Quiet round here, isn't it?

TECHNOGNU

Now that cricket is dominating the headlines, there seems to be no other news. Bloggers are going on holiday, moving home, or having their balls cut off.

This is a good time of year for government to slip out things they'd rather we didn't see, or give a big push to unpopular legislation, so that when we come back from holiday we can all say, "you mean you weren't joking?" (hat tip to Tim for that link about ID cards). Incidentally, am I the only person who feels uncomfortable about the fact that the government's info page about ID cards is included in a section entitled "Community & Race"?

Anyway, I've remembered that NoseMonkey did a fantastically well-argued piece about why we shouldn't elect the House of Lords. I spotted it while I was up in Manchester for the cricket, staying with my mum and using her computer. I promised I would link to it, so here you are. (I missed Lord's Reform Day. Serves me right for concentrating on the cricket.) Also worth reading Phil Edwards on the same topic.

Here are some other things I've missed: Ken at Militant Moderate on why we shouldn't take Omar Bakri seriously (thinking about it, wasn't Bakri the man who famously condemned the 'Spicy Girls' [sic]?). Thanks to Tim Worstall's BritBlog round-up for that one.

If you have time on your hands, there's a lengthy and not entirely serious article about gay and lesbian moments in Doctor Who (courtesy of Nick Barlow).

The Moai draws our attention to how eminently sensible the Monster Raving Loony Party's manifesto sounds. Pushing at an open door, that post, if you ask me. I believe Lord Sutch was one of the first (apart from Napoleon, obviously) to suggest building a tunnel between Britain and France. (On checking, I see he also proposed extending it to Switzerland in order to go and get all the money there. It would certainly save me and my family time flying over to see the in-laws in Zürich...)

And in the midst of all this, Michael Buerk goes and makes some very silly comments about women. Buerk has form in this area, though. According to Private Eye (this was some years ago, so I can't quote verbatim) Buerk was once approached by some BBC staff who were petitioning the corporation because a much-loved tealady in her fifties was being made redundant from the canteen. Buerk refused to sign the petition, claiming that he would far rather be served his tea by "a sixteen-year-old with big tits." Kind of puts that wink he used to sign off with into context, doesn't it?

Oh, and I'm going to start learning Chinese, before it's too late.