http://www.electdaveprentis.com/why_we_back_dave/support_unison_members/
Nick Venedi
Monday 31 May 2010
Sunday 30 May 2010
nick venedi
have just found out that Ed Miliband has got the 33 nominations he needs to stand for selection whereas David Miliband has only got 19. This is not looking good for the Labour party and if David isn't the one we select then we are looking at a William Hague type of a situation where the Tory party selected a Leader they liked but not the rest of the country which of course meant that the Labour boyz easily won another term.
The Labour party and the MPs need to be thinking about who will appeal to the general public and not ignore the floating voters who will be more than likely, like my neighbour Marion, to vote for David rather than Ed. Ed does of course command the respect of many within the party but he is not brilliant PR material whereas David is and will get many votes. I know this sounds crude but that is the nature of the game we are in the Western world these days. PR men and women run campaigns and David Miliband will do well in person and on telly. In addition David is more robust and his ideas have substance. He must be supported! I shall definitely be writing to my own MP Malcolm who was returned with a bigger majority than before asking him to vote for David. David is the future of Labour Ed represents the middle of the road slightly angry brigade and as for John Mac Donald. well did he not have a farm?
The Labour party and the MPs need to be thinking about who will appeal to the general public and not ignore the floating voters who will be more than likely, like my neighbour Marion, to vote for David rather than Ed. Ed does of course command the respect of many within the party but he is not brilliant PR material whereas David is and will get many votes. I know this sounds crude but that is the nature of the game we are in the Western world these days. PR men and women run campaigns and David Miliband will do well in person and on telly. In addition David is more robust and his ideas have substance. He must be supported! I shall definitely be writing to my own MP Malcolm who was returned with a bigger majority than before asking him to vote for David. David is the future of Labour Ed represents the middle of the road slightly angry brigade and as for John Mac Donald. well did he not have a farm?
Saturday 29 May 2010
Friday 28 May 2010
nick venedi comments
Well it looks like the coalition has lasted for a whole 3 weeks without any major disruptions. This could be more because David Cameron is a crypto Liberal or that Nick Clegg has Tory tendencies. But it is remarkable how the Queen's speech contains proposals for legislation to be introduced that would not go down well with rank and file Liberal members or hard line Tory boyz and gals. I am waiting for the first outburst from Brigadier Trolley who will not put up with the vile liberalisation of Tory dogma. How long before we see that? Not long I think... The two party Leaders will obviously do all they can to hang on to power as they got a taste for this but that won't be enough I don't think.
Thursday 27 May 2010
Controling the arts world
It has been brought to my attention that I have been getting rather serious lately and that most of my outstanding contribution to modern English literature has been about the world of politics a world that most of my close friends (bimbos mainly..) are not that keen on so with that in mind I am diverting my attention to a newish star that has given this country a reason to rethink the meaning of life? Or was it euthanasia?
We are all familiar I am sure with huge stars and real divas like Rhiana and Beyonce not to mention Madona, Kylie and of course Belinda Carlile ( just realised they are all women?? Do I have an issue there... )
Anyway I digress somewhat. Chery Cole has been what I call A PR invention or success in other words someone somewhere woke up one morning and said what shall we do to make more money? I know lets find someone somewhere who will appeal to Sharon or Tracey someone who they would identify with and build her up elevate her to star status to show Sharon that she too can be that person and of course in the meantime the PR men and women and their publicists will make money. So we have the Cheryl Cole phenomenon. It means that if you project someones image constantly the majority of people will start thinking well maybe she has something. I noticed for example that when CC released her first single even though the lyrics were as vile as a 20 year old skoda the mainstream radio stations like Capital FM, Choice and to a lesser degree Kiss FM were playing it about 5 times every hour not allowing other better quality singles to have any air time. This of course made Sharon, Tracey and Dick embed the single in their brains and made them go out and buy it. So whether the system is fair or not is a very big question. Is it fair that new talented younger artists are not given any chance what so ever to get anywhere as they are not given the exposure? The answer is no it is not fair! The argument against what I am saying is that these are private sector projects but the monopolisation these private sector institutions have on the market is not healthy and a degree of fairness needs to be injected into the system! A brilliant example of a healthy reaction to this tyranny of PR men running the artistic world was displayed when the rebellion against the position for the no spot over the xmas period was fought and won by an alternative to the Simon Cowe x factor bollocks. Now there is another one that slipped through the net! Lets all rebel against those who control and regulate the world of arts!! They are talentless and should not have that power.
