Vicky Pryce and Polly Toynbee in Omnibus Clapham

The economist Vicky Price and Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee are or were both long-term residents of Clapham, and appeared together last night at Omnibus to discuss their new books: It’s the Economy Stupid by Vicky Pryce, Peter Unwin and Andy Ross and Cameron’s Coup by Polly Toynbee and David Walker. The event was co-hosted by Clapham Books - it’s great to see collaboration of this sort between our local independent bookshop and Omnibus.

Polly started the evening by praising the successful launch of Omnibus in the old Clapham library, and indeed it is great to see this handsome old Victorian public building finding a new public role in the local community. It certainly adds greatly to the mix of amenities around the new Old Town piazza area.

Both speakers were critical of the Coalition government. Polly spoke of the rigidity and stealthy determination of its ideological purposes; Vicky more of the evidence-free economic policy. Although a liberal herself, she was a government economist under both New Labour and Coalition administrations, and had words of praise for New Labour at least attempting to follow the evidence. Far from having “a long herm economic plan”, the coalition choked off reviving growth and flatlined the economy for its first two years, before surreptitiously u-turning and quietly and half-heartedly loosening fiscal policy. Basically, the Tories are ideologically incapable of accepting that government investment can create growth in the wider economy.

Polly seemed more wholeheartedly to support Labour, but I liked the way she always backed up claims with independent  evidence and sources. She strongly feels this is a very important election, and people should vote tactically to keep the tories out.

It was a very interesting evening, and very well attended: practically a full house.

Boris's brush with art criticism

Yesterday Boris Johnson wrote such an extraordinarily provoking column in The Telegraph and on his blog that I broke a lifetime’s resolve and left a comment (on the blog). A couple of hours later my comment disappeared, so I thought I may as well vent my reactions more fully on my own blog.
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In his column Boris reacted to two small criticisms made of the AcelorMittal Orbit by the BBC’s arts correspondent Will Gompertz: he felt it was too small and was a pity entry wasn’t free (Anish Kapoor, the Orbit’s sculptor, is on record as being against the entry fee too). Boris’s bile knew no limits and from these minor and entirely reasonable personal comments Boris concluded that the BBC as an organization was biased towards the Labour Party and that the next BBC chief must be a Tory.
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I’m very disappointed in this; I hope his column was flung off two minutes to deadline (apparently a common practice) and doesn’t represent Boris’s considered opinion. I imagine he would have lost a few votes if this had come out before the election.
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The BBC was set up during the last major financial crisis in the 1930s by a political establishment concerned to neutralise extremist views in the UK media. They succeeded brilliantly. However it seems the modern Tory’s attitude to public service broadcasting is far closer to that of Goebbels and Stalin than it is to their own Tory forebears. Today’s Tories are clearly absolutely determined to create a Fox News in the UK – with all the consequent divisive coarsening of public debate that will result. It’s worth noting the BBC had its worst clash ever with the (Labour) Blair Government over Iraq – and despite the Hutton enquiry the public still believed the BBC’s version over Tony Blair’s. To this day the BBC remains the most trusted news source for the British public - vastly more trusted than, say, The Telegraph itself.
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Boris complains the BBC is suspiciously interested in the Leveson enquiry despite the public not being that interested.
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Whether or not the public is interested in the Leveson enquiry, the apparent wholescale corruption of our political classes, the police, and the intimidation of celebrities and members of the public alike are clearly issues which go to the heart of our democracy, as Boris as a senior politician should realise.
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Boris also claims that public funding somehow corrupts the BBC. As Boris’s Mayoral salary is also publicly funded, and he enjoys a generous £250,000 per year from The Telegraph for his journalism, will he abstain from claiming his Mayoral salary? - Mrs Thatcher of course didn’t claim her salary as PM back in the 80s.
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About the Orbit I tend to agree with him that it’s better and more interesting close up – at least as far as I could see from the BBC television pictures. However, you can’t have it both ways – it’s either a monument to the public munificence, advanced aesthetic taste and civic pride of Mr Mittal and Boris Johnson or it’s a commercial fee-paying attraction. As Boris knows, the famous bread and circuses of ancient Rome were free to Roman citizens - that was the entire point. The London Eye was always meant to be a fairground ride – the Orbit is supposed to be public sculpture. And the £15 entry fee is on top of the £10 fee you have to pay to get into the Olympic grounds – so despite what Boris claims it does work out as considerably more expensive than the Eye to go up a not very tall stationery tower. Boris should have insisted on slides!
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Boris’s tiresome diatribe has been dissected brilliantly by Dave Hill in The Guardian, who particularly points out Boris’s dodgy denial of any links to Rupert Murdoch’s News International during his election campaign. Boris’s full-throated diatribe against the BBC will, of course, endear him to the Murdochs père et fils, whose long-term objective is to eliminate their rival media organization in order to maximize their own personal profit and influence.

