And another thing…

“busines and inovation minister” whats that then. There is no busines and inovation from Labour. The two just do not go together. can you let us have a list of what he has done .

An exclusive interview with the genius that is Stephen Moffatt? Fantastic! I knew there was a reason I should keep reading your blog:-)

And meeting Feargal Sharkey too? A Good Heart is one of my favourite ever songs.

While we’re on the subject of non political things, what do you and Carolyn think of the X Factor moving to live auditions? I’m not convinced it will be as successful as Britain’s Got Talent where you have more variety.

Cheap booze, innit.

Interesting reading, but it leaves me with questions; this one in particular…

Russell T. Davies has agendas he promotes through his writing. One is well known (voted Britain’s most influential homosexual) and he got Richard Dawkins on Dr Who of whom he said “He has brought atheism proudly out of the closet!”

C.S. Lewis was, of course, inspired by the gospel.

I, myself, wrote an episode of ‘Casualty’ – no, wait for it – for a BBC competition (sent back; rejected). I attempted to write an entertaining, nay, thrilling episode, and naturally wrote about what I know and believe and wanted to transmit to a wide audience.

Finally, I come to my question: What does Steven Moffat really want to tell the world?

Yes, Mike Batt is a Tory – he’s composed their campaign themes in the past.

But 0/10 for referring to “Mother of Parliaments”. John Bright said that England was the Mother of Parliaments, not that the Parliament which meets at Westminster was. His quote makes no sense in context if it is applied to the Parliament at Westminster.

Is dinner at the Commons an allowable expense?

FFS it’s innovation and yes I am trivial enough to pick up on spelling when it’s a sodding Minister of the Crown and Journalist by profession.

As I said, FFS.

@Liberanos. Probably subsidised by you and me. The drinks too. And they can smoke in their bar, ‘cos they are special and we have to do what we are told, because it is good for us. And – only New Labour know what is good for you; 57 year old folk like me, with a grown up family and a long career behind me, are not fit to decide what is good and not so good for me. I just have to do what New Labour tell me. Of all of them, Hazel know best what is good for you, being the self-appointed Minister For Telling The People What The People Want.

Angrier by the day after the Speaker fiasco and Brown’s quite appalling and as ever, utterly partisan proposed bill on second jobs. If you just want to know why it is in fact a good thing that MPs are in touch with what is happening in the world of business, just look at the mess this gang of idiots who have not done a proper day’s work in their lives have dumped on us – all for the sake of their batty, venal and corrupting ideology.

As noted. Angrier by the day.

ELECTION NOW.

“And they can smoke in their bar.”

No, we can’t so stop being silly. And yes, I know, i know, the smoking ban doesn’t technically apply in a Royal Palace. Nevertheless, we have decided no-one should be allowed to smoke inside the Palace – anywhere – and we respect that decision. Sorry to interrupt your rant there. Carry on.

I understand that a famously alcoholic, female cook, once had carnal relations behind the Speaker’s Chair.

I always look carefully in that direction when Parliament is being televised, but I’ve yet to see any flailing legs, thrusting bottoms or anything of that sort.

Unless it was covered by a Point of Order, I imagine the Speaker would encourage them to desist.

Unless what was covered by a point of order?

Tom,

Did that happen at the same time as the smoking ban, or as an “Oh shit” afterthought, may I ask?

Undertones so very fine. Saw them far too long ago in their early days, at Oxford Poly (now called something like “The Oxford University That Isn’t Oxford University”, as a result of the complete dumbing down of the further education system in the UK.

Here’s an tongue-in-cheek article I stumbled across the other day about the creation of the original series of Who.

http://tinyurl.com/kplplm

Well, it made me chuckle anyway.

Ouch!

Worth a read though whatever party your support.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/23/labour-left-democracy

Wow I thought the some of the opinions aired last night at the Progress Individual Responsibility event that were excused as “what I really wanted to say” were beyond the pale, but the issue I have is with the non-takeup of work in a high worklessness area.

I believe it is a simple supply and demand issue; we want strong society but don’t provide enough competition for our labour. We don’t mature existing entrepreneurs and create new employers and then let the existing suppliers of employment charge the very minimum. Do you believe that demand for employment should be weakened maybe through starvation or homelessness when you quote the example of non-takeup of a menial, temporary, minimum wage, zero pension offering? Of course you don’t but you seem to comprehend the paradigm through the self interest of your peer group and power hierarchies, not our constituents.

You see not all employment is the same and yes it is invaluable to be in employment and I fully agree that mothers should be paid to raise children but then in the absence of sufficient offering the choices are either rubbish or not bothering. This is same as any economic system dominated and unbalanced by selfishly short-term technocratic and meritocratic interests and their media products. We govern a State that is either beneficial or detrimental to both them and to democratic interests; customers, employees, or electors and my Borough has figures of 81,000 (37%) working age worklessness and most of which are non-voters.

Oxford Brookes University is referred to as the ‘Oxford B’ University I believe, by the other lot.

Goodness. The rude names these academics have for each other. You might have hoped they’d be above that sort of thing. We certainly were at Borgia’s University.

