tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39797470075133914332024-03-05T18:41:33.595+00:00The View From The NorthVFTNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09042127855668954972noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979747007513391433.post-54706431099323435152009-05-05T11:44:00.003+01:002009-05-05T11:47:55.367+01:00Another year, another education shake-upIt’s hard to know where to start with Brown’s <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8033044.stm">latest plans for schools</a>. <br /><br />Giving parents more power in schools has been a constant refrain from Labour, particularly since it fought the last election on choice in public services. Unsurprisingly the reality has never quite matched the rhetoric. The last education shake-up was supposed to make it easier for parents to start schools, trigger inspections etc but there has been no obvious revolution in state education as a result.<br /><br />Next month another education white paper will be produced – there is no apparent need for one but Labour seems to be taking the same view of education as it does criminal justice – the regular production of white papers and Bills is more important than whether they actually serve any purpose. If today’s reports are to be believed it will include more powers for parents including the absurd idea that a parent can demand action at a school their children don’t even attend (begging the question on what basis they will be judging that school?). This time it will be LEAs responding to parents’ desire for action, rather than Ofsted – marking yet another swing in the pendulum in Labour’s enthusiasm for LEAs. Traditionally, Labour has seen local authorities as essential in the delivery of state education. Then the Blair years saw them become the bogeyman obstacle to progress – independence for schools and direct funding from Whitehall became the mantra. In the last Education Bill they became commissioners of education rather than direct providers but then when Brown took over in Downing Street talk of independent state schools withered and now LEAs are sponsoring city academies – the class of school originally created to bypass LEAs. Now they are once again to be the arbiter of standards.<br /><br />As for parental influence on education, the last word should go to Boris Johnson who gave this answer in the recent <a href="http://www.spectator.co.uk/"><em>Spectator</em> </a>coverage of his first anniversary as London Mayor.<br /><br /><em>"As a ‘father’, I don’t want to waste my time at some blooming consultation with the teachers, jostling for attention with a load of sharp-elbowed mums. I don’t want to have ‘control’ over my kids’ education. I want the teachers to have control. They already have the government telling them what they can and can’t do to a degree that is utterly absurd and humiliating, and contrary to their vocation as teachers. The last thing they need is to share their dwindling prerogatives with a load of ghastly and ill-informed parents. If you mean, should parents be more free to choose their kids’ schools, then yes, by all means — but the choice will be pretty meaningless until you bring back academic selection."</em>VFTNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09042127855668954972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979747007513391433.post-71420125021377252792009-04-30T19:58:00.003+01:002009-04-30T20:05:16.406+01:00Mandy to the rescue of an old New Labour friendBernie Ecclestone's call for government <a href="http://theviewfromthenorth.blogspot.com/2009/04/ecclestone-and-nut-unlikely-allies.html">backing for the British Grand Prix</a> has not fallen on deaf ears. The Digger column in yesterday's Guardian sport section suggests Peter Mandelson has offered to meet Bernie and discuss the issue. In particular Mandy has suggested that regional development agency money might be used to support infrastructure improvements that might be to Bernie's liking.<br /><br />It is hard to contemplate a cash-strapped Government using taxpayers to support a sport run by a billionaire, even indirectly. Ecclestone has always had a <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/3179770/Revealed-the-truth-about-Tony-Blairs-role-in-the-Ecclestone-Affair.htm">special relationship</a> with New Labour though.VFTNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09042127855668954972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979747007513391433.post-32264220269796637132009-04-27T19:18:00.003+01:002009-04-27T19:32:53.299+01:00Can't polish a turdSo within a week of Gordon Brown making his weird video message to announce his flawed plans on MPs expenses they look <a href="http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Politics/MPs-Expenses-No-Vote-On-Scrapping-24000-A-Year-Second-Home-Allowance/Article/200904415270011?lpos=Politics_Carousel_Region_3&lid=ARTICLE_15270011_MPs_Expenses%3A_No_Vote_On_Scrapping_%3F24%2C000-A-Year_Second_Home_Allowance">dead in the water.</a><br /><br />This attempt at using new media was clearly an attempt to follow the lead of Barack Obama who was so adept at using these methods to talk directly to voters in his election campaign. New Labour was always more about style and substance and while many commentators insist the Budget has marked its end, this episode illustrates that in one aspect - the obsession with presentation - it survives.<br /><br />The Government still hasn't grasped that, in the end, it's what you're saying rather than how you say it that matters. Obama had a message that appealed to the voters. Brown's proposals on MPs expenses were garbage.