Less than 1.74% of Manchester residents enquire about getting an identity card

The Manchester Evening News reports that Lord Brett, the minister responsible for the identity card rollout, has admitted that only 8,000 people in Manchester have enquired about getting a card.

This was revealed in a live webchat at the newspaper's offices.

Now, I presume that the scheme is only open to those in the city itself, which Wikipedia says has a population of 458,100.

If the scheme was open to those in the Greater Manchester Urban Area, with a population of 2,240,230 according to Wikipedia, or the county of Greater Manchester, with a population of 2,547,700, the percentage uptake would be much smaller!

A Manchester Evening News poll also found that 81% would not be taking part in the trial, but Lord Brett claims that "our research shows a majority of people support ID cards." What research?

For someone in charge of introducing the identity card scheme, Lord Brett hasn't turned up to many ID card related votes in the past. Perhaps there is a good reason for this, but I am not aware of it.

It is also interesting to read in this morning's Guardian about a privacy invasion by a network of private investigators working for news organisations which identity cards would never be able to prevent.

Join N02ID and oppose this waste of taxpayers' money during a recession on a disturbing project which will not benefit the general public.

On a related matter, David Budworth in The Times reminds us that when working out percentages, always divide the smaller number by the bigger number and multiply by 100.

New Victoria Line trains are very welcome

I am very glad that new trains are slowly being introduced onto the Victoria Line.

Although the current trains are rather homely, they sometimes break down, and a couple of weeks ago when I was travelling from King's Cross St Pancreas to Walthamstow Central, one set of doors in my carriage did not close fully, meaning one of the passengers had to push them closed.

Earlier in the year, there were two strikes over doors opening the wrong side on the Victoria Line.

Hopefully the new trains will bring some improvements on the line.

The recent news of District Line trains passing red signals and the proposed 10pm weekday closures on the Northern Line highlight the teething problems the Underground often has.

Book Review: Pies and Prejudice: In Search of the North by Stuart Maconie

First, a confession. I've only been to the North a handful of times, and as guilty as most Londoners as focusing on the South-East of England when considering this country.

My blog, for example, has only ten posts featuring Manchester, while the huge majority mention London, in particular the London Underground.

I'm no doubt that I am one of the people that Stuart Maconie's superb book is intended for, although I don't buy into Northern stereotypes, don't drink cappunccinos and have no sun-dried tomatoes.

Maconie has gone on a journey through the North of England to educate us about this land. After a long rant about London, which he really seems to despise, he takes a train to Crewe, with its down-to-earth and dedicated football manager Dario Gradi and plethora of takeaways, including Full Bellies.

From there, he travells to Warrington, which inspires a couple of pages about the merits of rugby union versus rugby league (interesting even for someone like me who has no interest in sport).

Warrington was a popular strategic point for both sides in the civil war, and was bombed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army in 1973, murdereing two young children. Wonder how many of the Facebook IRA fans are aware of that?

Liverpool of course is mentioned, along with Mayor of London and television "personality" Boris Johnson's attack on the city, which Stuart Maconie compares to more unpleasent commentators in The Times writing on the Hillsborough football disaster.

Maconie explains the hostory of Liverpool, praises the river Mersey and Merseyside (which sound wonderful from his description, it's on my list of place I must visit) and debates Liverpool celebrities and Liverpool culture.

Manchester's bitter rivalry with Liverpool is also mentioned when he visits the "Shanghai of the north-west", which he regarded as "rich,sexy, glamorous, cool" as a child. Factory Records recieve a few pages, as does the gay village and Manchester's industrial history.

Wigan, where Stuart Maconie is from, is introduced with a discussion of George Orwell's depiction of the town in The Road to Wigan Pier, which Maconie compares favourably to Charles Jenning's "extended sarcastic diatribe" Up North (often bought together with Pies and Prejudice, according to Amazon). There is a pub called the Orwell in Wigan, as well as a toffee factory.

Leeds was loved for Leeds United, and hated for the City Varieties Leeds, the venue for the BBC's The Good Old Days, which Maconie was forced to watch.

Yorkshire, as featured in Channel Four's Red Riding, has its own humour, moors, brass bands, and Holmfirth, home of Last of the Summer Wine.

Blackpool, the North's premier seaside resort, has the Golden Mile pleasure beach, trams and Louis Tussaud's waxworks.

Also visited are Sheffield, with its white elephant the National Centre for Popular Music, Bradford, with the more succesful National Musuem of Photography, Film and Television, Wrexham and Chester (where the tedious beauty pagent/pop culture fix Hollyoaks is set).

