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alphaptarmigan

Listed below are comments made by alphaptarmigan between Monday, 1st June 2009 and Monday, 28th September 2009.

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Idelogical chasm? Tough sell 7:47pm on 28 Sep 2009 Out of 114 comments I can only see 1 which supports Labour - Can Labour supporters bother to comment or are there just no Labour supporters.
If they get results like this in the Election they are done for - for the next 20 years.
A bad day for small Europeans 11:35am on 26 Sep 2009 The lack of action following the "near death experience" of the world economy is mystifying. The only thing that has really happened is that we have agreed to keeping the taxpayer proping up the system.
Maybe Michael Moore is right to state that world economics is all just a giant Ponzi scheme. If it is so, then it is going intergenerational in a big way!
No ordinary week for the PM 11:12am on 26 Sep 2009 I am anti Brown, however I feel I should stand up for Nick as I can concur with the slant he has taken in his blog. Sometimes the outcomes Brown achieves are remarkable and, on a purely human level, you do have to feel sorry for him.
However it is precisely this ability to have his achievements overshadowed by character flaws, misjudegements and failure to empathise with the public which makes him unworthy of the role of leader. Nevertheless the man does deserve credit for good outcomes.
History is going to have the benefit of analysing blogs of the day, and I am sure that this piece will be seen as important in capturing, not only the facts but, the mood of the time.
Friday 7 August 2009 6:57pm on 07 Aug 2009 It is a shame so many of your team are on Holiday at the same time. You would not get away with it in a real business. Anyway I would have left this on Mark Urban's Blog had he not been off on vacation.
Afghanistan Casualty Rate
The news of another three soldiers killed by IEDs in theatre is most disheartening. From the reports in the press this seemed to be a well prepared ambush in an area that we were meant to have cleared and held.
The casualty rate as a percentage of fighting troops on the ground is approaching a level which will not be sustainable, either logistically nor in terms of public support.
It poses a number of questions which need to be answered from a strategic point of view, never mind the political question of “should we be there or not”?
These questions are:
What force level o we need to deny the enemy insurgents freedom of movement? During the Boer War we needed to deploy enough troops to man a blockhouse every mile, or so, on major routes.
Could such freedom of movement be denied through increasing the air assets, both fixed wing and rotary.
What level of spending do we need to deploy to ensure that we can find better technical solutions to the IED problem? The incredible inventiveness displayed at times of total war seems to be lacking.
What are we doing to interdict the supply of explosives and other technical resources needed for the construction of IEDs?
Are we spending enough on acquiring indigenous intelligence assets?
Would improving the internal communication infrastructure make a difference? – Building new roads, laying asphalt on existing roads, creating rail links – whatever it would take.
I hear a lot of replaying the phrase “winning the peoples hearts and minds”, however we seem to be missing the fact that this is meaningless unless you can supply basic security, which we do not seem able to. Remember in the Malayan campaign we moved the people away from the insurgents and into protected villages.

We need some better answers to the problem!
I could operate trains 11:34am on 01 Jul 2009 This just goes to prove that Govt cannot do business. It is clear that National Express never had the exposure to give them the incentive to ensure this franchise benefited from Private experience.

They may as well have nationalised it - which is of course what they have had to do now. Labours Rail strategy now in tatters along with everything else.
Why King changed his mind 8:28pm on 18 Jun 2009 We might have guessed that Gordo would ban any change as it would be the same as admitting that he was wrong and he might have to apologise! There is no way that the Tri-partite system is fit for purpose!
A public element 7:50pm on 18 Jun 2009 This is just another example of Brown's consistent errors of judgement. You would think that he would learn from past mistakes. Would the spineless ministers in the Cabinet please call time on his leadership for the sake of the country?
Wednesday 3 June 2009 11:49pm on 03 Jun 2009 Great job Emily! You managed to wipe the smile off the faces of both Woodward and Farage. A bit hard on young Clegg though, reminding him that that Grandad Cable is better known. Anyone who continues to support Brown to the bitter end will never be trusted in any longer term resurrection of the Labour Party.

Farage and Bloom are pretty much a disgrace they have sold out on their chance to do anything useful - they will never publish their expenses. Farage says he was fined for giving his excess travel allowance to charity and therefore stopped. Why then does Bloom claim that he still does? Not much of what they say bears close scrutiny.
More about Alistair 8:24pm on 01 Jun 2009 People should have a long hard look at the "Blogosphere" before voting UKIP - Start checking it out
Chancellor in distress 8:04pm on 01 Jun 2009 If Darling understands peoples anger he would resign!

Nick - stop being so sympathetic - he does not deserve it!

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