Central Trains has announced its changes for the festive period.

Main changes - NS to Redditch is down to once every half-hour, which is just plain lazy. Lichfield to NS is diverted on the loop from Aston to Stechford (?!) and on to International. They did that last year when there was some work taking place at the Coventry end of NS.

Stafford to NS trains will turn right at Bescot, and wind up in Wolverhampton. Has anyone thought of making this into a circular service? Evidently not.

The really irritating thing is that the Cheltenham to Derby trains can stop at NS, so won't stop at Longbridge this year. It'll be extra hoicks to get to Gloucester.

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posted 21 Nov 2005, 19.06 +0000

Hobart - Australia (406 and 78/1) beat the West Indies (149 and 334) by nine wickets

On paper, this was a walk-over for the Aussies, and had the rain not intervened, it could have been complete in three days. However, after collapsing in the first innings, and then allowing the hosts to run up a massive lead, the West Indies knuckled down. They transformed the match from an inevitable innings defeat and - briefly - threatened to snatch the win from Australia's hands.

That joyful draw didn't happen, the task was just too great for Bravo and Ramdin. Still, their partnership of 182 forced the Aussies to bat again, and will surely give the West Indies new heart for the final test, next week-end.

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posted 21 Nov 2005, 19.24 +0000

One of m'learned friends pointed out that there was a rather entertainingly rubbish debate in the Commons yesterday. Let's start with a comment that was, rightly, ruled out of order.

Vera Baird (PPS (Rt Hon Charles Clarke, Secretary of State), Home Office): As the Member who leads the Conservative party's support for the Bill—and who did so historically—is not the hon. Lady as upset as I am by the Neanderthal comments from Conservative Back Benchers? How does she cope with the yobs at the back?

(A statement that just about sums up the attitude of the Interior Ministry. Does that group represent the greatest single enemy to freedom in the entire country?)

Desmond Swayne (New Forest West, Con): All those who thought that they had no religion, or had explicitly decided to have no religion, are caught by the provisions of the Bill—they count as though they have a religion and will be treated as such. That might lend some scope to mischief-makers. Indeed, it might give some offence to those who take a position of believing in no God [...] Religions are working together and rubbing along well without the Bill. Intruding with legislation provides scope for mischief and for zealots.

(Mr Swayne declined to follow the lead of Mr Bercow (Buckingham, Con) and call for the disestablishment of the Church of England. He continued...)

I do not believe that people should be discriminated against at all in the provision of goods and services in respect of their sexual orientation. But to achieve that by an order-making power is quite unacceptable. There are some 36 clauses dealing with and constraining that power with respect to religious discrimination. To provide one clause and say that the Minister shall have power by regulation to make all those measures available on the basis of sexual orientation is for us, as a self-respecting legislature, simply to abandon our proper responsibility for the legislative process.

This will be a controversial issue, not least because, for so many religions, sexual orientation itself provides some difficulty. It is therefore nonsense simply to hand over the power to the Minister to make the law, without parliamentary scrutiny, the importance of which we have seen in regard to religious matters.

(A long quote, but a telling one. The religious reich are hiding their opposition to the bill behind a complaint about the mechanics of its operation. There is a valid criticism here - Labour has tended to reserve powers to the minister, and that prevents proper debate in the country or Parliament. To use this as an excuse to oppose the bill as a whole is throwing the baby out with the bath-water.)

Bob Spink (Castle Point, Con): We are not multicultural. Our culture and traditions are British with a Christian basis. That has served us and the rest of the world well over the centuries. Our Christian traditions guide how we relate to fellow men and give us a strong belief in the dignity and worth of every individual human being, regardless of background, race, sex, or who they are. Those values and traditions are sadly missing in some of the cultures that we are being driven to assimilate into our society. I need make no apology for stating that people who come to this country to live should respect our culture and our time-honoured standards [...]

(Again, the MP touches on a valid question - the relative benefits of the American integrationist model versus the British distinct-but-equal model. Regrettably, Mr Spink declines to discuss this matter in any depth, and engages in what I can only summarise as darkie-bashing.)

Some claim that it is discriminating for a community to expect Travellers to respect the same laws and regulations that the rest of society has to respect...

(No-one claims this, other than the Daily Hell and its acolytes.)

I believe that this Bill could create a backlash that will boost extremist groups in this country. We must stop that.

(And it will create a backlash if it's misrepresented in the way Mr Spink is doing.)

