Jock's Place - miscellany - Comments

Oh goodie...I really got ten

Jock — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:44:23 +0100

Oh goodie...I really got ten then...I blame a typo myself!

According to The Guardian

Bernard Salmon — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:42:05 +0100

According to The Guardian itself earlier in the week, it is indeed four:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/jul/15/past.margaretthatcher

Have you ever seen that

Jock — Wed, 07 May 2008 16:15:02 +0100

Have you ever seen that five minute guide to "The Road to Serfdom" - it's on here somewhere - http://www.jockcoats.org.uk/road_serfdom_five_minutes

It's a bit like that, but focussed particularly on civil liberties rather than "post war planning", and it takes two hours. It's quite sensationalist, but you can see why it needs to be.

Taking Liberties

OneHourAhead — Wed, 07 May 2008 16:05:33 +0100

No Probs. Still haven't seen 'Taking Liberties'. Worth a watch?

That's the badger!

Jock — Wed, 07 May 2008 16:01:12 +0100

That's the badger! Thanks. I knew it was Locke in the back of my mind. Can you tell I was watching "Taking Liberties" last night?

Social Contract

OneHourAhead — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:33:55 +0100

Is this what you are looking for:

"whenever the legislators endeavour to take away, and destroy the property of the people, or to reduce them to slavery under arbitrary power, they put themselves into a state of war with the people, who are thereupon absolved from any farther obedience, and are left to the common refuge, which God hath provided for all men, against force and violence. Whensoever therefore the legislative shall transgress this fundamental rule of society; and either by ambition, fear, folly or corruption, endeavour to grasp themselves, or put into the hands of any other, an absolute power over the lives, liberties, and estates of the people; by this breach of trust they forfeit the power the people had put into their hands for quite contrary ends, and it devolves to the people, who. have a right to resume their original liberty, and, by the establishment of a new legislative, (such as they shall think fit) provide for their own safety and security, which is the end for which they are in society."

It is Locke, from The Second Treatise of Civil Government can be found here

Feel the fear

Ruth Wilkinson — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 11:55:49 +0100

I find it really hard too Jock, you're not alone.

In your case it's trickier because some of the issues that may present themselves on the doorstep may be political, and others may be work-related. So one decision you have to make is to know your boundaries: say, for example, "This is a work issue, I'm not currently here in my work capacity but what I will do is note down your issue in my notebook and get back to you later in the week..."

Similarly if someone goes on a long rant about an issue say "This is a subject we need to discuss at greater length and unfortunately I don't have enough time right now to do it justice because I have another appointment, let me have your contact details and we'll discuss it further at....(after the elections)

Setting boundaries seems to be the all important thing when you read these self help books. And when you canvas, remember that you are extremely unlikely to influence/change people's voting habits on the doorstep. I don't know if this is right or wrong, but it seems to me that one of the most valuable things you can do on the doorstep is to advise people how to vote tactically to get another party out, so work on a script for that e.g. nos other party councillors vs Lib Dem councillors on the City Council etc. And look at the pledges and work out which ones suit your electors the best.

It's not a lot of consolation, but the more experience you gain from it, it does get a little easier. The first house is always the worst, get that over and you're on a winner.

What's the worst that could happen? They may not vote for you. Well the chances are that they won't bother to vote for anyone. If they don't vote for you, try and ensure that they won't vote for your biggest competitor. One councillor told a potential voter that he would be grateful if the voter did NOT vote for him as their views were fundamentally different. Fair enough!

And remember it's not just canvassing that gets you known, there are lots of leaflets going round that will make a case for you too.

Always free for a coffee and a chat some time!

Ruth

Feel The Fear

The Poet Laura-eate — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 17:11:07 +0100

Of all the self-help books, Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway is actually the best in my opinion. Published just at the cusp of the 'lifestyle' guru industry taking off, so more genuine than many too.

I think your phobia about ringing doorbells is entirely understandable. Few of us are comfortable about it/particularly if rejection tends to be a bit more personal than to the Betterware seller!

Whatever.It's got nothing to

Jock — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 06:55:12 +0100

Whatever.

