The X-Factor Final 2011 - Little Mix create history

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

THOUSANDS had applied and now just two acts remained.  Following Amelia Lily’s departure at the end of Saturday’s show, just two now were left to fight it out.  Marcus Collins and Little Mix would compete over two hours on Sunday night to decide who would win The X-Factor 2011.  They were ready, the audience was ready, the judges were ready and Britain was ready to meet its next big popstar.

Before the serious business began, there was once again time to enjoy a performance from the eliminated contestants (minus Frankie for obvious reasons.)  In his place, there was a cameo appearance by Goldie Cheung; the act that Louis Walsh had initially sent through to the live finals, but declined to participate.

Turning back the clock to the past

Each act had three songs to win The X-Factor 2011.  In their first performance of the night, both of them performed a song from a past live show and they both opted to reprise their numbers from Movie Night (Week 7 of the competition, to you and me.)

GALLANT: Marcus was a creditable runner-up

First Marcus performed ‘Higher and higher,’ bringing back the gospel choir he used to great effect back then.  Just like the previous night, he had opened this leg of the final in sensational style.  Then Little Mix jumped onto stage to perform ‘Don’t Let Go.’  The song once again showed their unique abilities of being a group with either no lead singer or someone who gets the majority of the lyrics.  They all get their fair share and that’s why the public love them.

Giving Seasons Greetings

The X-Factor wouldn’t be the same without some Christmas cheer, something it has ignored in the last two series finals.  So it was nice to see it reinstated for 2011.  Marcus first gave a performance of Wham’s ‘Last Christmas.’  It was a song that was sort of lukewarm but the judges didn’t care, it was the final after all and it was all about standing out from the crowd for them.

Little Mix then next performed ‘Silent Night.’  This was them at their best, a song which just focused on their amazing voices that have grown throughout the competition.  With every performance that goes by, the belief that this could be the year of the Groups was growing.  All that Tulisa could do, as she had been doing throughout, was to make a loud plea for people to vote for them and that was an X-Factor political broadcast by “Tulisa’s Little Muffins” Party!

As the acts went backstage to prepare for their final and most crucial performance of the evening, it was time to look back at a series full of highs and lows.  Westlife, who have just announced they are splitting up, performed an acclaimed rendition of ‘What About Now,’ with a montage of series highlights being shown on the big screen behind them.

Just one more chance left

So it had all come down to this.  One song now stood between Marcus and Little Mix from victory – the winner’s single.  Reverting back to old rules, both finalists ad recorded versions of the Damien Rice ballad ‘Cannonball’ but with one difference, both acts had recorded it in their own style and how they saw it fit.  Unfortunately, both performances would be overshadowed by what is the worst ever X-Factor winner’s single!

Marcus went for a mixture of high notes and up-tempo base for his performance.  Although many might have predicted it would suit him more, it didn’t quite turn out the way many expected but what couldn’t be taken away was the power and soul put into it and it even had Gary Barlow shedding a tear or two.

Little Mix opted for the more traditional route of keeping the song as a ballad throughout its entirety.  They put plenty of dedication, emotion and other all sorts of dimensions into it.  It sounded like they been in the music industry for years.

ELECTRIC: Coldplay put on a stunning performance

A long wait would now have to be endured as it was time for another X- actor first.  This group had declined from appearing on the show, until now.  The biggest band in the world, Coldplay performed two songs from their recent new album, ‘Charlie Brown’ and ‘Paradise.’  The Wembley Arena crowd was transformed into a sea of glow lights for the performance and the group worked so hard that lead singer Chris Martin was left sweating like a pig after their performance.

An emotional and fairytale climax to an incredible weekend

Now came the moment Britain had been waiting.   Could Marcus make it four wins for the Boys in five years?  Or would Little Mix claim a long overdue triumph for the Groups?  In what was the closest X-Factor final ever, with just five per cent of the votes separating the two acts, and the standard long pause, the nation decided that the winner of The X Factor 2011 would be

…LITTLE MIX!

After eight long years, the group’s category had finally hit the jackpot!  In the past, the likes of G4, Same Difference, JLS and One Direction had tried and failed to win the final.  Now Little Mix had well and truly showed them all up.

The girls were undoubtedly overcome with emotion over the announcement; tears’ streaming down their faces and even their mentor Tulisa cracked and was a sobbing wreck too.  Throughout all they had been through, the public saw faith in them and they had well and truly beaten the odds.  Marcus was left to just offer his congratulations but again, he will surely be on his way to a bright future.

That just left Little Mix enough time to wipe away their tears and perform their debut single before being enveloped into a massive group hug by all of the finalists.  The race will now be on to get the single to Christmas Number One, but with that contest being taken place over two weeks this year and with a strong challenge from the ‘Military Wives’ charity single, it isn’t going to be easy.  However, they will surely be virtually guaranteed number one in next Sunday’s chart beforehand.

