Aug 31
Having been ill for well over a week I haven’t done much of anything. But finally on Monday I got the energy to dig up some of our potatoes. Merlyn proudly stood over the potatoes protecting them from the potato thief, but after a while like me he became exhausted and kept watch like a dragon lying on its treasure.
This is after his energetic defence of the Courgette/Marrow.
May 21
This years Atlantic Hurricane season is likely to rival that of 2005.
The mid Atlantic sea surface temperatures are now very warm due to both cyclical factors and global warming, the El Nino is fading meaning that wind shear will lessen. The warm waters provides the fuel for Hurricanes and the lack of wind shear removes the brakes on the development of powerful Hurricanes which will batter the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.
I don’t think anyone knows what the effect of all that oil in the Gulf of Mexico will do to the development of Hurricanes, but a Hurricane passing through is likely to spread the oil which has been hidden below the surface by the use of the dispersants all around the Gulf. Haiti is utterly unprepared for an above average Hurricane season and the results could be devastating for those who were made homeless by the recent earthquake.
You can see just how warm the mid Atlantic is, which is the nursery ground for newly developing Hurricanes below.
Apr 9
I’ve mentioned the Tories class war before. Johann Hari has finally picked up on the theme of class war, the way it has been turned around and provides lots more details. This was picked up by Left Foot Forward where they were far too kind to Cameron. I was rather more blunt about Cameron in the comments:
Cameron’s not confused. He knows exactly what he is doing, knows that it is not publically acceptable and is *spinning cause and effect.
*spinning here is being used in both senses of the word. Cameron is a spinmaster. Cameron has spun cause and effect 180 degrees.
If you want to know more about the consequences of inequality then just read the book “The Spirit Level” by Richard Wilkins and Kate Picket who comprehensively demonstrate the effects of high levels of inequality have on so many aspects of our society. They haven’t spun cause and effect 180 degrees but they aren’t Spinmeisters like Cameron and co.
Some, not not so recent stories on inequality in the uk news:
Guardian piece on the impact of cheap credit and debt problems.
Left Foot Forward piece on the impact of inequality and the recession on young people.
Considering the impacts of inequality Britain still manages to be reasonably cohesive and Britains social problems stabilized after they worsened following Thatcher’s attacks on union rights and working conditions which caused the large and rapid rise in inequality.
Cameron and the Tories have been consistently distorting the figures on many social aspects from criminal behaviour to teenage pregnancy to suite their punitive approach to social problems, but the economist disses the Tories broken society meme here, referred to by liberal conspiracy here.
Sushila Dhall
I was saddened that Peter Tatchell was forced to stand down from being the parliamentary candidate for the Green Party in Oxford East due to ill health.
I think the Oxfordshire Green Party has selected a dynamic and commited candidate in Sushila Dhall as the Green Party Parliamentary candidate for Oxford East.
She is well known in Oxford, has campaigned on many issues I feel strongly about and I know she will give Andrew Smith a run for his money.
I believe that Sushila will represent the residents of Oxford East well, her experience as a city and county councillor gives her a good understanding of the issues important to the residents of Oxford East.
I admire her social activism, standing up for the socially excluded, campaigning for affordable housing, opposing the expansion of the Westgate shopping centre and the planning proposal for the Northern Gateway development.
And I support her demands for getting better home insulation, promoting renewable energy and getting something done about the illegally-high particulate pollution in central Oxford that I have to cycle through every day.
Best of all she has a positive vision of a sustainable future based on local communities and active citizens.
I think Oxford Greens have chosen well, selecting Sushila as their parliamentary candidate for Oxford East.
Feb 7
When Labour finally started making some tentative noises about the banks, bank bonuses and opposition to the Tories inheritance tax plans they were attacked for starting a class war. But rather than address the issues that were raised Labour was slammed for starting a class war because Brown made a quip about a tax policy devised in the playground of Eton. Talk about being oversensitive.
But the class war planned and publicised by the Tories is not shown for what it is. The Tories consideration of prison ships, the reduction in the level at which the inheritance tax cuts in, the Tories willingness to lie about the crime statistics, Ian Duncan Smith’s regressive marriage tax proposals which gives the biggest benefit to those who are in the top 10% of taxpayers not to mention the inequities of deciding on whether someone is deserving depends upon whether they are a married or not.
