Way back in January, I totally missed the significance of Lib Dem Cllr Faraz Bhatti defecting to the Tories. I think the reason I missed the point was, I never even considered the Conservatives would seriously contest the seat.
Back in May 2007, Lib Dem Faraz Bhatti scored 2030 to Labour’s 1418, the Green’s 393 and the Tories pathetic 206.
And yet the election season opened with a flurry of never before seen blue and green Conservative Party posters. The only political posters for some weeks, although the Lib Dems have now hit back hard and easily outnumber them. Faraz Bhatti apparently added 872 votes to the Lib Dem total and if he took them all with him to the Tories… this time represented by his mate Fawad Hussain… well they’d only leapfrog the Green Party into a solid third place!
But more importantly, Labour would reclaim the seat… doh! So up the Tories in Whalley Range. They’re mostly harmless… unless you’re a Lib Dem.
If ever there was a must-do holiday excursion, the Grand Canyon, Arizona must be it. And there is no shortage of people aching to take you there be it to get married, drink champagne in a wigwam or whatever.
We opted to fly from Las Vegas on a small fixed wing plane, drop down to the canyon floor by helicopter, take a boat along the Colorado River, helicopter back up and then take a coach trip around the sites with All Las Vegas Tours. All incredible value at just $289.99 each (and they throw in lunch). Other options include driving off road in a Hummer through a 1,000 year old Joshua Tree forest, but that seemed a little excessive.
The Grand Canyon itself was snow capped when we turned up, which made it all the prettier and there are fly-bys of Boulder City and the Hoover Dam, which provides Las Vegas with its emission free electricity.
New Philanthropy Capital aims to make a living – albeit in a not-for-profit manner – helping us donate our money more sensibly. New Philanthropy Capital aims to professionalise charitable giving.
But it’s hard to see that this is such a good idea, especially as the handy Charity Selector reveals a very narrow definition of a worthy cause; something domestic that can be pigeon holed into community, education or health.
A point missed, surely, is that people make charitable donations from their personal resources – monies they might otherwise quite reasonably spend on trivial things – on causes that somehow touch them. And if that’s donkeys, fair enough.
Of course, there may well be a role for New Philanthropy Capital in the corporate world, but even here the promotion of charity as not-so-altruistic investment is not particularly attractive.
Democratic accountability becomes an issue as powerful private sector institutions become more professional about the way they give and seek to become ever more involved in what and how the voluntary sector delivers. We already have at least one creationist school thanks to this kind of philanthropy.
There are still some areas where the state should lead, like protecting the victims of domestic violence and helping them rebuild their lives. Tending retried donkeys, on the other hand, might more reasonably be left to charity.
Asked to review Knocker Jungle, I was initially suspicious of the pitch – especially given the clarity of the recording and the dearth of information on the internet – that this is a long lost work by a legendary, or rather mythical, late ’60s rock band. But it seems they’re for real.
And the music isn’t bad. A little reminiscent of Arthur Lee’s Love. But that comparison is a little generous and the closest to a stand out track is a cover of It Ain’t Necessarily So. You might imagine them doing a soundtrack for something like the Wicker Man.
Given that the album, first released in 1970, was effectively repressed after the band split in the run up to release, it does have a limited curiosity value. Even so, it can’t be said to have influenced anyone, although it does effectively evoke the corrupt dark side of the flower power era. At the risk of being unnecessarily cruel, it may have been better to leave Knocker Jungle as a myth… or it might just be I’m on the wrong drugs. Knocker Jungle is out now. Order your copy from Amazon.co.uk.
In The Grin of the Dark, Ramsey Campbell offers a classic horror scenario; the writer who enters territory he really shouldn’t. Down on his luck protagonist, Simon Lester, lands a golden opportunity to write a series of academic texts on his chosen specialist subject of film and begins with a biography of a little known music hall figure, long forgotten by most, but clearly not by all.
Yet while the premise of the novel is wonderful, it’s a slow starter.
Early supernatural incidents, while convincing, are almost too easily rationalised and subsequently dismissed by our hero and the novel gets bogged down with unnecessary details. We know Lester has benefited from a hefty advance, but don’t need to know exactly what he owed on his credit cards (not much as it happens) and how much he intends to save for a rainy day. Beyond nerdy Simon Lester, whose first person narration is a little laboured, characterisation is poor.
