Is there more to life than shoes?

Just for the record...

2010-12-13T23:12:00.003Z

Ah when you're busy enough in your life trying to set up new businesses, doing pro bono work for little charities who are trying to make a difference rather than use beneficiaries to promote themselves and endlessly waiting for people to get back to you so you can finish jobs, you get another little lump of dog turd in the post.

Care of my previous employers an accusation of defamation (Yes, even though they're an organisation.) amongst other little gems.

Initial response once picked self back off chair is Arkell v Pressdram but it would be nice if people realised that the 1996 Defamation Act doesn't exist for people who take offence at truthful remarks to have their egos stroked better through the medium of a civil case. If it were then, let alone be on a Prime Time TV show, Craig Revel-Horwood would be in the debtors prison.

Recalling the times in Brussels when friend and I played volley ball with writs written by MEPs who had taken umbridge at being featured in a less than attractive light. Ah, such happy days.

Sadly for these folk, I'm not going to withdraw my complaint against them. I'm made of sterner stuff than that.

nudge nudge, pass the salt

2010-12-05T11:29:00.005Z

So Christmas is upon us and frankly all I can say is

YIPPEE!

My tree is up, I have crept out under the cover of darkness and pinched holly, Ivy and some other stuff with berries on to adorn my mantlepiece, mirrors and the fireplace because some dick blocked up the chimney.

Even the presents are beautifully wrapped under the tree and the cards are in the post. With stamps on this time.

All it is left now, following the purchase of my Christmas Party Dress, is for mama and I to finalise the recipes for the festive season. A time of tradition and indulgence. But not if this rather earnest and irritating group get their way.

High salt levels in ready made Sunday lunch warning

Including too many ready-made items in a Sunday roast could lead to excessive salt intake, says research from a health charity.

In a survey of 600 supermarket products, Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) found that unnecessary amounts of salt are being hidden in certain items of pre-prepared food.

I always wonder about the phrase 'hidden in food'. It makes the company making them, no doubt some unscrupulous multi national which uses child labour and burns kittens to keep the generator running, sound like it's being malicious. It's quite hard not to hide ingredients in food to the extent that they tend to be incorporated in a finished item. I, for example, would not like to buy a cake which, instead of creaming the butter with the sugar, left it dolloped on top to ensure that I knew there were fat products in there.

That aside, it's this continuing push towards having our entire life regulated by busybody do gooders which makes me want to reach for the salt cellar. It's up to me what I eat. End of. If you want people to take more care of their diet I suggest you get rid of the NHS and have some insurance scheme.

But why are you all so bothered? Why are people still putting up with a government who continually uses our money to tell us what to do? In PR week the other week there was a survey on 'nudging' which I, as something of an expert, was asked to fill in. Did I think the government should get involved with 'nudging' which is, for those of you who don't know such terms, a strategy to coerce people into doing the *right* thing rather than telling them to do so. It's things like putting apples on the eye level shelf rather than the fried slice.

I seem to recall that my reply was something along the lines that the government should not be concerning itself with such matters and should, in fact, fuck right off.

But of course this charity is determined that something must be done, and as usual it's not the concept of individual responsibility.

Sarah Cordey from the British Retail Consortium said the survey disregarded the large amount of fresh food customers use when preparing a Sunday meal.

She said the big supermarkets are doing "all they can" to reduce salt content...

However Professor Graham MacGregor from the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, and chairman of CASH, said they should do more.

"Unnecessary amounts of salt are still being hidden in our food," he said...

"It is the food industry's responsibility to take the salt out."

I actually think it's the food industry's responsibility to satisfy their customers. Call me radical, I know. I want to decide what food I eat and what food I don't. Packaged food doesn't taste half so good but still, it's up to me and you and everyone else if we want to consume yummy additives and salt or if we want to make our own.

Personally I can't understand people who don't add salt to their vegetables when they are cooking them. Salt brings out the flavour of beautiful food and I don't want some over zealous scientist who enjoys eating flavourless mung beans to take away my option of that.

A glance at their list of supporters shows an impressive number of supermarkets and well as top chefs. I'm sceptical about this; they probably, like the green lobby fanaticism, feel obliged to sign up to this as some corporate social responsibility and PR strategy.

Looking over the rest of the website we see that they are really utterly sanctimonious when it comes to salt. Salt Awareness Week comes bounding into our lives in the form of patronising posters aimed at all ages including, of course, children who can in turn go home and nag their parents not to have salt and vinegar on their chips. Or edamame beans. I wonder if these people dare to take a risk to the seaside incase they inadvertently swallow some sea water. The dead sea is probably going to be the victim of the next campaign and I fully expect to see adverts taken out in Cosmopolitan and FHM warning that should we get a little too frisky with our partners, a true sign of love would be to ensure that oral sex did not damage my health and that 6g of salt a day was quite enough. Spit For Health could be their next catch phrase, perhaps? Watch out for the campaign next valentines day.

But more than that, I don't want them ruining my favourite time of year with their nagging 'nanny knows best' attitude, telling me that I can't have stuffing and do I really want a huge bucket of bread sauce with my roast potatoes when what I want to do is eat an entire box of quality street before breakfast and spend the rest of the day bloated, half pissed and farting.

Bugger off CASH, I say. Some things are sacred.

I'M BACK!

2010-11-26T14:38:00.002Z

Ah, it's been a while but it was a well needed rest. It's also nice not to have employers reading my blog trying to find reasons to get rid of me for daring to have an opinion of my own. They're in the past (mostly) thank goodness so here I am! Yippee!!

An awful lot has happened in my life and the world since I have stopped tapping my thoughts onto my little pink blog and it's a combination of a really shit government, a fucking awful opposition and a series of ghastly reality TV programmes taking over the lives of people which has once again enraged me.

First stop as always for me will be the EU and that Irish bailout but there's also so much nonsense happening in Westminster that it should keep the fires burning for a while.

So watch out for some bile and vitriol heading this way!

Love

Trixy

Still ill...

2010-08-19T11:20:00.002Z

But in the mean time enjoy this

And hopefully I'll be inspired soon enough to write something about politics or something. You never know.

My protest on Parliament Square

2010-07-15T12:08:00.002Z

The other day I was in the vicinity of Parliament Square and there were lots of young men and women in military uniforms. Given their ages I presumed it was something to do with Cadet 150. It was great to see them wearing their uniforms with pride, and their families delighted to be with them on this day.

So I was horrified to hear that one serviceman had had abuse hurled at him from the squatters on Parliament Square in their so called 'peace village'. You may be able to guess from my turn of phrase that I am on the side of Boris Johnson and would like these people removed so we can have access to our public space again and not be bombarded with their nonsense.

Because they are taking up space and they are also stopping other people with their right to protest. I personally wish to protest about cuts to the defence budget because there's still a huge amount of work to be done in areas like Armed Forces accommodation and ensuring that troops are properly equipped and paid a decent salary. I also do not agree with cutting numbers of troops and think there should be an increase in infantry numbers.

But where would I pitch my tent on the square? There's no space to put up my poncho no matter how much para cord I might have. I could try, I suppose, and it would be interesting to see what the 'peace' protesters make of me.

But I think I'd like some company. Would anyone care to join me?!

Beyond satire

2010-07-07T13:02:00.002Z

Being off work for a few weeks gave me the opportunity to undertake some reading beyond my usual Jilly Cooper-esque novels. One of the books I particularly enjoyed reading was about how Princess Victoria of Kent became Queen and indeed, came into existence. The Georgian era is one which one doesn't tend to study much which is a shame as it's rather interesting. And so I didn't know very much about the changes in Europe or indeed that King Leopold was in line to be Prince Consort of Great Britain having married Princess Charlotte, only child of George IV.

When Charlotte died after disastrous medical treatment and the brothers searched Europe looking for suitable princesses to marry, Leopold was invited to become King of Belgium.

Because Belgium is a constructed country and one which is also falling apart. That's why I found the speech by Nigel Farage rather fitting, given that they've just taken over the presidency of another constructed country, forcing people who don't wish to be together into union.

Following Timothy Kirphope's comment about Tory MEPs actually doing what's best for the country in the EU (which faction?) I thought I'd introduce those who weren't aware of this little creature to you. No, not Timothy Kirkhope, although it's fair to say most people haven't heard of him.

This little creature.

It's called a mudskipper and I decided it was a good name for Tory MEPs. Mudskippers can't decide which environment they want to live on, see. In the water or on moist land. I'm sure you can see where I make the link between them and eurosceptic/intergrationalist/federalist/withdrawalist Tory MEPs...

Vote for ME!

2010-07-06T14:06:00.000Z

here at the Total Politics lovely blog list whatsit.

Pretty Please.

With sugar on the top

*flutters eyelashes*

Road Pricing. Again

2010-07-06T08:01:00.002Z

The RAC has said that road pricing is "inevitable". I'm afraid that I disagree. It might be inevitable because of political pressures but it's certainly not needed if we actually take action and deal with the issues blighting our lives and this country.

A reader clearly feels the same way and has copied me into an email on the subject. As a cyclist you might wonder why I am so against road pricing when I just whizz past the queues of traffic in rush hour anyway. Simples; because I am sick of the amount of money being taken from people with the excuse that it's with our best interests that it is done.

It's not: road pricing, just like global warming is politically motivated. Lord Stern, formerly Sir Nicholas Stern, was knighted on the request of Gordon Brown. Stern had written his report which affects the way that our government policy, council policy and education of children is implemented and taught. It also allowed the Treasury to raise taxes in the name of saving us from ourselves. Well done, Nick. Have a gong.

Road Pricing will also be taught to us as helping protect against climate change or some similar tosh. I suspect very little will actually be said about the fact that it's a revenue stream for the EU across all EU countries which they are incredibly keen on, as well as allowing the central EU bureaucracy to continue with their push for control on cross border justice and home affairs. Road cross borders and so do cars, so who better than the EU to keep an eye on what we're all doing in our vehicles?

There's also the subject of Galileo. For those who don't know, Galileo is the 'spy in the sky' system which was set up by Yankophobe Europeans set on rivaling the GPS system. It hasn't worked, it's a black hole for your cash and you need to stump up for it because it sure as hell won't be profitable or have private investors. You will pay for it by allowing it to monitor you and because you don't take enough interest in how your lives are run and where your money goes, you probably deserve it.

But how should we deal with the problems on our roads? Well, given that the problems particularly in London are man made, in the sense that they are politically altered in order to ensure there is a continual argument for more charges and thus more money and power to socialist politicians, here are a few options in that email.:

· Open up the many thousands of miles of roads that have been closed or made unusable by barriers, signage, humps and other means.

· Remove the road width restrictions that have been placed on many thousands of miles of roads.

· Remove Prescott imposed traffic lights and remove ALL traffic lights from roundabouts.

· Re-phase traffic lights to pre-Prescott timings.

· Remove dark/death phase pedestrian crossing lights and revert to sensible phase Pelican crossings. (when all lights are black - T)

· Revert to speed limits applicable in the pre-Prescott era.

· Remove bus lanes. They delay all traffic including buses.

· Remove cycle lanes on roads that have been imposed to satisfy Labour’s requirement that central funding for road ‘improvements’ would only be given if the work included anti-car measures.

· Have more cycle lanes off road and more shared pedestrian/cycle lanes where appropriate. Force cyclists to use cycle lanes where they are available.

