The Snow In The Summer or So-So - you don't have to like everything

People of Britain, I vow to transform your lives with a detailed redistributive portfolio of prudent and equitable tax credits. Oh yes.

Wed, 07 May 2008 17:34:39 GMT

One final point from the election night coverage that we needed to research. Prof. King mentioned the worst results for the government in recent history: the 1985 county council elections had a projected national share of Lab 41 C 30 All 29. (Yes, we remember the Liberal / SDP Alliance.) Young whippersnappers...

The closing summary: that just about wraps it up for the New Labour project. The party smells of decay, it is a busted flush, and the work to get the Conservatives out, and get Jessica Duchen in, begins here.

Mayor Johnson has decreed that no-one shall consume alcohol on London's buses, tubes, trams, or stations. The final hedonistic Circle Line Party can take place on 31 May: afterwards, it's nothing stronger than ginger beer.

The leader of the Scottish Labour party has called for an early referendum on independence for Scotland. Mrs. Alexander clearly believes that this would spike the guns of the SNP, and settle the constitutional position for a generation or more.

The government-appointed Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has published its third report in five years into cannabis, and concluded that there was no evidence to change the penalties attached to cannabis. Consumption has fallen since 2004, and the incidence of mental disturbance amongst regular users has also decreased.

(More: On referenda in Scotland, the difference between The Liberal Party and the Liberal Democrats, and the government ignoring good advice to pander to the tabloids.)

The Legend of Simon Mayo

Mon, 05 May 2008 18:10:15 GMT

UK Singles Chart for w/c 5 May 1991
Number One	The shoop shoop song (it's in his kiss) - Cher - 2nd week (Number 664 in seq.)
Highest new entry	Fading like a flower - Roxette - number 26
Fastest climber (within top 40)	Touch me (all night long) - Cathy Dennis - up 18 to 7 Promise me - Beverley Craven - up 18 to 15
Fastest climber (within top 75)	(as above)
Lemming-like fall	Sinful! (scary jiggin' with Doctor Love) - Pete Wylie and the Farm - down 27 to 70
Top 40 debuts	Amy Grant, Samantha Janus, T-99
Top 40 exits	Simpsons, The Clash
Top 75 debuts	Amy Grant, Blessing, Electric Light Orchestra Part Two, Samantha Janus, Soul Family Sensation, T-99
Top 75 exits	Electric Light Orchestra Part Two, Scientist
Simon Mayo's Record of the Week	My salt heart - Hue and Cry

(More: Local election results, Icke on Wogan, the Sunday Times being inconsistent, ELO Part II, cup final songs, Radio 1's breakfast show and the Eurovision Song Contest. With songs from Elvis Costello and Frances Nero.)

Blur reach the top 10 with their second single, There's no other way climbs that last one place. James dip five to 9 with Sit down, and Electronic continue to Get the message, up one to 8. The other joint fastest climber is Cathy Dennis's Touch me (all night long), up 18 to 7. No move at 6 for Vic Reeves and the Roman Numerals' interpretation of Born free. Chesney Hawkes is down three to 5 with The one and only; with 11 weeks in the top 75, he's now got the longest-staying single in the chart. Zucchero and Paul Young climb three to 4 with Senza una donna (without a woman), and OMD are up two to 3 with Sailing on the seven seas, now tying with 1981's Souvenir as their highest-charting hit. The KLF climb one place to 2 with Last train to trancentral, and it's a second week on top for Cher's The shoop shoop song (it's in his kiss).

Week to 4 May

Sun, 04 May 2008 18:06:56 GMT

The arts, decent customer service and Mad Not.
TV and radio, Washes Whiter on the luxuries, a very long-term bet, Moon Water, and looking away now...
News of the week, You do realise that London's entire mayoral campaign was conducted in less time than it took Zimbabwe to count their votes...
Weather this week showers, getting warmer next week.

Those London Election Results In Full

Sat, 03 May 2008 11:02:49 GMT

Before we discuss the London election result, allow us to vent about the media coverage. It was shit. Nothing on national radio, nothing much on the television, and the radio (we can only receive LBC) preferred to play tapes from hours ago than give the constituency results. With the night drawing on, we gave up just before 11, and thought we'd come back to it in the morning.

The Mayor

Johnson - C      1043761 + 124977 = 1168738
Livingstone - Lab 893877 + 135089 = 1028966
Paddick - LD      236685
Berry - G          77374
Barnbrook - BNP    69710
Craig - CPP        39249
Batten - UIP       22422
German - LL        16796
O'Connor - ED      10695
McKenzie - Ind      5389

Non-effect non-transfrble  218254

Con Gain from Lab

(More: Dissecting the results of every ballot, and analysing them to within an inch of their lives. Plus some thoughts for those who would complain about the result.)

While the surface of this result appears to be a return to two-party politics, the undercurrents are interesting. The Conservatives have the mayor, and remain the largest party, and have gained seats as the Europhobes came back. Labour did well to get out the vote in Brent, make the one constituency gain, and to defend their seats on the authority; that gain is perhaps the one ray of light in an otherwise dismal election day. The Lib Dems fell away, didn't really challenge in South West, and were perhaps reduced to their core vote, which is still a quarter of a million people. The Greens proved their strength, and again showed that they should be treated as a serious fourth force across the capital. The BNP had a very patchy result, performing well in their stronghold, but not really getting out of the north-east quadrant. That said, it's the BNP's first major position of power, and there are all sorts of commentators just waiting for the party to show its colours.

Local Elections 2008

Fri, 02 May 2008 18:38:45 GMT

Normally, our letterbox will receive three or four leaflets in the run up to an election. This year, we had nine: four from the Space Cadets, and five from the Soupies. Indeed, we took no fewer than three communications on blue string paper in the last week of the campaign.

On Tuesday, we got a letter saying, Woes! The BNP is standing in this ward. Aargh! Seats won by the BNP inexorably see an increase in vandalism, more violent attacks, and a decline in house prices. Bullshit! Only Labour can stop the BNP from winning. If you vote for another party, the BNP might get in. Well, dear, if we voted Labour and more people voted BNP, they would win. That's democracy, folks. And do these tell the racists to STFU campaigns actually encourage people to vote for the BNP? We deserve a proper scientific study.

Clearly, Labour was worried that it would lose the seat, its last representative in this blog's ward. If Labour thought it could retain the seat, it wouldn't have launched a personal attack on the opposition candidate, nor trumpteted the outgoing councillor's support for the identity register.

The result: This Bit of Brum: Con Gain

(As ever, we won't disclose who we voted for. We are satisfied with our decision, though would be much happier with the result if an independent had been elected, even though no independent stood.)

It wasn't just local: Thursday's editions of Het Grauniad was full of scare stories about the media-friendly mayoral gubbins in Het Grauniad's back yard. Vote for Boris and the world will end, or thereabouts. No result from London has yet been declared.

(More: Judging the performance of the parties, and the results in full. Apart from the GLA and London Mayor, which look like they won't come out till to-morrow.)

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Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

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