Mikey's Tent of Reality

Free speech?

2009-11-27T11:39:00.008Z

Rapper Speech Debelle has been booed after attempting to "rap" her way through Take That's 1993 hit Pray. A few months ago, she was the surprise winner of the Mercury Music Prize (even though the telecommunications company after which it was named ceased to exist ages ago - not her fault, of course).

Despite this success, hardly anybody has bought her album and this week she blamed her lack of sales on her record company.

But maybe it's simpler than that - perhaps not enough people think her music is any good?

Let's hope she can bounce back and convince her doubters of her talents.

Half a pound

2009-10-13T21:00:00.003+01:00

Congratulations to nine-year-old Florence Jackson, who has won a Blue Peter competition to design a 50p coin to mark the London Olympics.

The good news is that it has the numerals "50" displayed to make it easy to identify, unlike the new design introduced last year. The bad news is that, at current exchange rate trends, it won't be worth much by the time it enters circulation next year!

Sugabitches strike again

2009-09-22T21:25:00.006+01:00

It's been a turbulent few days in the world of popular music. Cliff Richard and the Shadows have returned to the Top 40 with a new single. 92 year-old Vera Lynn has just dropped from the top spot in the album chart. And Kanye West has become known for interrupting people rudely at awards ceremonies.

But the big news is that the last remaining original Sugababe Keisha has been sacked. She is rumoured to have been a real bitch, and has been blamed by some for the departure of previous members such as Siobhan Donaghy and Muttley out of Wacky Races.

Furthermore, now that Chas and Dave have also split up, maybe Keisha could team up with Chas Hodges and form a new group? I'm sure she could get used to belting out Rabbit and Margate. Not to mention all those songs by Tottenham Hotspur.

Two's company

2009-09-08T10:55:00.004+01:00

Veteran BBC Radio 2 presenter Terry Wogan has announced that he is to leave the Breaksfast Show in December. His replacement will be Chris Evans, 28 years his junior.

Predictably, the change has led to accusations that Radio 2 is aiming at a younger audience, and this makes it even more difficult for commercial stations to compete. Frankly, the average age of Radio 2's audience has fallen from 53 to 50, but the station is aimed at over 35s now, not over 50s as it was in the early 1990s under Controller Frances Line. And Evans is older than Wogan was when he started in 1972. Wogan's fans who say that they will no longer listen managed to cope somehow when he disappeared to television for 8 years in 1985.

And commercial radio should stop moaning that the BBC is funded by the taxpayer. Have you heard any adverts on commercial radio these days? They are usually from government agencies, so we are all paying for commercial radio anyway!

Midnight at the Oasis

2009-08-29T13:31:00.003+01:00

Noel Gallagher has apparently quit his band Oasis. I wouldn't be surprised if he reunites with his brother Liam and whoever is left in his band at some stage in the future, but for now it marks the belated closing of the Britpop saga of the mid-nineties.

Remember when Noel gave an acceptance speech at the Brit Awards in 1996? "There are seven people in this room who are giving hope to young people in this country." Apart from his brother and the likes of Bonehead and Guigsy in his band, he included Tony Blair as one of them. How deluded can you be?

When Take That split up in 1996, BBC2 broadcast a special TOTP2 showing their performances on Top of the Pops over the previous four years. Wouldn't it be good if the BBC broadcast something similar for the past 15 years of Oasis?

Bad weather

2009-06-09T12:36:00.006+01:00

Several years ago, the BBC London radio station had a couple of women who read out the travel news - one was called Jules Wilson and another was Kate Allen. A few years later, both started to appear in vision on the London television bulletins. From this, it was apparent that Jules had a better face for television, but both were competent enough.

But now Kate is used to present the weather as well. Why? She has no professional background as a meteorologist, thereby undermining the the authority of BBC Weather presenters. She has evidently tried to improve her looks, but she's no Laura Tobin. So why not just let the news presenter read out the weather instead? I'm sure Louisa Preston could do it perfectly well.

Not Fair

2009-05-18T20:59:00.005+01:00

Popular music singer Lily Allen has declared that she is certain to vote Labour at the next General Election.

What is it that she likes about Gordon Brown? Could it be that he treats her with respect? Does he say he loves her all the time and maybe call her 15 times a day? Perhaps Lily has never previously met a man who has made her feel so secure, unlike other boys who are so dumb and immature?

But Lily, Gordon IS NO GOOD !!

It's such a shame.

"Slightly scary" Julia

2009-04-21T22:32:00.008+01:00

Having been cleared of any impropriety over the free flights issue, Julia Bradbury returned as a presenter on Watchdog yesterday. Julia, who is now 2 years older than was previously thought, was the first female presenter on Channel 5 in 1997. She is also known for her opposition to inheritance tax and her heavy periods. And she is also on Countryfile, and spends lots of time walking along old railways.

In the new Radio Times, TV editor Alison Graham describes Bradbury as "slightly scary". Er, this is Alison Graham talking.

Wait for Darling

2009-04-20T19:25:00.005+01:00

Although it is later in the year than usual, the Chancellor Alistair Darling will not deliver his Budget for another couple of days. But that hasn't stopped speculation or spin masquerading as news in the media. In the past, there was no advance notification of what would be announced. Like the Queen's Christmas message to the Commonwealth, there was rightly great secrecy before the announcement.

But those days appear to be gone. What's the point of all the advance bluster? Let's just wait until the Budget speech is actually delivered. Some might suggest the premature leaks are a deliberate Government ploy to distract attention from all its failings, which are far too numerous to list here.

Clever students

2009-02-27T17:10:00.005Z

Mikey has written before about the appeal of University Challenge being diminished by the high quantity of older students participating. Somehow it isn't so impressive to answer questions correctly when you have had longer in life to acquire knowledge. It is even more dubious when the "students" concerned are, er, not actually students. Mikey is obviously too old and too stupid to appear on this show, but he reckons the questions have been generally easier this series than in the past.

The latest series has finished this week, and much fuss has been made about Gail Trimble, the captain of the triumphant Corpus Christi, Oxford team. She is 26, so she is not old, but is more senior than the student stereotype. But she appears to have been criticised by some people who are clearly far less clever and (by all accounts) nice than Miss Trimble.

And I'm sure the same can be said about those who have criticised another student who appeared this series. Pathetic. Just because one of the Queens' team was called Mingers.

Prescott is back

2009-02-13T18:49:00.002Z

This month, John Prescott was a guest on Jeremy Vine's Radio 2 show. The BBC website currently links to this from the network's homepage.

Just one thing - Prescott is no longer the Deputy Prime Minister.

2008 in review

2008-12-30T15:36:00.004Z

So as the year draws to a close, it is time to take stock of what has happened in the world.

In politics, Labour slumped in the spring and summer, but recovered in the autumn, as it appears that there will be an economic downturn of catastrophic magnitude - even though the Prime Minister himself is largely responsible. Nick Clegg has survived his first year as leader of the Liberal Democrats, although his most memorable activities have been his boasts of no more than 30 sexual partners, and suggesting that £30 was the weekly state pension. The Conservatives must not be complacent over the next few months - there is a lot to do.

