The BBC reports on a foolish joke by a local councillor, who made some unwise remark about gay marriage. Unfortunately, in the interview, he just makes a bad situation worse:
“”I believe in the law of Moses. I’m not a religious fanatic. As long as they do it behind closed doors, I don’t mind, but now they [homosexuals] control the media, the television. They have much stronger control over this country than they should have”
Oh dear.
It’s that time of year again, when papers run stories about conkers being banned by town hall bureaucrats. The tale in Worthing, reported in today’s Argus, is a bit more unusual, however. Worthing BC are taking the conkers off the trees because they are having to pay thousands to people who have their windows broken by children trying to knock conkers off the trees.
What? Are Worthing so flush with cash that they can run a free repair service for their residents? Are the children employed by them? Why not say ‘tough luck, guys’?
A piece in this morning’s Birmingham Post contains an interesting factoid. Only twelve Tory conference visitors attended morning service at Bournemouth’s parish church. You couldn’t get away with that if you were a Republican!
One piece of good news in the struggle between terrorism and politics: IRA ‘no longer a terrorist threat’ (Guardian).
To Birmingham for a conference yesterday and a meeting this morning. Stayed in the Holiday Inn on Hill Street, which really needs a refurb internally (and is getting it), but is comfortable enough. Free wi-fi broadband as well, which is more than can be said for some hotels.
Had dinner at Zinc, on the canal near Five Ways, which was a pleasant experience – unlike the 80s retro bar across the road. A stylishly-designed Pitcher and Piano nearby was more relaxing, if a bit corporate.
This morning, out to a meeting in Star City, a casino-bowling-cinema development at Nechells in Aston. Took the bus out there like the good boy I am, but it was a fairly depressing ride. Row after row of sad looking 60s/70s houses – still maintained by their owners, but looking very faded overall. The slaughter of central Birmingham by the ring road is really tragic.
There were a few architectural high spots – a nice row of possibly mid-Victorian terraced houses on Nechells Park Road, and a wonderful public baths, which might be a bit later: full of Victorian civic pride with a vast coat of arms on the front. A bit of research shows that it closed in 1995, and is now the home of the local regeneration project. They couldn’t pick a better building: the city’s motto is proudly emblazoned over the door: FORWARD.
Did you know there’s official Internet guidance (an RFC) on what name you should give your computer?
Overheard on the bus, a (true) comment that shows the difference between the English and Spanish shopping cultures. “Well, I don’t like going to the market for my vegetables. They’re never as fresh, are they?”
The Onion’s piece (Senate Wins Fight To Lower Allowable Amperage Levels On Detainees’ Testicles) is altogether too close to the reality of a world where the Senate has allowed noted humanitarian G. W. Bush to define the term torture, and to suspend habeas corpus for anyone he fancies. (BBC, though I’m paraphrasing a little).
Oh, and one of the members supporting the Bill was Sen. John McCain, one of the main speakers at the Tory party conference this year. And it seemed like such a good idea when they invited him.
Update: Robert Philpot makes a similar point on the Guardian’s Comment is Free site.