· Permit left turn on red.

· Left filters on signalled junctions should be the norm.

· Provide more free parking areas to allow roads to be clear of parked vehicles and hence allow traffic to flow.

I'm sure that some of you are tutting and thinking that there aren't altered traffic light phases and the such. Well, there are and the reason for them were openly admitted at a members meeting for the Institute of London Transport. Traffic was flowing rather too well, you see, and there needed to be a reason for Ken to call for a £25 congestion charge and expansion to West London.

As for the report's author, well he's very involved in this whole road pricing scheme. I'm sure he'll be put on another committee or executive board to help bring this all into being which will no doubt help his own coffers...

Fantastic Mr Fox

2010-07-05T07:33:00.003Z

I don't like foxes. I'm not one of these deluded people who think they're all cute and fluffy. I'd like to get on the back of a muscle packed stallion and chase one across the countryside and then know that it's been killed by some dogs.

But it's not that I dislike animals; quite the contrary. I'm a huge animal lover. I've been vegetarian for the past 18 years despite dreaming about steak (not one of those ghastly preaching ones, though), I actually communicate often like I'm a bloody cat and I do generally prefer animals to people. It's my love of animals, particularly the gorgeous ones I live with, that I want a bit of equilibrium to be restored and man to be the natural predator of foxes again.

For years in the suburbs there have been urban foxes causing a nuisance: ripping bins apart, screaching into the night and stinking and being infested with fleas. They don't run when they see a human; why should they? What can we actually do? They're the ones with sharp teeth and rabies. We should run from them.

And we know from news reports that foxes attack people and maul children. Those people who feed foxes and encourage them into urban areas think that sleeping children provoked a fox into scarring their faces and chewing their arms but this is bullshit.

My first pet, a rabbit called Christopher was killed by a fox who just took his head. Over the years we all came to know foxes as pet killers as a series of fluffy animals were taken as trophies despite our best efforts to keep them safe. Now we keep chickens and cats and it's another round of ensuring that people watch them even during the day and that all animals are locked up at night.

This morning I woke up to a text message from my friend who lives near saying that her kitten was killed last night by foxes.

Yes, you 'animal rights ban hunting stop pest control' people: a kitten was killed by a fox. You with all your 'save me' posters of foxes didn't have to clean up that one in your garden, did you.

So I had a look to see what can be done about dealing with the fucking pests. Here's the government website. Essentially, in much the same way as people have been told for the last decade about rape and burglary, it's your responsibility to stop it happening to you.

Blocking empty living spaces
If the space is occupied by foxes (or other animals) it’s illegal to trap them by blocking the entrance. Instead, wait until the foxes stop using the space and then block the entrance before the next breeding season, which lasts from December to May...

Legal protection for foxes
It’s against the law to treat foxes cruelly. Find out more information on foxes and the law on pages six and seven of 'The red fox in rural areas'.

And of course make sure there's no rubbish anywhere and don't fly tip. Of course, there's more rubbish around since we don't get it cleared up ever week (landfill directive) and more fly tipping (weee directive) so thanks EU.

In the mean time, if you've got a fox which is making your life unpleasant, remember that the last Labour government thought it more important than you. Perhaps we should get some changes included in this Great Repeal Bill?

How to be a tabloid journalist part 24638

2010-07-04T17:05:00.002Z

Not that tabloids overreact in their coverage, often stringing a few comments into a double page feature, but this coverage of the pantomime wedding in the News of the World had me hooting with laughter:

Women and children were forced to FLEE the scrum - some in floods of TEARS

It's a church in Surrey, not the Rwandan fucking genocide.

Britblog Roundups: the 'football team's coming home' edition

2010-06-28T10:17:00.005Z

Hello! And welcome to this sunny BB round up which is taking place on a Monday as no sun worshipper worth their salt would have been in on a day like yesterday.

So from a bronzed Trixy towers, here is a selection of the posts from the blogosphere in the week where England finally ended their world cup challenge and thus people finally took down those tacky flags with 'The Sun' or 'England' emblazoned across them. Yippee!

I'm going to start this week with an excellent post from Mark Reckons who notice an air of hypocrisy around the writing of Simon Heffer:

Quite aside from the fact that his logic is severely flawed (we have had crack-down after crack-down on drugs for the last 40 years and use has risen hugely), where is the liberal Simon Heffer who wants the government to back off from people's freedoms to drink beer and smoke tobacco? Both of these drugs harm and kill far more people each year than all illegal drugs combined. Why is there such a clear difference in his mind between the two groups of drugs, those that are legal and those that the government (sometimes seemingly arbitrarily) deem illegal?

Moving from one sin to another in the eyes of the pure, our man in Hanoihas noticed that the British Embassy has an interesting freebie. Each to their own, I guess...

Moving onto the subject of football, Matthew writes about why he thinks England could never have won the world cup this time around. I've always wondered why people get so attached to clubs given that they bear little resemblance to clubs which were started up for players of that area. Players move around all the time, as do managers. Someone who is the favourite one minute then becomes in some way a traitor or hated for doing what he probably did before he joined the club one supports. It's a marketplace and to me it's like supporting a favourite shop. I love shopping in Gina but if they secure a new marketing manager and the shares go up I'm just as happy as before because, well, it's a business.

Let us though not try and place the blame for this defeat solely on to others, when the real reason lies, at heart, with the English ourselves.

We have sold our best clubs to foreign owners. Foreign managers oversee them and foreign players dominate the 'English' Premiership line-ups. If you want a vision of England's future, take a look at Scotland today.

I'd like the oiks who threw eggs at my windows to understand that but I doubt very much they can actually read.

Brian Barder writes about Indeterminate Sentences for Public Protection which, despite the fact that he employs the phrase 'Polly Toynbee is right' reads very sensibly. I don't tend to get too involved with the whole crime thing, in the sense of committing it or what one should do with prisoners because, let's face it, one can't be interested and informed in everything. And I'm interesting and informed in a whole raft of topics so I'm sure you'll forgive me. And anyway, the tan makes up for it.

These people are in preventive detention, being punished for future offences they haven’t committed, often with no hope of release, fearing that they are in prison for life, having already been punished for often quite minor offences. The onus is on them to prove a negative about the future, which is conceptually impossible as well as reversing the normal onus of proof. The proportion of IPPers so far released is minuscule.

Staying on the same blog, but moving over to the subject of Afghanistan. The headlines were full of Cameron's statement that he wants British troops to withdraw from the country by 2015. But why is that? Like Obama's statement, war is not something you can put a definite time on (and if you do you'll probably be wrong) unless you don't actually have to be there. Is this the case in Afghanistan? Technically speaking it was not an illegal war because it's not actually an international conflict but lives have been lost, bodies have been shattered and hearts have been broken.

Our political leaders are, I think, inhibited by two fears, neither of which can possibly justify a single additional death or maiming of another British soldier.

The first is the fear that our withdrawal will be interpreted as a failure, and a defeat for British arms. But it need not be so. Britain has been second only to the Americans in the size and effectiveness of our contribution to the war over nine years, and in the cost of it in blood and treasure. It can reasonably credibly be claimed that our war effort has real and tangible achievements to its credit: al-Qaeda’s presence and power virtually eliminated, Taliban control of towns and villages removed and girls’ schools reopened, social development schemes instigated and funded under British military protection, Afghans given political options denied to them in the years before 9/11 and the arrival of NATO forces.

Neil Craig is getting a bit misty eyed at the prospect of the Norwegians building a tunnel for ships. I agree that one in Scotland would be fantastic but it would be late and about 10 times over budget, I guess.

Finally, because Chameleon said she enjoyed it (although I think that was only to remind me to write the round up this week!) here is my post on the budget and how I think the Tories still have a shit EU policy.

I've just been informed that I am not allowed to support Germany in the world cup, despite the egg throwing incident but have to support The Netherlands. This is because my Dutch housemate hates Germans because they 'start wars and stole my grandfather's bicycle'. Well, it won me over.

Until next week, get nominating your favourite posts at britblog [at] gmail [dot] com

Pip pip!

Finally a budget for single people

2010-06-26T12:28:00.002Z

For years, especially under the socialist government of Labour we've had to listen to all the benefits which would be going to 'hard working families', how 'schools n' hospitals would have as much money as they wished and how 'the poor' must get everything they want without having to actually get a job.

It was all to get us to be involved in the state. Child Tax Credits are clearly inefficient as a way of redistributing income and a higher personal allowance would do the job of ensuring the lowest incomes don't pay tax to keep them in an unemployment trap, but that wouldn't have worked for Gordon. He wanted you to be dependent on the state; to love it and him for its generosity.

So since I've been paying tax it's been a slavering socialist at the dispatch box telling me how much more of my money he's going to be taking from me to throw into his pit of money to waste on pointless projects.

But last week it was different: here was a budget which actually pleased me in many ways.

For now I don't have to pay so much for other people's children or the endless pursuing of the married couples' vote with one off lump payments for newborns and endless nonsense about monitoring schools. You may think I'm being unreasonable but for thirteen years the single and childless were shouting 'What about us?' at the TV and into newspapers. We don't get benefits, we just bloody pay for it all and sit there struggling to get a deposit for a house, ineligible for any tax credits or council housing because we've chosen not to spawn.

The rise in VAT is annoying because of course it increases money we give to the EU which is already far too much. It's politically preferred, of course, as whilst it will affect inflation until the 13 month rolling average sorts that one out it isn't a headline grabbing increase in income tax and doesn't show on the monthly salary statement which is the general view of how we all work out how better or worse off we are.

I only hope that in November the coalition will have the guts to realise that what they've started is a good thing. We shouldn't be worrying about winter fuel payments because if we didn't rape the pensions system and get taxed to kingdom come then people would have enough for their retirement. Stop state dependency and grow a pair. This country started the industrial revolution and it was the Victorian work ethic which allowed us to be great whilst at the same time improving conditions for the poorest in society. That concept has been hidden but I do hope that it hasn't been lost.

And whilst we're on the subject of growing a pair, the increase in the number of MEPs gives the chance that the Tories and Cameron said he wanted to get rid of this Lisbon Treaty. They came first in the country in 2009 with eurosceptic rhetoric and claims that they wanted to repatriate powers to Westminster.

But at the first chance he has he's already been wooed by Barroso over eggs and bacon and a quick kiss and cuddle at the first summit he attended as Prime Minister.

We cut the defence budget but ring fence international 'aid' which harms the chances of free trade and global development whilst Cameron bleats on inaccurately about how he'll push ahead with bilateral trade agreements for the UK. Not since we joined the EEC, Cameron old chap. We have a single trade policy now: we don't even get a seat at the WTO...

The Euro is a victim of its own success

2010-06-24T22:10:00.001Z

Yes, yes: that is what the President of Europe said. Nothing to do with the fact that this currency is based upon a political pipe dream which ignores economics and the democractic wish of the people who foot the bill. Nothing to do with the fact that the criteria for joining the currency were wishywashy themselves and even then were ignored by many of the Club Med countries in the EU. It's such a success, that's why Germans are bailing out other countries. And don't you forget it!

Lack of judgement or wounded pride?

