British show how hard-ball politics is done

There has been a controversy this week over the comments of Lord Mancroft about nurses he encountered in a recent hospital stay:

“The nurses who looked after me were mostly grubby — we are talking about dirty fingernails and hair — and were slipshod and lazy. Worst of all, they were drunken and promiscuous,” he said.

This post isn't really about Lord Mancroft's comments, but more about how David Cameron reacted to them.

You see, David Cameron is the head of the conservative party the Tories. This is Lord Mancroft's party as well, so you would expect that Mr. Cameron would take steps against Lord Mancroft in a case such as this when a party member makes a very unpopular statement. Well he did, as described by the times:

Mr Cameron was swift to act. Aides said he was furious and has asked Lord Strathclyde to rebuke Lord Mancroft strongly. His views were not shared by the Conservative Party, which knew that nurses did a fantastic job, often in difficult circumstances, a spokesman said.

This is British hard-ball politics at it's finest, but reminds me of passing notes in the third grade. I think the next time I'm upset with someone, I'm going to get someone else to deliver the message for me :-)

Nanny State wants to require license to buy tobacco

I came across this article in the times today that says UK health ministers are proposing a plan to require smokers to obtain a license to purchase tobacco products. From the article:

The permit, which could cost as little as £10 a year, will include the smoker’s photograph and would need to be presented to the retailer every time the smoker bought tobacco. Holders of permits could also have to get a declaration signed by their GP that their health was not at “massive risk” from their habit before the licence was issued.

To me this just seems like the height of the "Nanny State". It's one thing to ban smoking in public, it makes sense that people should have the right to breathe clean air, but you have to draw the line somewhere. At some point Government has to trust the people who allow it to govern them.

Big Ben at night

Big Ben at night 5, originally uploaded by Allen Hutchison.

Along with the photo of Westminster Abbey, I got a couple of nice night shots of Big Ben with traffic whizzing by in the foreground. I like this shot the best out of the group. I think it's because of the blue streak mid-way up.

One of the great things about shooting traffic at night in London is the double-decker buses. They put light up at a much higher level in the frame than the rest of the traffic does.

Moon over Westminster Abbey

Moon over Westminster Abbey 7, originally uploaded by Allen Hutchison.

Tonight was clear and cold, so I thought it would be best to get out and take some pictures of London at night. My favorite shot of the evening was this one of the moon rising over Westminster Abbey.

Ice Skating in London

There are several places in London that setup Ice Skating rinks in the winter. Last year, Jenna and I were too busy jetting around during the holidays to try this out. This year, however, we are staying in London for the holidays and I'm really hoping to get a chance to go ice skating.

There is a rink at the Natural History Museum, which is within walking distance from our flat. It looks like there is also an ice rink in the Tower of London Moat.

Time Out has a list of the top Ice Rinks in London, and Gridskipper has put them on a helpful map.

Macbeth

Monday evening Jenna and I welcomed my parents to town with a night of theatre. We went to the Gielgud Theatre to see the opening night performance of Macbeth starring Patrick Stewart as Macbeth, Kate Fleetwood as Lady Macbeth, and Michael Feast as Macduff. The director, Rupert Goold, who recently directed Stewart in The Tempest did not disappoint.

The show was staged against the backdrop of Stalin's Russia, and included several non-traditional elements.

My favorite, was the portrayal of the witches who were airy, with sing-song voices. They wore field-nurse costumes, and appeared as extras during different parts of the show (in the same costumes). Their famous "bubble bubble" scene was done in a rapid fire percussive fashion that had the audience enthralled.

Overall, a great production. Patrick Stewart played a very convincing Macbeth, and the rest of the cast was fantastic.

Football

I went with some friends to to see the Tottenham Hotspurs trounce the the Cyprus team Anorthosis Famagusta in a 6 - 1 match. This is only the second football (soccer) match that I've ever watched in person, but I was under the impression that this was supposed to be a low-scoring game.

The match was great fun, and even though I wasn't able to follow the more subtle parts of the game, I really enjoyed it.