Finishing with the peaceful Lake District and Cumbria, with the Sellafield nuclear power plant (renamed from Calder Hall), Stuart Maconie's book is educational, funny and thorough.

He makes good points about the effects of Thatcherism on the North and public transport, as well as the attitude of the South to the North, such as the BBC's need for a North of England correspondent and the way that stories only affecting London are reporting nationally.

However, I think his comments about London are pretty negative, it's not that bad here apart from the pollution, crime, expense and the famed problems meeting other people...

I highly recommend Pies and Prejudice, and it has renewed my desire to visit Liverpool and Manchester.

They have to be better than the West Midlands' Birmingham, a city full of menacing pubs, scary youths who seem to have gunlike objects in carrier bags, and drab chain shops (although the Peace Garden near Five Ways is wonderful).

Maybe someone will write a book about the West Midlands to prove me wrong!

I'm also going to try to write more blog posts about the North, although I do have some London ones planned out as well, and have added the South Yorkshire Star and the Blackpool Gazette to my Google Reader. I already have the Manchester Evening News and Yorkshire Evening Post.

Any other good Northern local newspapers online?

Japanese general election 2009 won by Democratic Party of Japan

The Democratic Party of Japan has won power for the first time in 54 years, ending fifteen years of rule by the Liberal Democrats.

All Japanese major television networks reported exit polls with 300 or more of the 480 seats in the lower house of parliament won by the Democratic Party, according to MSNBC.

This caused Prime Minister Taro Aso to concede defeat.

Yukio Hatoyama, leader of the Democratic Party, said: "The nation is very angry with the ruling party, and we are grateful for their deep support...We will not be arrogant and we will listen to the people."

Hatoyama has promised higher welfare spending, the introduction of a minimum wage and child allowance, and a more equal relationship with the US, according to the Guardian.

The BBC's Have Your Say today asked those voting in the Japanese election which party they voted for, what a Democratic Party of Japan victory would mean and how the recession affected them?

Jeremy Angel from Fujimi-machi commented "This result shows just how sick the Japanese populace is of LDP rule. I have four kids who will be entering the job market over the next few years, and the Japan created by the LDP hand in hand with big industry holds nothing for them."

Y.S. from Kanagawa Pref told the BBC "Personally, I doubt DPJ's ability to govern the nation. They told us what appeared to be pleasant to hear during campaign, but I wonder if it is feasible."

Due to an old election law that place restrictions on the use of literature and images in campaigning, little blogging or Twittering is taking place by Japanese election candidates, according to IT World.

I wonder how many British people are aware there has been an election in Japan. Japan's leftwards shift will have a huge effect on its relationship with America and Europe, as well as the ongoing disputes with North Korea and Russia (which it is technically still at war with over the Kuril Islands).

As it has the world's second-largest economy by nominal GDP, and is the world's fourth largest exporter and sixth largest importer, Japan is also a major player in the world economy.

Elections are also taking place in Gabon,Africa's second biggest wood exporter with 60% of its population in poverty. Another one to watch.

Tories and Labour compete to cut funding for the needy: Don't vote for either on 6 May 2010

Gordon Brown's wooing of Middle Class I'm All Right Jack continues with a plan to scrap a rule where people on housing benefit living in homes that cost less than the limit set by the local authority could keep the difference.

This may seem reasonable, but it would amount to a £780 cut in benefits for the poorest at a time when unemployment is high.

Housing charity Crisis told the Daily Mail that it could mean that people on £65-a-week jobseeker’s allowance losing more than 20 per cent of their income.

Most of the coverage of housing benefits focuses on the minority who committ fraud, such as Enid and Lorraine Bell from Whalley Range, Manchester, who claimed over £600,000 they weren't entitled to. This riles many people into thinking that most benefit claimants are lazy or con artists.

Frank Field is right to oppose his party on this. He is a courageous and independent MP.

I would urge him to propose alternative cuts, such as the fat cat salaries for those at the very top in the public sector, the Trident system and MP's expense allowances, as well as means test child benefit, about the only sensible Tory benefits proposal I've heard.

Meanwhile, the Tory council of Barnet in North London has brought in a "budget airline model", which sounds like something out of a parody of Thatcherism.

This means that services will be outsourced (because that never went wrong during PFI schemes, read Private Eyes passim for more!) workers will be made redundant, people can pay to jump the queue for certain services and those who recieve adult social care will need to choose whether to have a cleaner or a respite carer or a holiday, according to the Guardian.

