Thursday, July 8
Wednesday, July 7
"When the US fundamentalists flex their muscles, the rest of the world gets hit".
Announces the Guardian. So what are the Yankee fundis moaning about this time, eh?
"Their latest punching bag is the United Nations Population Fund, known as the UNFPA, which has received a series of body blows from the Bush administration since 2002. With presidential elections looming in November, Washington has stepped up its attacks on the UNFPA in its quest for a few votes more".
Politicians going after votes. Imagine. So what has the UNFPA done exactly to incur the wrath of the bible-bashers?
"it has provided family planning advice and support to China, a country demonised by US fundamentalists for its heavy-handed "one child" policy - so the fund has borne the Christian right's fury".
'Heavy-handed'? Sounds like typical Guardian fantasyland to me. It's never about the minorities for these goons, you know, let alone the people. Really, it's all about the government: the more of it the better.
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Announces the Guardian. So what are the Yankee fundis moaning about this time, eh?
"Their latest punching bag is the United Nations Population Fund, known as the UNFPA, which has received a series of body blows from the Bush administration since 2002. With presidential elections looming in November, Washington has stepped up its attacks on the UNFPA in its quest for a few votes more".
Politicians going after votes. Imagine. So what has the UNFPA done exactly to incur the wrath of the bible-bashers?
"it has provided family planning advice and support to China, a country demonised by US fundamentalists for its heavy-handed "one child" policy - so the fund has borne the Christian right's fury".
'Heavy-handed'? Sounds like typical Guardian fantasyland to me. It's never about the minorities for these goons, you know, let alone the people. Really, it's all about the government: the more of it the better.
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Tuesday, July 6
"my faultlessly liberal colleague".
Yes, it's Aaro, defending the Pollster. BTW that is a neat photo, isn't it? Who'd have thought you'd ever get Polly and the Teletubbies, both on the same page? I mean, I know they're both fans of this sort of thing, but even so.
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Yes, it's Aaro, defending the Pollster. BTW that is a neat photo, isn't it? Who'd have thought you'd ever get Polly and the Teletubbies, both on the same page? I mean, I know they're both fans of this sort of thing, but even so.
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Monday, July 5
In what sense is the New York songbird Patti Smith British, I wonder? And in what sense is the Yazzmonster an intellectual? It can only be the Guardian. It's a useful list, though. Come the Michael Howard Revolution, and the reintroduction of ducking stools...
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Did you know that:
"those with a mental disorder are one of the most marginalised groups in society: they have the lowest employment rate of any group with a disability; and the total of more than 900,000 claiming sickness and disability benefits for mental health conditions is larger now than the total of unemployed on jobseeker's allowance. Many would like to work, but run up against the prejudice of employers". ?
Madeleine Bunting seems to think that this is... well what do you think she thinks? Yes, it's all our fault. And it's time to tighten up the discrimination laws etc etc. Well, I happen to be going on an aeroplane this week. It's bad enough worrying that the pilot might be a member of the Al-Qaeda network. Or even a liberal. But I really do not want to be flown by a bloke who's scared of heights. I mean there are limits. And it isn't my fault, Maddy, that there are all these nutters and loonies out there. So if you want to keep them out of harm's way, why not let them write editorials for the Guardian? Oh sorry, I forgot.
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"those with a mental disorder are one of the most marginalised groups in society: they have the lowest employment rate of any group with a disability; and the total of more than 900,000 claiming sickness and disability benefits for mental health conditions is larger now than the total of unemployed on jobseeker's allowance. Many would like to work, but run up against the prejudice of employers". ?
Madeleine Bunting seems to think that this is... well what do you think she thinks? Yes, it's all our fault. And it's time to tighten up the discrimination laws etc etc. Well, I happen to be going on an aeroplane this week. It's bad enough worrying that the pilot might be a member of the Al-Qaeda network. Or even a liberal. But I really do not want to be flown by a bloke who's scared of heights. I mean there are limits. And it isn't my fault, Maddy, that there are all these nutters and loonies out there. So if you want to keep them out of harm's way, why not let them write editorials for the Guardian? Oh sorry, I forgot.
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Friday, July 2
"What are politicians for?"
Asks Polly Toynbee. Stopping parents smack their kids, apparently.