An Ancient Roman Altar in Clapham

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According to records, this inscribed Roman altar stone was discovered during building operations at Clapham Common South Side in 1912. It was erected by Vitus Ticinius Ascanius, probably in the first century AD. Clapham High Street and Abbeyville Road were Roman Roads (heading towards Chichester) so the Romans were active in these parts but it is nce to have hard physical proof that they were in the neighbourhood almost 2,000 years ago.

It has now been re-erected outside Clapham Old Town public library. I've been going here for years but not noticed it before! (However, in my defence it is behind a heavy iron railing and almost hidden under a hedge and shrub). The inscription is very faint.

By complete coincidence I came across the English Heritage records last night, and as today was voting day in the Alternatve Vote referendum I kept a look out for it when I went to vote :)

I was the only one there at lunch time! - voter apathy rules supreme. As I write this, there is still some time to get to the polling station and vote if you haven't already. Despite all the cycnicism engendered by the behaviour our current crop of politicians, this is actually an opportinity to change our democracy for the better. :)

A new government

Yes, I’m still shaking my head in wonderment at the developments here in the UK. I really love how our Government changes instantly - literally, the old PM leaves Downing Street just before the new one arrives - leaving very little time to pack! Great theatre.

It’s no secret that the new Government is not entirely to my liking but Cameron’s initial moves are certainly interesting - almost as if he’s been a closet Lib Dem all this time - and no doubt we are in for some interesting times ahead. As the world is still reeling in the developing financial crisis I hope the new government can hold it all together. Today’s news is that Angela Merkel has gone rogue in Europe; thank goodness at least Brown kept us out of the Euro! Otherwise that would have been another fine mess that Tony got us into.

Here are my collection of new government tweets, from last week:

Jason_Cobb This is without a doubt, the worst evening of my life #ukelection #nffc

Jason_Cobb #blamedavecameron #blamenickclegg #blamethatcher #nffc

diamondgeezer "The Official flickr channel for the Prime Minister has moved" - old http://bit.ly/bICw3m ; new http://bit.ly/bcup3z

EvilGayTwin just got back from swimming to find David Cameron is our new Prime Minister. I should of just drowned myself whilst I had the chance!

BishopWeston@SarahBrown10 Thank you - So Rupert Murdoch won the election after all? Really is #nickcleggsfault now - he's so gonna be Haggis in a tin

LeeBinding Anyone else see the Ood singing behind Brown?

campbellclaret New slogan for Lib-dem supporters "I DISAGREE WITH NICK" !!

krishgm "the press looked from Tory to Lib Dem and from Lib Dem to Tory......but already it was impossible to say which was which"

campbellclaret what a week - trending on twitter re Boulton explosion, most popular twitterer in UK - oui, moi - and new Eton-Westminster-St Pauls govt

beano_monty @campbellclaret Will John Prescott be interviewed by Sky? I need something to look forward to.

LukePollard Has Nick Clegg gone from kingmaker to tea maker? - love that question #bbcqt

indiaknight David Cameron says "big" too much. Should vary, eg "humongous," "jumbo," "mahoosive".

