Working For the Clampdown: Lib Dem Tory lash-up

The pretty face of oppression. Arch-villainess Anna in 'V'

I'm supposed to be recording the final links for Chopsticks At Dawn (BBC R4) tomorrow, but bronchitis has duffed up my throat and everything's swimming like a fever dream. Sorry, not a fever dream. Just media coverage of the election. Back under the duvet where it's safe ...

AAARGH! Just peeked out.

I thought I was watching the Scyfy series V, where the Fifth Column under the fabled John May is struggling to organise itself from atomised particles in order to fight evil Anna and her people-devouring cohort. A bit like the Labour Left up against impossible odds. It makes as much sense as anything else I'm seeing.

So Labour dumped Brown and is about to replace one right-winger with someone from another right-wing group of cutters. The media shove Jon Cruddas at us as the only left-wing choice even though, as I am reminded by Red Snapper, “Cruddas voted FOR the war. FOR oppressive terrorism laws. FOR persecution of asylum seekers. FOR ID cards. AGAINST enquiry into Iraq war.” However, they ignore the very existence of John McDonnell who has demonstrated integrity and genuine progressive views over the years.

The cuddly Lib Dems have ripped off the mask and revealed themselves as the Orange Book free-market privatisers and service-cutters that they are. Thanks for giving us the Tory government to which you were supposed to be opposed.

And look at who's in the new Tory leadership: Ken Clarke who, as director of British American Tobacco thought it OK to peddle his cancer-wares to a new generation of Chinese youth when sales in the West nosedived, is now "Justice" Minister. And torture supporter Peter Ricketts is head of National (In)Security. Hi, Peter. I look forward to being on at least one of your lists. (But be warned: I'm very particular about dungeon decor and I don't look good in a ball-gag.)

So what's in store for us?

A quick trawl around recent news stories shows us a world being restructured along the lines of the Eloi and the Morlocks in The Time Machine.

The Tories want to plunder our public services. Their financier Lord Ashcroft refuses to pay the taxes he owes — a Wapping (sic!) £120 million over ten years of digging in at his Dr No hideout in Belize.

Tesco posts record profits. Bankers are doing very well. I keep hearing we have no money and yet there’s plenty at the top. When Blair came to office there were no UK billionaires — Richard Branson was worth a few hundred million. Now there’s squillions of them created during one of the weathiest decades in British history.

Meanwhile, Paul Chambers is fined £1,000 and given a criminal record for a private expression of frustration in the form of a bad joke over the closure of Robin Hood Airport. How very thought police of the authorities. I don't think they care about Chambers' guilt or innocence: they're just flexing their muscles and practising for when there's serious social unrest.

Everyone (at the bottom) is being criminalised under new laws, whether for downloading, finding new legal highs, or taking photographs.

Police are acquitted of assault charges when one batons a demonstrator at the Ian Tomlinson memorial protest. No-one's prosecuted for police killings. The practice of "kettling" peaceful demonstrators for hours goes unchallenged. While housing construction has all but ground to a halt we have plenty of shiny new prisons.

The way this is set to run, there’ll come a time when we’ll look at China and envy them for their freedoms.

But remember, kids. "John May Lives".

Working For the Clampdown: Lib Dem Tory lash-up

The pretty face of oppression. Arch-villainess Anna in 'V'

I'm supposed to be recording the final links for Chopsticks At Dawn (BBC R4) tomorrow, but bronchitis has duffed up my throat and everything's swimming like a fever dream. Sorry, not a fever dream. Just media coverage of the election. Back under the duvet where it's safe ...

AAARGH! Just peeked out.

I thought I was watching the Scyfy series V, where the Fifth Column under the fabled John May is struggling to organise itself from atomised particles in order to fight evil Anna and her people-devouring cohort. A bit like the Labour Left up against impossible odds. It makes as much sense as anything else I'm seeing.

So Labour dumped Brown and is about to replace one right-winger with someone from another right-wing group of cutters. The media shove Jon Cruddas at us as the only left-wing choice even though, as I am reminded by Red Snapper, “Cruddas voted FOR the war. FOR oppressive terrorism laws. FOR persecution of asylum seekers. FOR ID cards. AGAINST enquiry into Iraq war.” However, they ignore the very existence of John McDonnell who has demonstrated integrity and genuine progressive views over the years.

The cuddly Lib Dems have ripped off the mask and revealed themselves as the Orange Book free-market privatisers and service-cutters that they are. Thanks for giving us the Tory government to which you were supposed to be opposed.

