Getting ready for another PBC party
February 8th, 2007
Should we do the same as last year?
Mike’s too busy working out how much money his book is going to make him so somebody else is going to have to organise this year’s PB Party. I’m happy to do it if I can have some assistance. Apparently Book Value and Innocent Abroad helped out last year. Any volunteers this year?
I’ll put in £100 from the money I’m going to win on John Cruddas. I think Henry G offered to do likewise. Any other offers will be welcome.
Last year’s bash (see picture) was at the Star Tavern in Belgravia. Any reason why we can’t go back there? (We didn’t trash the place, did we?) And what day of the week do we want? I reckon it’s got to be a weekend so that Jack W can use his weekend pass but let me know what you think.
In fact, anybody and everybody who has a view can email me at arklebar@talktalk.net
Let’s get to it.
Peter Smith (Peter the Punter)
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The last two have been at weekends and evidently a big success so it probably makes sense to repeat that. It does unfortunately mean I can’t come, as I’m always tied down with constituency things at weekends. I expect Stewart Jackson has the same problem.
An alternative would be a Monday or Tuesday evening, hiring a rorm at one of the pubs around Parliament. That would be combinable with a tour round Parliament, though there are restrictions on that: MPs can take 16 people round, other pass-holders like Rick I think just 4. It would in principle be possible to hire a room in Parliament itself, though the cost is then higher than a pub room.
But another idea: what about Iain Dale having a launch party for Mike’s book in Parliament? The official organisers would be Politicos, and if Stewart agrees we would jointly sign the forms (you need MPs to authorise any gaathering on the premises) - the bipartisan nature is necessary to avoid generating press stories about “MP smuggles gambling fiends into Parliament”. The probability of additional press coverage of the book is good, and Politicos would get some too.
1 Nicki (sorry the 24 hours isn’t up yet)
That’s a really exciting idea. It’s probably a bit more work but I don’t mind that. One advantage I see is that it would draw in a slightly different crowd to the one which has attended in the past. I think that’s to be encouraged.
Let’s take soundings and then I’ll put up the options in about a week or so.
I am up for this.
1. An excellent suggestion and one that should attract a few waverers such as me who’d have quite a bit of travelling involved.
2. Thanks for doing the organising. I think we can let Nick off his penalty now. After all, he’s done half his time and his above initiative must count as good behaviour
OT - but anyone read this from Melanie Phillips?
http://www.melaniephillips.com/diary/?p=1457
Usual old ranting or does Christopher Monckton’s evidence amount to something?
6 OK, but if he does it again it will be 7 days…as Nikita.
Good idea all round, it would make the travelling worth it
Spartacus: I’ve not seen the original documents, but my understanding is that they narrow the previously wide range of prediction (i.e. reduced the margin of error, based on further evidence), making the best case worse and the worst case better. People who would like you to believe that there is no problem are only focusing on the latter, but the central prediction remains that the planet is in deep trouble.
5:A rise in sea-levels of 50 cm in a century may sound small.Until,that is I went to Bournemouth Pier last Sunday-and stood at the water-line at low tide.I imagined if the water was 50cm deep at that point,how high would the water wash up the beach?
I concluded that at high tide,there would be no beach at all at central Bournemouth- to the west and east of the bay,doubtless beach would be left exposed.
Also,within the next century,Bournemouth’s magnificent sweep of sand,running 11 miles from Sandbanks in the west,to Hengistbury Head in the east,will almost certainly have to be protected by a metre or so of sea wall,constructed where the promenade ends,and the concrete slope to the sand begins.
Apart from my humble little home town,what about low-lying partts of eastern England-Essex,East Anglia,Cambridgeshire etc ?
I for one,now am taking global warming pretty seriously
re 5. I seem to recall someone saying that Christopher Monckton often visits this site. Now if only there was a betting market on global warming I could invite him to do a guest slot!
5 - While most of the article can be dismissed as selective quoting and spin (I’ll back that up in a longer post if necessary), the quote from the appendix about changing scientific content is disturbing. However, it is for the opposite reason that Monckton/Phillips contend.
The IPCC have decided to try to keep everyone on board, including governments with a vested interest in down-playing climate change (oil-rich nations and the USA). It’s harder to argue that any government has a strong vested interest in talking up climate change. By its nature it’s already a conservative report (in order to keep almost the entire scientific community on board) and this only increases that effect. The USA more or less has power of veto on statements it particularly dislikes.
Is it worth changing scientific content in this way (even if the changes are generally more of emphasis rather than factual) to be a truly global report? I can see the argument, but as a scientist, I would say definitely not. There’s no excuse for the spin Monckton/Phillips have put on it though.
I might be interested in coming, although I missed last year’s and I don’t often do messages here.
12 - John - you might be too busy with your duties as newly elected councillor in Croydon to attend! Good luck today by the way.
I am getting a fair bit of support for Nick P’s suggestion at 1. above but before taking it further I would need to run it past Iain and/or Politicos. I would send an email but I don’t have the address and anyway neither would know me from Adam and would probably delete it.
Can anybody help?
Just to say I would love to attend whatever you set up, if I can. Will involve travelling and will depend on the day and the date, but will do my best.
I’d love to come (as a pbc’er since summer 2004, I’ve yet to get to any of the parties), although the date is rather important for me:
Before April - no chance.
April - July - maybe.
August onwards - almost definite.
Any ideas on dates?
16 Andy - Just taking soundings at the moment. Nick P’s ‘Parliament’ idea is popular which would suggest a Mon/Tues evening but I have to make contact with Iain Dale first. Any idea how I would do that?
I only comment on the site very infrequently - but try to read it regularly. As a vteran of the first two parties, I’m always ready to come to another (assuming I can get a late pass again)!
That’s me in the blue shirt, standing with my back to the camera in the photograph.
I’d love to come if I can; and if it were in the HoC it would be even better. I am an indigent teacher, but if there’s anything I can do to help in effort, Peter, just let me know:
PtP -
Hasn’t Iain Dale got a contact email on his blog?
(I’ve just had a look - try iain@iaindale.com )
Oh, and by the way - for any party dates after July, I may well be able to help with the setting up, etc. (I’ll be working at my new job in the centre of London, so I should be handy)
As someone sadly busy with work at the moment, would be very interested in a gathering, particularly along the lines Nick suggests in post 1.
Weekends would work best, although could often manage mondays depending on my client visit schedule.
If I can’t come, I’ll book Phil to stand in for me.
I have Iain Dales contact details if you want them mail me
Ta
DRG