Badgers and the BNP

An anti-fascist demonstration against a march by the BNP began today at 12 noon.

Two groups of protesters assembled outside parliament and near the cenotaph in anticipation of a march by the British National Party.

These two groups then moved to make a line across the road at the cenotaph.

The line progressed slowly to the Oliver Cromwell statue where the protestors were met by a police line preventing them for progressing closer to the BNP demonstration, which was estimated at that time to number 200 in opposition to what appeared to be over a thousand anti-fascist protestors.

The protestors numbered among them representatives from UNISON, the PCS and Unite Against Fascism.

A changing mood

The mood of the demonstration was initially jovial with a festival like atmosphere.

It became more confrontational upon reaching the police line and closer to the BNP demonstration.

Events took a more worrying edge approaching 4 pm when both marches were due to be disbanded.

At this point it was reported by ambulance members and some legal observers in attendance from the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers that there had been some arrests under the public disorder act, though I saw no visual evidence for this.

Police a little heavy handed

From this point police behaviour developed a more threatening tone and at two point the police charged forward on the line of anti-fascist protestors seemingly with no provocation.

This was a line closely backed by families with small children, though there was no apparent injury.

This could be seen as a defeat for the BNP in that they numbered so few and did not progress to Downing Street.

There number had reportedly dropped to 20 by the latter point of the demonstration, but it is hard to tell given the large number of opposing protestors and the police cordon.

The police numbers were disturbingly high, there were thirteen odd police vans in attendance.

They also seemed to do little to charge the BNP with incitement to racial hatred.

And the badgers

A demonstration against badger culls were also at Westminster today, some of whom came to rather confusingly mingle with the anti-fascists at around 4 pm.

It was an interesting mix.

I think I've found Swanhilde

Been thinking a lot about the Coppélia story recently.

I think I've just found Swanhilde (let's call her Coppélia's nemesis).

Bartlett beautiful Beethoven

The proms are coming.

And with them the Royal Albert Hall is beginning to bubble with Bach.

In serioousness, I was looking for classical music to settle my mind after a stay in hospital.

Affordable morning

What I found was a coffee morning with Martin James Bartlett.

For the modest sum of £11 his piano peformance, coffee and a pastry were delivered.

Well I say delivered, thanks to a bad night I only just made it in time for the music, so no coffee or pastry for me or my far more punctual friend (bargain anyway).

Brimming with Bartlett

I can only applaud the performance, musically I can describe it only as flawless.

And this is coming from a girl lacking good sleep and the presence of mind of turning up on time; normally my forte.

All of the chosen pieces were brilliant and, to my grade four ears, sounded technically difficult.

A word of warning

This young man is a multi-instrumentalist and young, which means he has perhaps a penchant for extra physical flourishes.

But I refer you to my relative amateurness musically.

Last words: Bartlett, beautiful.

A very hyperactive dog

I'm not great when it comes to tracking down my keys.

I'm great if I've got systems and things are in an ordered phase.

But if things go a bit haywire then keeping my mind on where my keys have been last placed gets more taxing.

Adult advice

As a result, my mum decided it would be good to get me a dog shaped electrical device that would bleep at me when I whistled for it.

Sounds great doesn't it?

Your own plastic dog shaped friend to alert you like a sheep dog to your lost item.

However, it didn't work out that way.

Testing technology

This dog device appears to have a mind of its own.

Instead of reponding to a whistle, it seemingly responds to the slightest of stimulus, but when you actually start whistling or shouting at it, not a peep.

In other words it manages to be really irritating, constantly beeping and completely fails in its task of identifying your keys when you are actually looking for them.

Bad outcomes

The constant bleeping actually led me to hide said dog and keys under a cushion to shut it up.

Result, I walked out without the keys and had to make a longer journey to unlocking my front door than should be necessary.

In other words the key finder made me forget the sodding things.

Gadget fail

Between this and the mice deterent I am not feeling to inspired by 'helpful' technology.

Any thoughts on what I should do with this useless piece of plastic would be happily received.

Pasta perfect Pasticcio

I have discovered a new pasta restaurant, Pasticcio.

 It was a delight to find such a warm and inviting restaurant in such an unlikely setting.

 There was enough garlic in the air that you could taste it on your tongue.

And the thermostat was so high that all the winter blues were firmly banished.

The food was generous and tasty, and the service was quick and polite.

The restaurant itself was quirky with all manner of odd items hanging from the walls, including a very traditional looking bicycle.

Generous, but still cheap

 Living in a city that forever seems to be upping its price tag it was refreshing that the price of a meal ranged between £7 and £10.

 It was also a relief that in the cold weather it was only stumbling distance from the tube station.

And my fussy tastes were delighted by the Lasagne, it was generous, tasty and accompanied by a great salad and dressing.

Yum, yum and double yum.

Don't walk there, run.
 

Beauty across the water

I have indirectly discovered the 'cups song'.

It turns out that the film Pitch Perfect has spawned a meme.

Of performance, after stunning performance, of You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone.

The original, seemingly a Lulu and the Lampshades song, or Brooks & Dunn, the juries out, answers on a postcard.

Most recently famously performed by Anna Kendrick in Pitch Perfect.

Here is Ms Kendrick in the film: http://youtu.be/yhECTE2-Oqc

One up

But, here is something a little later: http://youtu.be/F0nwA1kP3H0

Malia Rogers, to my mind a better version (no disrespect to Anna Kendrick, who has done a number of brilliant renditions).

 I just feel there is greater warmth and depth to the performance.

Beautifully done.

A long tale for a short wonder

And finally, yet another rendition that I absolutely love, but sadly I cannot find to share.

So, I will describe it to you.

Two young ladies that look like dancers sitting cross legged with two cups playing perfectly rhythmically together.

The blond girl sings the first verse and chorus and her brown haired partner sings the second in a voice even richer and more beautiful than Malia Rogers.

If you find them, let me know...

Crunching child benefit numbers

200,000 people are alleged to have voluntarily opted out of child benefit just recently.

To me that speaks of a great deal.

It says to me that people are public spirited enough to recognise that they may not need to claim it in a difficult financial climate.

I would suggest that it also hints at the fact that the families in this country are getting more financially secure, definitely no bad thing.

Being mean

But it also suggests to me that means testing is not necessary.

There is the hint that all you need to do is make people aware of the strain that the benefit causes and persuade them to forgo it if they do not need it.

Sure, perhaps I have my head in the clouds.

But I know the government is trying to cut the fiscal debt and strangely putting a load of people to work means testing a benefit means more money ploughed in, which instead could be used to raise the benefit to strengthen the situation of those who do need it.

Years of Kilroy

We have had are head ploughed so full of Jeremy Kyle and Kilroy Silk that we no longer have respect and compassion when talking about benefits anymore.


We're so busy talking about "broken Britain" that we have no time for talking about beautiful Britain.

Our obsession with "messed up families" has made us blind to embracing diverse and post-modern living arrangements.

"There's nowt so queer as folk" and that's actually quite wonderful.

So quit with the cuts, repeal them, it will only break not build.