<br /><br />Or to put it another way, you can't polish a turd.VFTNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09042127855668954972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979747007513391433.post-24086986258245046982009-04-27T12:35:00.003+01:002009-04-27T12:38:39.429+01:00Why the End is NighAnyone left in the swiftly diminishing group who thinks this Government still has anything left to offer should listen to <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8020000/8020031.stm">this</a> contribution from Harriet Harman on Today this morning. Last week Labour delivered a devastatingly bleak budget, this week it is wittering on about some Equality Bill which its main champion struggles to justify. The plot has well and truly been lost.VFTNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09042127855668954972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979747007513391433.post-34865639292488700072009-04-26T16:35:00.002+01:002009-04-26T16:48:38.629+01:00Cameron Shows The Way - or just more distraction burglary?<a href="http://iaindale.blogspot.com/">Iain Dale</a> thinks David Cameron's speech today is his most important so far in that it is the clearest signal yet of the direction of a Conservative government.<br /><br />In some ways i think Dale's right. It certainly is the starkest statement he has made yet of the awful position the Tories will inherit and the challenges that will bring. It even includes some specific areas where cuts would be made which, although limited, is certainly a welcome piece of plain speaking.<br /><br />His defence of the Tories' position on the 50p tax rate is also pretty good, describing last week's budget as a piece of "distraction burglary" where Darling points to the 50p rate which is largely meaningless to distract attention from the growing disaster in the public finances.<br /><br />I say only pretty good because it's a bit cheap for Cameron to accuse Labour of distraction burglary when later in the same speech he uses the same technique. Listing the high salaries of public officials and promising to name and shame them is good knock about stuff but cutting these back will save hundreds of thousands of pounds, not the billions needed.<br /><br />We need our politicians to get serious about the financial mess we're in. For voters part, that means not reacting in a knee jerk way when a politician talks about making cuts. They're going to come, the argument should be about where. For their part, politicians need to talk in serious terms about where we're going to find billions of pounds in savings, not just try and focus public anger on a few (admittedly overpaid) public servants.VFTNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09042127855668954972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979747007513391433.post-73500855328897133842009-04-24T19:22:00.003+01:002009-04-24T19:25:31.888+01:00Ecclestone and the NUT - unlikely alliesBernie Ecclestone has today said it is a <a href="http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/24042009/3/ecclestone-slams-govt-inaction-british-gp.html">"disgrace"</a> that the Government hasn't offered financial backing to the British Grand Prix. That's millionaire Bernie Ecclestone mind you.<br /><br />He can join others in the queue making ridiculous demands of a country approaching bankruptcy. Such as the National Union of Teachers who are demanding a 10 per cent pay rise.<br /><br />Madness.VFTNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09042127855668954972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979747007513391433.post-81961652348944612462009-04-23T20:30:00.003+01:002009-04-23T20:39:11.481+01:00Why the regional media matters: A case studyAs has been well-documented, the regional media is going through terrible times as the recession accelerates the decline of an industry that already had long term structural problems. This has largely been met with a shrug of the shoulders by the majority outside media circles - of course it has that's why readership figures are so low. If people valued their local newspapers they'd buy them.<br /><br />Optimists say that when the existing regional media dies it will be replaced by new entrants to the market. I hope so - and <a href="http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/Exclusive-Leeds-Met39s-champagne-and.5192328.jp">this story</a> from the Yorkshire Post illustrates why. Rob Waugh is one of the most talented journalists in the regional press and here he has raised serious questions about the spending practices at Leeds Met University. In the absence of a local journalist plugging away at this story this would probably have slipped under the radar. As it is, its now on the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8014266.stm">BBC website</a>.<br /><br />Quality local journalism matters. Let's hope someone finds a way to pay for it.VFTNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09042127855668954972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979747007513391433.post-67555015455483543072009-04-23T20:07:00.001+01:002009-04-23T20:12:11.394+01:00Why is Brown laughing?Gordon Brown was memorably once described as "psychologically flawed". The quote is often attributed to Alastair Campbell which he denies.<br /><br />Anyway, somebody has clearly told Brown that he needs to seem more human. The result is the scary grin he now uses at every available opportunity. The problem is that while he can tell his face to perform the action he still likes the emotional awareness to use it appropriately.