December 2010

Importing Bullshit: Clay Yeager edition

Submitted by Alex on Tue, 28/12/2010 - 11:55

We've noted before that the coalition is terribly prone to people with an eye-catching initiative, especially if it can be represented as American, and that this leads them to deal with some seriously odd people, like the creepy Straussian neo-con Larry Mead, who thinks that the real problem with fascism is that it forced us to "solve every problem with freedom".

Submit Your Own Parliamentary Bill, As Long As You're Ignorant Enough

Submitted by Alex on Tue, 28/12/2010 - 12:06

The zombie existence of the No.10 e-petitions site continues. First they killed it, then they replaced it with a half-baked version commissioned from some character in Nepotism II: The Kids that didn't involve anyone in government having to read the stuff, and now they want to integrate it into Directgov and, ah, introduce citizen-initiated parliamentary bills.

Vince Cable Is Still Here

Submitted by Alex on Tue, 28/12/2010 - 17:16

So Vince Cable got caught saying he could end the coalition. The genuinely interesting point here is that, surprisingly, the coalition has failed to end Vince Cable.

The Other Coalition: What's Up with David Davis?

Submitted by Alex on Mon, 13/12/2010 - 11:57

Among the fallout of the tuition fees vote, as well as the Government majority being cut by 75% (hey, a cut we can all get behind) and the Lib Dems' three-way scouse wedding, there was also a small but significant Tory rebellion.

(Update: David Davis speaks and strongly suggests that he's acting as chief of the Tory hard right, angered at the very idea of coalition.)

It's the EMA, Stupid

Submitted by Alex on Sun, 12/12/2010 - 12:24

This blog's been a bit quiet recently, while the coalition has been at its least stable and least principled. Apologies for that.

One thing that's emerged from the month of protest we've just seen is that the strangely disconnected quality that haunts the coalition is still here. Just as with bus lanes or free schools, they are swimming far above the seabed of administrative and political realities.

A Question Regarding the Governor of the Bank of England

Submitted by Alex on Sun, 12/12/2010 - 13:29

Is Mervyn King the UK's most disastrous public servant?

MRA4: Season's Greetings from Liam Fox!

Submitted by Alex on Sun, 12/12/2010 - 13:35

At this special time of year, let's spare a thought for those less fortunate than ourselves.

Specifically, let's all give thanks that we aren't spending Advent systematically destroying nine perfectly good aeroplanes we spent several years of our lives building, in the certain knowledge that we'll be looking for a job in the New Year.

Thanks, Coalition!

This Is Theresa May, On Drugs

Submitted by Alex on Sun, 12/12/2010 - 13:46

Let's burn down the observatory so this never happens again.

Very keen on house points, and, ah, multicultural

Submitted by Alex on Sun, 12/12/2010 - 14:00

Who could possibly have guessed that the only thing the Tories remembered about Kids' Company was that they make the kids wear a uniform?

It is to laugh, especially if you've seen this one before.