Friday favourite 101

From 15 years ago, the Manic Street Preachers first number one and the longest title of any number one in history (without brackets)...

A song that I felt at the time was relevant to the betrayals of the then Blair government - and  given the betrayal of this week well worth repeating.

Beeching report 50 years on

On 27 March 1963, Reshaping Britain's Railways was published - otherwise known as the Beeching Report.  So by way of commemoration here are (Michael) Flanders and (Donald) Swann with 'Slow Train' which runs through some of the stations that were axed as a result of Beeching.  The BBC's economics correspondent, Stephanie Flanders, is the daughter of Michael Flanders.

Secret courts to go ahead after amendments fail

Oh well - several more Lib Dems will no doubt be considering their positions as a result.

So who's left from 2010 for Clegg to piss off now?

Edit - following an idea from Roger Crouch, tomorrow I will be phoning the membership department asking them to change my membership subscription to the minimum.

Essex flapjack row - the Health and Safety Exec speak out

The Beeb reports an HSE spokesperson:

"We often come across half-baked decisions taken in the name of health and safety, but this one takes the biscuit.

"The real issue isn't what shape the flapjacks are, but the fact that pupils are throwing them at each other - and that's a matter of discipline, and has got nothing to do with health and safety as we know it.

"We're happy to make clear that flapjacks of all shapes and sizes continue to have our full backing."

It's not too late to lobby Peers on secret courts

The House of Lords votes tomorrow on the Justice and Security Bill and various amendements have been tabled to try to and undo the most illiberal parts of the bill.  Lib Dems against secret courts have helpfully provided a template letter that can be can download here and sent to Lib Dem (and Crossbench peers) - whose votes might just make the difference.

Friday favourite 100

It's my 100th favourite so here's the Who with their original line up with Baba O'Riley from the mid 70s.

An interesting take on the budget from Labour

Labour Uncut says the real winner of the budget is Nick Clegg...

Liberal MPs pop singles are nothing new

Transport Minister and Lewes's Lib Dem MP, Norman Baker has received much publicity for his band's debut single - the Kinksesque 'Piccadilly Circus'.

But he's not the first Liberal MP to seek chart success.  In 1981 then Liberal Leader, David Steel, teamed up with Scots musician Jesse Rae to cut I Feel Liberal-Alright! 


I haven't been able to track down the track in its entirety - but there is some YouTube footage of HIGNFY featuring both Steel and I Feel Liberal-Alright!   And it's nowhere near as bad as it should have been.

Press regulator to cover blogs?

In all the publicity about the all party agreement on a new press regulator, the detail of the actual proposal has been somewhat overlooked.  Here's what the draft Royal Charter says (Schedule 4):

(b) “relevant publisher” means a person (other than a broadcaster) who publishes in the United Kingdom:

i.a newspaper or magazine containing news related material, or

ii. a website containing newsrelated material (whether or not related to a newspaper or magazine);

...
d) a person “publishes in the United Kingdom” if the publication takes place in the United Kingdom or is targeted primarily at an audience in the United Kingdom;

 

e) “news related material” means:

i. news or information about current affairs;

ii.opinion about matters relating to the news or current affairs; or

iii.gossip about celebrities, other public figures or other persons in the news

 

It's clear that bloggers would fall within the regulators remit (as indeed could your local Focus Editor) - so let's hope that the whatever 'statutory underpinning' emerges after the parliamentary debate clarifies who exactly is being regulated - because if it does involve bloggers I expect the new regulator will be kept very busy dealing with trivia.

Friday favourite 99

It's Red Nose Day, so here's what 'One Way or Another' should sound like.