Comments for Strange Thoughts http://www.strangethoughts.org.uk The blog of Andy Strange; lutonian, liberal and occasional geek. Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:31:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 Comment on Gavin Shuker and the law on prostitution by Random Thoughts for 18th June 2013 « Strange Thoughts http://www.strangethoughts.org.uk/2013/02/gavin-shuker-and-the-law-on-prostitution/#comment-58236 Random Thoughts for 18th June 2013 « Strange Thoughts Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:31:03 +0000 http://www.strangethoughts.org.uk/?p=2186#comment-58236 [...] on this blog I have been critical of the way the MP for Luton South’s has been using an APPGS to pursue a particular ag…. These groups do have the weight behind them of an association with parliament so they need to have [...]

]]> Comment on In praise of archaeology by Reburial of children’s remains discovered in Luton archaeological dig « Strange Thoughts http://www.strangethoughts.org.uk/2011/03/in-praise-of-archaeology/#comment-58050 Reburial of children’s remains discovered in Luton archaeological dig « Strange Thoughts Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:35:55 +0000 http://www.strangethoughts.org.uk/?p=853#comment-58050 [...] February 2011 I attend a public lecture at the University of Bedfordshire about archaeology. The first of the two presentations that evening was from Wesley Keir of Albion Archaeology who [...]

]]> Comment on The South Shields by-election and Lazy Labour by Andy Strange http://www.strangethoughts.org.uk/2013/06/the-south-shields-by-election-and-lazy-labour/#comment-57244 Andy Strange Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:28:32 +0000 http://www.strangethoughts.org.uk/?p=2352#comment-57244 It’s not really about nursing marginal seats — although some cabinet ministers have had successful careers whilst doing so. It is about those who don’t have to give their constituency a second thought because there is no realistic chance of them ever losing it.

]]> Comment on The South Shields by-election and Lazy Labour by Squirrel Nutkin http://www.strangethoughts.org.uk/2013/06/the-south-shields-by-election-and-lazy-labour/#comment-57242 Squirrel Nutkin Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:10:31 +0000 http://www.strangethoughts.org.uk/?p=2352#comment-57242 Yes.

(In fact the current quality of governance would be immeasurably improved if certain cabinet ministers were compelled to devote themselves to nursing the ickle sick baa-lambs rather than nursing their ambition by egotistically trampling all over, say, picking departments completely at random, education or justice.)

More seriously, anything that helps to break the growing public perception that government is a highly remunerated playground where wonkish weirdos who’ve never had a real job swan around completely insulated from the lives of normal people, would be highly welcome. It is – still – a misperception, but it is hurting us all.

]]> Comment on The South Shields by-election and Lazy Labour by tonyhill http://www.strangethoughts.org.uk/2013/06/the-south-shields-by-election-and-lazy-labour/#comment-57156 tonyhill Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:13:15 +0000 http://www.strangethoughts.org.uk/?p=2352#comment-57156 On the other hand, would it really be helpful for the quality of our governance if our cabinet ministers were having to nurse marginal seats?

]]> Comment on The new MP for South Shields has been chosen by The South Shields by-election and Lazy Labour « Strange Thoughts http://www.strangethoughts.org.uk/2013/04/the-new-mp-for-south-shields-has-been-chosen/#comment-57139 The South Shields by-election and Lazy Labour « Strange Thoughts Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:31:55 +0000 http://www.strangethoughts.org.uk/?p=2286#comment-57139 [...] in April I’d written here about the inevitability of the Labour Party winning the South Shields by-election using it as an illustration of how the phenomenon of the safe seat corrupts our [...]

]]> Comment on Achievement two: An intervention in the merger of Downside Infant and Junior Schools by Resigning as a school governor « Strange Thoughts http://www.strangethoughts.org.uk/2011/06/achievement-two-an-intervention-in-the-merger-of-downside-infant-and-junior-schools/#comment-56980 Resigning as a school governor « Strange Thoughts Mon, 10 Jun 2013 17:33:16 +0000 http://www.strangethoughts.org.uk/?p=1121#comment-56980 [...] merged with the next door infants school to create Downside Primary. Something that I’ve written about on this blog. During that time it has been fascinating to watch the school develop and to be a witness to the [...]

]]> Comment on Book review: Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel by Random Thoughts: A catch up for May 2013 « Strange Thoughts http://www.strangethoughts.org.uk/2013/04/book-review-bring-up-the-bodies-by-hilary-mantel/#comment-56799 Random Thoughts: A catch up for May 2013 « Strange Thoughts Sun, 09 Jun 2013 18:51:02 +0000 http://www.strangethoughts.org.uk/?p=2270#comment-56799 [...] on Tudor history. I discussed the parallels between Cromwell and modern politicians in my review of Hilary Mantel’s ‘Bring Up the Bodies’. Here Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch, of Oxford University, and Mark D’Arcy, the BBC’s [...]

]]> Comment on The new MP for South Shields has been chosen by Random Thoughts for 9th May 2013 « Strange Thoughts http://www.strangethoughts.org.uk/2013/04/the-new-mp-for-south-shields-has-been-chosen/#comment-53178 Random Thoughts for 9th May 2013 « Strange Thoughts Thu, 09 May 2013 11:54:17 +0000 http://www.strangethoughts.org.uk/?p=2286#comment-53178 [...] surprise Labour won. Good result for UKIP — bad result for everyone else. With the outcome not in doubt it was safe for people to use UKIP as a vehicle for protest — and they [...]

]]> Comment on The new MP for South Shields has been chosen by I live in a Rotten Borough « Strange Thoughts http://www.strangethoughts.org.uk/2013/04/the-new-mp-for-south-shields-has-been-chosen/#comment-51751 I live in a Rotten Borough « Strange Thoughts Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:48:43 +0000 http://www.strangethoughts.org.uk/?p=2286#comment-51751 [...] I was writing about the South Shields by-election the other day, talking about how safe seats marginalise those who live in them, I pointed out the [...]

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