Clause 28 empowers the proposed new commission to provide legal assistance for an individual case. That will be paid for by our constituents who, frankly, can think of better uses for their hard-earned money than promoting gay rights at the expense of our Christian traditions.

(Yes, it's another Clause 28 (rolls eyes). The number was forever tainted by its inclusion in the 1988 Local Government Act, which prohibited councils from "promoting" homosexuality in schools.

Again, there's a valid question regarding the interplay between religion and sexuality. Whinging about who foots the bill for test cases that help to resolve that question is only going to make the current mess even worse.)

We all know of stories—we have heard them again today—of politically correct officials banning Christmas and Christmas lights.

(Far too few people bother to research the truth behind the claims. It's a shame Mr Spink can't do any research.)

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posted 22 Nov 2005, 18.50 +0000

Bristol says "No". The largest city in the HTV West region has decided to oppose Labour's identity database, saying that it poses an unfair burden on the city.

Annoyed with Green Dull? Can't get the new Son of Dork album that the Dull have copied? Help is at hand: A Green Dull Edit.

Four years ago to-day: The Mary Whitehouse Experience came to an end. The Metafilter thread discussing television censorship.

And from the same site one year ago, a thread on What the bleep do we know?

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posted 23 Nov 2005, 19.33 +0000

This week, I've been watching...

* Where in the World? (Radio 4, 1.30pm Wednesday) In which John Simpson and other world travellers swap anecdotes. The format's loosely disguised as a quiz.

* Broken News (BBC-2, 9.30pm Monday) It's not The Day Today, but some bits of the automated zap between dozens of news channels work. I'm particularly impressed with ESN Standing Up For News with Katie Tait and Richard Pritchard, and with Aronovitz, the spoof business channel. The graphics of the News 24 clone are infinitely more restrained and better than the real thing.

* The Anti-Hit List Always a great listen, this week's show includes a folkie protest song against the way Toronto's turning into a homogonised city, and a song that melds every style known to man (plus quite a few that aren't.) Download here!

A listing of selected television and radio broadcasts, with a deliberate emphasis on culture and intellectual programmes.

Saturday

A Bright Light in the Night (10.30 Radio 4) sees Joe Queenan drive from Albuquerque to Las Vegas to explore the history of the motel.
Jazz File (6pm Radio 3) begins a three-parter telling the story of Gil Evans.
It's International Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2005 time already (7.15 ITV2) Michael Underwood goes from Crystal Maze to Jungle Run to this. It'll be Question Muck next... I Will Not Let You Go: The Bohemian Rhapsody Story (8.30 Radio 2) covers similar ground to the programme we trailled a month or so ago. This one features contributions from Brian May, Roger Taylor, members of Freddie Mercury's family, Ben Elton and record producer Roy Thomas Baker.

Sunday

If it's the end of the month, it's time for another case-insensitive lebrecht.live debate (5.45 Radio 3). This month: why are we so pessimistic about the arts, and could it have anything to do with the poor quality of debate about them?
Though it's almost five months until National Doris Day (9pm BBC-4), the Fourth Programme looks into the singing career of the world-wide holiday.
The Sunday Feature (9.40 Radio 3) visits Timbuktu, Centre of the World. Joan Baxter traces the history of a city of great importance in Islamic scholarship.

Monday

In A Wire around the World (11am Radio 4), physicist and writer Paul Davies uses the latest satellite technology to reconnect the ends of a cable around the planet, constructed in 1872 to join Adelaide and London using the telegraph.
Radio 3's Composer of the Week (noon) is Mozart the Keyboard Player.
Daah! It's the final of Brain of Britain 2005 (1.30 Radio 4), and a cracking match is in prospect.
Still with the Third, Stage and Screen (4pm Radio 3) begins a two-parter with Alan Menken, whose prolific work in both musical theatre and film over the past 20 years has won countless awards. Ed Seckerson explores some of the early musicals including God Bless Mr Rosewater, Little Shop of Horrors and Weird Romance as well as his film and stage show versions of The Little Mermaid.
Night Waves (9.30 Radio 3) discusses the legacy of Sam Cooke.
Shakespeare's Happy Endings (10pm BBC-4) is a comedy starring Patrick Barlow and Kevin Eldon, in which the bard's plays are re-written. Jurisfiction will be standing by in the wings, just in case things get out of hand.

