This is, ‘Thanks to modern technology they can flee the smog of the city and work from laptops in the clean mountain air. 2002-2004′.

My first reaction was irritation. It looks like a Thunderbirds set, that is, at first sight it strikes me as a 1960s vision of the future. That’s an optimistic worldview; affluent and confident. Yet the legacy of 1960s architecture is crumbling concrete and urban decay. By the early 1970s we had Roxy Music’s ‘In every dreamhome a heartache’ lamenting soulless ‘penthouse perfection’.

Maybe this critique is here in the reference to smog and the use of found materials, like the stuffing from an old settee (I imagine it was landlord brown). Houlding is emphasing that this is a facade, perhaps. But it’s still an idea whose time has been and gone. Why bother with it now?
This posted via mobile via Flickr and so not so closely proofread. Click the pic to see it large (there’s an ‘all-sizes’ tab for really large).

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When I began blogging I imagined I’d rant a lot more about Prince Charles than I do. Feudal Creep was to be a theme. But like most of my themes it went by the wayside. I clearly don’t care as much about the monarchy as I thought I did. Nevertheless, that Prince Charles sees himself as a dissident is something I have to comment on.

But what to say? The Daily Mail, whose sister paper published extracts from the fool’s private diary, is right. And I’m delighted to see it’s the Mail Group he’s fighting. They’re instinctive monarchists, but they hate him all the same. So it’s interesting to watch the Mail attack the soft target, but then suddenly hang back as it realises the monarchy’s being damaged.

The Metro gives us a taste of Prince Charles’ dissident lifestyle, as the Telegraph coincidently reports the story of a Chinese dissident, who threw an eggshell filled with red ink at a Chairman Mao portrait. After seventeen years Yu Dongyue has been freed early because he must be spoon fed. Prince Charles insists on eating with a silver spoon.

Charles is a man who can’t squeeze his own toothpaste but criticises those who make decisions, ‘based on market research and focus groups, on the papers produced by political advisers and civil servants none of whom will have ever experienced what it is they are taking decisions about.’

Sadly, the victim of that critique, Tony Blair, is predictably supportive. He’s not interested in picking a fight on the constitution and would rather it all went away. But if I were Tony, I’d trust the collective wisdom of a properly selected focus group over that of an incredibly privileged individual who can only drink from his own crystal any day.

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Featuring, as it does, characters like Mr & Mrs Fonckyerdoder and assorted bachelorettes, Date Movie isn’t a film I’ll be going to see any time soon. I’ve no doubt it’ll go down well with the target audience, but I’m fed up.

At first sight, all this Deconstruction is ever so inclusive. The audience is made to feel it knows as much – perhaps more – about the movie making and marketing processes as the filmmaker. That kind of devalues the science and art of filmmaking, but more importantly it helps perpetuate the myth that everyone has a great film inside them. If that were true there would be no rubbish films out there, but more than that it perpetuates the worst aspects of celebrity culture.

There’s a sense that the celebrity to which so many aspire is actually within easy grasp and we could all be famous if we put just a little effort in. Yet that can never be true. Should we all blame Jacques?

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I guess that when I said that Cameron won’t be Tory leader in 2009, some readers felt that was anti-Conservative wishful thinking. But after this weekend, I’m emboldened.

Cameron’s declaring himself Blair’s true heir was very silly and was bound to backfire. Why would anybody who gave money to a campaign even Tories acknowledge was racist want to support the next Blair? The answer is they don’t. And now Cameron’s Conservatives are down £250k. The Spectator, effectively the Conservative Party house magazine, carries news that other ‘major donors, on whom the party is uniquely dependent,’ are ready to follow suit.

There’s more from the Spectator. Traditional Tories are upset at having to drop cherished polices (tax cuts, grammar schools) without offering any alternative; Cameron’s promise to support a bold Blair isn’t enough. Rival Conservative factions are preparing to launch policies of their own into the vacuum Cameron’s created by concentrating on style over content. The Conservative Party has lost the ability to campaign on the ground (given the average Conservative was 65 years ago, it’s no surprise they can’t get the troops out). Worst of all Cameron’s Conservatives have sunk back in the opinion polls and aren’t very optimistic when it comes to May’s local elections.

All this comes just two months on from Cameron’s leadership victory. The 2009 general election seems such a long way off. Who’d bet on Cameron lasting the distance?
Update 22 Feb: Another major donor’s sniping at Cameron. He certainly looks the part, an old man pictured with a portrait of Thatcher to remind us where the power still lies. Understandably, others are calling for Cameron to stand up to the major donors. That won’t happen because the Tories can’t afford such a principled stance.

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One of the worst aspects of the old Manchester Arndale was that it was a beast with three backs. The largest covered shopping centre in Europe when it opened, the Arndale only welcomed visitors via Market Street, which became the UK’s second busiest shopping street (after London’s Oxford Street) by footfall. High Street, Corporation Street and particulary Withy Grove died.

This is about to change. When the IRA bombed it, Corporation Street was home to a crappy pub. Now it’s been partly absorbed by Exchange Square and is home to that huge Next, Nike and Top Shop.

Here’s a view of a new entrance to the Arndale opposite Withy Grove Stores. The older building’s been terribly neglected. That signage must pre-date the Arndale. It looks derelict, but does house what looks like a never open stationers. It’ll be interesting to see what happens here once Withy Grove’s exposed to the masses.
This posted via mobile via Flickr and so not so closely proofread. Click the pic to see it large (there’s an ‘all-sizes’ tab for really large).

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French Connection’s new ‘fashion Vs style’ ad has already provoked the predictable raft of complaints. But it’s not the violence that has got viewers’ hackles up, it’s the lesbian kiss near the end. Subsequently, I’m not re-publishing that offensive image here, but I have nicked a grab of the less offensive attempted suffocation by boobie. Nasty.

