Cyborgs - The Evidence

An extraordinary interview with Ed Miliband.

The interviewer Damon Green, who must have felt like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, has written a revealing post on the back story. He says:

If news reporters and cameras are only there to be used by politicians as recording devices for their scripted soundbites, at best that is a professional discourtesy.

Green goes on to suggest that at worst politicians fail to be publicly accountable. I'd suggest that far worse for Miliband is the perception I now have of him as a person, party leader and would be prime minister.

My politics are left of centre and I'm disillusioned to say the least with the Liberal Democrats. I'm a potential Labour voter but I'll find it difficult to forget this arrogant, scripted soundbite, delivered with contempt for the person sitting opposite him.

Green really should have asked him for his favourite dinosaur.

The Alternative Vote System Explained

How the alternative vote works.

It's only 4 minutes long.  Show it to anyone who asks what this voting referendum is all about.

The 'Spoiler Effect' as explained 3 minutes in is the clincher for me.

AV isn't PR, it's flawed, doesn't always work, isn't what I ultimately want, but it's a massive step forward from First Past The Post.

Take Back Parliament Rally, 15 May 2010

Fellow anoraks...and bearded academics....

 (Dr Evan Harris addressing last Saturday’s Take Back Parliament  rally in Westminster.) 

To be more cynical the crowd was disillusioned Lib Dem and Green Party supporters combined with those of us who are just intrinsically anti-Tory.  Add a few anti-establishment protestors and you have a typical leftie political rally. 

Only it wasn’t like that at all.  Save for a few anti-Cameron banners this wasn’t about party politics.  Indeed, politics as we have come to know it wasn’t the issue either.  The broader principle of true democracy and representative politics was at the heart of last week's protest, campaigning for fair votes now. 

This was, as one of the speakers pointed out, a CLAIM.  A claim for fairness. An assertion of right.  

I suspect that many of us at Westminster last week see this as a no-brainer.    

But, as the humour of Evan Harris only really highlighted, this issue isn’t a straightforward one to explain, no matter how simple it was to all of us there. 

But it is a point worth making, worth being passionate about and for that I thank Guy Aitchison and all involved in the organising of the event. 

We have a chance to make this happen.  This is only the start. 

BBC Caves in to Carter Ruck Threats Over Trafigura Film

Not something I thought I'd ever do here. Reposting an entry from a Tory blogger. By rights I should feel unclean. But Iain Dale is absolutely right about this. He's also a West Ham fan and that'll justify it in my head:

Carter-Ruck have succeeded in persuading the BBC to remove all reference to the Trafigura story from its website, according to the New Statesman. They really don't learn do they - Carter Ruck or the BBC. You cannot suppress things like this in the modern media age. If one organisation caves in, there will the dozens more only to willing to step up to the plate.

So do enjoy this Newsnight film, which I really wouldn't bother to have posted had the BBC not caved in.

Could I encourage every single UK blogger to embed this video in their blogs too?

Footnote: For the history of this saga click HERE.

UPDATE: The original Newsnight report, which is the one Trafigura really object to has now also been removed from Youtube. However, Wikileaks still have it for download HERE.