http://www.commentariat.org.uk Summarising the Comment from the Glass Bubble Tue, 10 Feb 2009 13:45:07 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The BBC should realise that the reason Blue Peter's ratings have collapsed is nobody wants to watch it. http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/10/blue-peter-is-it-time-to-let-it-die/ Telegraph View: Spurious charges of racism have forced out a "marvellous" head teacher http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/10/muslim-parents-should-accept-the-law-of-the-land/ It ain’t over ’til the fat lady sings… Yesterday I wrote about the decline of the New Labour project and what I consider to be the over-riding factor that has driven that decline. I also pointed out that, while I fear it might be over for Labour come the next ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/10/labour%e2%80%99s-last-chance-to-save-itself-politics-decoded-by-garbo/ The Ben Goldacre / Jeni Barnett case about LBC's attempt to remove a recording of a phone-in from one of their shows from the Internet, after it has been subjected to criticism, rumbles on. Yesterday - and I haven't seen anyone noting this - it was used as an example on ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/10/ben-goldacre-jeni-barnett-case-made-start-the-week-on-radio-4-latest/ http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/steve-bell-brown-seeks-obama-style-bonus-cap-for-rbs/ Chinese officials like to describe burgeoning relations between Beijing and Africa as "win-win". Africa wins from Chinese investment, infrastructure and loans. China... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/china-in-the-congo-2/ Bankers are more widely loathed than ever. They are blamed for the recession, yet their jobs have been saved by government intervention. There is now outrage that some... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/end-bonus-culture-but-keep-bonuses-2/ Bankers are more widely loathed than ever. They are blamed for the recession, yet their jobs have been saved by government intervention. There is now outrage that some... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/bonuses-cui-bono/ It was entirely predictable that Israel's ferocious assault on Gaza in recent weeks would shift the country's centre of political gravity sharply to the right ahead of... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/israels-elections/ It was entirely predictable that Israel's ferocious assault on Gaza in recent weeks would shift the country's centre of political gravity sharply to the right ahead of... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/israel-voters-look-set-to-move-right-2/ The fall of the Shah was an epic, a morality play or a Greek tragedy if he had been a truly great man rather than just another American satrap, complete with US fighter aircraft, a swamp of corrupt officials and a sadistic intelligence service. When one of my colleagues ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/robert-fisk-i-saw-a-mesmeric-islamic-uprising-turn-to-savagery/ From our parliamentary correspondent, Westminster, Monday.Given Mr. Aneurin Bevan's case on the National Health Service Act and the great advantage he had of opening to-day's Commons debate, the rest followed inevitably - a brilliant performance which sent the Labour benches wild with delight.He sat down at the end of it ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/mr-bevan-launches-fierce-attack/ From our parliamentary correspondent, Westminster, Monday.Given Mr. Aneurin Bevan's case on the National Health Service Act and the great advantage he had of opening to-day's Commons debate, the rest followed inevitably - a brilliant performance which sent the Labour benches wild with delight.He sat down at the end of it ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/mr-bevan-launches-fierce-attack/ I visited Tate Britain last week. Sadly, there was not a great deal of real painting to look at. The Constable room was being redecorated, and a large proportion of the Turners had gone into hibernation; but the main problem was that what seemed like two thirds of the rest ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/letters-conflict-of-interests-in-public-galleries/ Jacqui Smith found herself lectured yesterday by David Cameron over her questionable use of the parliamentary allowance for second homes. There are two ironies to this. The first is that Ms Smith (additional costs allowance in 2006-07, £22,110) was only £1,547 ahead of Mr Cameron (claim, £20,563). The second is ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/editorial-the-numbers-game-surrounding-parliamentary-expenses/ Even by the standards set by previous attempts to form governments in Israel, the political calculations involved in today's election will be unusually complex and labyrinthine. The two contenders for the premiership are both tarnished figures - Bibi Netanyahu, the rightwing leader of Likud and now head of the opposition ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/editorial-israeli-elections/ Jenni Russell highlighted a hidden but horrific consequence of the fear about engaging with others (Fear and suspicion are no way to build a good society, 4 February). She described how a teacher was stopped from showing concern for a pupil who had attempted suicide because it could be misinterpreted; ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/response-in-our-constipated-care-culture-thank-heavens-for-the-rule-benders/ The English gave up on industry in favour of banks that are now reduced to rubble. This damning verdict, handed down by President Sarkozy, would be dismissed as Gaullist bombast in happier times, but right now it amplifies Anglo-Saxon angst about whether UK plc produces anything the world really wants. ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/editorial-in-praise-of-musical-exports/ Ships sailing in from the Bass Strait to Melbourne or Geelong must first negotiate "the rip" at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay, between Point Lonsdale to the west and Point Nepean to the east, where a notorious patch of turbulent white water threatens. The finger of land that reaches ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/country-diary-mornington-peninsula/ Liam Byrne is minister for the Cabinet Office, not cabinet secretary. That post is held by Gus O'Donnell (Millions for charities hit by recession, 9 February, page 1).We referred to the Coventry and Ipswich Museum Service in an article headlined So you want to work in museums and galleries (7 ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/corrections-and-clarifications-232/ Lord Woolf and his colleagues were right to point out that the recent erosions of civil liberties are "one of the most significant changes in the life of the nation since the end of the second world war" (Report, 6 February). We already have the largest DNA database in the ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/letters-jurassic-lark/ The oatcake (In praise of ..., 7 February) has a far longer local history than any Staffordshire Regiment's tour of India; it is certainly traceable in the 17th century and more than likely much earlier, as a forthcoming book by North Staffordshire Historians' Guild associate Dr Pamela Sambrook will show.Paul ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/letter-oatcake-history/ I have no doubt that Jacqui Smith's accommodation claims (Home secretary in expenses row, 9 February) will be found to accord with the letter of parliamentary regulations, as did those of the Cooper-Balls family last year. To mere mortals, however, one's main home is the family home, and the family ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/letters-mps-claims-legal-but-not-legitimate/ Giles Fraser insists (Comment, 7 February) that "atheists" are defined by what they are against, and should therefore be barred from contributing to the BBC's Thought for the Day. This is absurd. I might as well call him an anti-rationalist, and insist that he is defined by his opposition to ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/letters-thought-for-the-day-there-are-positive-definitions-of-atheism/ As a Manxman, the expression "pot calling the kettle black" came to mind while reading the article on tax (From the high street to a tax haven, 9 February). At a recent meeting in the Isle of Man - addressed by John Christensen of the Tax Justice Network and Malcolm ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/letters-shedding-light-on-tax-evasion/ Each time I am confronted by the large billboards on the busy streets of Colombo advertising Sri Lanka as a tourist destination, I wonder if they have another relevance. "A land like no other" is the tagline used by the national tourist board. Wracked by a separatist war, this nation ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/lal-wickrematunge-lasanthas-brutal-murder-has-shamed-sri-lanka/ Drip, drip, drip. Day after day an insidious poison is fed into the nation's veins, spreading anger and cynicism about everything in the public sector. Nothing works, billions are wasted, public servants of every kind are pointless jobsworths feathering their nests and twiddling their thumbs. Behind this campaign is the ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/polly-toynbee-the-taxpayers-alliance-is-behind-campaign-against-public-sector/ Last week the government published a shortlist of five schemes for harnessing the tidal power of the river Severn, to provide renewable electricity. It is no secret which is favoured in Whitehall - the biggest one, as ever: a 10-mile mega-barrage that would cost £14bn, and could generate 5% of ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/paul-kingsnorth-a-line-in-the-green-sand/ Justice is not time limited. It is an absolute. When a grievous wrong is done, those who have suffered need respect and help throughout their lives, not just while the rest of us can be bothered to pay attention. Yet most forget too easily, and so one wrong is followed ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/jack-ashley-thalidomide-victims-need-justice-and-support/ Hollywood has run out of novels. It is now making films out of self-harm books. He's Just Not That Into You opened at the weekend. It is probably a prequel to Men Are From Mars, Women are from Primark or Think Yourself Anorexic. It is here to maim us.The co-author ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/tanya-gold-were-just-not-that-into-you/ An open letter to Hazel Blears MP, secretary of state for communities and local government.Last week you used an article in the Guardian to attack my "cynical and corrosive commentary". You asserted your political courage, maintaining that "you don't get very far in politics without guts, and certainly not as ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/george-monbiot-just-what-exactly-do-you-stand-for-hazel-blears-except-election/ So well done everyone at the Baftas. Slumdog cleared up again. Kate didn't gabble on and didn't cry. Jonathan Ross didn't upset anyone. A good night all round. And if you are wondering why it is that the mainstream films always get the gongs, consider the experience of the Rio ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/hugh-muirs-diary-91/ The wheels of accountability seem to turn rather slower here in Britain than elsewhere. It is a full three months since Dick Fuld, the former head of the American investment bank Lehman Brothers, was called to appear before a Congressional committee to explain why his bank failed so spectacularly. http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/leading-article-these-bankers-must-explain-their-disastrous-decisions/ Thirty years ago Iran shook the world by unseating its pro-Western monarch and installing a religious regime headed by