How this weblog works
- 16 Mar 06, 05:50 PM
Hello - and welcome to my blog. I'm the business correspondent on Newsnight, the 成人快手's flagship nightly current affairs programme - which means I cover just about anything where money changes hands or there's an organisation doing something. And that's just on the programme.
Please note: You may experience a delay posting comments: this can be because the 成人快手's implementation of the blog engine is sometimes a bit slow; or because the moderators are considering the content of your comment. Hold fire reposting your comment for 30 minutes and refresh - it is usually our system, and your comment will usually just come up delayed.
I am using the blog to broaden out my work as a TV journalist - which means: (a) interacting with the audience in as near realtime as my schedule allows; (b) writing the kind of analysis that would make boring TV but hopefully makes decent reading; (c) giving an idea of the story-in-progress as I work on it; (d) sticking to "big theme" journalism in the face of a blistering daily schedule that constantly knocks you off it and into the undergrowth of minutiae.
More stuff you need to know: this is still only a trial. Me and my editor managed to sneak the Beta version of this blog under the 成人快手's radar (www.newsnig8t.com) - but this one is hosted by the 成人快手 and supposed to stick to all the rules applying to its journalism - while at the same time being a real blog. Wish me luck!
Because we are contractually banned from expressing an opinion about anything, this blog will draw the line at analysis - though it's a difficult line to draw without erring on the side of bland. I will try to articulate people's standpoints against each other and get them to engage. Complain if you don't like it.
About me: I was born in 1960, I'm married, no kids, live in South London and come from a place called Leigh in the north of England. I work in 成人快手 Television Centre - though the job means I am lucky enough to get "deployed" to the actual places where stories are happening. Not being a slave to hourly news deadlines I can find time to swan around, meet contacts, read books (yes books!), academic journals and other people's blogs. And they pay me for it!
The downside is that I'm supposed to come up with original stories and ideas first: the words bleeding edge, blue sky and zeitgeist are high in the mix of what my editors want - so I am hoping the blog's comment and feedback buttons will allow you, the viewers, to come to my rescue on those days I face the blank screen and blinking cursor with an equally blank and blinking mind.
My schedule: If I am doing a piece I will generally be working on it by 1030 GMT, finishing it just as the Newsnight music starts at 2230 GMT, in a tetchy debrief session by 2330 and listening to the inanities of a minicab driver around midnight, slumped in the back seat of a Toyota Bluebird and watching lots of 24 hour party people flash past having a better time than me.
In between I will try to find time to post to the blog every day. I will try to post at least one piece of column-length writing that is not total garbage per week. For all you gadget geeks out there, I am using a Sony Ericsson P910i to file photos and short texts. UPDATE: For the Bolivia trip I used an Olympus mu700 all weather digital camera, as there was no GPRS there anyway.
Why the title? Idle scrawl is a phrase used by Ben Johnson to describe meaningless verbiage, and also Lancashire slang for a lazy, slightly unkempt and dissolute person: as in, gerowtabedtha'idlescrawl.
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'Me and my editor managed to..'.
Having read the excellent book by John Humphrys 'Lost For Words', I do feel obliged to point out that this should read 'My editor and I...'.
Never mind the Hutton recommendation for a school of journalism, what about a school for grammar ?
We could even ask the Labour government to sponsor it, and call it a 'Grammar School'. Just a thought.
Although in fairness, the rest of the 成人快手 site is littered with poor spelling, incorrect grammar and 'sentences' which haven't been proof - read.
That apart, keep up the good work.
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Paul
Forgive catching up with your blog a little late in the day. As a fellow Leyther it's tempting just to gossip about whether Wigan are going to be relegated rather than grapple with the profound political issues of the epoch - the old adage, "Socialisme ou Barbarisme' retains all its relevance.
Any road, good luck with disturbing folks' way of seeing things and I'll remember you to Benny Pinnegar when he visits us on Crete during the summer.
Still trying to struggle a bit,
Tony [ex-Leigh, ex-Leicester, ex- Chesterfield, now Cretan exile]
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Hi Paul,
I'm another who remembers you well from Thornleigh, having recognised you on Newsnight a while ago. Keep up the good work!
Also remember Stephen Eaton (from post 1)- hope you are keeping well.
Steve Jones
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In addition to my previous posting - all the best to John Atherton too!Sorry John, I hadn't spotted your post when I wrote mine.