<br /><br />How else to explain his mysterious gurning during his online video announcing his plans on MPs expenses? He was at it again during Cameron's budget response yesterday.<br /><br />Stop it Gordon. These are serious times and the people losing their homes and jobs aren't smiling. Take the risk of looking like an emotional retard and stick to glowering. At least it fits the awful mess we're in.VFTNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09042127855668954972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979747007513391433.post-18119349850573882712009-04-23T19:49:00.000+01:002009-04-23T19:50:08.084+01:00VFTN makes a comebackVFTN is making a comeback, more follows.VFTNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09042127855668954972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979747007513391433.post-57283786990149730932007-06-22T11:09:00.000+01:002007-06-22T11:19:30.302+01:00EU: The politics equivalent to the hokey cokeyCan't we have a more subtle debate about the EU than being in or out? David Cameron (or whoever wrote it for him) has a go in the <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml;jsessionid=3MENEJQ03KS1DQFIQMGCFFOAVCBQUIV0?xml=/opinion/2007/06/22/do2201.xml">Daily Telegraph </a> today. It's not the most coherent article ever written but its broad theme is an important one: that the EU is bogged down in talks about mechanisms when it should be a forum for collective action on the major challenges facing member states.<br />Rather than having "red-lines" to defend, when will a British PM head to one of these summits with a positive agenda? Why is Britain always on the defensive rather than putting forward its own vision for the future of the EU?VFTNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09042127855668954972noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979747007513391433.post-83716124459693546972007-06-18T17:41:00.001+01:002007-06-18T17:51:04.428+01:00Bernard ManningWhenever a public figure dies there is a tendency to play down their failings. This comes from the basic decency most people have that results in a laudable reluctance to speak ill of those who have died.<br />Bernard Manning's death is undoubtedly a sad event for his friends and family. It would be a terrible error however to ignore the tasteless material he used in acts that was hugely offensive to both ethnic minorities and gay people and portray him as some kind of Northern working class hero.<br />If we accept it is wrong to criticise those who cannot defend themselves it would perhaps be best for those of us who disliked him to note Mr Manning's death, nothing more. It is certainly misguided for the <a href="http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1009/1009476_bernard_manning_dead.html">Manchester Evening News</a> to invite people to pay tribute to him.VFTNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09042127855668954972noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979747007513391433.post-36977219779501450262007-06-18T16:16:00.000+01:002007-06-18T16:23:37.646+01:00Tories back on the attack<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6762515.stm">David Cameron's speech</a> in Tooting today and his comments on the Tories being <a href="http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2104964,00.html">progressive</a> have elicited much comment. VFTN agrees there is much in his remarks to mull over but for now expresses a simple gratitude that DC has finally got past the grammar schools debacle and got back on the front foot before Blair leaves office.VFTNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09042127855668954972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979747007513391433.post-87646075976417851052007-06-12T15:31:00.000+01:002007-06-12T15:33:31.225+01:00Grammar schools: it just won't go away.Tucked away in the <a href="http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news?articleid=2945308">Yorkshire Post</a> today, Francis Maude having his say on the grammar school row. It was all DC's fault it would seem.<br />Time for all Tories to just take a vow of silence on this one and make setting out a coherent education policy a priority for conference.VFTNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09042127855668954972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979747007513391433.post-93566032594302082007-06-11T21:40:00.000+01:002007-06-11T21:46:59.064+01:00Biofuels blarneyA little while ago, VFTN pointed out Cameron's half-term holiday to Greece was far from environmentally friendly and put the argument as to why off-setting is pointless. That post is <a href="http://theviewfromthenorth.blogspot.com/2007/06/cameron-not-just-confused-on-grammars.html">here</a>.<br />In a similar vein, <a href="http://www.order-order.com/2007/06/milibands-bio-fueled-foolishness.html">Guido</a> has today set out why the current enthusiasm for biofuels is misplaced. Again, for the purposes of the argument, it does not matter whether one is convinced about global warming or not. The fact is that if you wanted to produce biofuels on a scale necessary to replace oil it would remove so much land from food production as to trigger a food crisis. Those who are trying to push the green agenda are doing nobody any favours by suggesting biofuels and offsetting are somehow magic solutions.VFTNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09042127855668954972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979747007513391433.post-25199243342876278482007-06-11T15:48:00.000+01:002007-06-12T15:28:38.088+01:00How long will Hilary Armstrong last as a backbench MP?VFTN only asks this question because when he lived and worked in the North-East the Durham North-West MP was notable for rarely having anything must to say about life in her own constituency and the issues affecting the people who voted for her. It will be interesting to see whether she does throw herself into the role of constituency MP or finds herself another role to keep busy.