Tuesday

Voices (4pm Radio 3) tracks childhood as seen through the world of song.
Trevor's World of Sport (6.30 Radio 4) returns for a new series. Trevor's problem client is a footballer who has just issued his seventeenth public apology. Starring Dave from Drop The Dead Donkey and Radio Active's Martin Brown.
Performance on 3 (7.30 Radio 3) is the closing concert of this year's Belfast Festival at Queen's from the Waterfront Hall. Ulster Orchestra, National Chamber Choir of Ireland/Thierry Fischer. John Adams: Short Ride in a Fast Machine. Philip Glass: Company. Steve Reich: Desert Music.
Dinner with Portillo (8.30 BBC-4) asks "Does Britain Matter in The World?"
The Sinatra Trail (9.30 Radio 2) Michael Freedland begins a four-part series looking at the life of Frank Sinatra on the ninetieth anniversary of his birth through the eyes of those who knew him.
Night Waves (9.30 Radio 3) looks into Mathew Bourne's ballet based on Edward Scissorhands.

Wednesday

Performance on 3 (7.30 Radio 3) was recorded in Le Volcan, Le Havre, at the annual Octobre en Normandie festival. Craig Ogden (guitar), Thierry Pecou (piano), BBC Symphony Orchestra/Enrique Diemecke. Villa-lobos: Uirapuru; Guitar Concerto. (World Premiere) Thierry Pecou: Tremendum. Stravinsky: Firebird Suite.

Thursday

In The Culture Show (7pm BBC-2), there's George Michael, Philip Glass, and pantomime.
Tippett Night (from 7.30 Radio 3) fills the evening, on what would have been his 100th birthday. Living Positive (9pm BBC-2) is part of world AIDS Day, a look at a day in the lives of six people around the world who have the disease.

Friday

The Money Programme doesn't get a billing of its own any more, but does look into Primark: King of No-Frills Fashion (7pm BBC-2)
Performance on 3 (19:30 Radio 3) Recorded in the West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge, marking the centenary of Michael Tippett and including a new homage to Tippett by John Woolrich. Ian Bostridge (tenor), Britten Sinfonia/Martyn Brabbins. Purcell, ed. Tippett, arr. Woolrich: Music for a While; If Music be the Food of Love; Sweeter than Roses. Tippett: Little Music. Beethoven: Grosse Fuge in B flat. Britten: Les Illuminations. Woolrich: The Wayfarer's Night Song. (World Premiere) Tippett: Fantasia Concertante on a theme by Corelli.

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posted 24 Nov 2005, 19.42 +0000

Some items of interest...

Rail arsonist arrested. The man who has brought chaos to the local rail network by setting fires has been nicked. Hurrah.

Panel falls from tall building. The metal panel fell from an unknown floor of the 39-storey, 400-foot Beetham Tower. (Note the BBC's ludicrous attempt at precision conversion.)

Prime time, none of the time. Leading oldies station Prime Time Radio will cease broadcasting via DAB next summer. They may as well throw in the towel and stop broadcasting entirely.

James Masterton: there's a me too here.

Changes are afoot at the Capital Radio Group, now owned by GWR. Less inane DJ chatter, more music, more variety of tunes, and fewer commercials. Crapital's local station, BRMB, has been a test-bed for the greater variety element, and reducing clutter will surely make the stations better. But coming down from six adverts in a row to just two will surely hit the bottom line, especially as it's happening on 12 December. Beat 106 in Glasgow and Edinburgh (and the places between) will become Xfm Scotland, and the not-particularly-interesting Crapital Gold stations will merge into Capital Life, the gayest national station.

Mister Tony Blair's acolytes have threatened legal action against anyone who dares to print a leaked memo. The document, believed to contain details of a conversation between Mister Blair and a drunkard from Connecticut, contains thinly-veiled threats by the intoxicated loon against the Qatar headquarters of respected and impartial broadcaster al-Jazeera. The lead character against the gag imposed on the British press? Spectator editor and cyclist Boris Johnson, who says that he'll print the memo if he sees it.

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posted 24 Nov 2005, 21.47 +0000

The preliminary groups have been announced for the ITV Westlife Record Of the Year show; preliminary heats to-day will be followed by the final ten in two weeks time. Top two from each group to progress.

Group A
James Blunt - You're Beautiful
Audio Bullys - Shot You Down
Amerie - 1 Thing
2PAC ft. Elton John - Ghetto Gospel
Coldplay - Speed of Sound
Lemar - If There's Any Justice

Being a show targetted specifically at the teenypop crowd, expect Coldplay to fall early. Hurrah! Lemar is a distinct possibility to progress, and the mother factor might see James Blunt pull through from a weak group.