"This is about changing the culture to send out a clear message against hitting children. Elsewhere, changing the law has changed parents' behaviour and transformed the climate of opinion, just as race and equality laws did here".
In which case everyone should be happy. Yet for some reason, Tony's wimping out on this one, on the grounds that:
"An Englishman's home is a castle where his children are his to chastise. Never mind the complication that these days it's often stepfathers - with horrendous implications".
What does she mean by that? Still, the government shouldn't be shy on this one. It should be screaming proudly from the rooftops.
"Nanny state? Yes, Labour are proud to be the best nannies Britain's children ever had".
Nothing will stop her, will it?
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Asks Polly Toynbee. Stopping parents smack their kids, apparently.
"This is about changing the culture to send out a clear message against hitting children. Elsewhere, changing the law has changed parents' behaviour and transformed the climate of opinion, just as race and equality laws did here".
In which case everyone should be happy. Yet for some reason, Tony's wimping out on this one, on the grounds that:
"An Englishman's home is a castle where his children are his to chastise. Never mind the complication that these days it's often stepfathers - with horrendous implications".
What does she mean by that? Still, the government shouldn't be shy on this one. It should be screaming proudly from the rooftops.
"Nanny state? Yes, Labour are proud to be the best nannies Britain's children ever had".
Nothing will stop her, will it?
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Thursday, July 1
Last year she was only nominated. This year she's won. So what's gonna happen next year? Will they chop off her hands and stick her in a burqa?
( thanks to our Nat, who points out the Guardian's uncharacteristic reticence in not flagging up this media triumph )
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( thanks to our Nat, who points out the Guardian's uncharacteristic reticence in not flagging up this media triumph )
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Jackie Ashley:
"We are all going to die, but we all hope to grow old first. That means we all need people to keep earning to fund our pensions, to be there to care for us, to keep our streets safe and our cities clean. And that in turn means we need a workforce that uses all its talent. People in No 10, I hear, are still struggling for "big ideas" for the election. Here's one, right in front of their noses".
Okay, so what's the big idea? A clampdown on smoking? The end of Council Tax? Another tube strike? Nope, it's equality. But not just old-fashioned old equality, this is new, 21st century-style equality.
"No, I'm not joking". She reminds us ( in case we thought this was satire, I suppose ) explaining that:
"Now equality is less about tax and more about giving women, minority ethnic groups, disabled people and gay people rights and muscle in the labour market. It is still about money and power - 70% of people in ethnic minorities live in Britain's most deprived urban areas and the yawning pay gap between men and women has been unchanged for a generation - but it is less about class".
Well it would be, wouldn't it? It really wasn't so long ago that the Labour Party was the working-class party. Now, it seems, it's given up on the proles. I wonder what happens, ten or so years from now, when we get a bunch of finger-wagging Even Newer Labour politicians, who have decided that the women and the gays and the disabled are all a bit of a let-down, really, all things considered. 'To think of all we've done for them, and they still vote Tory'. Who will their soggy compassionism turn to next, after that? White middle class males, no doubt.
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"We are all going to die, but we all hope to grow old first. That means we all need people to keep earning to fund our pensions, to be there to care for us, to keep our streets safe and our cities clean. And that in turn means we need a workforce that uses all its talent. People in No 10, I hear, are still struggling for "big ideas" for the election. Here's one, right in front of their noses".
Okay, so what's the big idea? A clampdown on smoking? The end of Council Tax? Another tube strike? Nope, it's equality. But not just old-fashioned old equality, this is new, 21st century-style equality.
"No, I'm not joking". She reminds us ( in case we thought this was satire, I suppose ) explaining that:
"Now equality is less about tax and more about giving women, minority ethnic groups, disabled people and gay people rights and muscle in the labour market. It is still about money and power - 70% of people in ethnic minorities live in Britain's most deprived urban areas and the yawning pay gap between men and women has been unchanged for a generation - but it is less about class".
Well it would be, wouldn't it? It really wasn't so long ago that the Labour Party was the working-class party. Now, it seems, it's given up on the proles. I wonder what happens, ten or so years from now, when we get a bunch of finger-wagging Even Newer Labour politicians, who have decided that the women and the gays and the disabled are all a bit of a let-down, really, all things considered. 'To think of all we've done for them, and they still vote Tory'. Who will their soggy compassionism turn to next, after that? White middle class males, no doubt.
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Wednesday, June 30
