Comments on: Taking Hazel Blears seriously

By: Hazel Blears resigns - Chicken Yoghurt

Hazel Blears resigns - Chicken Yoghurt — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:40:37 +0000

[...] like the corners of my mind. Misty water-coloured memories, of the way we were. Scattered pictures, of the smiles we left behind, smiles we gave to one another for the way we were. Can it be that it [...]

By: Wis[s]e Words » Legal advice on Iraq War flawed: No shit Sherlock

Wis[s]e Words » Legal advice on Iraq War flawed: No shit Sherlock — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 09:25:55 +0000

[...] decisions be made by our betters. And then Hazel “bloody” Blears has the gall to lecture us about about political disengagment and the negativity of bloggers? November 22nd, 2008 | Tags: Hazel Blears, Lord Goldsmith | [...]

By: thomas

thomas — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:55:16 +0000

“I’ll put my money where my mouth is and objectively look at a chunk if it’s done in the right way.”

Suggestions for ‘done in the right way’ would be handy…

By: thomas

thomas — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 10:52:43 +0000

*mulls response over*

you’re right, but we still need to get out of this vicious circle of spiraling negativity somehow – elections aren’t the be all and end all of change.

I like the idea of doing some delegation through LC, so watch this space…

By: Justin

Justin — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:03:50 +0000

*tumbleweed*

Do I assume this was a drive-by commenting?

By: Justin

Justin — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 08:14:54 +0000

I take it you skipped this paragraph of mine, Thomas:

Blears is herself guilty of exacerbating poor political engagement. Look at her ‘Communities in control: real people, real power‘ white paper that she pushes in her speech. You can pay £33.45 if you’re one of the one third of the population who don’t have internet access. Or else you can download a 1,809 kilobyte PDF document or two three megabyte Microsoft Word documents. The white paper is 157 pages long by the way. Then you can read it off the screen or print it out if you’ve got a printer that’s up to the job. How’s that for encouraging engagement?

Those are some pretty big barriers to entry that the government themselves have erected. I take it you’ve got a spare 33 quid, bionic eyes or a top-notch printer. I don’t, unfortunately.

I have to say Thomas that you seem to be coming to this blinkered to the last ten years of New Labour kite-flying, spin, eye-catching initiatives, headline chasing and all round empty bullshit. Has it not dawned on you that New Labour are responsible for the cynicism you see around you?

But – alright – how about this…

Why don’t you think of a way of usefully dividing the white paper up and delegating the analysis? Do it through Liberal Conspiracy. I’ll put my money where my mouth is and objectively look at a chunk if it’s done in the right way.

By: thomas

thomas — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 06:31:25 +0000

If all that mattered was what people say then we’d get nowhere constantly and pedantically picking over personal interpretations and definitions.
What is more important is what people do.

Blears speech was in support of the white paper ‘Communities in Control’ published under her ministry.

So perhaps we can dispel some of the cynicism by ignoring the swathe of insults and offense being slung about between all sides and actually discuss the provisions laid out in the bill.

I think bloggers can play a crucial role in dissecting and disseminating information which relates to real people’s lives, so I hope you’ll be able to read the white paper and constructively criticise it by picking out the good bits and the bad bits.

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/communitiesincontrol

By: richard hannay

richard hannay — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 23:09:49 +0000

Er, and I meant to say that blogging is our outlet of anger and frustration, almost our only avenue for the kind of protest that the mainstream media – specifically TV media – avoid like the spineless jellyfish that they are. Ahem.

By: richard hannay

richard hannay — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 23:07:22 +0000

Blears is just another glib, Blair-Brownite apologist. Labour is the hollowed out crumbling shell that it is because it fails to accurately deal with reality, ie the real problems that people face and the real solutions which a truly democratic, representative government would undertake. Like taking back control of the Post Office and making it reopen post offices – I don’t care if they`re losing money, as there should be a way to figure out how to provide PO services on the micro-local scale. Then there`s utility prices, which an authentically democratic government, responsive to the needs and predicaments of ordinary people, would have put price-rise caps on. Instead, Brown et al obeyed the wishes of their true constituency, rich investors and the executives and managers of Britain. Pip pip!

By: septicisle

septicisle — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 22:53:54 +0000

Exactly. Blears is the exact reason why politics is currently in the state it is: she might think these things or make these points in speeches, but she’s not prepared to actually put those words into action.