My heart bleeds.

Via The Devil, this little story about criminals pretending that their unattractive attire is causing them significant distress.

Criminals wearing orange jackets while working in the community have been abused and jeered at by members of the public, according to study by leaders of the probation officers.

Community, church groups and at least one local council are refusing to accept placements involving offenders dressed in jackets bearing the words “Community Payback”.

You know what, mate, those people you screwed over to deserve your sentences are probably slightly more deserving of our sympathy than you. Shut the fuck up and get sweeping.

If I were in charge (and frankly you are suffering from a lot worse) I would hire this chap to be in charge of the prisons:

Arpaio set up a "Tent City" as an extension of the Maricopa County Jail. Many prisons and jails throughout the United States have used, and continue to use, tents to house inmates. Tent City is located in a yard next to a more permanent structure containing toilets, showers, an area for meals, and a day room. It has become notable particularly because of Phoenix's extreme temperatures. Daytime temperatures inside the tents have been reported as high as 150 degrees in the top bunks. During the summer, fans and water are supplied in the tents.

When Arpaio took office, inmates were routinely being released early due to overcrowding. Arpaio believed that "courts, not head count" should determine when an inmate is released, and that no officer should be deterred from making an arrest for fear that the inmate would be released due to jail overcrowding.During the summer of 2003, when outside temperatures exceeded 110 °F (43 °C), which is higher than average, Arpaio said to complaining inmates, "It's 120 degrees in Iraq and the soldiers are living in tents and they didn't commit any crimes, so shut your mouths." Inmates were given permission to wear only their pink underwear.

You're not on holiday, you're being punished. Want tea and hugs and the opportunity to blame someone else? Join the Lib Dems when you get out.

best laugh I've had for ages

Readers may be aware that I don't think too much of Declan Ganley standing in the UK in the European Elections, in short because I think he will be devious and try to steal votes from withdrawalists when he is pro EU.

Oh, how supremely fucking funny...

clash of civilisations?

According to the New York Times, the Great Samuel P Huntington died on Christmas Eve.

In 1993, Professor Huntington provoked great debate among international relations theorists with the interrogatively-titled "The Clash of Civilizations?", an extremely influential, oft-cited article published in Foreign Affairs magazine. Its description of post–Cold War geopolitics contrasted with the influential End of History thesis advocated by Francis Fukuyama.

Huntington expanded "The Clash of Civilizations?" to book length and published it as The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order in 1996. The article and the book posit that post–Cold War conflict would most frequently and violently occur because of cultural rather than ideological differences. That, whilst in the Cold War, conflict likely occurred between the Capitalist West and the Communist Bloc East, it now was most likely to occur between the world's major civilizations — identifying seven, and a possible eighth: (i) Western, (ii) Latin American, (iii) Islamic, (iv) Sinic (Chinese), (v) Hindu, (vi) Orthodox, (vii) Japanese, and (viii) the African. This cultural organization contrasts the contemporary world with the classical notion of sovereign states. To understand current and future conflict, cultural rifts must be understood, and culture — rather than the State — must be accepted as the locus of war. Thus, Western nations will lose predominance if they fail to recognize the irreconcilable nature of cultural tensions.

A few more days and he would have once again seen how true his words were when he wrote that

In Eurasia the great historic fault lines between civilizations are once more aflame. This is particularly true along the boundaries of the crescent-shaped Islamic bloc of nations, from the bulge of Africa to central Asia. Violence also occurs between Muslims, on the one hand, and Orthodox Serbs in the Balkans, Jews in Israel, Hindus in India, Buddhists in Burma and Catholics in the Philippines. Islam has bloody borders

For what have we in the Gaza Strip than another tedious ongoing battle between Islam and Jew. Again. What do we have in Afghanistan than the Muslim Taliban fighting western ideology?

Huntington did say that The West should stop with their continual push of trying to spread liberal democracy as it was none of their business and rushed democracy doesn't work: for a clear example of the latter have a quick look at Russia. Really, you'll only need a wee peek.

I agree that we should stop interfering in every other country which is why I was against the war in Iraq. I am, however, in favour of the war against the Taliban and for ensuring that in North Pakistan there aren't suicide bomber training camps for the simple reason that these people are trying to kill people like me, you, my friends and family.

In general people get the government they deserve and why should we persist with this Bush Doctrine of blowing the fuck out of everyone just because they're not like us? Live and let live; maybe that's what they want.

I shall end with this rather pithy way of summing up these problems we face if we persist with trying to change the world, as said by Jack Mizon, formerly of the Grenadier Guards when fighting in Afghanistan:

“They [the Taliban] believe that when they die they’re going to wake up with 27 virgins,” he said to me one night, after a heavy day of constant fighting. “So how can you fight against someone like that who doesn’t give a shit?”

I do hope that Huntington's ideas don't go with him to his grave, because he talked an awful lot of sense and a few people out there could do well to remind themselves that we're not the world police.

Cold Turkey and left over sprouts

The BritBlog Round-up: Cold Turkey is up over at Jackart's place.

Trixy does BBC

Not in a Debbie Does Dallas kind of way, in a 'let's not report a story in anything like an unbiased manner. But then, I'm not funded to the tune of millions by people who have no fucking choice so, what do I care?

Quite. Not much.

It's not too tricky to work out which side I am on in the whole 'Middle East' debacle. (David Miliband's, of course) and this little piece of news which has managed to reach me even though I am in the middle of nowhere really does rather fuck me off and reinforce my prejudices that Hamas are Nasty Cunts.

Egypt says the Hamas militant group, which controls Gaza, is preventing hundreds of wounded Palestinians from leaving for treatment in Egypt.

Cairo says dozens of empty ambulances are at the Rafah crossing - the only one to Gaza which avoids Israel.

I know there are lots of people out there who think that Israel are always wrong but I, once again, don't blame them. The cease fire is over, Hamas like firing rockets at them: go for it, I say.

I was rather fair and said that I could see why the Palestinians decided not to renew the ceasefire

I am STILL bloody waiting for the EU and government to inform me how much we, the hard up tax payer, fund the terrorists but I guess I'll have to wait until they come back from hols. So sometime around March, then...

crikey

15,000 of them. That's a lot. And you're leaving in a few months time, so we're told.

Blimey.

Much amusement at Hugo Rifkind's article...

Maybe you read this now as the only survivor of your own little festive apocalypse. Under the dining room table, naked except for a party hat, beating off the advances of your snarling, brandy-butter-crazed family dog with the charred remains of grandma's thighbone. “Nooooo!” you will be wailing. “If only I had been appraised of the stark and leafleted warnings of Baroness Morgan of Drefelin, the Minister for Children, in conjunction with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents! Woe! Woe!” Sob, growl, thunk.

Most entertaining: do read the rest...

Posted on Trixy's behalf.

So here it is

Merry Christmas, everyone is now drinking and eating too much.

Have a wonderful yuletide festival winterval whatever the bollocks doesn't offend people too much these days.

Here's a toast to you all and hoping that:

1) You never get made an example of a 'generous rectangle

2) You get pissed and insult someone you hate

3) I get shoes from Santa but don't have to explore Santa's sacks too vigorously.

Pip pip

Trixy

Merry Troughmas!

Note: I am not the lovely Trixy.

All aboard the Christmas gravy train:

The European Union’s institutions in Brussels have been accused of squandering millions of Euro of European taxpayers’ money by paying for their employees’ Christmas travel expenses at a time of economic crisis. Hans-Peter Martin, an independent member of the European Parliament from Austria, wrote to the press denouncing this “shocking privilege.”

“The money would be better spent financing meaningful social projects,” Martin wrote. Last year, the European Commission and the European Council jointly spent just under 47 million Euro (USD 65 million dollars) to pay for the Christmas travel arrangements of their 22,800-odd employees.

Now, 47 million Euro is chump change, let's face it, when compared to horrors like the cost of the CAP. And many people might even say that it's quite fair for an international organisation to fund a trip home for Christmas. All good and well.

But (and you knew there was one, didn't you?) let's just do the sums shall we? 47 million Euros divided by 22,800 employees gives us an average of well over 2000 Euros per person!

Now, given that the EU institutions are, by definition, all in Europe, what the fuck do they need an AVERAGE of 2000 Euros for, to get from one bit of Europe to another bit of Europe? For fuck's sake, you can drive from Belgium to most of the EU in a day. 2000 Euros buys an awful lot of fuel. Accepting that far-flung places like Spain and Portugal or the Eastern bloc might need a flight, that's what, 250 Euros? 500 Euros if you're generous to a fault. And I bet that more people who work for the EU live closer to their work than those that live further away.