In music, Mikey tipped Gabriella Cilmi back in Ferbruary, and her brilliant single Sweet About Me finally reached the Top 10 four months later. The Ting Tings too were a breath of fresh air. Madonna had yet another chart topper with 4 Minutes, but her most recent single Miles Away made only number 39, bringing her remarkable record of consecutive Top 20 singles to an end. But the best song of the year was probably Mykonos by Fleet Foxes - will it finally become a hit in 2009?

And in the media, Blue Peter recovered from its loss of presenters and, apart from its initial mess-up over its theme tune, it has been on good form this autumn, allowing for the obvious cut in budget. Top of the Pops was not revived as a weekly show, but its Christmas show was the best for years, so there is still hope!

Zoe Salmon is sighted again

2008-11-07T23:04:00.010Z

We haven't heard much of Zoe Salmon since she left Blue Peter in June. Apart from a photo with other female presenters, she didn't seem to play much of a part in the recent 50th anniversary celebrations.

But now she has gone to a party to celebrate the release of a Coronation Street DVD. And this has brought a whopping 200 comments on the Daily Mail website. Only one, from "John" in Cambridge" makes a sensible point by praising former editor Richard Marson, although the article itself misspells it as "Marsden", a sloppy mistake also made by the Times and Independent. Other comments are less generous, and refer to Zoe's "saggy" breasts. Alternative evidence can be found here. Meanwhile, bitchy journalist Jan Moir has blamed Zoe "for the appalling rise of adolescent sexual delinquency in this country." Mikey is all in favour of decent standards, but Moir is just jealous.

The truth behind the Ross/Brand fisaco

2008-11-03T20:39:00.004Z

Much has been said elsewhere about the unacceptable behaviour of Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand on the latter's Radio 2 show. But two points perhaps have not been stressed enough.

Firstly, Lesley Douglas resigned as Controller of Radio 2 last week. She has been praised by many people as a fantastic BBC executive. Yet it was she who employed Brand in the first place, despite the warnings of Paul Gambacinni, even though Brand was clearly unsuitable for Radio 2. Those praising her have often been those who were employed by her, or others who wanted to suck up to someone in a very influential position. But, in truth, virtually every scheduling change since she became Controller has been for the worse: Dermot O'Leary, Elaine Paige, Alan Titchmarsh, Brand, Brian D'Arcy, Pete Mitchell - all dreadful or at best mediocre. The only good appointments have been Mark Radcliffe, Chris Evans and (perhaps) Steve Lamacq.

Secondly, the BBC is under considerable pressure over this incident, and it needs people to defend it. But those who in the past would have rushed to the BBC's defence have been far more reluctant to do so this time. And here's why. The BBC has shown no loyalty to its viewers who have stuck with it for decades. Blue Peter has been dumbed down and had its budget cut, abandoning many of its traditions in the process. And Top of the Pops has now seen its Christmas Day edition abolished. If the BBC treats its loyal supporters with such contempt, it shouldn't be surprised when there's nobody left to speak up for it. BBC bosses, don't say you weren't warned.

Labour minister says something sensible

2008-10-17T16:40:00.004+01:00

The Ting Tings have called for the return of Top of the Pops. They are quite right, of course. As a weekly source and chronicle of mainstream contemporary music and fashion, the programme fulfilled a unique function, and should never have been axed in the first place. The Ting Tings' comments echo those of Culture Secretary Andy Burnham earlier this month - although with the current climate at the BBC, if it were brought back it would probably come from Glasgow which wouldn't quite be right; top programmes should come from London, because it is the centre of where things are happening.

Maybe the Ting Tings will at least get their chance on the Christmas edition of the show this year.

Blue Peter out of tune

2008-10-11T19:59:00.004+01:00

Congrtaulations to Blue Peter on reaching its 50th birthday. There are lots of celebratory shows and features this month to celebrate, and rightly so. And the new female presenter isn't bad either! But Mikey has noticed that the rearrrangement of the theme music ("Barnacle Bill") is, er, actually a different tune altogether! See here for the full story.

Not saved by the bell

2008-09-10T22:04:00.003+01:00

After over 30 years, next Monday sees the final episode of Grange Hill. The show had two golden eras: the original Tucker and Trisha stories in the first four series, and the Zammo years of the mid-eighties. In recent years, the programme has been diluted considerably, especially in the final series, although the original "Chicken Man" theme music has been restored after a gap of 20 years.

It's nice that Tucker Jenkins is to make an appearance in the final episode, but in reality the show does not have the same sense of realism that terrified youngsters in the late 70s. It is impossible to have any respect for any of the teacher characters, who are joke figures. But who would bet against a new series of Tucker's Luck, showing Jenkins as a pensioner, in 25 years time?

McCain picks Sarah Palin

2008-08-29T17:47:00.002+01:00

There's been so much media attention on Barack Obama in recent months that it is easy to forget that the Republican candidate is standing against him. Coupled with this earlier in the year, the prospect was raised that Hilary Clinton could have been the first female President of the USA.

But now McCain has picked Sarah Palin, a former beuaty queen, as his running mate. Mrs Palin's husband is a world champion snowmachine racer, whatever that is. And who knows, maybe she will one day end up being President? She's got more chance than Geraldine Farrago anyway!

Blue Peter presenter WAGs it up

2008-08-28T13:09:00.003+01:00

It has been revealed that the new female Blue Peter presenter, brought in to replace Zoe Salmon, is a 25-year-old from Cumbria called Helen Skelton. Apparently, she is a SWAG because she is dating a Scottish footballer. But how can an individual woman be both a wife AND a girlfriend? And is that an appropriate way to describe someone, as it doesn't really describe her own achievements. She has plenty of those, including holding a discussion on phallic soap.

And she is reported as being "perfect for Blue Peter - sexy, bubbly and up for anything." Er, I thought that Blue Peter was now aimed at under-12s? So how is this perfect?

Olympic Ring Piece

2008-08-24T21:10:00.005+01:00

As the Olympics close in China, the attention of the world turns to London, as it becomes the Host City for the 2012 Games.

Yet amid all the excitement and celebration, with the Mayor of London Boris Johnson waving the Olympic flag and sharing a stage with Gordon Brown, Tessa Jowell, Sebastian Coe, David Beckham and, er, Colin Moynihan, the good news has been overshadowed by an image of child murderer Myra Hindley.

The footage was shown on giant screens at a London 2012 party in Beijing. The screens had been showing a direct feed from BBC1 of the concert outside Buckingham Palace. When this ended, the screens were still showing BBC1, a repeat of Allo Allo. Then someone decided to put up a video from Visit London, which featured the image of the Moors Murderer. Hardly an appropriate way to promote London.

Visit London has released a statement saying that nobody has complained before. But don't worry, because it is "committed to the implementation of an effective environmental management system that will not only reduce the impact of our activities on the environment but also increase our efficiency and effectiveness."

So it's OK, they've got their priorities right!

Glasgow kiss

2008-07-25T11:11:00.002+01:00

The Scottish Nationalists have scored a stunning victory over Labour in the Glasgow East by-election. The Prime Minister has responded by stressing that he is getting on with the job. Which is what he said after Labour's defeat at Crewe and Nantwich. And also after falling to 5th place at Henley.

Meanwhile, the BBC News graphic can't tell the difference between the Liberal Democrats (who lost their deposit in Glasgow East after falling to 4th place) and the SNP. Well, their party colours are fairly similar, I suppose!

