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Early reports state he died exhaustion after being over-worked over the past year, and that his over-use had voided his warranty. He will be sorely missed - by President Obama.
So a couple of IT kids set up BorisWatch on Friday 2nd May"Registered on: 03-May-2008" in an attempt to, let's use a block quote here because this is rich;
Enhance the accountability of the new London mayoralty
Fine. Good. Some self-styled ombudsman with a religio-capitalist (Ed: Uh, what) agenda have decided it's up to them to shed some light on the Boris Johnson regime. Editor Nadir Jeewa admits to having been a part of Hizb-ut-Tahrir, "an international pan-Islamist, Sunni, vanguard political party whose goal is to combine all Muslim countries in a unitary Islamic state or caliphate, ruled by Islamic law and with a caliph head of state elected by Muslims". Delightful! While Tom Barry, the "scruffy IT guy working for a major ISP (Virgin, I'm guessing)," was called in 2008 by Andrew Gilligan,
one tireless Johnson-basher
Oo-er.
Regardless, you've gotta wonder what these nerds people who claim to, "read through TfL Board minutes so you don’t have to," (nerd) are doing picking on a modest blog like KeepRightOnline?
Following our story (for which we credited, albeit with a friendly ribbing) BorisWatch on the BBC's inability to get the name of a Transport Advisor to BoJo correct; BorisWatch proceeded to issue these kind words on their blog regarding our coverage.
Oh, and note to tiresome trolls - this isn’t the BBC being biased or unethical merely being crap at reporting on the website and indulging in churnalism, which is hardly unusual or unique to the BBC.
Wait a minute. Isn't that what we put it down to? Or did you just read the headline and nothing else? Goodness me.
Oh and by the way, brilliant IT guys that you are, you have some broken links on your "About" page. You're welcome.
As if the political graveyard weren't replete enough with the corpses of young Facebook noobs, there's one more cautionary tale to add to the pile: whatever you do don't do what Audra Shay, the newly-elected national chairwoman of the Young Republicans, did.
The complaint that 38-year-olds aren't young notwithstanding (Ed: thank goodness we don't have anyone trying to pretend 30-somethings are CFers - whoops!), it's pretty damn stupid of anyone with a pretence to political office to even look like they're condoning racism. Or homophobia or sexism, for that matter.
The comments may have been taken out of context, and the claim to privacy may be fair, but everyone has to agree: giving the media nothing to run is better than giving them a 'conservative is racist' story. Despite the protestations that the media are biased: yes, the media are biased, but they're still the media. Shay may have won, but, with the glare of publicity on her, that'll be the last election she'll ever win.
Racism is an accusation that dogs conservatives: one that is sometimes justified, and one that we have to shake off. If you want to condone racism, you can do it in private. But don't expect your privacy to be respected, don't expect your opponents to have any humour about it, and don't expect people that aren't racist to stand by you.
The Party for Change released this video today, espousing the need for a more responsible approach to international aid, and KeepRightOnline couldn't be more behind it.
The idea of payment upon results is compelling, and one by which we would expect to live our lives here in the United Kingdom for goods or services we procure. Why should we fork out for things which never emerge? This way; we ensure results.
Oops, did I just say that? Okay okay I take it back. But what's up with this? Either we're incredibly ignorant, or the BBC are incredibly stupid. I prefer to assume the latter but am welcome to the former, should someone prove me wrong. A quick look on Google and London.gov.uk has left me baffled still. Props to BorisWatch(though not sure on how sound the site is in general!) for catching this one.
Who is Kabir Das?
UPDATED (see picture): The BBC were apparently trying to name Transport Advisor to BoJo, "Kulveer Ranger." Slight typo then, eh boys? [caption id="attachment_692" align="aligncenter" width="195" caption="Who is Kabir Das?"][/caption]
This month's issue of The Spectator fights back at climate change campaigners and Captain Planet in spectacular style, with James Delingpole speaking to Professor Ian Plimer: setting the world straight on what he calls 'the biggest, most dangerous and ruinously expensive con trick in history'.