What the fuck are they pissing all our money away on?

This via Mr E must have been commissioned by a man.

Few points I'd like to make
1) 17 year olds go only for looks (or men)
2) or perhaps 1 b) looks are subjective
3) Drinking a requirement when dealing with men
4) Cured cancer, have we? No? Then stop wasting time and money with fucking stupid reports and either leave uni or try for a proper degree.

*yes, I am having a slight strop today

strops and sequins

Strictly Come Dancing winner Tom Chambers should not have been allowed to dance in the final, according to fellow competitor Lisa Snowdon. The model and radio presenter was "fuming" after Holby City actor Chambers made it through to the last programme, her father said last night.
She felt he should have been eliminated in the semi-final last week after scoring lowest marks from the judges.

I actually agree everyone should have gone into the final because otherwise the public votes would not have counted at all and that would have not been fair. If it was to be a decision based on the judges and people at home then it had to be that way.

I can understand why Lisa was upset and "fuming" because Tom was actually popular with the public, what with bringing personality to his dancing and not seeming so self satisfied and falsly grateful. She knew she would be the first out in the final with Tom there because the only reason she got that far was because of the judges.

Now, as someone who actually ballroom dances I am well aware of the fact that the best people should stay on. I was rather annoyed after the weeks progressed with John staying on because he ceased to amuse me. But for me, Lisa was not the best because she didn't add that je ne c'est pas to her dancing.

Therefore, when Austin went, I transferred my support to the other dancer who got the point of the competition.

You didn't win but you took part in a competition millions of people would love to have the opportunity to do. Get over it, love.

It's hardly rocket science

Well, well well. Whodathunkit. Increases in child benefits have led to an additional 45,000 children being born in a year. There is a particular boom amongst poor women since Labour made having children a profitable enterprise.

Hands up who is in the slightest bit surprised?

This is a classic example of why we must stop rewarding people for being reproductively irresponsible. I do not want to pay for 16 year olds to have more chavvy children and continue this cycle of 'it's my rights innit' culture.

Analysis of household survets found large numbers of poorly educated women who said they were not using contraception because they wanted to have children.

Either shut your fucking legs or use contraception and get a fucking job until you can afford to have children. Because I see no bloody reason why I should have to pay through the nose for your lifestyle choice.

*I hope Mark Wadsworth doesn't regret appointing me in his cabinet now.

Leaders of Europe?

Have a look at this tv show which has as guests UKIP leader Nigel Farage and Tory MEP for the South East of England.

Across the table from them is a really hideous creature who has crawled out from under his EU rock: Gay Mitchell. He really is one of the dumbest people I've ever heard although he's probably quite bright compared to some other MEPs.

After 30 seconds of speaking you can see that his reason for existing is to stop the British taking over Ireland. That's why there has to be as second referendum: so the Irish (who, as he will tell you, are doing very well as a sovereign nation with 75% of their laws made by the EU), can let the British know that they don't want them back.

I heard an anecdote this week that Mr Mitchell was often to be heard talking about how his father fought the British and for Irish independence for the whole of his life. To which Dan Hannan replied that was odd, because his father was only born in 1934.

Enjoy.

MPs are....

Are MPs just incapable of answering a fucking question?

Bob Spink (Castle Point, UKIP)

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions his Department has had with the European Commission on possible UK membership of the European single currency in the last two years.

Ian Pearson (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Economic and Business), Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform; Dudley South, Labour)

Treasury Ministers discuss a wide range of issues with their counterparts in other countries, as well as the European Commission. The Government's policy on membership of the single currency in unchanged. It remains as set out by the Chancellor in his statement to the House of Commons in October 1997, and again in the Chancellor's statement on the five tests assessment in June 2003.

That wasn't the question, Mr Pearson.

The President of the European Commission says that he's been discussing with 'the people that matter' (that's the politicians to him because he's a cunting eurocrat) i.e. senior figures in the Labour administration, the prospect of Britain joining the Euro.

Now, I know that the chances of you, by virtue of you being a Labour MP, being able to lie straight in bed are rather low, but even you can realise that that your rather pointless little statement is rather irrelevant.

Speaking of pointless replies which don't answer the question, I must reply to that minion in the dept of health who replied to my polite query on the state of dentistry in this country by quoting the report I quoted at him in the first place back at me.

Twat.

Something the government could do

Trixy is rather grateful she didn't have to go to Wootton Bassett today: not because she doesn't want to pay her respects to those who put their lives on the line to protect ours, but because today, driving through the town, there were six brave men brought back in wooden boxes.

Lieutenant Aaron Lewis from 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery
Lance Corporal Steven Fellows
Sergeant John Manuel
Corporal Marc Birch
Marine Damian Davies of the Commando Logistics Regiment.

No, she was glad she was in London because the tears were flowing freely* when the coffin of one Marine stopped in front of her the other week and it rips her to shreds every time. Six would have been too much. As a friend of mine in the RAF says "it does an upsettingly good job of bringing back the suppressed reality of what we're all up to."

That's a few more widows, fatherless children and parents having to bury their own children.

Which is why the Military Covenant is so important. Earlier this week the MoD announced that the AFCS payments for tariffs 1-4 (that's pretty fucking bad) which were doubled and retrospectively in the Armed Forces Command Paper are going to arrive before Christmas. The next few will arrive in the new year.

But that still leaves an awful lot to do in order for the government to be doing their job of maintaining the Military Covenant: to ensure that those who put their lives on the line, who risk making the ultimate sacrifice and who also give up many civil liberties in doing so are not penalised for doing that.

When you look at the huge wastes of money (I'm actually too tired of linking to the fuck ups we know: £14bn on the EU, £20bn at least on the NHS computer system, the pointless Welsh Assembly and Scottish parliament, regional assemblies, crack groups of social workers roaming the streets trying to make us live according to some Nu Labour guidelines) wouldn't you rather that instead of these, we say to the government to stop with their brain washing programme and, before giving us a nice tax cut, make sure those in the armed forces and their families and ex servicemen and women are properly looked after. Because they are doing a more important, worthy job than any politician.

young men going to fight on the front line have decent accommodation vs Peter Mandelson getting a huge salary, expense account, £2m house and staff.

I know which one I'd prefer and it'd be Mandelfucker living in a cardboard box under a bridge rather than any veteran with untreated Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

But then, I'm not the Secretary of State for Defence.

*And I hope they continue to do so when I see such a sight. So sad, so poignant and so moving.

And from today...

Just a little reminder...

Of what the President of the European Parliament, i.e the only EU institution in which the paymasters have a chance to voice their views, is like.

You might not like our Mr Speaker, but can you imagine the British Press keeping quiet if he was like this monster? Yet they do when he's hidden away in Brussels.

Financial Incentives: A guide

Why on earth should Hamas renew the peace deal when this government and the EU have flooded them with our money for not sticking to the cease fire. Hardly a fucking incentive to behave now, is it.

Let's not forget the rocket attacks they are rather keen on which only the other day killed 28 odd people.

There's a strategy for you, Brown, which would probably be usefully applied in the Department of Idle Buggers: Stop paying people for not playing by the rules. Want some money? Get a job. Can't find a job but try hard to find one? Fair play, we'll look after you. Want your people to not live in poverty:
1) Don't start a fucking war in the first place to cause gripes and moans about land disputes
2) Don't spend your money on rockets etc but try micro finance, ownership rights and education
3) Don't fucking kill people you said you wouldn't in order to get the funding in the first place you terrorist fuckheads.

And if you're in Africa then if I see you buy another Lear Jet with my money I shall wait until I have another particularly bad bout of PMT and, armed with a stalk of brussel sprouts, tell you exactly what I fucking think of you.

Mandy has competition

From the Brussels Insider blog I stumble across this rather interesting snippet on the busy life of our new trade commissioner. (That's Baroness Ashton, by the way. Looks like an anteater sucking on a lemon and has no real experience of international trade.):

Digging a bit deeper, however, we see that she has indeed done a couple of things since then. She was at a conference in Brussels on 28 October, then then she spoke to a bunch of Russian industrialists in Cannes on 13 November – a meeting that would have been organised when everybody thought that Peter Mandelson was still the Commissioner.

"Peter where do you want to meet up with some Russian industrialists?"