Series eight in a nutshell

It’s fair to say this year’s series of The X-Factor has had its ups and downs.  It started off so well in the early stages with rave reviews from critics over the new judging panel.  Once the live shows started, it descended into chaos, which put a bit of a damp squib on the competition because, at least in my opinion, the talent was much better than in previous years.

When Strictly Come Dancing started in October, the expected ratings switchover happened and The X-Factor struggled to maintain its grip with Strictly’s approach to hit the show where it really hurt.  Even the first night of the final on Saturday was outfoxed by Strictly’s semi-final and on Sunday, the peak audience was just over 15 million.  As anticipated, this was the most watched show on the box on Sunday but still a massive four million down on last year’s finale and the overall series ratings were below both 2010 and 2009.

As for “The Next Generation” judging panel, Gary Barlow was a creditable addition and delivered his promise to be fair and brutally honest in his role.  When Tulisa was appointed, I didn’t have any high hopes, but she has actually turned out so great in her role and my opinions on her have changed.  The least said about Louis Walsh, the better, and Kelly Rowland was strongly opinionated and honest in her feedback but looked out of her depth in the UK.  I wouldn’t be too surprised if at least one of these judges gets their P45 orders before next year however, with Nicole Scherzinger potentially switching from the US version to the UK edition next year.

Congratulations to Little Mix: X-Factor Winners 2011

Lastly, congratulations to Little Mix for a well deserved victory.  Now will they turn out to be successful – the answer won’t be revealed until next autumn but with acts like Shayne Ward, Leon Jackson and Joe McElderry having failed to build on their success, and with last year’s champion Matt Cardle seemingly going the same way, there will be huge pressure on them to deliver.  However, we should leave this until when that moment comes and celebrate on the foursome becoming the first group ever to win the competition.  The countdown now begins again to summer 2012 for when the search resumes for the class of series nine.

It may have not been a vintage series but The X-Factor 2011 certainly got a happy and fairytale ending.

The UK riots - My view

By Simon Wright (Personal column)

SO, ‘BROKEN Britain’ lies in ruins after last week’s horrific scenes of rioting and looting across the country.  Note to toy manufacturers, no batteries have been included in these burnt out shops, homes and businesses.  Some shops look like the burnt out shell that was The Loft nightclub after the 2009 fire in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks, whilst others remain open for business as if last week was a storm in a teacup.

     It wasn’t though.  Approximately 3,000 arrests have been made by police, with at least 60 per cent of these having been charged for the crimes.  The damage is likely to end up reaching £1billion pounds and it is a dreadful promotion for the capital city, with the 2012 Olympics now less than a year away.  Chelsea Ives, one of the rioters, was an Olympic ambassador.  That’s an embarrassing image sight for the organisers and I’m pleased the IOC (International Olympic Committee) has backed us.  I’m shocked to realise that we have so many idiots in our country.  London was the worst hit, but there were also severe disturbances in Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Bristol, with minor damage reported in Nottingham, Gloucester, Oxford, Wolverhampton, Milton Keynes and West Bromwich.  So, why did we end up all fearing for the establishments we live and love last week in the worst riots seen in this country for many a generation.  Many reasons have been given, which I will go into detail later on in this blog.

     First of all, as I tuned into Sky throughout Monday night last week, I was appalled to see what was happening.  It shook me to a core and I felt sick to the stomach.  Anger was building up inside me; as the pictures saw London look like a disaster movie, with many industries looking as battered and bruised as you would if you’d taken on Mike Tyson in his prime.  I was leaving the country in 48 hours time and when I heard of trouble reaching my own hometown, I started to wonder what I would come back to.  Luckily, it has calmed down since then, but the damage has been done and left so many heartbreaking stories.

    Ashrof Rassle is brave to say he still loves this country and wants to stay.  The Malaysian student is recovering in hospital after he was attacked and robbed on the streets by thugs.  The video was recorded and uploaded to YouTube and is an absolutely disgraceful act.  I feel massively for Trevor Reeves, who could only watch in horror as his local furniture store burnt down in Croydon.  It had survived two World Wars and lived through four generations of family, what a tragic way for the business to end.  Then there’s Richard Bowes, who was attempting to remonstrate yobs that set fires to bins near his home in Ealing, only to be beaten to death in an act of cynical behaviour.  Finally, there are the three young lads in Birmingham, who were protecting their livelihoods (businesses and mosques) and ultimately paid the price, with their lives.  I’m so proud to see the community of Birmingham come together at a time of such overwhelming tragedy.    

