No geek
is an island

From the BBC:

Australian Prime Minister John Howard has announced that he will contest elections for a fifth term in office.
[…]
Mr Howard’s announcement comes despite pressure from his deputy for over a decade, Treasurer Peter Costello, to step aside.
[…]
Mr Costello told reporters Mr Howard had 12 years previously said he would hand over the reins of the Liberal Party to Mr Costello during his second term.

But Mr Howard said no such agreement had been made.

Couldn’t they come up with something more original? This story’s been done to death…

Via Colin comes the welcome news that this month’s MORI Political Monitor opinion poll puts the Liberal Democrats on 24%, up three points on June. Here’s a low rent Excel graph showing MORI’s scores on the doors since January:

The same poll found Tony Blair with his lowest approval rating since becoming PM, but despite that and David Cameron’s supposed successess, the Tories are only four points ahead of Labour.

MORI are by no means the most reliable of pollsters (see James and Mike), but any increase is at least good for morale. An interesting aside is that Labour lead when likelihood to vote isn’t taken into account.

See also: ft.com.

I was expecting the (admittedly not too taxing) effort involving climbing a hill to have left my typically sedentary legs aching today so I’m pleased to report that my joints are ship shape and painless.

Peter and Alan have put up some much better photos, countering my omission by including actual people in them. (There are a few more too on Peter’s Flickr.)

Hello. We’re on Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh. Photos to follow later.

And later it is. So Peter, Alan and I went to the pub and then for a stroll up Arthur’s Seat. Peter had his digital compact, Alan had a digital SLR and I had my phone. Their photos are likely to be better (although my phone can blog from 273m up). Nevertheless, here are mine.

Only six four three more people needed to fulfil the pledge to write to Jack Straw in support of TheyWorkForYou.com.

Please read it, sign it, and do it.

Update: Success!

Remember wacky American commentator Ann Coulter, she of Newsnight fame? Well, apparently her brand of right-wing lunacy knows no bounds:

Ms. COULTER: I think that sort of rampant promiscuity does show some level of latent homosexuality.

DEUTSCH: OK, I think you need to say that again. That Bill Clinton, you think on some level, has — is a latent homosexual, is that what you’re saying?

Ms. COULTER: Yeah. I mean, not sort of just completely anonymous — I don’t know if you read the Starr report, the rest of us were glued to it, I have many passages memorized. No, there was more plot and dialogue in a porno movie.

Read the transcript from Wonkette to get the full effect. Warning: may contain nuts.

(Via Crooks and Liars, which also reports her more succinct comment about Clinton’s VP: “Al Gore — total fag”.)