"Oh I don't know, shall we go to Corfu?"

"No, Peter, that was your summer holiday, and it has to take place in France – they do hold the Presidency, you know".

"Well, I guess it will have to be Cannes then. After all, how am I going to get invited on their yachts if we do it inland?"

We wonder if the baroness went on any of their yachts? How they must be missing Peter!

Why was the Trade Commissioner Elect sucking up to Russian squillionaires? Mandy must have given her a thorough handover if the whispers from my Russian friends are correct.

Off to have me root canal....

Britblog roundup

Is up over at la maison de Mr Eugenides and it's the 200th. Which is rather fancy.

Glorious and tasteful Christmas lights

Readers might have been subjected to rather vulgar displays of Christmas light displays to be found strewn liberally on the fronts of houses and, on rather special occasions, also in front gardens.

This is something of a splendid example:


Although I shall have to wait until I drive past tomorrow to get a snap of the full glory of the garden which is resplendent with reindeer and sleigh, Santa, snow men and, for reasons which Mingy and I can't fathom, trains.

Down the road there is also another house with a whole train between the ground and first floor bay windows which does need sharing.

Can someone explain to me why trains are festive? We were wondering whether it's because in the British version of the Christmas story, Mary and Joseph were going on Holiday to Egypt on South West Trains and because of engineering works they were diverted from Nazareth to Bethlehem and, because of this unexpected diversion, they didn't have any reservations.

Or is there a better explanation?


Any other wonderful photographs which you feel should be shared do e-mail them to:
thelovelytrixy [AT] gmail [DOT] com.

The government being deceptive? Surely not.

I'm not a big watcher of 'sports personality of the year', mainly because it's a contradiction in terms. (Unless 'personality means 'saying 110 per cent a lot). But I was a bit miffed that Chris Hoy has won this year after hearing from Mr E that he was quite up for brain washing by the ridiculous and nonsensical SNP. That wasn't the most nonsense on the TV today, though.

The government are trying to say they've only given 6 million to Pakistan when in fact tax payers have given 428 million. A bit of a difference.

This is only a week after the hard up Joe, struggling to pay his bills, has given 6 BILLION to Africa so a few murderous corrupt fuckers can buy some more diamond encrusted Lear Jets with our money. Who decided that? Some bleeding heart socialist with no concept of business or economics.

There are also snow storms across Europe. Funny, because I thought the brown rice and lentil brigade, amongst whom I include the government, Tory leadership and Lib Dems, were telling us that because we didn't cycle everywhere and run our houses on wind power, we wouldn't be able to ski again.

Wrong.

Like you are on practically everything. So can you just fuck off and let us live our lives without you permanently trying to inflict more pain and misery?

Large combustion elephant in the room

Within hours of the referendum results being declared, the Department for Transport said it would press ahead with development of the costly series of studies which would underpin a pay-as-you-drive scheme, which could see motorists paying up to £1.30 a mile to drive in the rush hour.

The results of the referendum appears to cast serious doubt on the Government's ability to deliver an acceptable road pricing scheme.

Almost 80 per cent of voters in Greater Manchester rejected the proposed congestion charging scheme, which would have seen commuters paying up to £5 a day to travel in and out of the city centre during the rush hour in return for a substantial investment in local trains, trams and buses.

That's because there is this rather expensive, failing, vanity project of the EU's called Galileo which needs to be paid for.

There is no need for it, no one wants it, the EU can't find businesses to continue to invest so surprise fucking surprise! The traditional socialist answer of shafting the tax payer and not telling them the truth has been brought out.

Since 18 May 2007, at the recommendation of Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot, the EU took direct control of the Galileo project from the private sector group of eight companies called European Satellite Navigation Industries, which had abandoned this Galileo project in early 2007.

These people don't care.

To them, you and your views are merely an inconvenience to be ignored.

Don't want road pricing? Leave the EU.

It's not fucking rocket science.

weapons-grade cock ends

It's very hard for even the green ink brigade to take a group of BNP supporters and jealous fanatics seriously when they post such statements as:

There is only one way to deal with Farage and his cabal. They must be removed. Fortunately, the wheels are already in motion. The Newmarket Declaration and the Bath meeting are just the beginning. The counter-revolution has already begun!

Sounds right up the street of the Munich Putsch.

I'm sure Martin Haslam has already been on to a newspaper to tell them all about it.

Cowen: does he consider himself incompetent?

I presume Brian Cowen and his government aren't standing for re-election in Ireland. Firstly they ignore what the Irish people who pay their wages decided whilst announcing to the world that they think they are stupid, ignorant people who don't know anything about anything. Oh, and lie to them, of course.

Europe's leaders have agreed on 'assurances' designed to persuade Irish voters to reverse their rejection of the EU constitution.

'Lisbon is adopted,' one EU diplomat said today. The deal was confirmed separately by two other diplomats at the meeting of EU leaders in Brussels.

Irish voters will be encouraged to back the document in a second vote next year.

EU chiefs last night agreed in principle key concessions to Dublin at a Brussels summit in return for a re-run of the referendum. They hope the Irish will deliver the 'right' result when they vote again.

When are people going to fucking learn that NO is not a word in the EU's language?

The bastards in Brussels, frantically working out how they can ignore the democratic will of the people in the one state they had to hold a referendum, have come up with a few ways which they can try to convince the Irish that they voted NO because they just didn't understand about how wonderful Lisbon was.

The points they are going to claim they have won a 'victory' on are:

• Retaining Ireland's EU commissioner


• military neutrality


• abortion


• workers' rights


• taxation laws

Frankly, why they think having an Irish Commissioner, and thus more bastard EU Commissioners on large salaries and expenses, is a nonsense on its own. EU Commissioners do not represent the views of the country: (nor do the governments if these talks are anything to go by) their job is to further the aims of the European Union. Claiming this will protect Irish interests is like admitting Peter Mandelson was good for the UK when he was Commissioner in Brussels. The only reason him going there was a benefit was because he left the bloody country.

As for the other elements, I really don't see how they will stand up. The European Court of Justice is supreme, as is EU law to Irish law. There will be an EU armed forces and if Ireland are part of that then they'll be involved. Employment law is decided by the EU and soon their tax powers will be expanded. They already decide the basics on VAT, and take a lump sum, and the base rate for corporation tax.

But the reason I am assuming that Brian and his pals are going to stand down is that by being so determined that the Irish will sign up to the Constitution means they clearly have no faith in their own abilities to govern. He is doing everything he can, including being undemocratic, insulting, deceptive, costly and vile to ensure that power is taken away from the Irish government and handed to the fuckwit EU, unaccountable to the people. So I can only assume that he is going to these extraordinary levels, something us bloggers and most people expect of politicians these days because we know that politicos are in power to further their own interests and to try make us live as they want us to live, because he realises he's shit at being in charge.

By that measure, I hope we can expect Gordon Brown, 'Saviour of the World' (dear God, that's a comic that would never sell) and David Miliband to be stepping down shortly. And, presumably, everyone who voted for the Lisbon Treaty. Their persistence in trying to convince a British public that the Lisbon Treaty was not the Constitution and that it was good for the country could also have been a desperate effort to pass the responsibility of running the last bits of the country they have to do to Brussels.

In Ireland, the opposition were also in favour of the Constitution whereas in the UK it seems that David Cameron has slightly more faith in his own abilities as he doesn't want Lisbon (although he'll happily do fuck all about it if it does get ratified) and wants some competences back, although how he plans to do anything about it when it requires unanimity or withdrawal pretty much implies that it's impossible.

So rather than considering that Cameron doesn't consider himself competent to run the country, with him it's a case of having to apply to Polly Conundrum:

As regular readers will know, the Polly Conundrum is very simple: when faced with a particularly egregious statistical error, one simply asks whether the writer is a moron or a liar. When faced with anything in Comment Is Free, the answer is usually that the writer is both a moron and a liar.

It's probably the case with any politician, too.

Of course, it's really just a fantasy of mine that politicians lack faith in their abilities. The reason that they want the EU is because it's a totalitarian wet dream, a socialist utopia and it means less work for them for the same or, in the case of our beloved MPs, more money.

Ganley: he is pro EU

Make no mistake, Declan Ganley is not the Irish version of Nigel Farage.

He might be against the EU treaty, but he's in favour of the European Union and consequently of unelected civil servants making the laws on behalf of the Irish people.