2010-06-23T08:25:00.002Z

President Obama hasn't been having a good couple of weeks. First of all he's had to launch a full scale attack on BP and ignore any US involvement to ensure that he keeps up his protectionist stance. Now Gen McChrystal is coming under fire from the politician and his advisors, mainly for comments made by his aide.

At the White House meeting on Afghanistan and Pakistan, Gen McChrystal is expected to face:

Joe Biden. Gen McChrystal had mocked the vice-president when asked a question about him. "Are you asking about Vice-President Biden? Who's that?"
Karl Eikenberry. Gen McChrystal said he felt "betrayed" by the US ambassador to Kabul during the long 2009 White House debate on troop requests for Afghanistan
James Jones. One of Gen McChrystal's aides says the national security adviser is a "clown stuck in 1985"
Richard Holbrooke. Gen McChrystal says of an e-mail from the US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan: "Oh, not another e-mail from Holbrooke... I don't even want to open it"

Stanley McChrystal has been praised as the best commander in Afghanistan in the nine year war and has reduced civilian casualties by 44% which will have a positive impact on the 'hearts and minds' battle in the country, vital for intelligence on local Taliban activities.

But instead of concentrating on that, Obama has some wounded pride to see to. If members of his administration haven't been supporting the troops properly than I think it's important that people know about it. If his attitude has been less than helpful yet he and his administration are using trips to see the troops to raise their profile then I think it's a valid thing for people to know about. After all; who pays the bill?

Former CGS Gen Sir Richard Dannett was outspoken about the last Labour government and many people think this is why he never became Chief of the Defence Staff at a time when the Army was, has and will continue to take the brunt of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

By its very nature and the emotions the Armed Forces bring about, troops will always be a political tool. It's just that only rarely do those stories make the front pages and when they do, it's the military which get blamed by the politicians for being irresponsible.

So stats aren't his strong point

2010-06-18T10:02:00.003Z

If I showed someone a graph which had a direct correlation between two sets of figures one can say that one has an effect on the other. Economists calculate this using the formula r squared, or the correlation coefficient.

r squared is between 0 and 1: at 0 there is no correlation. 1 is where the two are entirely dependent on each other. I used to have a great time during my degree collecting all kinds of data and calculating if they had anything to do with each other. And it also enabled me to occasionally throw into conversation the word heteroskedasticity.

This EU summit has, alas, proven that our new Prime Minister isn't up there with even basic stats, let alone yummy econometrics.

Mr Cameron said a larger EU had diluted the tendency for further bureaucratic integration. He said: “Now Europe is so much wider and broader, with the countries of eastern and central Europe as members, that will help push us in a more intergovernmental direction, which I support.
“The wider and broader Europe takes some of the pressure off further integration. But you also have to be on your guard.”

This was the excuse used for Greek entry to the EU in the 1980s and actually was an A Level economics question (where you don't tend to use any stats apart from the terms of trade).

It's quite clearly a nonsense which doesn't require any complex analysis but a basic look at the different treaties over the past 50 years.

When the A8 countries joined in 2004 the EU didn't have as many powers as it does now. One of the criteria for them joining in their accession treaties were that they signed up to the EU Constitution, now in law as the Lisbon Treaty.]

Before Greece joined, Cyprus joined, before Finland and the UK there weren't the powers in the original documents as there are now. I know that the Tories use the reason for supporting expansion as saying that the pond will become wider and less deep but it's a nonsense. It's the reason they're using for their support of Turkey joining and countries like Serbia, but it's a fucking nonsense.

What I'm trying to establish in my own mind is that are the Tories, and Cameron in particular, being mendacious in their statements or are they being ignorant?

Answers on a shoebox, please.

Ups and Downs in the EU

2010-06-17T17:19:00.002Z

Whilst Cameron and Hague are having a love in with Barroso and the EU, agreeing that people who lead an organisation who haven't had their accounts signed off for fifteen years should approve our budget, one man who has never traded his principles gave another warning on the Euro.

Bonus time for bootleggers?

2010-06-06T21:36:00.001Z

(I'm posting this on behalf of the Lovely One.)

So it's only been a few weeks but I'm still yet to be bowled over by the repealing of detrimental legislation which was piled on this country by the combination of Brussels and the ghastly ex-Labour government.

ID cards were satisfying but quite frankly I'm hungry for more. We had thirteen years of incompetence and those people running the country into the ground and what I'm looking for is something more, well, groundbreaking. As far as I can tell it's still illegal to do things which are normal things to do like, for example, smoke inside, and at the same time we have the Lib Dems trying to force the utterly ruinous rocketing of CGT which people like Jackart don't seem to think so terrible for some reason. I've no idea why that is except, like a second marriage, it's a triumph of hope over experience.

A rise in CGT will stop people investing in, well, most things. Second homes which are pension provisions especially since Gordon Brown raped our pension pots. Shares which boost many areas of economic life through injections of liquidity. Even for demand side economists who worship the Income Equation, a generous boost of 'I' is just what the doctor ordered in these economically uncertain times.

But here's a basic thing that the coalition could do, which wouldn't really need much effort and would be a step in the right direction both for our civil liberties and small businesses.

SALES of blackmarket cigarettes could outstrip legal sales in Britain unless Labour’s draconian over-the-counter ban is reversed for shopkeepers.

In Canada a similar ban saw contraband sales in parts of the country overtake shop sales within 12 months of the new law coming in.

If the same thing happened in Britain, hundreds of newsagents would go to the wall and the Treasury would lose out on millions more in unpaid taxes.

One hardly expects a Labour government to do anything remotely sensible which is part of the reason why we're in the mess we are in. But I'm afraid that a Tory majority coalition should not have the excuse of incompetence to hide behind.

They are supposed to be the party which abhores excessive regulation and wants to promote freedoms and small businesses. I do hope that this marriage of convenience with the Lib Dems does not turn out to be more like an affaire de coeur with a mere mistress having undue influence.

It's about time that this country had a government with a vague grasp on the right thing to do. And this one seems pretty simple to me.

It's nothing personal...

2010-06-01T19:00:00.002Z

I've had a mentally challenging day and so have decided to indulge by reading all the shit in newspapers, mainly about Cheryl Tweedy, as we're to know her as. It's as sinful as licking the bowl of the chocolate cake with fresh strawberry frosting which I have made for a friend. But less fattening.

There are fabulous flashes of genius, though:

Cheryl is said to have broken the news to Ashley by telling him frankly: “It’s nothing personal but I never want to see or hear from you ever again. Please respect that.”

Nothing further to add, your honour.

The world according to the Estonians

2010-06-01T11:27:00.001Z

Enjoy this rather splendid clip by the Estonians whilst I have a look at the results of the Georgian elections and see who will be pissed off most by the results and if Russia will start attacking them again in the knowledge that the EU are too shit scared of them to comply with international law and defend Georgia.

Britblog Roundup

2010-06-01T09:39:00.002Z

Slightly late, for which I apologise but life is still rather kunterbunt at the moment, but here is the excellent Britblog Roundup as hosted by the talented Chameleon.

Next week we're going to see Jackart who I don't think has forgiven me for still lusting after David Miliband.

Ah, well.

A Laws unto themselves

2010-05-30T08:22:00.004Z

It's like last summer never happened. The expenses scandal which rocked the establishment and led to mass resignations and MPs being arrested was a figment of our perverse imaginations.

This new coalition we are being governed by appears to think that the election of them is enough to make us forget that it's our money they are stealing from us.

As Mr Laws MP said in the Western Gazette on the 17th October last year,

I believe strongly that all expenditure by MPs – whether it is on staffing and office costs, or for reimbursement of our own expenses – should be made available regularly for the scrutiny of those we are accountable to, our constituents.

I do not give one whether David Laws is gay, straight, asexual or transgender. I don't care if he's black, white, pink, northern or southern. What I care about is that someone who has seen the justifiable public outcry against the expenses MPs claim should then think it's okay that he gives £40000 to someone he is also giving one to.

Some of us can't afford one mortgage let alone have the opportunity to supplement our partner's lifestyle with tax payers cash.

It's also a demonstration of just how beige this new ConDem coalition is that both Clegg and Cameron jump to his defence.

Responding to Mr Laws' resignation letter, Mr Cameron said he was an "honourable man", adding: "I hope that, in time, you will be able to serve again."

Lib Dem Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said he had always admired Mr Laws' integrity and he hoped he would one day be able to return to government.

He said Mr Laws' privacy had now been "cruelly shattered".

Mr Cameron wrote: "The last 24 hours must have been extraordinarily difficult and painful for you.

"You are a good and honourable man. I am sure that, throughout, you have been motivated by wanting to protect your privacy rather than anything else.

"Your decision to resign from the government demonstrates the importance you attach to your integrity.

As the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister it would be nice if they, in reference to the fact that they are the servants of the people and were elected by us, would just occasionally leap to our defence. Is it too much to ask that we have in the government people who will just live by the rules? How is this man an example of someone with integrity? He's resigned over the scandal caused by his behaviour and there are people calling for his resignation as an MP.

Integrity? I'd hate to see the person Cameron and Clegg thought a bit dodgy.

And it really is one law for them and one for us. Just over a month after David Laws made a statement on expenses whilst lining the pockets of his lover, a staffordshire man was arrested for much the same thing.

A BENEFITS claimant has been jailed for two months after he failed to tell council officials about a change in his living arrangements.

David Griffiths, of Swansmoor Drive, Hixon, near Stafford, received just over £10,600 in housing and council tax benefit between August 2006 and December last year by claiming to be the only person living in his home. He also got more than £7,000 in income support.

Griffiths failed to tell Stafford Borough Council or the Department for Work and Pensions about a change in his circumstances.

The 39-year-old was actually living with a partner.

A click of the heels to Mark Croucher for pointing that one out.

All of this just confirms my believe that whilst this coalition may repeal a fews laws which I didn't like they are just papering over the cracks of our problem.

It's impressive in a way, though. Rebellions over the catastrophic increases in Captial Gains Tax, expenses scandals and resignations in the same month as the election: normally it takes years for a government to achieve this level of incompetence.

A woman with worse taste in men than me

2010-05-27T20:12:00.004Z

I was rather amused this morning when I read a shocking story about a Colombian beauty queen who in involved in drugs trafficking..

The Argentine press, who have dubbed her "Narco Queen", say she moved to Mexico in 2005 where she became romantically involved with a well-known drug trafficker known as The Monster.

Now, I do have disastrous taste in men but I think even someone as stupid as me when it comes to love and romance would think twice about dating someone called 'The Monster'.

Whilst the discussion as to the nickname would provide an interesting chat over the starter at Pizza Express I suspect that the reasons would not provide an inducement for me to take my knickers off.

That abortion advert

2010-05-25T20:22:00.002Z

I thought I'd wait until the advert aired on Channel 4 to make a few comments about the Marie Stopes advert.

As predicted, the usual suspects have thrown their hands in the air at the concept that women are able to make an informed choice about an unplanned pregnancy.

It's 32 seconds long so take a look at it here:

The people who protest against an advertisement offering a medical service are the same people who complain if it's advice given by a medical professional. It's not the medium in which it's been given that is their problem but the fact that they wish to deny people the choice over their own body because they don't agree with it.

Michaela Aston, a spokeswoman for anti-abortion charity Life, said: "To allow abortion providers to advertise on TV, as though they were no different from car companies or detergent manufacturers, is grotesque.

