Automated Attack Monkeys, Scalpel Mines, & Acid

I have a lot of stuff crashing around in my head at the moment. Most of it intersects to some degree, I think. Most of these thoughts are spectacularly half-baked, but each of them would probably be a post in and of itself if I could get them coherent...

• The morphing of the top brass of my party into apologists for the encroaching police state continues to be depressing. The more the MPs and party committees get sucked into the Westminster Bubble the more depressing it gets. I still don't know if I am going to go to Brum: I have paid for a ticket, and I understand that if all the actual Liberals stay away then we are only making things worse, but the idea of the rozzers having my sensitive data to do what they like with indefinitely... I vacillate.


• Lots of people are talking about whether chav is a term of classist abuse or not. My slippery get out on this discussion is that it's a lazy ad hominem whether it's classist or not, but I think it's not so much class snobbery as intellectual snobbery. The customers in my pub are mostly what would be considered working class; they quite gleefully denigrate chavs, and seem to use the word as a synonym for stupid people with no taste. Prince Harry is a chav to them as much as any working class person you could care to name, so I think the people calling it class prejudice are slightly missing the point. It is prejudice, it is abuse, but it's snobbery based on IQ, not class.


• One thing that I think is definitely class-based, or at least income-based, is the idea of minimum alcohol pricing. When students in Oxford get rajjed and throw up in people's gardens, we shrug that off as just students being students. When some resident of a tenement in Glasgow does it the sky is falling and we're approaching social meltdown... I dunno. I cleave to the Millian principle of preventing harm to others and a man's own good not being a sufficient warrant. If someone wants to get rajjed, who am I to stop them? Yes, pissed people cost the NHS money, but I'd be willing to bet that, like smokers, what they put in in taxes is a hell of a lot more than what they take out in self-induced illness. And I bridle at the idea of pricing poor people out of anything. If we make Frosty Jack's £3.99 a bottle, we don't really think that drinks which consider themselves more upmarket than Frosty Jack's aren't just going to put their prices up to get out of the same price bracket as the crap, do we? And then being drunk will be even more something that's only acceptable for the rich, like being rude, and not having any table manners.


• The depiction of poor people in the media of late. Someone linked to an article in the Graun about it the other day, and it got me thinking. I don't watch a vast amount of telly, so perhaps this perception is wrong, but it seems to me that the depiction of poor people in the media is almost always as an object of ridicule of late. They are Othered to a pretty nasty degree - tying into the chav thing, possibly. This is possibly the least fully formed of my thought strands, but it's also the one I think is most important. Our society is stratifying, social mobility is less than it has been in decades, and who you are born to affects your chances of success so much more than your intellect that I really am fearful for my extremely smart, creative daughter's future.


• The Bailey Report on the Sexualisation of children brings up lots of important points, many of which are amply covered here, but I can't get past the point that they want to ban black bras for younger girls. I realise that this is far from the most important bit of the report, but IN WHAT SORT OF CRAZY F'ED UP WORLD DOES THE GOVERNMENT GET TO DECIDE THE COLOUR OF MY CHILDREN'S CLOTHES? And again this is something that will apply disproportionately to people with less money.

So yes, those are the things I am thinking about. If anyone wants to argue with me about any of them that would be great, because arguing with people often helps me to clarify my thoughts. Although I do have to be at work 3 - 8...

1. All those who fretted about us losing our souls to the coalition needn't have. The first day of conference felt really odd; there was a tingle in the air of nervousness. A lot of people were worried that coalition would have changed us, somehow, and that it wouldn't be the same. By the end of it, it felt like the same family gathering as ever. Sure, we were in a swankier house, with coppers outside, but everyone was still themselves, and that was comforting. Conference as reassurance? Hell yes.


2. Family means emotions. Sara Bedford and Ros Scott both had me in tears with their heartfelt and amazing speeches. And, of course, Lib Dems are the huggiest party. I lost count of all the people I got hugs and kisses from, and they were ALL genuine, not media air-kissing.