What's really annoyed me about this person and his plan for an EU wide Libertas party is that there is no need for him in the UK. The Conservative Party are a pro EU party who aren't in favour of the Lisbon Treaty and are also labouring under the misapprehension that other EU leaders give a flying fuck what they are saying about reform.

But he will also muddy the waters in the UK and could take votes away from people who think Ganley is anti EU. All that will do is see federalists getting more MEPs in 2009.

During the Irish referendum campaign UKIP made sure they kept out of it, not wanting to mix the message that saying NO to Lisbon meant saying NO to the EU. The Irish would have also reacted badly to what they would see as British interference.

Of course, as anyone who has paid the slightest bit of attention to the EU, saying NO to the Lisbon Treaty in reality does mean leaving, or saying yes again. For, although I know I sound like the broken record, the EU do not care what the voters think, what the people who pay their wages think. They have a plan, a mission and do not care for deviating away from that. They have ignored many, many democratic referendums in the past and they will again in the future. For them, voting NO means that you are either a racist or you didn't understand the question.

As someone who has defended Mr Ganley but who doesn't particularly like him, I think it would serve him right if the British went and jumped all over the second referendum. He quite clearly doesn't care about other organisations, even ones who have cooperated with him, so let's wipe the slate clean and start again. After all, having an unratified treaty doesn't do anti EU campaigners any good, does it. It let's the Conservative party make out that they are the defenders of national democracy (quite how they have the gall to is something I don't get but then they are politicians) rather than showing them to be as wet as a saturated sponge when it comes to the EU.

To quote a proper defender of British sovereignty, rather than a man with only his own future as a real concern:

UKIP leader Nigel Farage said "I think it will come as a surprise to many to learn just how pro-EU Mr Ganley is. When he says that Europe is too important to fail and that it is important to all our futures, then you begin to see the true picture.

"Ukip remains the only party committed, absolutely clearly, to Britain leaving this political union and becoming a free and sovereign state once again. One where our laws are made by us for ourselves, rather than the vast majority being made in Brussels."

I do hope that people don't get confused and vote Libertas thinking it will mean they're voting for a party interested in doing something for the UK. Mr Ganley isn't that fond of us as this latest action clearly shows.

And don't forget all those budget flights to Ireland that are available!

Recession? What recession?

It may seem like a small issue to many people but to me it epitomises this terrible snd truly dangerous government. At at time when we are facing fears of deflation, of repossession and bumper borrowing burdening tax payers for years to come, our foolish, self appointed moral guides have decided to waste time and money on an issue which will further burden small businesses.

This nonsense about banning cigarette displays will have no impact on the number of people who smoke but it will land struggling shops with an additional and unnecessary cost which makes the small tac concessions in the PBR seem rather insignificant.

I smoke and I know which shops sell tobacco, so when I have run out of my stock of duty free in a few months time (I'm not paying those fucking prices when I have friends and relatives regularly travelling abroad) I will go into the shop and ask for my usual brand in a loud voice.

As, I suspect, all other smokers will. We're not dribbling, lobotomised retards, you see. We know the type of shops that sell tobacco products and knowing that the Health Soviet have insisted they are hidden under the counter isn't going to make us forget that.

All it does is show us that these freaks who run the show care more about installing their master programme for producing Nu Labourite Robots than they do about trying to cut costs for struggling small businesses.

I sincerely hope they all lose their seats at the next election and then can't find jobs to highlight what their economic inadequacies have done to this country. Unless it's filing claims for back injuries from shop workers forced to stoop down all the time. And I hope they get the sodding bill.

nepotism: ghastly unless it's us doing it

Trixy is rather confused. I was too busy knitting on the train this morning to read this story in the Telegraph but via the delectable Mr Eugenides I understand that Labour are actually in fan of hereditary posts.

Senior Labour figures are now discussing plans to persuade Michael Martin to step down as Speaker by offering his Glasgow North West seat to his son. [...]
Friends of the 63-year-old Speaker believe he wants to pass on the constituency to his son, who holds the matching seat in the Scottish Parliament.

In exchange for signalling that he would step down at the next election, the Speaker would get an unspoken agreement that his son would be Labour's candidate in the Westminster seat at the next general election

Which is funny, because I thought that the Labour party were pretty anti all that sort of stuff. The 1997 Labour Party Manifesto said:

The House of Lords must be reformed - the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords will be ended by statute

Tony Blair had wanted all the hereditary peers to be removed - but agreed a compromise with the upper house to ensure that the legislation would get through.

In the Crewe and Nantwich by election earlier this year Tamsin Dunwoody, daughter of the MP whose death caused the by election Gwyneth Dunwoody, was chosen as the Labour party candidate.

So clearly, they do like hereditary privilege but only when it keeps the power within the Labour party. I am sure that if the hereditary peers hadn't been quite so Conservative then Mr Blair would not have had such a problem with them. It was only their damned impudence which saw them rejecting his wonderful legislation which really got his goat.

The cheek of it.

Goebbels in drag?

Oooh, those EU lot, they're always up to something cheeky. The latest jape is to spend lots of our own money telling us that we should vote for a pointless, toothless parliament.

Mrs Wallström has pledged budgets worth £14.5 million to be added to £13 million of Parliament funding earmarked for the elections.

Brussels funding will be used to "mobilise our European and local networks, NGOs and other organisations with whom the Commission works".

And why is she doing this? Presumably with the threat of reducing subsidies if they don't comply?

An internal letter seen by The Daily Telegraph has revealed top-level fears that June 2009 polls for the European Parliament could be a political disaster for the EU.

Margot Wallström, the European Commission's Vice-President responsible for "communication", expressed the concerns in a letter to the Parliament's President.

She wrote: "In next year's elections, the legitimacy of your parliament, and that of the Union as a whole, is at stake."

The Commission is intervening for the first time in the 30 year history of European elections because of a high risk that steeply declining voter turnout for the unpopular EU assembly will fall to an all-time low.

There's a reason for this, though, isn't there.

For example, lots of people in the UK wanted their promised referendum on the EU constitution but the government lied to us so we couldn't have one.

There are also lots of bad decisions taken in the UK, like the landfill directive meaning fortnightly rubbish collections and the closure of post offices, which of course the government and MPs generally in Westminster lie and say aren't anything to do with the EU. So why are they then surprised, given that we are continually lied to about the EU, when people don't see the point in voting for it?

When people are allowed to have a vote for example, in Ireland, the stupid fuckwits in the European Commission and the Irish government are just going to ignore the democratic vote because they don't consider the electorate intelligent enough to vote the way they wanted to. As I've said before, the EU must find it terribly inconvenient that when they have to have a referendum or something the two options can't be 'yes' and 'yes, please'.

So, moving on from this glaringly obvious piece of information that the public, continually lied to about the EU and having their opinion completely ignored aren't that interested in voting for a load of MEPs who don't care what they think and lie to them, let's see what they're going to do.

Money will also be used to "specifically" target "journalists of women magazines" and to "to support a blogging project with young journalists".

"I hope that through our collective actions we will be able to contribute to reversing the trend," said Mrs Wallström.

Well, Margot. I'm a young woman and a blogger so presumably I'll be your target for encouraging people to vote in the European Elections.

Except, of course, that you and your evil supporters want to close down blogs like this because I don't want to kneel at your feet, worshipping the wonderful ways you decide to spend my money telling me what I should think. Or, to put it in another way, I don't like the fact that you are a brainwashing propaganda merchant with bad hair and lipstick which runs into the wrinkles around your mouth.

However, despite the fact that you won't be giving money to me to get people to vote in the European Elections and spread the message about what the EU really does, I shall do anyway.

I am going to vote in the European Elections. I am going to vote UKIP because I don't think this country should be in the EU, I don't think you should have a job, I think you are a dangerous, stupid human being who is a danger to human civilisation and should be given a job behind a make up counter as soon as possible to minimise the impact you can do to our society.

I am also going to continue to highlight the hypocrisy of cunts like you and other MEPs.

So please, you mound of arse scrapings piled into female form, don't patronise us women by bribing womens' magazines to write the lies you like to propagate. Just fuck off and die instead.


*Of course, unless you want to tell those magazines concerned about women forced into people trafficking by reimposing border controls. Except that you don't want to do that, do you. Because whilst it might actually make it more difficult to transport people across borders it's a step back from that European Super State you masturbate to every evening.

Fashion for fascism?

