Bloggerheads

Martin Rosenbaum, the latest BBC blogger, may want to cast an eye over this:

Independent – No 10 refuses to release details of Blair’s dealings with Murdoch: A reader of The Independent, who tried to obtain details of “communications, correspondence and minutes” between Mr Blair, his advisers and Mr Murdoch since 1997, was first told that it would be too expensive to provide under the guidelines of the 2000 Act. When he narrowed down his request to cover a one-year period, he was told that the information would not be released anyway.

Just one reason why we’re not pissing about with an FOI request as we follow the money over at Backing Blair.

(Right… enough chit-chat… back to the data.)

Independent: Mr Cameron last week found a way to attend after Rebekah Wade, editor of the Labour-supporting Sun newspaper, invited the Tory leader as her guest. He and his wife Samantha will sit with Ms Wade and her husband, the EastEnders actor Ross Kemp.

Daily Mail: David Cameron and his wife Samantha wangled an invite – on a table hosted by Sun editor Rebekah Wade and husband Ross Kemp. Accepting the offer is likely to lead to criticism that the Tory leader is cosying up to tabloid editors – and is happy to be seen at celebrity events.

Guardian: Cameron’s decision to wangle a ticket through the “friend-of-a-friend” route (editor of the Sun, Rebekah Wade, and her husband, the soap star Ross Kemp helped out) puzzled onlookers who displayed high standards in their celebrity spotting. “He shouldn’t be there – it’s not that kind of day,” said Tracey Green, 41, from beneath her umbrella.

Showing off the new bitch are we, Rebekah?

Hey, gang! I’ve got just enough time to drop the following bombshell on you… Murdoch’s minions are pro-nuke!

The main thing I want to show you is this article from yesterday’s Sun by Trevor Kavanagh, but while poking around looking for an online version (instead of a scan), I also found the following:

The Scum – Nuclear power? Yes please: It now seems certain that Britain will give the go-ahead next summer to a new generation of nuclear power stations. The Sun welcomes this. The nation faces a long-term energy crisis, and we have been dithering too long. Gas generates almost half our energy. But North Sea reserves are running out and we can’t depend on European suppliers to help us. That leaves us relying on potentially unstable parts of the world like the former Soviet Union. At the same time, fears over global warming mean we must cut our dependence on fossil fuels like gas, coal and oil, which spew out carbon dioxide. Until now, the Government has argued that renewable energy sources like wind and solar power are the answer. But they’re not. The wind doesn’t blow all the time – and even when it does it fails to produce the power we need. That’s leaving aside the horrendous scars wind turbines leave on our beautiful countryside. So nuclear power is back on the agenda. The anti-nuclear brigade – including the Greenpeace activists who disgracefully attempted to silence the PM yesterday – say nuclear is not the answer because of safety issues and the waste it creates. They forget that nuclear technology has moved on since Britain’s first atomic power stations were built in the 50s, 60s and 70s, and that new stations would create less waste. They also ignore the fact that working or living close to coal mines has killed more people than working or living near nuclear power stations ever has. Britain needs new nuclear power stations. Otherwise we face power rationing and blackouts in the years ahead. Doing nothing is not an option.

And just in case you have any lingering doubts, take a look at how well things work out when it all goes wrong (while remembering, of course, that nothing could ever go wrong in a modern nuclear power station)…

The Scum – ‘Mutant’ children are best: The Chernobyl nuclear disaster has spawned a generation of ‘mutant’ super-brainy children. Kids growing up in areas damaged by radiation from the plant have a higher IQ and faster reaction times, say Russian doctors. They are also growing faster and have stronger immune systems. Radiation from the Ukrainian Chernobyl plant swept the globe and affected more than seven million people. Professor Vladimir Mikhalev from Bryansk State University, has tracked the health of youngsters growing up in areas hit by the fallout since the 1986 accident. He compared their mental agility and health to those in unaffected areas and found they came out top in tests. The kids had been exposed to radiation in the atmosphere and their food supply.