The British Wildcats website is a front for the BNP. Hands up anyone who is surprised? Anyone?

* wind howls *

* tumbleweed bowls past *

* bell tolls in distance *

... Anyone?

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Funeral went as well as these things ever do. I stood in the doorway handing out song sheets, and the crem was packed out. The humanist celebrant was really lovely, and Unc kindly put some money behind the bar at the wake. So I had a couple of brandies and watched my brothers and cousins (who had carried the coffin) take turns in seeing who was worst at pool.

I saw some people I haven't seen since I was a baby, and had lots of hugs. It was a bit odd that the processional as we walked in was the same music that Edward G Robinson gets euthanased to in Soylent Green, but I suspect Nan would have grinned at my slight discomfiture at that. She certainly would have grinned at the various moments of inappropriate humour.

Things feel much less limbo-y now.

Yesterday in the pub, conversation was revolving around the leaked BNP membership list. The range of views ran the gamut, and it was interesting to watch. The scary bit? One of the guys, who I won't name, said Well, you know me, I'm not racist, and don't want this country to go back to the fifties, but I voted for them in the last council elections. Now this is a fairly enlightened guy, and there was some surprise at this statement. He was asked why, and replied because they said they'd sort out the car parking at the hospital.

This leads me to make an astonishing statement of my own. Hazel Blears is right.

Cthulhu, I feel dirty for saying that. Of course, whether her fine words about handing power back to local communities will turn out to be anything more than a sop (computer says mostly no, having looked at her proposals on the subject) is another matter...

I was oddly of the belief that none of this needed saying, but apparently it does.

I do not condone violence. I do not condone the persecution of people based on their political beliefs, or those of their parents. Although I have seen the BNP membership list, I do not intend to take any action based on that, and nor do I propose that others should do so. I am fully aware of human nature, though, and realise that others might take violent action if they found the names of people nearby to them on the list. I did not link to the list for those reasons.

The reason I found the publication of the list to be ironic was because for years the BNP have been behind Redwatch. This was therefore them having done to them what they have been doing to others for years, and the fact that it was done from the inside by a disgruntled former BNPer comes as no surprise whatsoever.

I hope that clarifies things for people who are going around saying that I want to see children firebombed in their beds.

As you've probably heard from elsewhere by now (thanks, LJ Server Move Day!), some bright spark has put the entire membership of the Bastard Nazi Party, names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, occupations, EVERYTHING online. Oh dear. Apparently the poor little dears are quaking in their boots because someone might find out that they are funding a racist, evil, nasty little party. I know I should be railing about the loss of privacy etc., but really? I am having a hard time not cracking out in the full Sid James.

Following his publication of a blog on My Torygraph, Richard Barnbrook has been interviewed by the Indy. It says a lot for how incoherent he is (read his blog if you don't believe me) that Ross Logan (the journalist) has to do so much work to stitch his words together to form them into sentences. I also like the way that Logan uses Barnbrook's own words and the BNP's own manifesto to illustrate the inconsistencies and unpalatable policies that the BNP would rather were not shouted about in public.

On the whole, I think Barnbrook comes out of this looking rather less abhorrent than he does from his own blog, though. Which begs the question:

Poll #1197478 Tactics to use against the BNP
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 20

As far as the BNP is concerned, it is best to:

Oh Lordy. The biggest can o'worms in the world has been opened on the Torygraph's free public blogs. Y'see, anyone who wants to can go and set one up. Guess who has set one up? Lovely Richard "I'm not a racist I just want to preserve our purity" Barnbrook. And he's spouting the usual BNP claptrap, which is only to be expected... Cue the enraged squeals from people saying how can the Telegraph give this man a platform!!!

Myself, I am most amused. Not only does the whole world now get to see what an inarticulate and ill-informed wanker Barnbrook is, but the Torygraph have a massive PR problem on their hands. See, the thing is, even though they ARE free public blogs, and anyone can set one up (Mat is in the process of doing so as I type just to prove it, and bitching about how horrible it is to use), it does kind of look like they endorse Barnbrook's frantic fascist fruggings. So, if they continue to host it, they are endorsing the BNP (as a fair number of their readers appear to be doing, by the comments), and if they take it down, they are trampling on freedom of speech and look terrible as a result...

Win/win, y/y?

Seriously, this is just another case of the MSM totally misunderstanding the blogosphere whilst trying to muscle in on it, and I think it's hilarious. I'd love to be a fly on the wall at Torygraph Towers when they try to decide what to do about this...

