Another shambles on the railways, where London Midland seems genuinely surprised that drivers aren't volunteering to work on Sundays.
Double-pay on Sundays has recently ended, and with it the impetus for drivers working on that day. This seems to me yet another example of customers suffering because the firms in charge of the railways are more concerned with cutting expenses and making maximum profit. Surely Britain's rail system should be geared towards providing a good service rather than making as much money as possible for those to whom the government has given up the responsibility of running them.
Sunday, 6 September 2009
Saturday, 5 September 2009
'Poor old Chelsea'
It is hard to find too much sympathy for mega-rich Chelsea as they face a transfer embargo for tapping up a young player. They've been accused of it before and it's good to see some action being taken.
It is a little harsh, however, that it is only Chelsea that have been singled out. There is little doubt that most of the bigger clubs engage in such illegal activity, using their greater reputation and financial muscle to tempt players away from smaller clubs. If Chelsea are facing such sanctions, then surely the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool must also expect recriminations? It remains to be seen whether this will be the case.
I suspect that Chelsea's ban will be lifted upon appeal. Football's governing bodies will not want to risk offending such a major side. Sanctions seem like a good idea to me, though. Maybe the richer teams should all be banned from adding to their squads and give everyone else a chance to catch up. If the Big Four all get banned from signing players, the Premier League might actually get interesting within the next year or so.
It is a little harsh, however, that it is only Chelsea that have been singled out. There is little doubt that most of the bigger clubs engage in such illegal activity, using their greater reputation and financial muscle to tempt players away from smaller clubs. If Chelsea are facing such sanctions, then surely the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool must also expect recriminations? It remains to be seen whether this will be the case.
I suspect that Chelsea's ban will be lifted upon appeal. Football's governing bodies will not want to risk offending such a major side. Sanctions seem like a good idea to me, though. Maybe the richer teams should all be banned from adding to their squads and give everyone else a chance to catch up. If the Big Four all get banned from signing players, the Premier League might actually get interesting within the next year or so.
Thursday, 3 September 2009
Focus on the BBC
The BBC has been the subject of two excellent articles this week, though both approach the topic from different angles. Jonathan Freedland blogs on the importance of the Beeb as a national institution at guardian.co.uk, while the New Statesman's Mehdi Hasan challenges oft-repeated claim that the BBC is left-leaning by nature.
Both articles are, to my mind, excellent. Freedland highlights the extraordinary nerve displayed by James Murdoch in arguing against state interference in the media as if he were not somebody that stood to gain to the tune of billions should the BBC be privatised. Murdoch's father, media mogul Rupert, has been a constant critic of the BBC, and it seems that his son is a chip off the old block. Freedland, though, notes that Murdoch junior is destined to fail where his father also failed. The BBC will survive, regardless of whatever David Cameron claims he will subject it to upon his likely accession to power. It is popular and respected in the eyes of the public enough to withstand the attack of any politician.
The free market has already shown itself to be unsatisfactory in giving people what they need, and the recent recession has further demonstarted its incapabilities. Further extending it into areas such as health and the media, therefore, would be nonsensical and deeply unpopular. Institutions such as the NHS and the BBC are welded onto this country's soul, and rightly so. We should be tremendously proud of them. Yet the BBC must do more to help itself stand up to attacks from the right, as Freedland notes. Director General Mark Thompson and his colleagues cannot possibly justify their astronomical salaries. The BBC needs to reconnect with licence-fee payers, whom it is there to serve. It will survive rightist attempts to dismantle it, but it needs to work harder in order to justify its survival.