A friend e-mailed me today with this story about a French journalist:

Vittorio de Filippis, former publisher of the centre-left newspaper, Libération, was insulted and handcuffed in front of his children by police who raided his home near Paris at 6.30am. He was later strip-searched twice. One of the officers called M. de Filippis "worse than scum", using the word, racaille, once used by President Nicolas Sarkozy to describe multi-racial youth gangs.

As my friend, who has travelled the world and seen many sights: good, bad and awful, said:
"It's the fashion these days to have a police state and the EU is the template."

Those of you who listened to the Today programme this morning would have heard Nigel Farage rightly pointing out that the Lisbon Treaty will create a single area of freedom, justice and security.

For many years there have been the EU guidelines on ID cards and we will be forced to carry them. The database will be an EU database, the cards will be EU cards and the power will rest with the state.

We will lose the presumption of innocent until proven guilty and the right to trial by jury, which already appears to have vanished in the face of the police shooting people in underground stations.

The former High Court judge in charge of the London inquest into the death of Jean Charles de Menezes told the jury that they can only reach a verdict of lawful killing or an "open verdict" -- a finding of death without stating the cause.

After seven weeks of evidence in the closely-watched case, coroner Michael Wright told the jury that a verdict of unlawful killing was "not justified".

The EU already have a police force they are using in Afghanistan which includes British police officers who have previously sworn allegiance to the Queen and now are carrying out the wishes of the EU.

The MoD are switching staff away from NATO to work in the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy even though most politicians aren't aware that the service personnel used for NATO missions will be the same ones used for EU missions only without the American back up and without the need for unanimity.

The European Elections are coming up soon. Labour, Tories, Lib Dems and Greens all want to remain in the EU. That means, regardless of what they say about ID cards, Habeas Corpus, the accounts, financial regulations and employment law they have committed themselves and therefore the country should they get into power, to the measures the EU wishes.

Because the EU is going in one direction and it's a case of in it and going along with the single currency, the common justice system, the mad environmental legislation and an energy policy which would leave us dependent on rogue states, or get out and govern ourselves.

Or, for those of you who watch Spooks, it's the choice between being Connie
or Ros

Why not just barcode us?

So these fucking stop and search and show your papers are not ID cards through the back door, eh?

Liars.

How can people prove they're not illegal immigrants without showing identification?

It's like the war. Because we're in a war. It's us against the police state.

can we please get some perspective

This is a government who have all but bankrupted this country, who look up opposition MPs for exposing their failures, who break manifesto pledges without so much as blushing and who are so irresponsible they've left us with a future energy crisis.

But they don't care, because they're too busy implementing their moral programme such as banning smoking and taxing drinking both of which have led to pubs to close. It's bizarre: such is the fanatical extent of their scorched earth policy that even though there's a recession they refuse to revoke their fascist legislation which would at least help a few thousand small businesses as well as the related industry.
John Gaunt getting fired by TalkBollocks for pointing out that a councillor who wanted to stop smokers adopting was a cunt, these people can't face the truth that their obsessive desire to wipe any fun from our lives is replicating the Nazis. And it's not 'unacceptable' to say that because it's the fucking truth. You can deny it all you like, waving your lentils and your green tea around, mouthing like a gasping trout and shouting 'how dare you' but by trying to stop people saying it you are trying to rewrite history.

Germany had the world's strongest antismoking movement in the 1930s and early 1940s, encompassing bans on smoking in public spaces, bans on advertising, restrictions on tobacco rations for women, and the world's most refined tobacco epidemiology, linking tobacco use with the already evident epidemic of lung cancer. The anti-tobacco campaign must be understood against the backdrop of the Nazi quest for racial and bodily purity, which also motivated many other public health efforts of the era.

ZNL are just meany copy cats really! Naughty, naughty.

The reason for my particular outburst, apart from the fact I am in pain and feeling fucking miserable, is the latest ruling I don't agree with. From the Press Association:

A bar owner who has run up thousands of pounds in fines over his refusal
to ban smoking on his premises lost his licence today when the High Court ruled that he was breaking the law.

Hamish Howitt, who runs Del-boy's Sports bar in Rigby Road, Blackpool, continued to allow smoking inside the venue despite the introduction of the smoking ban in England in July 2007.

But today Judge Denyer, sitting at London's High Court, ruled he was obliged by health and licensing laws to treat smoking in his bar as a crime and prevent it.

Like how your taxes are being spent?

Here's another way they are, particularly if you are from Blackpool:

Peter Callow, leader of Blackpool Council, said: "Upholding this piece
of legislation has been very costly to Blackpool Council, both in terms of legal fees and officer time. I'm glad we can finally draw a line under it.

"We don't have a personal grudge against Mr Howitt. We have merely been enforcing the legislation given to us by Government.

"In Blackpool we take a hard stance against licensees who aren't meeting the licensing objectives.

"We want Blackpool to be a place where people can enjoy themselves in a safe environment and we will use all the powers we have to ensure this happens."

Well, I personally think that all those MPs who voted in favour of the smoking ban, mainly that hateful old sack of bile Patsy Hewitt, should pay out of their considerable wages and expenses.

And as for this crap about 'enjoying yourself in a safe environment'; to me that just sums up the mentality of these hateful people. Fun, in moderation. Pastimes we approve of and can control. Because clearly we, the people, who pay these insufferable knowitall twats, can't be trusted to look after ourselves. Jesus, can you imagine having to spend an evening with Peter 'nanny knows best' Callow? Monopoly would be off the cards because it could encourage reckless behaviour with mortgages, hell, there wouldn't even be any cards because it would encourage gambling and that's only okay if the government can tax you and get free presents. It'd be low sugar elderflower juice only with some parsnip crisps and a gentle jog around the park and you'll be grateful.

How are people considering voting for these bunch of decrepit morons again? A fourth fucking term? Bring on Alzheimer's because there'll be fuck all else if they have their way. If we can afford to get diseases, that is.

I'll leave the final word to Godfrey Bloom because 1) I like him and 2) He's the only politician to actually come out and say something about it. Presumably because it's not high profile enough our champion of liberty, David Davis, will be keeping schtum.

UKIP MEP Godfrey Bloom said later: "This is an unbelievable verdict. At
a time when 35 pubs a week are closing and the whole sector is in terminal decline, such a judgment is just another kick in the teeth."

Enough's enough, really.

some things

A few things I want to write down before I forget:

1) I don't believe Jacqui Smith when she says she knew nothing about the arrest
2) I think Gordon Brown also knew about the arrest.
3) Why could Jacqui Smith not be contacted because she was in Brussels? Had everyone suddenly become paralysed or developed narcolepsy? I can contact people in fucking meetings in Brussels, it's not that tough.
4) Jacqui Smith's face looks like an arse someone has stuck a mouth on.
5) I find this video which I viewed at the Miserable Old Git's place rather amusing and accurate:


6) I am on quite strong pain killers.

Christmas is cancelled

As Santa has moved to Brussels:

We settled into our new premises at Tours and Taxis. Then things started to go seriously wrong. Off to the Commune to register - they asked what was the nature of my work? “Well, I sneak into children's bedrooms when they're asleep, and if they're good I give them a present.” Eventually I got released from the cells. Apparently, I'm on some sort of 'watch list' now.

DG Environment come round to discuss my carbon emissions. They decide to make an impact assessment. Commissioner Dimas turns up in the reindeer shed: “What is the carbon footprint of a reindeer fart?” “Let's find out,” I say, grab him and stuff his head up Prancer's backside. One of the Elves filmed it on their mobile phone and had uploaded it to You Tube before I could stop laughing.

Go read the whole thing.

To be expected

I really should stop being shocked and disgusted when lovers of the EU model come out with a statement which firmly sticks two fingers up to democracy. All we need to do is look at the reaction of the EU tyrants following democratic referendum in France, The Netherlands and both first times in Ireland.They don't, it's fair to say, like it up 'em, the eurowuzzies.

One of the benefits of having a control freak for Chancellor was that he wasn't so keen to hand away control of our financial independence to Johnny Foreigner which meant we didn't join the euro. Thankfully there was also enough opposition at the time to make such a move unlikely even with. Blair in charge. And the Tories made some noises about certainly not introducing it for the next five years.

But lo! That permatanned buffoon Barroso has this morning told a French radio station that 'the people who matter in Britain' are now saying that if this country hadn't been in control of its monetary policy but had instead been in the Euro then the crisis we now face wouldn't have been so bad.