"By suggesting that abortion is yet another consumer choice, it trivialises human life and completely contravenes the spirit of the 1967 Abortion Act, which was supposed to allow for a small number of legal abortions in a limited number of hard cases, but has been twisted and distorted to allow for mass abortion on demand."

It's not an advert asking people to pick them for their 'Buy One Get One Free' abortion offer or some sexed up alcohol advert with citrus fruit flying over the screen: it's a couple of women going about their life looking concerned because they've missed their period. They're not asking you to buy their product at all but call up if you need advice. ADVICE. Yes, Marie Stopes offer abortion services but all you pro choice people, if they didn't then old Agnes round the back streets would do just as well with some gin, a hot bath and a coat hanger.

In such a situation isn't it best to get informed advice rather than worry, be unsure about what to do or have a baby which one can't afford, have no support for bringing up and is ill advised?

blogging break

2010-05-23T10:05:00.002Z

I've been signed off work sick for a couple of weeks and instructed to do lots of exercise and get out in the sunshine. I can deal with that: I am already a nice shade of ~~pink~~ brown.

But given my precarious health at the moment was it wise to give me the mobile number of my current lustful fantasy? Really? I've managed to control myself so far but these tablets do funny things!

commemorative mug

2010-05-19T06:56:00.002Z

For those of you reveling in the civil partnership between Dave and Nick, why not show your feelings with this commemorative mug?

Mine is on order. I'm going to drink weak tea and herbal remedies from it, or possibly blend the two in a beverage style metaphor of our government.

The true colours start to shine through

2010-05-18T07:34:00.002Z

It's hardly a new generation of government when one wakes up to this sort of nonsense
Darling George, the man who probably does have actual wallpaper on his computer screen, the man who is ill equipt to be in charge of our economy at this important time, has told his core voters that he wishes to shaft them.

I think it would have been pretty clear for anyone coming into office that there was a substantial problem with capital gains tax and avoidance of income tax,' Mr Osborne said.

Reform of capital gains tax was unavoidable because of the 'enormous amount of income shifting' happening by people looking to avoid paying income tax, which currently attracts much higher rates

Fundamentally, Georgy, people don't like paying tax because they see how much money pointless twats like you waste. You've been in power long enough to send out a note to local councils informing them that you won't be funding cycling workshops or lesbian tea dances and yet all I've really heard is that the so called Conservative Party has jumped into bed with their coalition partners with the enthusiasm that the builder's son who secretly dressed up in his mum's clothes does with the first pretty boy he meets at university.

It was always there for it to be this keen.

But the original Tory commitment that 80 per cent of deficit reduction should be achieved through spending cuts and just 20 per cent through tax hikes has been quietly abandoned.

Brilliant. The party which came third is successfully trying to ruin our economic recovery. Of course, if the Tories actually had a backbone or even an inkling of economic nous they would tell Cleggy to shut his pretty mouth and let them get on with the job of trying to dig this country out of the ghastly mess which socialism and neglect has brought.

But they're not. They could have stood with no UKIP candidates if they'd trusted the people enough to give them a referendum on our continued membership of the European Union, which would do a damned site more for the economy than a rise in VAT (which brings them in line with other EU countries and of course is a way that the EU gets money without asking national governments for it) but they declined.

Yet Osborne might have problems with his proposed rises, as a reader writes to me to say:

'I’ve heard your policy on raising the rate of CGT from 18& to 40% on more than three occasions from yourselves & your local candidate.

I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt & assuming that you are not aware why the rate has been ‘lowered’ to 18%; either that or I am missing something which means that
three of you have not described your proposals properly, or you are proposing to commit theft.

I don’t support your party; I’ve met Vince at Guildford Theatre last year; you both seem to be very able politicians & decent people which is why I’m puzzled by your proposals re CGT.

Canvassing for my party I’ve found that few members of the public understand what the deficit is; how much we owe: what Gordon Brown means by saying he’ll halve the deficit etc.

To them, your proposal to charge ‘rich’ people 40% on capital gains must sound attractive – it may well win votes.

The thing is you’d be challenged in the courts if you tried to do this. Let me explain simply CGT has always been complicated:

CGT was introduced some 40 years ago as Sch.D case VIII.

In the early days, in order to establish & quantify a gain, tax consultants and HMIT had to resort to opinions from valuers etc. this could be a time consuming, costly process

There have always until recently (with the introduction of the flat 18% rate) been problems associated with establishing the true gain, i.e after allowing for inflation.

Let us assume that I bought a second home 10 years ago for £100,000. I could have bought a Rolls Royce for that but I chose the house.

Let us also assume that inflation/indexation would have increased the value to £130,000 and that I sell the house tomorrow for that figure.

Under present rules, after deducting the annual tax free allowance (say £10,000) I’d pay CGT of 18% on £20,000 i.e £3600. It is arguable whether I actually made any gain, and my Roller would still cost £130,000, but at least the calculation is simple.

Under your proposals (as I understand them), you’d reduce the annual allowance to £2,000 leaving a chargeable gain of £28,000 on which I could pay tax at 40%.

Thus my CGT liability could be £11,200 on a gain that, as a result of inflation, did not actually occur. That would not stand up in court if challenged.

Vince said today that very few pensioners would actually pay 40% CGT. That is not true. There are thousands of people who’ve invested in second homes for their retirement or student homes for their children or grandchildren, who will not be reliant on state handouts, who you are proposing to rob, if my understanding of your proposals is correct (I apologise if I’m wrong)

I look forward to your reply and, if appropriate, to a public withdrawal from an unfair (you being the party proposing fairness) tax.'

This letter was originally written to the Lib Dems during the election but I think given this new state of affairs it's worth flagging up to Mr Osborne.

Gentlemen; we won't hold our breath.

Britblog Roundup

2010-05-18T07:29:00.002Z

Apologies for the delay in pointing you over towards the delectable Mr Eugenides for this week's Britblog Roundup but I'm afraid I'm ill at the moment and not on the planet all of the time.

Anyway, go read it. He's written it just for you.

Oh dear...

2010-05-17T19:40:00.002Z

I still have a thumping great crush on David Miliband. I've tried to rid myself of it by spending time with soldiers but they're all the bloody same and not the kind of people you want as anything other than mates.

Come here, Mili-lover, and bring that banana with you.

Osborne gives in on first EU trial

2010-05-16T10:05:00.005Z

It appears that despite the Tories pretending they have any interests of protecting British interests in Europe, he's going to cave in at the first hurdle.

Some years back I wrote about proposals in the European Parliament to limit Hedge Funds which a socialist MEP Joe Leinen said were an ‘alien concept in Europe.’ Presumably, this is because they make money and are lightly regulated.

The proposals also caused Boris Johnson to go to Brussels to try lobby against this directive, without of course realising that his own MEPs had voted in favour of it at the first reading in the European Parliament which is the only chance a proposal can be thrown out.

Sources close to the new Chancellor of the Exchequer said that although the British Government still disagreed with large parts of the directive, the process was now too far down the track to be stopped.

“We know we have to pick our battles and this was one we had already lost,” one source said.

This is the nonsense about being in the European Union; that we have to 'pick our battles'.

Fuck that, we should trust our politicians to do what's best for the country all the time and that is why it's a fallacy that being a member of the EU is anything but undemocractic and disastrous for this country.

The City is vital to the long term financial interests of this country and by passing a directive which will see Hedge Funds vanish abroad hardly stands up this argument that our new Beloved Prime Minister and his predecessor used to say that our membership is necessary for 3 million jobs.

That was based on the number of people who work in sectors which export to the EU as if somehow over night all the countries in the EU will wish to cut off their noses to spite their faces and stick two fingers up to their biggest clients.

I hardly think that the regulation of car windscreen wipers is a requirement for multinational trading deals in billion pound industries and more to do with the level of intellect and scope that most MEPs are capable of.

ID cards may be scrapped in the immediate future but given that we're still grabbing our ankles for the EU monster I fail to see how this coalition government is going to be wildly different.

If you are bored..

2010-05-13T14:46:00.002Z

Then type 'David Cameron side profile' into google images.

And don't say I never give you anything.

Quotation of the election

2010-05-13T11:21:00.001Z

According to Brian Reade in The Mirror of all places goes to Nigel Farage:

"Get me out of this f****** thing." Sums up his policy on Europe perfectly.

Nice that UKIP won something.

Euro bail out reveals true EU concerns

2010-05-10T11:48:00.003Z

The bail out of Greece tells you all you really need to know about the priorities of the European Union.

Germany, admittedly itself a recipient of loans which did rather propel the Western part into a thriving economy, will provide huge amounts in order to help Greece to prevent them defaulting on their debts.

I don't particularly want any of the money this country does have going to Greece because they are using my tax money to prop up a political ideal. All of a sudden the soon to be ex (I hope or I'm off) Chancellor is talking about lending 'only' £8bn.

Hold on: a couple of weeks ago when you were facing the public vote the concept of not increasing taxes by £6bn was considered to be some kind of disaster strategy only considered in the minds of people who were mad. Never mind the fact that anyone who thinks 'cutting taxes is taking money out of the economy' should be in any position of responsibility (for where do you start with someone who is that dumb); this is hypocrisy.

So not news, then.

Okay, so it's a loan, but with all financial arrangements there are risks and we might not get that cash back.

Olli Rehn made the priorities of the EU clear when he said:

we shall defend the euro whatever it takes

Whatever it takes. They will defend an unnecessary political experiment they took with the lives of ordinary people in order to keep their pet project, their egos and their wish that they all had huge penises, alive.

Greece would be much better leaving the european single currency and taking control of its own monetary policy and thus able to devalue rather than stick to a rate of interest which suits Germany and France.

Of course it would also be helpful if the country didn't descend into strikes every half hour but in the short term I suspect there's more chance of me turning into a life sized statue of Bette Midler carved out of feta cheese than that happening.

Headline of the day

2010-05-10T11:45:00.002Z

From the Press Association:
MAN ADMITS CALLING FOR DEATHS OF BROWN AND BLAIR

And who amongst us hasn't?

How the Tories could have that majority

2010-05-08T13:10:00.002Z

This election has been a game of numbers. But there's one set of numbers which hasn't been pointed out and that's the seats which UKIP theoretically lost the Tories.

Via Mark Croucher it seems there are 21 seats where the UKIP vote was greater than the Tories lost by.

Firstly, why is Cameron so frightened of allowing the British people to have a say on the nations relationship with Europe. His u-turn on the 'cast iron' guarantee he offered on the Lisbon Treaty baffled many Conservatives, particularly as, when he withdrew his worthless pledge, he could instead have stiffened Czech resolve by promising to back the stance taken by their president, Vaclav Klaus. Had he done so, the Lisbon Treaty may have remained unratified by all member states, and Klaus could have held off his critics by pointing to the British Conservatives.

The second is how he thinks he will be able to govern with the support of the Liberal Democrats, the most publicly pro-European party. With their support for the Euro and the creation of a federal state, it is not difficult to see that the problems will begin almost as soon as anything of importance occurs in Europe which, with the imminent threat to the Euro, is likely to be in fairly short order.

I'm glad I didn't vote for the Conservative Party and thus didn't lend my approval to Cameron's policy of being a dripping wet who is more comfortable cosying up to federalists who want us to be nestled cheek by jowl with other EU countries rather than letting the British people decide their own future.

