The BBC website (the most visited in the western world) doesn't need me to increase its traffic levels but it is currently well worth a visit on account of its best drama of 2005 poll.
Like nearly all such polls, this would be an entirely worthless exercise were it not for the fact that it gives us all an opportunity to show our appreciation of the brilliant recent adaptation of Charles Dickens' Bleak House
With totally amazing performances from Gillian Anderson as Lady Dedlock, Burn Gorman as Guppy, Charles Dance as Tulkinghorn and Johnny Vegas as spontaneous combustion victim Krook, this was in my view the best thing that's been on TV since Our Friends in the North.
The poll has now closed but the results will shortly be available here.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Hands off Charles Kennedy!
The Guardian, that supposed bastion of liberal Britain, has become the latest press organ to plunge the knife into Charles Kennedy with this editorial published on January 4.
Leaving aside the issue of what Mr Kennedy has or hasn’t done to merit such treachery, the Grauniad's criticism of him for giving “no indication of where he wants liberal democracy to go next” is disingenuous in view of its own failure to do so.
As a normally astute observer of the political scene, it knows as well as I do that removing Mr Kennedy would see him replaced either by someone such as Simon Hughes who would take the party to the left, or someone like Sir Menzies Campbell or Mark Oaten who would take it to the right.
What I would like to know is why those who seek a change in the leadership think that either strategy would serve the party’s electoral interests better than Mr Kennedy’s approach of seeking to appeal to both Tory and Labour floating voters alike. I enlarged on this point in this column orginally published in December.
Leaving aside the issue of what Mr Kennedy has or hasn’t done to merit such treachery, the Grauniad's criticism of him for giving “no indication of where he wants liberal democracy to go next” is disingenuous in view of its own failure to do so.
As a normally astute observer of the political scene, it knows as well as I do that removing Mr Kennedy would see him replaced either by someone such as Simon Hughes who would take the party to the left, or someone like Sir Menzies Campbell or Mark Oaten who would take it to the right.
What I would like to know is why those who seek a change in the leadership think that either strategy would serve the party’s electoral interests better than Mr Kennedy’s approach of seeking to appeal to both Tory and Labour floating voters alike. I enlarged on this point in this column orginally published in December.
Friday, December 23, 2005
Hear my review of the year podcast!
Since blogging is now a bit old hat, I've taken a leap into the world of the latest internet buzzword - podcasting!
2005 has been an eventful year in politics with a General Election, the London bombings and a Tory leadership race with more twists and turns than the San Marino Grand Prix.
But will it be remembered in the longer-term for Tony Blair's re-election for a third term as Prime Minister, or David Cameron's election as Tory leader?
You can hear my review of the political year 2005 by going to this page and clicking on click here.
2005 has been an eventful year in politics with a General Election, the London bombings and a Tory leadership race with more twists and turns than the San Marino Grand Prix.
But will it be remembered in the longer-term for Tony Blair's re-election for a third term as Prime Minister, or David Cameron's election as Tory leader?
You can hear my review of the political year 2005 by going to this page and clicking on click here.
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