     The government has taken a load of stick for their handling of the carnage to have descended on the UK and some of it is fully merited.  More organisation has to be used around holidays, with rotas the only way forward.  I’m sorry, but you cannot have the five main figureheads of the country (Home Secretary, Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Mayor of London and Chancellor) on holiday at exactly the same time.  The one politician I did feel sorry for was Boris Johnson.  He was heckled in the streets, but he was trying to help and also got involved in the cleanup in Clapham.  It got worse when Boris was bullied in an interview last Tuesday night (August 9) by ITN anchor and Daily Mirror columnist Mark Austin.  Johnson did really well to get his points across, despite Austin’s ignorant attempts to butt into his answers.  The way he handled the interview was very professional and dignified.  As for Austin, it was a foul piece of journalism and a bad example of how to do it.  For me, a respected news anchor dropped the ball here.

     As the week has progressed, I have been deeply unimpressed by the way David Cameron has handled this national crisis.  If I knew he was going to be this bad, maybe he should have stayed in Tuscany after all, sipping his precious cappuccino!  Despite the destruction, he still wants to cut 16,000 jobs on the police front.  What on earth is he doing!  Has he had his eyes shut throughout?  If anything, we need more police on the frontline as the anarchy broke out.  I’m afraid Mr. Cameron has been just as clueless of late as Arsene Wenger!  One message to Dave; I’m sure they do decent deals on priceless coffees at Starbucks if you really are that desperate for a caffeine boost!

     Last Thursday, he did say this in an emergency Commons debate; “And to the lawless minority, the criminals who have taken what they can get.  I say this, we will track you down, we will find you, we will charge you, we will punish you.  You will pay for what you have done.”  At least he has stuck to that, with magistrates working 24 hours a day to send a lot of the criminals into prison cells for their actions.  However, boot camps might have to be the way forward, because it might teach all of them a lesson in how to behave.  Any confidence I had in the coalition government has disintegrated.  Nick Clegg looks like a spare part, George Osbourne would rather be somewhere else rather than the House of Commons half the time and Theresa May is under huge pressure now, probably fighting a losing battle for her job.

     Now onto those who caused so much damage, fear and grief to the innocent.  It is inexcusable what they have done and an utter disgrace.  This was thuggery of the highest order.  Some don’t look sorry at all – I’ve heard stories of them smirking in court and laughing away without a care in the world.  You are a disgrace to society and I only wish we had bigger wheelie bins to tip you into!  I say to the courts, lock them up and throw away the key.  Boo hoo that you can’t afford the latest Nike Pegasus trainers, a Dell laptop or a 4-pack of Carlsberg Special Brew – it’s a tough life and we have all had to make sacrifices in the recession.  If you don’t like it, we don’t need you in the country, bugger off onto another planet!

    Despite some of the compensation packages that have been set-up by the government for affected businesses, it will end up being us that pays for most of the damage, not the loonies who did the damage.  Most taxpayers wouldn’t mind seeing these clowns having benefits and hand-outs being taken away from them.  It might help them learn, though that’s unlikely. 

    The parents need to take some responsibility too for the actions of their children.  For some of the criminals, running back to Daddy is probably the best option.  Oh wait, your Daddy probably encouraged you or is getting smashed out of his head at the local watering establishment!  The parents must take more control of their kid’s actions.  I’m pleased to have seen many parents hand their kids into the police.  Well done to you, no matter how hard it must have been, you’ve done the right thing.  To those parents who are protecting their violent youngsters, hang your head in shame, because you are not much better!

    Historian David Starkey will also probably need to find a new occupation.  His comments on last week’s edition of Newsnight have no place on television and he’d better hope that TalkSport offer him a place on their radio programming for sporting history.  After all, they seem to accept those disgraced professionals who make barbaric comments on TV.  Richard Keys and Andy Gray spring to mind!

     After what has happened last week, I have to ask myself, do I want to be a part of this country anymore?  I have to question it.  Our country might recover – but it will take lots of work to repair the burnt-out buildings and shattered glass windows.  I’m afraid, unless these police cuts are reviewed, the EMA (Education Maintenance Allowance) is restored and parents take more responsibility, this could easily happen again anytime soon.

     Lastly of course, my symphonies go out to those who have lost loved ones and been significantly affected by these devastating riots.

AV vote is rejected by UK

CRUSHING: A resounding victory for the 'No' campaign

ALTHOUGH counting has not concluded yet, the Liberal Democrats miserable 24 hours at the polls has just been finished off resoundingly.  Britain has decided to reject the ‘Yes to AV’ voting policy, which would have seen the Alternative Vote scheme, where voters would rank their politicians to vote for in order of preference.  Instead, we have decided to stick to the tried and tested formula of ‘First Past the Post.’  By just putting a simple x on the ballot papers, the country has decided to keep the simple policy at this referendum, and it is a crushing victory too.