Ayatollah Khomeini. It was a shock to an international community still wedded to the easy assumption that revolutions could only come from the secular left and not the religious right. But ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/leading-article-a-gulf-of-understanding/ These have been a triumphant few days for two stalwarts of the entertainment business. Robert Plant, winner of five Grammys, and Mickey Rourke, named best actor at the Baftas, both inhabit different corners of the showbusiness universe. But there is a pleasing symmetry about the lives of these two veteran ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/leading-article-hair-today/ The unpopularity of the bankers is without precedent. In the late 1970s, reckless trade union leaders could always count on support from parts of the Labour Party and the media. Now, the bankers face universal vilification. Political leaders are in a contest to shout the loudest in their condemnation of ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/steve-richards-politicians-vilify-the-bankers-but-they-dont-dare-to-act/ Home Office questions. There was one question that had to be answered before we could start. Would Jacqui Smith declare it her principal Home Office questions or her secondary home office questions? A balance has to be struck. She might take advice but it is she who decides, she told ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/simon-carr-jacqui-plagued-by-both-her-houses/ The challenge for us here and in every country around the world is to deal with today's problems, but also to prepare for economic recovery. And everything we do will be all the more effective if it is matched by action from others. http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/alistair-darling-the-banks-are-to-blame-for-this-crisis/ Of all the challenges that Barack Obama has thrown out to the world since he entered the Oval Office, the most daring is his overture to Iran. It featured in his inaugural address as a general invitation to adversaries. It was addressed specifically to Iran in his television interview with ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/mary-dejevsky-positive-signals-from-iran-but-only-if-you-listen-carefully/ It is bonus time for the members of the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee. I am not referring to any money they may be receiving through the increasingly discredited parliamentary allowances system. No, this is the big one: today they have as their captive witnesses some of the former ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/dominic-lawson-bonuses-are-a-political-issue-not-a-moral-one/ Finding a suitable supporting actor can be a hard task for a powerful politician, as South Africa's Jacob Zuma has found. Unable to take up the President's job immediately, having finally seen off his rival Thabo Mbeki, the African National Congress's former intelligence chief picked the loyal, apparently unambitious apparatchik ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/daniel-howden-love-child-scandal-hits-zumas-stand-in/ It is surely embarrassing for science to be defended on the grounds that it is founded on an absolute prior commitment to a highly disputed and deeply problematic philosophical view. If ever there was a dogmatic faith that zooms well past the evidence, this is it. http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/keith-ward-biologists-are-too-dogmatic-about-god-they-are-not-philosophers/ I'm planning to tinker with my brain chemistry next week. The method I'll be adopting is a relatively recent addition to the long list of mood-altering activities that cascades down the centuries and it isn't, the statistics confirm, entirely without risk. But I've found it takes me out of myself ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/tom-sutcliffe-confused-you-will-be-in-this-drugs-debate/ Many British people who know nothing of the social or corporate practices of New York's Madison Avenue in the 1960s will avidly tune in tonight for the second series of Mad Men. This award-winning (three Golden Globes and six Emmys) cable show has stolen a lot of hearts, for its ... http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/john-walsh-when-the-playboy-mansion-crumbles/ A week ago, I wrote about snow as a visitation from paradise, a transforming, elemental, alchemical process that turns both the landscape and men's hearts into things of loveliness and decency. This week, I return to the subject from a slightly different angle. http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/john-walsh-february-isnt-the-ideal-time-to-visit-sligos-drizzly-fields-but-i-had-high-hopes/ Security for Israelis and justice for Palestinians is attainable – but only if the US comes to realise that it is no part of its or Israel's national interest to enable Israel to colonise Arab land http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/israel-voters-look-set-to-move-right/ In the short term Congo's finances are in desperate shape, and it must curry favour from western donors. Yet China's alternative development financing looks a more ambitious long-term bet http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/china-in-the-congo/ Rather than chips in a casino where someone else settles the bill, bonuses could be made into rewards for genuine innovation without encouraging excessive risk http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/end-bonus-culture-but-keep-bonuses/ Telegraph View: Encouraging signs are emerging from Washington that President Barack Obama's administration may be about to change America's policy stance on Afghanistan. http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/high-hopes-for-barack-obama-administration-policy-change-on-afghanistan/ Singer and pianist whose wispy voice became a trademark in witty performances from the jazz canon http://www.commentariat.org.uk/2009/02/09/blossom-dearie/