The Weekly Blog Posts - Sunday, March 23 2008

Monday

Matt Wardman thinks that the Yanks have discovered irony. Well, it’s about time!
Jon Craig at Sky’s Boulton & Co points out that it’s the polls that are doing boom and bust [except for the Lib Dems, who just aren't moving]. Unlike the economy, which is just bust.
Matt Sinclair writes about “quasi-revenue-neutral tax reform”. Yes, that means about as much to me as to you. But the rest of the post is pretty much jargon-free, and definitely worth reading.

Tuesday

Madsen Pirie at the ASI destroys the myth that the “poor and weak” need the State more than the “strong”. And too right. The State system benefits few but itself.
Richard North at EU Referendum is still waiting for the robust leadership from the Conservatives that he wants to see. It takes time to generate such leadership, but I’ll come in time.
John Redwood thinks that Parliament has finally detached from reality. Many of us in the real world think that it lost touch a long time ago.

Wednesday

Christopher Hope blogging at the Telegraph wonders if Gordo has gone “buy one, get one free” with his Cabinet. We all wish they’d just bog off.
Norfolk Blogger ask who cares more about a match result: the footballers or the fans? Fans care avidly about how their team does [probably too much]. Some footballers don’t seem to care at all, despite - or maybe because of? - their massive pay cheques.
Daniel Finkelstein at the Times‘ Comment Central wonders whether trauma therapy works. It certainly does seem a strange way to get over such trauma by reliving it all over again.

Thursday

Nadine Dorries is going back to her constituency and preparing for government. Calm down, dear. No matter how good the polls are at the moment, there’s a long way - and time - to go yet.
Asp thinks that those who are complaining about the BBC purchasing the rights to Formula 1 coverage are whingers. And he’s right. I don’t watch other sports, but I do watch F1. I’d rather pay my licence fee for that rather than the just as obscenely overpaid premiership footballers.
Mr Eugenides has two opposing quoted from the same politician, Jack Straw, on prison sentences. They really are just making it up as they go along!

Friday

Wat Tyler at Burning Our Money thinks that we’re not in the money any longer. Money, money, money… there’s just not enough to borrow.
Guthrum at Looking For A Voice is upset that Belgium finally has a government after surviving quite adequately for nine months without one. Unfortunately, government is necessary, though much less than the Nanny State we currently have.
Iain Dale ponders the question of whether size matters - and concludes that it doesn’t. Which is nice.

Saturday

Devil’s Kitchen just wants Jackie Baillie MSP to answer the fucking question! A sentiment we all feel towards most politicians.
Archbishop Cranmer looks into yet another political intervention by Cardinal Keith O’Brien - this time over the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. The Church should stay the hell out of politics.
Mike Smithson at Political Betting looks back at the week that saw punters put their money on Boris. Go Boris!
Philip Salter at the ASI, also on the London Mayoral race, has a look at the policies of fourth-placed candidate Sian Berry of the Green Party. Scary stuff.

Sunday

Little Man In A Toque is pleased to see that the flag-flying rules are to change, opening up the possibility of the Cross of St George being flown over Parliament on 23rd April. Which is good. We should celebrate the identities of all constituent parts of the United Kingdom. And I myself will be marching in a St Gorge’s Day parade on Sunday 20th April.
Tom Paine at The Last Ditch defends so-called internet “addicts”, pointing out that all successful people are likely to be considered “obsessive” under this definition. Free choices aren’t illnesses.

Video of the Week

Matt Wardman shows what the Easter Bunny does the other 364 days of the year…