Steve Jones
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I'm not sure if this is the right place to post programme ideas, but anyway:-
There's an article in yesterday's Times that discusses an idea to reform parts of the NHS by adopting "lean" management techniques. There are some people who believe:-
1. That this concept, if left to its own devices, will be suffocated by the self-interest of those it will expose.
2. That the idea that much (most?) activity is valueless is a derivative of Parkinson's First Law, and its effect is widespread not just in the NHS, but throughout Society, in both Public and Private Sectors.
3. That correcting and reversing this malaise is far and away the biggest opportunity to accelerate the rate of economic progress.
4. It can't begin to be addressed unless people are given the opportunity to recognise that it exists, that it is a problem, that it can be corrected, and that the potential benefits are quite enormous.
Something inside is telling me that maybe, just maybe, we are at a point in time where it is possible to start planting a few seeds, and that they will not fall on stony ground. I don't quite know what it is - perhaps it is that there is such widespread negativity and disillusionment with our political representatives that there could be a grouping that is prepared to risk doing what is right not just what is popular.
Is this the sort of thing that Newsnight might look at? Or is the whole idea so unorthodox, so potentially unsettling, that you would prefer to stay well clear?
Please don't feel that you have to be detailed, but I'd very much appreciate your immediate thoughts about this.
Regards,
Simon Stephenson
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What Sven needs to advise our players, before they even leave the dressing room is,
(1) make sure you know which direction the opponent's goal is in and try to play the ball towards it....
(2) try to keep the ball in the area between the centre line across the pitch and the opponent's goal....
(3) pass the ball to a player with same coloured shirt you have on not to the other chaps who are our opponents...
(4) allow only Beckham to kick the ball higher than a couple of feet when passing....
and, (5) this especially for Lampard. check the height of the goal and don't keep kicking the ball (as you have done mop fewer than six times in the past two matches) at twice the height of the goal crossbar..
And of course,Sven must scrap the stupid 4-5-1 formation leaving Rooney all alone out there. Try a 3-3-4 formation - the object of the game is actually to score goals not just defend.
These guys are supposed to be professionals - they are paid tens of thousands a week - Rooney with his 拢30,000 a week gets more than I do in a year. Yet I see better soccer passing through Beckenham Recreation Ground on a Sunday morning. If it weren't for my being a pensioner with blocked arteries I could do the same as Rooney, play but not score a single goal.
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Hi. Thanks for the introduction.
A blog that is devoid of personal opinion seems anathema to me, but I suppose you're getting paid for this, so you've got to stick to the contract. I hope you can push the envelope a little sometimes. I promise I won't grass you up.
If it gets bland, the hits will go down, but don't take it personally.
Good luck!
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Hi Paul,
I regularly read your blogs but wondered what your thoughts were about Google in China. Here are a few of my own on the subject...
Don鈥檛 Do Evil?
Google have been given a pretty hard time of late with its venture into China. But are they really compromising their mission of Don鈥檛 Do Evil?
I鈥檓 not so sure that they are. After all, what is the alternative 鈥 completely ignore nearly 20% of the World鈥檚 population by saying we鈥檙e not playing by your Government鈥檚 rules so we won鈥檛 engage at all. Life just isn鈥檛 like that 鈥 well not for people who want to progress and engage with different cultures from around the World and move the human race on. By isolating countries that we simply don鈥檛 agree with we get into situations where we start to dehumanise these Governments to the point where we start to think of them as alien, awful factions of people that we then learn nothing about and they in turn learn nothing from us. We don鈥檛 progress, and before you know it we are isolated from each other and paranoia and fear sets in and we are at war.
Haven鈥檛 we all at some time compromised, or more accurately adjusted, our behaviour when we have travelled abroad on holiday to accommodate local laws, customs and traditions? I certainly have. The problem for Google is how they possibly deal with these far reaching ethical and cultural tensions between their mission, 鈥淒on鈥檛 Do Evil鈥, and the fact that they are being complicit in holding back information which will inevitably give people in China a limited view of the world.
Well, Google isn鈥檛 censoring these people it is the Chinese government and Google are respecting their national laws. Whilst we may not like it that is what goes on in China and whilst it may be at odds with our sense of openness many Chinese people that I know love their country and their Government. They are proud of China鈥檚 history and of its vast development over the last 15 years which couldn鈥檛 have been achieved without the Chinese Government opening itself up to foreign investment and capitalism.
