Hug a Tree not a Human

Juliette Jowitt's Observer article on population growth (and its linkage to climate change) got a reassuringly humanitarian response on the Observer's letters page yesterday. Colin Wells from Leicestershire submitted this cherry missive:

An article in the New Scientist has recently examined what would happen if all human life disappeared from Earth. It concluded that recovery of threatened
habitats and species would occur quite quickly. This is actually happening
in the area contaminated by the nuclear reactor meltdown at Chernobyl in
1986.

My guess is that people won't opt for the logical solution to the climate change threat, so it's roll on the bird flu pandemic - that'll sort it out!

Great! Mr Wells sounds positively gladdened by such a prospect. Forget fining people for failure to recycle their rubbish, just threaten them with a deadly virus...that will convince them of the righteousness of our cause!

Paul Butler from Gwynedd is not so fond of the Green Lobby and begins his letter:

Many thanks for allowing Juliette Jowitt to highlight the true environmental
cost of having children. I find it particularly annoying when people such as
myself are criticised because they live in single accommodation.

Mr Butler argues that his carbon footprint is lower because of his choice to remain childless and concludes:

It seems very strange to me that my attempt to help save resources by not
bringing any more people into the world has become a stick for the green lobby
to beat me with.

Aaah, the old romantic, you can just imagine the scene..."listen daaahling, I ain't getting shacked up with you cos' that will lead to an extra burden on the world's dwindling resources and that just ain't fly..."

I'm no climate change denier (I recycle my beer cans) but if the sentiments of Mr Bell and Mr Butler are the way in which the environment debate is going to be couched then Cristina Odone might be right in surmising that the world we can look forward to living in will be 'a green and unpleasant land'.

Cheers Blears

"We must build on our successes and make politics matter" says the Hazel for deputy (dawg) letter sent to our office today.

The letter's addressed to the unsung heroes of the movement (that's us bag carriers) and acknowledges the valuable contribution we make (i.e. snide blog posts and insular gossip). It is such a good letter that we must have received about six copies of it, one for each intern who's worked in our office over the last couple of years...I'm all for solidarity with our international brethren but appealing for votes to Democrats from South Carolina is getting a bit desperate (in other words, "Oi Blears, sort your mailing list out!").

SERA have pulled off quite a coup and managed to get all the deputy leadership candidates to take part in their Red Green Agenda lectures. Hain and Benn have already fulfilled their slots but SERA are still touting tickets for Hazel's one...maybe it was that picture of Hazel on that gas-guzzling bike that's stopped a sell-out so far...

I don't think I'll be supporting the Ginger Tiger for the deputy leadership but she's promised that if she's elected she'll visit 50 marginal seats, 50 heartland seats and 50 seats with no Labour MPs which sounds like something the others should sign up to too.

What is the French for "leaves on the line"?

"Madames et monsieurs, la prochaine gare est London Victoria..."

Nigel Farage (that's the only time I'll be linking to the UKIP site) would be disgusted, no doubt, but on the Southern train service this morning commuters heard their public announcements in French as well as in English. This was a novelty so I thought I should bring this news to you...

These Franco-utterings caused something of a stir in my carriage. Well, as much of a 'stir' as you are going to get on a train of commuters that is. "This isn't Eurostar" responded one switched-on commuter. Others harrumphed, one tutted and another looked confused. For my part I offered the wry smile of a knowing, cultured European-type. It might have looked like the grimace of a constipation sufferer but I tried my best.

The Gallic announcement was a little out-of-the-ordinary but the clear annunication of the announcer was possibly even more suprising. The guy spoke in such clear tones that I thought I'd woken up in a private school foreign language class rather than the train service to London Victoria. The contrast between this and the usual inaudible mumbling was stark.

Maybe this development is part of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the European Union? In which case I looked forward to getting in a black cab sometime soon and being greeted with the words "J'ai eu ce Nadine Dorries dans le dos de mon taxi l'autre jour. Son blog n'est-il pas grand?"*

*"I had that Nadine Dorries in the back of my cab the other day. Isn't her blog great?"

The state of political journalism

Iain Dale draws attention to the Today programme and this morning's piece on the current state of political journalism. Peter Oborne and Steve Richards were on to debate the issue (for all of 4 minutes). It started at 8.55am and you can listen again to it here.

Oborne suggests that political coverage is reverential to politicians, citing biogs of Tony Blair (by Rentoul, Sopel, Riddell etc) and others as examples of this reverence. Meanwhile, Richards argues that daily political coverage is extremely critical of politicians to the point of cynicism. This approach debases politics, Richards argues.

Oborne might have a point about reverential political biographies - isn't that a common flaw of many biographies, not just political ones? - but Richards is surely closer to the truth in characterising the current state of journalism as debasing politics.

Oborne's view - at least as it was expressed on the Today programme - might be more popular, appealing as it does to the lazy cynicism which it helps to foster, but the daily media coverage of politics does debase politics, portraying it as an obstacle to governing the affairs of the country rather than as process by which complex societies make decisions.

