http://www.blueidea.co.uk A Conservative-supporting thinking blog. Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:10:32 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en he first big, proper, error made by the coalition government was to end their pledge to give anonymity to men charged with rape. It was the first policy announced by the coalition government, and removing it is a big step in wrong direction (and yet more proof - as if ... http://www.blueidea.co.uk/2010/07/first-big-error-of-the-coalition-government.html Name: Gordon Brown Job: Politician ...erm, "Community Organiser" Gordon Brown is, apparently, someone who spent some time as a politician before becoming a community organiser. Compared to Barack Obama who spent some time as a community organiser before becoming a politician. Note: Those are Gordon Brown's own words. The first thing to say here is that, as ... http://www.blueidea.co.uk/2010/07/gordon-brown-community-organiser.html The Daily Mail yesterday included a list of the "top ten most bizarre phobias". Number one in this list is 1. Ephebophobia. Fear of youths Ha! I thought that pretty much all Daily Mail readers suffered that? Certainly you'd think that it if you actually read the newspaper often enough (or, to be ... http://www.blueidea.co.uk/2010/07/daily-mail-readers-suffers-of-ephebophobia.html The question set to be asked on the referendum ballot paper should the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill be passed into law (which is pretty likely) is: Do you want the United Kingdom to adopt the 'alternative vote' system instead of the current 'first past the post' system for electing ... http://www.blueidea.co.uk/2010/07/the-referendum-question.html This story An Internet search for the Vatican through Google threw up a link to a website called www.pedofilo.com, the Italian word for paedophile, on Saturday. The link, among the first options offered by the search, apparently surfaced early Saturday, Italian news agency ANSA reported, adding that it connected to an apparently ... http://www.blueidea.co.uk/2010/07/googling-the-vatican.html I am immeasurably amused at the story about the pre-election adverts filmed by the Conservatives but never shown. It showed two "good-looking" young men in a sports changing room shower. One says "It feels so right. I am going to tell everyone." According to the Sunday Times, the other then puts ... http://www.blueidea.co.uk/2010/07/coming-out-as-a-conservative.html I am very pleased at the fact that Damian Green, Immigration Minister, has made it clear that Britain will not be copying France and banning the burka - despite a private members bill introduced by a Tory MP. So long as women who wear the burka are doing it voluntarily, ... http://www.blueidea.co.uk/2010/07/the-burka-wont-be-banned-in-britain.html I've written in support of a graduate tax before - but I've changed my mind. The idea that graduates should pay a higher rate of tax is not a good idea and the concept that It surely can't be right that a teacher or care worker is expected to pay the ... http://www.blueidea.co.uk/2010/07/taxing-graduates.html The Times can no longer be read online for free. Its paywall is now officially up and runing and it now costs money to read their content online. The Guardian have responded to this rather well, if snarkily, under this headline: To make you feel right at home, we run a ... http://www.blueidea.co.uk/2010/07/inter-dead-tree-press-snarking.html A High Court judgement has been passed to evict the Parliament Square protestors from their so-called "Democracy Village" encampment. The action, brought by Mayor of London Boris Johnson, means that the squatters have until 4pm Friday to leave. Predictably, this is being called "a bad day for democracy" and that this ... http://www.blueidea.co.uk/2010/06/democracy-village-to-be-evicted.html