Three p or not Three p

The Daily Mail has an exclusive about the scandalous 3p increase in the price of stamps that Royal Mail are planning.

Royal Mail is planning shock increases in the cost of postage, with first class stamps rising by 3p, amid claims it is facing financial disaster.
The controversial proposals are designed to rake in more than £100million from customers in a year.
The record increases have been sanctioned by the industry regulator Postcomm as an urgent measure to fill an enormous black hole in Royal Mail's finances.

How far do you think you can get on 3p? How far do you think you could get on 25p and how much further would you get with the additional 3p? Not very, I suspect. Not unless you're on one of those Army challenges where you rely on your MOD90 and the good will of Joe Public to do an amusing number of things like kiss blondes and go on the radio.

But the beauty of Royal Mail is that you can post a letter in Upper Chiddingfold and have it arrive in John O'Groats for the same price as someone sending a letter down the road. It's the universal delivery which counters the inevitable market failures which rural deliveries bring about. So what's 3p on the cost of sending a birthday card to the other end of the country? Not a lot, if it's actually delivered on time.

As I've written before, there are rules governing the subsidising of POL and Royal Mail which we have the EU to thank but what, I ask myself, do the Communication Workers Union think they're up to?

Two weeks ago the Office of National Statistics published the latest figures on the employment rate which showed that it had dropped to 72.5%.

The inactivity rate for people of working age was 21.1 per cent for the three months to July 2009, up 0.2 both over the previous quarter and over the year. The number of economically inactive people of working age rose by 97,000 over the quarter and by 125,000 over the year to reach 7.99 million, the highest figure since comparable records began in 1971.

It seriously fucks me off that after all the work Thatcher did trying to make Britain a business friendly country; her supply side reforms and strong action over the unions, we've gone back to a situation where a group of people who have themselves partially to blame over the cost of the postal service, think that they should not face any reforms to a business which clearly needs reforming. And how to they demonstrate that they are decent people who should be supported? By not doing any fucking work.

There are a lot of people out there looking for work so I say tell those who are striking to fuck off and give their jobs to people who actually want to earn a living and not muck up the postal service in this country with their selfish behaviour.

I have important shit to send, you know. And I'm going to be less inclined to send it in paper format if I don't know the bugger when it's actually going to arrive.

The course of true love never did run smooth

Ay me! for aught that I could ever read,

Could ever hear by tale or history,

The course of true love never did run smooth;

But, either it was different in blood,--

Readers may remember that some time ago I held a poll as to whether I should take up the offer of the stately blogger that is Mr Eugenides to spend a weekend with him getting up to all sorts of naughty things. And you voted that I should go and consequently, both our blogs went very quiet over that weekend.

Over the last week our blogs have once again both been quiet and some of you may have suspected that it was because he had asked me to join him on his travels. Holding hands as we walked bare foot down the beach, the clink of crystal as we shared a drink whilst watching the sun set and those moonlit nights with nothing to disturb us but the lapping of the waves on the beach.

We'll, you'd be wrong. He's gone, and I'm still here. The 19 year old from down the road has been missing for a few weeks and if she comes back with a peeling tan and sand rash then at least I'll know for sure.

But, as is often the way with matters of the heart, I've no idea what to do and I need your help...

Germany: lucky bastards

Lucky Germany. After their elections Angela Merkel's party has a 34% majority and can dump the socialists and form a coalition with a pro business party.

Mrs Merkel's CDU and its Bavaria-only sister, the Christian Social Union, won 33.8 per cent of the vote and the Social Democrats took 23 percent...Mr Pofalla said his party was sticking to its election promise of tax cuts.

"We want tax cuts in two steps in the next legislative period which will result in relief of 15 billion euros ($22.03 billion)," he said.

However, the FDP will push for a more ambitious programme. While Mrs Merkel has steadfastly refused to put a time frame on her party's plans, given the dire state of public finances, the FDP campaigned for quick cuts worth 35 billion euros.

And what do we have over here? Apart from the knowledge that 11% of the population are mental?

BELEAGUERED Gordon Brown today pledges to cut broke Britain's debt in half by 2013.

Writing in the News of the World on the eve of the Labour Party conference, the PM promises to get the economy under control WITHOUT massive cuts.

So all roads appear to point to tax rises, chaps.

I heard the other day on Radio 4 a debate about whether this recession had proved that Keynesianism was right. Bit early for that, isn't it? Huge amounts of money were thrown at mainly inefficient public services whilst many businesses closed down and now we're in a big wallowy pit of debt.

Our problems as a nation are nowhere near over because things are only taking a very slight turn upwards and contractionary fiscal policy can change that in a matter of months.