LOOKING OVER: Clegg will be under pressure after this battering

    With 386 results declared in the 440 councils across England and Wales already, the ‘No’ campaign has already taken over 360 regions, with the ‘Yes’ campaign still staggeringly in single figures.  This is going to be a hammer blow to the Liberal Democrats leader Nick Clegg, who is already under pressure and will surely feel the full force at the next annual party conference in Liverpool in September.  This adds to total rejection in the council elections across the country, which saw a number of Lib Dems MP’s lose council seats, in which the party has had strangleholds on for the last decade, particularly in the North of the country such as Liverpool, Manchester and Clegg’s own constituency of Sheffield.

    Around 18.6million people voted in this referendum, but the percentage turnout of 41% (excluding Northern Ireland) is disappointing.  This hints that either people couldn’t care less about the referendum, or the feelings towards the coalition government in general are really starting to hit home, just under a year after its formation in Downing Street. 

    The crushing rejection by the British voters is a blow to the Lib Dems, who although feared a backlash, surely can’t have predicted such a grim response to one of their key pledges in their manifesto.  Danny Alexander, a Cabinet minister for the Liberal Democrats told Sky News of his thoughts;

“It is disappointing that people have chosen to vote the way they have.  I think there is a whole number of reasons for that, but I think the most important thing is to accept with good grace the verdict of the people and say 'That's that'."

This follows a harrowing night for the party, following their worst council elections results since the 1980s.  This morning, Clegg spoke to reporters outside his home and remained defiant, although he admitted it is ‘a kicking’ in which his party took.  It seems like the brunt of the blame has gone with Clegg and the Liberal Democrats within the coalition, especially with the controversial spending cuts, and the change in heart over a rise in tuition fees.  The battering of the Liberal Democrats means that Conservative support stuck relatively at the same.  The results will be of some relief to David Cameron, which suggests that the public don’t seem to mind his side of the coalition.  There were some encouraging results for Labour too, although they missed out narrowly on forming a majority government in the Welsh Assembly by a single vote.  Ed Miliband will be modestly satisfied with the results last night, especially as it was a test for him, considering the unpopularity he seems to hold from several political experts.

    Both Cameron and Clegg have insisted that the coalition will survive the referendum results, although things did turn very bitter in the ‘AV’ campaign, and definitely showed some cracks that simply weren’t there before.  What is clear is that the British public have spoken and made their decisions.  It is crystal clear that the Liberal Democrats are not the flavour of the month with anyone in Britain at the moment.

Osama Bin Laden is dead

ONE of the biggest mass murderers in history, Osama Bin Laden is dead.  He was shot dead in the town of Abbottabad, around 50 miles away from the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad in the early hours of this morning.  Bin Laden has finally been captured after a decade of search from US troops.  This followed the event that changed everyone’s lives.

     Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda planned a terrorist attack to such detailed plan that it was going to have deadly results.  On Tuesday September 11, 2001, planes were hijacked and flew into some of America’s landmark buildings in New York.  Both towers of the World Trade Centre collapsed with hundreds trapped inside the burning buildings.  The casualties on this day were horrendous and the War on Terror began.

     Bin Laden wasn’t a stranger to the terrorist network.  US embassies had been bombed in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998.  However, it was the events of 9/11 that put him into global context as the world’s most wanted man.  Within months, America, with Britain’s help went into Afghanistan and they began air strikes to get their man.  However, George Bush would never seek his prize and it has taken a decade before the news of his demise could be broken this morning by his replacement Barack Obama.

     With backing from the Taliban, Bin Laden set-up training camps and hence, many extremist groups have been created since.  With Bin Laden’s death, it might be a massive setback on Al-Qaeda that their figurehead is no longer around, but the War on Terror will still go on and there is likely to be a backlash on his death from Al-Qaeda.  This morning, Foreign Office leader William Hague has insisted that British embassies across the world review their security policies in a heightened alert of a possible attack.  Currently, Britain, like America – remains at the second highest terrorist threat level possible, not at the critical mark yet.  US officials have said that after being shot in the head, Bin Laden's body was buried at sea, according to Islamic traditions.  Three other men, including one of Bin Laden’s sons were also killed in the mission.  The whole operation took approximately 40 minutes to complete.

     There might be now some justice for the families who have lost their lives in terrorist atrocities; not just those in America, but those killed in Bali (2002), Istanbul (2003), Madrid (2004) and London (2005). 

     There is no doubt that the world is still nowhere near a safe place.  In fact, everyone still has to totally remain vigilant, especially as risks may well rise in the US and the UK in the coming weeks.  However, there can be no doubt that Osama Bin Laden’s death is a historical news moment and the biggest news story of 2011.  The War on Terror goes on and will for generations to come, but this is a victory for the West and in particular for Barack Obama, who now will get high praise for keeping all this quiet and earn a second term in office as American President.  The world’s most wanted-man has finally been taken out of the picture for good and for the families, some form of justice has now been done, even though it won’t bring their loved ones back.