Super Glue Stunt

2008-07-23T18:56:00.003+01:00

A student at a Scottish university has tried to glue himself to the Prime Minister at a reception in Downing Street.

Apparently he was invited to Number 10 because of his "protesting work". Really? What sort of reason is this? And he whinged that the Prime Minister didn't seem to take him seriously. I wonder why!

Plane Stupid, that's what.

How to be a popular Brit at Wimbledon

2008-07-05T18:00:00.005+01:00

Now that Tim Henman has retired, the British media have been trying to promote Andy Murray as the new home-grown hope. And the fact that he has already achieved such a high world ranking means that he is not without talent.

But Mikey has yet to meet anyone who likes him. Maybe it's his unpleasant demeanour on court. Or because his playing style is not as graceful as Henman. It could be the sight of his mother in the crowd supporting him. Or maybe it's because he's Scottish, so he reminds people of Gordon Brown.

The complete opposite is Laura Robson, the first winner of the Girls' Singles since Annabel Croft in 1984 - ten years before Laura was even born! She smiles, is polite and witty in interviews - and she is a British winner (although she was born in Australia). Let's hope she becomes a major force in the Ladies game in years to come - and that she continues to enjoy it!

Zoe Salmon leaves Blue Peter

2008-06-22T21:52:00.009+01:00

Right from the beginning of this blog, the most popular posts (in terms of numbers of hits and comments) have been about Blue Peter presenter Zoe Salmon. See here for a picture of Zoe with one of the previous cats, and click here to see her with Gordon Brown and in a bikini (but not in the same picture). For political balance, here she is earlier this year in the Houses of Parliament with David Cameron.

But this week, after three and a half years, she is leaving the programme, on the same day that her co-presenter Gethin Jones leaves too. That will leave only one presenter left, Andy Akinwolere. At this rate, the programme will have difficulty reaching its 50th birthday in October! And this is on the day that we learn that Valerie Singleton had a fling with her co-presenter Peter Purves! Say what you like about declining standards, I'm sure that sort of thing doesn't happen these days!

42 days, 42 nights?

2008-06-19T21:23:00.006+01:00

Former shadow home secretary David Davis has now resigned as an MP to fight a by-election, in protest at the Labour government's attitude towards civil liberties. But now the Labour Culture Secretary Andy Burnham (best known for his alleged fondness for wearing make-up) has suggested that Davis was influenced by "late night, heart-melting" phone calls to Shami Chakrabarti of Liberty.

Clearly, Burnham has got nothing concrete to say, so is reduced to making pathetic smears and innuendo about two married public figures. Naturally, Chakrabarti is not amused by this behaviour. But the BBC seems to be emphasising suspicion by putting certain statements in quote marks, thereby fuelling speculation:

She said she had known Mr Davis "for a few years" and the pair had "worked together" professionally.

It's Labour and the BBC who are taking a real liberty with this one.

Obama gets the hip hop vote

2008-06-09T21:02:00.003+01:00

The Independent today reports that Democrat Presidential candidate Barack Obama has secured the vote of the hip hop community, including such rappers as Nas, P Diddy, Mos Def and Jay-Z.

Perhaps Mos Def provides the most compelling endorsement of Obama, in the lyrics to his seminal work, "The Rape Over"

"All white men is runnin this rap sh*t
Corporate forces runnin this rap sh*t
Setae israli is runnin this rap sh*t
Quasi-homosexuals is runnin this rap sh*t"

You've got to admit, he's got a point. Obama must be pleased to have his backing. How can John McCain compete against this?

Red Dawn alert

2008-05-19T19:08:00.003+01:00

Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo has been on the television and radio quite a bit over the past day or two, talking about hybrid embryo science.

Well, I say she has been doing this, but listening to her voice and her patronising tone, I tend to think: "can't the government get anybody better to present their case than this whiny social science graduate?"

Dawn of course was in the Treasury for a decade under the then Chancellor Gordon Brown, where she was responsible for the disaster of the tax credits system.

On a totally unrelated subject, you don't hear much from John Reid these days, do you?

Crewe & Nantwich - the race is on

2008-05-06T16:41:00.002+01:00

Following the death last month of veteran Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody, the by-election in her old constituency will be held in a couple of weeks. It is likely to be a close-fought contest.

One of the candidates is apparently Miss Great Britain. The 26-year-old, Gemma Garrett, comes from Belfast.

Er, then why is she Miss Great Britain?

Triumph for Boris, but the Left are in denial

2008-05-04T16:39:00.005+01:00

The local elections on Thursday were a triumph for the Conservatives, and particularly for the new Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. But it was a disaster for Labour, and the Left are in denial over their decisive rejection.

Things were not helped by the Guardian's absurd piece of vitriol about Boris on polling day itself. Today John Rentoul in the Independent has a ridiculous forecast that Boris will undermine David Cameron's chances in future. This is reinforced by an inaccurate piece by Jane Merrick which repeats the lie that Boris was sacked from the shadow cabinet; he was never in it to begin with, merely a frontbench spokesman.

Pressure is growing on Gordon Brown, after a feeble performance in television interviews today. He says that he will "listen" - well, if so, hear what the people are telling you, Gordon. Go now and call a General Election so that we can be rid of you and your discredited government!

Gordon's 10p situation

2008-04-22T18:52:00.002+01:00

With the Prime Minister in trouble over the scrapping of the 10p tax band, The Times helpfully publishes today the likelihood of the three possible scenarios.

The worst case has a likelihood of 1 in 10. The best case is 4 in 10. And the middle case is 8 in 10. So the total likelihood of all three options is 13 in 10.

With that sort of arithmetic, maybe they should advise Gordon?

Traffic alert...or not

2008-03-19T21:18:00.005Z

As the Easter weekend approaches, be prepared for the worst ever traffic congestion, according to the Daily Mail.

Or, if you prefer, drivers are set for one of the quietest ever Easter holidays, according to the Evening Standard.

Frankly, both articles are a waste of space. It's not news, it is just vacuous waffle.

Go Go Go Gabriella

2008-02-28T21:45:00.002Z

Last month, the BBC published its tips for popular music acts to watch in 2008. Top of the pile was Adele, who has indeed had a big hit and a Brit Award too, although she's not really to Mikey's taste. Better is Duffy, who is indeed at number 1 with a wonderfully atmospheric song, "Mercy". Both hits are available on 7 inch vinyl, which is gloriously evocative.

But somehow the list fails to include Gabriella Cilmi, who remarkably is only 16 years old! "Sweet About Me" is a fabulous song, although her backing band look like dropouts from school. Which is probably intentional. No wonder there are still lessons to be learned.

Derek Conway - Enough is enough?

2008-01-28T18:51:00.000Z

A couple of years ago, Mikey questioned the motivation of Derek Conway, who is always described as a "Senior Conservative MP". It appeared that Mr Conway was keen to criticise people in his own party, and loved the lifestyle and prestige of being a Member of Parliament.

But now he has been found to have paid a researcher's salary to his son, who was a full-time student in Newcastle. Not enough evidence could be found that Conway Jnr had done sufficient work to justify this salary.

Sounds a bit sleazy doesn't it? Recently there have been several examples of Labour politicians receiving money illegally, not for their direct personal profit, but to fund their campaigns. But Conway has abused the system to directly benefit his family finances.

