Stephen Patrick Letting the Names Down

There are were two famous musicians that shared my given names one was Stephen Patrick Gately, the other is Morrissey. It is the latter who is letting down the Stephen Patrick's of this world today.

He has called the Chinese a 'subspecies' of the human race! No I know that Morrissey is a long-term radical vegetarian and animal-rights campaigner. Remember 'Meat is Murder' the single and the T-shirts. It's a catchy slogan and one that has been taken up by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) see the image to the left.

However, the ethical treatment of animals mustn't neglect the need for the ethical treatment of our fellow humans. Yes there is a different attitude to animals in Chinese Circuses and Zoos which prompted Morrissey's comment:

"Did you see the thing on the news about their treatment of animals and animal welfare? Absolutely horrific. You can't help but feel that the Chinese are a subspecies."

Well that is really going to get things changed. Yes there is no animal rights legislation in China, but there also is appalling human rights legislation there as well as I often post. It is a nation emerging from a horrific communist regime and before there an supreme commanding Emperor. Meaning that there are still a lot of lessons to be learnt into what is acceptable, what is normal behavior.

It's not so much a subspecies as a lack of education and understanding of the issues as well as cultural differences. In what still can be largely a rural economy with people who have never set foot in a major city there are differences from our refined, westernised world where all our food seems in some cases to come pre-packed (yes the vegetables as well as the meat).

Of course it doesn't help that Morrissey has previous when it comes to racist comments, in 2007 in an interview with the NME he said:

"With the issue of immigration, it's very difficult because, although I don't have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears. If you walk through Knightsbridge on any bland day of the week you won't hear an English accent. You'll hear every accent under the sun apart from the British accent."

and in the same interview:

"England is a memory now. The gates are flooded and anybody can have access to England and join in."

Yeah, my all means educate the world about the ethical treatment of animals but don't belittle people and turn to maltreatment of others either through racist comments or physical attacks. As I'm pretty sure all of those who want to protect the right of animals so vehemently also believe we're just another animal.

Tea Party Homophobic Extremists

On the night of the 6-7 October 1998 Matthew Shepherd, a 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming, was out for the night in Laramie. Shortly after midnight he met Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson at the Fireside Lounge. They offered him a lift but they drove him to a rural area once they heard he was gay and pistol whipped and robbed him then tied him to a fence (below). It was not until 18 hours later that Shepherd was discovered, after initially being mistaken for a scarecrow in a coma, suffering major head injuries. He died 5 days later on 12 October.



His horrendous murder led to statewide and federal hate crime legislation, however, the Tim Ravndal, President of the Tea Party in Montana feels this is a laughing matter as in this Facebook exchange shows.


In response to the original comment:

"I think fruits are decorative. Hang up where they can be seen and appreciated. Cal Wyoming for display instructions."

Ravndal replies, "Where can I get that Wyoming printed instruction manual?"

The response obviously pinpoints the Shepherd case as if the original comment wasn't clear enough as it was an case that sparked international and national outrage. The fact that Tea Party supporters and leaders, which is growing in popularity, can be so blazé about hate crime is worrying and indeed frightening.

We already know the measures that far right Americans will go to in reversing equality legislation. Legislation that is there for the benefit of the minority being sought to be overturned or blocked by a vocal, misinformed or misguided group, stirring up bigotry enough to get a majority. It is something we have seen happen before in the 1930s and 40s which America didn't wake up to in their cosy little world until it started to affect them. The problem is that it is occurring again now right on their doorsteps and they don't seem to realise and are in some cases actually be swept along with it.

There is the Islamaphobia, the homophobia at present which are getting whipped up purely from irrational misinformation. The case for defending Proposition 8 in the USA was a prime example of that. To show how irrational it is look at the same groups campaigning against same-sex divorce in Texas, so they are fighting same sex-marriage and also a means to dissolve same-sex marriages that are legally recognised, how irrational is that?

The Tea Party are a group that is looking to shift America to the right, far right. They are coming in by stealth at a time when right leaning Americans are concerned that sitting near the centre is a place where they are not differentiated from the Democrats enough, but it is a shift which takes the humanity out of the achievements of the past.

