Hansom: Augmented reality

Seeing red

Last week’s Commons debate on blacklisting was at times amusing given what a serious subject was being discussed. Backbench Labour MPs in particular seemed enthused to hear workers’ rights discussed and immediately began trying to outdo each other in listing their working-class credentials. It was almost as if Tony Blair had never existed as left-wing novel The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists was mentioned and a number of MPs rather proudly told the House that they had been labelled as communists in the past. Hansom was surprised no one started singing the Red Flag.

Clegg’s awakening

Turning to the government, Nick Clegg, it seems, has woken up and smelt the coffee on the UK’s shrinking economy. The deputy PM admitted in a partial mea culpa that the coalition made an error in cutting capital spending so deeply when it came to power and that in order to drive the economic recovery it needed to “mobilise more public spending on infrastructure”. Not before time some might think, given how the ongoing recession in construction has dragged down growth in the wider economy. If only the Lib Dems had someone in the Treasury, hmm …

Tall story

The Shard may no longer be the tallest building in Europe, but it has, it would seem, found a new claim to fame as the home to the “nearly mile high club”. According to the Sun, “randy thrill-seekers” have been climbing to the top of the tower to “enjoy sky-high romps” on the top floor of the 1,016ft glass skyscraper. The Sun reports that couples “want to share their intimate moments while taking in magnificent views across the capital”. Racy stuff. But the evidence for the story was unconvincing to say the least: a pair of women’s knickers was found in the toilets. One is tempted to suggest the whole thing is a lacy fabrication.

Sorry Sheffield

The announcement of the proposed HS2 route beyond Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds was rightly hailed as good news for the north of England. But many Sheffield residents were left baffled over where the high-speed rail link will stop - not in the city centre, but at its out-of-town shopping centre Meadowhall. The reaction on Twitter was almost universally negative, where typical comments included “Is the government trying to kill off Sheffield” and “Cop out”. Surprisingly the joint owner of Meadowhall British Land, which stands to gain from the decision, did not make its views known on social media.

Message for the masses

Energy minister Greg Barker’s attempts to sell the transformative impact of the Green Deal seem to be becoming ever more surreal. “Now when you think of energy efficiency don’t think of a man in a brown boiler suit, think of Linda Barker,” he told a throng of bemused journalists this week. “We think the Green Deal is going to make energy efficiency the new scatter cushion and transform the way people think about what until now has been a rather boring issue.” Hansom questions whether utterly confusing consumers is better than boring them.