The most interesting thing to come out of the Haltemprice & Howden by-election

I haven't bothered to post anything in particular about the David Davis by-election as the results were stultifyingly boring. About the best you can say about it is that the Greens finished in second place. The only really interesting thing that happened was when a friend of mine decided to run a sweepstake on the candidate that would end up with the least number of votes (which he went on to win. Very suspicious!)

However I did find one useful side product from the campaign - a 2 hour 53 minute lecture by David Icke, available on the website of something called Edge Media TV.

I've just watched 45 minutes of this and it's certainly an impressive public speaking performance. If you are sympathetic to Icke's conspiracy theory schtick, it's a very good (if somewhat long) outline of where his thinking's at nowadays. If you think he's talking total balls, then it's one of the greatest sustained comedy efforts you are likely to see (complete with bizarre micro-second jump cuts to an alternative camera angle - what's going on?) Either way, you can't lose.

Edge Media TV broadcasts on Sky Channel 211 and I'd love to tell you more about what the rest of their schedule is, but I can't pay money for something owned by Rupert Murdoch, so I can't.

Icke on the ballot

The crushing dullness of much contemporary political debate (I was listening to Harriet Harman talking about the new Equalities Bill on the radio today and I'd love to debate the finer points of that with you, but I fell asleep) is enlivened somewhat by the list of candidates for the Haltemprice and Howden by-election. They are:

• Grace Christine Astley - Independent
• David Laurence Bishop - Church of the Militant Elvis Party
• Ronnie Carroll - Make Politicians History
• Mad Cow-Girl - The Official Monster Raving Loony Party
• David Craig - Independent
• Herbert Winford Crossman - Independent
• Tess Culnane - National Front Britain for the British
• Thomas Faithful Darwood - Independent
• David Michael Davis - Conservative
• Tony Farnon - Independent
• Eamonn "Fitzy" Fitzpatrick - Independent
• Christopher Mark Foren - Independent
• Gemma Dawn Garrett - Miss Great Britain Party
• George Hargreaves - Christian Party
• Hamish Howitt - Freedom 4 Choice
• David Icke - No party listed
• John Nicholson - Independent
• Shan Oakes - Green Party
• David Pinder - The New Party
• Joanne Robinson - English Democrats: Putting England First
• Jill Saward - Independent
• Norman Scarth - Independent
• Walter Edward Sweeney - Independent
• Christopher John Talbot - Socialist Equality Party
• John Randle Upex - Independent
• Greg Wood - Independent

Just one caught my eye - David Icke. Friends will know that ever since reading The Biggest Secret and Children of the Matrix a few years back I've maintained an interest in what the Ickester is trying to awaken us to - or defraud us with, depending on your point of view. Anyway David's site confirms that he's standing.

Unless several thousand of the people who buy Icke's books live in that particular constituency (which is possible, though unlikely) he's unlikely to get elected, but it's exciting to see him back in the news at least.

Icke's Big Brother Research Centre page (not about the TV series, sadly) is deserving of further perusal at a later date. Maybe it's time to resurrect Hal's Friday Evening Blog Review... that was a laugh.