One can't imagine Thatcher doing deals with people on the opposite end of the political spectrum, but then she didn't have to because she was a strong people who told the world what she believed in.

Other countries are looking on us trying to take in this coalition with bemusement for they frequently have coalition governments. But then they also don't have a first past the post electoral system which eliminates the possibility of variety and people having the chance of expressing their views beyond voting for the party they hate least.

I can't imagine a coalition working for long given the urgency in our financial situation. I suspect there'll be another election before long and then maybe Cameron should remember that if he trusted the people he could have been a Prime Minister outright with no bending and curtsying to a political party who want to outsource what's rest of our Parliament like some dodgy mobile phone company.

Polling Day Blues

2010-05-07T12:23:00.002Z

I'm still not at all excited about the election results. I think the British people sent out a strong message of 'er, kinda' to the politicians.

My plans for polling station duty were cut short when I heard about Nigel Farage's plane crash and that's been the focus of my attention rather than three similar parties fighting it out to not make much difference in the long run.

And on that note, I was reading an update from Associated Press when I noticed the advert at the bottom of it...

Fear of flying? I should think so.

Britblog Roundup

2010-05-03T21:07:00.002Z

is here

How depressing...

2010-05-02T09:21:00.001Z

The Right to Vote?

2010-05-01T12:12:00.002Z

In my chats with soldiers it's unusual to find one who is a Labour supporter. There's no surprise for this: if they're in the Army then by defnition they're employed, they don't have a council house, they're patriotic and put themselves on the line for other people.

So there are people questioning if it's any coincidence that despite Parliamentary Questions and assurances from ministers that something will be done to ensure that those serving away from home, particularly in Afghanistan, can vote, it appears that they have been backtracking on this statement in recent weeks.

Service personnel based overseas will generally have insufficient time to receive a postal ballot and return it in time for polling day, and therefore the MOD and Electoral Commission continue to encourage appointing a proxy as the best way to vote.

An additional Service Voting and registration campaign is being run specifically for those who will be in Afghanistan during the forthcoming election period.

However, this scheme will not work for every Service person in Afghanistan and due to the tight electoral timeframe, electoral timeframes and operational priorities, success cannot be guaranteed. Service personnel are therefore still encouraged to register to vote by proxy.

Given that the election was always going to happen before June could there not have been more effort made to ensure that those who are risking their life and limb on the order of politicians can at least have their one in five year opportunity to actually express their opinion?

Or do the government think that given the cluster fuck which is the Labour Party's defence policy it's just best not to ask them?

We had record numbers of lives lost and serious injuries ensuring that the Afghan elections went smoothly and as many civilians could vote. It's a shame that this government don't consider the rights of our soldiers to be able to do the same anywhere near as important...

Immigration: they finally tell the truth

2010-04-30T13:47:00.002Z

Finally after how many years and the three leaders of the tired, old parties have a debate on immigration.

Listening to it I actually think the most harmful policy is that of the Conservative Party. Why? Well as Nick Clegg and Gordon Brown correctly pointed out one can't control immigration within the European Union.

Let's leave aside the fact that Labour, Tory and Lib Dems voted for unlimited immigration and expansion of the European Union and support Turkish entry to the EU. The fact is that you either have immigration controls which treat everyone coming to this country for economic reasons the same or you don't.

It's not the highly skilled Kiwis I have a problem coming to Britain it's the Bulgarian pimps. Under Cameron's system what we'd end up with is companies not being able to employ the best people for the job based on their country of origin and that is not good for our businesses and so fundamentally, for our economy.

Whilst the country tightens its belt

2010-04-28T19:54:00.003Z

It's been an interesting day on the financial markets following Greece having it's credit rating demoted to 'junk' as Spain has its credit rating cut from AA+ to AA. A much bigger economy that Portugal or Greece, investors had their eyes on the much bigger country as an indicator of how a country in deep financial mire could get itself out of the mess. Not easily, it would seem and losing control of interest rates and control of the currency makes the whole process a hell of a lot harder.

Meanwhile, back in the UK and away from our moronic Prime Minister calling a woman who didn't agree with him a bigot, the fundamental policy people are concerned about is also the economy.

So here's a number we should all be looking at: £7 billion. This is the increase the European Commission have decided to hoist upon us tax payers, blithely ignoring the fact that they are a detriment to our democracy and our economy.

As the UK is the second biggest contributer to the EU pig trough this will see our contributions soar by £450 million a year.

Experts last night pointed out that the final budget is likely to be higher still as the Commission has not including the cost of setting up the EU’s new diplomatic service, which is expected to add billions to the total.
EU Budget Commissioner Janusz Lewandowski said the huge spending increase was needed to allow Brussels to help aid the economic

And you can rest assured that it won't go on anything beneficial for this is an institution which requires two parliamentary buildings, one which is only in use for 40 days a year, that hasn't had its accounts signed off for 15 years and which is stuck in some soviet system of economics where ten year plans are rolled off the production line by seemingly unembarrassed bureaucrats who ignore the inconvenient truth that every plan they've put in place turns to shit. They're hailed as successes by plastic politicians who have as much economic sense as a fused 1960s toaster.

No. Instead our hard earned money; what remains once the Treasury have bent us over their mahogany desks and taken us roughly from behind; will go on a variety of pointless, nay harmful projects, including an 18% rise in 'regional funds' which can't be accounted for but examples include your money being spent on underground systems in Eastern Europe. Also on the list is a 14% increase in spending to 'tackle climate change'. With their eyes screwed shut and their hands over their ears they miss information like statistics and great fucking volcanoes spewing more ash than 50 years worth of Sloanes in their 4x4s. The politicians are right; the people are to blame.

Remember that when they say that 'Europe' isn't relevant to this election: that it's all about the economy, squabbling over £6bn 'will they, won't they' taxes on jobs...

Remember that when you look at Clegg and wonder if he's worth the risk: the man who used to work in the European Commission and who says he thinks that the reason we don't like the EU is because it reminds us of losing our Empire. Not the democratic deficit or the huge waste, the massive injustice and the fact that they could not give one fuck about us. No; it's all about the Empire.

Remember that next Thursday.

It may not be illegal but...

2010-04-28T13:20:00.003Z

Via this blog post I have just discovered comes some very interesting news regarding 'anti sleaze candidate: self appointed' John Stevens:

And yet, when Stevens was an MEP, he received a set payment, currently worth around £40,000 per year, to run a constituency office. As MEP for the old Euro constituency of Thames Valley, when he first was elected in 1989, he listed in the 'grey list' - the European Parliament's official list of MEP contact details, an office at 70, High Street, Sunninghill, Ascot. However, by the official list published on the 18th February 1991, that address had disappeared, and his official contact addresses were listed as 40 Smith Square, London SW1, and 15 St James's Place, London SW1.

40 Smith Square is a house (in the most expensive area in London), while 15 St James's Place were the offices of his employers, Rothschild Asset Management.

So how much money did squeaky clean John Stevens get from the tax payer to have an office in the UK?

In today's money he would have received over £300,000.

Comments from Mr Stevens, anyone? Should I call Lib Dem HQ and ask them, as he's such a supporter?

UPDATE

According to information from the European Parliament office, Stevens only had a constituency office for 19 months out of the ten years he was an MEP.

This means there's about £212000 meant for his office which didn't go on one.

2010-04-26T13:02:00.001Z

The Britblog roundup is here!

And why would you vote Labour?

2010-04-23T23:40:00.005Z

Just a quick reality check in the form of a blast from the past, chaps.

Why would anyone vote Labour when we still are in doubts over the truth of the Hutton Inquiry?

You know, when three men resigned over investigative journalism in the public interest, a weapons expert died in quite obviously mysterious circumstances having spoken to the press and the PM's spin doctor was trapped, Aragog-like, circa 'Return of the King' but got off scot free...

And we forgive these cunts and almost one third of the voting population want them back in power?

Seriously? This is not some student party where my warm vodka and tonic comes mixed with mind altering drugs?

We appear to be a nation engrosed with Belle de Jour and her saucy tales of S and M for we desire a mentally deficient crag of rock to beat us before taking us against our will and charging us for the pleasure.

And why would you vote Labour?

2010-04-23T23:40:00.001Z

In, Out, shake it all about

2010-04-22T20:27:00.002Z

This leaders' debate is really much better when you watch it with the sound off. And read text on a different web page.

Last week I was involved. I listened to all of it, hurling insults at the screen and seriously reducing my life expectancy by dramatic raising of blood pressure. And for what? The Three Musketeers couldn't hear me and even if they could they would have responded the way they do to the rest of the population by simply ignoring me.

But tonight they managed to spend about three minutes having a quick discussion about the place where most of our rules are made: Brussels.

Beforehand we have been treated to some round ups by various news outlets including some pushing the line that Clegg, gang-banger of the EU social model, wanted to have a referendum on in or out.

I'd like to think that my darling readers, as well as being aware of my natural attributes, are also smart cookies who wouldn't trust a Lib Dem as far as they could throw one. But it's often best with these rather important topics to hammer the point home, as it were.

The Lib Dems were the party who denied the country the right to have an In-Out referendum on our continued membership of the European Union.

They denied us the right to have a referendum on Lisbon.

Shall I remind you?

Hold 3 line whip to abstain; ignore snide comments that 'only the Lib Dems would have a three line whip on not doing anything from prominent opponents of the EU.

and

Do complete u-turn. Ignore comments that you should be supporting the amendment in the House of Lords calling for a referendum on membership since you have been calling for it, including on high profile morning radio programmes.
9. Vote against the referendum you desired to avoid a referendum on what you promised. Send out anonymous spokesman to talk about why you want a biased referendum on an issue you think you have the better chance of winning even though the amendments requesting a referendum by you and another party were identical.

Look; I know you don't trust the bastards. Just make sure you tell your friends as I bet they aren't half so intelligent as you

Kisses

Trixy

Did the earth move for you, darling?

2010-04-20T16:18:00.002Z

There are times when these stories just write themselves and this, as you can probably guess, is one of those occasions.

A senior Iranian cleric says women who wear revealing clothing and behave promiscuously are to blame for earthquakes.

Where do I go from there? This is a part of the world where a woman revealing any part of her barnet is tantamount to the scandal which would be created in Western society if a stripper decided to receive the Body of Christ in Church by smearing it on her erect nipples. And yet these whores are now responsible for tectonic plate movement?

Hands up, I'm an atheist. There is little one could do to convince me of some great and wondrous being short of actually proving it and it's fairly simple to correlate any religious fundamentalism with the restriction of freedom of speech and the freedom of women in particular.

But it's a sad state of affairs when people are taken seriously for this kind of nonsense:

"A divine authority told me to tell the people to make a general repentance. Why? Because calamities threaten us," said Sedighi, Tehran's acting Friday prayer leader. Referring to the violence that followed last June's disputed presidential election, he said: "The political earthquake that occurred was a reaction to some of the actions [that took place]. And now, if a natural earthquake hits Tehran, no one will be able to confront such a calamity but God's power, only God's power ... So let's not disappoint God."

Why hasn't the centre of SoHo been hit with some calamity, aside from litter and drunken tourists? Given the propensity of crotch-skimming skirts and boob tubes, shouldn't the businesses there be struggling to get insurance given the number of divinely driven disasters which rock the streets in outrage at the blatant two fingers to the strict moral code of religion?