On a slightly different note, a common rightist bleat with regards to the BBC is that it has a Liberal bias. I myself have read a book on the subject, the interesting but fatally flawed Can We Trust The BBC? by Robin Aitken. As a leftie myself, a left-leaning BBC is by no means repulsive to me. But that is not the point. The BBC is supposed to be neutral, and it is important it fulfils its remit in order to justify the continuation of the licence fee. Yet the fact that the continued complaints of numerous right-wingers tend to obscure (though perhaps this is the point) is that, if anything, the BBC has a bias towards the right. I will restrict myself to quoting the following from Hasan's article, but reading it in full is extremely illuminating:
'Can you imagine, for example, the hysterical reaction on the right if the BBC's political editor had been unmasked as the former chair of Labour Students? He wasn't - but Nick Robinson was chair of the Young Conservatives, in the mid-1980s, at the height of Thatcherism. Can you imagine the shrieks from the Telegraph and the Mail if the BBC's editor of live programmes had been deputy chair of the Labour Party Young Socialists? He wasn't - but Robbie Gibb was deputy chair of the Federation of Conservative Students in the 1980s, before it was wound up by Norman Tebbit for being too right-wing. Can you imagine the howls from the Conservatives if the BBC's chief political correspondent had left the corporation to work for Ken Livingstone? He didn't - but Guto Harri did become communications director for Boris Johnson within months of resigning from the Beeb.'
The BBC must improve, of this there is no doubt. Like Parliament, its purpose is to serve the country. Ridiculous salaries and unnecessary ventures do not fulfil this remit. But it is also time that the left started standing up for the BBC, both by defending it from claims of bias that are so palpably untrue and by helping it find itself a constructive role in modern society. Like the NHS, it is a great institution that retains the support and affection of the general public. It will take more than support and affection, however, to protect the Beeb from the greedy fingers of capitalism and conservatism.
Both articles are, to my mind, excellent. Freedland highlights the extraordinary nerve displayed by James Murdoch in arguing against state interference in the media as if he were not somebody that stood to gain to the tune of billions should the BBC be privatised. Murdoch's father, media mogul Rupert, has been a constant critic of the BBC, and it seems that his son is a chip off the old block. Freedland, though, notes that Murdoch junior is destined to fail where his father also failed. The BBC will survive, regardless of whatever David Cameron claims he will subject it to upon his likely accession to power. It is popular and respected in the eyes of the public enough to withstand the attack of any politician.
The free market has already shown itself to be unsatisfactory in giving people what they need, and the recent recession has further demonstarted its incapabilities. Further extending it into areas such as health and the media, therefore, would be nonsensical and deeply unpopular. Institutions such as the NHS and the BBC are welded onto this country's soul, and rightly so. We should be tremendously proud of them. Yet the BBC must do more to help itself stand up to attacks from the right, as Freedland notes. Director General Mark Thompson and his colleagues cannot possibly justify their astronomical salaries. The BBC needs to reconnect with licence-fee payers, whom it is there to serve. It will survive rightist attempts to dismantle it, but it needs to work harder in order to justify its survival.
On a slightly different note, a common rightist bleat with regards to the BBC is that it has a Liberal bias. I myself have read a book on the subject, the interesting but fatally flawed Can We Trust The BBC? by Robin Aitken. As a leftie myself, a left-leaning BBC is by no means repulsive to me. But that is not the point. The BBC is supposed to be neutral, and it is important it fulfils its remit in order to justify the continuation of the licence fee. Yet the fact that the continued complaints of numerous right-wingers tend to obscure (though perhaps this is the point) is that, if anything, the BBC has a bias towards the right. I will restrict myself to quoting the following from Hasan's article, but reading it in full is extremely illuminating:
'Can you imagine, for example, the hysterical reaction on the right if the BBC's political editor had been unmasked as the former chair of Labour Students? He wasn't - but Nick Robinson was chair of the Young Conservatives, in the mid-1980s, at the height of Thatcherism. Can you imagine the shrieks from the Telegraph and the Mail if the BBC's editor of live programmes had been deputy chair of the Labour Party Young Socialists? He wasn't - but Robbie Gibb was deputy chair of the Federation of Conservative Students in the 1980s, before it was wound up by Norman Tebbit for being too right-wing. Can you imagine the howls from the Conservatives if the BBC's chief political correspondent had left the corporation to work for Ken Livingstone? He didn't - but Guto Harri did become communications director for Boris Johnson within months of resigning from the Beeb.'