Group B
Daniel Powter - Bad Day
Sean Paul - We Be Burnin
Charlotte Church - Crazy Chick
Bodyrockers - I Like The Way You Move
Will Smith - Switch
Gwen Stefani - What You Waiting For

The Bodyrockers track has proven very popular, remaining in the top forty sellers for almost all the year. Gwen's track is undeniably good, but is now almost a year old, which will count against her. Charlotte Church looks to have more of an oomph behind her than Daniel Powter.

Group C Of Death Pop
Sugababes - Push the Button
Robbie Wiliams - Tripping
Jennifer Lopez - Get Right
Westlife - You Raise Me Up
Pussycat Dolls - Don't Cha
McFly - All About You

Well, five of these could slot easily into the final, though why Jennifer Lopez is an open question. Westlife will go through, this isn't called the Westlife Record Of the Year for nothing, but it'll be interesting to see which of the others go through. McFly were the cool kids of last year, but has their time passed; the Sugababes are moving towards Rock Legend status; the Pussycat Dolls are the flash-in-the-pan success (with a song that sounds like Flash And the Pan); and is Robbie still cool with the kids? Hope not.

Group D
Katie Melua - Nine Million Bycycles
Snoop Dogg and co - Signs
Rhianna - Pon De Replay
Akon - Lonely
Oasis - Lyla
Black Eyed Peas - My Humps

Perm two from Rhianna, Akon, and the BEPs. I don't much like any of the six myself, but the tweenies have gone ape for these acts.

Group E
Mario - Let Me Love You
Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc
Mariah Carey - We Belong Together
50 Cent - Candy Shop
Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone
The Stereophonics - Dakota

Mario plus one, and it could easily be Kelly Clarkson, she seems to be getting a bit popular. Twenty-eight New Pence is past it, while if there are any grown-ups watching, they'll go for the Gorillas.

First-round voting takes place to-day, and about 1p of every call goes into Jonathan King's pension fund.

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posted 26 Nov 2005, 10.54 +0000

An interesting commentary from Ferdinand Mount in yesterday's Torygraph, suggesting the gap between Conservatives and Liberals is closing. Well, yes, of course it is, because the gap is a relatively recent phenomenon, one that owes more to movements within first the Conservatives, then Labour.

To explain why, we need to delve back almost a century, to the First World War, when David Lloyd George ed a coalition government packed with Conservatives. (Labour, at this time, was a fringe party.) Lloyd George, himself a Liberal, stood against Asquith, who had been PM until 1916. The net result, effectively, was to make Lloyd George a prisoner of the Conservatives, who disposed of him during 1922. Many who would describe themselves as Radical (in favour of social reform, personal liberty, reducing the powers of the Crown and the Church of England, avoidance of war and foreign alliances, free trade) defected to Labour at the 1922 and 1923 elections.

By 1924, Ramsay MacDonald had set his goal as the ultimate destruction of the Liberals, and his short-lived administration succeded in polarising the debate - were you in favour of his Socialist principles (as were many Radicals) and hence would vote Labour; or were you against, and hence would vote Conservative. There was no place for the Liberals.

The Liberal party, about 60-strong, split in 1931 over trade tarrifs. The Radical tradition couldn't stand the idea, and opposed their introduction; a more pragmatic wing would remain in the coalition government until 1945. By the end of the second world war, politics had shifted. Labour was now the party of Radical ideas, and MacDonald's question was the decisive factor. The Liberals won only a dozen seats, all in rural areas, and mostly on a personal vote.

Local Conservative parties in places like Bolton and Huddersfield saw that they could stop Labour from winning seats by standing aside for each other - only the Liberals would run in the East, say, leaving the Conservatives to run in the West. Coupled with Churchill's reluctance to kill off his old party in the 1951 election, a phenomenon repeated by Eden in 1955, the Liberals just managed to survive a perilous decade. When the telegenic Jo Grimmond took over the party leadership from a much older man shortly later, the seeds were sown for revival - Torrington, Devon North, Orpington, and the rest is history...