I think it's unlikely that that's the case because we still would have had a Labour government who make trying to bankrupt the country something of a hobby of theirs and Barroso fails to mention how business regulation, employment law and financial regulations now derive from the EU. The FSA in this country is very strict also.

I should imagine that, considering that this crisis is one of the financial sector which has spread then the country with the biggest banking sector would feel it more.

But what really got me in this interview was the proud way the fuckwit thinks that the politicians are the most important people.In your simpering EU that is the case because it's not a democracy and the power is with the apparachiks. But in Britain, you hideous monstrosity, the most important people are the people. That's people like me, not people like you. You, well okay, not you considering you're unelected and most people don't know who the fuck you are then maybr you're a bad example. The people you refer to, these important people who have brought the country to its knees with their and your incompetence, are there to serve us.Not the other way round.

They may have forgotten it but I for one am very keen that they get a timely reminder of who is boss.

Oh, and why will Ireland suddenly 'understand' the Lisbon Constitution the next time around?

Question That.

Now the centre piece for the Christmas table has been sorted (it's a model of Our Lord in silver glitter which has a face alarmingly similar to that of Jeremy Clarkson) I can begin to relax and try to express some of the anger which has been building up inside of me.

Firstly, I am rather glad that UKIP don't take part in free holidays for MEPs at the expense of the tax payer European Parliament delegations. Because had they been then Nigel Farage would have been in India with all the other MEPs and the most eloquent voice on British withdrawal from the EU could have gone bye byes.

But it seems that if a big disaster happens then questioning what people were doing in the situation in the first place isn't allowed. It's insensitive, or some such bullshit. The reason I know this is because I dared to suggest that I wasn't surprised that the MEPs in Bombay were staying in the most expensive hotel in the city I was met with people making that stupid sucking in air noise.

'You can't say things like that when they could have been in danger'

I fucking can.

What did they think they were doing there in the first place? A load of MEPs on the International Trade committee, most of whom don't know the first fucking thing about International Trade because I've sat through hours of listening to them praise trade tariffs and compensation schemes to inefficient businesses in the past. They go to a country they have no reason to go to, stay in the most expensive hotels, go out to fancy restaurants and get taken round all the sights and guess who pays for it.

Yup, that's right. You and me: Johnny and Jane Tax Payer.

Do we get asked if we want these people to fanny around in India? Do we bugger. We don't even get told that the trip is happening, who is going, what they are doing and how much it is going to cost. We don't get told how little power they have, how the trip was essentially a jolly and that the power is all in the hands of the European Commission.

And apparently, because no one in the European Parliament thought it was a dumb idea going to India to interfere in things they shouldn't only days after air strikes in Pakistan when there was a high alert on AND stay in the most obvious tourist target, we're supposed to feel sorry for them.

I'd be sad if the one MEP I like who went got hurt but apparently because lunatics ran around with guns being demented fundamentalist shit heads, we're not supposed to question why they were there, wasting our money. But the rest, well, they are no better to the other people who suffered in the violence. In fact, in my mine they're somewhat down my list because they had a choice whether to go and were costing me money in doing so.

Of course, if they hadn't have been in that pickle, would we have heard about it at all? I doubt it, for there was nothing there they could have done which would have made any difference which begs the question, why were they there at all?

I don't want my trade policy to be made by the EU. Hell, I don't want any decisions to be made by the EU as I have said a squillion times before. But trade is particularly important because it's so key to our wealth and the wealth of other countries. India is very important in British trade policy because it's one of the countries which we should be engaged in free trade with as a Commonwealth country.

And I resent being told that I can't comment on how my money is spent and how I am being governed because of outside forces. You might not want to say anything but I'm not PC like you. So you can nibble away at your fingernails and bite your lip and wonder if you're allowed to say what you are feeling. But question what kind of democracy we are supposed to live in where there's a moral code on what you think.

Strength through Unity etc.

How did the government not know? Saggy Tits Smith is the Head of the organisation affected by this leak as well as being in charge of the police.

I simply don't believe that the Government didn't know. Let's face it, why should we expect them to be honest? It would be breaking the habit of a lifetime.

They want us to be tagged like livestock in the ID card system only them and their puppet police support.

They refuse to let us have a say on the future of our country despite promising it and choose to lie to us in order to avoid not getting their own way.

The war in Iraq; hell, even as a student I managed to find the documents proving it was illegal and unjust. (UN website, terribly tricky).

etc.



V where are you? We need you right now.

Xanax country

Trixy wasn't the most well behaved girl at school and her mind often wandered in lessons, except her economics lessons at which she did actually pay attention. And in one of those lessons we pig-tailed girlies were taught that the definition of a recession is two or more quarters of reduced GDP. Hence now, year of our economically illiterate government 2008, we are in one.

A depression is therefore defined as a sustained period of declining GDP.


So, if I look at that graph I can see that we are now officially in recession as we've had one quarter (Q2 2008) of no growth whatsoever and one of negative -0.5% in Q3.

Anyone unfortunate enough to listen to that fool Darling on Monday would know that his growth predictions for 2009 are between -0.75 and -1.25 which is another contraction of the economy and four quarters of reduced GDP. Which could be construed as more than a recession and quite possibly even a depression.

At its worst point, unemployment in America soared to 25%. A decade of easy credit created a false sense of prosperity, while farmers struggled under heavy debt and declining farm goods prices. The ensuing market correction in 1929 evaporated the fortunes of many, with the entire population suffering as consumer demand dropped, jobs disappeared, and factories shuttered against declining orders.

Now swap 1929 for 2008 and tell me that, apart from perhaps the 25% unemployment, would you be so surprised to read that in the Mail in a few years time? Obviously there would have to be some blame on immigration for a decline in house prices to make it realistic, but that's easily introduced into the entire article.

Given the debt we are to be saddled with and the anticipated further drop in house prices which has been allowed, following the legislation by Lawson and Greenspan I will add, to turn into a housing stock market and which did back up the debt culture by making people feel asset wealthy, I don't see 2010 being much better.

The government are rightly concerned about deflation and as such the PBR was one designed to counter that. Once our economy is one of inflation rather than deflation let's hope that whoever is then Chancellor gets on with the job of cutting taxes.

But until then, I think we're in a bit of a stinker which will take more than a jog and a happy pill to shake off. And remember who put you there.

Yes: Most of us.

Trixy is confused

I know they're politicians and thus many find it quite difficult to tell the truth when they think it's going to cost them votes. Actually, scrub the last part of that sentence: many find it quite difficult to tell the truth but, given their constant battering of bullshit stats on how education has 'improved'*, do they not think it's an anomaly that we wouldn't therefore be able to do basic addition and subtraction?

this spending will help put money into the economy in the coming months.
But to prevent the recession deepening, we also need to take action to put money into the economy immediately.
I have looked at a range of ways which might achieve this.
I have decided that the best and fairest approach is a measure which will help everyone.
To deliver a much-needed extra injection of spending into the economy right now.
I therefore propose to cut VAT from 17.5 to 15 per cent until the end of next year.
This VAT reduction will come into effect next Monday on December 1st.

Okay.
But wait:

The reduction in VAT lowers the amount of tax paid on tobacco, alcohol and petrol.
In addition, petrol prices have come down, by 7 pence a litre last month alone.
So I will offset the VAT reduction, by increasing all these duties by an amount which should keep the overall cost to consumers the same this year.

Okay, so keep milking the goods with inelastic demand and raise duty by 2.5%? Or just not cut VAT on those things? Oh...

5.111 The Government will increase the overall duty on alcohol from 1 December so that the total VAT and duty remain broadly unchanged following the reduction in VAT to 15 per cent. The increase in duty will be maintained when the VAT rate is returned to 17.5 per cent in January 2010.
5.112 Maintaining high levels of tax on tobacco helps to reduce overall tobacco consumption. Tobacco duties will, therefore, be increased from 6pm on 24 November to ensure that the overall level of taxation on tobacco remains broadly unchanged following the reduction in VAT to 15 per cent. The increase in duty will be maintained when the VAT rate is returned to 17.5 per cent in January 2010.

I am genuinely bemused by this. Given that the duty on tobacco and alcohol went up last night and VAT is not changing until Monday, the 4% increase on tobacco is a 4% increase on the current price which is going to be more than a 2.5% cut.