What a stupid and unpleasent idea. Budget airlines are totally different from local government. Budget airlines aren't there to support the vulnerable, and people don't pay for budget airlines out of their tax.

Reducing bin sizes to minimise the cost of council rubbish collections is also proposed. Wouldn't this lead to more fly-tipping? Why should people recieve services earlier because they have more money, a proposal opposed by the Royal Town Planning Institute? Won't this have a huge effect on the elderly and disabled?

Given that Barnet's Mayor is the charming Brian Coleman, who hates bloggers such as the excellent Adam Bienkov who expose political misdeeds, and who was awarded £10,000 of public money to cover a cabinet colleague's legal fees over an investigation by the standards committee, according to the Barnet Times, I regard that London borough as a place to avoid.

Shame, because I was considering moving to Golders Green in the far future, despite it being on the Northern Line. No longer.

If you are a Barnet resident, to paraphrase Neil Kinnock, I warn you not to be ordinary,I warn you not to be young,I warn you not to fall ill [and]I warn you not to get old.

While it is true that Conservative-controlled Barnet Council and the Conservative Party in Westminster are different,it is sad that no Tory has criticsed Barnet Council's stupid decision and that David Cameron is interested in the idea.

Don't vote for either of the two main parties on 6 May 2010. There are many more deserving of your vote.

Or you could bury your head in the sand, tick Tory or Labour, and toddle home clutching the Metro and a Snow Patrol CD to watch BBC 3's Russell Howard’s Good News.

Youtube: Dangers of texting while driving

Via I Am Not A Drain On Society, a graphic indication of how stupid driving while texting is.

I see so many people using their mobile phones while driving, it's disgusting.



In America, the New York Times has created a game demonstrating how dangerous it is to text and drive, while the state of Utah has rightly made texting while driving a crime as serious as drink driving. A partial ban has also been passed in the state of Kansas.


I'd also like to see a video on Youtube about how dangerous it is for cyclists to run red lights. A few weeks ago outside London's Liverpool Street Station one decided to run a red light and swerve around me while I was crossing the road. If I hadn't hurried off the road, even though it was MY right of way, or he was distraced, one of us might have been injured.

I've actually seen a cyclist who ran a red light near Liverpool Street fall over and then start screaming abuse at a pedestrian who pointed out it was a red light.

Should Kurskaya metro station in Moscow have restored an inscription praising Stalin?

The London Underground is often the site of controversy, including the large number of weekend closures that now seem to take place on weekdays also, judging by the three day closure of the Bakerloo Line this week,and how hot the tube can be in the summer.

However, Radio Free Europe's report on the restoration of the Moscow Metro's Kurskaya stationis beyond anything that the soot-filled tunnels under Britain's capital can offer.

The restoration of an inscription by Sergei Mikhalkov, praising mass murderer and dictator Joseph Stalin has angered Sergei Mitrokhin, who leads the Yabloko opposition party, and Oleg Orlov, the leader of human rights group Memorial, who claims that the inscription "gives an open and imprudent signal to the full rehabilitation of Stalin."

Mikhalkov,who wrote lyrics for the Soviet national anthem praising Stalin, died this week aged 96. The anthem was abolished in 1991 by Boris Yeltsin, according to Tony Halpin in Times Online.

Ironically, Stalin opened the Moscow metro in 1935.

The decision to keep the words "Stalin raised us to be loyal to the nation; He inspired us to work and be heroic" was defended by a Moscow metro spokesman, who claimed "historical fairness" in restoring the station exactly as it was.

While I have some sympathy, I feel that keeping an inscription praising a mass murderer who still has a following among some Russians is a step too far. It should be removed.

On the theme of transport, I found this wonderful blog about the London Underground today.

Anyone else recieving lots more Skype spam recently?

I use Skype a lot at work, as our staff are based in London, Belgium and Canada while our members and stakeholders are located all over the globe.

It's a cheap and quick way of communicating.

In the last fortnight, I've receieved a lot more Skype spam than before, as has a coworker.

Three or four times a day, I recieve an instant message from an obviously fake account such as sweet_pamela.19 or camwithme40wv2o.

Most of the messages ask me to visit a (no doubt malware-ridden or pornographic) link, although one message began in Russian, then when I told them I was English claimed they were looking for someone to practice English with, then changed to Russian.

What to do when you are spammed on Skype:

Click on Block this user and then tick the box saying Report Abuse. If you see a spam skype name in your contacts, right-click and you can scroll down to Block this user.