Firstly, PHD Comics, as innerbrat says, sometimes gets so close to the bone that it hurts.

My ambition for right now? Be able to make the rent this month.

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This blog entry made me cry. I have friends who have been through this, who GO through this, every day. I don't think I could, and will continue to fight for their right not to have to. Greek islanders notwithstanding.

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Nadine Dorries is evil and must be stopped. When I discovered I was pregnant with shrublette, I was already 19 weeks. This was mostly because I didn't believe that I could be pregnant, given that I was religiously agnostically taking the contraceptive pill, and had a very, um, sporadic sex life with my then partner. If Dorries had her way, I would have had no choice at that stage (because, lets face it, getting the NHS to act in less than a week? NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN). I do not in any way regret the choice that I made, but am none the less glad that the choice was there.

Well, luckily there is a campaign going. Lets all support it, eh?

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freddiefraggles makes an interesting point about role models:

As discussed here, there aren't that many women role models for girls who might be interested in a career in technology or engineering. Goodness knows, in this day and age where parents can often be behind the times and like to nudge their children in the right direction, more prolific women in I.T. and engineering could be a good thing.

But I don't understand why girls need female role models. In anything. Why can't girls aspire to male role models? Why shouldn't I admire someone like Lance Armstrong or Brian May? Goodness knows there aren't better role models in their areas, male or female.

So why do people (the media, the general public) presume that girls and young women can only relate to and look up to other women for careers and their ambitions? Well, I believe it's because they're still discriminating, even if it's subconscious. Boys can only do techie jobs and building and must look up to male role models, and girls can only do caring jobs and office jobs and must look up to female role models. What a load of codswallop.

I agree wholeheartedly. I am particularly proud to have among my friends the glorious strangefrontier, who wrote to the famed misogynist Patrick Moore to thank him for inspiring her to become a scientist. :D

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Several people have recently blogged about the nonsensical and counterproductive No Platform stance which is given to the BNP, and the strange fruit (yes, I am aware of the connotations of this term, and it was chosen deliberately) it has borne on the GLA, including the alternately brilliant and infuriating Johann Hari.

I have been banging on about this for ages. Enforcing No Platform gives the BNP ammunition when they claim to be the voice of the disenfranchised. It gives them a mystique, and lets them look hard done by. Censorship never changes minds, but the light of day can. For one thing, it might help prevent idiocies like the two consecutive comments on the Hari article - one from an immigrant (has he actually READ the BNP's constitution?) and one from someone who claims to be an investment banker (has he looked at their "costed policies"?). Let Nick Griffin by skewered by Paxo. Properly. Like Michael Howard was. Let the BNP show themselves up for the tossers they are, and then see if anyone wants to vote for them, rather than lending them the mystique of oppression.

Also, can people stop calling them far right? They aren't right wing. They're old labour with added racism.

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This reminds me. Need to put the Creative Commons thing on here...

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News for Radio Four folk: the fustercluckery on Sunday was particularly counterproductive, given this interesting little snippet (thanks burkesworks!). Who would have suspected that large numbers of goths listen to radio four, apart from the poor producer who has had to sift through all the outraged emails this week... palecast has more on this.

>:D

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And finally...

Which Leage Of Gentlemen Character are you?

You are most like Papa Lazarou! I'm not sure what this means, just stay away from me... Take this quiz! Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Council elections

A lot of the country has turned blue. I am with all the commentators who are saying that this is mainly a vote against Labour than for the Tories, but join paulatpingu in his concern that my own party have not capitalised more on the massive disaffection with the governing party.

Best post on this? If the political parties were furries... by ash1977law - although I would paint the Lib Dems as fluffy bunny lovers, rather than cat lovers (in both senses of the term fluffy bunny).

London Mayor and GLA

Am unable to summon a huge amount of smugness that I was right, due to the fact that I was right. Reactions on my f-list range from gently optimistic resignation, to Oh fuck, we're all doomed to ha haha haha I live in Scotland and can point and laugh with impunity ahahahahahaha. Nobody (yet) seems to be hugely pleased. I'm leaning towards the well, he's BOUND to cock up, and that will hurt the Tories at the next general election position. While I think there is something in publicansdecoy's stance that at the end of the day, the people have spoken, and anyway it's not the apocalypse, I worry that bagfish (here) and tyrell (here) are closer to the truth than him.