nick venedi
We are all familiar I am sure with huge stars and real divas like Rhiana and Beyonce not to mention Madona, Kylie and of course Belinda Carlile ( just realised they are all women?? Do I have an issue there... )
Anyway I digress somewhat. Chery Cole has been what I call A PR invention or success in other words someone somewhere woke up one morning and said what shall we do to make more money? I know lets find someone somewhere who will appeal to Sharon or Tracey someone who they would identify with and build her up elevate her to star status to show Sharon that she too can be that person and of course in the meantime the PR men and women and their publicists will make money. So we have the Cheryl Cole phenomenon. It means that if you project someones image constantly the majority of people will start thinking well maybe she has something. I noticed for example that when CC released her first single even though the lyrics were as vile as a 20 year old skoda the mainstream radio stations like Capital FM, Choice and to a lesser degree Kiss FM were playing it about 5 times every hour not allowing other better quality singles to have any air time. This of course made Sharon, Tracey and Dick embed the single in their brains and made them go out and buy it. So whether the system is fair or not is a very big question. Is it fair that new talented younger artists are not given any chance what so ever to get anywhere as they are not given the exposure? The answer is no it is not fair! The argument against what I am saying is that these are private sector projects but the monopolisation these private sector institutions have on the market is not healthy and a degree of fairness needs to be injected into the system! A brilliant example of a healthy reaction to this tyranny of PR men running the artistic world was displayed when the rebellion against the position for the no spot over the xmas period was fought and won by an alternative to the Simon Cowe x factor bollocks. Now there is another one that slipped through the net! Lets all rebel against those who control and regulate the world of arts!! They are talentless and should not have that power.
nick venedi
Wednesday 26 May 2010
Nick Venedi comments
The London Critic Comedy Festival A make it happen eventIf you have it show it...If you want it come and get it...
Monday 24 May 2010
Sunday 23 May 2010
Saturday 22 May 2010
Nick Venedi comments
The 16 Eurozone member exclusive club has faced its first crisis with Greece going down the toilet because of the accumulating debt. There are huge demonstrations organised by the Greek unions and all the television stations there are preoccupied with the reaction which of course coincides with the May day events.
Austerity measures to be introduced include moving the retirement age from 53 to 67 with immediate effect (no transitional stage) and vat increases going up to 23%, a reduction of pensions and the abolition of the 13th pay as its called there for civil service employees (civil servants have been paid 13 times a year instead of 12)
The population there of course is not at all happy although some of the mainstream newspapers are trying to explain that these measures are needed to avoid bankruptcy.
The tragic situation in Greece has also been explained by the fact that the country has never been allowed by super powers to rest and allowed to develop. The German occupation between 1941 to 1945 meant a total destruction of the infrastructure. This was then followed by an even nastier civil war which lasted from 1947 to 1951 between the communists and the democrats in fact this was the first ever Vietnam where Stalin's communist partisans fought a nasty civil war instigated by outsiders. These constant wars did not allow the country to have a clear path of development and of course there was no Marshal plan deal to help the country. Then there was the military dictatorship which lasted from 1967 to 1974 so I am afraid the history of modern Greece is one of constant conflict sponsored by outsiders. Greece was the rushed in to the EEC in 1981 by the impatient French who wanted their ally in and then the country was pushed into the Eurozone by the Germans and the French in 2002. The Germans own the postal service and the telecommunications industry in the country so they have a major interest in what happens there. The questions Merkel is raising right now is for domestic consumption because of the election she is facing. The entire situation is a mess!
