Behind the times

Dimoto

Here's an idea, look away from the wonkfest, and pay some attention to other news ?

Labour presided over the sale and break-up of many solid medium sized British companies.

A good example was United Biscuits, grabbed by a US hedge fund to a background of Labour complacency.

"Hedge fund" in this context, just means asset stripper.

UB's many and various offshore subsidiaries and jvs were sold off, leaving the UK core.

Now Blackstone are saying that the rump is attracting little interest, because "it does not have an international dimension" !!!

These are exactly the destructive spivs that Cable was talking about (for all you knee jerkers who were quick to condemn Cable as a "city basher").

Blackstone is now negotiating to flog off UB to a Chinese company - cue, a mass outcry of xenophobia and barely concealed racism, (of course, it was fine to sell the company to a US asset stripper).

A Chinese company, with no established presence in Europe, is probably UB's best hope - they might even rebuild their "international presence" in Europe.

Let's hope Cable can extract a few undertakings from Bright Foods. Quite a few thousand decent jobs depend on it.

Now, what was that you were wittering on about Ed somebody or other ?

Austin Barry

Peter

Don't ever do that again.

I hit the link to the alternative Milipede photo and the result almost made me drop my coffee.

Lord Monkington-Smythe

Steve Bell's cartoon in the Guardian captures Ed Milli well... he really does look like a psychotic Panda.

Pete Hoskin

Austin Barry: apologies, that link should have carried a health warning.

Occasional Ostrich

Thanks for the warning, Austin. I made sure all coffee and other comestibles were well out of the way before I looked; it was a good move.

Tiberius

Give them a chance, Pete. After all, as Brown said, he's only been in the job five minutes.

James

He does have an Aardman Animation look about him.

local local

Is it just me, or does Red Miliband really look like Wallace when he smiles?

Frank P

" ... does Obama-style online politics have a place in Britain? "

Well! As Obama style politics has gone down like a lead balloon in the US, it is an outcome devoutly to be desired, even though unfortunately our media still has its head up its ass and the UK electorate is slower on the uptake than the American hoi polloi.

I once again draw attention to this magazine's reluctance to report Obama's difficulties as they still bask in the afterglow of his Presidential Election victory with eyes closed, not realising that the sun has set on his presidency and Hillary is already circling in the water having smelled his blood; not to mention the Independent and GOP possibilities.

Shame Murdoch doesn't see fit to shape Sky in the image of Fox; now that would change the political perceptions here. We have no Bill O'Reilly; Megan Kelly; Laura Ingraham, Michele Malkin, etc. etc.

Jeff Randall could do it - if he was given his head, but I detect severe strictures on his output. His DTel articles were much more raunchy, but even those have been curtailed to monthly, rather than weekly salvos.

This magazine has balanced on its left leg, rather than its right one for some time now - obviously at the behest of its owners. Nelson's handling of the Guardian totty-hack last night on Newsnight was pathetic. An egregious transformation of this organ has traspired; so where do we turn? No TV news at all that isn't steeped in Marxist bias; not a right wing rag in sight. The BBC is unadulterated soviet agitpriop. No wonder we diminish by the hour. A brainwashed nation, colourless and compliant. O England my England, where art thou? Rise up you sons and daughters of the blood soaked soil of sacrifice - reclaim your heritage!

Dimoto

Frank P - no chance I'm afraid.

People talk about the growing Labour payroll/client vote, but just think about the structure of the labour force in 2010.

A tiny minority who are doing very, very well.

A (slowly shrinking) core of professionals and managers, who are nicely comfortable.

The huge majority, working for modest pay with no real chance of improvement, under constant financial constraint, in flat organisations (due to the long-term disappearance of skilled work and middle management positions). This group increasingly depend on state handouts to make ends meet.

The genuinely unemployed.

The underclass.

It is not surprising that Labour is starting to look like the natural party of government.
At least the Cameroons show some slight awareness of their electorate. A Thatcherite party would have no chance of being elected.
It is not just Labour's manipulation to create the payroll vote, business has been hell bent on creating potential Labour vote fodder too !

Verity

Frank P - Start a blog. Many of us will be all over it like a rash.

Also, Conservative Cabbie is good for an injection of vitriol, although it's mainly about the US, but there are some nice, trenchant opinions.

And didn't you used to contribute to Samizdata? Perry and the chaps and chapesses don't have any time for the Left or the Nuevo Left of David Cameron.

See you around!

David Booth

The photograph makes Ed Miliband look like one half (the stooge) of the now defunct comedy duo Mike and Bernie Winters.