Pink Sauce

I attended part of the " Stop the Fascist BNP " (British National Party) demonstration this afternoon before running off to West End Live where I was singing with the Chorus (for the fourth year I think). Although I have attended a few demonstrations, this was my first of this type and I have to say that I was left a little dubious. I think about 3000 people were in attendance of what seemed to be organised mainly by unions and as is all too often the case, irrelevant "causes" found themselves grafted onto the main theme of the event. I was pleased to spot a few (not many, sadly) rainbow flags. The photograph of the Pink Paper was in attendance but left with very little material of relevance. There was also a reference to sexism and homophobia on a particular set of placards and the leading float was also (rather incongruously) festooned the rainbow flags, reference to IDAHO and the pink triangle (see pictures). While I completely agree that it is important to fight...

The quire of the Priory Church of St Bartholomew the Great where the blessing ceremony of two gay priests took place last week-end and relaunched the quarrel about gay clergy in the Anglican Church.

Far the past couple of weeks, I have been on the job market again after two years being self employed. I have sent out close to a hundred copies of my CV to recruitment agencies with responses from only about five. Not a great success rate but nothing unexpected considering my previous achievements in this matter. I am not really expecting to hear from two of the said agencies. One of them was supposed to contact me again to schedule a registration meeting but the silence has been deafening since then, even after I gently nudged them. The other wasn't really for me (the seem to specialise in underpaid admin jobs in healthcare). I had an appointment to register with another agency at lunchtime today. I have been registered with them a couple of times before and I am always dealing with the same consultant. We've "known" each other for about 5 years now, I think. It is rather amusing to have that sort of ungoing acquaintance with someone in that big maelstrom that is L...

Londonist have posted a short article about Bike Week which is starting today in the UK. They forgot to mention the World Naked Bike , whose London edition is taking place today, but to illustrate their article they have use the above picture, which I took at the Cans Festival last month.

It all started by a Nothern Irish MP's comments in reaction to a homophobic attack. Lots of people were not impressed and Mrs Robinson MP is now being investigated by the police and might possibly be sued too by a local activist, who, like this youth worker, is not impressed. In the meantime, the MP's psychoanalyst friend, whom she claimed can cure people of their gayness rides the media hype with (surprise! surprise!) the support of the Christian Institute. If you are feeling (justifiably outraged by this sad story, you can click here to sign the petition to the Prime Minister to reprimand MP Iris Robinson for her recent comments. You have until 9 August to do like the 3748 people who have already signed as I write this. Pass this on...

“The power of the executive to cast a man into prison without formulating any charge known to the law, and particularly to deny him the judgement of his peers, is in the highest degree odious, and the foundation of all totalitarian government.” Winston Churchill

I am against the 42 day thing and other "erosions of our civil liberties" (all the more disgraceful coming from a Labour government) but I think that David Davies' stand down from his seat as an MP is nothing but a stunt and not a very clever one at that. First there is the cost involved in all this, the wasted money; then there is the wasted time for his constituents who noe find themselves without an MP for however long it will take for Davies to be re-elected. And that the bigger point, He has a majority of 5000, the Lib Dems have already said that they wouldn't put up a candidate and I don't think Labour should bother either (if nothing else but show up Davies), so Mr Davies is guarranteed to be re-elected... He is not taking any risk whatsoever. Unless perhaps the electors wake up and realise they have being conned. Would he not have been better able to carry on raising the issues he wants to raise by staying in his position in the Shadow Cabinet, rather than...

"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." Benjamin Franklin 42 day detention without charge

This week-end, together with thousands of other people of all ages and background (I saw a BBC political journalist, whose name escapes me, together with his family and also caught a glimpse of a former flatmate), I visited the darker recesses of Waterloo Station where The Cans Festival was taking place. Leake Street, a dismal little street under the station itself had been transformed for the bank holiday week-end into a street art gallery. The most famous artist on show was by far our local Banksy but there were people from all over showing either full on frescos or more humble efforts. Members of the public were also invited to wield the cans. I went there on Sunday and Monday morning (and will probably return in a few days to see how the images fair when left to their own device) and took about 200 pictures, a selection of which can be viewed here . Enjoy.

And thank you for everything you did for London and its diverse population.