The BBC must improve, of this there is no doubt. Like Parliament, its purpose is to serve the country. Ridiculous salaries and unnecessary ventures do not fulfil this remit. But it is also time that the left started standing up for the BBC, both by defending it from claims of bias that are so palpably untrue and by helping it find itself a constructive role in modern society. Like the NHS, it is a great institution that retains the support and affection of the general public. It will take more than support and affection, however, to protect the Beeb from the greedy fingers of capitalism and conservatism.
Wednesday, 2 September 2009
Oasis should get over themselves
So, the inevitable has finally happened and Oasis have split. Am I the only one who is a little bit relieved? The endless rows between the Gallagher brothers were getting repetitive and boring, while the bands recent albums were exceedingly poor compared to the masterpieces of their heyday.
Those hoping for some phoenix to rise from the ashes will no doubt be disappointed. Liam was for long parts of his career carried by his more-talented brother, who in any case seems creatively spent these days. More likely is yet another kiss-and-make-up session, followed by a 'renunion tour' that will further fill the pockets of the brothers and whoever the rest of the band is.
I say they should just leave it at that. The attention-seeking brothers have finally parted in the most public way possible. Brit-pop was oevr years ago, and the Oasis of recent years was a pale imitation of what went before. Thanks for the memories boys, but go and stay gone.
Those hoping for some phoenix to rise from the ashes will no doubt be disappointed. Liam was for long parts of his career carried by his more-talented brother, who in any case seems creatively spent these days. More likely is yet another kiss-and-make-up session, followed by a 'renunion tour' that will further fill the pockets of the brothers and whoever the rest of the band is.
I say they should just leave it at that. The attention-seeking brothers have finally parted in the most public way possible. Brit-pop was oevr years ago, and the Oasis of recent years was a pale imitation of what went before. Thanks for the memories boys, but go and stay gone.
Tuesday, 1 September 2009
Lockerbie bomber goes free
The political drama surrounding the release of the Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi rumbles on and shows now sign of abating. Despite its best attempts to portray the decision as one for which the Scottish government should accept total responsibility, it has now been called upon to deny that his release had anything to do with a prospective trade deal between the two countries.
I, like many, have my doubts as to whether or not al-Megrahi is in fact the one responsible for the reprehensible events of 1988. There are many that share these doubts. What is clear, however, is that he was found guilty, and therefore must be treated as a guilty man. To release him after serving so little of his sentence so he can die in his own country seems to me a slur on the memories of those he was found guilty of murdering.
The reaction of our government is equally as disappointing as the decision by the Scots to release him. In attempting to avoid responsibility for the decision and refusing to express agreement or disagreement, Brown and Shaw have acted in a cowardly manner that does not befit their positions. It could be that this is all a ploy to discredit the Scottish Nationalist Party. If so, politicising such a matter is shameful in the extreme. To suggest that anyone involved in this decision was unaware of the welcome al-Megrahi would receive in Libya is frankly absurd. Libya may now be considered 'friendly', but for years Colonel Gaddafi has been a tyrant who supported terrorist efforts abroad. The return of Libya's most famous export only serves to increase his prestige on the 40th anniversary of his rise to power, and further cover up the shameful human rights abuses of which he is guilty.
I hate, in most circumstances, being on the same political side of David Cameron. Here, though, I agree that the release is "completely nonsensical". Not because I do not beiieve in compassion, and not because I fear the disapproval of the Americans, who I feel long ago forfeited any right to the moral high ground. It is because I fear that this decision was motivated in part by the lingering feeling that the bomber was in fact innocent. Though I myself have my doubts, other means should have been pursued of securing his release by those who share them. I also regret any continuing appeasement of Colonel Gaddafi's regime, which may now be considered 'friendly' to Western interests but is certainly not considered to be so by many Libyans.
I, like many, have my doubts as to whether or not al-Megrahi is in fact the one responsible for the reprehensible events of 1988. There are many that share these doubts. What is clear, however, is that he was found guilty, and therefore must be treated as a guilty man. To release him after serving so little of his sentence so he can die in his own country seems to me a slur on the memories of those he was found guilty of murdering.