And look at who's in the new Tory leadership: Ken Clarke who, as director of British American Tobacco thought it OK to peddle his cancer-wares to a new generation of Chinese youth when sales in the West nosedived, is now "Justice" Minister. And torture supporter Peter Ricketts is head of National (In)Security. Hi, Peter. I look forward to being on at least one of your lists. (But be warned: I'm very particular about dungeon decor and I don't look good in a ball-gag.)

So what's in store for us?

A quick trawl around recent news stories shows us a world being restructured along the lines of the Eloi and the Morlocks in The Time Machine.

The Tories want to plunder our public services. Their financier Lord Ashcroft refuses to pay the taxes he owes — a Wapping (sic!) £120 million over ten years of digging in at his Dr No hideout in Belize.

Tesco posts record profits. Bankers are doing very well. I keep hearing we have no money and yet there’s plenty at the top. When Blair came to office there were no UK billionaires — Richard Branson was worth a few hundred million. Now there’s squillions of them created during one of the weathiest decades in British history.

Meanwhile, Paul Chambers is fined £1,000 and given a criminal record for a private expression of frustration in the form of a bad joke over the closure of Robin Hood Airport. How very thought police of the authorities. I don't think they care about Chambers' guilt or innocence: they're just flexing their muscles and practising for when there's serious social unrest.

Everyone (at the bottom) is being criminalised under new laws, whether for downloading, finding new legal highs, or taking photographs.

Police are acquitted of assault charges when one batons a demonstrator at the Ian Tomlinson memorial protest. No-one's prosecuted for police killings. The practice of "kettling" peaceful demonstrators for hours goes unchallenged. While housing construction has all but ground to a halt we have plenty of shiny new prisons.

The way this is set to run, there’ll come a time when we’ll look at China and envy them for their freedoms.

But remember, kids. "John May Lives".

Mother Nature grounds main parties: if pigs could fly

Even Mother Nature hates them. Today's spectacular eruption in Iceland has sent giant plumes of ash headed for Old Blighty, shutting down airports and preventing the three main parties hitting Scotland for the general election campaign. Those Scots must have some powerful mojo. Respek!

The Guardian reports:

After the severe winter weather and the BA strikes, the UK is becoming fairly accustomed to flights being cancelled. However not even the most cynical of travellers could have predicted that planes would be grounded today due to a volcanic eruption in Iceland. Having lain dormant for almost 200 years until last month, the volcano beneath the Eyjafjallajokull glacier, 120 km east of Reykjavik, erupted spectacularly yesterday. ... Labour, the Lib Dems and the Tories, with all the main parties hurriedly trying to rearrange high profile visits from senior figures flying up from London. After the Lib Dems confirmed that a visit by Treasury spokesman Vince Cable to Edinburgh and Dunfermline had been scrapped, the defence secretary Bob Ainsworth had to cancel a visit to Rosyth dockyard to campaign for Labour's candidate and the Tories abandoned Ken Clarke's trip to the Borders.

May I ask how Ken Clarke still has a political career? This was the man who, as deputy chairman of British American Tobacco, aggressively promoted smoking to a new generation of Third World markets, including Chinese youth. Hey, Ken: smoking kills!

Come, Mother Nature. Do your stuff.

Read Harpy Marx on the Labour Manifesto: a fair kicking for the poor.

Mother Nature grounds main parties: if pigs could fly

Even Mother Nature hates them. Today's spectacular eruption in Iceland has sent giant plumes of ash headed for Old Blighty, shutting down airports and preventing the three main parties hitting Scotland for the general election campaign. Those Scots must have some powerful mojo. Respek!

The Guardian reports:

After the severe winter weather and the BA strikes, the UK is becoming fairly accustomed to flights being cancelled. However not even the most cynical of travellers could have predicted that planes would be grounded today due to a volcanic eruption in Iceland. Having lain dormant for almost 200 years until last month, the volcano beneath the Eyjafjallajokull glacier, 120 km east of Reykjavik, erupted spectacularly yesterday. ... Labour, the Lib Dems and the Tories, with all the main parties hurriedly trying to rearrange high profile visits from senior figures flying up from London. After the Lib Dems confirmed that a visit by Treasury spokesman Vince Cable to Edinburgh and Dunfermline had been scrapped, the defence secretary Bob Ainsworth had to cancel a visit to Rosyth dockyard to campaign for Labour's candidate and the Tories abandoned Ken Clarke's trip to the Borders.

May I ask how Ken Clarke still has a political career? This was the man who, as deputy chairman of British American Tobacco, aggressively promoted smoking to a new generation of Third World markets, including Chinese youth. Hey, Ken: smoking kills!

Come, Mother Nature. Do your stuff.

Read Harpy Marx on the Labour Manifesto: a fair kicking for the poor.