Yesterday I blogged about Donald Trump's destruction of Balmedie beach in Aberdeenshire. The fantastic Jonathan Meades - one of the UK's unsung liberal heroes - of course got there before me.
His 2009 film series 'Off Kilter' included an evisceration of Trump's plans and the complicity of the local council and Alex Salmond. It also contains one of the best (and rudest) insults against Trump's bizarre hair.
I found it on YouTube's 'Meades Shrine' - thanks to Liberal England and I'd heartily recommend exploring their archive of his wonderful films.
Anyway if you want to see what Meades says about the Trump development without whiling away several evenings on architecture and religion. Watch this (the Trump stuff is around 3mins 15secs):
30 June 2011
29 June 2011
You've been trumped
One of the most shameful decisions by a Lib Dem council group was that by those running Aberdeenshire. In 2008 they backed the avaricious American property tycoon (and employer of some of the most creative hairdressers in the world) - Donald Trump - to tear up acres of pristine beach at Balmedie, north of Aberdeen, to create an exclusive golf resort for his millionaire chums.
The decision split the Lib Dem group and allowed the SNP government to slip off the hook when the decision was called in and endorsed by Alex Salmond. However a protest movement called Tripping up Trump have filled the gap left by local Lib Dem complicity.
Tripping up Trump have run an excellent campaign - highlighting the bully boy tactics used by Trump and his threatening of compulsory purchase of elderly residents' homes. The campaign looks like it might just succeed with the announcement last week that Trump's plans were being put on hold.
They have produced an award winning documentary which they plan to screen in New York:
But they need support to do so. So if you want to find out more about the campaign you can do here. And if you want to donate to their fund to screen the film in New York click here.
The decision split the Lib Dem group and allowed the SNP government to slip off the hook when the decision was called in and endorsed by Alex Salmond. However a protest movement called Tripping up Trump have filled the gap left by local Lib Dem complicity.
Tripping up Trump have run an excellent campaign - highlighting the bully boy tactics used by Trump and his threatening of compulsory purchase of elderly residents' homes. The campaign looks like it might just succeed with the announcement last week that Trump's plans were being put on hold.
They have produced an award winning documentary which they plan to screen in New York:
But they need support to do so. So if you want to find out more about the campaign you can do here. And if you want to donate to their fund to screen the film in New York click here.
27 June 2011
And so the defections start #2
The row over Hearts backing Craig Thomson, who has just been placed on the sex offenders register for five years for inappropriate behaviour towards two girls aged 12 and 14 continues.
I blogged that it was time for decent Hearts fans to take back their club, but it's clear that some are even contemplating going one step further and defecting to the green side.
Welcome aboard James.
I blogged that it was time for decent Hearts fans to take back their club, but it's clear that some are even contemplating going one step further and defecting to the green side.
Welcome aboard James.
'Gaddafi's circle getting smaller ...'
So says the Libyan rebel defence minister Jalal al-Dgheli who told the Beeb, "What we're learning from defectors is Gaddafi's inner circle is getting smaller by the day”
And by way of photographic evidence I believe this may show just how small his inner circle has become:
And by way of photographic evidence I believe this may show just how small his inner circle has become:
25 June 2011
How to destroy your reputation in one easy lesson...
Heart of Midlothian FC were taken over by Lithuanian based Russian gangster Vladimir Romanov in 2005. Since then he has initiated a campaign to destroy the reputation of one of the UK's oldest football clubs (and the second best team in Edinburgh).
He has employed the old KGB interrogation tactic of building supporters up with the marquee signings of footballers that the club cannot afford then crushing them with the sacking of popular and successful managers. This has been accompanied by public statements of a bizarre nature attacking the Scottish football authorities. Meanwhile he has built up a debt of nearly £40 million for the club.
Hearts reputation was therefore somewhat further tarnished when their under 21 international defender Craig Thomson was found guilty of sending pictures of his naked member to girls aged 12 and 14 on Facebook. In most organisations this would probably be considered a sackable offence, but not at mad Vlad's Hearts. They issued an apology from him, followed by this statement - which appears to claim there is a mafia conspiracy against the club and the girls forced Thomson to do it. If it wasn't so insulting to the victims it might be laughable.
It is clear it is now time for the SFA to take action - Romanov is not a 'fit and proper' person to run a bath - let alone a football club - and he must be removed from his position. Decent Hearts fans - like those of AFC Wimbledon and Swansea should accept the consequences that may mean their club will have to be reformed and start again at a much lower level. But that is surely a better position to be at than to bully victims of crime while defending the dubious behaviour of sex offenders.
He has employed the old KGB interrogation tactic of building supporters up with the marquee signings of footballers that the club cannot afford then crushing them with the sacking of popular and successful managers. This has been accompanied by public statements of a bizarre nature attacking the Scottish football authorities. Meanwhile he has built up a debt of nearly £40 million for the club.
