Archives for September 2006
Slick Willie's in town
Bill Clinton's performance was typically extraordinary. For almost anyone else that would be a contradiction in terms. But "Slick Willie" - as he was nick-named in the American press - can turn out towering platform speeches on cue.
Four years ago, in Blackpool, he seemed to seduce every man and woman in the hall. Today he did it again.
The message was crafted to complement Tony Blair's. Essentially, he urged the party to keep the "new" in New Labour: to deliver what it says on the tin: reform and change. He also warned the party, gently, with a smile and a stroking motion of his hand, to stay united. It all went down wonderfully well.
Tears for Tony
Whether you like Tony Blair or whether you loathe the guy; that speech was something special. From the meticulously choreographed entrance, to the crack in his voice on the last line, it was a master-class in stage-craft from the most accomplished communicator the Labour Party has ever seen. Even the Labour activists and trade unionists who generally set their alarm clocks early - so they can hate him a little longer - shared in the emotion of the occasion.
In the hall, dozens of long lenses were trained on Gordon Brown, keen to capture the moment of dislike or disapproval that never came. Top politicians are too sharp, these days, to grimace and gurn for the cameras. Apart from John Prescott, that is. And he can't help it.
Bosom buddies?
Gordon Brown's big moment lasted quite a while: forty minutes or so. And throughout that time, the Prime Minister never took his eyes off him. During a lull in the speech, I couldn't help wondering why.
Well, sniper training would explain it, of course. But since - as far as I know - Tony Blair has never contemplated ending their rivalry that way, it can only be that the Prime Minister was trying hard to avoid a front-page photo of Gordon, in full flow, while Tony, apparently bored with the whole thing, looks the other way.
Let's hear it for the unsung heroes
A constant theme of correspondence to the programme is the coverage of what many would call minority sports.
The sentiments of Tony Lyons from Manchester are not untypical.
"Nicole Cooke, the most incredible sports person in this country, has gained the bronze medal in the World Championship Road Race. Yet barely a mention.
Is the worry that the winner of the Ladies' season long world cup, the winner of the 2006 Ladies' Tour de France might gain a higher profile and then be in with a chance of the Sports Personality fo the Year... and that would be awful when HRH Zara or Mr 'I might do it one day' Andy Murray are in the running. Sorry for the cynicism, but Nicole's achievements are OUTSTANDING. If she were French she'd be more famous than Joan of Arc..."
It's not just Nicole Cooke fans who get cross.. There were complaints about the lack of coverage of badminton too.
What do you think? Should we spend less time talking about football, cricket etc and instead look for the success stories, even if they are in events which get less attention?
Is Ageism Old Hat ?
Has your age ever been an issue at work? Are you treated differently from older or younger colleagues? On Sunday 1st October new laws come into effect which will attempt to stop age-related discrimination in the workplace.
It's a big change. This isn't only about older people who want to continue to work, it relates to anyone who may not be given a promotion because they're too young or too old.
Employers will no longer be able to ask applicants for their age or date of birth, sending an email full of ageist jokes to colleagues could land the sender in trouble; even a drink after work and the office Christmas bash will be covered in the legislation.
Over the coming week Breakfast will be looking at how people are discriminated against, and how the new law will affect all workers and employers. As usual we could benefit from your help. If you have any experience of age discrimination at work then we'd like to hear about it. We are looking for personal stories which we can use to illustrate our programmes this week.
Either post your comments below or email breakfast@bbc.co.uk..
Thanks
Shelagh the shoplifter (nearly)
Anyone who's ever workednight-shifts will be familiar with the "early shift shopping law". It's simple. Don't do it.
I can go through my wardrobe and instantly identify the ludicrous things I've bought after a programme. Nicky once came to work with a large NIKE carrier bag and a mystified look on his face. Why? Because the previous day he'd bought a pair of bright turquoise trainers. After a few hours sleep and a nice cup of tea, it was obvious that if he didn't take them back, his wife would have. She was right.
Yesterday I decided to defy the law and headed into town for a bit of a browse - with some interesting results.
End Of The Road-Show
The giant screen slideshow was as cringe-inducing as I expected it to be. As the all-action shots of Sir Menzies Campbell winning races, winning campaigns and looking generally sexy flashed by, I half expected him to appear in an International Rescue uniform, flying Thunderbird Two.
When will the spin-doctors ever learn?
As for the speech: it was more solid than spectacular. But the reaction in the hall was revealing. The Lib Dem faithful didn't just stand and cheer when it was over - they actually seemed to mean it.
