Posts
Thursday, 15 April 2010
Leaders debate
That was fairly fun, and I drew some nice pictures of flowers while they were bickering. Aren't elections exciting?
22:01 Look at Nick go! He's learnt from Dara O'Briain, he's naming all the people he talked to during the evening, threading their stories into one nice little anecdote. "I spoke to a guy called Joel this evening, and he said ...."
21:57 I know what they're talking about, but the word 'carer' is a funny one. Nick is saying that those people who care the most, who care for the longest, should have respite. He makes it sound like some kind of competition - I totally care about, like, peace and shit, I've cared about it for a reeeeally long time, can I have a break from caring please?
21:50 Hang on, let me just check I've understood that, Dave. Stop the National Insurance rise, and use that money to buy cancer drugs. So, reduce the Government's tax income, and spend that decrease on cancer drugs ... nope, you've lost me. Why didn't the others pick that up? I must stop being less partial.
21:43 Gosh David, that's a heartfelt thank you for that Indian NHS worker despite saying earlier that you didn't want any foreigners coming in.
21:24 Well done Nick, I agree, all these crazy waste savings are not going to sort out the economy. I don't know anyone else who isn't allowed free tea and coffee at work except me. In the last six months I have claimed precisely nothing on expenses. How much have they claimed?
21:15 Oh piss off Dave, he's being mean.
21:11 Heeeheeheee Dave nearly forgot he's got a new baby on the way ... "and hopefully another one ... another two on the way" (to school).
21:06 Nick should stop looking directly at the camera, he seems much more natural when he looks at the others.
21:02 Oh no wait hang on a second, Call-Me-Dave reckons that part of the apology for the expenses stuff is to cut the size of Whitehall by a third - really? What did we ever do?
21:00 I'm going to stop doing this and play arts and crafts for a while. The Guardian and Sam are going to have to live blog faster.
20:58 Third time lucky Gordon! His feeble joke about posters didn't get a laugh, his 'this is not question time, it's answer time' only got a laugh from him, but finally his 'airbrushing your posters but not your policies' joke struck home and got a little giggle. Sam's right, he's just not a funny man. At least he's trying though.
20:57 Weird camera shot there of Nick Clegg's leg.
20:55 Oh god Gordon, that's a very awkward joke about posters ...
20:52 Now I support Nick's policy on prison reform absolutely, but 9 out of 10 prisoners reoffend? I am pretty darn certain it's 7 out of 10 - get your facts straight, young man. Is Gordo plugging Dave's national service thingamy?
20:51 Nice clip of an audience member shaking his head at what Gordon was saying there. That's a thumbs down from Mr Curly Hair in the back row, Gordo.
20:50 "... my city of Sheffield where I'm an MP ..." - no you're not, Nick, you stopped being an MP on Monday.
20:48 18 minutes in and I don't think I can take another anecdote. "I was talking to a real person the other day and they said ..." - aaaaaaggghhhh. Dave is talking about prisoners reoffending. What an enlightened solution he has - lock them up for longer.
20:44 Nick Clegg was apparently saving lives in a paediatric hospital a few weeks ago - my hero.
20:42 A border police force? Did David just make that up on the spot? He is almost a parody of himself at this stage - it sounds like something the commenters on the Guardian article on Armando Ianucci's twitter post might say - they were busily coming up with things they were going to do to take part in Cameron's government. That was a very funny set of comments, my favourite was "I don't like my neighbour so I'm going to deport him."
20:40 I'm not sure I'm quite up for live blogging this thing, but I might just make a few observations as we go.
22:01 Look at Nick go! He's learnt from Dara O'Briain, he's naming all the people he talked to during the evening, threading their stories into one nice little anecdote. "I spoke to a guy called Joel this evening, and he said ...."
21:57 I know what they're talking about, but the word 'carer' is a funny one. Nick is saying that those people who care the most, who care for the longest, should have respite. He makes it sound like some kind of competition - I totally care about, like, peace and shit, I've cared about it for a reeeeally long time, can I have a break from caring please?
21:50 Hang on, let me just check I've understood that, Dave. Stop the National Insurance rise, and use that money to buy cancer drugs. So, reduce the Government's tax income, and spend that decrease on cancer drugs ... nope, you've lost me. Why didn't the others pick that up? I must stop being less partial.
21:43 Gosh David, that's a heartfelt thank you for that Indian NHS worker despite saying earlier that you didn't want any foreigners coming in.