Back in 2003, Conway was one of the people calling for the resignation of Iain Duncan Smith as leader, as he faced inaccurate claims about the role of his wife Betsy. "Enough is enough," said Conway. IDS was "not up the job."

Maybe Conway should reflect on his own position today.

Glorious or a big mistake? Natalie is torn

2008-01-05T13:14:00.000Z

It has been reported that singer Natalie Imbruglia has split up from her husband. While expressing sadness at the former couple's situation, some commentators have expressed delight that she is single again (as if she is likely to be interested in someone who posts pointless messages on the Daily Mail website!). But it's too late, Natalie - Liam Fox is now a married man!

His name was Kevin

2007-12-31T17:26:00.000Z

So the year ends with the sad news that former Radio 1 DJ Kevin Greening has died in his sleep, aged just 44. Mikey first heard him in the 1980s during his brief stint on BBC Radio Solent, but he was a bit too innovative for the rather aged audience there.

Kevin was ultimately treated rather badly on Radio 1, and he went on to present on numerous other stations. One example was when he presented Prime Minister's Questions on BBC Radio Five Live. After the then Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy had asked a rather irrelevant question, Greening remarked on air that Kennedy sounded like an environmental health officer!

Here are the main points again

2007-11-13T08:11:00.000Z

BBC newsreader Fiona Bruce is posing in provocative style for this year's BBC Children in Need. All a very good cause etc, naturally, but somehow one gets the impression that Ms Bruce prefers the "showbiz" life to actually reading the news. Hence her appearance on singing contest Just the Two of Us, and her poor chairmanship of Call My Bluff. And she's doing the Antiques Roadshow soon! I think we should have newsreaders with just a little more dignity. If she wants to help the charity, why not just donate direct from her massive BBC salary?

At least we won't have Natasha Kaplinsky this year, as she has defected to Five.

Geldof myth

2007-10-16T23:12:00.001+01:00

According to a survey by Freeview, the 5th most memorable television moment of all time is "Bob Geldof asking us for our ‘f******’ money’ during Live Aid" in 1985.

The problem is...this never happened. Geldof's actually said "f*** the address" when the presenter David Hepworth was giving information on how the viewers could donate. Geldof thought that telephone numbers were a more effective method of raising money than a postal address. So this so-called "memorable" moment, which has apparently been remembered by so many people, never occurred. Which just shows that people's memories can be severely unreliable.

Farewell Ming

2007-10-15T19:45:00.000+01:00

Sir Menzies Campbell has resigned as leader of the Liberal Democrats. It must be a very depressing evening for him, seeing his hopes and ambitions wiped out. But Mikey knew that he wasn't up to the job right at the beginning.

Fellow LibDems have been spinning that he stood down when it transpired that a General Election would not be held until 2009 or 2010. But this was the expectation anyway when Sir Ming was elected by his deluded Party members. Basically, it wasn't age that was an issue. He had to go because he was crap.

Blue Peter doesn't need to be "cool"

2007-09-26T19:34:00.000+01:00

With all the fuss recently about the naming of its cat and the new arrangement of its theme, viewers might have missed the really shocking change to Blue Peter, which returned yesterday under a new editor, Tim Levell.

It has dumbed down! The camerawork is wobbly, Zoe and Konnie have become hyperactive, the film reports are split in two in a disjointed manner and there is irritating background music throughout virtually the whole show. How condescending to children (and adults who probably make up most of its audience)!

The new set in Studio 2 of Television Centre looks tiny, and is more like the original one for Sunday AM. I half-expected to see Andrew Marr wander on clutching the Sunday papers - which would have improved the show considerably!

Confrontation in Burma

2007-09-26T19:07:00.000+01:00

The escalating situation in Burma, in which military forces have cracked down on pro-democracy Buddhist monks who think that fuel is too expensive, is causing great concern. The violence and uncertainty is very disturbing.

Is it the fault of the IRA? If it hadn't killed Lord Mountbatten of Burma in 1979, he would have been able to sort it out! Even if he would be 107 years old by now.

Jo Whiley tells it like it is

2007-09-16T22:04:00.001+01:00

With the 40th anniversary of Radio 1 coming up, there's a piece about the station in today's Observer. In it, Jo Whiley claims that she has "never met Simon Bates", even though she joined the network in 1993 several months before the master of Our Tune departed. But then a few lines further down she recounts an occasion when she remembers passing Mr Bates "in the corridors" and he apparently had no idea who she was. How does she know? Maybe Simes knew all too well who she was but didn't want to subject himself to her inane conversation?

Madeleine: it is very sad

2007-09-13T19:20:00.000+01:00

For four months, the tragic story of Madeleine McCann's disappearance has dominated the news. At first, developments were slow, so the news channels resorted to "Breaking News" captions telling us that, er, nobody had been arrested.

But things have moved quickly over the past week, although we still don't know precisely what happened. But Madeleine's parents' public relations adviser Justine McGuinness has stepped down today. It has been speculated that she will be replaced by Phil Hall, who last year represented Heather Mills following her separation from Sir Paul McCartney. What? Maybe Kate McGann will therefore follow Heather's lead and appear on the US version of Strictly Come Dancing.

She's back

2007-09-13T16:10:00.000+01:00

Back in the late 1970s, the country was in a financially precarious position and the Labour Party was in government, but then it all changed when Margaret Thatcher moved into Downing Street as Prime Minister.

Today, she's back! But not everything has changed. Terry Wogan presents the breakfast show on Radio 2. And Anne Nightingale is still on Radio 1.

Michael Ancram is the Tory Roy Hattersley

2007-09-04T11:06:00.000+01:00

Many years ago (1983 to 1992 to be exact), Roy Hattersley was Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, during some of its long period in opposition. At the time he was seen as being on the right of his party, in contrast to the hard Left who did so much damage to the Labour Party in the early 1980s. But in recent years, he became one of the fiercest critics of the Labour Party from the Left.

More recently (2001 to 2005 to be exact), Michael Ancram was Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party. At the time, he was seen as a more leftish figure to balance the supposedly right wing views of leaders Iain Duncan Smith and Michael Howard. But today, he has attacked the current Conservative leader David Cameron from the right.

So in that regard, one can view Michael Ancram as being the Conservative equivalent of Roy Hattersley. Except that I doubt that Lord Hattersley has such good-looking daughters.

Feet on seats

2007-09-04T07:24:00.000+01:00

A student at Manchester University has been taken to court for putting her feet on the seats of a train, while on her way to Chester.

An over-reaction? Possibly, and this is certainly not as serious as robbing and fighting. But it says a lot about the attitude of a 19 year old who thinks that she is entitled to spread herself out around the carriage and behave in a manner which is anti-social. Even more so, becuase she has bleated that she gives up her spare time to work with special needs children, as if that should in some way excuse her.

She was sitting next to her boyfriend when the incident occurred. Did he encourage her to make a fuss?

Konnie sucks up to Ken

2007-08-15T12:22:00.000+01:00

Konnie Huq, the Blue Peter presenter, has caused uproar by sharing a platform with Ken Livingstone at an event during which the Mayor of London attacked the policies of the Conservatives.

As a result of the complaints of Conservative Brian Coleman, the BBC has apologised. Subsequently, Konnie's agent appears to have taken the blame.