<br /><br />Update: <a href="http://paullinford.blogspot.com/2007/06/hilary-smells-coffee.html">Paul Linford</a> is less sceptical than me and believes she will stay one for one more parliament.VFTNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09042127855668954972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979747007513391433.post-52427859224654191712007-06-11T15:45:00.001+01:002007-06-11T15:45:53.659+01:00To seek reaction.... updateJust a note to welcome Iain Dale's comment. As he rightly points out, there are times when the very act of revealing one's evidence for a story might lead to the identification of a source which, whether journalist, opinionated commentator or other, is unforgiveable. In such circumstances it is therefore left to the reader to decide how much they trust the author and what weight to give to those who offer alternative accounts.That is an easier judgement to reach in blogs which offer readers a more personal interaction with their authors. But applying that lesson to the debate over the <a href="http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2007/05/fisking-shadow-cabinet-reshuffle.html">Melissa Kite</a> story, how is the casual reader expected to tell the difference between a well-sourced story and ill-informed speculation when a piece is written by a journalist who is really just a name on a page? Anyway, Dale's post has undoubtedly kept the lobby on its toes which is no bad thing at all.VFTNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09042127855668954972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979747007513391433.post-66024585492928019382007-06-10T14:58:00.000+01:002007-06-11T15:45:10.777+01:00To seek reaction, or not seek reaction, that is the questionSeen as every blogger in the blogosphere has had their say on Iain Dale's spat with several lobby journalists (in the unlikely event you haven't seen it, the original post is <a href="http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2007/06/exclusive-how-spinning-gordon-played.html">here</a> and the latest follow-up is <a href="http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2007/06/brown-terror-spin-blair-apologies-to.html">here</a>), VFTN may have well have his say.<br /><br />There are a number of points to be made:<br /><br />VFTN is a huge fan of Dale's but it is not right for him to say he writes opinionated comment and has no pretensions towards journalism. When you mark a post exclusive, as he did with the first post on the alleged spin operation on Gordon Brown's anti-terror proposals, and go on to talk about unearthing facts then that is certainly journalism. There is nothing wrong with mixing news and comment, plenty of newspapers do so either explicitly or with their choice of stories and the angle they take with them. Call it journalism, call it opinionated comment, but the original post on the Brown spin operation was presented as fact and put serious question marks against the Sunday lobby.<br />Perhaps not surprisingly, the Sunday lobby have fought back and with a reasonable unified voice insisted he is wrong. It is therefore up to Dale to prove his point. He does not have to reveal his source but he should be able to provide some kind of evidence that what he is saying is true and the Sunday lobby are covering up. Dale, after all, is not averse to pointing out the poorly sourced journalism of others. Witness his attack on a now infamous article by <a href="http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2007/05/fisking-shadow-cabinet-reshuffle.html">Melissa Kite</a>.<br />Having said all that, Dale is right to point out that, whatever conditions were placed on the briefing, if one or two of the lobby had bothered to ring the Tories they would have discovered that Brown had put his foot in it and damaged genuine efforts on all sides to reach a consensus on security.<br />VFTN has some sympathy with the view expressed by <a href="http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/31837/sunday-rules.thtml">Fraser Nelson</a> that it is unwise for hacks, particularly the Sunday variety, to risk losing stories for the sake of reaction but the lobby must have realised that none of them had it exclusively and, in their shoes, VFTN might have sought reaction in the hope it would move the story on should it appear on telly on the Saturday night.<br />The conclusion: no-one comes out of this episode looking good. If Brown's machine did put a no-reaction clause on a briefing then they should stop spinning that Brown will mark an end to spin. Bloggers have free reign to comment on what they like but if they want to take responsibility for unearthing facts and publishing them they must be prepared to defend the stories with evidence of truth or they are no better than the mainstream hacks they frequently, and often justifiably, criticise. The lobby also ends up looking stupid for either missing a story by failing to make one call or accepting a briefing with conditions attached.