21:24 Well done Nick, I agree, all these crazy waste savings are not going to sort out the economy. I don't know anyone else who isn't allowed free tea and coffee at work except me. In the last six months I have claimed precisely nothing on expenses. How much have they claimed?
21:15 Oh piss off Dave, he's being mean.
21:11 Heeeheeheee Dave nearly forgot he's got a new baby on the way ... "and hopefully another one ... another two on the way" (to school).
21:06 Nick should stop looking directly at the camera, he seems much more natural when he looks at the others.
21:02 Oh no wait hang on a second, Call-Me-Dave reckons that part of the apology for the expenses stuff is to cut the size of Whitehall by a third - really? What did we ever do?
21:00 I'm going to stop doing this and play arts and crafts for a while. The Guardian and Sam are going to have to live blog faster.
20:58 Third time lucky Gordon! His feeble joke about posters didn't get a laugh, his 'this is not question time, it's answer time' only got a laugh from him, but finally his 'airbrushing your posters but not your policies' joke struck home and got a little giggle. Sam's right, he's just not a funny man. At least he's trying though.
20:57 Weird camera shot there of Nick Clegg's leg.
20:55 Oh god Gordon, that's a very awkward joke about posters ...
20:52 Now I support Nick's policy on prison reform absolutely, but 9 out of 10 prisoners reoffend? I am pretty darn certain it's 7 out of 10 - get your facts straight, young man. Is Gordo plugging Dave's national service thingamy?
20:51 Nice clip of an audience member shaking his head at what Gordon was saying there. That's a thumbs down from Mr Curly Hair in the back row, Gordo.
20:50 "... my city of Sheffield where I'm an MP ..." - no you're not, Nick, you stopped being an MP on Monday.
20:48 18 minutes in and I don't think I can take another anecdote. "I was talking to a real person the other day and they said ..." - aaaaaaggghhhh. Dave is talking about prisoners reoffending. What an enlightened solution he has - lock them up for longer.
20:44 Nick Clegg was apparently saving lives in a paediatric hospital a few weeks ago - my hero.
20:42 A border police force? Did David just make that up on the spot? He is almost a parody of himself at this stage - it sounds like something the commenters on the Guardian article on Armando Ianucci's twitter post might say - they were busily coming up with things they were going to do to take part in Cameron's government. That was a very funny set of comments, my favourite was "I don't like my neighbour so I'm going to deport him."
20:40 I'm not sure I'm quite up for live blogging this thing, but I might just make a few observations as we go.
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
Saturday, 10 April 2010
Geneva
I've got a new job in Geneva. I'm off to the Quaker United Nations
Office to spend a year working on human rights and refugees starting
in September, and it's terribly exciting.
Office to spend a year working on human rights and refugees starting
in September, and it's terribly exciting.
The excitement is tempered by my sadness that it means living away
from Andy for a year, but he's being ever so wonderfully supportive -
this is something I really want to do, and I think I'd regret passing
up on the opportunity.
So I'm focussing on all the exciting things: living in a very
important city but one that's much smaller than London, living in the
clean fresh air of the Alps, living on the shore of Lake Geneva,
hanging around the United Nations and going to the Montreaux Jazz
Festival. Andy and I will just have to travel to and fro lots. Oh and
I found out yesterday that the other Programme Assistant is another
Irish Quaker I've known since I was very small, isn't that nice?
A lovely day
You've probably noticed the wonderful weather. The great news is that
this wonderful weather has arrived just on time for three days in the
Lake District. It is a rare and wonderful thing when you live in
London, looking out a window on a sunny day (in this case the window
of the train to Penrith) and knowing that you're actually going to get
to make the most of the weather. I'm going to be yomping in glorious
sunshine. I've brought sunglasses, suncream, light-weight walking
trousers and tshirts. I considered not bringing a warm coat but I
thought that might be pushing it a bit. So hooray for spending sunny
days in the great outdoors, exercising in the clean air.
this wonderful weather has arrived just on time for three days in the
Lake District. It is a rare and wonderful thing when you live in
London, looking out a window on a sunny day (in this case the window
of the train to Penrith) and knowing that you're actually going to get
to make the most of the weather. I'm going to be yomping in glorious
sunshine. I've brought sunglasses, suncream, light-weight walking
trousers and tshirts. I considered not bringing a warm coat but I
thought that might be pushing it a bit. So hooray for spending sunny
days in the great outdoors, exercising in the clean air.
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