It would hardly be surprising for Konnie to endorse the Labour Party - her sister Rupa stood for Labour at the 2005 General Election. Blue Peter has been in a spot of bother recently; it can not afford further "scandals" contaminating the brand. It is true that Tim Vincent appeared in a Party Election Broadcast for the Conservatives - but this was seven years after being a Blue Peter presenter.

News from the Hit Parade

2007-08-12T19:12:00.000+01:00

Back at the beginning of June, Mikey posted about Robyn's new single With Every Heartbeat. Of course it has now become a modern classic and is at number one in the singles chart.

With the forthcoming wind and rain expected, some might have expected Rihanna's 10 week chart-topper Umbrella to return to the peak! Her follow-up Shut Up and Drive is racing up the charts now, although it seems to be advocating prolonged car use, which is hardly good for the environment:

Got you where you wanna go if you know what I mean
Got a ride that's smoother than a limousine
Can you handle the curves? Can you run all the lights?
If you can baby boy then we can go all night

For the intervening two weeks, Timbaland was number one with the ungrammatical The Way I Are. Co-written with the female vocalist Keri Hilson, it too is a great song, and the lyrics are much more wholesome:

Baby if you strip, you can get a tip
'Cause I like you just the way you are
(I'm about to strip and I'm well equipped
Can you handle me the way I are?)

But it's a good excuse to put up a picture of Ms Hilson, as she is younger and prettier than Ms Carlsson.

No meat and all veg

2007-08-01T23:25:00.000+01:00

According to the Daily Mail, some vegans are refusing to have sex with people who eat meat. To illustrate this point, it has helpfully published a picture of the vegan actress Alicia Silverstone, although "it is unknown" if it "would stop her from sleeping with a meateater."

Irrespective of their interest in animals, maybe they just don't have enough energy? Or perhaps it's just an excuse, in case it turns out that no meateaters find them attractive?

Pearl of wisdom

2007-07-12T12:18:00.000+01:00

Former drug addict Pearl Lowe is the subject of today's 60 Second Interview in Metro (seems to take longer than 60 seconds, actually, but never mind).

It says that "she was shocked to discover that Bush singer Gavin Rossdale [now married to Gwen Stefani] was the father of her teenage daughter."

Shocked? Surely she must have had SOME idea?

Love Match

2007-07-11T23:07:00.000+01:00

I suppose it was inevitable that the press would speculate on the nature of the chemistry between Wimbledon Mixed Doubles Champions Jamie Murray and Jelena Jankovic. Apparently, she has been invited to spend Christmas with him and his family in Scotland.

I'm sure it all sounds idyllic, but I suspect that Mr Murray will be disappointed. If not, they run the risk of becoming another Chantelle and Preston.

Umbrella time

2007-07-03T20:30:00.000+01:00

It seems to have been raining rather substantially recently. According to the Bishop of Carlisle, this is due to moral degradation. Maybe he is right. Or perhaps that is related to NHS workers trying to cause explosions.

Another possible explanation is Wimbledon fortnight, with the Championships days behind schedule. Or it could be the fault of Rihanna, whose song Umbrella has been number one for seven weeks.

Irrespective of the cause (and I suspect that the real reason is "the weather"), it hardly helps to bring a feeling of optimism as Gordon Brown takes over as Prime Minister!

Cokehead nation?

2007-06-15T20:36:00.000+01:00

Poor Imogen Lloyd Webber. Well, not literally, she's the daughter of Andrew the composer Lord. But she has revealed that she can't find a boyfriend because cocaine use is apparently so widespread that she has "been unable to find a remotely attractive, decent male who doesn't snort the stuff."

Really? She's either looking in the wrong place, or she has an odd idea of "remotely attractive" and "decent".

A pompous oaf

2007-06-02T15:58:00.001+01:00

Anthony Steen MP has been caught out parking his car in a space for the disabled at Newton Abbot railway station. Having been spotted doing so, rather than apologise, he has criticised the person who took a photograph of this and sent it to the local newspaper.

To exacerbate the situation, he said there was an "absurd number of handicapped spaces" and national regulations should be changed. Use of the word "handicapped" in such a context is deemed by some to be offensive, as many believe that its origin in the phrase "hand in cap" relates to begging, although in fact it refers to a game of chance.

In any case, Mr Steen has a record of making controversial comments. Last year, he infuriated the Terence Higgins Trust by opposing an airport at St Helena, as it would bring "health implications" and "diseases that are alien to the island like HIV and AIDS."

And it hurts with every heartbeat

2007-06-01T23:58:00.000+01:00

Robyn is a 28 year-old Swedish singer who had a trio of mediocre UK hits in the mid-nineties. But in six weeks' time, she releases a fantastic song called With Every Heartbeat, which surely would propel her straight on to Top of the Pops. If it hadn't been abolished.

The trouble is that the blurb on her website is straight out of Pseuds' Corner: "A pint-sized atom bomb dosed to the tits on electric and dispensing wisdom in three-minute modernist pop bulletins on the post-adolescent condition."

Yeah, right.

Protest against the world

2007-05-25T18:55:00.000+01:00

Watch out if you're planning to be going near Heathrow Airport in the middle of August - a bunch of climate change protesters are planning to cause mayhem by disguising themselves as passengers.

I would be tempted to criticise them for their immature plans to disrupt the hard-earned holidays by decent law-abiding people - but, of course, to do so would be to misrepresent the diversity of those involved.

Transgender landmark

2007-05-24T20:15:00.000+01:00

According to the Local Government Association, the first "transgender" mayor in the UK has been sworn in. Liberal Democrat Jenny Bailey, who was "born a man" (although surely she would have been a boy first), married a (real) woman in his (her?) 20s, had two children, believing that "becoming a family man" would make her feel "normal". But she went ahead and had gender reassignment therapy.

And now she has a partner (also a sex-swapper) called Jennifer Liddle who previously was her fellow ward councillor. Ms Bailey said that she was honoured to become mayor of Cambridge: "We thought 'we're transgender, but this is the 20th century, this is Cambridge, this is not an issue any more.'"

Actually, it's not the 20th century, but LibDem councillors don't always feel the need to adhere rigidly to the truth.

One night in Helsinki

2007-05-13T14:13:00.000+01:00

Last night's Eurovision Song Contest was won by an ugly woman from Serbia with a dull song. The UK's entry received 12 points from Malta, and 7 from Ireland, but that was it.

It has been observed that the Contest was dominated by countries from Eastern Europe. Mikey's favourite was by three young ladies from Russia called Serebro, who sang a filthy song, with lyrics like:

Put your cherry on my cake
And taste my cherry pie

But more importantly, they looked gorgeous!

And about time too

2007-05-11T13:36:00.000+01:00

Tony Blair has finally announced his resignation as Prime Minister, but even now he's talking rubbish.

In relation to his support for the United States in the Irag war, Blair said, "I decided we should stand shoulder to shoulder with our oldest ally."

But I always thought that Portugal was our oldest ally. In fact it is only 2 days since the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Windsor in 1386.

But maybe Blair didn't want to talk about Portugal, given the circumstances in which that country has been featuring in our news bulletins over the last few days.

Flying the flag for you

2007-05-09T22:18:00.000+01:00

This Saturday is the Eurovision Song Contest, from Finland. The United Kingdom entry this year is by reformed band Scooch, who perform a catchy song brimming with innuendo and thrilling dance moves.