Why are the bars serving anything but communion wine, I ask myself.

We are heading straight for a disaster and it's all the fault of underwired bras. And hormones.

A bit rude at shell?

2010-04-19T19:44:00.002Z

I'm not sure what my friend was searching for when he found this website but it made me laugh. It made my colleague a little confused because she took the survey and it started telling her about swinging.

Britblog roundup: the Eyjafjallajoekull edition

2010-04-19T15:56:00.003Z

Apologies for the delay in this week's edition but I've been stuck on an island in the North Sea and I've only just made it back to the mainland. It was tough going: I only had a fun sized mars bar (which as a vegetarian I cannot eat anymore and thus had to use it as a paddle) and a lilo in the shape of a crocodile.

This volcano has been something of a fag for all those wishing to commute anywhere apart from Dunstable or similar but luckily Mr Eugenides has flagged up this incredibly useful BBC site keeping you abreast of all your ash cloud related enquiries.

For those not just concerned with travelling, there is also a handy BBC article on ash related health questions. Thank goodness for that.

But of course the General Election is still on. It must be quite frustrating for candidates that despite their best efforts to get voters involved, they are being outdone by an inconvenient cloud of dust. As exciting as it is that for the fifth day people can't travel, might it not also illustrate that this campaign is really quite dull?

And this is despite the 'historic' leaders' debate which saw three men stand in front of lecterns clearly demonstrating the difference in their parties through the medium of ties in primary colours.

Not a Sheep has written about the one topic which saw the largest increase in support from those who were being monitored during the debate: immigration.

Meanwhile Letters from A Tory asks if the country can extricate itself from Cleggmania and looks at some stats being released this week which should have an impact on the news agenda.

Keeping on the subject of television, this week had a big impact in our world when The Devil decided to, well, dream up imaginative ways of killing people following an interview on The Daily politics.

Jackart doesn't think he should have apologised so quickly and although I agree, it's much easier to say that from behind a computer screen.

Does anyone think Chris, Old Etonian and decent chap would actually feed someone to a bath full of fire ants? Or make them suffer "Candiru fish craziness"? Any more than I would Skull-fuck the entire Labour cabinet to death or fire them into the North Sea using trebuchets? No. It is just saloon-bar invective, in Chris' case well written and, in context, highly entertaining. I think the apology and retraction were a mistake.

Meanwhile, Stumbling and Mumbling" picks up on Gordon's claim that Labour will be 'relentless reformers'.

Wat Tyler has been canvassing and finds that people aren't loving politicians, despite the promises to 'clean up politics'. [But then they did elect a speaker who was also embroiled in the expenses scandal himself: perhaps not a wise move?] The result of this apparent move towards a hung parliament is that this coalition people might wish for will instead be a 'Lib-Lab wash up'.

Technically this was last week, but Charles Crawford writes about the the legacy of Lech and maria Kaczynski.

Meanwhile, whilst we've all been looking at domestic politics and sqabbling over whether we should have a £6bn tax or not, A Place To Stand points out that we may have sight of the end of the cold war.

That's all from me, and for those of you wondering why it was a slightly right of centre round up it's because I only had one nomination this week.

When we're at Charlie's place next week, please do send in nominations to britblog [at] gmail [dot] com or I will send obo round to lead the entertainment at your children's birthday party.

Until then, pip pip!

Trixy

Bercow's new buddies?

2010-04-14T21:45:00.003Z

New to my blogroll is Skeptyk Blog which takes an interest in the assorted collection of nutters who spend their time creaming themselves over the thought that UKIP have done something wrong.

It's very remiss of me being so late to the party on this one [that damned 'work' nonsense keeps getting in the way!] particularly as apparently I write the thing. Gosh, well done me!

The latest post raises a couple of interesting questions also flagged up by The Common Man regarding none other than our esteemed Speaker, Mr Bercow:

The Common Man has been out on the campaign trail once again, and saw a very interesting meeting yesterday in Buckingham. While sipping a G&T in the White Hart, who should appear - miles from where they should have any business - but Nikki Sinclaire and Gary Cartwright, the liberal nazis. Surprising as that was, it was even more of a surprise to see incumbent and soon to be unemployed speaker of the Commons John Bercow enter with his campaign team shortly afterwards.

In a day of surprises, and just to top it all, they then all greeted each other cordially before the two elected members left together, with their entourages, out of the back door.

It's generally quite hard to miss Nikki Sinclaire although lofty John Bercow could skate under the radar. Perhaps this is the UKIPper the Guardian was talking about, handing out Lib Dem former Tory MEP John Steven's leaflets?

It's odd that someone elected on a UKIP ticket who decides that she doesn't want to sit in the EDF group where there is an obligation to pool allowances to fight continent wide campaigns is all of a sudden appearing to support pro-EU candidates.

A little bird did tell me that in one of her many conversations - honestly, the beauty of the prose and the well meaning statements can easily lead you to confuse the woman with Katherine Hepburn or similar - she told former UKIP leader Farage that she would ruin him. Makes a change from threatening to sue people, I suppose.

Maybe this is all part of the plan? She's throwing EU withdrawalism to the wall and climbing firmly into the Pro EU camp. Or perhaps it's that more traditional political trait of mud slinging? My enemy's enemy and all that...

Still, it does point to Bercow being concerned about holding his seat, which is a positive thought.

Discrimination more costly than amputation

2010-04-12T15:52:00.003Z

It really does fuck me off when I read about women who sue their employers because they get knocked up and want the world to revolve around them. But it really winds me up when these women are in the Army, and an Army at war, at a time when one only needs to open a paper to see real courage whilst the defence budget gets slashed.

Sadly, Tilern DeBique appears to be one of those women who thinks her right to every weekend and evening off because she had sex without using contraception means that her colleagues should work more evenings and weekends.

A single mother soldier was today seeking a substantial six figure payout after winning her sex and race discrimination claims against the Army.
Tilern DeBique, 28, was serving with the 10th Signal Regiment and expected to be available for duty around the clock.

The mother-of-one was disciplined after failing to appear on parade because of childcare difficulties.

Her commanding officer told her that the Army was a 'war-fighting machine' and 'unsuitable for a single mother who couldn't sort out her childcare arrangements'.
Miss DeBique, a Foreign and Commonwealth soldier from St Vincent and the Grenadines, had two-bedroom family accommodation at Chelsea Barracks in south-west London.
But she had no-one to look after her daughter and wanted to bring her half-sister from St Vincent to the UK as a live-in carer.

I agree with the CO on this one. He has a Battalion to care about, not just one soldier.

A panel at Central London Employment Tribunal criticised the Army for not making any appropriate childcare arrangements for Miss Debique - especially after its costly recruitment drive in the Caribbean.

I'm thinking that there are better ways of spending the defence budget than child care?

It ruled that the Army had treated Miss DeBique less favourably than male soldiers and her non-Foreign and Commonwealth counterparts.

Her colleagues who didn't insist on having every evening and weekend off work. They were treated differently to her but presumably they aren't allowed to complain?

The landmark rulings are embarrassing for the Army, which must now consider the implications for its recruitment policy.

Do you remember when Godfrey Bloom said legislation pushing for 'rights' for women in the workplace was harming employment prospects for young women? A case in point here. Why would the Army make a point of recruiting women now, especially since there are only so many areas they can work in but men can work in all areas in the forces?

Miss DeBique was today seeking compensation for loss of earnings, injury to feelings and aggravated damages at Central London Employment Tribunal.

Selfish cow.

She says that had she not suffered discrimination, she would have seen out her full 22-year period of service.

Which most people don't serve.

It is believed that she is seeking a substantial six figure sum.

Funny, that. Easy street for her whilst former colleagues fight for their country.

Lawyers for the Ministry of Defence told the tribunal that the parties remained 'a very long way apart' after negotiations over a payout.
Miss DeBique told the tribunal today that it had always been her 'dream' to join the Army in England.

But to be treated differently to other soldiers because of her lifestyle choice?

She gave birth in August 2005 and made arrangements that she would work from 8.30am to 4.30pm on weekdays but would not undertake weekend duties.

Miss DeBique had childcare but in December 2006 her daughter fell ill and she missed training.

In January 2007, she failed to appear on parade for 'a reason relating to childcare difficulties'. She was told this was a serious offence and that she faced disciplinary action.

Maybe this makes me a complete bitch but I think the most important point about the Army is that it's a unit where everyone works together as a team. People risk their lives for each other and that bond is probably closer than many family units. This is called into question when certain people decide that they don't want to play by those rules.

I don't think that having children is a right, I think it's a privilege. As I have said on many occasions, I don't want children and it annoys me that because of that I don't leave work on the dot of 1700 but work unpaid overtime whilst my colleagues with kids wander off and expect us to continue filling the gaps.

But what really winds me up about this story is that Miss Childcare 2010 will get more for her one night of passion than someone will for losing a leg.

And if she thinks that is right then what the fuck was she doing in the Army in the first place?

Labour Lies go unchecked by mainstream media

2010-04-12T12:48:00.002Z

Look. The government cannot impose language tests on EU workers regardless if they work as a GP, plumber or stripper.

Labour’s policy document says current English language requirements that apply only to non-EU public workers will be extended “to ensure all employees who have contact with the public have an appropriate level of…competence”.

The fact that all three parties jumped on the bandwagon last week regarding GPs when they all voted for it in Strasbourg and now Labour include it as part of their manifesto just shows that they could not give a shit what they tell you.

I haven't heard a journalist yet question Brown on his desire to break fundamental rules in EU legislation and I suspect that's ignorance.

And it makes me fucking sick.

They lie, knowing that people will vote for them anyway.

Don't vote for them.

And remember that this is the first manifesto launched by the Labour party since Gordon Brown's barrister used their inability to be trusted as a legal defence.

"manifesto pledges are not subject to legitimate expectation".

Who said it?

2010-04-11T08:30:00.003Z

If a telephone directory were published in Brussels, the Honourable Gentleman would believe that it was the forerunner of a European Constitution. We are not going to have such a constitution, so I am happy to categorically deny his statement

and...

it will be no more binding than the Beano or the Sun,

Try this next one:

This is not a major change, There is no need for a referendum

and

I am not saying it has got no substantial constitutional significance. Of course it will have...

[gosh - T]

and then....wait for it

Our task is nothing less than the creation of a new constitutional order for a new, united Europe.

Whoa! Where did that admission of truth come from? Ah, DG FT....

The connection is that they both held the same job. One took over from the other one after a passport affair and was then given a job in Home Affairs (natch).

Quite a significant change in the way our country is run but obviously of no consequence to this General Election as we instead talk about tiny sums of money and allow Nick Clegg to be unquestioned in his frankly dangerous economic statements.

Essential reading

2010-04-11T08:23:00.001Z

Once again comes from Christopher Booker, highlighting how little the voters realise about the importance of this election and why, by three party consensus, we are not being told just how very fucked we are.

There was a mistake with that firing range

2010-04-09T11:48:00.003Z

Thankfully, Grumpy Old Twat has corrected it.

Political Poetry

2010-04-08T20:53:00.002Z

The election appears to be progressing with the entire debate hinging around a measly £6 bn which in the grand scheme of things is fuck all. If the Tories hate National Insurance so much why don't they get rid of it.

