The malevolent domination of Simon Hoggart

Reading this sketch (ho, and indeed, hum) on the BBC website by Susan Hulme, I was struck by this thought: “why do so many bad sketch writers think that the way to do it is to impersonate Simon Hoggart’s personal writing style?” It’s all there: the short sentences, the lame gags about individual’s physical characteristics,… Continue reading The malevolent domination of Simon Hoggart

A tale of two sleaze stories

Yesterday, the media got itself into a tizzy over a story about Alan Johnson that I’m pleased to see most Lib Dem bloggers seem entirely unimpressed by. Today, Derek Conway MP has been suspended from Parliament for two weeks for apparently defrauding the taxpayer out of £40,000 to pay his kid’s pocket money at university.… Continue reading A tale of two sleaze stories

Nuclear policy: where subsidies aren’t subsidies and safety is dangerous

Two stories to chew over for the nuclear debate: First is the revelation that the government not only accepts that the nuclear industry should not be required to clean up any nuclear accident, but was surreptitiously planning to change the law to specifically exempt the industry from paying any costs. But of course, we have… Continue reading Nuclear policy: where subsidies aren’t subsidies and safety is dangerous