Thank goodness. I thought it would never happen. Who's betting Carswell and Hannan are off having a celebratory glass of Pimms, too?
In Totnes, the Conservatives are due to hold 'open primaries' similar to that of the United States, whereby the party will nominate several candidates to run in the General Election for the constituency- and the voters of said area will choose whom is to run. (Bad sentence? 9am? Terrible tube journey? You betcha.)
KeepRightOnline don't want to repeat the BBC News on this, so have a look for yourself. The end product really is a push toward a more 'direct democracy'. A key catchphrase that's been thrown around Westminster for a while now. KRO are proponents, and we're pleased that this is being rolled out. Greater representation is a great thing and no doubt this will invoke more transparency into the political system, should all parties opt in.
If not?
Well let's hope the Tories keep at it, as I preempt this will establish much more involvement and trust from the public toward the party.
It's the post Max Mosley's been waiting for. Three BNP girls - touted the 'acceptable new faces of the unacceptable' - have been interviewed by Vice magazine.
[caption id="attachment_622" align="aligncenter" width="199" caption="There ain\'t no twat on the Union Jack"][/caption]
Some of their interview answers are pure comedy gold:
Q: When people say the BNP is a fascist party, what do you think? A: Fascist – I don’t understand that word.
Q: Think of Nazi Germany, or 1930s Italy. A: I can’t even remember when that happened really, but I’m against them anyway.
Q: You’re against who? A: The Germans. I know that sounds evil… I was brought up that way.
On the pictorial front, usually, here at KeepRightOnline, we're more discerning than our gutter press rivals, so we'd like to apologise for the disruption in that quality control service. But at least these girls aren't as unattractive as their party's neo-Nazi policies. Well, barely. (Ed: Not even. This is a real life munter)
Don't worry, lads. Just lie back and think of England Lanzarote.
And they're at it again. Today in the Standard, the Hon. (questionable) Andy Slaughter hits out at TOP SECRET (OMG Area 51 is real!) Tory plans to oust the 'poor' from Hammersmith and Fulham. Apparently, the leader of the council, one Mr. Stephen Greenhalgh, is planning to reform social housing in the borough with bold moves to ensure that only those who really need it get social/council housing. Drastic!
While Mr. Slaughter is surely of the opinion that we should all live in government designed/built communes, unfortunately, this just won't do for the regeneration and prosperity of what is actually a rather splendid borough. Andy tows nought but party line in his piece defending the rights of those who aren't working to have free £1m+ houses for life. The point is Andy, your government made the mess of unemployment and reliance upon the state. Do you wish to keep on piling the economic burden on HM Government?
Even so, and contrarily enough- the plans are not about ousting the poor or those in need. It's about maintaining reality, so as not to devalue the area. This will benefit everyone involved. Not just the 'rich'. If you stagnate the rent while increasing benefits, you are (quite obviously) creating a ghetto, and convincing people that not working is a great idea! Kudos. Kudos. Kudos.
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I almost can't digest my lunch due to Andy's use of the term 'social cleansing'. Try explaining your flippant usage of such a term in discussing council plans to regenerate an area to REAL victims of social and ethnic cleansing.
Special thanks to our reporterinside Iran who wishes to remain anonymous for the purpose of this post. The circumstances for true democracy has become increasingly dire in the Islamic Republic, and the guest author lays with astute insight, just what this means for the people, the country and the international community. Without further ado...
Every time I hear the Supreme Leader’s sermon I realise just how much the Islamic Republic put the ‘IR’ into irony and last week was no different. Threats, lies and the ‘enemies’ dominated the Friday prayers. Surprised much? Not really.