Do not click the link in their message. Kristen Nicole reports on the dangers of clicking Skype spam links on Mashable.

You can also only allow people on your Contact List to contact you by increasing privacy settings.

Not sure why Skype spam has increased recently, and it would be interesting to find out why.

In related news, one of the links on Kristen Nicole's story reports on the Skype Defender trojan, worth being aware of.

Scottish Council of Economic Advisers spends £25,000 of public money on Dundas Castle meeting

It seems that wasting taxpayers' money is as popular among the Scottish Government as it is with New Labour.

The Edinburgh Evening News reports on how a meeting between First Minister Alex Salmond and the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) at Dundas Castle cost almost £25,000.

Food cost £880.60 and alcohol cost a staggering £226. Hiring Dundas Castle cost £3,731.81, while travel was a shocking £13,521.

While, as the Scottish Government spokesman points out, the Council of Economic Advisers is giving up its time for free, a cheaper venue with cheaper food and far less alcohol should have been found.

Some commentators say that the money spent dwarfs the G8 Summit and Britain's debt. This is true, but every penny counts.

At a time when CBI Scotland are calling on the number of local councils to be cut to save money, I think this meeting wasted money, however valuable the content might be.

Bored in London? Why not go for a stroll using Walk London?

I don't usually get bored in London, but last Saturday was a particularly quiet day so I decided to go for a long walk, given how nice the weather was.

The excellent Walk London website allowed me to plan out my walk, which I based on the northernmost section of the Lee Valley Walk and Section 18 of the London Loop.

Starting at Tottenham Hale underground station, I walked along the River Lee towards Enfield Village, passing Tottenham Marshes and Edmonton. Due to repair work taking place on pylons near the towpath, part of the way was diverted onto the nearby road.

It was nice to watch canal boats going up and down the towpath, as well two people playing wind instruments on their boat. I also saw a number of lovely donkeys and cows, and a field of sheep (who always look distinguished).

When I reached Swan and Pike Road, at the top of King George V reservoir, I headed south, passing through Sewardstone on the border of London and Essex, at the northernmost tip of East London (E4).

Up until then, I had been following the Lee Valley Walk northwards. I took a slight diversion in order to see more of Sewardstone and to have a look round Chingford, which isn't that exciting but quite pretty with nice churches.

A slightly confusing walk through West Essex forest brought me out into Chingford, and I took the 97 bus to Hoe Street, a short walk from my house.

There were a number of benches along the Lee Valley Walk to sit on, and a couple of cafes, but I only found one public toilets, which was slightly off the walk in Lee Valley Park.

The walk was about fourteen miles, and took three and a half hours, including having to double back a bit in West Essex forest.

In the future, I hope to walk from Tottenham Hale underground station to Limehouse and from Sewardstone to Cockfosters.

Long walks are refreshing, fun and bring you closer to nature in London. Why not go on one insted of playing on your computer or watching television one weekend?

Man wanted for murder chosen as Iran's Defence Minister: Clerics more concerned about women in cabinet

As if President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran hasn't done enough to make most right-thinking people condemn his regime, the Guardian reports today that Ahmad Vahidi, wanted by Interpol for the bombing of the Israeli-Argentine Mutual Association building in Buenos Aires, Argentina, has been made Iran's defence minister.

There is an Interpol Red Notice issued for him, which is described as "for all practical purposes an international arrest warrant".

Vahidi, who up till now has been deputy defence minister, is a former head of the Al-Quds Brigades, believed to be a covert operation branch of the Revolutionary Guards.

Press adviser to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Ali Akbar Javanfekr told Al Jazeera the complaint was a "Zionist plot", which is a rather pathetic defence.

The appointment of a man wanted for the murder of 85 people to a cabinet post doesn't bother Iran's conservative clerics. Their concern, as Al Jazeera reports, is that there are three women in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's cabinet,.

The Tehran Emrouz newspaper quotes member of the parliament's judiciary committee Mohammad Taghi Rahbar as saying there were "religious doubts" over how women would cope with cabinet positions.

Sousan Keshvaraz, Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi and Fatemeh Ajorlou have all been recently promoted in a historic decsion, although anyone who wants to serve in Iran's current government should be ashamed of themselves.

Some religious leaders, including Hossein Mousavi Tabrizi from Qom, have however backed the inclusion of women in the cabinet.

