Living on words review of the year

It's Hogmanay, so it's time to look back on 2011. So in the tradition of all good topical TV and radio programmes (and cos it's cheap and requires little creative input), here's my review of 2011.

In January I had lunch with Cicero and we discussed Estonia's flat tax and what it might mean if introduced in the UK. The post recieved more comments than any other during the year.

In February some misguided Lib Dems decided to work with Labour - here was my response

In March I suggested an alternative to Lembit Opik as Lib Dem candidate for London Mayor - only to be rebuffed two weeks later.

April saw the death of one of the country's finest footballers of the 40s and 50s - Eddie Turnbull - remembered here and also by the BBC on the oxymoronic Sports Personality of the Year.

There was a glimmer of hope for British liberalism in May - despite the Lib Dem rout at the local elections and the catastrophic failure of the AV campaign. In Brockworth, Glos, the cheese rollers went ahead with their annual festival despite the attentions of the local constabulary.

In June it was no surprise that the MP who had issued a superinjunction was litigious chip off the old block - Zac Goldsmith.

July saw reactionary blogger, Guido Fawkes, lose what little credibility as a serious political player evaporate as he promoted a pro-hanging petition.

In August Edinburgh's tram project was on, then it was off and then it was on again.

September saw the party conference season and my advice to Nick Clegg was, needless to say, not taken up.

In October the Libyan uprising reached its grisly conclusion, despite some high profile support for the ex-dictator.

As the campaign for the Coombe Vale by-election hotted up in November, this blog wondered whether Zac Goldsmith would make good his promises to the Electoral Commission to reuse items he'd failed to declare the full cost for at the general election.

In December Ed Miliband received a verbal dagger, that would have made him wonder who his friends were.

Happy New Year and see you all again in 2012.

Guido Fawkes - hypocrite or stupid?

The one thing that kept many liberals reading the increasingly strident and reactionary Guido Fawkes blog was that he claimed to be some sort of libertarian and stood up against vested interests and corruption.

However, his latest campaign (if it really warrants the name) is to reintroduce hanging and he hopes to force the government to have a debate by getting 100,000 names on his petition.

Aside from the cant and hubris in his belief that his website is some sort of moral crusade - his campaign does two things:

Firstly, it confirms Paul Staines and his side kicks are simply just right wing reactionaries whose claims of political neutrality are now simply ludicrous.

Secondly, it exposes his huge hypocrisy. For a site that claims to be libertarian, distrustful of government (of all types) and in favour of a smaller state - campaigning to increase the state's power over the ultimate - life and death - and at the same ignore its ability to get things wrong shows a stunning level of hypocrisy/stupidity (delete as appropriate).

So when Staines fails either to get the signatures needed, or the debate, or loses the debate (which he will if it gets that far) - it will send out a clear message that self important right wing loons - of both the tea party in the US and of the Staines variety in the UK are part of the problem - not the solution.

Oh and if you want evidence of his self importance - enjoy this:

The incredible shrinking credibility of Guido Fawkes

Chris Huhne is in trouble. There is an ongoing police investigation into allegations over his speeding penalties and whether someone else took the rap for them which will end his political career if proved accurate.

So why then is right wing smearmeister Paul Staines (AKA the self importantly monikered Guido Fawkes) trying desperately to pin allegations of election expenses misdeeds as well?

As Mark Pack has pointed out the lack of evidence for these bizarre allegations is now reaching the stage of hilarity as Staines and his sidekick, Harry Cole, continue to clutch at the smallest of straws of evidence - with ludicrous assertions that a council meeting about a cycle path represented some sort of crisis summit for Huhne.

Staines made his reputation as one of the earliest political bloggers - a sort of on-line Private Eye - exposing politicians who were on the take regardless of their politics - but soon descended into the right wing spleen venting and conspiracy theory promoting beloved of right wing US talk radio. His assertions that his blog is somehow apolitical and only concerned with corruption and the misdeeds of the rich and powerful of all political persuasions is given the lie by the labels he gives to the articles he publishes. By his own categorisation of articles he has 32 Labour politicians, six Liberal Democrats and just 12 Tories (which includes a gushing article - also in the 'tottywatch' category - about SamCam and various paeans to 'Maggie').

It's clear he's now just another right wing cheerleader. His conceit is to pretend he is somehow important or influential - when in reality he's just another muckraker.

Here's when it all became apparent. It's just a surprise he's been able to get away with it for so long.