It’s fascinating how dated some of these tweets are already. David Cameron is making it clear he’s not going to take any nonsense from his right-wing MPs. Will he also stand up to Rupert Murdoch? Time will tell.

election tweets

Britain’s recent election was historic in more than one sense - it was the first twitter election too. And of course we all know the most incisive political analysis happens on twitter :-)

So here is my digest of tweets of election night:

zefrog: It's National Lock A Tory in the Toilet At Work Day!

dontgetfooled Apparently 100K people just got text-spammed by the Tories. Guess Andy Coulson knows a thing or 2 about getting hold of private numbers...

edwardclarke Loads of names crossed off list already - voting must be pretty brisk in Vauxhall!

guy_interruptd RT @Craig_Brawn: Looking forward to the election results, its like Eurovision without the singing!

johannhari101 Now's a good time to text and call any friends/relatives who might have forgotten/not bothered to vote. Unless they're Tories, obviously

jonreed polls closing in 10 seconds. can't bear the suspense. #electionparty

edwardclarke@jonreed Yikes! BBC news saying LIb DEms on 59 seats in exit polls . . . rough night ahead!!

jackwallington It's about to start. It's exactly like the X Factor finale. The same length too, 12 hours.

edwardclarke@jackwallington But the winner gets to stay on top for 5 years!

edwardclarke Yay! BBC mutes Gove and we have the lovely Harperson instead!

edwardclarke Fight! Fight! Peter and Theresa going for it! Handbags at midnight!

edwardclarke Absolutely loving all the cock ups on the BBC broadcast - more please! And more Mandelson/Gorman punch ups!

technicalfault Absolutely outrageous to hear people have been turned away from polling stations after queueing!

zefrog RT @ianvisits @charlesarthur: That offer by Robert Mugabe to come and monitor our elections doesn't look so funny now, eh?

zefrog In France, elections always take place on Sundays. That way people have time to vote

adventuresofboz: JOAN COLLINS BEING AMAZING! WHERE IS THE VODKA!

edwardclarke@ncabani Hiding behind the sofa. Can't believe I laughed my head off when Cameron became Tory chief. Not laughing now

davidchild Looking forward to this party several hours into the free booze. Collins will get her tits out and Starkey will snog Schama.

edwardclarke RT @seemaface BEST COMMENT OF THE NIGHT - "The Queen is only activated in certain circumstances"- David Dimbleby #ukvote

jackwallington@edwardclarke It's all about activating the Queen!

Jason_Cobb Overall Tory majority prediction? Pondering early night and washing away sins in lido, or bugger it and get more bolly from wine cellar.

edwardclarke@@Jason_Cobb Hope the Bolly can last 4 years

ncabani Dimbelby: looks like Tories may be heading for a majority in parliament...

indiaknight: I feel extreme love for Scotland and Wales.

GuyAitchison The Scots are lucky, they can just declare independence if the Tories win. Could Kentish Town do the same? #ge2010

AdamBienkov RT @TimMontgomerie ConservativeHome no longer believes a Tory majority is possible

CulturalSnow RT @Timmy_Lee: People diss First Past the Post, but any system where you can give all three parties a kicking can't be all bad.

adamfishpoet Zac Goldsmith says he put less cash into his campaign than his rival. Mais oui, Zac, the truly rich rely on favours, don't they?

RedMummy Actually think that the Dimbleboy & Paxo should take a bow for conducting entire programme on professionally asking unanswerable questions.

CulturalSnow Why is Gove so obsessed with Mandelson? Luuurrrve? #ge2010

krishgm Brace yourselves for another election within a year? (Sighs)

edwardclarke To be honest I'm totally shocked at the Tories' anti-constitutional stance.

AdamBienkov Telegraph: "David Cameron's achievement eclipses Margaret Thatcher." http://tgr.ph/cS9ciu No, she won.

AlextheFly: They say never buy The Mirror, but it is, on occasion, hilarious: http://twitpic.com/1lswlf #ukelection #ge10

JonReed RT johannhari101: Gay vote for Cameron collapsed from 39% to 6%, according 2 @pinknews. It's the gays wot lost it for Cameron.

johannhari101: More than 50% voted against Cameron for parties to his left. In any other European country, that would be a landslide defeat for the right

RT @MODERN1ST: RT @jules_lewis Whoever came up with CON-DEM-NATION is a damn genius! #ge2010

Sheamus: Nick Clegg is for sale on eBay. http://bit.ly/a64FOE

ianvisits: The last time a Liberal leader considered a coalition with the Tories, he was charged with conspiracy to murder. Just saying

pureartifice: Have got day off tomorrow so am happy to help form a government but I will need to pop to Waitrose at some point.