Ahmad Vahidi's promotion and the reaction of religious leaders to Sousan Keshvaraz, Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi and Fatemeh Ajorlou becoming ministers does not seem to bother those who post on the (sometimes useful) activist website UK Indymedia.

It is a huge shame how selective much of the Left can be in its outrage.

Sometimes it hits the right targets, such as the British National Party. Sometimes it hits the wrong targets, such as Jewish businesses in Britain, and often some deserving targets are missed altogether, such as Iran's new defence minister Ahmad Vahidi.

There will always be a commentator, as on the Harry's Place blog post, to remind us of actions taken by the West that are also vile.

Often, they are right, but just because the West has done similar things in the past does not make the subject talked about any less wrong.

Thankfully, others are prepared to make a stand.

DVD Review: Bird and Fortune (Two Johns and a dinner party)

The Two Johns have been a staple of the excellent Bremner Bird and Fortune for many years, lending a great strength to the programme.

Their contributions are far funnier than most of the dross that passes for comedy on television,especially the tedious We are Klang.

Excitingly, Channel Four has now released twenty four of their sketches on a DVD, which is on sale now.

Tweleve sketches are mock interviews with the spoof minister George Parr, used to highlight absurd government decisions, and twelve are dinner party sketches showing the ridiculous comments given at dinner parties on politics by the ignorant and well-heeled.

Subjects covered by George Parr include why aircraft carriers are so popular when Britain is fighting inland wars, the state of our health service and the reaction of the Ministry of Defence to critism from Deputy Coroner for Oxfordshire Andrew Walker.

The dinner party sketches cover subjects including religion (with one of the guests dressing up in a niqāb), David Cameron and obesity.

You can see an example of a George Sketch (this one isn't on the DVD) below, with George Parr the admiral played by John Bird, interviewed by John Fortune.



Here is an example of a Dinner Party sketck, on the environment (on the DVD)



The DVD is in shops at a rather expensive £20, but you can get it from the Channel Four Shop for £12.

Having just watched finished watching the DVD today, I highly recommend it.

Gay Iraqis at increasing risk from militias according to Human Rights Watch report

Human Rights Watch have released a report into the brutal treatment of homosexuals in Iraq, entitled "They want us exterminated: Murder, Torture, Sexual Orientation and Gender in Iraq."

The report claims that homophobic violence is increasing, and that the Mahdi Army milita and Ahl al-Haq (the People of Truth) is at the forefront of the attacks.

Cafes frequented by gay men have been threatned, and parties are infiltrated by homophobic murderers.

One gay Sadr city resident told the report's authors: "Till now, my friends and I know of 10 or 15 who have been killed, mostly around Sadr City. They sometimes get people in other places, and bring them there to be killed. About two months ago it started. Day after day they are more prominent. Now it is massive. At first they did it secretly; but now they stop you-they stopped me this way-and search you on the street, in front of others."

The response of the Iraqi government and the Iraqi police has also attracted criticism. Some police have been accused of being involved in the killings.

Homophobia among ordinary Iraqis is also a problem, especially among the family. One Iraqi commentated: "I heard about one girl-her cousin killed her at the entrance of her house because she is a lesbian. He cut her throat the same way you would slaughter a sheep. He opened the door so people could see the body, a public show of cleansing..."

As in many countries, homophobic language is common in Iraq. Gays are described as puppies (jarawi), farakhji or fajireen (lecherous ones).

Scott Long, director of the LGBT rights programme at Human Rights Watch, told Pink News: "Iraq's leaders are supposed to defend all Iraqis, not abandon them to armed agents of hate...Turning a blind eye to torture and murder threatens the rights and life of every Iraqi"

Read the report here.

Homophobia in Burundi:

Another country where lesbians and gays are suffering is Burundi, Eastern Africa, where homosexuality was recently made illegial.

Those found guilty of consensual homosexual relations may be sentenced to up to three years in prison and a fine of up to 100,000 Burundian francs.

Read more, along with photographs, here.

Wasting Crown Prosecution Service time

It's good to see that the Crown Prosecution Service has dropped the case of a man charged with dishonestly using less than 1p of electricity after turning on the light of a disused building that he was filming in to turn off an alarm.

When will policing in this country stop being ruled by statistics and go back to allowing officers to use their discretion?

Given that Waltham Forest Council recently alleged that there are 120 too few police officers in Waltham Forest, I hope the police where I live concentrate on actual crimes.

The man who turned off the alarm to give west London families some peace and quiet was called Mark Guard, appropriately.

Mr Guard appeared at two hearings, which cost the taxpayer £5,000, according to the Daily Mail. What a waste of money.