We need the tax cuts that the Germans are going to do and bugger all the moaning about cuts. The recession brought good news for many of us, reading that Peter Mandelson had decided to delay bringing on bits of damaging business regulation (save damaging businesses for when they're doing a bit better eh, Peter?) and the bloated, blancmange like public sector was going to get a slicing.

Hurrah for slashing budgets of government departments! This government has overseen an entire change in mindset towards controlling everything the individual does and it's been supported in doing that with our own money. If there's one thing the recession could do which is useful it's hack away at the deadwood in Whitehall and town halls. Sack the Quangocrats and let them forage for food in the real world. Have some responsibility and accountability for public funded projects like the NHS computer system.

Yes, Germany is very lucky not to be burdened with an economically illiterate government. Okay, it likes the EU and seems to be in favour of the Consolidated Corporate Tax Base in the Lisbon Treaty but it's better than what we've been lumbered with.

And 2010 will bring a General Election with the chance of voting Brown and his cronies out of power.

But with David Cameron saying that the Lib Dems and the Tories are identical in many ways and David Miliband saying that areas of Tory and Labour policy are identical then what Nigel Farage has been saying for about three years: that you can't get a cigarette paper between them and you're just voting for a change of management is sadly true.

Cuts, dear chaps. Let people spend their own money, let them start up their own businesses and you'll have a leaner, stronger economy than anything a socialist could bring about.

Britblog round up - The Best of Britain

here

Trixy elsewhere

Over at Nourishing Obscurity having a jolly good rant about Irish MEPs being rather dumb, amongst other things.

The YES vote President - the speech

Man's got a point: if Lisbon gets bulldozed through then it makes the eurorealist argument much stronger.

Only beef is that we'll need someone in Westminster to demand that referendum and Cameron will be as keen for that as he would be for a daily banana emema on live TV.

How many times do they have to say it?

So, it comes as no surprise that the wonderfully fucking democratic cunts at the EU have once again stuck their fucking oar in and said that Ireland's refusal to ratify the "Lisbon Treaty" is entirely unacceptable and they need to fucking have another vote. And I suspect that if the bog-trotters tell them to "feck off, you feckin' feckers" once more, it will just go around until they give in and give them the correct answer.

Fuck the fact that the Irish have a rule that says that constitutional changes require referenda. I bet once they're ground down into accepting Lisbon, there'll be some handy fucking clause that means that they will never have another referendum. They'll be fucked, and fucked forever.

Meanwhile, the utterly useless buttered new potato will be keeping his fingers crossed that the bog-trotters fold before he has to grow a set and tell the EU to take a flying fuck at a sugar frosted doughnut. Despite the fact that the cuntweasels in Labour promised us a referendum at the last election, which contributed to their election victory (probably not a lot, but it definitely did), we're never going to get a referendum thanks to the virulently pro-EU political class.

Call Me Dave has not got the stones to have a referendum, really. I'm not sure he doesn't want the UK deeply embedded into the pucker of the EU's arsehole. Even if the Irish do tell the EU to suck their collective balls, Dave's going to find a way out of this one. Wait and see.

But in the mean time, the fucking EU will keep on asking the question until everyone gives in. Or they'll just fucking ignore all the dissent and go ahead without our consent. Fuck, it's not like they need it already.

Your money will keep disappearing into the bottomless pit of the EU's unaudited-for-a-decade accounts, your rights and even the judiciary will keep being homogenised to EU standards.

The return of the individual to precedence will become ever more unlikely and the state will blossom from the current invasive horror of a dysfunctional, out-of-touch and unaccountable national government and quangoes to an even more dysfunctional, out-of-touch and unaccountable multi-national EU government.

So if you see an Irishman between now and the referendum, buy him a drink and ask him nicely to vote no. The longer we hold the EU at bay, the better the chances of something or someone game-changing coming along, like the LPUK or UKIP, if it survives the departure of Farage as leader.

Because there's certainly no LibLabCon fucker out there who gives me hope at the moment.

The YES vote President

As you can tell from the wall to wall coverage in the national and regional media the European Parliament is wasting more of your money by gathering in Strasbourg.

The Commission president for 2004 2009 President Barosso is standing for re-election on the grounds, I suspect, that no one else has thrown their hat in the ring.

I won't bore you with details of his speech because he's a fucking dull bastard and slippery as an eel covered in slime but here's the thing.

He was president when the French and Dutch voted no and he said that the Irish should vote again when they gave the wrong answer to the almost identical Lisbon Treaty.

So why are the British Conservatives voting for this man? He doesn't want a referendum in the UK which they were supposed to be desperate for and he's already going to be putting into place elements of the Lisbon Treaty even before the insulting re run of the Irish referendum.

Because he'll be chosing the new President and the Foreign Secretary for the EU. Chosing the jobs before the Irish have had to vote again because they've poured so much of your money into this YES vote, traveling round the country lying to people, that they think it's already there.

