers

·         Provincial newspapers

·         Adults' periodicals

 

Gardening Products

·         Compost

·         Selected varieties of plants, bushes, cut flowers, seeds including flowers purchased over the internet

·         Garden sundries - eg garden spade

·         Lawnmowers

 

 

Leisure Services

 

TV Licences and Rentals

·         Television licence fees

·         Rental of various types of TV

·         Digital television monthly subscription fees

·         Cable TV subscriptions

·         DVD rental internet subscription

 

Entertainment and Recreation

·         Squash court hire

·         Fees for leisure evening classes

·         Charges for exercise classes

·         Private health club / gym membership

·         Ten-pin bowling session

·         Horse racing admissions

·         Golf green fees

·         Livery charges

·         Admission to cinemas, theatres, live music, football matches, historic monuments, swimming pools, leisure centres, and leisure parks and other attractions

 

Foreign Holidays

·         Package holidays covering a range of foreign destinations, accommodation and holiday types, including late-booked holidays

·         Holiday insurance

 

UK Holidays

·        Package holidays covering a range of UK destinations, accommodation and holiday types