I also worry that there seems to be a conspicuous silence about the Bastard Nazi Party getting a seat on the GLA - the honourable exceptions being Lynne Featherstone MP and my dear friend Cllr Jon Ball of Ealing, (whose dismay way conveyed by text message and sadly can't be linked to). Last night someone in the pub was holding forth about how brilliant the BNP are in a very loud voice. Obviously, I argued (to the extent that one can at work) but it's profoundly depressing that anyone thinks that the BNP's ideas are anything other than horrible, inhuman, and badly thought-out/costed.

Best post on this? We don't actually know who we have elected... by tyrell - lets hope it's someone like Ken Clarke rather than someone like Mad Nad, eh?

The BBC's coverage

Was horrendous. As I said in my twitter liveblog (visible to friends only, here), in amongst various other comments,

# 23:39 Oh God... who let Germy Vine loose on the swingometer? #
# 00:13 is adding Germy Vine to the "people who will be first up against the wall when the revolution comes" list #
# 00:25 I reckon the plot to assassinate Vine should start here. I think he actually has negative charisma: he sucks it out of other people too... #
# 02:49 wants to hug Vince having to put up with stupid Jeremy Vine.

Big applause for Alix for actually pointing out live on air how awful the blogosphere thought Vine was, even if Emily Maitliss did try and stop her.

Unity's post (what can you say about Tessa Jowell, other than that at least she’s not Hazel Blears) is a good summary, (although those of you with an aversion to frothing invective might like to read Sunny's more measured condemnation at Liberal Conspiracy) and you can see the outrage outfold as it happened on Alix Mortimer's blog and Liberal Conspiracy. It was clearly a case of the BBC deciding what would happen, and commissioning their graphics and scripts accordingly, and then carrying blithely on when reality proves to be slightly different from their prediction. Alix is justifiably smug about her entirely correct prediction that even a fairly solid vote share is being painted as abject failure by the Beeb.

I don't necessarily agree with Nick that we should be delighted, but we've nothing to be upset about, really. We should have done better, but it's not surprising that we didn't, and at least we haven't done worse.

Best post on this? Nathaniel Tapley just doesn't care any more, at Liberal Conspiracy.

Other random comment

Am listening to the radio as I type this, and Vince is on Any Questions. Oh Great Cthulhu, for a world in which Vince was running the country. He hasn't said a single thing I disagree with yet, and he's said it all with wit and élan. ILU VINCE!

Other times, things give me hope. The very existence of Imaan gives me hope, for example. YAY tolerance!

Also, the very existence of innerbrat gives me hope, because while she's around making wise and thoughtful and thought-provoking posts like this one (see here for background), the world is a better place for just having her in it.

Ever been raped?
Know someone who has been raped?
Ever voiced an opinion on the topic of rape?

Read that post. If it were up to me it'd be put in the national curriculum.

In completely non-political news, my friend Imogen has signed up for LJ, but she can't work out how to add me to her f-list (you know, silly me, having a comm for my public blog and all) so this paragraph is just to say OI! IMOGEN! COMMENT ON THIS POST!! because once you do that I can friend you and it's all good ;)

With thanks to innerbrat for flagging this up; the Evening Standard and the Daily Hate are both running an article by Andrew Gilligan (yes, that Andrew Gilligan) about a reprehensible, hate-filled scumbag who has been posting the most vile opinions on a blog entitled "Sir John Bull". His name is Nick Erikson. He's a former Tory and now a "senior member of the BNP". His charming views include the idea that To suggest that rape, when conducted without violence, is a serious crime is like suggesting that force feeding a woman chocolate cake is a heinous offence. A woman would be more inconvenienced by having her handbag snatched.

The scariest thing is not that this idiot holds these views, but that there are a small but significant minority of men who agree with him (see the comments on his blog, if you can stomach it): that men, especially white men, are repressed by modern society and modern women. It's a pernicious idea, legitimised by the BBC in their recent "white" season.

When are we going to grow up as a species, and get past the idea that some behaviours are only appropriate for one or other gender, one or other race, one or other class? A behaviour is either acceptable or twattish, and that's determined solely by the how, not the who. Sometimes evolution seems so painfully slow...

And speaking of grown-up: this April Fool on amazon made me giggle.

Via von_geisterhand (again): Penn and Teller's Bullshit has an episode on profanity (which really does contain lots of swearing) in which Penn Jilette and his silent partner give idiot pro-censorship types just enough rope to hang themselves. If you've got half an hour to spare this fine Sunday, have a skeg at this, (especially if you're the anonymous commenter from my last post who felt the need to censor him/herself on the word "bloody". Assuming you've found the font size setting on your browser, and can read this, anyway). Watch for the cute little doggie in part one.