A vote against this effete and frivolous Tory is a no-brainer by Polly Toynbee, The Guardian , Tuesday April 29 2008 Ken Livingstone has relentlessly worked to improve London’s lot. Boris Johnson is running only for fun and fame. Vote for Ken

With the current debate raging in the media and in Parliament around Alistair Darling's budget and his decision to remove the 10p rate on income tax, I thought I would resuscitate this post I originally published on 27 march 2007 as an interesting angle on the controversy. Last week, with the approval by both Houses of Parliament of the Sexual Orientation Regulations was of course a very important and much publicised time for the LGB community. That same week might however have other less obvious and less auspicious consequences for at least some members of our community. The big news for the Country, last week also came from Parliament. Gordon Brown, Prime Minister in waiting and current Chancellor of the Exchequer was delivering his budget for 2008 and to some extend two to three years beyond that. The big headline, widely reported in the media, for what everybody assumes to be Brown's last budget, was the announcement by Brown at the end of his speech of a cut of 2p in the...

Comments on the Evening Standard website regarding Boris last week: We should stand up for Boris. So what if he has no grasp of detail and his management experience is limited to editing the Spectator magazine. He is a jolly funny chap and will be an inspiring ambassador for London. - Martin Clerkenwell, London I’d rather he spent £100M on new Routemasters than another penny on minority ethnic interests. - Squiz, Islington Doesn’t matter, I would much rather Boris spend the money on Routemasters unlike Ken who squanders our taxes on ‘focus groups’ for immigrants or visits to third world dictators. - Kyle, London So what if Boris got his sums wrong, I’d take someone who admits his error over someone who gets his team to lie for him so he doesn’t have to come clean… - St, London Boris all the way. He is funny and not politically correct which is great. - David, Lincoln Johnson - or to give him his full name, Boris LOL!!!! what a legernd!! Johnson!!! - is a TV character loved by millions ...

The BBC's (very quick) response to my complaint about that comedy programme the other day : Dear [Zefrog] Thank you for your e-mail regarding [sic] I am sorry if you were offended by the content of 'Happy Mondays: The Don't Watch with Mother Sketchbook'. I can assure you it's never our intention to deliberately upset its audience. As you're no doubt aware and the programme title itself suggests the content often 'sails close to the wind'. However we can assure you the programme isn't intended to gratuitously shock and the humour contains no malice. As a public service financed by the licence fee we must provide programmes which cater for the whole range of tastes in humour. We believe that there's no single set of standards in this area on which the whole of society can agree, and it is inevitable that programmes which are acceptable to some will occasionally strike others as distasteful. The only realistic and fair approach for us is to ensure ...

"If we go back to the beginning we shall find that ignorance and fear created the gods; that fancy, enthusiasm, or deceit adorned or disfigured them; that weakness worships them; that credulity preserves them, and that custom, respect and tyranny support them." Baron D’Holbach , Système de la nature , 1770

Last week, BBC Radio four premiered a new late night comedy programme entitled Happy Mondays , meant to be "showcasing new ideas in comedy". The first episode was reasonably good featuring a diverse array of comedian including the black gay comedian Stephen K Amos . This week's episode, The Don't Watch with Mother Sketchbook , "a celebration of the 30th anniversary of an imaginary sketch show", was sadly not at all as funny as last week's. If I am honest I even found it rather offensive. There was a sketch meant to be the only surviving copy of an old sketch from this imaginary show dubbed in Zulu, featuring a man and woman hopefully really talking Zulu must as likely as night just making things up on a background of canned laughter. Nothing very funny there at all. The most offensive part, in my view, however, was found right at the beginning of the show during the introductory speech where a former member of the imaginary team, Peter Wellet, was said ...

The local elections are only a few couple of weeks away now and the debate is slowly heating up. It's time for people to finally make there choice as to who they vote for. Londoners have to choose between no less than 10 candidates, although it is widely predicted that the election will be played out between the candidates of the three main political parties; all three of whom are rather strong personalities. Although I already pretty much knew already who I was going to vote for, I took a short online quiz a few days ago. The results (as reproduced below) given to me by Vote Match didn't yield many surprises (if any): Ken Livingstone (Labour) Siân Berry (Green Party) Lindsey German (Left List) Brian Paddick (Liberal Democrats) Boris Johnson (Conservatives) Alan Craig (Christian Peoples Alliance / Christian Party) Matt O’Connor (English Democrats) Winston Mckenzie Gerrard Batten (UKIP) Richard Barnbrook (BNP) In order to help voters make up their minds, many interest groups ha...

"We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another." Jonathan Swift

”The greatest tragedy in mankind’s entire history may be the hijacking of morality by religion.” Arthur C. Clarke

Five years ago, the War on Terror (TM) kicked off for good after weeks of toing and froing at the UN and demonstrations around the world by millions of people. Five years on, things don't seem to have improved much. The world is still and dangerous place (probably more dangerous as a result of this war) and hundred of thousand of people have died seemingly for nothing. I took this picture on the Embankment during the anti-war demonstration on 15 February 2003 which brought together 2 million people to the streets of London, making it, I think, the biggest ever demonstration in the UK.