Whilst censorship has serious and far-reaching implications, child labour/slavery, an entirely worse evil in my view, has been prevalent in China for years. I have witnessed such atrocious factories myself, and being horrified by them and the conditions in which kids from 11 onwards work in. But what of the clothes that you wear? Can you safely say these were not produced by these forgotten children? Take a look around your house and tell me that you are 100% sure that the TV, computer, microwave or trainers that you own were produced by cheerful workers with healthcare and a fair wage. These products are produced cheaper and cheaper, at our demand, and with that they become more and more available to people with less wealth from around the world 鈥 which develops the world we live in. But what of the children that produce them? Their lives are of course consigned to the reality that they are the 鈥渉uman resources鈥 that simply live, work and breathe their slavery every day of every week of every year in the most squalid and brutal of conditions. I don鈥檛 however see everyone reaching to throw their PCs and TVs out of the window in disgust at the horrors that they have been complicit in. And, if these kids, whose parents simply couldn鈥檛 afford to feed, weren鈥檛 doing this work, what would they be doing? Starvation possibly or maybe sold into the sex industry? Not an easy situation to wrestle with is it...
So, do we engage with China abiding by their laws and customs and congratulate Google鈥檚 bravery for embracing a very difficult situation or do we divorce ourselves from it and start boycotting China until they start listening to us and doing things our way? All sounds a bit arrogant to me that we somehow know best. I choose engaging with China every day, of every week, of every year, with the hope, and belief, that we can learn, progress and influence each other. As China becomes more affluent and integrated with other global cultures, and we become more knowledgeable and understanding of them, maybe then we will start to see the Government ease up on its tight reign on censorship of its people and then maybe some of the kids who are making your PCs, Clothes, TVs can begin to take greater ownership of their lives, lift themselves out of poverty, and actually be able to afford a PC to search Google, in its unabridged form. I wonder what they will make of our amazing democracy鈥
Google, in my view, should be applauded for engaging with the Chinese Government and having the strength to struggle with some of these incredibly complicated and challenging ethical tensions. Don鈥檛 Do Evil is something that we should all aspire to do and we should of course, where possible, avoid being complicit in the misery of others. But let鈥檚 be clear that this will not be achieved easily and a healthy mix of campaigning and commercial engagement is the way forward in my view. Anyone, of course, as I do, who has an issue with censorship or Human Rights abuse in China should write to the Chinese government and campaign against it or sign up to Amnesty Internationals or visit
Let鈥檚 remember that the Chinese government are the lawmakers, not Google, and few of us can say we haven鈥檛 been in complicit in the misery of others, wittingly or not, sometime or other in the past. This is something that I am constantly working on minimising as I am sure Google are鈥
Stuart Wood
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I'm really gob-smacked! I am. Here's me thinking the 成人快手 are intelligent (albeit partial and sometimes biased), credible journalists. How wrong could I have been! The Newsnight programme on Hizb ut-Tahrir was shocking to say the least. I can't believe how, such absolute lies, spin, nonsense, slander and such 'playground' style accusations were allowed to be aired! On the one hand we've got the worlds top intellectuals trying to find anything to smear the Hizb with, and best they can come up with is the "conveyor belt" argument. Why didn't they just turn around and say members of the Hizb mug little old ladies to prove their membership! What a joke 成人快手, you really have shot yourself in the foot. But then again, I can't believe this came a night before the Queens Speech was accidental...so who was really behind airing the programme?
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The unelected Arts Council's budget of 1.1 billion pounds between 2006 and 2008 is 10 times greater than the GLA budget for the same period. If an actor is paid 拢4000.00 per month to lie in a Birmingham street, by the arts council, to remind us there is a war going on and this is " not a lot to lie in a street for a week" where an actual combatant is paid 拢1500.00 net to try not to lie in this position. Should we not make better use of these funds? Art and artists will prevail and those with an eye to see will see.
A 拢70,000 rock in front of a hospital is only art in the eye of the unelected beholder. Ask the person trusting the Trust
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I know you will think it irrelevant, but I have to agree with the earlier poster Philip Howells Message2. The main thing that hit my in your preamble here was the disgustingly rude 'ME and my editor'. Is the world so self centred now that such is acceptable?
So called Ethical man made the same error on his blog recently if I recall too, decency not a 成人快手 standard now?
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The Spiritual reporter
This days we are talking a lot about Gadaffi, first Blair went there to sell him some millions in weapons and make agreements about some deals with Oil of course, and today every big member of the EU is surely thinking about it, maybe in a hurry to speak with this Ex terrorist, just because he have Oil or is it because every one wants to be 鈥渢he one鈥 who makes the best deal with for all the weapons he needs?
This shows ones again the double standard and the immorality of this people that talk and acts and join the war against terrorism.
The only one missing here is butcher Bush, that may do it in a secret way, because as we know weapons is a very profitable business.
I wonder where will be have to send Peace troops later to defend the citizen鈥檚, against a new genocide, that seems to be such a profitable business.