<br />Finally, rather than complaining about using Sunday papers to float policies the Tories would do well to get better at doing it themselves. Perhaps Mr Coulson will help.VFTNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09042127855668954972noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979747007513391433.post-76084274483836883932007-06-10T14:38:00.001+01:002007-06-10T14:50:50.580+01:00Coulson is Cameron's choiceDavid Davis did remarkably well this morning on Andrew Marr. He clearly hates the grammar school policy but struck a healthy balance between supporting his leader and maintaining his own credibility by admitting that his own preference was for more grammar schools but that he supported the party's policy because he lost the leadership election. However, it was a shame that Davis agreed he and the rest of the Shadow Cabinet had been consulted only for Marr to fail to ask the obvious follow-up which was whether he objected in that meeting has has been widely suggested.<br />More intriguing was his answer to a question about the appointment of ex-News of the World editor Andy Coulson. He confirmed he hadn't been consulted about that one. So the man Cameron extended the hand of solidarity to after beating him in the leadership election did not even have a say on the Coulson appointment.<br />Clearly Davis and Cameron don't pretend to be big buddies but there seems to be a growing body of evidence the Tory leader isn't really talking to anyone much outside his own circles. Will much was made of the Graham Brady intervention in the grammar schools row it was Dominic Grieve who really forced the embarassing U-turn. Grieve undoubtedly felt able to speak out because he feels no great loyalty to DC. Now the Shadow Home Secretary, who represents a reasonable constituency of opinion in the party, isn't being consulted about major appointments.<br />Cameron must realise that he can't just bulldoze his ideas through the party and needs to keep these senior figures on board.VFTNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09042127855668954972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979747007513391433.post-3088703216563403622007-06-04T15:08:00.000+01:002007-06-04T16:56:28.421+01:00Olympic logo or picture of vomit?VFTN doesn't want to say much about the new olympic logo, unveiled today. Andy Murray's face says it all <a href="http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1008/1008345_london_2012_logo_unveiled.html">here</a>.<br />Update: It seems VFTN is not alone. <a href="http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/31531/no-go-with-the-logo.thtml">Matthew d'Ancona's</a> view is less than favourable.VFTNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09042127855668954972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979747007513391433.post-773190305498369962007-06-01T15:55:00.000+01:002007-06-01T16:09:45.091+01:00Cameron not just confused on grammarsAmid all the problems DC is having with grammar schools it is perhaps not so surprising that few have paid attention to the fact that he his spending his half term holiday in Greece. I am assuming he flew which would have bunged a few tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere. Now, I was under the impression DC had made the environment a priority and he is worried about CO2 <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">emissions</span>.<br />I know, I know, no doubt he has "offset" these carbon emissions. Well, sorry, but that's just pointless. Whether you believe global warming caused by human activity is happening or not you can agree this. Offsetting is pointless.<br />The idea of offsetting is basically this: you take a flight, feel guilty, cough up a few quid to some organisation who then buys a tree which as it grows will absorb the CO2 you generated. Fine so far. But what happens if the land that tree is on changes ownership and it is chopped down next year and used as firewood? What happens when everyone decides to offset and we create a world where all useful land is covered in trees and so cannot be used for other things like, erm, food production?<br />If you believe that CO2 causes climate change you have two choices, try and emit less by modifying your lifestyle (ie not taking the family to Greece) or carrying on as normal and stop lecturing to other people. You cannot have it both ways.VFTNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09042127855668954972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979747007513391433.post-55356327567008580392007-05-31T13:42:00.000+01:002007-05-31T13:45:47.627+01:00McCanns campaign under scrutiny at lastAt last, an element of the mainstream media has broken ranks and actually started posing reasonable questions about the implications of the McCann campaign for the return of their daughter and the media coverage of it.<br />Newsnight is asking for comments <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/2007/05/the_mccanns_plight.html">here</a>.<br />I do hope this kick starts a proper debate and does not get hijacked by those who cannot separate out their sympathy for the McCanns from the wider debate their case raises.VFTNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09042127855668954972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979747007513391433.post-89273806824185842122007-05-30T22:03:00.000+01:002007-05-31T16:14:51.524+01:00Big Brother bluesWith perfect timing, the day after the outrage over a Dutch 'reality' show offering contestants the chance to win a <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6699847.stm">kidney</a>, Big Brother 28 (it may not be that many, it might just seem like it) starts. While the kidney programme has prompted plenty of (justifiable) outrage the start of another BB hasn't. Alright, so it might not be making entertainment out of the desparation of transplant patients but it does take a whole bunch of people ill-prepared for but desparate to have the public spotlight and exploits them ruthlessly before spitting them out at the other end to become tabloid fodder. I know, no-one forces anyone to take part etc and I'm normally the kind of person who says people like Jade Goody get what they deserve but every year BB becomes a slightly more grotesque spectacle and i think that's just a bit sad. And its crap telly.