So much for "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."

It's Friday...so Campanology

I was around at Mícheál's earlier in the week and just as I was heading off,, for what turned out to be a delayed train home, we stumbled upon this Huffington Post feature. The net result was to have us in stitches, awe and wonderment all at once.

I thought I'd share a few of the best. You'd think these campanologists had gone Gaga.



And if you ever need a good wing man.



And finally for all my London-based friends who noticed strange goings on at King's Cross Station this Wednesday (and for the muggles amongst then that didn't).

So Long Cyril, So Long Big Man

Some men are larger than life through their personality, some are larger than life through their size. Sir Cyril Smith, former Liberal (then Liberal Democrat) MP for Rochdale was certainly both, the later until he lost weight under doctors advice.

Today Lib Dem Voice have announced the sad news that one of the giants of the Liberal Party that kept it going through its darkest, loneliest hours has passed on aged 82.

I think it only fitting, for the time being*, to look at this compilation of pictures of the man, but to the words about a different Cyril but hey, who's counting eh?

Nice one Cyril.



Sir Cyril Smith 28 June 1928 - 3 September 2010
MP for Rochdale 1972-1992

* I'll do a further tribute after I finish work.

Is It Really 2500 Posts?

Well actually yes it is the blog post I published earlier today was my 2500th, just on this blog. That is an average of a little under 500 a year over the five year life of this blog, which doesn't even account for the fact I had almost a year long hiatus.

I do know that if you take all my sizeable pieces of writting across the internet (ie not Tweets, comments or forum posts) I am over the 3000 mark as well. All in there are probably in excess of 25,000 indivual contributions of mine on line (and that is being very conservative).

So to mark the event I'm going to look back at the ten mileposts that got me and you dear reader here. Some of you may have been reading from the early days, many of you may have been reading since I returned from a prologed hiatus in 2007. But these are the landmarks along the way.

Post number 250 on the 30th January 2006

Dear Stephen - Dear Ming the leadership election to replace Charles Kennedy was getting under way and this was about an exchange of emails trying to garner my public support. It had already been pledged to another by this time.

Post number 500 on 25th September 2006

Sign Up a Disabled Sportsman to Play for Celtic while the Scottish Executive were wanting sports clubs to integrate more disabled sportspeople into their clubs. I, as a keen advocate of disabled sport point out that while the aim is well intentioned the practical in actual competition does cause issues in a number, though not all, sports.

Post number 750 on 3rd July 2008

Thank You Nicol another leadership resignation, this time from the Scottish leader. A look back to all that Nicol Stephen had given to the Scottish party since he replaced Jim Wallace.

Post number 1000 on 30th October 2008

It's Thursday, It's ITV, It's Top of the Pops when there were rumours that Simon Cowell was looking to buy the rights for TOTP 2 years after it was axed by the BBC and bring it back to ITV. The observant of you will have noticed that it hasn't come back yet almost 2 years further on.

Post number 1250 on 2nd March 2009

Flash Morph Tribute probably one of the greatest tributes to a childhood hero ever. When Tony Hart passed away a Flash Mob of plasticine lookalikes of his sidekick assembled at the Tate Modern. Also one of my shortest blog posts at 48 words.

Post number 1500 on 14th July 2009

Time Ticks By But the Councils Not for Turning my other great love football hits the spot on this one. In Livingston FC's darkest hour I did a lot of posts this one on the councils attitude to the debt they were owed.

Post number 1750 on 30th October 2009

It's the Weekend So... the very first of my regular series or pre-written YouTube influenced blogposts to kick the weekend into being. Also exactly one year on and 750 entries since the 100th (see above). The debut 5pm on Friday post feature the South Park gang singing Lady Gaga's Poker Face.

Post Number 2000 on 19th January 2010

A One-man Band That's Playing Out of Tune a look at the lack of strength in depth in the Tory front bench team. Oh yeah and Lord Tebbit has something nice to say about the man who was to become Deputy Prime Minister, possibly the first occurance of #IAgreeWithNick.

