Mary Honeyball: Cameron faces more problems with the Eurosceptics

David Cameron’s feral Eurosceptic backbenchers are not going away.

In a letter to the Daily Telegraph today 102 of them urge the Prime Minister to “opt out” of 130 EU laws, including the European Arrest Warrant, over the next two years. And this is no ordinary letter, signed as it is by the officers of the 1922 Committee – Chairman Graham Brady, Vice-Chairman Charles Walker, Secretary Mark Prichard and Treasurer Brian Brinley together with former Cabinet Ministers John Redwood and Peter Lilley (more…)

admin: The Blood is The Life 06-02-2012

• Me? A mansplainer? Let me mansplain.
  
  I love the Dante’s internet picture on this
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• Brian Blessed’s Photo | Lockerz
  
  Is there anyone left on the planet who doubts Brian Blessed’s awesome?
  (tags: awesome brianblessed )

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Mary Honeyball: Britain’s Olympic Greats – Nicola Fairbrother MBE

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admin: The Blood is The Life 05-02-2012

• The Potter Blogger: Tim Farron’s reply to my questions on the #WRB
  
  I am somewhat unimpressed with Our President’s mealy-mouthed excuses, er, I mean, justifications for voting the way he did.
  (tags: libdemmery )
• Tory MP Anne Milton sparks fury by calling northerners hard-drinking smokers who ‘jump into bed with each other at the drop of a hat’ – WARNING! Contains Daily Fail
  
  I’m afraid this lady has it wrong. I jump into bed with Southerners too… (more…)

admin: Things I Want #813: a phone like they have in American Detective Shows

These phones are standard in Castle, Bones, NCIS and Rizzoli and Isles, amongst other shows. If someone calls you on one of these phones, and you use the correct code phrase, they act as a teleporter, and I want one. What usually happens is something like this:

• Brennan and Booth are talking about whatever case they are investigating.
• Brennan’s phone rings. It’s Hodgins, who has found something interesting.
• Brennan asks him what it is.
• INSTANTLY Brennan and Booth are in the lab, and Hodgins is telling them whatever a normal person would have just said over the phone.

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Mary Reid: What should a Liberal Democrat do when a friend and political colleague becomes a Cabinet minister?

Lib Dems don’t do status – we don’t use titles, just first names all round. Lib Dems don’t do power either; to be precise we are embarrassed by it.

One hundred years of identifying ourselves as radical, anti-establishment, even quasi-anarchist, has meant that being thrust into Coalition Government has created all kinds of conflicts and tensions within the party. I’m not just talking about the sometimes fraught relationship between Conference reps, the Federal Policy Committee, and the parliamentary teams – complicated as that is – no, I’m referring to the internal struggle that all Lib Dems experience (or perhaps should experience) when faced with power. (more…)

Mary Honeyball: Britain’s Olympic Hopefuls – Karina Bryant

One of the great things about the Olympics is the opportunity it provides for sports with lesser media coverage to take top billing. Karina Bryant began practising Judo at the age of 10 in Camberley Judo Club in Surrey.  This was where she earned her black belt and where she continues to train to this day. (more…)

admin: The Blood is The Life 04-02-2012

• The Almighty Johnsons episode 1 review – Den of Geek
  
  This review is possibly a little harsh, but it makes some good points, and I love the desc ription of Olaf as “God of Exposition”. Probably still going to give it a couple more episode; I’m glad I did with American Horror Story, which Jessica Lange has been utterly fabulous in.
  (tags: telly )
• The first page of H.G. Wells’s version of Jeff Wayne’s War Of The Worlds | Retronaut
  
  Am singing this now
  (tags: music )
• Taxpayers’ Alliance admits director doesn’t pay British tax | Politics | The Guardian
  
  It’s a good job my irony meter already went sproing…
  (tags: *headdesk* )
• The Death Of Decency
  
  Not in my name.
  (tags: disability )
• The Simms Indo-Australian Collection | Curatorial Trainee
  
  Pretty butterflies. Takes one’s mind off of the horror.
  (tags: animals pretty )
• UCSF scientists declare war on sugar in food
  
  First they came for the smokers, and I did nothing…
  Then they came for the drinkers, and I stayed silent…
  Then they decried fat
  Then they stamped on people who like salt
  And now it’s sugar.
  I wonder who’ll be next?
  (tags: )
• Is feminism skeptical? (or: are ninjas awesome?) | Lousy Canuck
  
  Like ninjas, feminists are a diverse group. They are tied together by one common thread — the practice of ninjutsu, or the belief that women are worthy of basic human dignity
  (tags: feminism )
• Bidisha: Cinderella, you shall go to the ball. But you can’t speak or sing at it. But you can give the organisers your money and they’ll make sure to help some guys’ careers so don’t worry and calm down.
  
  (tags: )
• Scientific American on Benevolent Sexism
  
  (tags: Science Feminism Sexism )
• How to Write Good
  
  Very clever indeed.
  (tags: funny )
• Things that piss me off, part N
  
  An eloquent rant about socks
  (tags: funny )
• American Horror Story Season Two Scoop: New House and (Mostly) New Faces – E! Online
  
  I hope that Jessica Lange is one of the returning faces, because she’s been utterly fabulous
  (tags: telly )

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admin: If anyone is wondering what I think about the forced cabinet reshuffle…

… it’s mostly bored resignation that in the midst of mouthing off about diversity, Clegg promotes two white middle class middle aged cisgendered het men, rather than one of the vastly more capable women he has available to him. I can’t bring myself to be angry about it, like Caron is. I just don’t have the energy any more. My irony meter went sproing a long time ago. It’s like the fact that while the Welfare Reform Bill was going through Cameron was hosting a party for Children in Need. Because there’s going to be so many more of them, now they’ve forced the Welfare Reform BIll through. (more…)

Caron Lindsay: Nick Clegg, you can’t go on about diversity and continue to pass over women

What a rubbish week this has been. Nothing has been as bad for me as the passage of the Welfare Reform Bill, a true nadir in the life of this Government, but it’s not good to see one of your own people have to resign from the Cabinet.

Whatever you think of Chris Huhne, and to be honest, I was never his biggest fan for all sorts of reasons, anyone else facing the same charges in any other job would not be sacked until after the Court case. Unfortunately for him, if he’d stayed in post, every time he tried to do something, the media would bring the impending trial up and he’d be completely paralysed. The principle of innocent until proven guilty is an important one and it’s getting lost in all of this. (more…)