I had thought that the group was a foursome, but it appears that they have a new member. I suppose that he hasn't got anything else to do now that he has brought peace to Northern Ireland.

A lasting peace

2007-05-08T23:56:00.000+01:00

It's been a historic day for Northern Ireland, as the province has a new power-sharing government. It's been a triumph for all concerned as former enemies put the past behind them and work together for a lasting peace.

Bizarrely, Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness (who have both spent time locked up in the past) agree that Northern Ireland should not only continue to be subsidised heavily by the rest of the United Kingdom but also benefit from the lower rates of Corporation Tax in the Republic of Ireland, to be financed by yet more subsidy from Britain.

Ian Paisley was flanked during his speech by an evil self-centred politician with terrorist connections. And Tony Blair was also there.

Kite-flying fool

2007-05-06T23:05:00.000+01:00

Melissa Kite is the Deputy Political Editor of the Sunday Telegraph. In today's edition of the paper, she has written a story about an alleged imminent reshuffle of David Cameron's Shadow Cabinet. She claims that various shadow ministers will be demoted or promoted, but her analysis has been taken apart rather well by Iain Dale.

In any case, Ms Kite has past form in writing idle pieces of speculation. Two years ago, she reported that Alan Milburn would become Trade and Industry Secretary. Seven months later, she said that David Davis will be offered the post of Shadow Defence Secretary, a claim that she has repeated today. And she has also said that Alan Milburn would replace Gordon Brown as Chancellor.

Why have successive editors at the Sunday Telegraph allowed the paper's reputation to be tarnished with such a string of inaccurate speculation? Of course, she might be a lovely person. And she could be right this time. But I'm not holding my breath.

Scary attitude

2007-05-03T19:45:00.000+01:00

Just days after the other Spice Girls met up, Scary Mel B has been speaking about Eddie Murphy, the alleged father of her latest child.

"I just think no woman should have to go through that and no baby should have to go through that. Be responsible. What else can you say?"

What indeed? Maybe Mel B should have thought about marrying Mr Murphy before she had the baby?

Too fat

2007-04-27T00:38:00.000+01:00

Jemma Butler is apparently an unemployed 24 year-old Welsh woman who, at 32 stone, is "too fat" to have sex with her 42 year-old fiancé. She is complaining that she cannot have surgery on the NHS to limit her intake of junk food, to which she is addicted.

But why would her fiancé want to have sex with her if she is continually stuffing her face with burgers and crisps?

Don't get a cold

2007-04-25T20:28:00.000+01:00

According to Health Minister Caroline Flint, cold and flu remedies such as Lemsip could be taken off the shelves. This is because decongestants contained in the products can be used to make a Class A drug, called Crystal Meth, the use of which has exploded in London's homosexual club scene (its use originated in gay clubs in San Francisco).

So let's get this clear. Decent hard-working folk in this country may be denied access to medicine which could make them feel better to get on with their day-to-day life because it is being abused by druggie wasters.

The decadent do what they want; the rest of us suffer.

Bluebell's big day

2007-04-23T07:13:00.000+01:00

Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell's daughter Bluebell has been Christened. Ginger's fellow Spices Victoria Beckham, Emma Bunton and Melanie Chisolm were also present, and Sporty even wore a dress rather than a tracksuit.

Bluebell's father was nowhere to be seen. But then maybe Ginger feels that being an unmarried single mother is the ultimate expression of "Girl Power".

Des Browne - what a waster

2007-04-11T19:08:00.000+01:00

Now that the British marines and naval officers have been released following their humiliating performance with the Iranians, the Defence Secretary Des Browne has shown himself to be even worse than previously thought (if that were possible) with his pathetic admission that "with hindsight" he made the wrong decision to allow the feeble fifteen to cash in on their shameful situation.

Why did he need hindsight? The position was obvious to anyone with any sense! Who would have thought that it was possible for even Geoff Hoon to seem quite competent as Defence Secretary in comparison?

Iranian crisis

2007-03-31T12:59:00.000+01:00

As 15 officers of the Royal Navy have been taken hostage by Iran, to whom do we turn to resolve the situation?

I'm afraid it's Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett. Doesn't inspire much confidence, does it? Now we need a towering figure like Lord Palmerston to sort things out! Even though he's been dead for 142 years, he couldn't be less effective.

In the meantime, Mikey is reminded of her near namesake Thomas Becket: "who will rid me of this crap Foreign Secretary?"

Ring my Bell

2007-03-30T21:54:00.000+01:00

Television presenter Angellica Bell has generated a fuss by posing for FHM magazine. She said: "I'm taking control of my womanhood. I'm coming into my sexual prime and people need to see me as a woman, not a girl."

Er...why? Whoever thought of her as a "girl" anyway? And she only got married a month ago, so why do other people need to see her in this way?

Mikey wishes Angellica well with her future career, and a happy marriage.

Rappers' Delight

2007-03-28T19:50:00.000+01:00

There was a big party last night in London, hosted by P Diddy (not his real name, apparently). Sadly, his fellow rapper Snoop Dogg was unable to make it because he wasn't allowed into the country.

But Abi Titmuss and Cheryl Cole were able to be there, and while they may not be hot at rapping like ol' Snoop Doggy Dog, I'm sure their presence was well-appreciated.

Voice of Hedonism

2007-03-28T19:09:00.000+01:00

According to reports last week, pregnant Charlotte Church is keen to marry the father of her baby quite soon, because she doesn't want to look too overweight on her wedding day.

But according to today's Metro, it appears that a shotgun wedding will not be taking place after all. "It's the biggest load of s**t - it's absolute bo****ks!" she said.

No wonder Miss Church has attracted criticism from some. Apparently she had previously stated that she didn't want to be an unmarried mother. In that case, why did she get herself pregnant before getting hitched?

I'm a Slave 4 U

2007-03-26T13:52:00.000+01:00

That's what Britney Spears sang in her hit from 2001. Back in 1985, Bryan Ferry had addressed the issue of slavery with "Slave to Love" and Grace Jones recorded "Slave to the Rhythm".

Now, the Archbishop of York has called on the British government to make a formal apology for its role in the slave trade. But what would be the point in making an apology now for something that was recognised and eradicated as sub-optimal two centuries ago? Let's just confirm our intention to be aware of injustice that is faced right now. Or, take a step back to take a step forward.

Mark Lawson - Just Say No!

2007-03-11T21:13:00.000Z

Mark Lawson is a journalist and broadcaster who specialises in talking about television. Yet, on 1997: A Year on TV on BBC4 this evening, in relation to a piece on This Life, he expresed his understanding that the BBC required terrible things to happen to characters in dramas who took illegal drugs. As an example to illustrate his point, he mentioned Zammo in Grange Hill who "killed himself" after taking drugs.

What nonsense! Zammo made a full recovery and stayed with his girlfriend Jackie Wright, although they called off their planned wedding becasue they realised that they were too young. If Mark Lawson is such an expert on television, how come he doesn't know this?

In any case, surely Mark Lawson is too ugly to appear on television so regularly?

Irresponsible soap

2007-03-11T17:58:00.000Z

According to The Food Magazine, teenagers are being encouraged to drink more because they copy behaviour in television soap operas.

