Crewe - a pause

A lot is going to be said tomorrow about the result of the Crewe and Nantwich by-election - enough to keep us all reading over the whole bank holiday weekend. 

 

However, it's all happened so quickly that I've just remembered, before the storm I want to pay another virtual tribute to Gwyneth, who might have been mad as a bat was a wonderful woman none-the-less.

 

Politics is a cruel business, and you have to be prepared for how quickly people will move on, but I would like to pay a moment's tribute to the woman who's contribution to the Party and Crewe we "celebrate" today at the polling station.

 

 

.............

 

Thank you

 

SH

By George!

Today is St George's day and there has been plenty of discussion about why the English don't celebrate it.  We even had a group discussion about this in our company in advance of one of the girls appearing (?) on radio this morning.

 

However, I have been thinking for some time now, after I was challenged that we should pull out of the European Union because we have lost our identity, about that big questions: "What is an English identity?"

 

and I keep coming back to the feeling that we don't have a culture or identity - we have done a very good job of borrowing from others, but the best I can do is the good old Sunday Roast.  My main problem is that the wide range of things that come to mind when you are asked about the English are things like cricket, G&Ts, croquet, stripy jackets and flowers in our straw caps.

 

Almost all of the things we are famous for belonged to the rich.  The class history of our country is such that poor people were excluded from all the common cultural institutions.

 

As the rise of the middle class meant we became richer and the reduction in the upper classes meant there were less of them, I think we saw English culture die off because there were less people practising it.  the middle and lower classes were kept away from English culture - with the result that now, we find it difficult to define English culture, or at least we find it difficult while ignoring things we don't like....

 

Football, drinking, Costa del sol, fry-ups and burned faces....

 

Compare this to ITV's falling audiences for the boat race

We love the royals (ahem..... Ed), but how many people know who the lord lieutenant is?

 

It's a good question to ask about British culture, and it would be good to start defining some traditions which are open and accessible - school sports days, dragon feasts for St George's Day - regional dishes that don't depend on cholesterol.

 

Of course, one of the bigger problems with this is that it requires non-centralised media and reporting.......... another issue entirely.....

ok - that's funny!

http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2008/03/great-graphs-of-our-time-no-94.html

at least read the bloody thing!

http://kerroncross.blogspot.com/2008/03/eu-cannot-be-serious.html

how much should we pay MPs?

http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/2008/02/29/what-should-we-pay-mps/

 

An interesting question from John Redwood, but I found the comments most interesting.  There are a fair few, who argue that pay should go up, but the expenses system needs reforming with more transparency. - fair enough!

 

Then the cynics come in, criticising MPs, accusing them all of being greedy so on and so on. 

 

Which is when it hit me....  The criticism being levelled covered MPs who already have houses, second jobs in consultancies, etc.  These people are also readers of John Redwood's blog. 

 

These people are complaining about Conservative MPs!  Think about it, they are the ones they've most likely been in touch with, read about, spoken to - they are from the circle of Tory clubs, fundraising BBQs and referendum-campaign-meetings which meets and judges Tory Members.

 

I'm not saying there aren't instances on the Labour benches, but I could name a fair few who would never accept a consultancy job, are dedicated to representing their people and have genuine passion to argue for their area.  I'll happily put the Cumbrian and Liverpool MPs in that category.  Don't know the Manchester ones too well, but Tony Lloyd and Graham Stringer (you may not agree with them!) but are passionate about promoting/defending Manchester...

 

SH

 

 

Good lord, they're everywhere!

Just learnt today that the man who made L'Oreal into the multi-national success it is today is not a Frenchman - he's a (plastic) Scouser!

 

I will not be making a joke about plastic an' surgery.........

 

Because we're worth it!

 

SH

 

 

sorry small break - need to come up with something really passionate!

but in the meantime,

http://www.andipamodern.com/DET/DET-6554.HTM

 

hat tip to http://www.bobpiper.co.uk/

How sad I am

McCartney divorce battle resumes

 

And my first thought was that Ian and Anne made such a lovely couple......

 

SH

the worth of MPs

The BBC is talking today about MPs expenses after the House of Commons tried to justify not asking for receipts under £250 or allowing £400 for unmonitored food each month.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7233560.stm

and

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/nickrobinson/2008/02/milk_with_your.html

 

While I recognise how tricky this is and understand people's feelings about the need for greater transparency.  And I particularly understand that at the moment and with the modern world of information, people want to be able to be sure that the systems for MPs expenses are not open to abuse.

 

For this reason I think there do need to be some changes.  For a start they should reform the system so that they are no longer called expenses, because that causes confusion right from the beginning.  That reform should introduce more transparency and monitoring.

 

But I warn against taking it too far - because I think it undermines our democratic system, and falls into the trap of the fourth estate.  And I want to say it clearly here - the attitude of some towards elected politicians is designed to undermine them regardless of purpose - and that is dangerous.  We need to stand up to them and, as painful as it may be, display trust in our elected officials, and the office in which they reside and resist the temptation to join the rabble rousing crowds.

 

This is nothing new, but it used to be Communist agitators, or anarchists or fascists or any number of political persuasions.  Because these political factions no longer exist it's not felt that these people have a political agenda that they are pushing - therefore we should listen to them.

 

Instead - in this modern world the threats are apathy, the instant media and oppressive negative reporting (from citizens and media alike).  here's my reasoning:

 

If everything MPs spend is itemised, the level of scrutiny will be massive, and no newspaper will manage to resist the temptation to comment out of the ordinary.  This could be a large restaurant bill, or a hotel charge.  It is highly feasible we would start criticising MPs for staying in 5 star hotels or visiting restaurants we deem as "too nice".

 

But what we won't do is judge that expenditure against what is was supposed to achieve.  There will be no attempt to judge the expenditure against its results.  That dinner might have been with a company who's about to open a new factory in the MPs constituency worth lots of jobs.  The context for expenditure will be removed, and that could establish a very damaging method for judging and monitoring MPs.

 

Let's not forget we already have a very effective system for judging how effective MPs are - they are called elections.

 

now wouldn't that turn out to be interesting?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/jersey/7234516.stm