CherylKerl: Hei this hung Polamint thing. Can the nut just aall tek torns? Yerz kna, one week at a teim faw each poaty? Wudden tha woak?

the point of liberals

"In the realm of practical politics, two things must happen - both of which are likely. There must be one more General Election to disillusion Labour optimists as to the measure of their political strength, standing by themselves. But equally on our side there must be a certain change.

The Liberal Party is divided between those who, if the choice be forced upon them, would vote Conservative, and those who, in the same circumstances, would vote Labour. Historically, and on grounds of past service, each section has an equal claim to call itself Liberal. Nevertheless, I think that it would be for the health of the party if all those who believe, with Mr. Winston Churchill and Sir Alfred Mond, that the coming political struggle is best described as Capitalism versus Socialism, and, thinking in these terms, mean to die in the last ditch for Capitalism, were to leave us.

The brains and character of the Conservative Party have always been recruited from the Liberals, and we must not grudge them the excellent material with which, in accordance with our historic mission, we are now preserving them from intellectual starvation. It is much better that the Conservative Party should be run by honest and intelligent ex-Liberals, who have grown too old and tough for us, than by Die-Hards. Possibly the Liberal Party cannot serve the State in any better way than by supplying Conservative Governments with Cabinets, and Labour Governments with ideas," - J.M. Keynes, in a speech given to the Manchester Reform Club in February 1926.

- from Andrew Sullivan

Kate Hoey for Vauxhall

Nick Clegg’s superb performances in the leaders’ debates on tv gave the electorate a credible ‘change’ candidate, and I hope the Liberal Democrats do well enough to make reform of the UK governing system unstoppable.

Whatever happens, this is I think the most crucial election for ages - a real watershed for the United Kingdom. The collapse of the Western world’s banking system has demonstrated just how voodoo were the voodoo economics introduced by Thatcher and Reagan in the 1980s (and enthusiastically bought into and developed by New Labour).

There was always tension in Labour regards this and Gordon Brown’s response to the crisis showed that Labour’s uneasy relationship with the economic consensus allowed ultimately for a greater flexibility in approach to massive systemic problems. It is clear Brown and Alistair Darling have actually achieved some success here, and I have no doubt that their approach is the correct one as the crisis continues to develop.

By contrast, the Conservatives under David Cameron and George Osborne do not appear to have grasped that the financial crisis has fatally cracked open the whole Thatcherite ideology and show every sign of wanting to repeat the same very damaging policies of Thatcher’s first years in power. Again, I think Brown’s claim that the Conservatives would lead the country back into recession is all too credible.

Labour has come to the end of its term and it is very clear the country does not want Brown as leader. Whatever Labour’s successes in domestic policy, allowing our foreign policy to be set by the Americans has been a disaster, leading us into an illegal war in Iraq and a seemingly unending quagmire in Afghanistan. Both Blair and Brown have introduced, have tried to introduce or are planning to introduce draconian legislation that severely restricts our civil liberties. But I think despite promising to scrap ID cards the Conservatives are likely in time to match New Labour’s disgraceful authoritarian tendency.

The extent of MPs’ greed and corruption was made clear by the revelations in the Telegraph last year. No one came out well, and the worst offenders will be no more after this election. But even in opposition, the Conservatives scored some massive clangers with expenses for moat cleaning, duck houses, etc - with one chap blithely wittering on tv about how his house looked like Balmoral, completely unaware of how the tax-paying electorate viewed this. Other Tory multi-millionaire offspring of inherited wealth seem to think it is perfectly acceptable trying to stand for election to Parliament while maintaining non-dom (non tax-paying) status.

