Stuart Homfray The Weblog

Post Election Blues

Bloody hell, ANOTHER 4 years for the New Labour project! I’ve spent most of this morning sitting around, unable to work or even think clearly since Blair won a record (for Labour) third consecutive term.

OK, their majority was reduced (from 167 in 2001 to 66) but still… What has he got to do to lose an election? Taking the country into an illegal war, based upon a lie (WMDs) - I mean, c’mon people!!! At a celebration in the National Portrait Gallery in London, TB told supporters: “We have got to listen to the people and respond wisely and sensibly.” Thanks, Tony. It’s taken you 2 terms to realise just how democracy is SUPPOSED to work!

I come from a family that have always voted Labour. From the time I became eligible to vote, until 2001, I always voted Labour because I agreed with their social values and beliefs. In 1997 when they won their first election, I was overjoyed. At the time, I thought that Blair had manipulated the voters slightly in order to gain power - a tactic that I found slightly distasteful but necessary after the many, many years of Tories destroying society and social values - but then I (and many others) thought everything would be OK.

Unfortunately, after 4 years of government, it turned out that we, the traditional Labour voters, had been misled - Tony actually believed the crap that he had been spouting in order to get in!

Since 2001, I have voted Liberal Democrat as I have found myself unable to vote for a party that had almost become the image of the opposition. I have found it disappointing that so many left-wing Labour voters have not followed suit. I was under the impression that traditional Labour voters did so for a reason OTHER than “I’ve always voted Labour”, or the fearful “we’ve got to keep the Tories out!!” It seems that I was wrong. I understand the argument that people are traditionalists, making it difficult for them to change their ways, but former Tory supporters seem to have managed it - why can’t the Labour voters?

“A vote for the Lib-Dems is a vote for the Tories,” they always say. Personally, I always try to vote for the party that seems to hold values and beliefs that are closest to my own. If the Tories did that, then I might even vote for them (don’t worry Dad, they won’t!!) However, if voting Lib-Dem means a Tory victory, then so be it - I can’t help keep them out by voting Tory-Lite.

So, back to 2005 - I’m feeling slightly less irritable and depressed now that I’ve had my little rant. Maybe everything will be OK. Perhaps the Labour party will realise the detrimental effect that their dictatorial leader has had upon their vote and will replace him with Gordon Brown. Maybe Gordon will bring back some of the strategies and ideals that made Labour the ‘party of the people’. We can but only hope…

George Bush Wonders How He Did It

“Phew, Donald, thank the Lord we got away with THAT one!! Ah can only think of three ways we might have done it:

1. “The folks are TOO STOOPID to see what we’re doin’
2. “Your buddies‘ ‘create an enemy to hate‘ policy worked among the fine Christian folks of middle America
3. We got a helluva lot to thank our geeky friends‘ votin’ systems for!“

I’m away from my PC for a little while at the moment, but I’d just like to thank George for his fair and balanced views (by the way, George, I’d go for option 3!).

Today’s The Day

So finally, the big day has arrived - CSKA Moscow vs Chelsea followed by Arsenal vs Panathinaikos, not forgetting the Wolves‘ first match without Dave Jones as manager, against Sunderland. Oh, it’s the US election too, I believe…

Seriously, this particular US election is probably the most important one ever for non-US countries as it decides who is going to lead the most powerful nation on the planet. Some people might offer the opinion that Americans have a self-important, self-righteous attitude of themselves (from Americans that I have met, I’d have to say that it’s most definitely not always the case!) - but for those that ARE like that, well folks, here’s your chance to influence history!

The film Team America: World Police describes a neo-conservative -led America that believes it has the God-given right to violently crush anything or anyone that it perceives as a threat towards it’s way of life. It states that world terrorism is controlled by one man - the North Korean leader Kim Jong-il - and it is this man that supplies terrorists all around the world with Weapons of Mass destruction. Once this man is destroyed, the ham-fisted World Police will be able to finally eradicate terrorism and remove Weapons of Mass destruction from the hands of terrorists (WMD’s and ‘terrorists‘ are terms used repeatedly throughout the film, to illustrate both real-world leaders’ and the media’s efforts to get the masses into the ‘right’ frame of mind!)

Unfortunately (for everyone), this film is accurate. The Bush presidency, in conjuction with ‘neo-con‘ strategies, has led to a far more dangerous world than neccessary. Their policies have led to an increase in the hatred of America throughout the world - a hatred which, when combined with poverty and a lack of hope, leads very quickly towards terrorism.

If you are a citizen of the USA, I would simply urge you to think about the Bush presidency before casting your vote. Has it made your country a safer place? More importantly, has it made the world a safer place (remember enlightened self-interest - make the world safer, make yourself safer)? Are you and your family better off? I think that the answers to those questions are self-evident - go out and vote for a better world, and therefore a better, safer America.

Oh, and one other thing - why do Stone and Parker seem to continually pick on the Baldwins?

Latest Stupid Idea For The Bush Campaign

Ars Technica news reports that the Bush campaign is blocking access from outside the US to the George W. Bush website.

How stupid can you get? They must actually want people to start taking more of an interest in the site. They’re going the right way about it if they do! And as Ars Technica say, what about the US citizens living abroad? Are THEY not allowed access either? I’m more inclined to agree with Matt Hartley’s blog entry where he states that it’s probably more to do with Bush’s appearance to the specific parts of the world right now.

But whatever the reason for this move, it’s not going to stop access to the site itself. Ars Technica list two methods, but simply doing a quick Google for the terms ‘anonymous proxy‘, gives you easy access to GeorgeWBush.com, so now you too can cringe at the Official Campaign Blog!!

Removing The Red Tape

Red tape, eh?! The bane of all our lives. It’s the bane of Peter’s life too. Take a look at a typical example of a day in the life of a reasonably average citizen of the UK…

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