Charles Clarke sinks further into it...

Charles Clarke is in even more trouble now. The thing to remember about these people is that they have actually served their sentences, therefore in reality they should be no more of a threat to people than any other British prisoner who gets released at the end of their sentence. The ever excellent Jonathan Freedland writes about it here with great clarity. I particuarly agree with this part of the piece and is something I talked about yesterday:

Was this Labour's Black Wednesday? Hardly. The Tories nightmare day in 1992 was horrendous because it affected every single voter - by hiking interest rates up to 15%. It destroyed the Tories' reputation for
competence in a stroke. The Clarke and Hewitt stories affect some people directly, but not everyone. And they erode Labour's image of competence, but they don't destroy it.

Nevertheless, this week's events do capture a mood - one of a government in a state of decay, no longer in control of events but buffeted by them. A resignation or reshuffle might dispel that mood for a while. But it won't go away - not until this government renews itself radically. And we all know what that will take.

Booze

As the years go on my body is becoming more and more intolerant of alcohol. Last night for example, I had a very nice meal at a friends place and over the course of the evening I had 4 glasses of white wine. That's all. No beer, no spirits and there was a meal in amongst that to soak it up. I left feeling tipsy but then the more I slept the more I seemed to get pissed. I woke up at 5am feeling very queasy and very drunk. The cat snoring (yes, really) irritated me and I spent an hour between 5-6 awake and feeling like I used to when I was 16 and drinking whole bottles of Martini in the space of an hour...

What on Earth is going on? It's not as if I am binge drinking. The last time I did that I found myself on the floor, with the wife, in a club in London making tune signs. Is it normal to become progressively more intolerant of booze? Or am I so out of practise that a few glasses of wine makes me feel like the drunk tramps who hang around outside tube stations in London?

Does anyone have a solution? Not drinking is not a solution, I live in Australia. That behaviour just isn't tolerated.

News just in! Posh and Becks are thinking of buying a cow.

Leftwing reporter Robert Fisk makes a bit of an arse of himself in an interview with Tony Jones from Lateline last night...

Labour's woes

Labour are in their worst trouble in the UK since the 1992 election. The government is lurching from one disaster to another with the latest one being that a Home Office blunder has meant that 1023 criminals have been accidently released onto the streets of the UK rather than deported. Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, is hanging on to his job but it is clear that his position is untenable and he will have to resign.

Add to this Patricia Hewitt's embarrassing appearance before NHS workers (although being booed by a union is not necessarily a bad thing) and Prescott's extra-marital affair and the impression is of a government that is adrift.

But not all is lost. Labour's poll figures at the moment are at a 19 year low but the Conservative opposition do not seem to be benefiting as they should as they are only 2% ahead of Labour. For a Government, 9 years in, and perceived to be in 'crisis' these are amazing figures for Labour. Remember, in Australia where the Howard government is still wildly popular the Labor Party are 2% ahead in the polls. If the Tories were a realistic prospect then they would surely expect to be 10% ahead in the polls at this stage?

I agree with this Times Leader that Blair is running out of chances. He must have a full cabinet reshuffle and make sure that this time he gets it right. One more day like yesterday and I think Blair's time will be up. I have enormous respect for him (Iraq not withstanding) but I think that it is getting close to the stage where Brown will need to come in and renew the party and get them focussed on the job in hand - improving public services and making sure Labour are re-elected in 2008/9.

I've been constantly supportive of Blair and have wanted him to stay on for this full term but the future of Labour means more to me than the future of one individual and if Blair is becoming a liability to Labour it is time for him to step aside. I'll give you one more chance Tony...

This may destroy the reputation I (don't) have as a serious hard hitting political blogger but what the hell! Here's a picture of the wife and I dressed up for my fancy dress birthday party which was held on April 21st. We went as a Raver and a Shuffler . It was the first time in my life I have ever worn a singlet and it will be the last ever time. No need at all!

Big Brother Australia

So, my life for the next three months at 7pm is planned.

Big Brother 06 has started in Australia!

It looked at first as if the mix of contestants would be the same as last year: young, white, single and attractive. But the BB producers have gone all 'multicultural' on us this year and in amongst the youthful, nubile WASPs are a girl from China*, a guy from Bosnia and *gasp* a gay guy! It's political correctness gone mad I tell ya! There is also a Mother/Daughter team (who have both had boob jobs) in there who have to keep their relationship secret for the first week.

I haven't really sussed out who I hate the most yet, but it's early days. Early contender is Michael - the guy who is doing a political science degree and who wants to work as a political strategist for any party! Doesn't sound like Mr Prinicples has come a knockin' on his door recently eh? Also he has put 'Everything happens for a reason' as his 'life motto' which immediately marks him down as a cunt in my eyes.

One thing I did notice from the first episode was that a desire to fuck everyone over to get to where you want to be is seen somehow as a virtue. Never mind being kind, compassionate, considerate & generous it seems that all young people care about these days is how to get what they want and to hell with the consequences. For the first time in my life I actually preferred the hippy to any of them and for me to align myself with a hippy shows just how selfish and nasty our society is becoming.

Mind you, I could be over analysing (see Daniel Kitson rant for further evidence of this). I think the contestants have to big up their Gordon Gekko attributes to get on the show but once on there their kinder sides shine through. Well, I live in hope.

*ableit one that said that she hates people who move to Australia and don't become Australians! lol

This proves the beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. Dear old John - the flagbearer for Northern Socialism in the Labour Party has been caught with his pants down. And at the age of 67! Cripes.

Sorry no posts today as I am feeling very under the weather. The first cold of Winter is upon me! :(