Hearts reputation was therefore somewhat further tarnished when their under 21 international defender Craig Thomson was found guilty of sending pictures of his naked member to girls aged 12 and 14 on Facebook. In most organisations this would probably be considered a sackable offence, but not at mad Vlad's Hearts. They issued an apology from him, followed by this statement - which appears to claim there is a mafia conspiracy against the club and the girls forced Thomson to do it. If it wasn't so insulting to the victims it might be laughable.
It is clear it is now time for the SFA to take action - Romanov is not a 'fit and proper' person to run a bath - let alone a football club - and he must be removed from his position. Decent Hearts fans - like those of AFC Wimbledon and Swansea should accept the consequences that may mean their club will have to be reformed and start again at a much lower level. But that is surely a better position to be at than to bully victims of crime while defending the dubious behaviour of sex offenders.
24 June 2011
Friday favourite 12 - ukele nutters
This is one of the greatest musical creations ever. Sugarbabes eat your heart out...
23 June 2011
Why sentencing policy is irrelevant
Ken Clarke has taken a lot of stick for his proposals - unceremoniously dumped earlier this week - to offer larger discounts from jail sentences for those offenders who plead guilty.
The proposals were dropped as part of a new 'get tough' package by PM David Cameron which included various tabloid friendly headlines about making prisoners work harder and longer.
But it really doesn't matter because the vast majority of crime in the country goes undetected and the perpetrators unpunished. According to Home Office figures (which unsurprisingly are somewhat difficult to find on their website), in 2009/10 just 28% of all crimes reported in England and Wales were successfully solved by the police.
For violent crimes against the person the police solve 44% of cases, just 24% of rape cases, 16% of house burglary and just 11% of vehicle crime.
So until the police can actually start catching criminals - how the courts sentence them won't matter. Deterrence by punitive sentencing doesn't work when criminals know they have a60% 70% chance of getting away with it.
This is a huge opportunity for Lib Dems in government to move the debate onto more liberal territory. So it's time for Lynne Featherstone and Tom McNally to start the debate about effective policing and crime prevention, rather than allowing the Tories to rehash stale headlines about jail sentences.
The proposals were dropped as part of a new 'get tough' package by PM David Cameron which included various tabloid friendly headlines about making prisoners work harder and longer.
But it really doesn't matter because the vast majority of crime in the country goes undetected and the perpetrators unpunished. According to Home Office figures (which unsurprisingly are somewhat difficult to find on their website), in 2009/10 just 28% of all crimes reported in England and Wales were successfully solved by the police.
For violent crimes against the person the police solve 44% of cases, just 24% of rape cases, 16% of house burglary and just 11% of vehicle crime.
So until the police can actually start catching criminals - how the courts sentence them won't matter. Deterrence by punitive sentencing doesn't work when criminals know they have a
This is a huge opportunity for Lib Dems in government to move the debate onto more liberal territory. So it's time for Lynne Featherstone and Tom McNally to start the debate about effective policing and crime prevention, rather than allowing the Tories to rehash stale headlines about jail sentences.
22 June 2011
More evidence of Labour's ethical foreign policy comes to light
Three months of protests over the continued misrule of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad resulting have led to an estimated 1,300 civilian deaths. With the regime showing little sign of bowing to democratic demands more blood is likely to be spilled.
But with blood on his hands one wonders who in the west might be able to broker some sort of deal? Step forward Tony Blair - whose ethical foreign policy was such an inspiration to all those Arab pro-democracy movements he carefully nurtured during his time in office...
Olympic football farce
As if the London Olympics didn't have any more troubles to seek after the ticketing fiasco, they've been caught out lying about a UK football team participating at 2012 as the Beeb reports.
One might be accused of cynicism to suggest that hyping up a non-existent 'historic agreement' might be connected to the fact that 1.7 million tickets for the Olympic football - a tournament of dubious quality and limited interest - go on sale on Friday...
One might be accused of cynicism to suggest that hyping up a non-existent 'historic agreement' might be connected to the fact that 1.7 million tickets for the Olympic football - a tournament of dubious quality and limited interest - go on sale on Friday...
18 June 2011
Friday favourite 11
Returned home from an interesting evening turned on BBC4 to see some great Glastonbury coverage of Pulp from 1995 - the lost part of the Britpop triumverate that helped propel Tony Blair to power in 1997.
Jarvis Cocker was always the most worldly wise song writer and the best showman. And his intro to this song is probably one of the best messages about drugs you could imagine:
Jarvis Cocker was always the most worldly wise song writer and the best showman. And his intro to this song is probably one of the best messages about drugs you could imagine:
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