Part one:



Link: http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=ojEpASQi_7o

Part two:



Link: http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=C61mC-d8vFA

Part three:



Link: http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=20EPn4hOrR4

von_geisterhand says in their post:

One slightly more philosophical point that does not get covered in this is that those who wish to limit the range of your verbal expression are essentially trying to also limit the range of your emotions and ideas. If this sounds a little bit like the efforts of the government in "1984", that is because it basically is. An emotion/concept/idea which cannot be expressed in speech will find it very hard to spread in the population.

Penn does obliquely refer to this, if not explicitly. Lots of the talking heads skirt around it too. Really, what it boils down to is this: a state which says that you cannot use some words because they might offend somebody is garnering power that it should not have. If you don't like the words that someone uses, tell them you don't like their words. This is the beauty of free speech: if EVERYONE has it then nobody can force you to not be heard.

In this regard I completely agree with Rowan Atkinson, and what he said when he was campaigning against SOCPA and the Racial and Religious Hatred Act. He said that in my view the right to offend is far more important than any right not to be offended. The right to ridicule is far more important to society than any right not to be ridiculed because one, in my view, represents openness - and the other represents oppression. And he's completely right. Completely and absolutely correct.

I have things that offend me, everyone does. Religious fundamentalists offend me. Hazel Blears offends me. The BNP offend me. But I don't want to ban any of those things. I want to debate them. I want to drag them kicking and screaming into the full light of day and make sure everyone can see their flaws, their inconsistencies, their lies, and their stupidities. I abhor the "no platform" stance lots of people take to the BNP. If you don't allow the BNP to speak publicly, you give them power. Paranoid tinfoil hat wearers will see this censorship and say to themselves Well, there must be something in it, or They wouldn't be trying to shut them up. The proper response to people like the BNP is to let them spout their illogical claptrap in public, pick out all the logical inconsistencies, hold them up for everyone to see, and then point and laugh.

Freedom of speech is important. It's important for big things like racism and homophobia and sexism, but it's also important for little things like the right to say "fuckety bollocks" when you stub your toe without fear of being arrested. To curtail the right to swear in public because somebody might get offended is to erode our right to protest, to express our feelings, to engage with society in a meaningful way. So next time you hear someone swear, don't bemoan the decline and fall of civilisation. Be glad that you live in a society where people can freely express ideas, even if they are ideas that other people don't like.

It's a beautiful thing. You cunts.

So, the fingerprint reader on my new laptop is pants. It's a tiny little thing about the half an inch by an eighth of an inch, if not even smaller than that, over which you are supposed to "swipe" your finger. Inevitably, you can never get exactly the same bit of finger to swipe over the thing, and thus it doesn't recognise that it's the same finger. I had visions of one of those little boxes with a blue light in it that would wash over my finger, like in the films. So far I haven't got the bloody thing to register a single finger.

However, this minor frustration is as nothing compared to the joy of this news story. Words cannot express how happy and joyous I feel at watching the BNP tearing itself to pieces.

In other news, I won the politicalbetting.com competition for predicting the result of the Lib Dem leadership contest, but wasn't even in the top ten on Lib Dem Voice. This is not because Lib Dem insiders were any more accurate than me about the percentage of the vote each candidate would get - au contraire, I was tied for accuracy with Paul Clark - It's just that LDV threw turnout into the mix, and I was wildly out on turnout. Predictably, LDV is the one that had a prize, and PB is just bragging rights.

* rolleyes *

As my daddy says: if I fell into a barrel of tits I'd come out sucking my thumb.

The landlady of the pub I work in is called Liz. Liz rocks. She's a lovely, kind-hearted, generous lady, but she takes shit from nobody. Example:

Tonight we had the mummers in. Every year, around about this time, they tour the local pubs doing a traditional folk play. They get paid in beer (and sing traditional wassailing songs while they do it) and collect money for charity. This year they were collecting for Alzheimer's research (for Pterry).

Part of the play is a fight between St George and an Arabian, which got one of the men who was in drinking rather excited. ( cut for expletives )

... really, REALLY happy...

It's watching the BNP implode up it's own arsehole. Everybody point and laugh now, please. (with thanks to the lovely burkesworks for pointing the hilarity out)

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Vince Cable Watch

Vince maintains a dignified silence over which candidate he's voting for, unlike some * coughcoughSimonHughescough *

Of course, the knowledge that Simon is voting Nick could be as off-putting to some segments of the party as it is attractive to others...