Surely Fergal Sharkey is better known for 80s pop classic ‘A Good Heart’?

Apparently, they’re hard to find.

Which details did you spare us?
You were privileged to meet some famous people.
They were privileged to meet you.
Tom, you’re supposed to be running this country.

“talented and successful individuals still consider it a privilege to spend time in the Mother of Parliaments, even when her reputation is as low as it has ever been.”

And it is a testimony to the Mother of Parliaments that, with the nastiest, most anti-democratic government in modern history, and the weakest, most pointless opposition in history, we still have a semblance of order and freedom. You don’t get THAT in Iran, or quite a lot of other places.

Ps Mr Moffat penned some of my favourite episodes of Dr Who.

A few years ago, I saw a well-built, young beggar in Tottenham Court Road (London), sitting against a wall, with his dog and upturned cap.

Above his head was a sign in what was a small window in the rear of a restaurant.

It read: Kitchen Staff Wanted.

Unemployment can be visited upon anybody. But that is not the same thing as there being no jobs available.

And as for the consequences of being workless, I contend that no one lives and sleeps rough in this welfare state, unless through choice.

@Liberanos. And anybody who thinks that

“no one lives and sleeps rough in this welfare state, unless through choice”

Many of us oldies have a copy, or several copies,done over the years, of the school group photograph. Serried ranks of tiny, little hopeful faces, all sitting still, blithely staring into the future. Mine are lost, but I dare say I looked lost too. I was pre-occupied with the chaos of my little life.

You see, I came from a home that was not just broken, but it had a unique mix of violence and total indifference, perhaps tinged with resentment at my being born; I was a kid that wasn’t wanted. I wasn’t loved and my parents really had no interest in me. At best, I was an accessory, at worst, an inconvenience.

Anybody who has this kind of background understands that the most profound consequence of being in it is that, never mind a moral compass, one has no compass at all.

I was transported into adolescence with no instructions, no social skills and no confidence. The world around me was one of confusion and astonishment. I am not talking here about the usual rites of passage all souls go through, I mean that I had no ability to understand the world around me because my parents behaviour towards me was either inconsistent or merely, arbitrarily violent.

I struggled a lot at school and was unable to make friends. When I went into higher education I had no discipline and no understanding of why I was there.

When I began my adult life, doing a variety of jobs, my natural talents helped me, but my fears and insecurities (born in the crucible of a damaged childhood) always surfaced. I was a reject. This was not just my perception. I was rejected on a regular basis because I never gained the right social skills.

At one point in my life, I slept in an abandoned car. I had run out of road, run out of ideas and run out of resources. Worse, I had no idea what to do because I was a reject and frankly, I looked like one. I have to say that I never committed a crime or blamed anybody. I assumed my lot was to take responsibility for my life and get on with it. Which I did.

I have to add that I had become a Christian.

I believe that, by the Grace of God, I was lifted from the life that lay before me, which, in my case, was probably going to be drugs, and then the gutter.

Don’t worry about me now! I was successful in many areas, far beyond most peoples’ dreams. I have a lovely wife, two grown up kids and a very comfortable lifestyle.

But when you look at those old school photos, and wonder what happened to the guy who sat three places from you, the funny looking one in the poorly fitting clothes, who maybe didn’t smell so good, just remember, there by the Grace of God.

And when you next see someone on the street, and think to yourself that this person had a choice, please remember that sometimes those choices were taken away from them.

[...] this one, who on Tuesday evening (23 June) was having dinner with friends, making podcasts and then [...]

@Wrinkled Weasel.

An inspiring story.

But as you say, “I assumed my lot was to take responsibility for my life and get on with it”

Which rather reinforces the point I made.
By definition you had a choice to leave the street and commendably, you took it and succeeded magnificently.

Those who remain homeless have also chosen…to decline the benefits of the welfare state and instead indulge their lack of responsibility.

Tom, another enjoyable blog. Looking at some of the comments I have come to a conclusion. Let’s say you put up a blog about whether biological travelwash was a good idea when visiting the Amazon, I guarantee that there would be comments about subsidised food and drink in the Palace of Westminster, do the rainforest trees lean to the left or right, and the myth about MPs smoking indoors.

@Liberanos,

‘Those who remain homeless have also chosen…to decline the benefits of the welfare state and instead indulge their lack of responsibility.’

Some people are so damaged by what has hapened to them that they lose any ability to ‘choose’ in the readily understood meaning of that word. Their brains are at war with themselves.

@Jim

The mentally ill must always be excluded.

The choice I refer to is that made by the feckless sane.

That choice may well have included one to persist with drugs and/or alcohol instead of education or work.

@Liberanos

‘The choice I refer to is that made by the feckless sane.

That choice may well have included one to persist with drugs and/or alcohol instead of education or work.’

I wouldn’t argue for a second that some people are plainly feckless parasites, just that among their number there are people who have been emotionally destroyed and who lack the mental equipment to overcome their past. Just an observation. I wouldn’t recommend that we try hugging them. It’s far too late for that in many cases.