3. Delga fringes are the coolest fringes. Going from the very swanky Delga 21st birthday bash to the geeky tweet-up at the Baltic Fleet was a real comedown - although this was ameliorated by the very cool lady I met there (I don't know if she'd want me to mention her name) who was a single mother with enough drive and determination for a small army. We talked a little about pregnancy and parenthood, and I am full of admiration for how she is raising her daughter. People like her make our party what it is, and I salute her.


4. It is possible for truth, justice, and the Liberal way to prevail. Millennium Elephant finally, deservedly, won the Lib Dem BOTY. I agree with what Richard said in his speech (you can watch the whole award ceremony here), that in the year that we make it into government for the first time in 65 years, there's something very appropriate about us awarding blog of the year to a soft toy. ♥


5. The media are as clueless as ever when it comes to reporting conference. It's fairly standard for me to not recognise conference when I look at the media reports, but this year it has felt particularly acute. Adam Boulton and Nick Robinson were the worst offenders.


6. Related to the above: the media will never notice the best bits. Nary a mention was made of Lynne Featherstone's barnstormer of a speech, which got a much-deserved standing ovation with whoops and hollers, and the Equal Marriage motion only got passing notice.


7. Further related to the above: Sky News HD make CRAP Top Trumps. You all might know I am an aficionado of the game. I have thirty-odd sets of Top Trump cards. I like them very much. But when someone makes a set that gives sexy Vince a fanciability score less than half of Harriet Harman's? I'm sorry, but that's just wrong.


8. Lib Dem Children are not like Tory Children. I'm sure we all remember William Hague's Tory Conference speech, which was always faintly embarrassing, and which the poor bugger still can't escape from. Maelo Manning, aged 11, made a fabulous speech on Gendercide at our conference, in shoes that make the Home Sec look like a scruffbag, and I wish I was as eloquent as she is NOW, never mind at her age.


9. Glee Club still freaks people out. Hell, the first one I went to freaked me out. But this year, because we are in government, there were journos there. The guy from the Daily Fail got a lovely chorus of boos.


10. Marks and Sparks make amazing breakfast cereal. And when I win the lottery I am totally going to do all my food shopping there.

Being home is weird and depressing. I feel very remote from things now. And I miss everyone so much. Post conference comedown is beastly. Oh well, at least the next one is in The People's Republic of Yorkshire, so it should be cheaper for me to attend...

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El Presidente is standing down (no link due to messagespaceness)... This makes me sad. Ros is one of my political heroes; she doesn't make a big song and dance about what she's doing, she just DOES stuff, and gets very little thanks or appreciation for it.

I was thinking, though. I'm pretty used to doing thankless tasks, and I'm used to having no money. Maybe I should stand? I promise to keep blogging, make sure they have proper beer at conference, and change my hair colour at least once a month ;) Seriously, though, I am actually considering it. I haven't got the years of party experience that most of the people who will be standing will doubtless have, but I don't know if that's necessarily a bad thing. Maybe fresh blood is a good thing? I'm dead set certain that my bluff Yorksherness is something federal party top brass could do with a sight more of, and that having an openly bi, openly poly, very atheist person in a leadership role in the party would do no harm. I'm no good at being the quiet diplomat, but I am good at shouting my liberal values from the rooftops, which is almost certainly needed right now.

What do you guys reckon? I mean, obviously it depends on who else is standing. I can think of one possible candidate who would make me yell HELL YES!!! and campaign like billy-o for their election... But is it worth me considering?

Stuff from my "things to Link to" folder

James Graham on the difficulties of getting his head round coalition.

Research from the Harvard Business Review: men ignore women on the internet shock. In other news all bears are catholic, and the pope shits in the woods.

The awesome Hathor Legacy on why it is extra sucky to see sexism in sci-fi as opposed to every other genre.

lizw displays her awesome by deconstructing a phrase that non-Lib Dems use disparagingly.

SciencePunk on how the "Skeptic" (Gods how I hate that spelling) movement is not the all-tolerant paradise many of us perceive it to be.

