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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » The big one: Cyclefree announces her awards for 2016
politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » The big one: Cyclefree announces her awards for 2016
A difficult one, this, with so many contenders, not least Ms Morgan herself. But in the end this was jointly shared by the EU and Britain. Both displayed monumental self-regard and a total inability to understand that, perhaps, just perhaps, their own behaviour had a teensy bit to do with why they could not get on.
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On the 'Off to a Good Start' front I'd nominate Keir Starmer who seems to be navigating the tricky shoals of politics more adroitly than many who start later in life......
Great thread Cyeclefree tbank you.
OT
Littlejohn Daily mail
14 A one-legged Albanian gangster, convicted of two murders, fled to Britain posing as a Kosovan refugee. Once he arrived here, he started selling drugs and his wife says he always carried a gun or knife. How did British authorities react?
a) He was arrested immediately by armed officers.
b) He was deported back to Albania to stand trial.
c) He was granted British citizenship, given a four-bedroom council house, £2,000 a month in welfare benefits, a new prosthetic leg on the NHS and legal aid to appeal against deportation
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-4067392/Donkey-ride-bans-chicken-dancing-councillors-Army-barracks-orgies-DNA-tests-doggie-s-RICHARD-LITTLEJOHN-S-Makes-Proud-British-quiz-2016.html#ixzz4U0Q9WTVt
** note that as voodoo polls are now apparently accepted on PB and even make thread headers this is also worthy of inclusion........or not??
Yes indeed, 'tis a sad day - but then again at least OGH describes these polls for what they are .... voodoo. Going back to PB.com's purer than the driven snow days, I recall the time when it was a hanging offence to so much as contemplate the very idea of averaging polls.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade
*looks around sadly thinking *
I remember when this was just green fields..............
In contrast to the Times front page yesterday, the Telegraph leader today could have been written by Dan Hannan:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2016/12/26/voting-leave-eu-act-national-self-confidence-politicians-should/
Voters are largely positive about the future, believing in this country’s ability to thrive. Sadly, that belief is often lacking in some ministers and especially in the Civil Service. Too many still regard the Brexit vote as an error and the exit that must follow as a problem to be managed and mitigated, not an opportunity to be seized.
Outside the EU, Britain will be able once again to decide its own laws on everything from immigration to industrial strategy. We must surely also get more scope to build closer trading relationships with dynamic economies around the world. These are the freedoms that the British people chose for themselves and their country in the biggest vote in our history: the referendum vote to leave the EU was a huge collective act of optimism and belief that this country’s best days are yet to come. Brexit is a good news story, and our leaders should do more to tell it that way.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/dec/26/queen-did-back-brexit-run-up-to-referendum-laura-kuenssberg
I think most would consider for instance that Shabby is full deserving of her award.
On reflection, they'd have probably run the story on an early morning R4 bulletin, then spent several days talking to each other about their coverage of it across all their channels.
Many thanks for the early morning laughs Ms Cyclefree, would love to see this round-up of alternate political awards become an annual PB event – with you as sole arbiter, natch.
Considered Boris for the TV3 award, but decided he better deserves the Banquo award: his aspirations killed by Macbeth (Gove) and his wife (Vine). Though Boris's position as a minister indicates he must now be Banquo's ghost.
Oh, and thanks for the chuckles CF.
Nice article, Miss Cyclefree.
Contemplating making a new space cannon list for next year.
F1: hopefully Bottas' will be announced as Mercedes' new driver in a week or so. Then, in February (I think) testing kicks off, with the first race around 26 March.
And certainly they would have been right to do so if they'd had the evidence.
And someone's going to have quite a lot of time on her hands to run it...
But his bigger frustration is with what he sees as the detached and technocratic backgrounds of so many people in centrist politics nowadays.
“If you think about the first leaders of the UK’s Labour party, they were singing hymns on the train platform as they went off to work. And they were of ‘those people’,” he says. “If you think of someone like Gordon Brown, who I have immense admiration for, and Obama — and the high point of my year this year was my meeting with Obama — he’s not one of ‘those people’ any more. He’s an intellectual with progressive views who is making policy in a way that he judges is good for those people.”