It's got nothing to do with nanny state. If you read any of my blog you'll find I am a committed libertarian. However one person's freedom is another's license.

Quite obviously, if it was loud enough to complain about I must have been able to hear it. On the other hand, I can't hear Park End, or even Brookes's venue, despite being less than two hundred yards from the latter.

4am outdoor amplified live music that can be heard a mile away is taking liberties, and only the colleges could ever get away with it, such is the privileged position they hold in this city.

You really need to get a

Anonymous — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 23:12:59 +0100

You really need to get a life, if your halls of residence are on Headington hall then surely you are too far away to hear music from a college ball. I am a student in Oxford and live on Mansfield Road, on the night of said ball (which i was kindly informed about before hand as i lived so closely as to be affected by the noise) I was writing my dissertation and the noise was more than bearable, i was not disturbed and could get to sleep as usual.

You really do need to get a life and realsie that there are far more important things to spend time and energy complaining about then the noise from a college ball! It's people like you that are turining this country into a nanny state, and what does the choice of music at a college ball have to do with its non conformist history......bugger all!

Hewitt & Science

Phil Button — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 12:19:37 +0000

Passive Smoking TV Adverts

Open letter to the Secretary of State for Health

Dear Mrs Hewitt

I wish to compliment you and your government department for the excellent use of national and specifically NHS funds on the new Television "Take The Piss Out of Scientists" Comedy campaign you have recently launched.

It is so reassuring that satire is now recognised as such an important part of British Culture and I have no doubt that the production quality will result in a place in the nominations for a British Academy of Film & Television Arts Award.

It would be just indeed if this attracted sponsorship and became self funding through further exposure. Hopefully you have secured intellectual copyright and will soon be receiving royalties, inevitably leading to tax cuts. As a suggestion I might propose a reduction in tobacco tax especially as smokers will now be rushing to vote labour at every opportunity.

Thank you for exploding the myth that proclaims that cigarette smoke smells and can be seen. My sympathies are with the poor misguided fools that believed coughing and waving their arms was indeed protective. The scaremongers that instilled this fear of smoke should surely be hanged or made to serve their community in smoke filled bars. At least now the overstretched health service will see far less overuse injuries of the arms in asthmatics, and maybe less anaphylaxis from wasp stings this summer, as the flailing is more appropriately directed towards our yellow and black striped nemesis. I am sure it is the logical conclusion that short clips will soon expose the fraudulent science behind the erroneous link between environmental tobacco smoke and harm in non-smokers.

The scientific community will forever be indebted to your extreme intelligence and I wish you well in developing your unique style of presentation. You never know with this pivotal success you may indeed be seen as a credible politician. Best of luck with that.

Yours ever so sincerely

Dr PD Button

Prescribe heroin to addicts

Anonymous — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 13:57:04 +0000

If the drug clinics would only prescribe pharmaceutical heroin to all long term injecting addicts who cannot cope with methadone, there would be no need for dealers, illegal dangerous street gear, crime, etc

comment

Ellee — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 16:12:05 +0000

Interesting how Bob Piper removed his offensive post at the weekend having over-stepped the mark, which proves we are being self regulatory.

comment

David B. Wildgoose — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 08:43:16 +0000

I don't think either of us have missed the point of your post. And in fact, as a libertarian I approve of your sentiments entirely - I have argued similarly in the past.

But your proposal is not an accceptable alternative to an English Parliament when the other Home Nations have Parliaments/National Assemblies that nakedly look out for the interests of their countrymen at the expense of the English.

You can't propose this for England without also (as English Demmocrat" says) doing the same to the other Home Nations.

Our point remains. ALL the Home Nations have to be treated the same.

Of course, there's nothing stopping an independent England, free from the interference of other nations, from implementing something similar to these ideas."

comment

Jock Coats — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 23:32:25 +0000

Just whose blog is this? He has, and you have, missed the point of *my* post.

Have your English Parliament for all I care, so long as it does as little as I would want the UK parliament to do.

For preference, we don't need either for much other than national defense and arbitrating between more or less self-governing communities where decisions on as much as possible are taken as close as possible to the people they affect and are considerably more accessible and accountable.