Sir Ming - a star in their eyes?
The big-screen slide show that'll run ahead of Sir Menzies Campbell's conference speech is all ready. I've had a preview. I almost wish I hadn't. I guess the two minutes and fifty three seconds allowed for this mini epic left no time for subtlety.
We get to see Ming the Olympian, busting through the finishing line; Ming the legal-eagle, magisterial in wig and gown; Ming the action hero, posing by an air-force jet in a flying suit (no, I didn't get it either, but it looked very macho) and lots of shots of Ming out campaigning, sitting with Mandela and so on. The spin-doctors and stage-managers are working hard to make their man look exciting. Very hard indeed.
The return of Charles Kennedy?
As I watched Charles Kennedy's 
big speech from Five Live's live broadcasting position at the Libdems conference in Brighton - so high up in the hall that it makes my ears pop - I thought it was probably the best speech he's ever delivered. But that's not actually saying very much.
The truth is he's never been much of a platform performer. His speeches have tended to ramble a bit. The timing's often been off; the jokes a bit lame. Bill Clinton he isn't.
What he can do - and do rather well - is talk to an audience as if he's sitting with them at their kitchen table, having a bit of a chat. That's one reason his party, and quite a lot of the country, liked him so much. And today, the style of the speech was so much more important than the substance.
Liberal Democrats - The Nice Party?
If you believe the polls, most people still seem to prefer Charles Kennedy - drink problem or no drink problem - to a sober Menzies Campbell; which is bad news for Sir Ming, as he'd prefer not to be called. But I'm beginning to feel the new leader of the LibDems is safe in his job. As I was wandering around the conference centre here in Brighton, gossiping as usual to politicians and activists, a former MEP summed up why quite neatly. "This is not a carnivorous organisation," he said.
What struck me most wasn't the analysis. After all, who really thinks of the Libdems as especially bloodthirsty? It was the way he whispered it in my ear like a man confessing to a guilty secret. Like it or not, the Libdems are stuck with the fact that they're probably the nicest of all the main political parties. Some of them would love to be cold-eyed and deadly. But they don't know how.
Moths to a flame
We saw a Hummingbird Hawk Moth a week ago in our front garden in Bradford, West Yorkshire. We were amazed when we saw it, not knowing what it was – clearly looking half bird with the head, half moth at the bottom and wings like bees! Very beautiful and lingered for a while gathering nectar from strongly scented flowers in the garden. This email from Sonja and Neil was just one of the deluge of responses we got on Tuesday morning when the Hummingbird Hawk Moth got a mention on Breakfast.
It came during a chat about the changing nature of our gardens. Was, we were asked, the appearance of the moth an example of how global warming is changing our environment?
Many many listeners texted and emailed us to tell us about sightings of the moth. Some even sent their pictures.
It turns out the moth is a pretty regular visitor to these parts at certain times of the year. Much much more about it here
Good luck, lads
Not long now until the cream of the world's golfers arrive at the K Club outside Dublin for the Ryder Cup. 
Nicky's going to be there for the Breakfast programme - giving us a flavour of the unique Ryder Cup atmosphere. It should be even more special this time, it being the first time the Cup has been played for in Ireland.
If you've got a good luck message for the team - actually either team - simply post it here. We'll broadcast the best between now and the start of play on Friday 22nd - and Nicky will take your messages with him to hand over to the teams.
For lots of other chat about the Ryder Cup, go to BBC Sport's Ryder Cup blog
Tony, Gordon, Charles ....and Keano
Our political editor Nick Robinson helped bring the saga of Labour's woes back to life for us this morning. It came as he tried to explain the impact of comments by Charles Clarke about Gordon Brown.
Clarke, he told us, was a bit like Roy Keane.The bruiser; the no-nonsense, tell- it-like-it-is kind of guy who is prepared to say what others wouldn't.
You could hear Nick, who is (in case you weren't aware) a Manchester United fan, warm to his theme. Charles Clarke slagging off his colleagues (he'd had a go at Mr Blair before remember) was a bit like Keano going on MUTV to tell some home truths about his then United teamates, said Nick.
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5LNPI: Why can't we cope with the snow? 22 Dec 09
10:26 Tue, 22 Dec 09
Thousands of people were trapped in their cars overnight after snow and ice brought roads to a standstill. At airports, runways have been closed and many flights cancelled. Eurostar has this morning resumed a limited service. Why can't we cope with these wintry conditions? Was it any better in past? Where have you been where they deal with snow better than us? How have you been affected?
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