Post Number 2250 on 4th April 2010

Cameron Says "Vote Lib Dem and You Become King Makers" well actually he didn't. But I pointed out from what he did actually say that he was endorsing what Nick Clegg was saying about the way the people were looking to vote and eventually did.

Post Number 2500 on 3rd September 2010

Is Group Blogging the New Black? I knew I wanted something substantive for the milestone. The launch of the collaborative blog Better Nation, plus the change in my own personal circumstances and blogging itinery lead to this reflective piece looking back and forward at blogging in both Scotland and Northern Ireland. (Plus loads of Wikio points for a lot of people).

Footnote I did the research to find the first nine of the above entries back in early to mid August. I scheduled it into my future publication at a time I thought it would roughly be needed; taking into account the move, blogging frequency etc. That date was set for 15th September! Guess I've had a good little spurt of late.

Is Group Blogging the New Black?

I was having a little joust with James Mackenzie (aka Two Doctors) on Twitter last night, I mockingly said that I wasn't going to say the nice stuff I was planning to say about his, Jeff and Malc's new venture Better Nation.

I jest of course because I have enough in common with all three of them to make our disagreements just that, a disagreement, a point of contention and not full blown out warfare. It'll be interesting to see how their group dynamic develops as co-editors having seen them together over the odd pints. It would be a shame to lose any of the three of them from blogging and that was the danger that Malc and James were facing over recent months so this new impetus may be the boost to revitalise their creative juices.

Of course I'm also embarking on a new collaborative project, not as James thought with Caron and Andrew as he suggested; like Freedom Central is for the Welsh Lib Dems but for Scotland. No instead I'm getting together with Mícheál setting up the Lib Dems in Northern Ireland blog.

Not of course there hasn't been talk of setting up a Scottish equivalent of Freedom Central. Stephen Tall editor of Lib Dem Voice talked to me about it at conference last year and I talked to Alison Goldsworthy about it there too. So why haven't we got around to it in Scotland?

I think firstly and the three of us have talked about it at times. We are very strong as individual bloggers. By that we are all prolific, hard hitting and bring a personal slant to the issues even if all three of us post on the same subject you will get three very unique perspectives. Secondly such a tool would be to encourage the other Scottish Lib Dem Bloggers. With the notable exception of Fraser Macpherson one of the top 10 Councillor bloggers in the UK, that is in a constant state of embryonic flux. There are some good ones out there like James Taylor, and Paul Edie, but the youngsters Ruaraidh, Callum and Kieran have all given up.

Whereas with Mícheál and me there is a challenge to highlight the Lib Dem brand over here. With a wealth of experience gained in different areas and fields. There is also the obvious media face and the backroom organiser between the two of us. Yes the deal has been struck that if/when I stand in Northern Ireland we know who the agent will be. There are two different styles yet similarly to with Caron and Andrew compatible. I think the boost of my returning has got Mícheál's creative juices running which I hope Better Nation will also do for Malc and James. We'll see how both those projects pan out

As for the Scottish Lib Dem collaboration it remains loose Alliance, with interlinkage and retweeting of stories. Plus, and this is a little secret, occasionally feeding one of the others, in the big three, a story because they would do it more justice because of the way they write.

Bagpuss, O Bagpuss

Last night at about 11pm shock horror the screen on my laptop went totally blank and no amount of turning it on or off was sorting it out. Also I was unable to access the task manager or anything sensible. Of course the loss of my laptop now isn't the end of connectivity to the world, but it is my personal window on it.

So I crawled into bed. Left it on beside me and cuddled up to Bagpuss (don't laugh, I happen to have a special connection to that cat). However, a fitful sleep in which I awoke several times there was still no life in the screen of the laptop. That was until the final time I dropped. When I awoke my laptop was vibrant, bursting with energy and inviting me to log back on.

I must have missed Madeleine and Gabriel, the mice on the Mouse Organ and Professor Yaffle turning up. But they do appear to have fixed it.