I would also question the need for nine police officers to respond to the burglar alarm.

Afghanistan passes legislation oppressing women's rights

A law allowing Shia men to deny their wives food if they disobey their husbands' sexual demands has been passed in Afghanistan.

President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan claims that elements of the bill have been misinterepreted.

According to the Independent, there have been demonstrations by Afghani women against the new law, while some NATO countries have threatned to withdraw troops if the law is not rewritten.

US presidentBarack Obama has condemned the new law, of which the US State Department is currently trying to force a repeal.

You can oppose this oppressive law by supporting RAWA, Afghanistan's oldest feminist organisation.

Atia Abawi at CNN highlights how difficult it was for women when the Taliban were in charge. Let's hope this isn't a step back into those days!

Youtube: Excellent Apprentice parody by Cassetteboy (adult content)

Hilarious Apprentice parody by Cassetteboy.

Contains lots of swearing and some sexual references.

I'm sure Quentin Letts in particular will enjoy the sendup of this pompous peer.



Don't watch with anyone who didn't like Hardeep Singh Kolih's Twittering, which I blogged on this week.

Bolegbros is also worth a look for Apprentice humour.

Help map UK blogs

Paul Bradshaw of the Online Journalism Blog and internet consultant and blogger Matt Wardman are putting together a map of UK based blogs.

Add yours here.

As mentioned in the comments section of Paul Bradshaw's post, local blog hubs such as those for Manchester and Liverpool already exist, but the uniqueness and scale of this project makes it an exciting one.

I've already added my blog.

Here is an interesting article from Matt Wardman's blog on the top fifty European blogs.

Ones I would recommend include Iain Dale's Diary (4), Guido Fawkes (6), who recently wrote a spot on post about why MP's should not recieve high pay, and Harry's Place.

And yes my blog reading in general is too UK-centric. I need to vastly improve my language skills!

Joan Smith on the lack of gender equality in sport

Excellent article by Joan Smith in today's Guardian on how little watched or publicised women's team sport is.

While I would disagree that the people who only discuss men's teams in sports are sexist, as it's more a case of the media barely focusing on women's sports, she makes a powerful case.

I used to admire Amir Khan but it's sad to see him think that women boxing is any worse than men boxing "Deep down, I think women shouldn't fight".

However, I disagree with Joan Smith that boxing is some kind of legalised assualt, it's a great way to get rid of agression and should be offered to teenagers across Britain.

If you agree with Joan Smith's Guardian article, why not sign the petition to let women ski jump in the 2010 Olympic Games?

I find it interesting that while men find women in football gear sexually attractive, as shown on this post from the Facebook group Girls in Football shirts, they don't want to watch them on television.

Of course, women's sport shouldn't be about reducing women to sex objects. It should be watched for the same reason as men's football.

Women in football gear, as an aside, are used to market men's football, juding by the five beautiful girls in Manchester United football strips I've seen outside Liverpool Street Station next to the various leaflet distributions and other obstructions handing out promotional material for the men's football team.

Will this ever change? Will women in team sport ever become as popular to watch as men in team sport?

Let's hope so.

Daily Record in storm in teacup shock: Will Scotland be corrupted by "Randy Pandy"?

You only have to read the column inches given to the latest tedious Ryanair stunt or the rewritten press releases emailed by public realtions staff to discover how desperate newspapers are for stories these days.

However, Adam Macqueen of Private Eye highlights this daft Daily Record story, where Hardeep Singh Kohli has faced criticism for Twittering "porn kids characters" names, such as Little Jack Hornier and Randy Pandy.

One angry mother, which sounds like some kind of street slang, told the Daily Record: "The Twitter stuff shows the way his mind operates - like a sewer.

"Does he really want to portray himself as someone who pores over filthy names for kids in sexual situations*? "The thought processes involved in coming up with 'Bagpussy' or 'Randy Pandy' are bad enough."

The story highlights how Hardeep Singh Kohli presents a children's TV quiz, as if he is going to turn it into something out of Brass Eye, and notes that "His Twitter page has 8000 followers and can be freely accessed by anyone", as if the microblogging site is some kind of pervert's playground. They also mention he is Wealthy, like something on Indymedia.

Sadly, Hardeep Singh Kohli has now taken his Twitter page down.

The rest of the Daily Record today is reasonable, but I cannot believe such a non-story was considered news. Even the late Mary Whitehouse wouldn't have bothered with some making up silly children's characters.