In stead of a War tribunal is it not more effective to make the weapons industry an illegal trade as Queen Juliana wants already in the 60鈥檚 ?.
About the release of six Bulgarian, nobody ask him self are they guilty? or not. We only know that they are free.
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Just started using this blog to take out my frustrations in world affairs on! From art-house cinema and Jeremy on the sofa, to oil-rich bankrupt Iran and associated wartorn horrors, its so far been very interesting. At least one has the feeling, unlike the Radio 4 Today messageboard, that someone is reading it and responding.
The other night Jeremy Paxman was decidedly unrepetant about his comments on film auteurs, in his still rather cynical treatment of Antonioni's work. In response to the blog. Still its that won't back down quality that makes him so good really, at his main targets - politicians!
Carry on blogging!
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Kirsty Wark asking John Bolton about Iran is akin to having asked Hitler how he felt about Jews.
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This has given me the courage to speak out about what I have believed since school days. It is not a shamefull thing to be an outspoken atheist anymore than an outspoken christian, it just that what I believe is backed up by science and Darwin's evolution explanation and not an ancient book of writtings from the bible that came from an age that had no idea of the cosmos of their time. Religious teaching at school level has so much to answer for. Please take time to think before you blindly believe everything you are told .
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Just watched the report on Zimbabwe, how can we stand by and watch that happen? Its unbelievable and should never be allowed. The super powers that exist should stand up to Mugabe and drive his completely barbaric regime out of existence. It simply is beyond belief and I firmly support our government if they choose to go and support the people of Zimbabwe and help restore it to its former glory, instead of the decaying, death trap that its modern day Zimbabwe! How can this world stand by and do nothing?!?!
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Prime Minister's question time is always good for a laugh but for most voters it is purely knockabout comedy at best and childish behaviour at worst. Yes, David Cameron gave Gordon Brown a hard time over the snap election that never was. However, I remember William Hague giving Blair an equally hard time on many occasions and look where that got him. Love him or hate him, Gordon Brown is a formidable operator. He may not have the glitz and glamour of his predecessor or the PR skills of Cameron but he has virtually run this country for the past two or three years while Blair was living in cloud cuckoo land. Cameron is regarded (even by some in his own party) as a shmoozer who is all talk with no vision.
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IMMIGRATION
1-According to EU directives and or regulations -
There is no control of movement of persons within the EU, by any Nation State- AT ALL.
(FACT-DIRECTIVE DETAILS AVAILABLE)
2-Any none EU individual(s) once admitted to EU can move anywhere within the EU
(FACT-UNDER NEW REFORM TREATY(CONSTITUTION)
At no stage over the past 10 years especially, has the agenda of allowed immigration ever been put to the UK electorate-QUESTION-WHY?
The issue of IMMIGRATION HAS AND IS BEING USED AS A POLITCAL FOOTBALL IN NEGOTIATIONS WITHIN THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL-COUNCIL OF MINISTERS AND THE COMMISSION- BY THE UK GOVT.
3-UNDER CLAUSE 9 OF THE REFORM TREATY ALL HEADS OF STATE OF THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL ARE OBLIGED TO FURTHER EU INTERESTS- AIMS AND OBJECTIVES- QUESTION HOW IS IT POSSIBLE FOR HEADS OF STATE TO REPRESENT NATIONAL INTERESTS AND ALSO FURTHER THE EU AGENDA-SURELY THIS REPRESENTS A CONFLICT OF INTERESTS
CONCLUSIONS
1 THE POLITICIANS FROM ALL PARTIES SHOW THEIR MACHIAVELLIAN INHERITANCE WHEREBY THE INTERESTS OF THE SUBJECTS OF EACH NATION STATE ARE IGNORED COMPLETELY EXAMPLE - AT NO STAGE HAS THE ISSUE OF THE TREATY OF ELYSEE EVER EVER BEEN DISCUSSED BY ANY OF THE MAIN STREAM MEDIA INC THE 成人快手 AND WHAT THAT REALLY MEANS
2 THE ORIGINAL TREATY OF ROME WAS ILLEGAL -IN SO FAR AS THE LAW OF THIS COUNTRY IS HELD IN PERPETUITY BY THE MONARCH ON BEHALF OF THEIR SUBJECTS-AND IT IS NOT LAWFUL FOR POLITICIANS TO SIGN AWAY THESE RIGHTS OF THE SUBJECTS TO ANY FOREIGN POWER WHEREBY THAT POWER EXERTS SUPREMACY OVER THESE INHERENT RIGHTS.