So decent Tories should be voting against Barosso on principle, surely?

Or do they not have those anymore?

BFPO - go sign

Our MPs. They love taking advantage of the positive feeling the public have towards our Armed Forces but they also have an irritating desire to take money off them.

Sign here to keep the BFPO in mainland Europe.

Nigel Farage closing speech

Those who attended UKIP conference told me this speech was the best one Nigel Farage had ever given.

See for yourself - I suspect it was certainly very moving.



The Telegraph have also run the story that Lord Pearson has decided to throw his hat in the ring and run for leader of UKIP.

Last night he told the Telegraph: “It is rather daunting so close to a General Election, but I am throwing my hat into the ring.”

He cited a poll in yesterday’s Daily Telegraph as an example of how the political leaders are not in tune with public opinion on Europe. Forty three per cent said they would prefer to leave the EU altogether rather than accept the Lisbon Treaty.

He added: “I think Lisbon is a watershed. If it goes through that’s pretty much the end of the game. Our membership of the EU has removed the rights of British democracy.

He's right, of course. Lisbon gives powers to the EU which means they don't keep having to refer back to the pesky people who are directly elected by the peoples of Europe. It's just a shame that David Cameron doesn't grow a pair and say that if the Conservatives win the next election they will hold a retrospective referendum on Lisbon because that would stop it in its tracks and then maybe more people would have a chance to let the politicians know their opinions on the EU.

Because you like a challenge

These guys from 7 Air Assault Bn REME are very close to finishing their 1000 mile cycle ride. They started at Wellington Barracks, London, last Monday and must finish their route to Edinburgh, Cardiff and back to London by 1700 on Wednesday.

In only a few weeks these guys will be off to Afghanistan but before they do they want to raise £10,000 for the Army Benevolent Fund.

A stroll in the Autumn sunshine

Anyone who fancies a walk around Westminster in November can join Old Holborn as he ensures he is 'Fit 4 Life' in accordance with government guidelines.

I shall be dressed in my usual attire, please feel free to dress however you wish but special invites go out to anyone who wishes to wear a pig costume for the day. It would give me great pleasure to herd a few noisy pigs and Guy Fawkes's into the Public Gallery to face their MPs.

I do hope Nick Soames doesn't take a wrong turn somewhere or it could all get very confusing.

Britblog Roundup

Gosh but that came around quickly again! here it is

'Just answer the question you f**king fascist'

Were the first words which came out of my mouth this morning. Yes, there were of course the early morning mutterings as I padded around trying to remember how to use my arms, but this was sniper fire in Anglo Saxon vernacular. I spat those words out.

And I'm sure many other people did too when listening to the stream of detritus emerging from the mouth of Children's Minister Delyth Morgan.

How shall I sum up the latest piece of draconian legislation from this government? Okay.

If you're an adult then you're a paedophile until the state says you aren't.

And I don't think I'm exaggerating with this one because John Humphries seemed to come to exactly the same conclusion as me and I've often thought he's a bit of a softie. But the woman, of course, could not answer a simple question. It was like Paxman and Howard with her refusal to answer an example on this proposal from her department.

Yes or No. That's all it would have taken. Would someone who took some kids to swimming lessons on a regular basis at the request of the parents of the kids be required to undergo an anti kiddy fiddler check.

And she refused to answer time and time again, realising I'm sure that the answer was indefensible no matter how many high profile cases have occurred over the last few years. I suspect this is a woman who used to put her cossie in a rolled up towel and trot off to the local swimming baths to thrash around in a vain attempt to do front crawl without her parents being duly concerned that the lifeguard wanted to see what was in her pants rather than the pants of the pneumatic blonde he was on duty with.

But in this country, under this government we're all guilty until proven innocent. Habeas Corpus is vanishing like that small kid at the top of the flume ride and it's our politicians who have given him that shove to hurry him along.

But how was it ever going to be otherwise with a government who honestly believes that a policy of not allowing your aunt can't take you to brownies without a police check is a 'proportionate, common sense system.

Adults, including parents who regularly transport groups of children for sports or social clubs could face prosecution if they fail to register with a new agency.

Common Sense? How the fuck is this common sense? All this will do is stop people doing favours for friends and thus stop children taking part in social activities which the government desperately wants them to do whilst munching away on their 5-a-day. Think about it. Prosecuting people for being a good friend. That's what this is.

Now, I don't have children, I don't want children and I'm not likely to take anyone to Brownies but this makes by blood boil because it spits in the eye of 'authoritarian' it's so...well, fascist. They'll be telling people who can have children and who can't have children next. Seriously - we already have a charity recommending that some children be taken away at birth so what evidence do you have of the past few years to suggest they won't go any further than this?

Ms Morgan said that the new scheme "is not about regulating parents in their own home" but will ensure that there is no reason why they should not be working with children.

