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First day in USA!

Just had breakfast on the first day. I'm still pretty tired, but i'm definitely on US time now, i woke up at 8. Just typing using megas old laptop, which is really annoying due to the fact that some of the letters dont really work notably, the n which makes typing annoying even more annoying!

Today we are going to megan's cafe in the hospital, which is so i can come down with a weird america desease... I will then walk into Bel Air, and go and read 'everything is illumiated' in a cafe while having a (hopefully!) all american lunch (or maybe just a sandwich). I"m interested to see what it is like. I imagine it is like Havant, where i used to live, with the only excitement being a WH Smith - actually megan did say she would drop me at Barnes and Noble (ie Borders) if i wanted - could i really spend the whole day in a chain bookstore!?

Megans house is really nice, and i have my own room, sleeping on the bottem of bunk beds! It is ok but my feet definitely touch the end. Have to sleep sort of scruched up which is a bit rubbish, but its ok!

Have been aqainted with the dog Toby, who, after being a little growly at the start is now over-enthusistic. Apprently when Matt was Here Toby loved him so much that he would try and sit between Megan and Matt on the sofa, and when she got up would steal her place! So, we'll see how it goes! He might not let me leave for NYC!

Yesterday's flight was ok, watched the Yes Man - loved it very nice and funny(was a bit worried i was laughig too much!).
Had a bit of an argument with the lady in front of me. She was trying to put her chair right back, which i hate more than anything in the world and she did this about 4 times and she kept asking me if she could, as if she was entitled to it. She was from india, so i'm not exactly sure she understood my reasoned arguement (if you put your chair back, then i put mine back i'm going to annoy the person behind then if he puts his back, ad infinitum). So i won. I was still quite English about it though ("Look, i'm honestly really sorry, but i think i;m being fair)

Then when i got to Washington and customs, I didn't have the address (apart from bel air, MD) but it was on my online form (which i was told was all i needed) but we had to fill out forms on the plane (apprently they havent switched over yet..) and the officer at the desk said he could't access the online form. On the plane they said they would cross reference! so i had to wait 1.30h for for them to find a british rep just so they could look something up on a computer! I have to say i was v worried!

But i'm here now and looking forward to it all!

Tory MP arrested

Just a quick one. The Tories are protesting at the 'Police State' that we are living under labour, this week, due MP Damien Green being questioned about a Home office leak. It is a bit dubious that he is being questioned over a home office leak, i have to be honest. But, i do feel that everyone is ignoring that fact that MP's can get arrested! They are not above the law, are they? And, when some are asking fro tougher sentences/powers, it may be a good thing for them to experience a little police hospitality... If the arrest was legally OK then i see no problem with it - if the police want to take it forward then let them, after all the Justice system is meant to be separate from Government.

a couple of graphic design things I've been doing...

My graphic design course is readily approaching, so now is as good a time as any to unleach some of the stuff i've been working on. There're only little things mind but they keep the time ticking over. Here is the most recent...


This is for my friends dad's quantity surveying company. I liked the idea of all the letters taking up the space of units of measurement on a ruler. It is a simple relaxing design.

Lets say Gordon Brown went...

Say Gordon Brown went. Where would we go from there? While the Labour rebels will have won, I’m sure they’d be the first ones to admit that the list of potential candidates is far from tempting. David Miliband? Ed Balls?It doesn’t seem likely. Perhaps an old guard. Jack Straw? Too tainted. Claire Short. Not New Labour enough. Maybe, now is the time to break from the formula. Face it, New Labour is found out and dyeing. Gordon Brown has given it a layer of naked boringness that Tony Blair could hide with his charisma. The smoke screen is lifted and it’s a bit wrinkly and horrible behind it. What about turn politics on its head. Members should choose someone that no one has heard of – a good constituency MP that reflects the populous, with a forward looking out put. Someone that can win back the inner cities, and the core labour vote again.

I suggest Diane Abbott. She is a hardworking MP in a difficult borough. Unlike Jackie Smith, she is not one for scaremongering, she is Black, lively, and down to earth. I’ll admit it is a bit of a long hop. Maybe it is just my slight jealously at America about to elect their first Black president. “Britain’s more liberal!” I think to myself, feigning excitement that America will beat us to that milestone. Of course I want Obama to win. I’m just a little ‘liberal nationalistic’ about it. If we get the first Lesbian fundamentalist Muslim as our next Prime minister then we will win. In your face America! We’re more accepting. We even let foreigners manage our national teams. Now that's progress.

Unfortunately, our political system is nowhere near an election race that involves a Latino, a women and a black man (and a Mormon, a former preacher and John ‘will he really survive the four years?’ McCain). Instead we have the potential Victorian situation of have two Old Etonian’s run both London and the country. Just. Just don’t.
So, Diane Abbott. I think she is perfect. Come on, let the lefty Britons get some pride back. This curveball might just work. Okay, it won’t entice the masses back from the BNP. But, really. The reason Cameron is doing so well is that he has enticed those voters disaffected with the Labour Party, through basically being nice. And she’s nice! And women like nice! And, oh… the Party chooses John Reid? Oh well.
Good luck, Dave. Now where’s my Fag?