Except it's not. The Liberals broke with history in 1977 when they entered into a pact with Labour, effectively propping up Jim Callaghan's government into 1979. By this time, the Conservatives were being led by Margaret Thatcher, who espoused many of the Radical policies - personal liberty, free trade - previously associated with the Liberals. In 1981, right-wing members of Labour broke away to form the SDP, which quickly came to a co-operative pact with the Liberals, before a formal merger in 1988. Following the surprise Conservative victory in 1992, Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown ended his policy of "equidistance", treating both Labour and the Conservatives as equally suspicious. There were talks about a formal coalition, but the scale of Labour's victory in 1997 rendered the discussions pointless. Labour has certainly been trying to put distance between the two parties, with their psephologically incorrect statement that "A vote for the Lib Dems will let in the Tories" one of the themes of this year's election.

With the Lib-Lab pact almost three decades behind us, with the soft-left Labour influx now assimilated, and with Ashdown's curious coalition talks something no-one discusses any more, the Liberal Democrat party is able to return to its more traditional position. Signs of this tendency include the "Orange Book", a 2004 discussion pamphlet advocating free-market solutions to social problems. This is entirely consistent with the Radical tradition within Liberal politics, and may mark a reversal of the 1920s defection to Labour.

So, yes, the Liberals and Conservatives are getting closer. This is nothing to write home about. The real story is how they came to be so far apart in the first place.

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posted 26 Nov 2005, 12.01 +0000

Madonna's charge continues, she's now top in Germany, keeping Xavier Naidoo's newie off the top spot. Shakira's new release, Don't bother is just outside Germany's top ten. Madge also remains top in France, elbowing past the combined contestants of Star Academy V (Santiano is number 2) and the return of Tina Arena - the Aussie songbird is still massive in France, and Aimer jusqu'a l'impossible deserves its top-three place. Not sure about Mickael Turtle's cover of Ghostbusters lower down the ten, mind...

Eurosong watch: in Lithuania, Feeling this touch is the new hit for Walters and Kazha, the Latvian entry to this year's competition. They join other top-tenners from Tatu (RU 03), Skamp (LT 01), and a cover of Mylek karstai (a song rejected for LT 03). Brainstorm and Julia Savicheva both have top five hits in Latvia, and Andreas Johnson's back in Sweden, which must be good news.

 20 12 Kelly Clarkson - Behind these hazel eyes
*19 NE Black Eyed Peas - My humps
*18 NE Pestside - You raise me up
 17 10 Daniel Powter - Bad day
*16 20 Son of Dork - Ticket out of Loserville
*15 19 Kent - The Härta & smärta ep
 14 18 Alex Parks - Looking for water
 13 11 Johnny Hallyday - Ma religion dans son regard
 12 17 Franz Ferdinand - Do you want to?
*11 13 Amel Bent - Ne retiens pas tes larnes
*10 16 Céline Dion - Je ne vous oublier pas
  9  9 K T Tunstall - Suddenly I see
  8  8 Pussycat Dolls - Don't you
* 7  7 Arctic Monkeys - I bet you look good on the dancefloor
  6  4 Tatu - All about us
  5  3 Bert Bills - Tripping
  4  6 Depeche Mode - Precious
  3  2 James Blunt - You're beautiful
* 2  5 Madonna - Hung up
* 1  1 Sugababes - Push the button

In the UK, Madonna holds the top for a third week, with Pestside and the BEPs holding at two and three. The Gorillas' Dirty Harry is the highest new entry at 6, with someone called Tom Novy also making the ten. Shite from 28 New Pence and the Stereophonics enters the 20, with Paul McCartney just missing. The new good stuff starts with Dead 60s Ghostface killer (25), then Korn Twisted Transistor (27), Ever fallen in love, the Peel tribute (28), Alkaline Trio Mercy me (30), and Freefaller She's my everything (36).

Highest new CD this week is Enya's Amarantine, in at 4, but she can't beat Madge, Robbie, or Kelly. The Gorillas storm back up to 5, ahead of System of a Down's newie. Son Of Dork have the only other new album of note this week, but Welcome to Loserville misses the top 20.

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posted 27 Nov 2005, 16.29 +0000

High pressure continued to dominate, ensuring that the air barely warmed at all. Blimey, it's been a bit nippy out.

21 Mo fog, sun             1/ 4,  0.0
22 Tu cloud                2/ 6,  0.0
23 We cloud                2/ 6,  0.0
24 Th cloud, showers       4/ 9,  1.3
25 Fr sun                 -1/ 3,  0.0
26 Sa sun, showers         2/ 3,  0.8
27 Su showers              2/ 4,  0.0

Winter continues - 48½ degree heating days brings the total to 94½. Last year's score, 74½/677½ - we moved ahead of last year on Thursday.

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posted 27 Nov 2005, 17.21 +0000

older writing... write to