Itisi

It’s Wednesday, it’s midday, it’s time for another instalment of the hilarious Tony Blair Show. Oh no, sorry, got that wrong, it’s Prime Minister’s Question Time. It’s easy to make that mistake when you consider that week in week out, we are treated to dazzling displays of wit from our PM, but little in the way of political debate. We watch as Big Tone confounds his opponents with a nifty turn of phrase and an amusing dig at their own governmental past. Unfortunately, the leaders of the opposition parties will insist on labouring (no pun intended) under the misapprehension that PMQs is a serious forum for debating the important matters of the day. Not so. This is an outdated concept. The whole point of PMQs is to make our (not so ) beloved leader look good. Lets face it, his days as PM are numbered, he needs a new career, and this is an ideal opportunity to display his suitability as a chat show guest/host and quiz show panel member.

And he’s not a one man show. Oh no, he has a supporting cast of New Labour lovies, oops sorry loyalists, who are only to happy to furnish him with hard hitting questions about the governments’ track record. So, an assortment of Jemima and Jeremy Upandcomings ( backbenchers now, but not for much longer) will tax his debating skills with comments about how great it is that buses have ( mostly) run on time since 1997. Big Tone will answer with his usual sincerity and smarm, oops, I mean charm, welcoming the chance to display his softer side. Hey, he’s not all about gags.

To be serious for a moment, I do think the dumbing down of PMQs is just another indication of the way in which the line between politicians and celebrities is becoming blurred. In the past we were treated to heated and highly charged debates between Neil Kinnock and Margaret Thatcher, two highly intelligent individuals with radically differing ideals. Both were serious politicians, with a respect for the political process and the traditions of parliament. Over recent years, there has a been a growing sense of apathy amongst the electorate, and this is, in part, due to the way modern politicians conduct themselves. They no longer hold strong opinions, they no longer do what they think is right. Instead they do what they think will be most popular, they attempt to interact with the public by adopting a celebrity-like persona and seeking the input of bona fide celebrities. Rock stars, actors and comedians are all entitled to hold an opinion, but we didn’t elect these people, at the end of the day their input is not valid. They live in a world removed from the reality of everyday life for normal people. Until politicians take politics more seriously and begin to build a new relationship with the public, I fear the apathy will become more prevalent.

It’s been a while but it seems the Bonsai Kitten is back. Or at least those people who for some reason can’t see that the site is a joke, and who fervently forward emails demanding that ‘something’ is done about the ‘cruelty’ What cruelty, it’s not real! I hate to cast doubt on the intelligence of another person, but how can anyone not see that this is a work of satire? I could understand if people were complaining that the joke was in poor taste, but to take it literally! I admit, I am a cat lover, I have always owned cats, and I would be the first to stand up and complain if I thought cats were actually being harmed, but they aren’t.

Anyhow, after discovering that this was still a hot topic, I gave some thought to the motivation behind the protesters. Firstly, I noticed that the ‘blame’ is laid at the door of a Japanese person, which makes me wonder whether there are elements of xenophobia about the complaints. Sadly, there are still people who believe that foreigners are capable of anything and can’t be trusted. Maybe that is a motivation, maybe not, but, even amongst people who understand that the Bonsai Kitten is a joke, there is still the belief that this could influence unsuspecting web users into trying to create their very own bottled cats. How dumb do they think we are? This ‘we know what’s good for you’ attitude was very common in Britain in the 1980s – early 90s and led to a great degree of censorship of film and televisual media. Fortunately, it no longer exists, and surprise, surprise, we haven’t turned into a nation of violent, devil worshipping nymphomaniacs. Who’d have guessed?

I find it rather worrying, although not surprising that this vocal minority group have now found their way onto the internet. Having failed to convince us that we don’t have the sense or self control to choose our own entertainment offline, they have turned to unchartered territory, where they seek to convince a global audience that deep down, they need someone to guard their moral welfare. Ironically, what they actually do, is give the objects of their protests a kind of glamour, and a level of publicity that is often out of proportion.

Oh well, that’s my opinion on the matter, I’ll get off my soapbox now.

I’ve discovered a couple of really great nature and conservation sites in the last couple of days. Habitat is an online wildlife and ecology news service which features headlines from all over the UK and Ireland. There is also a load of useful links to other great sites. Well worth a visit, I liked it so much, I made it my home page. Naturenet is full of really useful information about all sorts of wildlife, conservation and countryside issues and topics, but my favourite section is the ‘ask the ranger’ page. This is where you can submit questions to be answered by the site owner. There is also an informative newsletter which offers a round up of recent questions.

Finally, if you are interested in helping to research and protect UK fauna and flora, pop along to phenology.org where you can take part in the latest springwatch survey.