The Iranian people are taking to the streets everyday in numbers unprecedented since the Islamic Revolution with lives lost in the process, yet all the Supreme Leader could do was point his finger around while ignoring the needs and grievances of the overwhelming majority. In Iran, you need not look too far to hear the rage of the people. In the evenings at around 10pm you can hear people chanting “Down with the dictator,” and “God is great,” from their own homes. This is considered to be a ‘safer’ way of demonstrating your discontent with the election outcome.
To begin with, the votes were rigged. No doubt about it. In some parts of the country the voter turnout was above 100 per cent. Now I am not saying that this is impossible, what I am saying is that it is only possible through cheating! The paramilitary wing of the IR used expired identification cards to add votes to the ballot box; this is, however, just one way in which the votes were fixed.
So the elections are unfair, the system is corrupted, the figurehead is not impartial and therefore democracy in Iran is a sham, but what does all this mean about the Iranian system of governance and the future of the Iranian people?
To put it simply, the Iranian people feel that their voices mean nothing, which is a sound analysis given the current system. The immediate cause that triggered the protests was the ‘rigging’ of votes however the underlying causes are structural. Ultimate power lies with the Ayatollah (The Supreme Leader) who congratulated Ahmadinejad’s election victory before the results were even announced. Monkey business (and I’m not just talking about Ahmadinejad’s caricature). The hardliners in the country are not representative of the Iranian nation therefore nor is Ahmadinejad. Essentially, just like the British National Party should not and cannot be representative of the wider British public nor should the Islamist, hardliners in Iran.
Ultimately, the overwhelming majority of Iranians want freedom, liberty and opportunity. For the moment their closest alternative is Mousavi but can he deliver given the current set up of the Iranian system? In short, no and the outcome of the elections spell that out. Mousavi and the reformists in Iran need to decide whether they will side with the people or with the system and since the latter has let them down; it is likely that they will side with the former. This is, however, the BIG question and maybe the determinant factor of how successful the freedom fighters in Iran will be.
Another factor to consider here is the role of the free world. What role will other democracies play in order to support the Iranian cause? Speaking to some Iranians in this country and seeing the situation closely really supports the neoconservative argument. The free world must separate the Iranian people from their government and resist any negotiation with the regime.
To hit the nail on the head, any real progress in the Iranian system can only be achieved once politicians are elected to serve the people in a secular democracy. When the government has its own agenda, naturally, the people are ignored. The Islamic Republic has its own religious agenda and therefore can never be representative of the people.
The Chinese government has stamped down - hard - on protests in the city of Urumqi, capital of the central Asian Muslim-majority East Turkestan region. At least 140 people have been reported to have been killed.
In all the violence, the Chinese news agency had this to say:
"Oops! Not again!" was almost the universal response when news of the unrest came Sunday night, when blood tainted Urumqi, with at least 140 lives lost and more than 800 others injured.
"Fiddle-di-dee, looks like we just killed 140 people. How clumsy of us..."
I think most people's reaction was stronger than that.
It's just such a pity that someone like Mr. Murray sets out to intentionally deceive voters with his latest campaign literature scraps below, all the while having been dismissed from the FCO by undermining its operational authority, and furthermore, finagling SIX YEARS SALARY (£500,000!) in compensation (a la taxpayer, nonetheless).
Now rumour is that the wife took off with the cash- we'll see.
We all know the Observer has a socialist agenda to push, but their partisan attack on the Conservatives' new international development policy - of adopting school vouchers to improve standards and bypass corruption - reaches a new low.
To prove it, they quote such impartial witnesses as the government, pressure groups that receive tens of millions a year each from the government, and the UN's education organisation. The UN, of course, gets all of its money from governments around the world, but their representative had the gall to say:
This is using vulnerable people to advance an ideologically loaded, market-based vision for education, which would exclude millions of kids from school. It completely overlooks the achievements of publicly financed, publicly provided education in countries such as Ethiopia and Tanzania.
Wow, he knows two countries in Africa - that's swayed my mind.
The UN spokesperson may have heard of Kenya. It's between Ethiopia and Tanzania: and it's where the Party policy is taken from. More specifically, it's taken from research into education in Kenya, Ghana, and Nigeria by that well-known bastion of ideologically-driven free-marketeering: Newcastle University.