Anyway, my contribution to the political analysis comes to you in the form of a (very short) poem.

If you want to win an election,
shag your wife without protection.

That is all.

BREAKING NEWS

2010-04-07T16:36:00.002Z

Is this the kind of shit we're going to have to put up with during the General Election campaign?

Three parties are fighting over cutting £6bn in public spending when we give £45 million A FUCKING DAY to the EU.

Nick Clegg has demonstrated that the Lib Dems want to remove any incentives to start a business or be successful; the drivers of growth and yet no one picks him up on it, let alone the BBC.

And Peter Bloody Mandelson, the nightmare character from a 1990s computer game who, no matter how many times you splatter him with an axe and a chop to the temples Just. Will. Not. Fucking. Go - is not being pulled up on talking about democracy and referendums!

The Tory MP for Witney did wear a high-visibility yellow sash but no protective head-gear...

I want to discuss how the country is run, not fucking bicycling road safety. I couldn't give one. Why should I: I've seen no evidence that there are any brains there.

Zeus Like, you've kidnapped democracy

2010-04-07T16:29:00.003Z

Woo Hoo! The General Election campaign is in its second day! Who gives a fuck? Anyone?

The man who has the power, the one you didn't elect, is the one you should be listening to. You'll have a tough time scouring the newspapers to find out what he thinks, though, and what the latest plans are. Why would you care when Samantha Cameron is pregnant?

Plod along and decide between three really dull fuckers who won't give you a say on the future of your country...

Britblog round up

2010-04-06T15:54:00.001Z

here

Hip Hop Farage

2010-04-06T15:50:00.002Z

I'm bored of the election already. Someone's dragged their wife onto the webcam to big them up (does she also provide his references?), someone else has jumped on a train and some people have gone to the hairdressers to try look more attractive.

Do they charge us for the privilege?

If you're also bored and can't deal with the thought of 30 days of non stop beige then this might raise a smile:

A click of the heels to Gawain

Do they ever bloody listen?

2010-04-05T07:51:00.002Z

The Sun today has a story regarding L/Cpl Beharry VC and Gordon Brown. No prizes for guessing who I am cheering for: the man who has driven this country into the ground or the man who drove back into enemy fire to save the lives of his friends?

But this isn't just an attack on the PM over his actions to one person. I think that Johnson is a bigger person than that. But that appears to have escaped the notice of the Prime Minister and his spin doctors, who react to the story by saying:

The Prime Minister has the utmost respect and admiration for Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry, who has shown great courage.

"Mr Brown has written a personal letter to Johnson Beharry this evening to reassure him of his personal admiration and the great respect in which he is held by the whole country."

Fair enough. I would bloody well hope he had 'respect' for a man like that. He's personally not fit to bull his boots. But shall we have a quick look at what Johnson's objection was actually to?

[emphasis mine] It began at a reception in Downing Street in November 2008. I was in a line with other servicemen and he didn't look any of us in the eye when he shook our hands.

He was totally disinterested in us. It made me really angry but I just tried to forget it and moved on.

Then I saw him again in Westminster Abbey during the Remembrance Day service last November.

I was one of two soldiers laying the wreath to the Unknown Soldier.

Afterwards we all stood to attention during the two minute silence.

I picked a point to stare at so I could remain completely still and it happened to be him. Throughout the silence, he kept on fidgeting and moving. He couldn't even stand still for two minutes.

It's about the Prime Minister's reaction to the Armed Forces. It's about the fact that they went to war without the required equipment for a reason which hadn't been proven and was not allowed to be proven by UN weapons inspectors. It's about the statement to Chilcot saying that defence spending had risen every year in real terms when he himself knew that was not true because he was in charge of the Treasury.

It's a man who has no respect for the MoD, who, according to rumour, shunts colleagues he doesn't like there and who is seen by many in the military to use troops for his own popularity.

And when that statement is made perfectly clear he still can't answer the question properly.

Does Johnson Beharry VC care what a man like Brown thinks about him personally when he knows he has the respect and admiration of so many? I don't know, I'll ask him. Does he care what the Prime Minister thinks of the Armed Forces? Evidently. And I think we can see what Gordon does see them as.

Fear of debate calmed by traditional political hypocrisy

2010-04-04T16:43:00.005Z

Two things spring to mind when I hear the story of the 'scandal' which Chris Grayling has brought upon himself by daring to have an opinion.

A key Conservative has been recorded suggesting people who run bed and breakfasts in their homes should have the right to reject homosexual guests.
But shadow home secretary Chris Grayling said hotels should not be allowed to discriminate in that way.
Labour and the Lib Dems said the Tories would allow discrimination "to thrive".

Firstly, that I think that a Conservative has expressed an opinion, albeit not one he thought he was acknowledging in public, which could be considered libertarian.

Secondly, he's a bloody great hypocrite for trying to wriggle out of engaging in debate on state control by boasting that he voted for the draconian legislation in the first place.

If someone owns a building, why is it not up to them who can stay in there? They own it, not the state. The state really should fuck off.

In much the same way as a landlord should say whether people should smoke in their pub, not a group of politicians for whom the rules don't apply and who feather their nests with our cash.

I would have had respect for Chris had he said 'yes, that's what I believe in. I am allowed to have opinions, these are what they are and why don't we talk about this instead of hurling the threats of homophobia and racism around. Like the person who resorts to shouting in a pub argument because they don't have the ability to have rational debate, those special interest groups who want everyone to dance to their tune can't see that people have, and should be entitled to have objections.

Like a man in uniform?

2010-04-01T13:36:00.004Z

I am partial to a bit of Khaki myself but a good selection of them are like a shoe shopping experience.

Not only do you get a great bag and tissue paper to wander down the road with but when you get them home you rip off the packaging and have a great pair of shoes to play with.

I wrote the other day about some curious MoD behaviour but putting that to one side and remembering that in April when we're eating chocolate and getting shit sick of 'The Most Boring General Election Campaign Ever' TM there will be about 9500 members of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in Afghanistan.

Soldiers know that at some time they’ll be asked to risk everything. And they’re prepared to do it.

They know their life might be cut short or changed forever. They know that could mean never seeing their mates, their family, their children or their local again.

They’ll tell you it’s what they’re trained to do and that they’re doing their job. They’re asked to do many things. Thanks to the political will that deploys them they’re asked to win hearts and minds, often in an atmosphere of hatred and resentment.

To be nationbuilders in societies where almost nothing functions normally. To be peacekeepers and find that there is no peace to keep.

To these tasks, they bring their training, their determination, their own inimitable language and a wacky sense of humour.

And while they represent an Army with long traditions and the highest standards, they’re are not stuck in the past. These young people take their iPods to war, connect to home through satellite television and read the tabloids on their computers.

They work hard, they play hard, and they care a lot about what we think of them. And when things go horribly wrong as they sometimes do, they’d never ask for your help.

But we do. When they’ve put everything on the line it’s our job to ask for something from those of us that they serve to defend.

When they’ve risked their lives, and everything that they hold dear, we’re here to provide them and their families with lifetime support.

That’s why we’re The Soldiers’ Charity.

Cuts to services which are there for soldiers and their families, particularly in a time of war, take 'Front Line Cuts' to a whole new meaning.

This means that inevitably it'll be charities which fill the gaps that central and local government can't provide. That's not speculation, that's a fact. It's happening already with young soldiers being refused funding by local authorities for wheelchair ramps to allow them to spend Christmas at home. With amputees being told that they can't have a walk in shower but should stand up and wash because the local authority doesn't deem it essential. And yet executive officers for cycling are.

So this April while there are guys out fighting unquestioningly for this country, do something for them.

It can be as simple as joining in the Big Curry, and most people like a curry, or it can be a little bit more crazy.

Seeing as we bloggers try to break the mould in how events are covered (using facts for example) I'm going for this challenge:

Best contributor gets a kiss from me.

If you don't want to jump out of a plane or white water raft, why not just donate some money when you next order a take away? If you're a UK tax payer you can gift aid it. It's better than Gordon getting it. Or those other tedious bastards.

Absolutely Faboulous: for everyone but the Gurkhas

2010-03-31T00:08:00.004Z

So Saint Joanna got her apology.

After charities told some unwanted home truths which were followed up by Sue Reid in the Daily Mail, politicians decided to actually have a look at what was happening to pre 1997 Gurkhas coming to this country following the ruling last summer.

It's a pity that they didn't bother to listen to anyone who actually knew what they were talking about when they voted in the House of Commons, but then they're MPs and quick, easy headlines are so much more important to them than voting with knowledge, even if that's unpopular with the voters who only have media headlines to go by.

At the press conference yesterday Sue Reid, the journalist who decided to find out what actually was going on with those men who served with the British Army by speaking to charities funding Joanna's Gurkhas and by going to Nepal where she almost had a serious accident involving a steep staircase, was ignored. She knew too much. She'd found out what was happening and who was making money.

Mr Gurung was excited. He envisaged a happy retirement in England, with free housing from a local council and a decent state pension.
Today those dreams are shattered. Penniless, he has spent months stranded in a mildewed attic room above an empty shop in Aldershot, Hampshire.
He speaks no English, so his chances of work are next to nil. He can barely read or write in Nepalese. Yet he took out an unaffordable loan and sold everything (his family house, farmland, cows and goats) to raise the money to get here. Now deep in debt, he could not afford a flight home even if he wanted to.

Meanwhile, in Nepal, his wife Laxmi, 56, son Sunil, 26, and daughter Phul, 16, face an equally uncertain future. They have no money to fly to Britain or to pay for the three UK visas they need to settle here.

This, Press Gazette, was the story of the year. But it was too inconvenient for people to sit up and take note. Shame on you for living your life by what is easy to explain to the masses, rather than what is right.

The woman had awkward questions to ask based on fact. She knew too much. She knew beyond old men with heroic decorations. She knew that charities would be left with a bill of tens, if not hundreds of thousands and that the press would not highlight this fact and the public, feeling they had done their bit by supporting their residency, had done enough. She knew that this is only the beginning.

She knew the truth of families separated and in unimaginable debt because of lies told to them by organisations making money from their ignorance.

n a further conundrum, this investigation has discovered that the old soldiers' 'trades union', the Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemen's Organisation (GAESO) in Nepal, is charging each veteran £500 in cash for UK visa advice while weaving rosy tales about life here, which is ramping up the numbers setting off.
At GAESO's Nepal offices, solicitors from a top firm of London human rights lawyers, Howe & Co, also receive a legal aid fee of up to £500 from the British Government for each old soldier and each family member they help fill in a UK visa application.
It is proving a gold mine for all concerned - apart from the Gurkhas themselves. For the old soldiers have been betrayed a second time.

I'm no fan of any particular government department but there's an office in Nepal which offers free advice to any ex Gurkha now eligible to reside in this country. And they don't charge poor men who sell up their farms £500 to get through the door with the promise of a live of milk and honey when they arrive in the UK. But we all know what Gordon Brown thinks of the MoD.

Joanna Lumley had an opportunity to speak out and tell Gurkhas that they needn't burden themselves with extra debt by going through the Pokhara office of GAESO, the Gurkha ex-Service organisation.

I don't think she understood that when they arrived here that they'd face the struggles they do. But to maintain silence on such a vital issue when there are charities who fund all soldiers and ex-soldiers who need money and can't afford to bail out Joanna's unintended consequences then she has a duty.