Austerity measures to be introduced include moving the retirement age from 53 to 67 with immediate effect (no transitional stage) and vat increases going up to 23%, a reduction of pensions and the abolition of the 13th pay as its called there for civil service employees (civil servants have been paid 13 times a year instead of 12)
The population there of course is not at all happy although some of the mainstream newspapers are trying to explain that these measures are needed to avoid bankruptcy.
The tragic situation in Greece has also been explained by the fact that the country has never been allowed by super powers to rest and allowed to develop. The German occupation between 1941 to 1945 meant a total destruction of the infrastructure. This was then followed by an even nastier civil war which lasted from 1947 to 1951 between the communists and the democrats in fact this was the first ever Vietnam where Stalin's communist partisans fought a nasty civil war instigated by outsiders. These constant wars did not allow the country to have a clear path of development and of course there was no Marshal plan deal to help the country. Then there was the military dictatorship which lasted from 1967 to 1974 so I am afraid the history of modern Greece is one of constant conflict sponsored by outsiders. Greece was the rushed in to the EEC in 1981 by the impatient French who wanted their ally in and then the country was pushed into the Eurozone by the Germans and the French in 2002. The Germans own the postal service and the telecommunications industry in the country so they have a major interest in what happens there. The questions Merkel is raising right now is for domestic consumption because of the election she is facing. The entire situation is a mess!
Friday 21 May 2010
Thursday 20 May 2010
nick venedi comments
Bob Crow is attracting media attention again, well he is in the Standard, his most favorite newspaper. The editor there seems to like reproducing an old picture of Bob taken years ago which is not very faltering and suggests that Bob is an miserable old so and so. I am not too sure about the tactics of the Bob Crow fun club but the story in the Standard is not balanced at all and there is only one version of the events described in there. This can't be fair or right?
Wednesday 19 May 2010
nick venedi comments
I know I have upset some old friends from my 'near past' by supporting Dave Prentis for the election for the position of General Secretary for Unison. I did of course support Jon Rogers last time out of personal loyalty and I am glad I did so even though I got some hassle from the 'other side' as I was, at the time, Finance Convenor for London.
But we live in a democracy and as I am no longer bound by decisions made by the Lambeth Branch committee (not the actual branch I may add) my assessment of who has done what and who is capable of doing more have led me to conclude that given the choice of candidates Dave Prentis is the best person for the job. The left has also done it again by having two candidates which shows me that their most prominent feature is disunity rather than unity (same old story) Dave Prentis down to earth approach and the fact that he is well liked by ordinary members who do not attend branch committee meetings means that he is better able to communicate and represent their aspirations which are not about extra terrestrial ambitions about revolution in the upper atmosphere or the promotion of the 232 left wing groupings that are floating in the left pool of confusion. So I am afraid, and despite the fact that Paul Holmes is a nice guy, I will be supporting Dave Prentis. And I have no idea what happened to Roger Bannister. Is he still running?
But we live in a democracy and as I am no longer bound by decisions made by the Lambeth Branch committee (not the actual branch I may add) my assessment of who has done what and who is capable of doing more have led me to conclude that given the choice of candidates Dave Prentis is the best person for the job. The left has also done it again by having two candidates which shows me that their most prominent feature is disunity rather than unity (same old story) Dave Prentis down to earth approach and the fact that he is well liked by ordinary members who do not attend branch committee meetings means that he is better able to communicate and represent their aspirations which are not about extra terrestrial ambitions about revolution in the upper atmosphere or the promotion of the 232 left wing groupings that are floating in the left pool of confusion. So I am afraid, and despite the fact that Paul Holmes is a nice guy, I will be supporting Dave Prentis. And I have no idea what happened to Roger Bannister. Is he still running?
Tuesday 18 May 2010
Nick Venedi comments
It is estimated that there are around 300,000 people born here in London who are of Greek origin.