And so, sadly, the reader, like the protagonist, is left rather disengaged. The Grin of the Dark is published 1 May 2008. Order your copy from Amazon.co.uk.
Joe Anderson, Liverpool City Council Labour leader, is clearly braced for an upset come 1 May 2008: the removal of the Liberal Democrats once flagship council. Joe’s careful not to sound too bullish. As the Echo’s Nick Coligan says, it’s a big ask. There may be thirty seats up for grabs, but around a third are already Labour and so half the non-Labour seats must switch.
We Manchester tourists – this political bloggers event seemed to attract as many Mancs as Scousers – were left shaking our heads in dismay. Liverpool sadly seems to be playing to our traditional prejudices and squandering opportunities. Skipper (who took the pic) generously suggested the IRA had helped Manchester move ahead; but Joe reckoned EU support for Liverpool had been at least as valuable.
Named the worst performing council in England by the Audit Commission, the Liberal Democrat administration makes for an easy target. But Joe Anderson is not one for hyperbole. Yes he owns worst-council-in-the-country.com, where every claim against the Lib Dems is verified, but he’s well aware of the need to offer Liverpudlians something much more than a list of reasons not to vote Lib Dem.
In their early days Lib Dems cut council tax in real terms in what turned out to be a populist vote winning manoeuvre. Now Liverpool faces a record increase, while Manchester Labour offers sustainable regeneration and almost a decade of below inflation tax rises.
But anyway. It’s still not enough for to rely on Liberal Democrats losing the election. Labour must win it.
Key to success, argues Joe, is leadership. Under the Lib Dems Liverpool has lost direction and not just because feuding within the ruling group has got so bad the Audit Commission warned that councillors are afraid to speak up in the council chamber.
Joe’s disappointment with senior officers could not be clearer, but I felt this a little unfair given that it’s not their job to supply a political vision for the city. If the elected representatives don’t know where they want to take things, the officials can’t step in.
If elected, Joe Anderson will be Liverpool’s first full time leader and will take the city by the scruff of the neck. Joe recognises that Liverpudlians can be an insular lot and that the worklessness culture is too deeply reflected in city’s sense of self.
A social inclusion manager for nearby Sefton MBC, Joe understands the challenge real cultural change represents.
Labour’s Vision for Liverpool, summarised in an eight-point plan for the city – thousands of new homes on derelict sites; power devolved to local communities; ASBOs for the anti-social – appears modest, but more importantly within reach.
Anderson is Labour’s honest Joe. A man with real passion for the City of Liverpool and a belief that it can be great again, coupled with an understanding of the challenge ahead and an attainable vision for the future.
Last seen (by me anyway) at the Manchester International Festival, this wonderful tent has helped transform Cathedral Gardens into Championship Square for some swimming event.
It explains why there have been more teenagers hanging around in the doorways of the Arndale Centre or lounging around on the cheap sofas at the otherwise empty Triangle. Often intimidating gentlefolk by breathing in close proximity.
Cathedral Gardens is more used to playing the role of school playground for melancholy Emos moping about and city wardens acting as dinner ladies. Now the poor souls have nowhere to go.
Uploaded by mobile phone to Stephen Newton’s diary of sorts
With the Western making great strides to prove itself a contemporary genre – No Country…, Three Burials… – it’s hard to see what this remake brings to the party. Except that it’s a hell of a good movie well made, that captures the lawless romanticism of the mythic American West.
A reviving 7 out of 10. Director:James Mangold……Starring:Russell Crowe……Christian Bale……Peter Fonda Juno……21
The Southern is not one of Chorlton’s most up market venues, but that’s kind of a virtue when it comes to the Buzz Club, which was the country’s longest running comedy club outside of London when it closed in 2004.
MC John Marshall ran off to Hull to live with someone he net on the internet.
The Southern, meanwhile, became a proper Irish pub — not one of those fake things I sold my soul for on behalf of a major pub chain — and signifiant live music venue.
Anyway. It’s no surprise a gig billed as a one off quickly sold out. The more pleasant suprise is that John Marshall’s finally realised Chorlton loves him and is coming back for a reborn, albeit monthly, Buzz.
A great many new bars and restaurants may have arrived while he was away, but you can’t beat a big room above a proper pub.
Uploaded by mobile phone to Stephen Newton’s diary of sorts links to follow.
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