It is worth noting that this paper was part of the Keep the Clause campaign in support of the vile Section 28 being kept by the Scottish Parliament. I'd rather buy the Daily Mail than this tedious rag. Surprising for a Trinity Mirror paper.

*this comment, like the headline, is incorrect. Hardeep Singh Kohli was not coming up with porn names for children, but for childrens' television characters.

National Express East Anglia strike suspended

All strike action on National Express East Anglia has been suspended due to an improved pay and conditions offer, with trains starting to run from midnight tonight.

Services should be getting back to normal tommorow (Friday 14th August) although some train stock will be out of place so there may be a slightly reduced service.

The offer of a 3.5% pay increase over two years, with the potential for a further 0.5% on top, was described by Rail, Maritime and Transport general secretary as being "won through the commitment and determination of our members on National Express East Anglia to secure a fair deal."

Further consultation will now take place between the RMT, ASLEF and TSSA unions and National Express East Anglia.

I had to warn several people earlier this evening sitting on the mainline rail platforms at Walthamstow Central station that there was a strike on, as although it was posted on a board near each entrance, it was not shown on the electronic display boards on the platform.

Total Politics on top fifty political myths and some political book recommendations

Total Politics is a rather excellent and detailed magazine covering all things political.

I would recommend a rather cool article by Ben Duckworth on the top fifty political myths, including who really said "Any man who finds himself on a bus after the age of 30 can count himself a failure", and the revelation that Portugal, not America, is our oldest ally. Portugal and the UK became allies in 1381.

As for political books, I've just taken Andy Beckett's "When the lights went out: Britain in the Seventies" out of the wonderful Barbican Library in Central London. Having had a flick through on the National Express East Anglia (which seems to have a number of faulty trains on the Chingford line), it's a good read.

I've also taken out Bob Woodward's "The War Within", on the Iraq conflict and the Bush White House between 2006-8. Thirty five pages in, and I strongly recommend it.

Lord Sugar should drop his libel action against Quentin Letts

If the challenge one week on BBC 2's The Apprentice was to be as petty as possible, all the candidates would be second to host Lord Sugar of Clapton, who has decided to sue columnist Quentin Letts of the Daily Mail over some comments he made on Sugar's recent peerage and intellect on LBC radio in late July.

As Sugar is not suing LBC as well, Letts will have to pay any money from the case on his own.

Having read Quentin Letts' comments, they seem like one man giving his opinion. No factual information was inferred. I studied media law as part of my MA in Journalism at Westminster and I would be surprised if Lord Sugar won.

Now Sugar just looks ridiculous, and Letts' quibs on the Apprentice star and former Amstrad boss being a "telly peer" who "doesn’t seem to have an enormous intellect" are being read by millions of people who didn't hear the LBC interview.

If Quentin Letts wasn't at risk of a libel action, I wouldn't have blogged on them.

As Matthew Paris pointed out in the Times, many politicans are abused in newspaper columns (and on blogs) yet learn to take it. James Purnell has not yet tried to sue me, for example.

Iain Dale highlights the potential predecent this could set for any public figure who may be slightly upset, while a number of media personalities, including the excellent Nick Cohen, have written an open letter to the Spectator urging Lord Sugar to withdraw his action.

I agree with their letter, and hope that Lord Sugar does the right thing and drops his libel case.

Transport for London website weirdness: Victoria Line via Llandudno Junction Station?

I was working from home a couple of Wednesdays ago, and I was rechecking the time it would take me to travel from Walthamstow Central to East India for a meeting using the Transport for London website.

Bizarrly, when I clicked on the I wish to travel via menu, the options I was given were Bristol Temple Meads Station, the Financial Times Building on the River Thames (the building is lovely both inside and out), Hatfield Business Park, Hillingdon Territorial Army Centre, Llandudno Junction Station, and five locations in Pentrebach, located in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales.

I do not think that it would have gone down well if I was ten hours late for the meeting due to having taken this route! (And when I tried selecting Llandudno Junction Station out of interest, nothing happened).

Below is a screenshot taken at the time (right click for it to expand). Has this happened to anyone else?















You will see from the screenshot that I had forgotten to change the time to 2:30, one and a half hours before the start.

The meeting itself took place at Container City, an office complex made out of shipping crates, which was rather fun. A shipping crate makes a rather good office.

Container City is in the rather nice Trinity Buoy Wharf, where London's only lighthouse is located.

