Entries from October 2008 ↓

I love this random acts of kindness campaign.

I must remember to get a submission on the ICO’s model publication scheme.

Drive for Change provides a practical guide for improving services through the effective engagement of the trade unions and the workforce.

I’d welcome your ideas on how this web site, particularly the toolkit section.

According to Fox News the US Army says Twitter is a tool for terrorists. Fox claim a report states:

“Twitter has also become a social activism tool for socialists, human rights groups, communists, vegetarians, anarchists, religious communities, atheists, political enthusiasts, hacktivists and others to communicate with each other and to send messages to broader audiences,”

Looks like Stoke has just voted by a convincing majority to abolish the directly elected mayor position.

Tom Steinberg’s speech at the MySociety 5th birthday:

“Government in the UK once lead the world in it’s own information systems, breaking Enigma, documenting an empire’s worth of trade. And then it fired everyone who could do those things, or employed them only via horribly expensive consultancies. It is time to start bringing them back into the corridors of power.”

The former Chief Executive of the SMMT dropped me an email by mistake the other day. He made a quip about ministerial cars that I suspect was aimed at my friend, Tom Harris. I only assume that it was for Tom because he was fulsome in his praise from my leadership skills and ability to run a department. Five minutes later, I got an email apologising and explaining that the message was not intended for me!

Despite the unintended slight, I suspect the gentleman might have a modicum of respect for my choice of new junior ministerial car. The vehicle is assembled by British workers, has great environmental prowess – doing more miles to the gallon than most company cars and is a modern design icon. Can’t wait for the mini to arrive.

The Great Schlep. How on earth do these guys get away with this stuff? BTW, there are swear words, so if you’re squeemish, please do not watch this video in support of Barrack Obama in Florida.

“If you know what women want, you can rule!” said Bette Midler in the film “What women want”. The movie stars Mel Gibson as a chauvinistic advertising executive who suddenly finds he can hear what women are thinking.

According to news reports David Cameron wants to emulate Mr Gibson. He’s hired the Pretty Little Head PR Consultancy who say they want to “help their clients appeal to women”. The Pretty Little Head website explains the “four feminine codes”, “the male achievement impulse and the female utopian impulse” as well as offering “feminine channel planning”. Reading the reports, the Conservative “spokesman” was distancing Mr Cameron from the company with the dismissive line “they are a consultancy we have used.”

The other night I was introduced to an editor of a very well-read women’s magazine who told me that they couldn’t get David Cameron’s people off the phone, so keen were they to get their man featured. So it sounds like Conservative HQ have been taking part in a bit of feminine channel planning after all.

In the film, Mel takes to waxing his legs, wearing control-top pantyhose and using exfoliating products. If only I could use photoshop.

Update: Only a matter of time.

What transforms footloose, feckless men into switched-on, dedicated fathers?

Tristram Hunt in the Guardian:

“In place of an identifiable belief system setting out the relationship between the state, market and civil society, what Cameron remains tremendously good at is voicing the indeterminate concerns of modern Britain in an attractive, accessible language which is then played out through the prism of his own life experiences. He is politics’ Jamie Oliver.”

When the world falls apart some things stay in place
She takes off the Four Tops tape and puts it back in its case
When the world falls apart some things stay in place
Levi Stubbs’ tears…

[youtube]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3FJ5e6cAEzw[/youtube]