Guido the 'prat' meets Michael White

Watching the TV performance of the blogger extraordinaire Guido Fawkes, with the heavyweight political editor Michael White, on the BBC's Newsnight programme last night - the words 'way out of your league' sprang immediately to mind. It's been a little while since I've seen anyone get so savagely and systematically demolished (politically speaking) as Guido did last night.

It certainly appeared that Guido had stepped into the gladiators arena, only to find out that he was going to be fed to the lions anyway - indeed, I didn't know what was more humiliating, watching Guido uming and r-ring, or watching the self-righteous Jeremy Paxman step in to 'defend' Guido. Either way, Guido certainly looked like a right first-class 'prat', as described by Michael White.

There are a few serious lessons to be learnt when dealing with the likes of Michael White on TV - for a start, you had better make sure you know off-by-heart every imaginable question that might be thrown up. Secondly, have (at the very least) a half decent progressive answer for those questions - or else you might end up looking like Guido - a laughing stock.

A few choice words on this matter from the Devil's Kitchen, well worth reading.

Also, Benedict White over on the Conservative's blog now wishes he had never voted for Guido in the first place to appear on Newsnight.

Oliver Kamm, the anti-blogger, who describes himself as being 'hostile to the whole medium of blogging', throws in his two penth worth here.

Finally, some words from Guido himself, who said 'the live interview was definitely a mistake and against my better judgement'. You can say that again!

Greenpeace: profiteering from whaling too

According to the environment section of The Guardian, the environmental organisation Greenpeace have been making more money from whaling than Iceland. These claims were made by Captain Paul Watson, the co-founder of the Greenpeace Foundation and Greenpeace International.

Captain Watson flatly refused to attend last years Greenpeace office Christmas party, he argued that the Greenpeace campaign against whaling was really all about 'making whale "snuff flicks" and exploiting bleeding, suffering whales to wring out every emotional dollar it could from the public'.

Greenpeace have indeed made boatloads of money from weeping over whaling, $103m (£53m) according to The Guardian - and for what? For sailing two ships to the Antarctica in 2005, taking a few photos and holding up a couple of banners?

There's no such thing as 'junk food'

As some of the regular readers of neo-Jacobin know, I have a major problem with the term 'junk food' - as far as I'm concerned, the concept of junk food is in fact junk propaganda, or in other words - meaningless.

Then again, don't take my word for it; witness the latest ban on TV advertising for the 'junk food' known as cheese. Under new advertising rules which come into force this mouth, TV adverts promoting cheese will be outlawed as a part of New (supernannying) Labour's drive to cut children's exposure to foods high in sugar, salt and fat.

I'll leave the lasts words on this subject to the National Farmers' Union who argued that the ban is 'nannying gone mad'.

Bono: arise Sir Brown Nose

Long gone are the days when the stars of Western rock n roll were perceived as the bastion of anti-establishment attitudes and politics – these days it seems to be very fashionable for ‘radicals’ to get down on their knees, and pledge their allegiance to the authorities in return for privileges and honours.

The millionaire lead singer of the Irish band U2, who is forever fighting against poverty in the Third World, was said to be ‘flattered’ at being offered a knighthood by the British Prime Minister. Bono, who seemingly cannot stop himself from speaking on behalf of some 900 million Africans (even though no one asked him to), thinks it’s perfectly fine to spend a small fortune on lawyers all for the sake of one stupid cowboy hat.

To me, the hounors system, the Monarchy, and the House of Lords represents everything that is wrong in British society. Together, they represent what the revolutionary Tom Paine once referred to as 'the remains of aristocratical tyranny'. Over 200 years later, that tyranny is still a forceful kick in the teeth to the idea of a popular and meritocratic democracy

In defence of immigration

Most people these days (even in Britain) seem to accept that immigrants make great contributions culturally, politically and economically to the nation they migrate to. Even the critics of Britain's current open-door policy find it difficult to dismiss the benefits gained from the current wave of immigrants from Eastern Europe - except, Migrationwatch that is.

Having said that, the chairman of Migrationwatch, Sir Andrew Green, actually conceded that of 'course many immigrants make a useful contribution to the economy but, taken in total, the economic benefit is at best marginal'. The fact that the host nation and the immigrants themselves both benefit seems to have been lost somewhere in translation. Indeed, it is left to the astute blogger, Tim Worstall, who kindly reminds us all that such benefits is normally known as 'Pareto improvement'.

Who needs the British National Party when we've got Migrationwatch?

Update: For a more coherent defence of immigration read Stumbling and Mumbling.

Poverty: what is to be done?

The Conservative press consultant Ellee Seymour, provides a good piece on what poverty is like in her neck of the woods, Norfolk.

As to the question of 'what is to be done'? It seems that many on the right haven't got the faintest idea. I argued that rapid and unprecedented economic growth should do the trick for the worst off in our society.

It's worrying, that even amongst some Tories', there is a palatable air of disdain about the notion of rapid economic growth - what seems to me to be an obvious answer to poverty.

New Labour ruthlessness

It looks as though New Labour are going to put an end to long-term unemployment in Britain once and for all, by cutting their throats.

Scared of strangers and neighbours?

It does seem that British society is becoming more and more atomised, especially in the cities. Indeed, the photographer Susie Rea thought it important enough for a project. Rea is examining 'these odd, displaced relationships - where people are part of the landscape of our daily lives but remain anonymous and out of contact'.

More evidence of atomisation came in the shape of this story of an anonymous person who threatened two pensioners with ASBO's if they didn't stop feeding the squirrels. I'd like to know what kind of person hasn't got the balls to confront two old aged pensioners by simply knocking on their door? If you ask me, our society would be much better off without such anonymous chicken-heads in it.

Princess Diana's police inquiry

Please - the women is dead and buried, it was an accident - as simple as that. Why can't some people just move on, and get over it?

Animals Count? Well... em... not really

Stories like this do make me wonder what this world is coming to. Last week Britain saw the launch of a political party for animals - yes, you read that correctly, animals.

The new party Animal Count, is founded by Jasmijn de Boo, who told BBC reporters' that first;

"slaves were liberated. Then women and children. Now it is time to do the same for the animals."

I'm not quite sure where these human haters get off by putting the issue of human equality and freedom on par with concerns for animal welfare? Such sick misanthropic ideas seem to be getting popular these days. As far as I'm concerned, I agree with the political commentator Mick Hume, when he argued in the Times (London) that a;

"world without the “exploitation of animals” would be unfit for human habitation".