Nobel Economist Angus Deaton
https://www.ft.com/content/bbf54b3e-c5f3-11e6-9043-7e34c07b46ef
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/dec/27/corbyn-hits-back-obama-suggests-labour-disintegrating-grounded-fact-reality
Then there's this story about how the residents of Goring-on-Thames are reacting to the death of 'their most famous resident'. By a journalist who, by the lack of anecdotes, had never met him despite living in the same village.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38436875
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38440934
Generally seems like a good idea.
Brilliant.
I see where Cyclefree is coming from and I guess many people simply like public attention. Fortunately some do appear to be willing to brave notoriety and digitally delivered anonymous insults and threats over real or imaginary mistakes. And maybe some actually revel in that, but others of us rejoice in the obscurity of our projects.
Postal voting is what needs sorting out.
"Have to agree with EiT's first comment, sorry - more catty than funny, and unworthy of Cyclefree, who remins one of our most interesting posters."
What use are politicians if you can't insult them?
We're about the same age. Haven't you yet developed an appropriate level of cynicism?
As Mrs Dale nearly used to say ... "I'm getting worried about Nick."
Ms Cyclefree - a good header but I think you were too kind.
Similarly... If we end up with a system whereby different pieces of ID are needed for different councils or areas... Thats very unhelpful.
The postal votes harvesting ban seems sensible though. Surprised labour aren't making more of a fuss tbh.
The postal voting is the problem. That's what needs addressing.
Thanks cycelefree - for making us smile and reminding us that we're human, not moralisers.
It's the postal voting system that needs improvement (personally I'd just restrict it massively).
There are problems with pilots however: they are often trialled in areas where a certain result can be expected (i.e. favourable or unfavourable to the new scheme), and the results are often overplayed or just ignored as the scheme gets rolled out in full. I'd expect these pilots to be backed up with some fairly rigorous academic study.
Too many of us see the electoral system as an esoteric game: instead, it is a vital part of democracy. If people lose faith in the electoral system because of real or perceived biases, then democracy is the loser.
Just an attempt to lighten the mood, after quite a year and - lately - some rather tetchy threads.
Had I extended it I would have given an award to the retired judge Lord Judge for elegantly skewering Ms Truss and reminding all of us about the importance of judicial independence and the rule of law, one of the glories of British life and something we should be trumpeting before the world as we embark on our post-EU future not attacking because the law comes up with an answer we don't like.
There would also have been a special Hypocrisy Award for those politicians apparently very keen on freedom of the press when it comes to saying rude things about judges but far less so when it comes to defending sportsmen from poking fun at religion.
There would have been a boo card for Ms Truss herself for the inept way she is approaching the question of prison reform. Much as people who commit serious crimes deserve to be in prison, we should not forget - at a time when some of us celebrate the birth of Jesus - that prisoners were one of the categories of people in his mind. Very few people are incapable of redemption.
A big black mark too to the National Grid for proposing to put up electricity pylons through the Duddon Valley in the Lake District on the edge of the Lake District National Park rather than extending their proposed underground tunnel. How can people see such beauty and wilfully destroy it?
On a similar note, if you are interested in architecture, especially in the world outside our borders, do try and catch Dan Cruickshank's series - Adventures in Architecture. He is knowledgeable and enthusuastic and an infectious communicator. And the films of remote, bizarre and beautiful places is stunning.
And I am giving my personal award to Diocese of Breda in Germany which is providing practical help to Iraqi and Syrian Christian refugees who, sadly, are being forced out of refugee shelters because of hostility from others. Christianity was born in the Middle East and is being squeezed out of the land of its birth. It is shameful. We can at least help the human victims.
Anyway, I saw Sully: Miracle on the Hudson yesterday. Well worth it. Genuinely exciting and quite moving.
And nowI have to find some straw to protect my tree ferns from frost.
Chakrabati richly deserves her award.
Philip Hammond also merits one - only member of the cabinet to rise above mediocre.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/12/09/the-six-donors-trump-appointed-to-his-administration-gave-almost-12-million-with-their-families-to-his-campaign-and-the-party/
Keir Hardie: - age 7, messenger boy
Arthur Henderson: age 12, locomotive factory
George Barnes: age 7, jute mill
Ramsay McDonald: age 15, farm labourer
William Adamson: miner
J R Clynes age 10, cotton mill
George Lansbury: Coal wagons
Clement Attlee - Oxford, Barrister
Hugh Gaitskill -Oxford, Fabian Research Bureau
George Brown - Junior Clerk
Harold Wilson: - Oxford, Oxford Don
James Callaghan: - Inland Revenue Clerk
Michael Foot: - Oxford, Shipping Clerk
Neil Kinnock: - Tutor
John Smith: - Glasgow, Solicitor
Tony Blair: - Oxford, Barrister
Gordon Bown: - Edinburgh, Lecturer
Ed Miliband - Oxford, Media Researcher
Jeremy Corbyn - Union Official
So, I think the Nobel Laureate's contention that "the first leaders of the UK’s Labour party....... were of ‘those people’ stands, and Corbyn, arguably is much nearer Labour Party roots than the Oxford Mafia that's run the Party since Clem Attlee's days...