So, together with very many in the country I am hoping for a hung, or balanced, Parliament, which I hope will force the politicians to work together to address the serious issues we as a nation face. I also tend to think that a hung Parliament will arrest our slide into authoritarianism. And I’m not entirely convinced by the economic horror stories the banksters are advancing: rather, a hung Parliament will reinforce the current Labour policy while also bringing forward the necessary banking reforms that only the Lib Dems are proposing now. And even if true, I think the economic issues are not the most important things at stake anyway - our survival as a liberal democracy is.

So, I have decided to vote for our sitting MP Kate Hoey. I like the way despite holding a massive majority she has not taken my vote for granted and has campaigned vigorously. She’s been a great constituency MP, always answering all my letters. Her record in voting against the government on civil liberties issues (and the Iraq War) is utterly exemplary and very brave. Her expenses claims are completely transparent and honest. If we are heading for a hung Parliament, we need as many clear-thinking, independent and forthright individuals as we can get. I am therefore voting for Kate.

Yay!

Yep I'm pretty late but still very pleased and excited by the good news from across the ocean. Hooray for America and here's wishing President Obama all the best!

One sees strange sights on the tube these days . . .

. . . Boris Johnson, 11am on the east-bound circle line at Victoria Station. Surrounded by a gang of suited acolytes, but no obvious tv cameras to be seen.

And in other Boris news, a sad reflection on the state of Google these days:

(click on pic to make bigger)
'yippee Boris wins' arrives at THIS blog?? WTF??!!!

Ok. I promise. This is the very last post I make bemoaning the unfairness that is Boris winning the mayoral elections. Moving on now.

Please not Boris

Please not Boris, originally uploaded by Lerotic.

a desperate plea

. . . and so it came to pass

Ouch!

Poor old Ken. He didn't deserve to go this way.

so how was it for you?

Just as well I voted before work yesterday – afterwards would have been impossible.

I’ve always thought of myself as a decisive voter: not so much this time. At various stages of the campaign all three leading candidates appealed - in the latter stages I hovered between Ken and Brian as my No.1.

Wanted to vote for Ken as frankly he was the best candidate but simultaneously send him a message about Arrogance, al-Qaradawi, Dubious Funding Strategies, 2ce is enough etc etc etc. Didn’t want to be so shallow as to vote for Handsome Gay Hunk Mr Paddick but I think that’s how it turned out in the end:-(

The Election Looms

Last Friday a brochure dropped through the letterbox outlining all the candidates in the forthcoming election.

Yikes. I didn’t realise so many of them are so retrogressive – and I don’t mean Boris Johnson! Really, everyone should vote for someone vaguely respectable, if only to keep some of the dire types out of City Hall.

I’ve watched several of the tv debates and Boris has been quite effective, if not quite his usual charming witty self. He seems to have spent some time in a Cameroonian re-education centre.

Brian Paddick has tried hard but his lack of political expertise has damaged him: I feel he was too eager in debates, and often sank to quite coarse personal attacks, which is an off-putting characteristic.

Which leaves Ken. I feel that he won all the debates I watched – he came across well (relaxed, in command, never defensive) and seemed more on top of detail than the others. Boris’s bendy-bus gimmick was a terrible fiasco.

I’m an extremely counter-cultural voter; I always vote for parties when they are about to lose. Now everyone has gone off Labour I will probably vote for them. I can’t say however that I will cry terribly if Boris wins: it will at the very least be interesting to see what he does. Also, it is true that three terms may well be too much for any individual.

The Triumph of Boris

“It is a unique feat to be the only politician to have prospered in the face of the ferocious opposition of both Thatcher and Blair, the two most powerful Prime Ministers of the past 60 years. So what a miserable end it will be for Ken if his nemesis turns out to be Boris Johnson, priapic cabaret artist and the most hapless host there has been in the history of Have I got News for You.”
- Andrew Rawnsley in The Observer, 6 April 08, trying to encourage Ken to find his mojo.

Quote London

“As Samuel Johnson once said, when a man is tired of London, he slopes off to Henley”
~ Ken Livingstone scoring a direct hit on Boris Johnson. Hooray! Hopefully I was wrong in fearing this would be a boring election. Now Boris just has to release his funny streak.