Manchester Metropolitan University's treatment of whistleblower Walter Cairns is disgraceful

Having met students from many universities during my adult life, I feel that the disgraceful treatment of whistleblower and law lecturer Walter Cairns, who raised concerns over the "dumbing down" of exams at Manchester Metropolitan University, is of a standard increasingly common in modern day academia.

Many vice-chancellors and their senior staff seem to be more concerned with PR and glossy brochures than academic standards and satisified students. (Of course, there are some exceptions).

Thankfully, the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee's report, Students and Universities, has noted that more protection is needed for academic whistleblowers.

However, the MPs failed to report Mr Cairns' removal from Manchester Metropolitan University's academic board to the Committee on Standards and Privileges, although the report noted this was prima facie contempt of parliament.

When fellow whistleblower Susan Evans reported the comment of a Slovakian student that the university was like high school in Slovakia, the university told the Sunday Times that it was "disappointed and upset" Evans had voiced criticism externally.

Perhaps Ms Evans had no faith in things changing if the comment was not reported externally. The university's reaction sounds like something out of 1984. Aren't those at university meant to be encouraged to express opinions?

Why not write to the Vice-Chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University, John Brooks, and tell him what you think about Mr Cairns' treatment? His email is john.brooksATmmu.ac.uk (replace AT with an @).

What is needed is for the Association of University Teachers to support Mr Cairns and to ensure that those such as Susan Evans are not criticised for commenting on Manchester Metropolitan University to government committees.

Students at Manchester Metropolitan University should also be protesting at this outrage. At Sussex University, where I studied a BA in English Literature, studentsd cared about their university and protested if they felt staff or students got a raw deal.

I cannot find a student newspaper for the university, which is surprising. There is a rather nice lifestyle magazine called PULP, which sadly does not seem to cover the treatment of whistleblowers.

However, I did find this rather interesting article by a student called John in the comment section, where he notes how similar the wording of a Manchester Metropolitan University biological form and function paper is to Wikipedia articles.

Worth a read.

Further National Express East Anglia strikes this August

The Rail, Maritime and Transport Union have called further National Express East Anglia strikes from 6th-7th, 13th-14th and 20th-21st August.

Each strike, like the one earlier this week, will begin at 00.01am on the Thursday, with the majority of services resuming early Saturday morning.

It is likely that only a tiny number of services will run, with updates being posted here nearer to each strike day, as well as alternative ways to travel and revised strike timetables.

Andrew Chivers,National Express East Anglia's mananging director, claims: "We are extremely disappointed that the ASLEF and RMT unions have called this industrial action over their salary demands, despite lengthy negotiations where we have offered the unions a salary increase above the rate of inflation.

"In the present economic environment – where many companies are freezing pay at current levels - we believe the offers we have made are both realistic and appropriate."

Bob Crow, the RMT's general secretary, claims: "This strike has been caused by greedy National Express bosses who have soaked up £2.5 billion in taxpayer subsidies in the past 10 years and who have milked every penny out of this franchise while offering their staff peanuts this year.

"Despite making half a billion in profits out of their workforce and the travelling public over the past ten years, today National Express have resorted to pleading poverty. RMT wants this company off the tracks as soon as possible with all of their franchises returned to public ownership.

Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) members will also be striking during the above dates.

Although Walthamstow Central railway station did have a big board just inside the entrance nearest Queen's Road, and I presume one on the other side as well near the shopping centre, the display boards on each platform did not inform people there was a strike.

Several people were waiting on the platform while I was entering and exiting the Underground, and so I had to let various people know.

Maybe next time there is a National Express East Anglia strike, this could be posted on the display boards.

Amusing yet disturbing comment on the Victoria Line

I was travelling from Walthamstow Central to Pimlico yesterday on the Victoria Line for a walk by the river, and two ladies got on at Tottenham Hale, sitting down next to me.

One of them pointed at the sign opposite us that said "Doors that are held open may cause damage to the train and delay your service", and said "I misread that as Dogs that are held open may cause damage to the train."

Although cruelty to animals is not funny and needs to be punished more harshly than it currently is, the idea of people standing on Victoria Line trains damaging the train with dogs' orifices both amused and horrified me.

Ironically, we were delayed for a short while at Tottenham Hale when the driver announced that another Victoria Line train was reversing to the Seven Sisters depot due to a door problem. Thankfully not a dog problem.

In related Victoria Line news, they have started to introduce sexy new trains, although they are only running at night. I have yet to ride on one. You can find some more information at Annie's Mole Going Underground blog (which is excellent for anyone else interested in London transport) and the Londonist.