WORLDWIDE REACTION TO BIN LADEN’S DEATH

George W. Bush (Former American President) – “The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakeable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done.”

David Cameron (Prime Minister) – “It is time to thank those who work around the clock to keep us safe from terrorism.  Their work will continue.  I would like to congratulate Barack Obama and those responsible for carrying out this operation.”

Tony Blair (Former Prime Minister) – “This is a huge achievement in the fight against terrorism, but we know the fight against terrorism and the ideology that Bin Laden represents, continues and is as urgent as ever.”

William Hague (Foreign Secretary) – “It is unequivocally a good thing that he is no longer able to pursue terror, murder and mayhem in the world.”

Angela Merkel (German Chancellor) – “Bin Laden was a symbol for the international terror that did not respect life, only killed and only destroyed.  His death is good news.”

The Royal wedding on TV - The verdict

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

IT IS unsurprising to think that The Royal Wedding will go down as one of the biggest watched television events in history.  In Britain, the three major networks, BBC, ITV and Sky, all covered the prestigious day in their own unique way. But which of them emerged out on top?

Sky – Making the best of a bad situation

TEETHING: Technical problems hindered Sky's big day

It was Sky News in unprecedented territory.  Although it has covered major royal events down the years, it has never been something on a grand scale like this.  Eamonn Holmes, host of the ‘Sunrise’ breakfast programme was duly promoted to all-day anchor for the coverage, being assisted by several key figures within the team like Dermot Murnaghan, Adam Boulton and Kay Burley.  Sky produced accurate and well detailed reports on the day’s developments and Holmes did a rather reasonable job with the big task in hand.  However, its technical department wasn’t quite up to scratch, cutting out of interviews inappropriately, one being with prime minister David Cameron, cameras sometimes in the wrong position and even worse, its picture was blacked out just as the main service began.  Nevertheless, it was solid effort and they didn’t give up no matter the difficulties of the situation.

BBC – Strong line-up falls short

PREDICTABLE: Huw Edwards was seen by many as bland and boring

It was perhaps the BBC’s crucial hour.  As the official broadcaster to the wedding, they would be distributing the majority of the pictures, not just to the other main UK broadcasters, but to everyone else around the world.

     The decision on having its lead newscaster Huw Edwards as presenter, instead of special broadcasting veteran David Dimbelby in the end turned out to be a seething mistake.  Whereas he was very descriptive and did talked sense in the unfolding events, he seemed very dreary all day and when commentating on the ceremony; his voice sounded more like commentary of a funeral.  The only members of BBC’s team that were very captivating during the day were fellow newscasters Fiona Bruce and Sophie Raworth.  BBC Breakfast correspondent Chris Hollins blended in well with the crowds at The Mall and BBC F1 host Jake Humphrey proved to be very brave climbing aboard on one of the RAF planes used for the flyover at the end of the day.

     Back to the bad trend and Fearne Cotton seemingly struggled with her role as reporter outside Buckingham Palace.  Being rated as one of the highest acclaimed hosts in TV and radio today, this was bit of an embarrassment by her standards.  Another Radio 1 DJ that came under fire was Edith Bowman, who also had a disaster in her role as reporter at St. Andrews University, where Prince William and Kate Middleton, or Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as they are formally known now, first met.

     Although there were promises of a day to remember, the Beeb will kind of think that they well and truly shot themselves in the foot.

ITV – A surprising triumph

TRIUMPH: Etchingham and Schofield's chemistry was spot-on

Towards the build-up of the wedding, ITV had their fair share of critics who believed they would make very many comparisons to Charles and Diana’s wedding thirty years ago.  In truth, although of course mentioned much from time to time, it wasn’t that bad nor completely biased to the 1981 spectacular.

     In fact, it struck the right notes throughout much of the event.  The risk to employ Phillip Schofield as presenter instead of obvious candidate Alistair Stewart or even the possibility of coaxing legendary Sir Trevor McDonald out of retirement again turned out to be a success. Partnered by News at Ten presenter Julie Etchingham, they formed great chemistry and really introduced and injected a lot of humour into the day.

     With Stewart based outside the Goring Hotel, the Middleton’s base for the day, Mary Nightingale at Westminster Abbey and Nina Hossain with the crowds in Hyde Park, this was a simply basic approach by ITV in using their news team to cover the events.  Only two members of the crew were from outside their news operation.  Kate Garraway, who was live in the bride’s village of Bucklebury, and Matt Smith from ITV Sport who covered events in St. Andrews.  It was main newsreader Mark Austin however who stole the show as try as he might; he was often caught up in the thick of the crowds at The Mall.  The expert approach taken by Austin even saw him trending the most than anyone else on Twitter during the coverage.