They've shown that private schools in such countries have more teachers, get better grades, and cost LESS than government schools, and that vouchers would considerably improve education. Which may be why they tout the new Conservative policy on their front page.
Funny the Observer doesn't do the same with their front page. And I thought they cared about poor people...(Ed: You thought they cared about poor people?!)
Folks, you saw it here first. Ed Hallam, the newly re-elected CWLCF Chairman has had yet another drastic image makeover, some have said under the powerful influence of one Lucy Roblin, chief image advisor to Hallam.
UPDATED: Sources have indicated that Lucy Roblin may not be the Chief Image Advisor after all. That title for the moment goes to (and here comes a whole host of new Hallam rumours: one Arsheen Rajpar of BUCF fame. Keep 'em peeled, people!)
Is he cooking something up for which he needs to look THIS DAMN SPIFFY?
Many may not agree with me on this one, and my co-editor may even have a thing or two to say about intellectual property rights, however given the Pirate Bay's recent announcements that it is;
The market is dictating, from the bottom up, how it wants content and how much it wants to pay. The answer is, in many cases, the big bupkis. But as Radiohead displayed with the InRainbows experiment, there is not just one model to approach the consumer with. The 'experimental rock' giants offered a variety of different methods of purchase, beginning with the free distribution of the album, or choice for the consumer to purchase the collectors box set at £40. Some did the former, some did the latter and some paid 'what they thought it was worth'. The average figures on the last point vary from £2 - £5 per album, but an array of reports suggest that in excess of £10m was made on the album. Of this, the artist should be ready to negotiate heavily with the record label (but that's another issue).
But wait, I hear you cry, "That's all well and good for a band with a following such as Radiohead, but what about the up and coming artists?"
Well, no doubt we wouldn't want to stop anyone making money from their art- the point of the Pirate Bay is liberalisation of the market, if not entire anarcho-capitalisation. If this can go viral, then anything can. Anyone with one iota of marketing sense can capitalise on 4 million plus hits, and if you can't- then that my friends, is survival of the fittest. It's safe to say that labels should be taking risks on artists who are seen to be making waves- they have the cash to front, after all.
Lastly, it's worth mentioning that to rid our radios, and specfically my ear drums of some of this babbling nonsense you hear nowadays, a bit of a more difficult market entry might be just the trick. Artists would make it on merit, not on the back of what they want you to listen to, and let's not forget it was only in 2005 that Sony, Warner and Universal settled out of court to the tune of over $20m (with EMI soon to follow) for payola-type bribery.
The music and film industry are by no means clean. Don't let them paint themselves as the victims here.
In launching the new, centre-right eurosceptic European Conservatives and Reformists this month, the Conservatives have received an awful lot of flak from the left-wing. We're allying ourselves to fascists (a lie), who celebrate the Waffen SS (a lie), who hate minorities (a lie), and who are alienating us from our moderate allies in Europe.
Well, the last point perhaps held a grain of truth. But Dan Hannan debunked the greater part of the myth that the European People's Party (EPP) that we were leaving (and Hannan had already left!) were moderates, including, as they do, Mussolini's Duce-worshipping grand-daughter, apologists for Austro-fascism and Anschluss, and Spanish Francoists. In essence, they aren't afraid to embrace fascism, so long as the fascists support EU integration.
Wartime animosity between Poland and Germany could resurface after a new election manifesto published by the [German governing EPP-leading euro-fanatical] Christian Democratic Union (CDU) pledged to promote the cause of those expelled. In 1945 millions of ethnic Germans were forced from their homes after a redrawing of the border resulted in their lands becoming part of Poland. ... Erika Steinbach, the leader of the German expellees' movement and an influential CDU politician, has become a hate-figure in Poland, especially after it became known that her family had moved to Polish lands annexed by the Third Reich following its 1939 invasion.
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