Political Penguin

I’m sure I really shouldn’t be giving linkage on this one but those from round these parts will almost certainly have come across the name Derek Bennett at some point. Local Ukipper, I think even at one time he lived two streets away from me and lets say that he’s probably the antithesis of pretty much everything I believe in.

That said, I just came across his blog which has been going since August so he’s relatively new and half an hour is enough to catch up on his back catalogue of posts of which some are rip-roaringly funny, from my political point of view anyway.

Personally my favourites are the plug for a book about the Fourth German Reich which apparently is the EU although I’m sure that would come as a surprise to most Germans and I have to admit I’ve heard some emotive language used to describe Post Office closures but I think a ‘Post Office Holocaust’ is probably pushing the realms of reason a bit far.

That said, drop by, have a laugh, it cheered up my night. Right, back to work, important stuff to do.

Leading on from and certainly coming to the party late on this one as usual from over MoT, Tom Watson, and Luke Akenhurst there seems to be a bit of trouble regarding a little poll of ‘grassroots’ members over at LabourHome which rather helpfully turned up on the front of the Independent newspaper.

What’s to be said about it then? Well, it’s quite clearly a load of old rubbish. Wouldn’t pass for a proper poll in any terms and quite clearly open to abuse.

I don’t visit LabourHome very often, there’s a distinct reason and that’s because it’s shit. Apart from the obvious criticisms about the site itself that Unity rather eloquently highlights and I share from the ‘techies’ perspective, the content isn’t worth the time taken to read it.

The Independent is clearly the crap newspaper that I always thought it to be if it runs with this kind of obviously flawed survey and treats it as anything of value. The irony being that there’s actually plenty out there in teh’ blogosphere that outclasses what appears in the printed press which is happily ignored by the ‘professional’ writers and observers but anything that’s going to stir things up a bit and flog a few papers on the eve of a party conference, well that’s OK then isn’t it?

I’m curious, can I set up a site, let’s call it Conservative Grassroots Voice shall we. Get a good number of people along, some Tories, some others, doesn’t really matter. Do a poll about how useless and devoid of substance David Cameron is and see if a paper would publish the results. Go on, what’s the betting that’s a runner?

As for Alex Hilton? I do wonder. Apart from hooking up with Guido to run a company that has foisted hideous amounts of Flash based advertising space that never seems to actually advertise anything other than itself on the British political blogosphere I can’t point to a positive contribution to the Labour cause.

One can only conclude he’s after a cheap bit of self-promotion and driving a few more visitors by the site because I cannot imagine any outcome of this that might have aided the party. Either that or he is so politically naive as to not understand the way in which such an action would be twisted against the party that I wouldn’t trust him to do leafletting for me, let alone anything more substantive that requires a bit of political wherewithal.

BTW, can someone explain to me how one becomes a ‘grassroots’ member? Does 21 years campaigning for the party (yes, predating most of these young hanger-oner’s and careerists that seemed to infuse the party in the mid-90′s who seem to have better things to do these days) qualify? If so I have no problems in pinning my colours to mast and saying I think Gordon Brown is doing a good job in what is a very difficult period for the economy and the last thing the British population want is a Government indulging in a pointless leadership contest and navel gazing when it’s got better things to be doing.

the FIA has announced rule changes for this weekends Formula 1 race at Monza in Italy to ensure that the final result will be fair and there won’t be a repeat of the mess that was the result from Spa on Sunday in Belgium.

Hat tip goes over to Matkins on the Forumula1.net message board.