Politicians themselves should not be absolved of blame but the media coverage of politics is damaging and unhelpful. The coverage, for the most part, does not attempt to be balanced, does not attempt to hint at the complexity of decision making, and almost never gives the impression that politicians just might be making decisions with the best of intentions.

Newspapers too often adopt the default message when discussing politics of 'a plague on all your houses'. Oborne tagged Richards as an apologist for the political classes for his view but it is this misguided notion that brave political reporting means giving politicians a kicking which is damaging to our politics and our political coverage. Political reporting might well mean giving politicians a kicking at times but if it is not to have a poisonous effect on our politics then it needs to be constructive rather than cynical (or indeed deferential).

Westminster reporting often suffers too from its descent into Kreminology (micro-analysing comments from a Minister for signs of a split with another Minister, for example). Oborne may have a point about the embedded status of Lobby journalists here and the insider Westminster Village gossip stuff can be a switch off but Parliament actually deserves a lot better coverage than it often gets. The press need to act more responsibly, acknowledging that politics is often about messy compromise and that policies will inevitably bring winners as as losers. Covering the Westminster scene, politicians who vote with their party are, for example, routinely dismissed as as 'supine' or 'lobby fodder' - even though they were chosen by their electorate to enact that very policy - and those that don't are regarded as 'rebels', even if they may have some more nuanced criticism of the policy in question than just being oppositionist (yes, I know there is only an 'Aye' and a 'No' lobby and not a 'Nuanced' one).

I've taken far too many words to state the bleedin' obvious here but the political coverage of much of the media is damaging to our politics. Of course, politicians themselves have their own responsibilities in promoting politics as a positive process - and they might often fail in this - but that doesn't excuse the media from its role in feeding cynicism of our political process.

Avoiding this journalistic impulse to view politics with cynicism doesn't mean that political corruption, hypocrisy or incompetence should be glazed over in our political coverage. Rather it means that the media should try and illuminate what the political process is about, what powers Parliament has to effect change, and what the limits are to political action (i.e. in terms of what can be done in the short-term, the power of corporations etc). It should give an idea of some of the competing interests that are in play and do so in a way which is not simply diametrically opposed lobby groups voicing off at each other, suggesting that the issue is 'black and white' rather than the shade of grey that it probably is in reality.

Battling for market share might make it problematic for newspapers and TV news to fight the impulse to pander to cynicism but it is important that they do. Politics is how complex societies organise their affairs and, for all its faults, there is much to be celebrated in the way we in the UK organise our political affairs. But if our institutions are going to retain their political legitimacy there needs to be a cultural change (aahh, the cop-out, non-concrete propsal...) in the way politics is viewed in the UK. Journalists and the media are an important component to this change and they need to act with the responsibility which comes from being unelected members of the Fourth Estate.

Green Eyed Monsters

News today of a genetically modified strain of malaria-resistant mosquito which offers the possibility that one of the world's deadliest diseases could be eradicated.

But what is the possibility of saving millions of lives when you can focus on the flippant....the real story here is that scientists have made the mosquito's eyes fluorescent green (to differentiate them from the non GM mozzies).

This is surely the route to future GM success; encouraging people to cast off their scepticism of the benefits of GM procedures by turning the creatures of the world into funny colours. Not sure about milk from GM cows? Be amazed by the cow's new blue skin with its luminous yellow spots. Wary of GM chickens? Check out their new go-faster stripes.

Vegetables could get a boost too. Apparently Brussels sprouts have fallen out of favour with the British public. What better way to boost their image and credibility with the nation's yoof than to modify them by equipping them with fancy graphix and a ring-tone?

This is the future, ladies and gents, and you read it here first.

(Picture credit: BBC Website, Image from PNAS)

Turkeys decide not to vote for Christmas

The House of Lords debated the subject of its own reform over the last two days and gave a pretty good indication of where the current House of Lords stands - somewhere in the 19th century.

Leigitimate concerns exist, of course, as to the future composition of the Upper House and about how it is to be elected (among other issues) - and I don't dismiss these concerns - but the current Peers didn't do themselves any favours yesterday when they voted against all elected options (326-122 against a fully elected chamber and even bigger majorities against the smaller elected proportion).

This was to be expected but it amused me to read Lord Howe say that the government had to show 'sincerity' in its public promise to take account of the Lords vote, when the House of Lords appears to have taken no account at all of the elected chamber's decision last week.

Interesting to note too that Lord Irvine spoke in favour of an all-appointed chamber. 'Interesting' less for the content and rather more for the fact this was his first speech since his sacking as Lord Chancellor in 2003.

The Government's White Paper has been dubbed a fudge and also criticised for leaving issues unresolved. This might be true but the White Paper was really a starter for discussion and perhaps necessarily a fudge for this reason. The tide has now turned in this debate - towards a significantly elected element in our Upper Chamber - and the Peers don't gain much credit by blocking the path to reform.