Boris wins

I am going to blog about this because, you know, everyone else will do. I have mixed feelings at this late point (12:56, pre-last antibiotic of the day). Ken Livingstone has done a great job. He has increased bus use by 40%, got major investment for Crossrail, got the olympics (only, he freely admits, for the chance of regeneration of the east end) and successfully implemented environmental reforms, like no other major city in the world. He has also seen crime fall by 6 percent for the last few years, and we now have a record amount of police officers on the streets of London. But, he has been accused of corruption, cronyism and sin-of-all-sins hating the evening standard.

Boris on the other hand has run a small right-wing weekly, appeared on TV, had a affair, referred to black people as piccannies and having watermelon smiles, has been homophobic (comparing a gay marriage to one of three men and a dog) and is a big fan of Thatcher. Yes, Her.

Clearly I wanted Ken to win, after all, it was only a two horse race in the end. Personally I voted Brian Paddock, the gay policeman, first, Ken second, perhaps out of some hope that a serious candidate, not a celebrity could get in. In fact, I sincerely hope that Boris Johnson offers Brian a job, and he accepts. His record is one of the best for a policeman anywhere, and that sort of experience of success would be vital. Maybe there is a bright Boris-led future. his record of past work suggests he is lazy and uncaring (he has missed more votes than is really acceptable), so his advisers could run him. More likely I think is a Boris London run similar to Ken's at first. They share many policy choices, and London is still a green, socially concious city . That clock, set ticking by Ken, will not go back.

It needs a Boris that is willing to accept the legacy of Ken and carry on the steps he has taken, making sure that we get Crossrail done on time, and that the Olympics really does transform the East End, not cutting the free travel benefits bought in by Ken. He must not pull funding from public transport. We cannot revisit the dark days of Thatherism, London is a buses and trains city now. Boris, run with it.

There are many benefits I can see Boris bringing to the job. He is a keen cyclist - a very good thing. Hopefully he can bring over Paris' exceptional bike hire scheme. This I feel I would be grinning ear to ear about. Also I like his idea for Family friendly house building. We must attempt to keep communities, in the face of the private developers, London and the success of regeneration schemes depend on it. Family homes are best for this. His unwillingness to not declare a ratio of the number of affordable homes, though, is quite worrying.

But I have to remain positive. He is clearly not a Londoner, but has some good ideas. Lets hope he ditches his Tory reins and runs London as it deserves. If he can't, then I'm afraid.

Election Campaign. Nomination Day Friday 15th.

I am running for election this year for our student union (again). I am aiming to do regular blog posts about it… So here’s the first one!


Nine hours down and we have finally done it. At 11:20 (is Rich trying to give me a heart attack?) we handed over to the SU 33 PDF files. Yes, 33 PDF files. I recan it took us over 15 hours of hard slog to get to that lofty figure - not to mention the numerous tea fuelled sessions at bens flat trying (a) to come up with something creative but realising (b) that people don’t really care, so resulting in, (c), ridiculous campaign slogans such as (my personal favourite), ‘all aboard the change bus’, and Andy’s personal favourite – ‘Beautiful Buildings Deserve Beautiful People’. In the spirit of democracy we put all our ideas to the vote with our 12 team members and came out with Labour 97’ election song ‘Things Can Only Get Better’. Usually I don’t mind stealing Tony’s campaign ideas (and not his foreign policy choices I might add) precisely because he is the first British politician that has been super moulded by ‘brand consultants’ – great for winning elections, not so for actual government. Ultimately, you’ve gotta get in some way.

So now, amazingly, we have a team of 12 people, with me, Rich and Ben going for full time positions. I’m going for Campaigns and Communications again, Ben for El Presidente and Rich for Services. It’ll be an interesting campaign. It looks like Virender is running a full team this year, and with the Nigerian society running a similar amount it is going to be bloody competitive. As long as I just focus on winning, and talking to people about why I care, what I’m going to do, and importantly working my arse off, hammering those 6 hours of each voting day. I need to be dogged, single focused. We need to get into lectures - so important – we need to talk to cultural societies. We need another election meeting. I think we can do it. Virender isn’t running this year, and he is a literal vote machine. He will come up to you and grab your arm and force you into the voting booth. It is against rules, and it is unfair. People should not be bullied. But in a brilliantly Greenwich Politics move Virender’s cousin is running in his place! Greenwich SU is literary going to be a monarchy! It will be interesting what he is like – undoubtedly he will be determined, both being schooled by Virender and from the same political background. Hopefully he won’t be as effective… We will see. Virender is dead! Long Live Virender!

I am running against Natalie Choi. She is a formidable competitor, likable, popular, pretty, half Far Eastern (and from Avery Hill) . She will definitely be feisty and dogged. As for what ever Virender crony that is running against me, I don’t know, but at least he is not Virender. I’ve got to have faith in my own ability to enthuse and charm people – this is where I shine. I just need to put the hours in as well...

Beautiful thing I saw today
Geyser-esk exhaust fumes lit by a single street lamp in Greenwich