For example:
Say fags cost £5.97 then a 4% increase is an increase of 23.88p bringing those cigarettes up to 620.88p

Now, as tobacco went up last night and VAT isn't being reduced until Monday, that means the 2.5% will be on the new price of 620.88p This will mean a reduction of 15.25p. This makes the new price, if the costs and profit margins of the retailer are kept the same, of 8.63p per packet which is only just under a 1.5% increase on the original price.

So how is that keeping the price the same?

Or is it just that it's another tax rise based on the fact that ZaNu Labour hate anyone having a choice, especially on activities they disapprove of (but should probably try so they chill the bugger out)?

If it's the latter then combined with the downright dangerous ID card proposals (I'm not bloody getting one: I didn't when I lived in Belgium and I shan't here) then may I suggest, should you not be aware of how we simply cannot have another Labour government if we are to exist as a free peoples, that should you debate voting Labour it might be better off stapling your hand to an immovable surface instead of doing so.

Just to keep us safe.

*for 'improved' read 'had money chucked at it

Ha!

A widget via The Kitchen says:

We think http://more-to-life-than-shoes.blogspot.com is written by a man (74%)

Not quite.

The country can't afford Labour

FORTY FIVE PER CENT.

Why don't they just go on the TV and say 'We hate you and we certainly don't want you to work hard to earn more money.'

They're certainly doing their best to bankrupt the country.

I have two questions:
1) How long can the country afford a Labour government
2) How long can the country afford to stay in the EU?

Huge thanks and a clarification

Firstly, just enormous thanks to everyone who has donated money so I can have my mouth drilled. I am quite simply overwhelmed with the generosity of people out there and, well, I really don't know what to say but 'Thank you so much'.

I'd just like to clarify something, though:

When I attack 'benefit scrounging scum' I'm not attacking

1) The Poor (for I include myself in that) they are not synonymous. In fact, the people I'm talking about on benefits seem to have a high disposable income so they can buy their children all those pairs of trainers

2) People who are on benefits because they are unemployed but not through choice.

No, the people I'm attacking and am generally not a huge fan of are people like this:

Never in our history have we supported so many wastrels, intent on spending their entire lives sucking at the teat of the Welfare State. We have families where generations have not worked or intended to work. We have children in schools, being (poorly) educated at a cost of over £75000 each, that absolutely no intention of pursuing any form of career. We have a growing army of ignorant, lazy fucktards happy to sit on the sofa, Stella can in hand, watching their daily dose of Soma.

I’m fascinated in the concept of this growing army. Everywhere I go, I see sallow faced mongs, scrabbling over a £5 wrap of crack. The streets are full of bloated land whales pushing the prams of miserable offspring with snotty noses and inbred scowls on their faces.

Not people who have jobs and might find themselves unemployed and claim until they find themselves a new job, because I actually think in a society that is a good thing. Rather like universal education because education is a merit good which we should all, theoretically, benefit from.

People who don't want to work, who never plan to work. Those people I hate, I object to paying for and at times like this when I am struggling financially, I really, really find repulsive. As was written on CiF the other day:

Last week I visited (as a doctor) a family in a council estate. The mother was concerned about her 12 year old son. She was very pleased that her older son was now on incapacity and would therefore do well for himself in terms of money. There is nothing wrong with this older boy that makes him incapacitated, but that is another story. She also had a 14 year old daughter, who while I was there, constantly argued with her mother demanding money for cigarettes. The three children had three different fathers, all absent. The kids, while I could see were still children, gleamed with malignant insolence. I can see them turning into damaged adults. I feel sorry for the trap they are in – the trap created directly by the welfare state whereby the family, and all those in the neighbourhood, see welfare as a lifestyle option. They live in squalor but have more wealth than most people I knew in India; they certainly have more material comforts than I ever had growing up in Delhi.

I chose not to claim when I didn't work and it was also my choice to take a lower paid job because I decided I wanted to have a job where I felt I could make a difference. I am financially much worse off for it but mentally much better off and happy in the knowledge I am helping people. Mea Culpa. However I didn't anticipate being landed with such a huge bill because I thought I'd covered myself, via taxes and insurance, for these eventualities. I didn't realise that my teeth weren't considered part of my body.

Once again, huge hugs. And if you don't like the fact that I chose to voice my anger at my situation, tough. Because for every one like me who decides to get angry and write about it there are more people who don't and choose not to have that treatment and whose health suffers. And I don't think that's right which is why I have decided that this project is one I am (excuse me) going to get my teeth into.

£20 billion for an NHS computer system but people pulling their own teeth out with pliers?

Falling numbers of NHS dentists are forcing many patients to go without treatment or even try pulling out their own teeth, a study found today.

Almost a fifth (19%) of those questioned in the biggest patient survey of its kind revealed that they had missed out on dental work they needed because of the cost.

The research, involving more than 5,000 patients in England, also found that as many as 6% had even resorted to treating themselves because they could not find a dentist.

No. Wrong.

No light at the end of the tunnel

Okay, a quick summary.

I've just been quoted a huge amount of money for urgent medical treatment which I can't afford to pay because all my savings and every penny I can save in the next few months is going to pay my tax bill so some benefit scrounging scum can have the same treatment for free.

That's the reality of live in Brown's Britain. And it will be the same in Cameron's Britain or Clegg's Britain.

I really haven't been so scared and desolate in a long time. I can't afford £800 for specialist root canal treatment to remove an infection which is eating away at my jawbone. Because it's the second time around it only has a 60-70% chance of success so there's another huge risk that should that not work I'll have to fork our thousands of pounds to have a replacement tooth fitted, should I choose not to have a large gap in my mouth like some extra in Eastenders.

I've written to the Health Secretary and copied in the Prime Minister and my MP (who is a good bloke who actually cares about his constituents which is probably why the Tory party were allegedly trying to replace him) because they really should know what a fucking mess they've made of this country and our health services. They have provided a breeding ground for lazy, stupid gangs of knuckle scrapping fools who are, day by day, proving Darwin wrong.

I had a look at the Dept of Health website to find out about NHS dentists and stumbled across this rather interesting, and yet rather unsurprising, list of people who don't have to pay for their dental treatment:

You also do not have to pay if – when the treatment starts or when you are asked to pay – you:
• are getting, or your partner is getting, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Pension Credit guarantee credit
• have, or your name is on, a valid NHS tax credit exemption certificate
• have the right to full help under the NHS Low Income Scheme (i.e. you are named on a valid HC2 certificate).

Needless to say, because I have a job and work hard I am none of these things. I don't claim any benefits, I don't have children who use the state school system, I didn't use it myself because the schools in my area were terrible. The only medical treatment I've been getting recently I've had to pay for myself because the NHS doesn't cover it and my medical insurance doesn't cover it because hardly any medical policies do, what with the cost of private dental treatment being so expensive it's not financially viable for insurance companies to offer it. In fact, it's over two years worth of my premium for just the first part of my necessary treatment.

But if I didn't have a job, or had a child I would be laughing because people like me would pay for the treatment. Chances are, I'd also have a house.

How have things been allowed to get so bad? To the stage when someone who pays thousands and thousands in tax every year is sitting, sobbing, wondering how they are going to pay to ensure their jaw doesn't get eaten up?

The state of finances in this country is a mess: my loan could get called in at any time and yet my savings can vanish and from banks which I'm bankrolling through my taxes which don't really provide me with anything. I'm all in favour of a strong armed forces but even they are being sent to Iraq for a war which is illegal and unnecessary. I have never had a chance to vote on whether I want to be part of the EU and yet that costs tax payers in this country billions of pounds in direct payments without even counting the costs in loss of efficiency through excessive regulations and downright dumb laws and rulings. My food prices are higher than they should be because of the Common Agricultural Policy, my money is being wasted on an energy policy which will have the country flooded with darkness in a few years time and every nice part of the countryside covered in fucking windmills whilst the people who own the land are paid for these monstrosities sitting on their land. Council workers are being paid hundreds of thousands of pounds a year to oversee failing services which allow children to be tortured and murdered, every time you move you're at risk of breaking a law and yet people who commit the worst crimes are getting sentences which in no way seem to compensate for the awful crimes they've committed and the danger to society that they are.

It seems to me that the harder you work, the more the government hates you. And I'm terrified and, more so, I'm in an awful lot of pain and in a predicament which I can't see any way out of besides not paying the rest of my tax and spending it on something I really need.

Of course, if I did that, if I spent the money I earn ensuring my physical wellbeing, then I'd be taken to court.

What a cataclysmic mess.

And what am I going to do?