Tory Furniture Row - MP says "I am not a chair"

Talking the plain sense for which she is reknown, The Rt Hon Member for Maidstone & The Weald yesterday:

A chair is a piece of furnitiure. It is not a person. I am not a chair, because no one has ever sat on me.

I think we should all rejoice at this fact.

Claire Curtis-Thomas

Spotted on recent correspondence from the Member for Crosby:

Claire Curtis-Thomas MP Ph.D BSc MBA CEng FIMechE FCGI FIEE

Typing that lot out on a regular basis would wear me out...

The lost Rory Bremner transcripts

Found in a bin by the Channel 4 HQ, the remaining pages of the transcript of Rory Bremner impersonating Gordon Brown in his telephone conversation with Margaret Beckett when she was Environment Minister in May 2006.

MB: Did you see the news at lunchtime?

RB: A bit, yeah.

MB: So you saw the item on Darfur then? And the car bombings in Baghdad?

RB: No, I didn’t actually, no. I was working on a script, erm, sorry, I mean, a budget projection.

MB: It’s terrible, what’s going on, you know. And that’s not even accounting for the lazy cynicism of the culturati in this country. I mean, apart from anything else, there’s some people going on about Bush being the world’s No.1 terrorist. It is such lazy thinking, don’t you think?

RB: Well, quite. Erm. What did you think of Blair at PMQs the other day? Struggled a bit, didn’t he?

MB: Well, its panto isn’t it? There’s more heat than light really. Mind you, that Jon Culshaw did a great impression of Tony on Channel 4 the other night. Got him down to a tee.

RB: Jon Culshaw? I thought it was Rory-

[interruption]

MB: Oh yes, that’s right. The impression was good but the material was weak.

RB: Really?

MB: Yeah. I tell you who I do like though…that Alistair McGowan. He is good.

RB: Can’t say I’ve seen him.

MB: Oh you should do. His stuff is a bit lightweight. Entertaining though. Just what you need after a day spent scanning building regulations. Infinitely more bearable than the guy who always ‘does’ Richie Benaud.

RB: [puts on Benaud accent] That’s a nasty delivery.

MB: Hey! That’s good! Does Sarah know you can do that?

RB: Sarah? Oh…yes.

MB: The public should see a bit more of that from you. A bit of humour.

RB: Not too much though eh?

MB: Well, quite. People might mistake you for a comedian!

RB: ……

MB: I liked your speech at Chatham House the other day. Good to hear you move away from the Treasury brief a bit.

RB: Erm, thank you.

MB: It’s not easy. Trying to find an original voice.

RB: Nope.

MB: Trying to talk about issues without falling foul of cliché – its difficult. Challenging populist opinion rather than pandering to it. Trying not to be smug. Being brave in what we say. Taking uncomfortable decisions and confronting the glib and the ignorant. It’s difficult. Mind you, if we don’t do it, who will?

RB: Comedians?

MB: [Laughs] You are hilarious Gordon!

RB: Erm, thanks.

Dress down (a Tory) Friday

I am desperately trying to summon the intellect and patience to write something on the launch this week of the Hansard Society's 'Democracy and Political Parties' pamphlet but, until then, I shall resort to petty insults and points scoring. Its What I Do.

That's not much of a defence but this is levelled at a Tory (which surely makes it alright).

Apparently Nadine Dorries, Tory MP for Befordshire, is less than happy that Jack Straw has been quoting from her blog. The Leader of the House name-checked her blog last week and repeated the trick again this week. Of course she ought to be glad of the attention but apparently she isn't. Strange when she's the one that's been putting her musings into the public arena by putting it on her blog.

A cursory look at the blog of 'Mad Nad', as she's know locally, reveals though that that she, like this blog, likes to talk about the big issues.

A snippet from the entry of Feb 18:

Suddenly an angel walked in through the front door, carrying a bottle of Rioja,two wine glasses, and a big bag of crisps.

We couldn’t find the cork screw. We did find a screwdriver and dug out the top of the cork and then pushed the remainder in and held it in the bottle as we poured out
the wine! We sat on the two remaining un-wrapped comfy chairs and laughed, in my
case the semi hysterical laughter of exhaustion, and drank beautiful red winefull of cork droppings – it was bliss.

Cameron's Conservatives - Making The Tough Decisions On Wine Corkage.

But there is substance to this sparky girl from Liverpool. On communities and the need for social boundaries:

My mother couldn’t knit, but I spent many a happy hour in Aunty Olives house learning how to. My mother couldn’t bake, but Mrs Dever could, and she taught me how to make a Victoria Jam sponge!

Aunty Peggy taught me how to look after a dog properly and Mrs Townley taught me how to clean. Each and every one of them would have had no hesitation in giving me a slap on the leg if they had seen me misbehave in the street.

Camerons's Conservatives - Stopping Gun Crime With Aunty Peggy and Mrs Dever.

Of course, what Nad didn't say was that Aunty Peggy's husband was made redundant during the mass unemployment of the early 80s, that Mrs Townley lost her house in the wave of repossessions in the 90s, and that Aunty Olive's been forced to sell crack to kids because of Tory pensions mis-selling.