And given your blatant disregard for the people of this country there's no reason why you should be working in politics and have any say over our personal freedoms but alas I can't see anyone walking into your office, grabbing you by your split ends and kicking you out into the street.

When will the horror end?

p.s a quick google search allows me to conclude that the woman is, in fact, barking. And a quick google image search brings up these images which might be cruel but hey - she thinks you're a paedophile.


UPDATE

The Daily Mash has a guide to passing those tests

Farage vs Bercow: the plot thickens

Reform my fucking arse. Just because he now has a decent candidate standing against him why on earth should johnny tax payer - already sitting in a shop doorway, covered by a stained blanket kept company by a hungry dog - fork out for him to have a spin doctor?

He's already show that he has quite enough money to dip into his current account and pay back the tax he should have paid on his second home had he been a decent sort of chap and so, if he feels he needs his mate Tim Hames to make him look good to the voters, why can't he pay for it out of his own pocket?

Mr Bercow, the MP for Buckingham, “flipped” the designation of his main and second homes between London and his constituency so that he could designate each as his main home at the time he sold it. It meant he paid no capital gains tax on either sale.

While he insisted that he had done nothing wrong, Mr Bercow said he had decided to “voluntarily” pay tax on the profit from the sale of one of the houses. “From 1997 until early 2003, I designated my constituency home as my second home,” he said. “I did make changes in the designation of my homes during the course of 2003 as a result of which CGT was not payable.”

Why should we all have to pay for him to keep his seat when he's already proven that he cares not a jot for what we think? The only thing he stands for is election. I'm delighted that he'll have to fight to remain the MP in Buckingham.

The best debate on the Lisbon Treaty

Watch Farage rip Dick Roche a new arsehole here

Britblog roundup 238

is here! Summer, alas, is walking away towards the horizon.

Farage vs Bercow

Better late than never, I've finally gotten round to writing my thoughts on the decision by Nigel Farage to resign as leader of UKIP and concentrate on leading the Europe of Freedom and Democracy group in the EU Parliament and stand against the ghastly Bercow in the forthcoming General Election.

I've never much liked Bercow and this was confirmed when I walked into his admin offices in Westminster to find they had stuck the front page of the Independent: '50 reasons to love the EU' up.

A couple of people have questioned why Farage has done what he's done. Isn't it just a short term stunt which will only benefit him?

No, it's not. Think about it. UKIP has been going for 15 years and since then it's beaten the Labour government and come second in a national election. It has councillors including county councillors up and down the county and has its best by election result in Norwich North recently - despite the media deciding that the fourth choice in the race was the Green party.

So where to next? If you were Nigel Farage and you'd led a group in Brussels and been the unofficial leader of the opposition in the European Parliament: you'd exposed commissioners for having a criminal record, confronted two Prime Ministers, been personally blamed for the 'NO' vote in Ireland by the Irish Prime Minister, organised demos in the Parliaments, campaigned in referendums across the continent, been threatened with arrest and personally thanked by President Klaus for his speeches during the Czech Presidency what would you want to do next?

So where is the next step for the party? Even if it was the biggest party in the European Elections 78 MEPs cannot change any legislation on their own. It's the Commission who propose the legislation and with more and more areas being moved to Qualified Majority Voting in the Council neither can a British Minister.

Coupled with that, the media do not cover what happens in the EU bar a few articles on a simple topic. There's no real coverage of speeches, of the depth of legislation and the sheer number of acts being voted on each month.

The focus is still Westminster and so for Farage to continue to push for his ultimate aim of withdrawing the UK from the European Union then Westminster is the place to be. Because no matter what happens in Brussels, there isn't the coverage and isn't the awareness of issues and the policies of other parties. And until that happens then there's not going to be the political will to allow us a vote on our own future.

Of course, given that Bercow is the Speaker and himself embroiled in the expenses scandal there will be plenty of knicker knitters who will drag up the old shite about Farage 'boasting' about his £2 million in expenses. I've written about that before but still some people can't seem to grasp someone wanting a debate about the massive cost of each MEP with a politician caught out for fiddling the taxes.

It's us against them now. By electing Bercow to the position of speaker what our MPs did was steal with one hand and with the other stick up their middle finger straight in our faces. It was a demonstration that they do not want reform and do not expect us, the voters and the paymasters, to remember or care long enough to kick them out.

So as with other high profile battles in constituencies, this one is an opportunity to get involved and send a message. And, of course, to send a man to Westminster who actually cares about what he's doing and who will put country before party.

With thanks to Tory Bear, and let's make up the t shirts:

The reason some girls stay single

This little snippet may give some indication why there are women who prefer cats and putting up their own shelves to being in a relationship.

I personally am going to patent my own nutter magnet as it's highly effective.