3 ALL THE IMPORTANT NEGOTIATIONS WERE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS-WHY?
AND THE PUBLIC NEVER INFORMED BUT FED ON BREAD AND CIRCUSES
EXAMPLES ONE MAJOR- TED HEATH -FISHING AND AGRO INDUSTRIES-AND LESSER IMPORT- OPERATION ROCKINGHAM AND THE REAL STORY OF HOW THE 成人快手 DEALT WITH JACK DE MANIO-SO WHY WAS HE DISMISSED??
dont be surprised that this comment is rejected by the 成人快手-IF SO IT SHOWS THE 成人快手/GOVT BIAS BY ALL PARTIES
harold hoffman
www.britanniaradio.co.uk
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I am reading much about Muslim security bias. I am a catholic white Spanish citizen and have experienced no problems with police or security for 5 years.
However, I am an Irish National and have experienced much British security bias over a thirty year period, although neither directly or indirectly associated with any organisation of a subversive nature.
I have been photographed at least 100 times by security agencies. Held at the roadside for 3 hours on one occasion. I have requested police assistance but have been ignored by them. I have been fined for traffic offences while others stopped for the same offence were then waved on, because of the name on their driving licence.
There were 1000s like me.No major incidents but a continuous barrage of passive bias.
Any public outcry was conspicuous by it's absence. So why the change for Muslim??
I notice in the UK it is OK to socially joke about the Pope but not about Mohammed. Socially you are a bigot if you joke about Mohammed but if you joke about the Pope, that's socially ok. Why?
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Yet again, the British Labour party have proved how corrupt they are. Denials and damge control, when will the British public stand up and say we won't take this anymore.
Corruption seems to be accepted here, yet we moan when we hear of it in Africa and South America.
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I am still disappointed, after working with highway engineers for over 25 years, at how the design guidance for road schemes (new build or 'retro fit')tends to cater for the worse case scenario, and to focus on the needs of drivers passing through a space rather than the whole community using the spaces between buildings. However, it is usually the small minority who spoil things for the rest; so much street furniture, railings and the like, are littering our streets with ugliness and uniformity to control thoughtless behaviour.There is also a lack of street maintenance funding, so anything provided is increasingly uniform and utilitarian, to make it cheap to provide, replace, and maintain.
A shame we are still talking of trials; why can't we have confidence in the experience of our European colleagues?
We have a few examples of innovation in Hampshire, but it is a long slow process. Successful projects have been achieved through multi-disciplinary teams working with local people, led by a person with an open mind, willing to take a risk, and of some authority; usually with funding from the Department of Transport, as part of a pilot project (eg Petersfield Demonstration project),and with DoT authority to 'break the rules'. Risk assessment and lack of confidence in people being responsible for their own safety and for the safety of others are probably the main reasons for not implementing a change in approach. A lead from the Department for Transport and in public opinion is needed to shift things; your publicity is a step towards informing people of other options. Brilliant.
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Of course the inquest is a waste of money It seems that mr, Fayed 's conspiracy theories are the reason for this protracted hearing.It seems he has dictated the terms of reference and is making a mockery of the u.k. Justice system.
Regards
M. lacey,
'
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NEWNIGHT THE CANNABIS REVIEW!!!
Last night I was flicking channels and I noticed Newsnight was on, I watched the Cannabis review. I find it very disturbing that cannabis is portrayed in such a harsh way. I can't believe the Government are trying to make the public believe that it is linked with mental health disorders, this is absurd, cannabis does not make you problems, a problem must be there in the first place to be trigered! I have smoked cannabis almost every day for 7 years and so have almost everyone I know. None of these people have mental illness issues and I certainly dont.
Why portray a drug to be such a problem, when the problem lies with drugs that are infact legal, that you can go to a shop and buy over the counter.
Cigarettes are a drug that cause Cancer, sometimes Cannabis is prescribed by a doctor, Cigarettes are not prescribed for anything.As a matter of fact research has been done and proven that marijuana actually stops the growth of cancerous cells, stops the progression of Alzheimers, cateracts, and many other conditions to lengthy to mention. People criticize are hipocrits. They have indulged in their lifetime and they know it. Drugs are the chemicals that people who criticize are taking on a regular basis. Prozac,Xanax,Percaset,Valumes,Diet pills,Lortabs,Pain killers of any kind, etc... Marijuana does not eat your liver, alcohol does. Marijuana does not cause lung cancer, cigarettes do. Some of the most intelligent philosiphers,inventors,lawyers,professors,novelists,directors,doctors,and yes, even surgeons smoke,eat, or drink Cannibis. Wether the world wants to believe it or not. They are in such denial.
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