Britblog Roundup # 67

A Roundup for a Bank Holiday weekend: something or other in the UK, Memorial Day in the US and err, nothing where I am. Then again, it is warm and sunny, as it has been for the past three months and will be for the next five.

Ahem.

Save The Ribble continues to use their blog in their campaign.

Nosemonkey gives us the shorter Gordon Brown. Nope, don’t think he’s missed anything.

Adloyada on Blair, the Gold Medal, the Press and Bush. It certainly did seem that someone was briefing there.

Jim Bliss on the launch of the Euston Manifesto. He’s got problems with it:

OK. First off. If you talk about “environmentally sustainable growth” you are (knowingly or not) peddling a dangerous lie. There is a widely-held misconception that the findings of The Club of RomeThe Limits to Growth (download an abstract in RTF format); have somehow been discredited. That there are in fact, no limits to growth and that growth can carry on “sustainably” (i.e. indefinitely). This is simply not the case.* and their famous report;

I’d go further and say that the philosophy of sustainable growth is a powerfully regressive one which ranks alongside fascism in its potential to generate human suffering.

Roschenko hits back at a Spiked article on home births. I don’t think he likes them very much.

Blood and Treasure on the German and Chinese sense(s)of humour. Chris Bertram is there in the comments and gives the shortest and most devastating critique of Stewart Lee’s theory I’ve seen so far (my own, while true [It’s because they don’t speak English] is weak in comparison).

Antipholus. Not come across this Live Journal before: but I’m certainly going to come back again:

It's not all roses in the Number 10 garden though. Earlier this week, Cherie Blair and Alistair Campbell caused howls of indifference when they auctioned the head of veteran peace campaigner Brian Haw at a Labour party fundraiser. The head, which was still warm, had been autographed by Mrs Blair, Mr Campbell and Bono from U2, and was said to have fetched in the region of £400. Not even enough for a decent haircut but every little helps.

God Bless Maggie says The Englishman.

Tim Ireland catches Anne Milton MP in a clear (but not transparent) conflict of interest. Bang to rights is the phrase that comes to mind.

The Anglo Saxon Chronicle is surprsingly quick off the mark for such a venerable institution:

All patients at Broadmoor, Rampton etc are detained under the Mental Health Act , which is a Department of Health Competence , not as being reported, the Home Office.

Credit where credit is due. It should be remembered that Patricia Hewitt took over the Department of Health from the current Home Secretary, John Ried, in May 2005.

Philobiblon is deciphering a 16th century will. Fascinating stuff and if you’ve got any knowledge of Elizabethan English, pop over and lend a hand will you? Natalie also provides a useful theatre review: always good to know what to not bother seeing.

A new group history blog: History News Network:

If the paint can be removed safely then should it?

Visitors certainly seem to think it should. The new threat to the stones are well-meaning members of the public who attempt to pick it off. There’s a strong feeling the paint doesn’t belong there because it’s a neolithic site. But it’s not just a Neolithic site. It was also there in the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. In fact it has been there every day of every year since then, except for September 3 to 13 in 1752.

How to not keep your job.

Podulike. Unexplainable. Go read.

Lady Bracknell visits diabetes nurses.

Tom Reynolds’ useful advice for heroin addicts.

Blepharospasm anyone?

Councillor Matt Sellwood has warnings about Peak Oil. My views, regular readers will know, are somewhat different.

Well, it Smites my Lyre Anyway. Odd and super.

Redevelopment in London gives archaeologists a chance at some old sites all over again.

Liberal England presents another episode from Lord Bonker’s Diary.

Make My Vote Count on the iniquities of the first past the post electoral system, as applied to the last council elections.

New Politics on how the constituency link doesn’t justify it either.

SuzBlog on the race to replace Eric Forth in Parliament.

Johnny Void on the Government’s "Talk to Frank" drugs site for worried parents. So badly put together it’s actually dangerous.

Spyblog has some extremely useful hints and tips for those thinking of breaking the Civil Service rules of Omerta. Be very careful who you contact: it’s not unlikely that the email of most potential publishers of whistleblower stories are monitored.

Finally, and possibly most disturbingly, The Gorse Fox has proof that  weno longer have the presumption of innocence. No, it is we who must prove we are innocent in hte face of an accusation from The Home Office.

And that’s it, the Britblog Roundup for this week. You can send nominations for next week’s to britblog AT gmail DOT com. Until then:

Toodle Pip!