A wet bank holiday weekend, the last before the General Election and judging from the polls still much to play for. Broadcasters keep reiterating that many electors are undecided but few if any draw the obvious conclusion that there is little on policy to divide the three main parties.
Over the weekend the newspapers have been letting their readers know who they are backing. Well The Sun changed sides some weeks ago so it was hardly a surprise when The Times jumped ship too. Anyone who had read the paper would have seen the writing on the wall over the past year.
I suppose the biggest surprise was the Guardian's endorsement of the Lib Dems and Nick Clegg.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/apr/30/the-liberal-moment-has-come
The comment pages were full of angry Labour supporting Guardian readers vowing never to buy the paper again. I'm not clear what publication these readers will turn to. On Saturday I chose to get The Independent not least because they decided to give prominance to a major news story. The oil spillage from a BP rig in the Gulf of Mexico could turn into a major ecological disaster, the Independent gave it the coverage that such an event warrants. In the US, President Obama has learned that when there's a disaster the people expect their leader to be there.
On Saturday evening Caroline Lucas was interviewed by Jeremy Paxman. Paxman was his usual self, confrontational and somewhat patronising. Caroline handled herself well and did not get confrontational. Paxman focussed on tax policy and the concept of a living wage as an entitlement. As ever in this type of interview no real discussion is allowed. Paxman finished by moving to vegetarianism and family size and population. Both areas of debate that deserve an in depth discussion, sadly however that's not TV's style.
The next morning, the IOS argued in favour of voting tactically to ensure a parliament that would deliver plitical reform. Pleasingly they encouraged Labour and Lib Dems in Brighton Pavilion to vote Green to stop the Tory. Who'd have thought it !
Key Quotes
"Anyone who believes that exponential growth can go on forever in a finite world is either a madman or an economist."
(Kenneth Boulding)
"Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. "
(Raymond Chandler)
"Live simply so that others can simply live." (unknown)
"I cannot live without books" (Thomas Jefferson)
"Sport is war without the shooting" (George Orwell)
"New York is a great city to live in if you can afford to get out of it" (William Rossa Cole)
The secret of a happy ending is knowing when to roll the credits (Patterson Hood)
(Kenneth Boulding)
"Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. "
(Raymond Chandler)
"Live simply so that others can simply live." (unknown)
"I cannot live without books" (Thomas Jefferson)
"Sport is war without the shooting" (George Orwell)
"New York is a great city to live in if you can afford to get out of it" (William Rossa Cole)
The secret of a happy ending is knowing when to roll the credits (Patterson Hood)
No comments:
Post a Comment