Catch this great website before it goes offline. Oh, and a very merry Christmas to y'all!

The death of Joe Strummer is old news by net standards now, but I thought it right to mention even briefly. A real shame that tired old hacks like Tom Jones trundle along churning out the same old musical mush simultaneous with the untimely death of real talent. I suppose I'd better stop before I sound too much like a callow fifteen year-old.

Writing this from my country retreat and enjoying a restful, if unseasonably warm, Christmas. Some great films (Annie Hall, Scrooged, Muppet Christmas Carol, Thunderball), some excellent- if oddly scheduled- TV (The World at War), and some tantalising Christmas specials (Jackass). Good food and drink and lots of loafing. Just as well given the terrifying state of the world at the moment, but it's still possible to be interested in current affairs while being totally blinkered to the dreadful geopolitical situation; simply immerse yourself in the Democratic candidacy for 2004, an utterly doomed campaign from their perspective, assuming Bush hasn't declared himself president for life by then.

New York Times profile of Howard Dean, the only declared Democratic candidate for 2004. Pretty much writes him off as an ultimately lightweight contender, but there is an interesting comparison with Jimmy Carter and the suggestion that, with better name recognition, his championing of policies identifiably different from those of Republicans could put him in a strong position. He lacks the foreign policy background that will probably prove vital in 2004, but might make an interesting vice-presidential anchor for John Kerry. Having said that, the presidency isn't a partnership of equals, and it is unlikely that the Democrats would want two New England liberals on the ticket.

Was going to send this to shinyshelf, but then realised how bad it was. Still, not bad enough to stop me posting it here! My Christmas TV recommendations. Enjoy!

SATURDAY 21ST DECEMBER: With the exception of the excellent Out of Sight (BBC1 2225) few worthy films on today. Instead catch Fawlty Towers (BBC1 1740)- a repeat of ‘The Germans’.

SUNDAY 22ND DECEMBER: The seasonal Harryhausen quota is filled by Jason and the Argonauts (CH41520)- ‘the one with the skeletons’. Sean Connery: A Close Up (Ch 5 2000) is a half decent documentary with few critical insights but giving a nice overview of the man’s career. An interesting time of year to screen David Fincher/ Chuck Palahniuk anti-materialist rant Fight Club (BBC, 2100) but ITV have got into the spirit of the season, namely by screening the best movies at stupidly late hours- Annie Hall (ITV1 0135).

MONDAY 23RD DECEMBER: A corker of a day. Warm up with hearty Brian Blessed impersonations for Flash Gordon (Ch4, 1415). To follow, a Michael Caine evening with The Man Who Would be King (CH4 1810), standard issue TV documentary The Real Michael Caine (CH4 2100) and downbeat but brilliant Mona Lisa (CH4 2230). If you prefer to start Christmas Eve on a somewhat more cheerful note then skip this last one and go for Bill Murray’s funny take on A Christmas Carol, Scrooged (BBC1, 2335)

CHRISTMAS EVE: the spirit of legislated nostalgia is strong with a festive program rich in the sort of films you always remember being on at Christmas: the cheery morning movie spot is ably filled by the Muppet Christmas Carol (ITV 1125), the evening sees competition between the timeless classic Casablanca (CH5, 2000) and (fairly) recent blockbuster The Mummy (BBC1, 2005). There’s even a Carry On movie after midnight- the better-than-average Carry On Cleo (BBC1, 0050). On the music front, avoid the I Love… nonsense of Have Yourself a Very 80s Christmas (BBC2, 2215) and wait for Fairytale of New York (CH4, 0035) the only decent Christmas record ever.

CHRISTMAS DAY: After being revitalised with the appearance of Octopussy two years ago, the post-prandial Bond film is firmly established with the great choice of Thunderball (ITV 1510), neatly scheduled after the Queen’s speech for the maximum patriotic effect. If that’s not good enough for you, then catch your annual Christmas dose of Nick Park’s claymation with Chicken Run (BBC1, 1650)- great film but a rather dubious timeslot given that most viewers will be stuffed with poultry at this point. Finally, Jaws is always excellent (ITV1, 2255), its late screening due to seasonal rot, Celebrity Blind Date and Celebrity Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

BOXING DAY: Start the day with underrated Steve Martin/ Michael Caine Riviera con-man comedy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (ITV1 1125). The Muppets strike back with less-good literary follow up Muppet Treasure Island (BBC1, 1340) followed by ‘it wouldn’t be Christmas without it’ Mary Poppins (ITV1, 1725). It seems odd that the BBC think we need another adaptation of Hound of the Baskervilles (BBC1, 2100), but it might be worth look, given that its Holmes (Richard Roxburgh) will be appearing as his own Brother Mycroft in next year’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Be sure and stay up for top quality sequel Airplane II (BBC1, 2355)- with top Shatner action- or if you prefer your humour a little less crude, Some Like It Hot (ITV 0015)

FRIDAY 27TH DECEMBER: Catch up on current affairs with the Newsround Review of the Year (BBC1, 1250) before another staple of this time of year The Great Escape (ITV, 1350), or for gentler World War II entertainment, feature-length Dad’s Army (CH4 1615). One of the finest Christmas specials of recent years finishes off the day with Father Ted (CH4, 2100), the lingerie department scene alone demands viewing.