What it's like to be an atheist.

Lapdancers protest outside church which has been protesting outside their lapdancing club.

One for the Molesworth geeks among us.

MIT OCW. This is an amazing educational resource.

Anyway...

I suspect you won't see much more of me till Tuesday at the earliest; this weekend is proving to be a busy one. I've already had a school reunion, Posh Boy is visiting, and we're all off to see Stephen Fry on Monday.

But then I promise to restart my blog awards. And then it will be the leadup to conference...

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This blog is proudly sponsored by Caron's Musings

• Lots of very expensive-looking Vote Craig Whittaker - Conservative posters have gone up around here. Is it bad of me to want to get a tin of spray paint and scrawl DON'T across the top of them all?


• I wish I had more money to buy lots of big yellow birdie posters and put them up in suitable locations :(


• Watching the aborion debate happen on twitter (yes, apparently there still IS a debate) is a bizarre experience


• Why is it only ever teenagers who accuse other people of being immature?


• If the tories have changed so much under Cameron, why are their big priorites bringing back fox-hunting, bringing back national service, and lowering the time limit on abortion?

Oh yes, and finally? Some utter utter bastard videoed the drunken singing at Glee Club. When the camera pans across the front row it's a veritable who's who of Lib Dem bloggers, including lizw, djm4, myself, Andy "Scarier" Hinton and Joe "Extra Bold" Otten among others.

Given the philosophy I put forward in this post, I reluctantly link to the video.

Here's just a few of the things I've been doing the last couple of days:

1. Attending my place of work. I was going to say working, but, to be fair, although there's a lot of physical work involved, there's also a lot of fun. I mean, one of my colleagues is burlesque_bunny and my boss does hornet impressions like this:
   
   
   
   I wonder when we're going to get some Brew Dog beers in?


2. Enjoying mine and matgb's third anniversary on Monday. Yes, that is another euphemism ;)


3. Having a pub lunch with some local Lib Dems, including one very young and corruptible one *insert evil cackle here*


4. Being very amused by this article in the Torygraph which basically says that Lib Dems are the most sexually adventurous of the three main parties - not that I'd managed to work that out for myself or anything ;)


5. Going to karate club. Here is a picture of Sensei Puddin' (facing the camera) sparring with John (who gives me a lift to karate most Mondays and Thursdays):
   
   
   (click to embiggen)


6. Having very sweet conversations with Duracell Bunny over the phone and Skype.


7. Going climbing with my daddy, and getting better at it each time.


8. Sorting out the garden, tidying, and doing laundry


9. Watching shedloads of Red Dwarf. We're half way through series 6 now. I still say Quarantine (series 5 ep 4) is the best episode ever. Check it for yourselves: part 1 part 2 part 3.

Between all that, there hasn't really been much computer time. But I've been trying to read and keep up with everyone and commenting and such. But I've not been very good at it. I am going to revamp my personal timetable this week, though, so you never know, I might manage to be a bit better at this blogging lark soon.

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Some random linkage to start off your day:

• The cartoon in this morning's Graun is very amusing. Lots of Fat Cats showing us their bottoms.


• May have to watch Question Time. I missed it because I was at Liberal Drinks, but according to the Twitterverse Dorries was something to behold. I particularly like these tweets: 1, 2, 3.


• As several people have reminded me, today is THE EIGHTH OF MAY, THE EIGHTH OF MAY!!! It is compulsory to give people a Motorhead earworm. Here you go. Also, don't forget that Monday is Towel Day (the anniversary of the death of Douglas Adams), and it's really important that you know where your towel is. I shall be wearing one on my belt loop all day, as I did last year.


• esmereldus is pimping out her artist friend, and he is GOOD. Please go and look, and if you have a bit of spare brass, let him have some.

And now I go and have my bath. I probably won't be back online much till the early hours; I have an eight hour shift at work (and Fridays are BUSY) and then the Greetland & Stainland Lib Dem Quiz Night Fundraiser to whup everyone's arses at attend immediately after. You lot behave yourselves while I am gone! :P