     ITV themselves also achieved an unthinkable feat; they didn’t interrupt a single minute of the coverage for an advertisement break!  As soon as the main coverage started at 8:30am, that was it, they ran on continuously for the seven or so hours they were on the air for.

     This simple layout by ITV for once earned them great and deserved reconigition.  A clear winner as they knew what they were doing and importantly, had the right team for the job.

The viewer’s choice

No matter what the experts say, it comes down to who won the most viewers.  When the overnights were published, it was no surprises that the BBC came out on top.

     BBC earned an average of 13.4 million and a peak for the ceremony of 19.3 million.  Despite the glowing coverage, it sadly wasn’t enough to prevent ITV from getting the thrashing that many had initially predicted before the event.  Its coverage could only muster 4.4 million, rising to 5.5 million for the ceremony.

     If there is any consolation, ITV actually rated in more viewers in the afternoon’s section of coverage than BBC, considering they brought actual reaction and celebrations across the country whereas BBC just kept repeating the same footage again and again.  Meanwhile, Sky’s coverage took in 700,000 as their average figures and 1.2 million chose them for the ceremony despite the blackout.

     Although, as predicted, the BBC won the rating battle, it was ITV that won the broadcast war.  I hope it gets recognised at next year’s television BAFTA’s and Royal Television Society awards.

The AV vote - Making the right call

NEXT week, Britain goes to the polls again.  This time, it could well decide how the country votes in future elections.  Thanks to Nick Clegg and his failing party – we have to decide whether we want to keep the current voting system, or go for the ridiculous idea of numbering party candidates by first choice, second choice and so on.  Are you confused by the AV system, do you even care?  I don’t think people do to be honest, but all the same – it gives me the chance to express my thoughts on such a crucial system.

LISTENING: Cameron looks on as Reid gives his reasons

     Last week was a funny one, to see political rebels on the same platform as one another, promoting their views on AV.  Prime Minister David Cameron shared a stage with former Labour Home Secretary John Reid.  When Cameron said; ‘There aren’t many things me and John agree on,’ can you imagine what must have been going through Reid’s head.  Talk about stating the bloody obvious!  Cameron, Reid and the BNP leader, Nick Griffin are in the ‘No to AV’ camp.  I must admit – I’m in the same camp.  Yes, you heard it here first – I actually agree with something that Nick Griffin says and that makes me feel dirty inside!

     The current voting system works fine.  Okay, it doesn’t favour minority parties such as UKIP, the BNP, Green Party and others and it would mean another century of either ‘hung parliaments,’ or Conservative and Labour majority governments.  However, what’s so bad about that and I think, after the Liberal Democrats dramatic fall from grace in the past twelve months, many feel its bad enough they are part of a coalition at the moment, let alone if they governed the country solely.

     This referendum on the voting system was agreed in the coalition package last May, and was one of Nick Clegg’s critical reforms in his party manifesto.  So, he stuck to one of his pledges in pushing for something.  Such a shame he didn’t think the same way, when it came to tuition fees.  Students always saw the Liberal Democrats as their ‘natural’ party.  They were the only party that seemed interested in making higher education and University tuition fees a thing of the past.  Labour introduced them and the Tories were only interested in raising them.  So, when Clegg and current Business Secretary Vince Cable had their chance to rebel their point, they blew it and lost a load of staunch supporters.  Clegg doesn’t seem to regret it, but he should.  Last year, the Lib Dems were the crème of the crop and could have forged a major surprise in the General Election.  Fast-forward twelve months and the party has been battered at numerous by-elections, looks set to be thrashed at next week’s local and council elections and isn’t very liked within society.  Maybe ‘Yes to AV’ is a fairer voting system – but is it necessary?  Politics might be in a complete mess nowadays, but I think it would be in a worse state should ‘Yes to AV’ be passed. 

UNPOPULAR: Ed Miliband will do well to turn around his fortunes

     Plus, if you didn’t need any more convincing about the ‘Yes to AV’ being the wrong idea, Clegg’s biggest supporter is the Labour leader Ed Miliband.  Ed Miliband seems to be about as popular as a micro chip!  His party doesn’t seem to like him already and let’s be honest – what has he done since he was elected leader of the opposition last September, absolutely nothing!  If Miliband ever got into Downing Street, the consequences could be unimaginable.  What were the Trade Unions thinking when they backed Ed over David in the leadership contest last autumn!  David Miliband would have given Labour a more positive future, after the backwards steps it took in Gordon Brown’s later days.  In Ed Miliband, they have the wrong man in the job, when Labour could make big steps forward – especially when the coalition’s popularity is not very high in society.  Miliband backing Clegg doesn’t surprise me and it convinces me enough that ‘Yes to AV’ is the wrong way to go.