I have admiration for people doing stuff for the public under constant watch. We introverts tend to release things when they are, hopefully, sorted. I'd be hopeless in a baking/cooking competition.
It seems a little unfair to characterise Nicola Sturgeon as a "malign tramp".
Thought there might be an award for Fridge Salesman of the Year?
You are slightly more generous about Sully than I was. Enjoyed Gold, with Hair and Make-up deserving of an award for making Matt McConaughey look like a balding slob. Jackie is also well worth a watch. I defy you to watch A Monster Calls without blubbing. Award for the Film That Most Stays With You. Birth of a Nation was provocatively titled - but did little to justify that provocation. It told us little we didn't already know about brutality of slave owners, especially with regard to dentistry.
But the film I have enjoyed the most this BAFTA season, and that by a country mile, was Hidden Figures, about the coloured women working - segregated - in the NASA programme to beat the Russians into space and then the moon. Flawless. Delightful. Uplifting. Says everything wonderful about their contribution without being perpetually right-on or cloying. Beautifully written, acted and put on the screen. *****
If only Sturgeon was in 'English politics', that would've been a REAL ZINGER!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingdom-Asunder-Bloody-Crown-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B01N8UF799/
It's a deliciously bloody medieval war of treachery and bastardry.
By the way... Found the free time over Christmas to purchase Kingdom Asunder. Initially a bit confused about who was who as I was reading but I have got the hang of it now.
Apologies if it is there and I missed it... But I would have liked a family tree as a reference. Enjoying the book though which is good value for twists and betrayals. About 20% so far only as sadly back at work.
"“And the real problem is, the people most likely not to have a a passport, or a driving licence, are going to be the poorest, and that, I suspect - once again, like the decision last year to knock a lot of people off the electoral register - will basically hit the Labour Party."
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/ken-livingstone-attacks-voter-id-scheme-to-combat-election-fraud-as-antilabour-a3428501.html
And, we can't even blame the EU !
I'm glad you're enjoying the tale of a brave lesbian's battle against the patriarchy. Ahem.
As for postal voting, I think this should be restricted to those who have a genuine need i.e. those who can prove they will be out of the country or away from their normal residence or who cannot get to the polling station.
As for ID I am open to suggestions but we need to allow alternative forms of ID for those who don't have driving licences, for instance. This should not prove that difficult. The same issues arise when opening bank accounts. The integrity of the electoral system must be maintained.
On the Voter ID thing, I agree with you that postal voting is a much bigger issue. But if ID is required, why not just use polling cards? They are posted to every household anyway with name and address on. At the moment you don't need your polling card to vote (and the Labour Party send round some dodgy imitation poll cards looking official and telling you to vote for them) but most people do bring them to the polling stations. As it has the ID number for the voter, it would speed up the voting process as well, and to intercept it you'd have to get hold of someone's mail.
Wouldn't hit the photo element but I'm not sure that's workable given the number of people who'll struggle to provide photo and address ID. Just strikes me that mandatory polling cards would solve 90% of the problem for 10% of the hassle.
Harvesting of postal votes is simply wrong and anything even close to this needs to be banned. On personation I would want evidence that it genuinely is an issue. Has anyone ever heard of anyone turning up to vote and finding they already have?
It is already illegal to use a camera within a polling station.
In fact there seem to have been quick a few illegal practices that were tolerated in the Tower Hamlets case. So much so that one has to wonder about the person in charge.
You have mentioned a few times that you wespent time in the Midlands (Brum?) years ago, and wondered why the Muslim population there has become less westernised with time. Here, from 14:50 to 17:50 Enoch Powell talks precisely about why that will happen, using Birmingham as the example.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sfovPxT3Fg