Election-watching implementation

[ewx]

Stayed up all Thursday night watching the election - great fun (and great company) but pretty exhausting. We got to see Galloway's astonishing grumpiness in victory (traditionally you thank the RO in your victory speech, not accuse them of rigging the election), and his exchange with Paxman (it was a pretty hardball question, but he could have fielded it better...)

Followed with a heroically lazy Friday. I'm way behind on LJ, if there's something you wanted me in particular to see recently it's possible I might have missed it.

Not surprised to see Blunkett back in the cabinet, though I think PJC's guess as to where was rather closer than mine. I wasn't expecting Howard to announce immediately that he was going to quit though.

Comments

[atreic.livejournal.com]

Go and see my wedding dress!

[ewx.livejournal.com]

Very pretty l-)

[atreic.livejournal.com]

Blunkett back? :-(

[ewx.livejournal.com]

Work and pensions secretary (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/frontpage/4524461.stm). We'll have to see, but I feel he might do less damage there.

[gerald_duck]

I find it unseemly that they've let him back in before the whole child custody fiasco has been resolved. Given that he's tainted with the implicit admission he was at least peripherally involved in an abuse of authority, I'm not sure it's wise to give him some of that authority back when an important court case he's elected to pursue is outstanding.

That is all aside from the fact that I find Blunkett a worrying cipher: he seems to be both loony leftie and illiberal ultra-right-wing New Labour, when the two ought to be mutually contradictory.

[ewx.livejournal.com]

I think that just demonstrates why a single left/right axis is a too-blunt analytical tool...

[gerald_duck]

Don't worry; I see many axes.

While I accept that I've never noticed Blukett making inconsistent policies, it worries me that I can't pin down his ideology, no matter how many dimensions I use.

[ewx.livejournal.com]

I don't think socialist authoritarian is that unusual a notion (even outside the USSR and PRC), indeed there is plenty in the Communist manifesto that can at least be read that way.

[qatsi.livejournal.com]

Yes, and it's not as if the Budd inquiry completely absolved him of any wrongdoing either (as the inquiry about Mandy did) - rather more of a "not proven" verdict.

Less damage there? I'm waiting for his first new policy announcement: work till you drop, that way we solve the pensions crisis!

[ex-lark-asc.livejournal.com]

Pete in "good at politics" shocker :)