Okay, a bit off-message for The Sharpener, a public service interlude. Elmore Leonard, the Best Storyteller since St. Paul, will be interviewed by Simon Mayo on BBC Radio 5Live, just after 3 p.m. UK time today. Listen live on the web, or I’ll post the podcast link later. [here]
Not just a perfect antidote to my unhealthy James Ellroy obsession, Elmore also taught me to write. His ten rules transformed a semi-literate social scientist into the honed^* hack you’re reading now. Enjoy.

^* Please, no comments about my writing abilities in the comments box. My hand is hovering over Delete.

Bolivia: nationalisation isn’t what it seems
Or: tanks on the front lawn ain’t what they used to be

Defend America: Buy More Iranian Oil

John Beyer playing with himself on Wikipedia
Isn’t that terribly un-Christian?

Blair blah Brown blah blah Blueblair bloodymargaretbeckett. Schoolsnhospitals britishnationalists and reshuffles. More of that here later. Meanwhile, over there, the new Prime Minister: Read More

Don’t confuse “the economy” with “the interests of those who hold economic power”

I’ve written before that I’m not a huge fan of direct democracy, not in the sense of doing away with MPs and replacing them with referenda. Fatally, demand-revealing governance hands more power to the rich, then compounds the error by legitimizing it. This is unacceptable.

I prefer a proportional representation system like open-list PR or a preference voting system like STV. However, as suggested by theorists of deliberative democracy, we do need more (and different) voter engagement. Read More

Jack Off – never mind the White Stripes, Coke really isn’t it.

Something’s going to happen here.

Very soon. Maybe even on May 1st, to catch ourselves a good omen.
Honest.

So keep watching.

I don’t often write about the NHS. I don’t ever complain about it: my local GP and hospital are both excellent (and have been, unfortunately, well-used by my family). I figure if they can get it right here, in one of Britain’s poorest boroughs, it can be done anywhere. The NHS surgeon that saved my daughter’s life, in Georgeous‘s constituency next door, is no more salubriously sited.

But the best blog post I’ve read all year has given me a nudge. Read More