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The results of the Glasgow East by-election have just been announced;
John Mason, Scottish National Party - 11,277
Margaret Curran, Labour - 10,912
Davena Rankin, Conservatives - 1,639
Ian Robertson, Liberal Democrats - 915
This is the SNP's first by-election victory over Labour since 1995. It is also very bad news for Gordon Brown (well, what isn't these days).
The Conservatives nudged out the Lib Dems for third place, a excellent achievement for them in a seat they were never likely to win.
JR
Barack Obama made a speech to crowds in Berlin today, and one of the things he spoke about is the need for the world to set aside it's differences with race, religion and culture. Indeed he is right to tackle this issue; there is no person on Earth more listened to than the President of the United States of America.
Using the comparison of the Berlin wall in his speech, he said;
The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand. The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes; natives and immigrants; Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear down.
This is something I saw whilst attending two World Scout Jamborees, firstly as a participant in Thailand (2002/03), and then last year here in the UK as a member of the International Service Team. At both events I cannot recall one incident of racial or religious discrimination, if only that was the case in the outside world. I hope that those who attended the World Scout Jamborees will be the ones running the countries of the world in years to come.
Obama, however, is a good start to this new world. McCain is a safe pair of hands, but those very hands are ones that I distrust when it comes to healing the world and giving the US a better reputation.
As with 95% of commentators on the US presidential elections, I cannot vote in them, but if I was an American, I'd vote for Obama as the man the world will listen to.
JR
Over the last two weeks I've been working for a robemaking company who hire out graduation gowns, and tomorrow I'm going to Ormskirk to work at the graduations of Edge Hill University.
I was in Plymouth on Thursday and Friday, and on Monday I worked for 16 hours when I travelled to Falmouth where the Cornwall campus of the University of Exeter is.
As the saying goes ...
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
Of course, the overtime I've accrued will look very nice in my bank account on Thursday! However, I won't have much energy left until I'm able to sleep for a day.
JR
Today is St Swithun's Day, and according to the proverb the next forty days weather should be the same as today.
St Swithun's day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St Swithun's day if thou be fair
For forty days 'twill rain na mair
The good news (for me) is that it's been dry and sunny where I am today, so there should be very little rain in the next six weeks!
What has it been like where you are?
JR
I got my Road Tax renewal reminder today, so with the recent revelations on who will be effected, I thought I'd comment.
Now my vechile won't be effected at all, as it's a P reg and therefore too old to be included in the new law. I suspect that my car wouldn't have a rise in tax anyway, but those that own a car registered after 2001 will come under the new rules.
I have no problem with the new law itself, but with the way it will be implemented. Because of it applying to cars made after 2001, rather than just new cars, millions of people who have already bought their vechiles will be hit with a cost they weren't expecting, plus the second-hand value of the car will be considerably less.
This is no longer a green tax but a stealth tax, and one that gives green taxes a bad name.
I think Gordon Brown has just lost the plot. Does he want to win the next election?
JR
The most interesting bit of information I've found out recently, is that the Conservative Party have been found to be the most popular political party with students currently. In a poll of students in May (details of which you can find here), the Tories gained support from 45% of those questioned, with the Lib Dems on 31%, and Labour 24%.
The figures have been recalculated to only include the three main parties, probably because of the disproportionately high numbers going for Respect, SWP and the like, although this is unlikely to have helped the Conservatives that much.
Oh, those of you who are students at MMU and happen to support the Conservatives, then good news. There is a branch of Conservative Future being set-up for September. Check us out at the Freshers Fair, or join the facebook group for more info.
JR
The results of the Glasgow East by-election have just been announced;
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