This could be true, but more worrying is the way that too many characters seem unable to resolve any disagreements without shouting and threatening behaviour. In the quest for dramatic value, immature viewers are given the impression that this is normal acceptable behaviour, especially as the characters concerned are often portrayed in a sympathetic light because of the passion that they feel for their dog or illegitimate baby or whatever.

Leave it ahhht!

Loserwear

2007-03-05T23:02:00.000Z

There's a fascinating article in the latest edition of The Spectator about the stupidity of criminals. It's by Lloyd Evans.

The problem lies with individuals. There’s a failure of brainpower, imagination and ambition. A failure of will. One thing you notice in Hackney, and in any city in Britain, is how many people are addicted to life at the bottom. There are swarms of them everywhere, all ages, all races, slouching around in baggy nylon leggings and smock-tops blazoned with the names of the multinationals who manufacture them. Who dresses these people in loserwear? They do. Why? Because they’re stupid. They make poor choices. They can’t analyse or plan, they can’t expand their horizons or imagine a different future for themselves.

Wear a scarf

2007-03-04T21:18:00.000Z

I've just been to the BBC Weather website to see what the weather is going to be like this week. Looks like it will be cold and windy all over the UK on Friday...

Cat the Capitalist

2007-02-28T13:22:00.000Z

Northern Irish "funnyman" Patrick Kielty has slammed his former co-presenter Cat Deeley for not caring about aid and being a capitalist.

Maybe so, maybe not. But I know who I'd rather watch on my television!

This year's Song for Europe

2007-02-28T13:16:00.000Z

The BBC has announced the acts who will be hoping to represent the United Kingdom in this year's Eurovission Song Contest. Tedious old druggie has-beens, mostly (Brian Harvey, Justin Hawkins), but at least we haven't got reality TV contestants this year.

At this stage, Mikey hasn't heard the songs themselves (and he doesn't even know who "Cyndi" is). But if Liz McClarnon succeeds, hopefully she will dress appropriately.

Weather in Nowheresville

2007-02-28T11:06:00.000Z

Last week, BBC weather presenter Tomasz Schafernaker had to apologise for describing the Western Isles as "Nowheresville".

Personally, I think he looks like Conservative MP Ed Vaizey.

"David Cameron has been arrested"

2007-02-25T10:24:00.000Z

Sky News had a thrilling headline at the bottom of the screen today during its interview with George Osborne. "Conservative Leader David Cameron has been arrested on suspicion of possessing cannabis."

Only when the headline came round again a couple of minutes later did I catch the opening six words: "Teenager who made gun gesture at"

Influence of UKIP

2007-02-24T21:17:00.000Z

There's a bizarre letter in today's Times newspaper from Bryan Cassidy, who signs himself as the "Chairman of the Mid Dorset and North Poole Conservative Association" from 1999 to 2002. Presumably this is the same Bryan Cassidy who, in a previous letter to the Times in October 2005, claimed to be Chairman from 2000 to 2003. Can't he remember when he did it? In any case, this is hardly something of which he should be proud; the Conservatives lost the seat in the 2001 General Election, during his Chairmanship!

The Tory loss was by a majority smaller than the number of votes polled by the UKIP candidate. An MEP for the area, also called Bryan Cassidy (what a coincidence!) lost his seat in 1999 when UKIP took one of its first seats. Mikey agrees that a UKIP vote is a wasted one, but the point of Mr Cassidy's letter today is peculiar: he thinks that UKIP "fifth columnists" are responsible for the election of Conservative MEPs who proclaim themselves to be eurosceptics!

Just a pity that there aren't more of them! It is the rabid Euro-enthusiasm of too many Conservative MEPs that has helped to persuade many loyal Conservatives to suppport UKIP in the first place!

New Two

2007-02-18T01:49:00.000Z

Today sees the introduction of new "idents" for BBC2. Personally, I will not be sad to see the demise of the ridiculous robotic "2"s with arms on a yellow background. But my favourite remains the blue paint from the 1990s.

Language barrier

2007-02-12T15:01:00.000Z

The Government has announced proposals for unemployed people to learn English. Don't they teach that at schools nowadays? Anyway, the plan has been criticised by a spokesperson from the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, because there are apparently too few teachers. So why don't they train some, and then there will be fewer unemployed people?

Janet's forgotten something

2007-01-31T19:10:00.000Z

According to a magazine (of which I've never heard) called "V", singer Janet Jackson doesn't know what a supermarket trolley (or "cart") is for.

I should think that is the least of her worries. Clearly she has forgotten to put clothes on the top half of her body, and what's that mess on her head?

Presumably, the "wardrobe malfunctions" in her past have not been resolved!

Goodbye to Grandstand

2007-01-28T13:00:00.000Z

This afternoon, the BBC is broadcasting the final edition of Grandstand, after a run of over 48 years. Mikey is not that interested in sport, but is sad that the BBC has axed so many of its great brands in recent years. It was bad enough when Crackerjack and The Good Old Days were axed in the 80s after thirty years each. More recently, Top of the Pops was abolished after 42 years, and there is still an almost total absence of live chart performances on British television. Panorama is rumoured to be under threat. What's next? Songs of Praise?

Yes, styles move on, but in turbulent times the BBC needs to retain as much goodwill as it can. Terminating good programmes which generate such goodwill among millions of viewers seems like a strange way of endearing itself to people on whose support the BBC badly needs.

Sheath news

2007-01-24T18:03:00.000Z

According to "research" by the Body Shop, nine out of ten young women "do not think a condom is an essential handbag item on a night out."

This statistic is being portrayed as a bad thing. But isn't this rather offensive to "young women"? Maybe most of them are not planning to have sex with a random stranger when they go out.

Brown warns of danger

2007-01-14T14:06:00.000Z

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, has declared that the UK's existence is at risk. Maybe it is, but he can't say he wasn't warned.

Four days before the 1992 General Election, the then Prime Minister John Major articulated the threat to the Union if the Labour Party returned to government: "The United Kingdom is in danger. Wake up! Wake up now before it's too late. If you think as I do, then vote as I do, and make sure it stays United."

So Gordon might like to ask himself which Party has been responsible for the potential break up of the United Kingdom, through the creation of a Scottish Parliament, creating different classes of MP in Westminster and splitting up England into "regions".

It could be something for him to think about when he's getting his hair washed.

Keeping the peace

2007-01-14T13:51:00.000Z

He may not be Prime Minister for much longer, but Tony Blair has been busy outlining his support for the continuation of military intervention.

And he has clearly lost none of his charm with the ladies. Giving his speech on the flight deck of HMS Albion on Friday, the PM greeted the local MP Linda Gilroy with great tenderness.

Move over This Life

2007-01-13T16:49:00.000Z

The "reunion" episode of This Life earlier this month was rather disappointing, as the characters seemed rather less than convincing (or even interesting) when removed from their familiar mid-nineties Southwark location.

Perhaps more promisingly, the same production company has produced a new drama called Party Animals, which follows the lives of young people working in politics. Sensibly, it appears that the producers are not concentrating on characters of a Liberal Democrat persuasion, as the antics of its MPs are even less convincing than those of Miles, Anna, Milly and Egg.

Future of the BBC

2007-01-13T16:03:00.000Z

In his column in today's Daily Telegraph, Charles Moore questions whether the BBC is any good.