<br /><br />Update: Hurrah, i'm not alone. There is a like-minded soul at the <a href="http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/31386/a-grim-reality.thtml">Speccy</a>.VFTNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09042127855668954972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979747007513391433.post-17498817389014591382007-05-25T17:06:00.000+01:002007-05-25T17:08:24.728+01:00The worst press release everIs this the most tedious press release ever issued? (Thanks to the source who provided it).<br /><br />Make mine a tuna and cucumber - Midland Mainline employees reveal their favourite sandwich<br />To celebrate the sandwich, train company Midland Mainline, which is part of the National Express Group, has launched momentum Munch, a sandwich design contest for schools in Derby, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield. The humble sandwich can be either dressed up with cucumber and no crusts, or down as a bacon butty. From palaces to picnics and from the school packed lunch to the chi chi deli they've been the best thing since sliced bread.<br />Designed as part of Midland Mainline’s education initiative momentum, the competition is searching for a budding entrepreneur to design a new sandwich to sell on Midland Mainline trains this summer.<br />A survey carried out for the British Sandwich Association to find out the nation’s favourite sandwich filling revealed that cheese was the most popular choice. And during the launch of momentum Munch, Midland Mainline carried out its own survey asking staff to vote for their favourite sandwich.<br />Tuna and cucumber on white bread reigned supreme as the most popular choice amongst Midland Mainline employees, whilst cheese Ploughman’s and ham and egg jostled for a place in the top three.<br />When momentum Champion and a member of the competition judging panel, Adrian Allen, Midland Mainline’s Catering Product Manager was asked what his favourite sandwich was, he said: “If I was choosing from our on train range it has to be the chicken and bacon club because the chicken breast and sweetcure smoked bacon form a great flavour combination… if I was making one at home it would be; Yorkshire ham and crumbled mature Cheddar cheese with mixed leaves, creamy mayonnaise and apple chutney; preferably on thick sliced Malted bread lightly spread with butter.” Yum!<br />With momentum Munch now in full swing kids have until 11th June to get their thinking caps on and create a sandwich with a name set for the tracks. momentum is a bespoke Citizenship and Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) programme that consists of teaching resources, practical activities and visual aids. Sponsored by Midland Mainline and written by educational specialists and teachers, momentum focuses on five key areas of concern and interest not only to students, but to the general public and Midland Mainline itself: Food & Nutrition, Enterprise, Green Transport, Disability and Waste Management.VFTNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09042127855668954972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979747007513391433.post-36982486952190211432007-05-25T10:48:00.000+01:002007-05-25T10:53:55.058+01:00RubbishIt's hard to pick out the most depressing aspect of <a href="http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.1425111.0.0.php">this story</a> from The Herald. New teams of litter officers are going to patrol the streets of Glasgow telling people to pick up their rubbish or giving them £50 fines. It's sad enough that we are now such a nation of slobs that tax revenue has to be spent employing people to tell us to tidy up but this story has an extra twist. The litter patrol people are going to be wearing stab vests to protect them from knife attack. How have we got to the point where litter patrols need stab vests?VFTNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09042127855668954972noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3979747007513391433.post-1653824139681813732007-05-21T10:49:00.000+01:002007-05-21T10:57:06.966+01:00Time to end the farewell tour<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-6648844,00.html">Cameron</a> is apparently making a speech today calling for an end to the Blair farewell tour. The unopposed election/appointment of Brown to the Labour leadership has left Blair's position untenable. In Cameron's own words:<br />“What is the point in Tony Blair holding meetings and discussing long-term policy - or even short-term problems - with Cabinet ministers who may not keep their jobs in a few weeks time? What is the point of Tony Blair attending international summits in June when everyone there will know that he is leaving office in just a few days time?"<br />He's right. This is a farce and Labour should call time on it now.VFTNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09042127855668954972noreply@blogger.com1