Take a good look at these pictures and tell me that John Kerry doesn't look the most presidential. Admittedly in a 60's Kennedy-esque way but maybe that's what the Democrats need- to pretend that Nixon, Reagan, Bush and Bush just didn't happen.

An interesting, if rather rabid article by Robert Reich on the American Prospect website I picked up from a reference on Taegan Goddard's political wire. Basically paints a picture of Democrat/Republican parties that broadly corresponds to the state of Conservative/Labour here- one staggers around with no certain agenda (beyond reaction and opposition) while the other plows ahead without regard to its putative rival. This is reinforced by points Reich makes in this Observer article pointing out the lack of central leadership for the Democrats compounded by too many loose cannon, independent political figures and a dearth of loyal candidates ready to toe the line and do whatever the party leader says (sound familiar).
There is the possibility that a new candidate will rinse away the last memories of the Clinton administration and allow the forging of a new Democrat party. On the other hand it might be the case of a long period in opposition being required for the reinvention of a party to take place, like Labour in the 1980s. Of course that does mean a series of Republican administrations for the next fourteen to eighteen years... it's probably best not to think about it.

So, farewell Al Gore. His bizarre and apparently spontaneous (his own press secretary was caught on the hop and had to disembark early from a flight paragraph 8) announcement on Sunday's 60 Minutes indicated he thought that, "personally [I] have the energy and the drive and the ambition to make another campaign. But I don't think it's the right thing for me to do. I think that a campaign that would be a rematch between myself and President Bush would inevitably involve a focus on the past that would, in some measure, distract from the focus on the future that I think all campaigns have to be about."

This clears up the running field a lot; though Gore was the assumed favourite for Democratic candidacy there were rumblings from the Democratic leadership and an air of pre-emptive resignation to defeat. 2000 was the closest election since 1960, but that doesn't mean that Gore gained anything from such a close result- ultimately he was a loser. Indeed, the playing field for an election in 2004 is going to be so different from that in 2000 in every way (peace vs imminent war, relative complacency vs paranoid 'homeland security', economic cheer vs potential gloom) that it could only be damaging to run an opposition candidate on the basis of Election 2000 II; The Revenge. Who knows? Gore might even make a comback in 2012 a la Nixon in '68.

Of the possible candidates this leaves in the running, I won't hide my own, fairly irrational, preference for John Kerry, but would say that a Lieberman candidacy would be a mistake. Sure, fighting authoritarian right-wing Republican fire with authoritarian right-wing Democrat fire might seem an election winnign strategy but any victory gained this way would be hollow, and a manifestation of many peoples' beliefs that differences between America's two political parties are cosmetic and little more.

Oh and just after posting BBC started reporting that North Korea intends to restart its frozen nuclear weapons program. Oh, and George Bush has made available a small-pox vaccine for all American citizens. All not at all scary stuff. "I think it ought to be a voluntary plan... I don't think people ought to be compelled to make the decision which they think is best for their family." It should sound positive but there's something strangely scary about his statement on the matter- possibly his use of the word 'compelled'.

So, a nation with which the United States and West in general has enjoyed mutually hostile relations with for fifty years, which represents the worst excesses of Stalinism, which starves and represses its civilians while maintaining a million-man army, which has engaged in directly hostile actions against two neighbouring countries (both key US allies) and which was recently found to have an active nuclear weapon research program is perfectly entitled to ship short range strategic missiles to a flashpoint in the Middle East. Amazing as this country is also a named suspect in the (admittedly ludicrous) 'axis of evil'. While attention is concentrated on an equally evil state but one with a crippled military, plentiful oil and connotations of family vendetta, murky evil continues around the globe. I'm not sure of my point here; that the public attention span is, or is judged to be, too short to cope with more than one global crisis; that Bush's administration is cynical and oil thirsty; that all states who disagree with the West should be pounded to the ground, irrespective of other considerations (scary that one); or just to point out the muddled inconsistency behind George Bush's foreign policy. Hmmm, not as profound a revelation as I'd hoped for.

About five hours spent knocking out a Die Another Date update to 'the good book' as I like to call it, ironic really given it's pretty bloody terrible. Nonetheless I persevere, powered by pasta, vodka and my unrequited love for Rosamund Pike (Rosamund, if you're out there email's on the left). Anyway, it's women kickboxing on the TV after Tampa Bay got smacked down 23-20 by New Orleans and I'm probably about to go to bed. Oh, before I go I've got a whole shed-load of refutations for that bugger Edward Nelson who posted on amazon.co and .com. If anyone wants to hear them let me know. As It'll take me a while to type them up, there'll be a lot of bile involved and I've got too much of that sloshing around to vent it fruitlessly.