Thatcher’s class war clearly resulted in a huge increase in both income and wealth inequalities in this country, Labour has clearly not been fighting a class war otherwise inequality would have fallen rather than become a bit worse during their 13 years in office.
Yet there is no mention of the Tories class war, their preparedness to lie about the crime statistics to provide a backdrop for their broken society meme, and a justification for stricter sentencing which will result in criminalizing of the poor.
The Tories proposals can only result in a further rapid rise in inequalities. So I ask you, who is fighting a class war and who has waved the white flag?
Jan 31
To build a new big pool in Blackbird Leys the Labour run Oxford City Council is proposing to close the Temple Cowley Pool and the current Blackbird Leys pool. The problem is that though the Temple Cowley pool is old and in need of some proper maintenance it is one of the most used pools in Oxford. It is well served by numerous bus routes, the pool is easily accessed by walking or a short bike ride for a large number of residents. Other than this pool and gym Cowley is poorly served by local facilities. Oxford City Council has refused to countenance the idea of a skatepark near the Cowley Marsh sportsfields where there is plenty of room. Removing this facility will mean that there is even less for local teenagers to do. Cowley residents need access to better facilities, not cuts that mean the only way to access the equivalent is for parents to become regular taxi drivers.
What next, closing the local library, taking away an essential service which is especially useful to retirees.
Jan 31
By using facebook as a tool for political campaigning you will end up excluding people you are hoping to attract, people who don’t want to have a facebook identity or just aren’t interested in social networking can’t be involved in your campaign. I think I’ve shown previously why a lot of people who are active campaigners and politically engaged in issues from human rights, social justice, equality, environmental issues and climate change will not be part of your campaign.
Politically, we need to be more than virtually engaged, the facebook page for no shock doctrine for Haiti had an impact but by making facebook the tool of choice it makes it more difficult for others to also be engaged. I’m not sure what the solution is but there has to be a better way.
Jan 31
Why do people who are not that different politically to me seem so comfortable with using facebook as a political networking and campaigning tool?
One of the early investors and one of the three board members with a 7% stake in Facebook Peter Thiel is someone who I think they would be unhappy about supporting. Thiel has demonstrated that he is comfortable being sexist and wants the borders of the USA closed to new immigrants. Thiel has also made donations to the Republicans during the last US presidential elections.
Facebook might not yet be making a profit, but anything that brings that day closer or that increases facebook’s revenue through advertizing in the end can only be of benefit to Thiel, increasing both facebook’s revenue potential and market capitalization.
Do we really want to be adding to the wealth of someone who has political views almost diametrically opposed to everything we stand for?
Zuckerberg reveals little about his own personal details, demonstrating his own personal need for privacy whilst promoting the idea that “Privacy no longer a social norm” which of course justifies in his own mind the recent privacy changes for facebook users.
Jan 25
Somehow the news from the US just keeps getting worse. Teddy Kennedy’s seat has been taken by a anti universal health care republican at a time when the Democrats need a super majority to pass anything. The Republican’s have made a joke of the use of the fillibuster, a self imposed rule on the operation of the senate. The Democrats should point this out over and over again, and then just use the nuclear option. The Democrats have the majority why should they need a super majority when implementing policies that where major parts of their election manifesto.
To make matters worse the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) has voted 5 to 4 in a very contentious decision to overthrow laws restricting spending by Corporations in candidate elections because those laws are unconstitutional. SCOTUS stretched the principle to the limit that Corporations are legal entities with the same rights as people. Therefore laws that restrict campaign spending of these corporations restrict their rights to free speech.
Corporations have as a result of their money and influence far more freedom of speech and the ability to project their interests than nearly all the people of the world, they don’t need anymore. Expect an obscene amount of money spent on promoting or opposing particular candidates in upcoming elections in the US. The US needs finance reform to restrict the influence of big business on elections, but what they have got is exactly the opposite.
And then I find out that the US restricted distribution of anaesthetic to Cuban doctors working in Haiti because of the stupid trade embargo laws applying to Cuba.
Depressed.
Caroline Lucas
Caroline Lucas leads the candidates in Brighton with 35% of the vote according to an icm pole reported by the independent.