My "Best of 2008" Mixtape Top Ten

Back in 2004 I started what has become an end of year ritual of putting together a best of the year mixtape. This has evolved into quite an effort. Choosing the right tracks for what ends up at around three CDs worth of music and then sorting them into a hopefully musically coherent order using iTunes and, this year for the first time, some DJ mixing software usually ends up taking more time than I bargain for.

However, I have this afternoon finished the 2008 version which is playing in the background as I write this. So to celebrate I thought I'd blog about my top ten tracks of the year, although I wasn't quite able to narrow it down to ten.

1) My Mistakes Where Made For You - The Last Shadow Puppets
Favourite track from my favourite album of the year. Gorgeously lush and cinematic.
[iTunes]

2) Brand Nu - Soopasoul
Just damned funky.
[iTunes]

3) Easy Diggin' - The Five Corners Quintet
I've been listening to a lot of really great new jazz this year and it was difficult to choose a favourite, but this track really swings.
[iTunes]

4) Hurry On Now - Alice Russell
She doesn't sound like she comes from Suffolk.
[Listen]

5) 28 Butts - Little Jackie
Clever, funny song writing and a rollicking rhythm.
[iTunes]

6) So Much Out The Way - Estelle
Same as above here, but with a UK flavour and a touch of controversy.
[iTunes]

7) Many Things - Fela's Egypt 80 & Seun Kuti
Afrobeat from Nigeria.
[iTunes]

8) Monkey Bee - Monkey
I went to see the Damon Albarn composed opera, Monkey - Journey to the West, based on the famous Chinese folk tale of the troublemaker Monkey at the O2 in November. Amazing show with gorgeous costumes and remarkable acrobatics. This my favourite track from the album. You may recognise bits of it as similar to the music used by the BBC as the opening titles for their Olympics coverage.
[iTunes]

9) Stuck on Repeat - Little Boots
I saw Little Boots perform a different track to this on the Jools Holland show and went looking for more. She comes from Blackpool and uses what must be the gadget of the year.
[MySpace]

10) Oxford Comma - Vampire Weekend
More clever songwriting.
[iTunes]

11) Una Dia Otra Noche - Alla
I don't really know much about this. Just fun.
[iTunes]

12) Days of Fire - Nitin Sawhney featuring Natty
A moving piece about London, the 7/7 attacks, and the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes.
[iTunes]

13) I Am Leaving - Laura Groves
Simply beautiful.
[iTunes]

Who is "the man from Haringey"?

One of the current political issues I've been thinking a bit about lately is the political accountability of the police. So I was interested in this article by Martin Kettle and I agree with his conclusions. This may be because the author seems to be partially inspired by "a Liberal Democrat from Haringey" whom he quotes but doesn't name.

Who is this Haringey Lib Dem? No idea. But well done for talking sense whoever you are!

The relevant part of the article is below:

"Most policing, like most politics, is local. Unless and until the Home Office lets go and allows local police authorities to take real responsibility for policing, rather than wrapping them ever more tightly in centralised objectives and suffocating them with jargon, the reform process will be stalled.

Yesterday I heard a Liberal Democrat from Haringey explain with enviable clarity why spending more government money on child protection will not in itself prevent tragedies like that of Baby P. "You can make very bad use of a lot of resources and you still don't sort the problem," he said. "The problem here is about transparency and openness, whether the council is embracing its critics, how open it is with its residents - it's not just about how many people there are on the ground doing the job."

He might have been talking about policing. Every word applies with equal force to a policing reform process which seems to have almost entirely lost its way. It would be nice to think David Blunkett, learning from his mistakes, will help guide Smith out of the maze. But I think the man from Haringey may have a clearer idea of what is needed."

Praise for the Archbishop

Reading across the blogs this year it was noticeable that the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, had become a times a rather unlikely hate figure amongst some Liberal Democrats. I don't have much to do with Archbishops or organised religion in general, and I would disagree fundamentally with many of the teachings of the Church of England, but I did think this was somewhat unfair.

I won't comment on the Bish's religious views. I don't tend to criticise people for having a faith. Although I will criticise them if that faith leads them towards prejudice. But I am reminded on occasions such as these of the wise response of Father Ted Crilly to all matters of religion; "that would be an ecumenical matter".

However, looking at Williams politically he has struck me as the leader of a difficult and deeply troubled organisation who is trying his best to do right by everyone, keep the show on the road, and make a positive impact on the world. Yet he lacks many of the necessary political skills, has a personality at odds with many of the demands of the role, and is destined to be criticised by one side or another whatever he does.