The migration started from mainland Greece before the revolution in 1821 but until the 50's the number of people of Greek descent was relatively speaking small. The connection between Britain and Cyprus (Cyprus was a British colony until 1960) meant that a number of Cypriots (mainly Greek Cypriots) arrived here between 1955 to 1962 they were what is today described as the 'first generation' immigrants. They were invited by the British government in an attempt to rebuilt the country after the war as were other immigrant groups. Then we have the second generation who were born in Britain between 1960 to 1980 and now of course we have the 3rd generation the children of those born here who are more or less completely assimilated into British society. Most of them speak some Greek but are not very fluent in the language. I am constantly amazed and delighted, however, to see how proud and interested these young people are in retaining and knowing more about the culture of their parents.
The community has managed to retain its identity without rejecting the positive elements acquired from the diversity of other cultures that exists within London.
Most British citizens of Greek origin live in north London. Southgate is, for example,often referred to as small Greece. Haringey, Barnet, Enfield, Cambden and Islington also have a good proportion of Brits of Greek origin.
There are now moves to examine closely the plethora of small organisations that exist to represent the community and the project to unite all of these strands and interest groups is underway. There are prominent individuals of Greek origin born in this country but they have not come together as a group. There are around 22 Councillors in the London area, one Euro MEP and also an ex minister (Lord Adonis) not to mention George Michael and Peter Andre of course (thought I mention though...)
So there is a new energy to identify and unify the efforts and there is a lot of excitement and support for this initiative. I always ask people I meet of course to ensure that they join a union wherever they happen to be working!
The migration started from mainland Greece before the revolution in 1821 but until the 50's the number of people of Greek descent was relatively speaking small. The connection between Britain and Cyprus (Cyprus was a British colony until 1960) meant that a number of Cypriots (mainly Greek Cypriots) arrived here between 1955 to 1962 they were what is today described as the 'first generation' immigrants. They were invited by the British government in an attempt to rebuilt the country after the war as were other immigrant groups. Then we have the second generation who were born in Britain between 1960 to 1980 and now of course we have the 3rd generation the children of those born here who are more or less completely assimilated into British society. Most of them speak some Greek but are not very fluent in the language. I am constantly amazed and delighted, however, to see how proud and interested these young people are in retaining and knowing more about the culture of their parents.
The community has managed to retain its identity without rejecting the positive elements acquired from the diversity of other cultures that exists within London.
Most British citizens of Greek origin live in north London. Southgate is, for example,often referred to as small Greece. Haringey, Barnet, Enfield, Cambden and Islington also have a good proportion of Brits of Greek origin.
There are now moves to examine closely the plethora of small organisations that exist to represent the community and the project to unite all of these strands and interest groups is underway. There are prominent individuals of Greek origin born in this country but they have not come together as a group. There are around 22 Councillors in the London area, one Euro MEP and also an ex minister (Lord Adonis) not to mention George Michael and Peter Andre of course (thought I mention though...)
So there is a new energy to identify and unify the efforts and there is a lot of excitement and support for this initiative. I always ask people I meet of course to ensure that they join a union wherever they happen to be working!
Monday 17 May 2010
Nick Venedi comments
Greece’S high defence spending has contributed to its economic problems. Indeed, the country has Europe’s highest military expenditures relative to GDP and last year this stood at 3.2% higher that that of Britain. Improvement in relations with Turkey could enable Prime Minister George Papandreou to cut defence spending and make it easier to rescue an economy on the brink of bankruptcy. But the true complications with the economy arise from a chaotic system of taxation. The mainstream television channels were full of stories yesterday about tax evasion and an incompetent system that has not yet introduced a PAYE method to collect taxes. Reforms are needed now before its too late. Those of us who travel to Greece frequently would know that the country is not poor so the question must be what has gone wrong? The answer is financial reforms and the better distribution of wealth.
Saturday 15 May 2010
Friday 14 May 2010
Thursday 13 May 2010
Wednesday 12 May 2010
Monday 10 May 2010
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