While I am sympathetic to some of his complaints of bias and dumbing-down at the Corporation, politicians (especially those with a Conservative viewpoint) must recognise the risks of tinkering with the BBC. For many millions of people in this country, the BBC still represents something that has been (and still is) cherished and part of the fabric of our nation over several decades. Therefore there is a great emotional attachment to it. The BBC has a great heritage and consequently has a duty to maintain the best of that, as well as being responsive to new broadcasting innovations of quality. Some at the the top of the BBC have not recognised this sufficiently, which has led to the almost entire demise of good public service programmes such as One Man and His Dog and Top of the Pops. Some highbrow commentators suggest that Radio 3 and Radio 4 should be retained, but that other networks should have advertising. Why? The warmth and companionship of Radio 2 on a Sunday evening, for example, could simply not be replicated on a commercial station, yet it remains immensely popular and greatly treasured by good folk throughout the Kingdom - although it remains to be seen how the imminent removal of Richard Baker will affect this.

Thee are many arguments for reform of the BBC's funding - but politicians who (through insensitive and ill-informed meddling) are seen to be responsible for damaging the Corporation could find that they face opposition and a lack of goodwill among a sizeable chunk of the nation. This is not an argument for sitting back and letting the BBC get away with irresponsible and inappropriate junk - but it is a warning against making apparently rational decisions with far-reaching consequences that override the feelings of millions.

The price of vandalism

2007-01-13T13:48:00.000Z

A gang of graffiti vandals were caught defacing London Underground trains in east London last night. As they became aware that they had been spotted by security, it seems that two of them ran away into the path of an oncoming District Line train.

Apart from the ghastly loss of life, which could have been of benefit to society if they had decided to channel their skills into something more constructive, let us think for a moment about how this incident has affected those who do not deserve to have suffered as a result of this: the driver of the train, who must be emotionally traumatised at the vandals being killed as the train hit them; the emergency services who had to deal with the resulting carnage; the LU cleaners who will have to remove the unsightly scribbles from the train; and, of course, the travelling public who will have been inconvenienced by the delays and cancellations caused to their journeys by antisocial misfits who had no consideration or respect for the property and travelling environment of others.

Seeing Stars

2007-01-12T23:51:00.000Z

On Sunday night, it was the 650th edition of the BBC's astronomy programme, The Sky at Night. Its presenter, Sir Patrick Moore, has complained that the celebratory programme was shown far too late.

It is true that it was broadcast at 1.55am. But it was repeated at 7.30pm on Monday on BBC4, and will also be shown this Saturday afternoon on BBC2, so it is not difficult to choose a time that is convenient.

The bigger question is why such a fuss is being made over the 650th edition, which is hardly that much of a special anniversary - especially when the show is due to celebrate its 50th birthday in a couple of months.

Mikey suspects that the intention of the complaint was to place a marker regarding the timing of the 50 Years special, so expect that to be shown at a more civilised hour on its first broadcast. Let's hope that Sir Patrick will make it that far.

Zoe Salmon in a bikini

2007-01-10T21:23:00.000Z

Viewers of today's Blue Peter will have been delighted to have seen Zoe Salmon in the Palace of Westminster, persuading Members of Parliament to donate their shoes to help the Shoe-Biz Appeal for African orphans. As you can see, Gordon Brown and Shailesh Vara were among the MPs who appeared with Zoe.

But some viewers will probably have been more interested in the piece earlier in the programme, showing Zoe going swimming in the cold on New Year's Day.

That was December

2006-12-31T17:37:00.000Z

As the year drew to a close, Mikey revisited previous posts during December. And that was the Tent in 2006. Big thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read this blog, provided a link to it, or left any comments.

At the end of the month, the country experienced strong winds and stormy conditions. Mikey is hoping that the Tent won't get blown away...

Get your kitten off

2006-12-30T15:28:00.000Z

Former Atomic Kitten Natasha Hamilton (she's the one who wasn't Liz, Kerry, Jenny or Heidi out of the Sugababes) has posed wearing nicotine patches for Boots the Chemist. Apparently the Nottingham-based retailer is trying to persuade 16 to 34-year-old women to give up smoking.

But is Ms Hamilton ideally placed to persuade young women how to live their lives? Back in 2002, Natasha gave birth to a son called Joshua, fathered by a former Westlife bodyguard called Fran Cosgrave. Then she and Cosgrave split up. Then 18 months later, our Tash became pregnant again; this time the baby's father was a dancer called Gavin. But within 6 months of the birth, Natasha split from Gavin and returned to the Westlife bodyguard. But this didn't last, as she soon dumped him again. But now she's got a new boyfriend called Riad Erraji. And they've got engaged! Congratulations to the pair of them.

And she's still only 24!

That was November

2006-12-29T18:13:00.000Z

In November, Mikey was named as Blogger of the Week by Channel 4 News. This happened just days after the Tent exposed its presenter Jon Snow's hypocrisy over the wearing of a poppy.

That was October

2006-12-23T11:18:00.000Z

More people visited the Tent in October than in any other month - about 1300. Debate over the covering of the face with a veil has continued, but the gentleman who was creating filth on trains has since been found.

When life was multi-coloured

2006-12-22T22:48:00.000Z

Back in 1996, the BBC celebrated the 20th anniversary of the birth of Swap Shop with a programme presented by Noel Edmonds called Multi-coloured Saturdays. Next week, a rather longer programme is being broadcast (containing strong language, for some reason) to mark the 30th anniversary, although a pre-watershed repeat is being shown two days later - which is 20 minutes shorter. Just how much swearing will need to be removed to justify this editing-out?

But things have changed in the past 10 years. In those days, the main BBC1 Saturday morning show was watched not only by children but also by older people because the standard of presentation was not patronising or condescending; there was something for everyone. Not now; for the past 7 years or so, the shows have become so immature that they have lost viewers and been shifted to BBC2 as a result. They are no longer part of the national consciousness.

Noel Edmonds would be spinning in his grave, if it weren't for the fact that he is still alive talking to a Banker on the phone on Channel 4 several times a week.

That was September

2006-12-22T22:38:00.000Z

Back in September, Mikey highlighted the dangers facing prostitutes, as it was revealed that one of them had been attacked by one of her clients. As events were to show, the safety of sex workers became a major issue later in the year.

Meanwhile, Mikey's reference to someone with a big mouth prompted a commendation from Womble's Rants.

Blame the loner

2006-12-20T16:04:00.000Z

Today's Daily Express has decided not to put Diana on its front page. Instead, it proclaims "Second loner arrested in hunt for the strangler", apparently referring to the murders of sex workers in Suffolk.

As it happens, the suspect concerned doesn't appear to be much of a loner; he has been married twice and is living with another woman. But that doesn't fit in with the media perception of what a loner is. And it's not just the media; the police themselves have used the term in the past.

Perhaps there is a covert campaign to brand people living alone with a social stigma, to discourage them from claiming the 25% discount on Council Tax?

Cheeky Lembit

2006-12-17T07:02:00.000Z

Back in March, Mikey speculated that there was no likelihood of Liberal Democrat MP Lembit Opik cheating on his fiancée, weather presenter Sian Lloyd.

Now he has run off with one of the Cheeky Girls. Maybe poor Lembit was frustrated that Sian wasn't prepared to touch his bum. In any event, being the gentleman that he undoubtedly is, I am sure that he will wish his Welsh ex a "Cheeky Christmas"!