Well it may have been cloudy and raining all day. But I was woken up by birds singing in the garden. They sounded more harmonious than usual - perhaps more were singing.
It was a perfect addition to an unusually calm and pleasant state of mind. I thought back to yesterday evening, what I'd done to earn this peace but I had done nothing unusual.

Then it dawned on me: Blair had finally been removed from office.

No longer do we have to fear his apparent path towards totalitarianism. There is much work to be done, yes, and Brown may not be the person to do it. But the crisis is over, for now.

Even the news that Blair had been made some kind of Middle East envoy (can you imagine anyone less worthy?), and the Neocon threat in France and still in the US failed to shadow this important victory for the freedom of the British people.

I imagine there will be little celebrations across the country. I'm off to a party right now and hope there will be moments of joy for you all.

Hey everyone... HAPPY NMBDay!!

Welcome to BuB (Britain under Brown)

DaveGould said

"No longer do we have to fear his apparent path towards totalitarianism. There is much work to be done, yes, and Brown may not be the person to do it. But the crisis is over, for now"

sorry I have to disagree on the above, whats different with Brown, they say he is a worse control freak than Blair, he might not have Blairs Con Man Spin, but his ideals are the same nothings changed just a bit more of the same dished up in a different way.

DaveGould:



If only! Brown is going to continue with a lot of Tony's legislative agenda, such as the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill which wants to jail me for three years for looking at pictures our leaders don't like.

Incredibly it includes the provision that I can be prosecuted for possession of a *screen-capture* of an image from a film which has been given BBFC classification and is thus *legal* in this country, if "it appears that the image was extracted (whether with or without other images) solely or principally for the purpose of sexual arousal." This is sheer insanity!

Graham:
"if "it appears that the image was extracted (whether with or without other images) solely or principally for the purpose of sexual arousal.""

Wouldn't that make nearly all men's magazines illegal?

What about me who opened pornograhic e mails inadvertedly?
(Honestly Guide's Honour!)
When ever I disagreed with certain bodies in public about wind energy I was bombarded with these. Who actually sent them I never found out but the timing confirmed the reason they were sent.

Donnie wrote:


Then he's not as dangerous is he. He's also not as clever/devious.

There are even signs that he's going to gove back some of the power that Blair (and Thatcher) grabbed.

CJIB hasn't gone through committee yet has it? The Lords will hack it to pieces and then we'll see Brown's true colours.

Far more threatening is the Serious Crime Bill:
http://www.magnacartaplus.org/news/index.php/?p=100

Really useful site for checking on the status of Bills:
http://bills.ais.co.uk/AC.asp?title=a

Brown isn't as charismatic as Blair was. Even on his last day of Office he was still cracking jokes and apparently winning them all over. The standing ovation he received proved that (or they were just happy he was finally leaving - either way).

But I believe Brown to be very much different. While Blair could work the media I doubt Brown will be able to have the same affect upon them. So he does need to introduce his new 'changes', policies, and he needs to prove that they're effective. If we do begin to see subtle changes and shifts in the way things are run then I think it would be right for him to capitalise upon the public mood and hold an election early.

After 10 years of charm, the fact that Brown lacks it might actually swing the votes in favour of him.

... interestingly, I actually liked Blair even if I didn't agree with all his decisions.

I suppose some people are easily charmed by a self-seeking, unprincipled, messianic prat. Pardon me while I go to the bathroom for a technicolor yawn.

No offence Amberlina, but I'd say Gordon, for all his dourness and dire need of a good hosedown, has infinitely more genuine charm than his pipsqueak predecessor.

Don't want to compete in a match to see who can slag Blair, Brown or anyone else the worst.

However I think Blair was a self serving and power crazy prat with and incredibly silver tongue; he could lie and lie and lie and the people he was lying to knew he was lying, believed the lies they knew were lies and kept on electing him.. Lewis Carroll country this and watch out for Snarks.

As for his job in Israel/Palestine... surreal.. self deluded! I always found the Bill Clinton facile charm too smarmy and oily by half but believe even he (Clinton) would have a better chance as he at least was not a "war" leader... Watch out for Boojum's Tony!

Brown himself is a great big blob of misery with all the charm of a bag of wet cement, the temper of a wounded rhino with piles and the memory of an elephant. (The genuine Jabberwocky him)

He is listening to spin doctors and "making nice" right now but that won't last... he must revert to type and become the indecisive and deliberate Stalinesque control freak he always was.

I am not holding out for a lot of "Feel good" stuff in BuB.

When I'm speaking of "charm" I'm talking of the ability to talk to the press. I see Brown as entirely uncharismatic and lacking a sense of humour. Yes, Blair did use 'spin' (this word seems entirely overused as of late).



The bolded part I agree with entirely. I do find Gordon a more "action, no nonsense" man that Blair never was. Blair always wanted the approval of the media and sacrificed making real changes because of his need to appease.



I think it was in a Times article I read the other day that said: "No spin is the new spin." And I agree with it entirely.

"No spin is the new spin."
Only a journalist could write that.

And get away with it? Definitely. Yet I still remember it because in some ways I feel Brown is trying to brand himself as a 'no spin' agent. Does this create a certain spin to him in its own right? No idea and it makes my brain hurt trying to.

"I think Blair was a self serving and power crazy prat"
That's strong stuff. jonjii, from one who is normally so reserved and polite. Better tone it down.. ho-ho.

"I feel Brown is trying to brand himself as a 'no spin' agent. Does this create a certain spin to him in its own right?"
What we pace bowlers call "reverse swing", Amberlina.

Amberlina
If only you could have been around at the start, before breeze turned to twister! Great to hear they have not 'greened' all the youth of today and you have such an awareness of the real situation.

Hope you comment when your school is shown the Al Gore film. Though if a private school I am not sure if they will show it! There are many issues as you know affecting us the voters and my fight has always hinged on the methodology used to promote the government's ideas. Promises have never been kept before so why should Brown be any different.

His latest buzz word 'renewal' sends shivers down my spine. Its counterpart is 'regeneration'.The Magazine Renewal and Regeneration runs parallel with 'Planning Magazine'

Planning policies are now draconian and I wonder if Brown is aiming to be the developer's flexible friend?

Congratulations on your blogs.

PLEASE USE PRIVATE MESSAGING IF YOU WISH TO COMMUNICATE DIERCTLY

timbill:



No, because it has to be "extreme" as well. Although that, of course, is another entirely subjective opinion as to whether it *appears* to threaten someone's life or *appears* to cause or threaten serious injury.

Lizabeth:



Oh, it allows that as a "permissible defence" (What? The law is now saying what you *can* or *can't* use as a defence in Court?!) ie if you didn't know it was "pornographic" and "extreme" and you didn't keep it "for an unreasonable time" (whatever that means!)

Of course there's still the fact that that requires you to *prove* your innocence instead of your innocence being *presumed* as is your basic right!

Graham,

"Of course there's still the fact that that requires you to *prove* your innocence instead of your innocence being *presumed* as is your basic right!"

That, I would contend, is Blair's true legacy and goes to the heart of the difference between a Tory and a Socialist.

Thanks Graham
So in effect it is their word against mine even though they were not present!

Well as far as I am concerned Tom Uttley has got it right
pass the sick bag

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=465025&in_page_id=1770&in_page_id=1770&expand=true#StartComments

Donnie:

For the sake of readability, could you please edit your link in the above messages to read:

[ url=http://... ] Link [ /url ] (just leave out the spaces enclosed in the square brackets)

That will truncate it down from its massive length and stop the page expanding hugely.

Thanks :-)

Lizbeth:



Yep, that's exactly it! :-(