That’s the title of my latest newspaper column – and I think you can guess the answer! As I wrote:
The media obsess about the long ‘holidays’ that MPs have – but of course – recess doesn’t equal holiday. I don’t know about all MPs – but certainly all the ones I asked had pretty intense programs.
So – what do MPs actually get up to in the summer then? You’ll have to read my piece to find out!
There’s a good piece in today’s Times about whether or not YouTube should be closed.
I’ve always been slightly sceptical of (now) Democrat Presidential candidate Barack Obama since his speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention. It was delivered brilliantly – and there’s no doubt his style and content wowed many, many people – but to me – a non-American – there was something very insular, even insulting, in his claim that – after recounting how he came from a poor immigrant family that came together from across the world – “that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible”. Nonsense – there are examples of similar moving, amazing stories from many, many other countries.
So it did worry me a bit how – if he ended up US President – he would really look at the rest of the world. Now I’m worried even more – because he’s arguing the case for unilateral military action – in this case saying the possibility of bombing Pakistan without any discussion with Pakistan, the UN or anyone else would be OK.
Sounds like he’s getting very close to a George W Bush Mark 2 foreign policy!
I’ve been following the media coverage about the call from the Professional Association of Teachers for sites like YouTube to be closed – because they say they encourage bullying and harassment of teachers.
Both of these are extremely serious issues – but the idea that closing YouTube is the answer causes me two concerns: (a) is it really a solution? and (b) is a complete closing of YouTube an over-the-top reaction (even to horrific individual cases)?
The risk with media coverage of course often is that the details aren’t got quite right – so I went to see what the teachers themselves had said. I have to say – in all honesty – their arguments didn’t persuade me.
The Observer had a good round up story last weekend – but in it one teacher complained that they couldn’t complain against an inappropriate film because they weren’t a member of YouTube. Well – it’s only a matter of a few minutes to become a member and you don’t need to pay anything. Wouldn’t it be better if teachers were members of YouTube and made proper use of its channels for reporting things rather than say, “I’m not a member, so I can’t do anything proper, so the whole site must be closed”? I know this might sound very critical – but if you’re going to ask for the closure of one of the biggest websites (and one that is used for all sorts of funny, entertaining, educational and wonderful purposes – along with all the dodgy stuff) I think you need to really work at using the alternative avenues first.
The union’s website also has the full text of some speeches made in the debate. There were some horrible examples given of abuse – and my heart goes out to those on the receiving end of it – but again there wasn’t any real case made that closing YouTube would really solve the problem or is an appropriate solution. No real case as to how YouTube was failing in its current policies or how they could be improved for the future. And no real case that the existence of YouTube was making the problem worse.
So – if you’re a teacher and agree with what the union said, you’d better get in touch to persuade me to change my mind!
UPDATE: I’ve got an online poll here.
Well – it looks from this morning’s papers (Mail and Times) that Brian Paddick is a serious runner to be our (Lib Dem) Mayor candidate. Good thing I’ve said nice things about him on this blog!
One of the issues I’m pondering over the summer is what to make of Prime Minister’s Question Time. To me – yes, it’s great theatre and even fun at time but – it’s utterly crap as a way of holding the Prime Minister or Government to account – and I doubt the baying mob moment where everyone (except polite Lib Dems of course!) is cheering or booing does much for the reputation of politics.
After all – what would you think of someone who behaved in a work meeting the way the boorish heckling backbenchers do at PMQs? So – you may have guessed I’m not impressed!
Still though I’d be interested to hear other people’s views – what do you make of PMQs? Is it any good? Does it damage politics etc? Let me know what you think!
(Update: my fellow MP John Hemming has expressed his views on PMQs over at his blog).
Congratulations 
to Channel 4 for – as far as I can see – carrying out a serious investigation into allegations of misdeeds and rips offs amongst its various phone-in contests – and deciding to pretty much scrap the lot as a result. And where they’re not being scrapped (how could Big Brother be Big Brother without the voting!) making them only cost-neutral or revenues to charity.
This follows the BBC suspending a whole range of items too. But where does this leave ICSTIS – the regulator who is meant to be keeping things under control and stopping us, the viewer and phone voter, being ripped off?
If ICSTIS was really on top of its job neither the BBC nor Channel 4 would have to be doing this large-scale cull. ICSTIS keeps on dolling out relatively small scale fines – sometimes to the very same firm time and time again. (Just look at the list of rulings against Opera Telecom – the firm at the centre of the GMTV scandal.) That’s clearly not working. When you keep on fining the same firm time and time again, isn’t about time you should do something different?
ICSTIS is far too reluctant to levy seriously heavy fines or to stop people who have been caught breaking the rules from continuing to provide the same services. It’s all been a matter of very, very slow catch up by them. Let’s hope they finally pull up their socks and the are rather more effective in future! Their latest annual report boasts (belatedly, hurrah!) about them starting to take more serious action. But if they are honest they’ll look around at the shambolic wreckage around them and admit they have failed.
Time 
to break the habit of a lifetime and see my name on a ballot paper – and not put a vote next to it!
I’m talking about the poll over at Liberal Democrat Voice on who should be the next Liberal Democrat candidate for London Mayor. Thanks all those who’ve put me (as I type) at the top of the poll, but sorry to tell you – I’ve no interest in putting my name forward for the selection when it kicks off again latter this year.
As for the other names that are listed – Brian Paddick is the one I’d pick. He impressed me when I was serving on the GLA and the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) – and as I wrote in another blog post at the time:
When I think of my time seeing the Met up close when I served on the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) for five year – Brian is the one officer I met who I believe really understands and gives weight to some of the problems that are contentious.
No shops today. Up to Parliament instead for a number of things amongst which is the inaugural meeting of my International Development Advisory Group.
This is an erudite, professional group of people to whom I can put issues or ideas on and who will advise me (by internet mostly). I am putting together a Spokesperson’s Paper and I have managed to win my bid for a Spokesperson’s Speech at our Autumn conference. I already have put together a group in Parliament of my Lib Dem colleagues who are involved in international development – but that is more about Parliamentary business than developing cutting edge stuff to deal with the sort of challenges I’ve spoken about before.
Anyway – it was a jolly interesting discussion and fascinating to listen to the experts and their – let us say – range of views. A very good start!
Meeting more shops and small businesses. Rather than bore you with the same phrases about my stomping around the businesses and small shops in each area on the blog every day – I am simply going to highlight one or two incidents.
Today’s was meeting a young architect, Olatunji Olagunju, who had come here from Nigeria originally and has set up in this small parade of shops (Aylmer Parade) a really smart, modern architects office.
The practice is called ‘Forthright Design‘ and together with two associates, is making its way in residential mainly. Just nice to meet young guys making a go of it – and bringing benefits to the whole community.
Lynne Featherstone 