BNP: More hypocrisy

Regarding that faux outrage by the hard left socialist freaks where Simon Derby was using the media to send threatening messages to his former chums and trying to make us think he was 'thinking of the Chiiiiillddreeeen':

UKIP leader Nigel Farage points out that whilst they've been jumping around talking about calling the police over the data protection act, the party themselves are being investigated for the way they use membership lists.

"It's the classic case of the biter bit. They've had no compunction about using parts of our database which they managed to obtain to contact our members directly. In fact the Information Commissioner is still dealing with our complaint of last summer about this misuse.

As Mr Farage said to me, "I'm the one that gets the 88 year old war veteran asking me why those people are writing letters to him at his house."

Well, quite. I suspect that they think that's okay because it's them doing it.

Back to the statement:

It says it all about the BNP that so many of those on their database seem to be worried about being revealed as members. Who would join a party where membership is a social and professional embarrassment? And finally, how ironic is it that the BNP leaders are bleating about their position under the Human Rights Act, something they claim they want to abolish.

Still, it's the BNP. Anyone expecting rational thought is looking in the wrong place there.

Did you expect any different?

So Simon Derby has blamed 'groups aligned to the "Labour party' for putting lives at risk and endangering members' children.

Seriously, that's what he has said. Without a hint of irony. If I may just interrupt at this point and suggest that

1) If children need such careful protection then why did the BNP include them on such a contentious document?

2) Perhaps children shouldn't be members of politican parties?

That last point, brought about by this 'family membership' option (and I am, once again, eternally grateful that my parents aren't mouth foaming bigots who would have inflicted such a trauma on me) would naturally make the brain washing of young, future voters more difficult.

What do the young ones do? Practise marching songs and go camping whilst the girls learn to cook?

So may I suggest that your faux 'think of the chiiiiiildren' is, really, a bunch of arse which is laughable in its stupidity and transparency.

I shall write about the data protection stuff later when I have all my ducks in a row...

quick chuckle to myself as I read 'People' in The Times today. Adam Sherwin describes George Osborne as Lady Mandelson's 'cruise chum'.

Whispers surrounding some of the people involved in that little saga which have reached my shell-like make me think that's sailing pretty close to the wind.

Or it could be nothing.

The balloon's gone up

You may well ask why I am sitting here surrounded by bits of torn, bitten and shredded newspaper. It's because I couldn't cope with the draft of economic detritus being described on the front page.

These people who are paid hundreds of thousands of pounds to govern the country; a system which allows them houses, travel, subsidised food and drink as well as a nice salary and I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that they have done a fucking awful job. I'm trying to think of how they could have made it any worse, even if they'd tried.

The banks are insolvent, hundreds of thousands of people are losing their jobs, there has been no improvement in schools and the NHS, we're engaged in a war in Iraq we had no reason to be in which has cost many lives, public borrowing is at a mind blowing level, the lights will go out in a few years time because we have some greenieweenies who think running around with a child's windmill on a stick will power the country and, even worse, millions of people will still vote for the cunts which shows a serious lack of intelligence and survival instinct in the voting population.


The other Miliband today outlined the new UK energy policy which will ensure the UK doesn't break the mad EU rules on carbon emissions

Tax cuts would be a wonderful stimulus to the economy in just the right place. Forget government spending because there are so many examples of the nauseating waste which occurs every day with our money: NHS computer systems costing £40bn according to some and the Olympics to name but two. This isn't a good way to redistribute income and add an injection into the National Income equation because it's just been thrown around rather than allocated to companies who are efficient.

Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary, spoke of the need for “structural adjustments later on” and Mr Brown himself accepted that the Pre-Budget Report (PBR) stimulus would be “temporary”.

Their remarks reflected the strong Treasury view that next week’s tax cut and spending package from the Chancellor, Alistair Darling, must be accompanied by evidence that he intends to get soaring borrowing back on course over the medium term. That should mean tax rises, spending cuts or both.

Once again, they completely fail to see the point of tax cuts.

They aren't supposed to be used for short term vote winning, you arse, they are used because people are better at spending their own money than the government is, and as such when you cut taxes you increase revenues to the Treasury because the country as a whole does better off. Which is why this concept of 'when things are better we'll stick them up again' makes me want to run around sticking sharp things into people who are trying to ruin our lives for us. They've said themselves that tax cuts are a stimulus so why oh fucking why would they not want that to continue?

Is what we have here the definitive evidence that Nu Labour hates us and wants us all to die in abject misery with no food, shelter, jobs or lights just a van from the government occasionally driving around like some statist ice-cream van delivering occasional sustenance?

And Cameron. What the fuck is he playing at? No unfunded tax cuts? Listen, sunshine; with the debts we've been saddled with for bailing out these banks; and why is the British tax payer having to fork out for, say, HSBC branches in other countries? Why not just UK deposits? we won't be having any 'funded' tax cuts for many years to come and that just highlights that the Tories, once the party of the economy, now have no right to lay claim to that legacy.

They have shat on Thatcher's work and clearly have been taken in by the NUT lobby proclaiming from the rooftops that her reforms, which made this country a success, were 'terrible'.

It's time to set the emigration plans in motion: when I live in a country whose Treasury Bills have a higher risk rating than a bank they're bailing out, I know we're fucked. And not in the 'passionate love making with David Miliband' kind of way.

I am struggling to grasp how even people as mentally deficient as EU Commissioners could have this one so badly wrong.

I mean, what the fucking fuckity fuck are you guys playing at? Do you want the globe to dive into a depression? Really? Because if you don't may I suggest that you all not just resign but jump off a tall building to make doubly sure you can't be given a role which has anything to do with international trade ever again.

Chinese candle exporters will be hit with extra charges when selling in Europe to punish some producers for selling below cost, the European Union said Saturday.

The EU imposed antidumping charges for six months from Saturday after European candlemakers complained that they were losing business to cheaper Chinese products.

The EU said Chinese candles sell for around 9 percent less and make up about one third of the European market.

Well done everybody! Unemployment is rocketing, economic growth is facing the wrong direction and people are concerned at the run up to Christmas* so the EU decides to slash an area where shops can make a profit and increase prices for consumers. Well fucking done.

Retailers such as Ikea and the British Retail Consortium — which represents supermarket chains Tesco and Marks & Spencer — said the EU was wrong to claim that stores could easily absorb the price hikes. It said retailers would probably have to slice profit from other items to compensate.

The EU claims large chain stores make a profit of up to 70 percent on candles but the BRC said they can make as little as a 6-percent profit.

"This is particularly shocking as this new tax is imposed before Christmas, at a time when consumers have never been so short for disposable incomes," said Alasdair Gray of the BRC.

Well, BRC, you guys all have a vote at the next European Elections so how about you send a strong message.

We have an amateur in charge of the trade policy for 27 diverse countries, a woman who only got her job, as far as I can see, because she's a competent and convincing liar, and if you want to have the directly elected British government making these decisions you have to vote to leave the EU.

Mr Farage queried whether she was equipped to take on what, he said, was the most important trade brief in the world at a time of growing economic instability around the globe.

"Now is not the time for a novice," he said.

"We need a big hitter. Looking at your CV, you have no relevant experience to take on this dossier at a difficult time."

Baroness Ashton, a former economist, said she was qualified to do the job and would argue the cause for free trade against the forces of economic nationalism.

"The question is do I have the ability to go and negotiate on behalf of the European Union, bearing in mind that I want stability and economic growth," she told MEPs.

She didn't take long to answer that one, then.

Letter in the post to MEPs and Mr Farage in particular apologising for this latest cock up? I doubt it. It'll be the usual 'protecting european businesses and jobs' which once again demostrates that David Ricardo's theory of comparative advantage is not even close to being understood by our hapless and, frankly, dangerous Euroweenies. Look, sweetie; if China want to sell us nice, cheap products which allows British workers to do something they are more efficient at then that is a good thing for us.

They've proved themselves time and again to be completely in the pocket of the protectionist countries. Next week in Strasbourg the European Parliament is voting for yet more of you tax money to be spent proping up inefficient european businesses who can't compete with globalisation via the Globalisation Adjustment Fund.

whereas Italy has requested assistance in respect of four cases concerning redundancies in the textile sector in Sardinia, Piedmont, Lombardy and Tuscany

It's something you'll just have to get a grip on understanding. Want free trade? Leave the EU.

*although maybe it'll do those chavs who live off social security and yet always seem to get the most at Christmas