This view is confirmed by today's interview in the New Statesman. This makes for an interesting read. Not least for Williams opening the door slightly to disestablishment. But what really stands out, and makes me want to praise the Archbishop for his taste and good judgement, is the revelation that one of his favourite films is The Muppet Christmas Carol.

This is one of the finest films ever made, for which Michael Caine should have won an Oscar, and an appreciation of its value is a sure sign that someone possess a degree of good sense. So here to celebrate, at this appropriate time of year, is a clip from the film:

Total Politics: a review

I've been enjoying the issues of Total Politics magazine that I am being regularly sent. It is good to read a publication that takes a positive approach to politics, that understands that it something done by real people and mostly for good reasons, and is concerned to write intelligently about it.

Some of the highlights of the latest issue (Issue 6) for me have been learning about Nick Clegg's worrying (and frankly illiberal) choice of biscuits, Iain Dale's outrageous flirting with Hazel Blears, a proper article about local government looking at the coalition arrangements on Leeds City Council, and a thought provoking discussion of the lessons to be learnt from Shakespeare's speech writing skills. A good mix of informing and entertaining.

Writing about politics can be a tricky business. I know from the rather hit and miss success I have had on this blog (usually more miss than hit) and from regular perusals of the political blogosphere. There are a number of pitfalls you can fall into. Being dull and technocratic is an obvious one. Given the subject matter, too much party partisanship or excessive amounts of concern with the self are common. Other dangers I see too often are treating opinion as if it was fact and stating the bleedin' obvious as if it was a terribly clever insight. I think I may be guilty of the last one from time to time.

Generally Total Politics has avoided these traps and has usually managed to get the balance right. It also seems to have got better at it since the first issue. However, the magazine is still making some missteps. This seems to happen when they pick the wrong contributors.

The worst example of this in the latest issue is the supposed "Debate" feature. In this article former political editor of The Sun, Trevor Kavanagh, and Labour MP, Derek Wyatt, discuss whether journalists or MPs are "in closer touch with the man on the street". Except they don't. Kavanagh's self indulgent saloon bar rantings may work within the pages of The Sun but I suspect they are lost on an intended audience of practising politicians. Wyatt's boastful list of how many emails he gets, how many readers visit his website, and the value of the "pork" that he has won for his constituency also misses the point. Who is more in touch with the man in the street? Who knows? I can't get past the bloated egos to see.

The other problem with Total Politics that I became aware of as I worked my way through the latest issue is that there is too much in it. I will skip articles if they hold no interest for me. It is to Total Politics' credit that most of the articles do. This means I end up more or less reading from cover to cover. The problem with this is that the magazine ends up asking for a little too much commitment from me. I think it is about a 1/3rd too long. They could do with trimming some of the less successful features and giving a bit more prominence to the best of the articles in the "Total Campaigns" section.

Otherwise: 8 out of 10.

Simon Hughes on process and the Speaker

This blog is called Process Guy for a reason. Here is Simon Hughes in Monday's House of Commons debate on the Damian Green affair:

"However, you, Mr. Speaker, above all, are the guardian of processes and procedures, which safeguard people’s rights and liberties. Whether it is the European convention on human rights, which some people support, or the traditional rights and liberties, they are governed by process as well as substance. Process matters, and it seems to many of us that the process failed."

Taken from Hansard.

Video: Nick Clegg at the Climate March

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg MP speaks at the Climate Change March in Westminster on 6th December 2008.




This video was taken on my mobile phone, hence the quality. I missed the first minute or so of the speech.

Marching against climate change

I spent most of today in London for the National Climate March. A pleasant wander through central London with few thousand other people. This was followed by a rally in Parliament Square which included a good speech from Nick Clegg.



It was a good atmosphere. I enjoyed listening to the drumming of the various bands. Although several of the Lib Dems I was with spent a lot of their time checking their Blackberrys!



A huge part of the reason why I am active in politics is my concern for environmental issues. The anger I feel for the way we continue to damage our precious planet is very deep. So it felt good to be part of this today. However, worthy as the efforts of the many people who marched today are, it is all very small when compared to the scale of the climate crisis we face and the actions we need to take. Climate change is a real and urgent problem for everyone and we all need to consider what we can do to force those in power to take notice.

Photos courtesy of Helen Duffett.