     In summary, the AV vote is not the most exciting thing to have ever gripped the country, but it is still valuable, especially with future elections in the balance on what happens at the ballot box next Thursday.  Whatever the nation ends up deciding, it will and with good grace.  I just hope you use your vote wisely and think of the possible outcomes before making your mind up.    

Britain paralysed by the Big Freeze

BRITAIN’s travel network has been paralysed by the latest instalment of the big freeze, leaving many cars stuck in mammoth traffic jams; sporting fixtures cancelled and frustrated passengers trapped in airport terminals.

CHAOS: Frustrated passengers vent their anger at Heathrow

Only a handful of flights have left the busiest European airport all weekend, as Heathrow was hit significantly by the snow.  However, they have been severely criticised by its lack of snow strategy and lack of communication.  For the third consecutive day, the reputation of Heathrow airport has been buried in the tons of snow and ice.  It is a national embarrassment and the transport secretary Phillip Hammond is taking a lot of stick to explain Heathrow’s halts.

With hotels fully booked up, thousands of passengers have slept on the floors of airport terminals for the weekend, with some operators like Thomson being heavily criticised by disgruntled customers for not giving their passengers blankets and pillows.  Other airport operators such as British Airways and Monarch have also been taking stick of a lack of simple supplies to stranded passengers.  Today, BAA has said that travellers should not head for Heathrow unless their flight is definitely confirmed. 

LACK: Planes are not leaving Heathrow, almost grounded

There may be a mammoth task to clear the sheet rinks of ice across the runways, but at Gatwick, they have dealt far better.  Under new owners, it puts far more scrutiny on BAA and Heathrow for being inadequately prepared.  Getting into the UK also seem to be as much of a problem as getting out, with heavy backlogs on Saturday at Birmingham airport after the luggage conveyor belts broke down.  The backlog across the country has also led to heavy disruption at Luton, Belfast, Exeter and Aberdeen airports amongst others.  Further delays and cancellations in the coming days are expected. 

It isn’t just the aviation industry that has suffered, as the trains have also been badly hit.  Today, queues of upto five hours built up outside Eurostar’s St. Pancreas station in London.  It is running a limited service, and has already said that no more tickets will be sold before Christmas Eve at the earliest.  Some London Underground tube services have been affected, but they were mainly back to normal today.  London Midland, Virgin Trains and other railways across East Anglia have also been slated for inadequate information.  Like the planes, it is advisable to check with National Rail before travelling.

The roads have also suffered a catalogue of problems, thanks to crashes, stranded cars and jack-knifed Lorries.  The M4 and M25 have been often left at a standstill and it took four hours for me to be navigated home from the University of Northampton on Saturday night.  This is a journey through the M1 to Milton Keynes that traditionally takes no more than 40 minutes.  The gritters are working around the clock, but some councils are already warning that they are running out of supplies. 

FROZEN: Heavy snow at the Emirates postponed Arsenal's game

Sporting fixtures have been practically wiped out for safety reasons.  The Premiership top of the table clash at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and Manchester United was postponed yesterday, with games at West Brom, Blackpool, Wigan Athletic, Liverpool, Arsenal and Birmingham City all falling foul to the weather.  Tonight’s Premiership match at Eastlands goes ahead, as Manchester City aim to go top by beating Everton.  Rugby fixtures and horse racing meetings have also been severely hit, with doubts over the King George VI beating the weather at Kempton on Boxing Day. 

ALONE: A cyclist braves the bitter weather in Brighton

The amount of snow on Saturday was the heaviest that the country has seen for any December since 1990.  If the trend continues, we are set for the coldest December since 1910, when records began.  Temperatures have plummeted as low as -20 degrees in some areas of the Midlands and there are still severe weather warnings in place for Yorkshire, the North East of England and Scotland.  The shadow Home Secretary Allan Johnston thinks that Hammond should resign.  He told Sky; “On this area, don’t forget, Scotland’s transport secretary resigned.  It is a big issue when people believe the government has left them to it: ‘Get a shovel or stay at home.”  “Governing is about more than that when you hit a crisis.” 

Hammond has though been defended by the Foreign Secretary William Hague, who admitted that; “We might have to look at this again if these things are to occur frequently.”

Whatever the outcome and whoever is to blame, it seems like many families Christmas plans have been well and truly ruined.

Mercedes are the Latest with Car Troubles

LESS than ten days after their competitive German rivals BMW revealed a braking fault, it is turn of Mercedes-Benz to announce recalls.  A potential power steering problem has been detected in some of its UK models, leading to the recall of 22,355 models in Britain.  In total, nearly 85,000 models are being recalled worldwide on a precautionary basis.

