Cute Korean boy band of the day

Fashion parade of the day

Why doesn't British TV have programmes like this?

Eurovision: the best man won

As soon as the boyf and I saw Alexander Rybak's picture in the Radio Times we knew we were supporting Norway. Phwoar! (The song is quite good, too.) I never thought he would actually win, least of all by such a landslide.

Of course I am delighted, but it is a little unnerving to have backed the runaway winner. I am much more accustomed to being in a tiny minority on these as on many other issues.

I'm pleased also that the UK did not do all that well. In fact it didn't deserve to do as well as it did, with a very dreary and vapid song by the wholly talent-free "Lord" Andrew Lloyd-Webber -- who, as my friend Jamie reminds me, promised to leave the country if Labour won the 1997 election, so why is he still here?

I thought it was a bit mean of Iain Dale, on Adam Boulton's show this morning, to seem to imply that there was something fishy or fraudulent about the fact that Alexander came originally from Belarus. His parents moved to Norway when he was four, so he has spent 83% of his life in Norway. Aparently that's not good enough for "Tory blogger" (as he is always announced) Dale.

Still, however dull and self-obsessed Dale sometimes seems, he has one good post today, about the ghastliness of the BNP.

As he points out, the BNP is now trying to look "respectable" on TV, all sharp suits and ties, but behind the facade they are still the same nasty, racist, dangerous thugs.

(But he's still wrong about the Norway Eurovision song.)

Sir Clement Freud

I was sorry to read of the death of Sir Clement Freud. I met him a few times in the middle 1970s when he was a Liberal MP and I had the thankless task of trying to co-ordinate political lobbying for homosexual law reform on behalf of CHE.

Behind the dog food adverts and the silly panel games, he was a highly intelligent and serious man. Meeting the rich and famous can be daunting, but he was kindness itself, and seemed a very nice person. He warmly supported our cause, despite being 110% heterosexual himself. He told us that a gay constituent of his had committed suicide and this shocked him into action. He did what he could for us in the House in unpropitious circumstances, and we were grateful for his help.

Noted Tory blogger weds his boyf

I am pleased to welcome Iain Dale to the ranks of "political bloggers who are in a civil partnership"; and whatever our political differences, I wish him and his partner well.

When I was heavily involved in gay rights campaigning from 1968 to 1976, I used to come across gay chaps who described themselves as Conservatives, and I always used to wonder how they felt about the fact that, had their party been in power, they would certainly not have been enjoying the (albeit restricted) legal freedom granted in 1967.

Similarly, if Iain's party had won the 2001 election I wonder if they would have brought forward the Civil Partnerships Bill in 2004 and found parliamentary time for it?

The gay vote in London (contd.)

Further to my "Gays for Paddick?" post yesterday, Johann Hari has interviewed the three main candidates and wrote about it in yesterday's Independent. His piece says everything we need to know.

Gays for Paddick?

The Pink Paper reports that Brian Paddick is leading among London gay voters, according to a (rather small) opinion poll.

That's understandable and reasonable. Paddick deserves a lot of kudos for his courage in coming out when he was a senior policeman. But I hope these voters will realise that (since Paddick is unlikely to win) they need to put Livingstone as their second preference, because he has also been impeccably pro-gay throughout his political career:

Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association secretary, George Broadhead, praised Mr Livingstone for his "long-standing support for lesbian and gay rights notably inaugurating the first ever registration of their partnerships - and his enthusiastic support for the London Pride events".