It reminds me of a time when I was helping to export a tacky bar concept from Blackpool to the rest of the UK. This required a night out in Cardiff (coincidently the nearest city to my parents) checking out the competition prior to opening just off Queens Street. Here we were to witness three cat fights in three different bars. These weren’t as well choreographed as French Connection’s ‘fashion Vs style’. In general, the aim of each bout was to pull as much of the opponent’s hair out as possible. Nevertheless, I’m also reminded of the Little Britain sketch where Rob Brydon was asked if his fighting wife and ex-wife, Bubbles and Desiree, should be separated… ‘let’s not be hasty’.

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As an amputee I find the traditional scratching post difficult, writes Arthur ‘arty-puss’ Newton. But the need to maintain one’s remaining claws remains. Attacking the carpet leads to arguments, so I agreed to test out a couple of innovative scratching solutions from Pet Planet, one of the internet’s leading pet stores.

For the able bodied, you can’t beat a Sisal Cat Scratcher. They fit in a discreet corner and you can relax back on your hind legs and really go for it, but I need something that can lie on the floor. We tried the Omega Paw Scratch Box. You get what you pay for; it’s cheap cardboard rubbish. I’ve attacked it time and time again, but it moves all over the place as is far too light.

We moved quickly on to the Chase & Scratch (pictured, says Scratch-‘n’-Play on the box, but whatever), which is a hybrid of a scratching post and cat activity centre. You can pay well over £100 for a good cat activity centre, but you’ll be relieved to know this was under a tenner. It’s solid, so you can attack the sisal middle without it slipping about. Generally, I’m into ball games and you’ll find a kind of running track, with a ball, round the edge of the Scratch-‘n’-Play. I like to wake everyone up in the middle of the night by seeing how fast I can make that ball run. Unlike other cat toys, this stays where it is; no chance of losing the ball under furniture or knocking stuff over. There’s also a thing on a spring, which is interesting in its own way.

My predecessor, Critter, liked to get high. I can see where he was coming from; the pampered life is all very well, but sometimes you need something to give it an edge. Pet Planet have a good range of catnip in spray, concentrate and natural form, as well as catnip toys.

Pet Planet offer a lot more than scratching posts, cat activity centres and catnip. You can buy cat beds and bedding, buy cat books, buy cat bowls and feeders, buy cat carriers, buy collars, buy flea treatments, buy cat food, buy cat grooming solutions, buy cat litter and litter trays, buy catnip and catnip toys. That’s the end of Arthur’s commercial break.

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I promised some thoughts on Yuri Grigorovich’s Nutcracker, despite my total ignorance of the ballet. But maybe that’s an advantage: I don’t know where this Manchester Evening News review was supposed to go.

I hadn’t read up on the piece before, though I’ve done just enough reading since to ensure I don’t say anything too silly. Consequently, I had no idea at all as to what to expect and when it finished I was left sitting there waiting for the fat lady to sing (that’s opera, apparently). I think my problem with ballet is not dance – I really enjoyed DV8 a few years ago – but a fear that it won’t speak to me. I’m suspicious of an art that relies on something composed 113 years ago and I don’t think that’s reverse snobbishness. It implies ballet’s been overwhelmed by a form of creative stagnation and has failed to respond to the way society’s developed over the last century or so. And you can’t argue DV8 is the ballet of today as contemporary dancers don’t do ballet and vice versa (contrast that with Shakespearian actors; they’re just as likely to appear in contemporary pieces).

Anyway. The MEN’s warning, ‘may contain traces of high culture’, is very silly. It’s an easy enough tale to get your head around and the children were mesmerised. Hell, I was mesmerised! It’s a magical thing; acrobatic dancers doing impressive things. However, this version was first performed in 1966 and while the blurb claims, ‘stunning scenery with flying boats, special effects and astonishing wizardry’, I think the set’s showing its age. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I’d be happy to go to the ballet every couple of years or so.

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I often get to Sainsbury’s early after going to the gym, which is good because you get the whole supermarket almost to yourself. And Salford’s Sainsbury’s is one of their bigger stores. Another sort of benefit is that the staff on the tills tend to recognise you. One has a particular thing for warm, freshly baked bread and insists it should always have a carrier bag of its own.

Anyway. I was in Sainsbury’s the other day buying cat food, amongst other things, and when I came to the till the shop assistant asked, ‘do you have a cat?’. A little taken aback given that the contents of the basket made it obvious, I very nearly said: ‘No. It’s for the baby.’

Fortunately I didn’t. But it is time to lighten up. Here’s a pic of Arthur relaxing after a late lunch (lamb casserole, with a crunchy topping).
This posted via mobile via Flickr and so not so closely proofread. Click the pic to see it large (there’s an ‘all-sizes’ tab for really large).

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‘Germany bans Nazi hate speech – the US clearly constitutionally protects that. Should I do business in Germany?’
– Bill Gates

It’s both sad and alarming to hear one of the most powerful men in the world taking such a simplistic view of a debate that that has a fundamental influence on the way in which big business will engage with the world. To compare the banning of Nazi hate speech in Germany with Chinese oppression isn’t just crass; it’s an idea that can only withstand the very briefest of examinations.

What is important is that simplistic notions of free speech are abandoned. A right to live free from hate is more important than a right to say what you want. And while arguments will always rage over where the line should be drawn, actually drawing the line is not as difficult as it first appears. We can refuse to deal with people who promote hatred on the basis on ethnicity, sex, sexuality or even faith. For example, conviction under the new religious hatred bill requires evidence of intention to cause hatred. Proving German neo-Nazis intend to spread hate would be a lot easier than proving the same of this Chinese dissident.

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