The Tory Party at Prayer

David Cameron supports gay marriage because he is a Conservative. The Church of England tells us that gay marriage is against canon law. Do you have to be against canon law to be a Conservative? It would seem so if we believe David Cameron.

Whoever coined the phrase about the Anglican Church being the “Tory Party at prayer” needs to reconsider.

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Is the IOC right?

I am aware that some people believe that ticket touts do a good job (see my blog entry for the 15th July 2009). I am not keen on an unregulated industry even if it is open to everyone in places like eBay and doesn't just depend on which street you walk down.

Today I am reading that the International Olympic Committee is investigating claims that Olympics representatives are willing to sell thousands of tickets for the London Games on the black market. Well is this fundamentally wrong? I don't think so even though I disagree with it. I recognise that many others hold the opposite view.

Why shouldn't I, as a poor Olympic Committee member, be able to make a few thousand pounds by selling on my free tickets? If it is wrong for them then it is wrong for all touts and this was the basis of my previous blog.

If the allegations are correct, and IOC members have been receiving extra tickets in order to make money then to me it is obviously wrong, but I believe that touting is wrong. If you disagree then there is a case to support the IOC members. Why shouldn't I persuade my boss to give me a bonus even if I have signed something to say I wouldn't sell the tickets on. After all,, that agreement was obviously wrong.

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Headline: Job Centre Finds Job!

You will see from my last blog entry that I have had recent experience of unemployment. Nothing beats first-hand experience to learn how systems may improve. I used to run a wedding photography business and I received a deposit just after I was made redundant from my main employment. Now business accounts are fairly difficult to grasp and I do employ an accountant, but I knew that this deposit belonged to the following tax year. This was not the view of the Job Centre. They suspended the small amount of money that I was receiving. I don't mind being called a liar or even having a small amount of benefit suspended. My main concern which became an even bigger concern as my unemployment continued was how I could work to expand the business.

I asked how much I could receive before my benefit was suspended and the answer was £5. This answer was not clear to me. Could I earn £100 and I would lose £5 benefit? Could I earn £10 and I would lose 50%? The more detailed answer was that I could only keep £5 of whatever I earned. What type of incentive is this to leave the merry band of the unemployed? I closed my business (only keeping those who had already booked me).

I received a recent email asking how the Government could improve the economy. I replied that they could look at the £5 disregard which closed my business. The benefits system should encourage private enterprise. I am only able to write about this now that I have found work but for me this should be a priority change. There aren't many jobs "out there" so individuals should be encouraged to fiind their own work. What I found from the Job Centre was the opposite and at no time was I told about any vacancy by any member of staff. I saw no reason to actually turn up each fortnight but I suppose that at least it kept some people in work.

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Anyone can find work

I was listening to Radio 5 this morning and there was a caller in discussion with the presenter and another person who held the opposite views. She sad that there were jobs "out there" and words to the effect that there was no excuse for people to be unemployed. This sounds reasonable if the vacancies exceed the number of unemployed. Even if it doesn't surely all it takes is for a bit of effort and a member of the band of unemployed will soon have that job. This person didn't just tell us how easy it was to find work but she told us with such conviction that it was fairly obvious that that those who do not work must be shirkers. This sort of speech goes down well in some party conferences (memories of getting on a bike).

Fortunately the other person gave the opposite view as to how difficult it was to find any work and the first person was invited to speak again. She was speechless. This was a pity because I got the impression that she would be happy to reproduce her previous rant to anyone who would listen but not if she had to answer for it.

For the first time in my life I was made redundant in September 2011 and thought that work would be easy to find. I have diplomas and a degree and a list of other qualifications as long as your arm. I don't have NVQs but my previous work involved helping others get through theirs. I looked for work for 8 months and after 151 applications I found it a couple of weeks ago. On average each application took a couple of hours to complete. I thought I was brilliant each time but employers thought differently and only three others called me for interview.

I don't think I could have worked harder to find work. Norman Tebbit may still claim that all it takes to find work is to get on a bike and it may go down well with those in work but my reality is a little different.

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The Purpose of Blogs II

The name blog comes from a contraction of the words web and log. It is a personal diary made public. So maybe the definition will adapt as more professional writers see blogs as an opportunity to promote other websites. However my public log for today should include a note about You Tube. I managed to upload my first video today, with a little help from my brother and it can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6iMmWw_2qU&feature=youtube_gdata

I am a member of two music groups. One is attached to More Music in Morecambe and we play traditional music which is similar to The Lancashire Miller as per the You Tube video. We meet on Monday evenings between 7pm and 9pm and learn a couple of songs each week. The second group is the Morecambe Ukulele Club which meets at the Trimpell Club in Morecambe on Saturday mornings between 10am and midday. Here we tend to take it in turns to lead a song. All styles are welcome but I have not heard many songs by George Formby.

I am sure both groups would welcome new members.

The Purpose of Blogs

I used to write a blog each day and sometimes more than one per day. I know that I don't publish blogs as often as I used to, but maybe that is why I received an email yesterday from a 'professional writer'. She was willing to write blogs at no cost to me. All she wanted was a link in the blog to a company. This might be fine for blog writers who aren't interested in writing their own content. It would also be fine for people who wanted to call a blog theirs when it was written by someone else.

Ghost writing may be good for lazy bloggers who don't want to write but do want ownership. The trouble is that I don't see the point of publishing a blog if that is the case - just read another blog. The ghost writer will never be able to write a personal blog as well as the owner because only the owner knows his or her opinion. Blogs are essentially written to highlight personal concerns, not to create links to American companies.

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Checks and Balances

Democracy gives us checks and balances and stops power being held by a few people - or at least it should because if power is held by small groups or individuals then it has a different name like oligarchy or dictatorship. One check is to make sure that the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government are independent. Another method is to make sure there is at least one choice for voters. Another method is to give power to larger groups of elected individuals who do not have to follow party lines. In the opposite direction you would give power to a cabinet or an individual like a prime minister or a mayor.

Yesterday, in the Sunday Politics from the North West, the new mayor of Salford, Ian Stewart was asked about engaging the electorate as so few had voted for a mayor. He said that actions enthuse the electorate, but his actions can come back to bite him. I presume he means that if he goes against the wishes of the voters then he will not be elected next time. I don't know if this comes as news to Ian but he should go to the bookies and see if they are taking bets on a non-Labour mayor - ever. He doesn't have to persuade the electorate, he just has to keep the core Labour activists happy.

So if you want to make democracy weaker and think that an oligarchy or dictatorship may be better for society then maybe it's time to vote for a mayor. Even better, let the councillors in places like Liverpool impose their Labour mayor.