Mercedes says that there have been no incidents or accidents that have been reported, and are working closely with the VOSA (Vehicle Operator Services Agency) to write to those motorists who might be plagued by the recognised issue.  The power steering problems involves a loss of fluid in the system, and is believed to have affected C-Class and E-Class models that have been built between June 2009 and February 2010. 

A spokesman for Mercedes, Rob Halloway insisted that they aren’t taking any chances with such a problem: “We are checking every single car and writing to all affected owners inviting them to bring their vehicles into their local dealer.”

Mercedes insists that those who have concerns should get their cars checked out, and the repair work required would only need half an hour on each concern to sort out the plagued issue.

It has been a bad year for the car industry, with BMW, Toyota, Lexus and Porsche all having had to deal with recalls in 2010.

2010 British Grand Prix - Webber Overcomes Bitterness For Sweet Silverstone Success

Two weeks after his 196mph brush with death at the European Grand Prix, Mark Webber reignited his title bid, with a measured and dominant victory in the British Grand Prix yesterday.  The Australian, helped by an aggressive start on the front row of the grid, led from lights-to-flag.  Second place for Lewis Hamilton was enough to extend his championship lead.  However, despite Webber’s win, fractions inside the Red Bull camp seem to be at an all-time low.  Mark’s relationship with team boss Christian Horner seems to be beyond repair.

The issue was first raised by Red Bull bringing two new front wings to this event, only to see one fly off Sebastian Vettel’s car in the closing stages of Saturday morning practice.  With Vettel’s new wing too badly damaged, Horner made a controversial decision, to take the new spec off Webber and hand it to Vettel.  Sebastian went on to take pole position, and Mark was angry and seething with rage and fury in the driver’s press conference afterwards.  On Sunday, after his win – Webber’s message to millions was clear: “Not a bad effort from a No.2 driver.”  Horner responded by saying “You can smile now!”  Apparently, there was then a confrontation that wasn’t broadcast involving who would go up on the podium between the two, and even at the winner’s photograph, the reception looked rather frosty.  Red Bull is not far away from pressing the self-destruct button completely.

Vettel’s race was ruined by a poor getaway, Webber forcing him onto the Astroturf and then after a kiss from Hamilton’s front wing, punctured his left rear tyre.  He went off at Becketts and was left to limp back to the pits, lucky not to lose a lap in the process.  Only a Safety Car at mid-distance, to clear up flying debris from Pedro de la Rosa’s Sauber gave the German a chance to get some decent points.  This he took, with some aggressive passes on many midfield drivers, raising him to 7^th by the chequered flag.  His disappointment after the race could be told by the expression on his face in the post-race interviews.

Having begun 4^th, Hamilton drove another measured, assured race to second spot, a far cry from last year’s hideous outing, when he finished 16^th in a dog of a car.  Fellow Brit Jenson Button fought through from a nightmare 14^th on the grid, to finish an outstanding 4^th and slip to only twelve points behind Lewis.  After a difficult start to the weekend, which involved a new McLaren package having to be abandoned on Saturday morning, due to the difficulty the drivers were finding to drive with it, 2^nd and 4^th is a major save for the Woking team.  The final podium spot went to Nico Rosberg, a massive improvement from the terrible weekend that Mercedes had in Valencia a fortnight ago.  Rosberg started 5^th, jumped Robert Kubica at the pitstops and held off a limited Button attack to record his third rostrum of the season.  Michael Schumacher made gradual improvements, and but for two costly mistakes in qualifying and the race, could well have done much better, than his 9^th placed result suggests.

Ferrari left Silverstone red-faced again, with no points and their drivers at war.  Felipe Massa’s crazy lunge on the slow-starting Fernando Alonso on the first lap left the Brazilian with a puncture and well out of contention.  Alonso’s ambitious overtaking attempt on Kubica at Club, which saw the Spaniard cut part of the corner to get infront, left him with a harsh drive-through penalty and also no chance of points.  Kubica couldn’t capitalise, a suspension failure seeing the Pole chalk up his first DNF of the 2010 season.  Rubens Barrichello, who loves this place had a brilliant weekend, qualifying 8^th and finishing a strong 5^th.  With team-mate Nico Hulkenberg also in the points, in 10^th, Williams continue their radical improvements.  Kamur Kobayashi scored an excellent 6^th for Sauber, on a strong weekend for the Swiss team, with de la Rosa looking at points too, before his rear wing started to collapse.  This was down to contact with Adrian Sutil on the start-finish straight, but Sutil survived this to end up 8^th and points for the sixth successive event.

Mark Webber may have won the British Grand Prix and will have cherished this sweet success very personally.  However, if Red Bull doesn’t sort out the relationship between their drivers and the hierarchy ASAP, then it might well be McLaren, Hamilton and Button smiling at the end of the season.  Next stop in this fascinating battle is Hockenheim, in two weeks time.