Housekeeping

I've updated my bloglist for the first time in years- there were blogs there that hadn't been updated in half a decade. There's more to do though.

So....

I will post something soon.

Oh yes.

Hiatus

You've probably noticed this blog is on hiatus. There's no special reason it's just that with spending far less time by a computer I have less opportunity to.


I will probably resume it by the middle of September and will be commenting on other blogs etc in the mean time.

6 Posts!?

Well October was abysmal for this blog with my least productive month ever by far.

A combination of taking up Twitter and being busy is to blame.

I'm not going to quit or anything but this blog is not going to be as prolific as it was from 2006 to 2009.

The Bleakest Blog Post In The World

I've not come across "The Blog of Eternal Disappointment" before, but thought this take on that Spec Savers advert was inspired. Inspired by what, I am not quite sure.

He has no money for eye-tests. Sheep wool has fallen alarmingly in value over the last few years and he has no savings with which to supplement his income. With that one simple act, the accidental shearing of the dog, he realises that he can no longer look after the farm. With no son to pass the responsibility to, his livelihood is gone, his home is gone, his future is gone, his past is gone, and the countless thousands of hours of labour that he, his father, and his father's father put into the land are nothing more than wasted effort and folly.

His life is at an end.

And Specsavers think that's a suitable story with which to sell you some glasses. The bastards.

David Cameron Would Sack David Cameron If He Weren't David Cameron.

His decision to appoint and then stand by Andy Coulson despite what was already public knowledge was a huge mistake.

If one of his ministers had been that closely involved with one of the key figures at the heart of one of the biggest scandals to hit the media in years, does anyone doubt that Cameron would sack them?



As this is the last I want to say about the NOTW for the time being, I'll just add one minor mea culpa- what I have written about the hacking investigation to date has been broadly right but I probably did unconciously pay less attention to it because the likes of Coulson were Conservative PR guys rather than Labour one's.

Blogger Is Playing Up

Some comments have disappeared into the ether and access to the site has been limited today. Just so you know I haven't been deleting comments.

Orphans of Liberty

A new blog has been launched- Orphans Of Liberty- and they've very kindly asked me to be one of their contributors. So I will be using that site for my extensive collection of free form poetry- in Klingon posts relating to liberty.

"So what is Orphans of Liberty like then?"- I hear you ask. How the hell would I know, it's new. However there are some top drawer contributors so it has potential.

This site, as it approaches it's half decade- will remain as it was and will still be updated regularly.

Stuff To Read

A very good piece by Sunny Hundal (yes I really did write those words) defending Wikileaks. Certainly the latest batch of revelations is not especially harmful and individually nothing leaked is of a nature that has never been leaked before. The comparison of the criticism of Wikileaks with the praise bestowed on the Daily Telegraph for their expose based upon leaked parliamentary expenses is telling.

Actually the USA comes out rather well insofar as their private communications largely echo their public pronouncements except that they are politer. Certainly the US isn't operating under any illlusions about the nature of the world's autocratic regimes.

Other stuff to read is Mark Wadsworth's channelling of Will Hutton's enquiry into high pay.

Go Read

Counting Cats highlights a report by the Mises Economic blog about how Sweden is riding out the recession- with big tax cuts for everyone which has led to a scarcely believable growth rate of 6.9%.

Daphne of Jaded Haven finds even the Australians are victims to the most witless forms of political correctness- in this case the police making formal the media convention that crimes by ethnic minorities be misrepresented to avoid stereotyping. Not being able to describe criminals' appearance is an obstacle to law enforcement one would have thought.

Kevin Myers writes about the rotten core of the Irish body politic that has led it to financial penury.

Of Mice & Men

My mouse is currently broken, which is one of the main reasons blogging has been light- it's almost impossible to cut and paste links without a mouse. I'll post a few random anecdotes that don't require any cutting and pasting in the meantime.

Clowns

Whilst it is noce to see Obnoxio back blogging, does this mean that his gig at Alton Towers fell through?

Posting Light

Sorry but it is the start of the dogging season.

Observation.

Last month was the first on over two years where I've averaged under one post per day.

Ludicrous Spinning Of The Day

Guido Fawkes tries to play up the effect of his non story about William Hague and his former SPAD:

Well Over Half Query Hague

Well the poll in question actually shows that 46% believe Hague's denial of any impropriety, 12% disbelieve and 42% couldn't give a shit. For a politician to be only disbelieved by 12% of the population is extraordinary and shows that even partisan anti-Tory voters aren't buying the story.

Guido also reports that "Even the loyalists at ConservativeHome have registered a drop in approval. ". Which is true, his approval there has plummeted all the way from 92% to er 91% (which could mean support has fallen from 91.5% to 91.4%).

This absurd misrepresenation makes Staines look as though he is floundering, not Hague.

Vote For Me, I'm Very Needy

I know this blog isn't as good as it used to be, but I'd still appreciate anyone's vote in the Total Politics blog poll.

I shall of course be engaging in ballot stuffing that Robert Mugabe would blush at but even so your votes would be much appreciated.

The deadline for submission is the 31st of July.

I'll be voting for a bunch of people too.

Much Appreciated

Thanks for that.

Blogging Advice

Boycott Squarespace if at all possible.

Deeply Gratifying Search Results

A few months ago I did this post as a joke. Today this blog is the number one site on the internet for anyone who googles "teenage lesbians"!

Update: Actually it seems to be jumping between 1st and 7th, still front page though!

Best Twitter Account Ever

The Vuvuzela Horn Twitter page. Sample post:

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