Quote of the Day – Chamberlain, Cromwell and Martin

"Could I ask you, sir, to bear in mind that the condition of the house now is rather like the condition of the country at the time of the Norway debate, and could you reflect on that?"
Sir Patrick Cormack (C) after Speaker Martin’s statement to the House of Commons.

Even I drew a breath on this [...]

What Will MP’s Do With Their Blogs and Websites During a General Election

A number of MP’s are blogging, and quite rightly so – it’s a great way to get a connection back to your constituents without anyone getting in the way (the Press, the Whips Office, or your local constituency party), but it carries a danger that could bite some users in the tail. Let me show [...]

The Words Remembered May Not Be The Words Chosen

The recent furore over striking workers due to workers from around Europe has been typified by the phrase “British Jobs For British Workers,” which of course we’re all sure that Gordon Brown said. Nope, says Paul Waugh, it was actually this:
It is time to train British workers for British jobs that will be available over [...]

Open Source Should Be Used By Government, Say The Tories

While I’ve not delved too deeply into this one – and I doubt I could delve as much as Microsoft’s lawyers will, the proposal (from the Tory party) on IT projects run by the government makes some sensible sounding recommendations.
The first is the headline one, with the report saying that projects should make more use [...]

One Nation Under Whatever You Think Helps You Get Through Life

From the inauguration speech of Barack Obama (my emphasis):
"For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted [...]

Outfoxed by SEO, New Labour Blog Fails In “Being A Blog”

Last week, Labour Party Member (and ex “Spin Doctor” from Downing Street) Derek Draper launched the Labour List to a lot of fanfare and personal appearances in the media. The noise in the UK Political scene was a bit more critical, pointing out errors, mistakes in the approach, and generally saying it looked and smelt [...]

Freedom of Information and MP’s Attempting To Exempt Themselves

I have sent the following letter to my MP, through the always useful www.writetothem.com website.
Dear Mr Lazarowicz,
Regarding The Upcoming Vote To Amend the Freedom of Information Act and MP’s Expenses
I am writing to you to ask that you consider opposing any motions in Parliament (specifically but not limited to the upcoming vote on Thursday 20 [...]

Heathrow Protestors Taking Lessons from Second Life

Interesting to see that the protestors of the building of a third runway at Heathrow are aping the strategies used in Second Life.
By buying up property that would be required to build the new runway, taxiways, terminals and transport links (which makes it sound remarkably like a new airport altogether, just as BAA is being [...]

There’s No-one as Scottish as Barack Obama

I think that Kenya might have something to say about this one, but I get that feeling that both Ireland and Scotland (the old countries) will be more than happy to claim Barack Obama as one of their own.
And we have the song to prove it.

The man behind this reworking of a classic song is [...]

The Country Gets Back Up To Speed

One of the problems of the festive period is just how much a Freighter at sea the working population is. About two weeks before Christmas, every office across the land starts to put the brakes on and slow down so ‘no work is left over Christmas.’ That’s not to mention all the office parties that [...]

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