The reaction of our government is equally as disappointing as the decision by the Scots to release him. In attempting to avoid responsibility for the decision and refusing to express agreement or disagreement, Brown and Shaw have acted in a cowardly manner that does not befit their positions. It could be that this is all a ploy to discredit the Scottish Nationalist Party. If so, politicising such a matter is shameful in the extreme. To suggest that anyone involved in this decision was unaware of the welcome al-Megrahi would receive in Libya is frankly absurd. Libya may now be considered 'friendly', but for years Colonel Gaddafi has been a tyrant who supported terrorist efforts abroad. The return of Libya's most famous export only serves to increase his prestige on the 40th anniversary of his rise to power, and further cover up the shameful human rights abuses of which he is guilty.
I hate, in most circumstances, being on the same political side of David Cameron. Here, though, I agree that the release is "completely nonsensical". Not because I do not beiieve in compassion, and not because I fear the disapproval of the Americans, who I feel long ago forfeited any right to the moral high ground. It is because I fear that this decision was motivated in part by the lingering feeling that the bomber was in fact innocent. Though I myself have my doubts, other means should have been pursued of securing his release by those who share them. I also regret any continuing appeasement of Colonel Gaddafi's regime, which may now be considered 'friendly' to Western interests but is certainly not considered to be so by many Libyans.
Thursday, 20 August 2009
We're all going on a summer holiday
Well, I am. I won't be writing anything for the next 10 days or so, for tomorrow I fly to Biarritz for a few days of sun, sea, sand and (dare I dream?) sex. Money-no-object frivolities will occur, guaranteed.
Until later, so long.
Until later, so long.
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
Good news for train passengers?
News today that train fares are set to fall next year, which on the face of it is good news for those of us who like using trains. Cheap, easily accessible train travel is important to this country, not only in providing a way for those without cars to get around but also in limiting emissions. Surely thois anticipated drop in train prices is a good thing?
Well, no, actually. Firstly, the drop will be a tiny 0.4%, though Transport Secretary Lord Adonis has done his best to put a bit of Labour spin on it. This reduction is by no means enough, as train prices remain astronomical unless tickets are booked a long way in advance. The prospect of getting a £60 train ticket from London to Leeds 0.4% cheaper is unlikely to persuade people to revert back to travelling by train.
Secondly, the private companies in charge of the trains will look to recoup their loss, such as it is, and thus unregulated rail fares will no doubt increase, meaning that savings made by booking tickets in advance will be wiped out. The problem with privatised rail travel is that the service providers are always unwilling to risk a loss of profits and will therefore find new ways to milk the travelling public for all it is worth.
Train prices have increased significantly since the railways were fully privatised, though this has occurred at the same time as a great improvement in services. Delays, cancellations and woefully inadequate trains are still as commonplace as they were when the system was under state control. The only change is that services are infinitely more expensive. If the government is really serious about encouraging people to use the trains, and therefore about cutting carbon emissions, then they should stop attempting to portray mediocre price cuts like this as a great step forward, and instead go for greater regulation, or preferably, though I realise this is very unlikely under the current government or a Conservative one, renationalise the networks.
Well, no, actually. Firstly, the drop will be a tiny 0.4%, though Transport Secretary Lord Adonis has done his best to put a bit of Labour spin on it. This reduction is by no means enough, as train prices remain astronomical unless tickets are booked a long way in advance. The prospect of getting a £60 train ticket from London to Leeds 0.4% cheaper is unlikely to persuade people to revert back to travelling by train.
Secondly, the private companies in charge of the trains will look to recoup their loss, such as it is, and thus unregulated rail fares will no doubt increase, meaning that savings made by booking tickets in advance will be wiped out. The problem with privatised rail travel is that the service providers are always unwilling to risk a loss of profits and will therefore find new ways to milk the travelling public for all it is worth.
Train prices have increased significantly since the railways were fully privatised, though this has occurred at the same time as a great improvement in services. Delays, cancellations and woefully inadequate trains are still as commonplace as they were when the system was under state control. The only change is that services are infinitely more expensive. If the government is really serious about encouraging people to use the trains, and therefore about cutting carbon emissions, then they should stop attempting to portray mediocre price cuts like this as a great step forward, and instead go for greater regulation, or preferably, though I realise this is very unlikely under the current government or a Conservative one, renationalise the networks.
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