Kevan Jones, I know there's an election coming up but you were on the right lines when you spoke of your frustration because you spoke for so many who were ignored and so many who couldn't speak out. It's not about immigration rules it's about the realisty of life in Britain. Gordon Brown: nothing you do surprises me anymore. Your ignorance is a beacon for other foolish folk who wish to obtain high office.

So what's better for an ex-Gurkha? To live on a decent wage in Nepal and be the hub of a community or for an elderly man to be separated from his family based on false hopes and debts which can never be repaid over an issue which can never be spoken about because of the ignorance of a woman who meant well but didn't listen and MPs who were more interested in themselves than those who served this country.

If I were an ex-Gurkha, I would stay in Nepal. But mostly I'd want to get the right information and thanks to yesterday and the refusal of Ms Lumley to use her power to encourage the resettlement office and MPs to stick to their convictions no matter what the masses might think, that justice will not be corrected.

Gurkha Justice now leaves ashes in the mouths of those who speak it.

Yippee!!!

2010-03-28T20:38:00.003Z

So, the News of the World are backing the Tories in the General Election, are they? I'm sure that'll make a huge amount of difference.

To the Tories.

It'll make fuck all difference to the country because most of our decisions aren't made in Westminster.

Five more years of pointlessly tinkering around the edges, a Prime Minister who doesn't understand the difference between Mark to Market and Mark to Model (but then the EU want to run the economy so why would he need to) and hours of airtime devoted to some pretty dull bastards taking part in the verbal equivalent of slapping their cocks on the table and seeing whose is the biggest.

Joy.

How journalism works part...oh, a million.

2010-03-28T20:13:00.003Z

Black Dog in the Mail on Sunday ran a piece today which is another snippet of how jouralism works.

Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage, who is trying to oust Speaker John Bercow in Buckingham, recalls a drunken night with a Latvian beauty called Liga in his memoirs.
‘I met her in a pub and accepted her invitation home for a drink. She was sleek and seductive and I will not splutter that after the first bottle I would necessarily have behaved like Sir Galahad.’
Farage is lucky his second wife, Kirsten, is so understanding.

What the Mail on Sunday fail to add, rather like the eminently punchable Camilla Long, she of the 'cancer is hilarious' remark, is that he actually denied having an affair with her and explained his reasons why.

Nick Clegg might boast about having slept with 30 people (wow, you go for it, lad) and now we have the possibility of imagining Cameron giving horse faced wifey one now she's announced she's knocked up (what convenient timing, why even bother announcing the manifesto?) but some of them actually admit that they can't do it at certain times, and it's all the more amusing.

From the book (which I am reading and then hurling through the window of an office in East London)

She claimed that I was a beast in bed and 'we must have had sex about seven times'. Given the amount that I had drunk on the night in question the former statement was probably accurate - or would have been had I even got to a bed. The second was a physical impossibility...

There are, however, various merits to excess. On that night it saved me. I fell asleep on her sofa where, by her no doubt truthful account, I 'snored like a horse'.

But of course, as any nineteenth-century maiden could have told me, protestations of innocence will avail you nothing if you have spent the night with another. The alter or the scandals sheets await you. Liga wasn't screwed. I was.

But then one shouldn't expect accuracy from the Mail on Sunday. The story before that one, which Black Dog hasn't mentioned, is all about their double page spread, for which the tales are said in UKIP circles to have come from Richard North, one of the authors of EU Referendum.

Farage's response to those? 'I only wish they were all true'. Still, if you want your Tory chums to get in despite not really having a clue what their policies are, who are editors to let the truth get in the way of a good story?

I don't know what North is like at drinking but I tend not to listen to the words of disgruntled ex employees. Which is why, of course, the junius and other assorted blogs by fools like Gary Cartwright (who, despite being married, groped my friend and ignored her objections) and Greg Lance-Watkins and his 27 blogs of bullshit.

Go buy the book, it's very interesting. And this coming from someone who tends to find biographies only useful for propping doors open with.

Interviewer of the Year?

2010-03-24T09:20:00.003Z

At the Press Gazette Awards last night a woman who wrote the worst piece of journalism I've ever read won the award for Interviewer of the Year.

The utterly ghastly Camilla Long, who would like Gordon Brown to fuck her as well as the economy of this country, must surely have been sleeping with the judges to be awarded such a prize?

For this is a woman who thinks that mocking someone for having cancer is funny.
I read that interview and immediately recommended that a transcript of the interview should be requested.

I will not be buying the Sunday Times and I will certainly be recommending to those in my line of work that anyone with any serious illness or injury is not interviewed by that now trashed rag.

As England Expects explained rather more eloquently and honestly than Long-Shot,

I will tell you what is odious. The fact that on Friday, just after Farage had delivered a barnstormer of a speech at the Milton Keynes conference I recieved a phone call. It was Camilla Long,
"Look Gawain", she said, "I am really sorry to ask you this but the editors have told me to",
"What's that?" I said,
"They want me to ask which one of his balls was removed after his cancer".
You want odious? I would suggest even asking that question is pretty bloody impertinent and cheap, and I told her so, but she persisted. So I agreed to ask, but told her not to expect a particularly forthcoming answer.

When I asked Farage, he was, unusually for him somewhat put out, but after saying that he though it a cheap shot he then he recovered his normal poise,
"Tell her if she is so bloody interested that she can come over and check herself".
So I called her back and told her, both that he felt is tawdry, but if she must then that is his coment.

Or as she puts it..
...two days later when I call his press officer to confirm which testicle he had removed. Farage has just given his party conference speech and is in high spirits. “Tell her to come and find out, ha-ha-ha!” he shouts over the din.

A woman would never be asked which breast was removed after breast cancer and no other politician would be asked such an invasive and utterly unnecessary question. No member of the public would be expected to answer but because Camilla Long is rammed in the sweaty crevice of the establishment and only has a vague grasp, if any, on the concept of civil liberties and democracy she thinks this is okay to ask a UKIP politician.

The Press Awards have been tarnished by her nomination, let alone her undeserved victory.

Surely rule 1 of reviewing a book is that one reviews the book? I perhaps can guess at what happened here, though. There's a very good chance that the woman cannot read for she certainly cannot write.

Fighting for democracy?

2010-03-15T22:34:00.005Z

Aside from the dragging out of the spouses, we can tell it's coming up to an election time because the military are once again being dragged into a battle ground they can't properly engage in.

We've seen the Tories bringing up the subject of equipment whilst our PM Brown and the Defence Secretary, given the job because he was the last one left in that June fiasco last year, flying out to Afghanistan to meet soldiers who they've shafted in one way or another over the past few years. It was the same time as the inquest into the death of Cpl Sarah Bryant revealed what we had all known for years: that the Labour Government had not considered the needs of the Armed Forces sufficiently before they signed them up for two conflicts.

How Brown and Ainsworth could really think that we'd see their stunts as anything other than that is saddening, but not quite so demoralising as the realisation that there are people in this country who, in their millions, will look at the past 13 years and think that this shower have been doing a good job.

But whilst the government have gagged the officers and used the troops for their own gain we've heard very little about the injuries in the press recently. Those who are in the know on these issues read about those deaths and realise that for every Killed in Action there will be casualties.

It's no wonder that with the looming election and with the Armed Forces Minister defending a slim majority of 97 that there's a wish to keep the casualty figures away from the papers. A quick glance at the casualty stats from the MoD's own website (which doesn't include a breakdown by types of injury and, in my experience, Freedom of Information Act Requests on these topics get mysteriously lost when civil servants read them) shows some tear jerking figures.

The summer of 2009 will be etched in the memory of many as we heard of the loss of so many young men and, as these men were flown home and buried with their deserved full military honours, the wards at Selly Oak and Headley Court were packed to bursting with wounded and limbless men. In total there were 158 serious and very seriously injured soldiers in 2009; an average of 13 per month.

In the first two months of this year we have seen 24 serious casualties: 17 very seriously injured and 7 seriously injured. Thats an average of 12 without counting those who were injured from the rifles battlegroup recently. That's almost the same and yet nothing.

I wonder why these figures haven't hit the headlines? I wonder why Bob Ainsworth and Bill Rammell haven't been talking about assistance for these men and their families? Those whose lives are changed forever rather than those who are squabbling, policy-less, to grip onto second homes and lavish expenses at our expense.

But don't hold your breath to hear the stories of those who have suffered and turned their lives around. For the MoD control what they can and can't say to the national press. And that means Bob Ainsworth and Bill Rammell. And do you think they want you reminded of these injured soldiers when they're trying to win your vote?

Britblog roundup 263

2010-03-14T21:35:00.002Z

The Britblog Roundup is here, this week hosted by the ever excellent Redemption Blues.

This week the post I critiqued was nominated so for those of you reading about the so called 'naming and shaming' of UKIP members who don't believe in ACTA or the position of the European Union in dictating laws here is my post on the subject.

I worked there, I suspect I know more than some people being used by the ever nasty greenies.

Speaking with one voice?

2010-03-11T16:06:00.001Z

Did anyone listen to London MEP Charles Tannock, bravely defending the national sovereignty of this country on the Today programme yesterday?

If you didn't I can summarise for you by saying that when talking about the first appearance of the highest paid woman in world politics he 'wished her the best of British' as we all had to speak in one voice.

Addressing the Parliament for the first time in the 100 days since she's been appointed the job of EU Foreign Minister, she spoke about the need to, well, remove any concept of nation states within the European Union.

She's the highest paid female politician in the world. I like the way she earns that money with her little school ground impression at the end of the speech.

Later on in the day, UKIP MEP William Dartmouth was escorted from the chamber during a debate on EU Arctic Policy yesterday when he said

"But an EU Arctic policy is perhaps not so bizarre as the appointment of the supremely unqualified Baroness Ashton, the Sarah Palin of the ex-student left.

Chair of the 'debate' was Lib Dem MEP Diana Wallis, no fan of democracy or debate.. I don't wish to be rude, but maybe ugly women stick up for each other?

This is now a situation where an organisation which costs you £45 million a day can remove elected MEPs because they don't like what they say. I don't like what most MEPs say and, given that the Liberal Democrats came fourth in the European Elections last year, it would appear that most people in the country do not like what Liberal Democrats say.

If you think that elected politicians should be allowed to speak their, and those of their supporters, beliefs, perhaps you should write to Diana and let her know what you think.

diana.wallis@europarl.europa.eu

Pirates A-hoy!

2010-03-11T08:17:00.003Z

It would appear that the Pirate Party UK are planning on standing in the General Election and hoping to take votes from UKIP.

I say this for I read this morning that they've been using their complete failure to understand European legilsation and the pretend Parliament to try to 'name and shame' UKIP MEPs who voted against a resolution in Strasbourg.

Opposition to the secret ACTA treaty is spreading like wildfire. Today the members of the European Parliament had their say, as on a resolution against the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, arguing that it flouts agreed EU laws on counterfeiting and piracy online. MEPs will go to the Court of Justice if the EU does not reject the leaked proposals which include draconian powers to censor the internet and disconnect net connections.

UKIP have been against ACTA for quite a while now, without the help of the Pirate Party who are happily aligned with the Greens in the European Parliament. It's a Polly conundrum here: Do they just not understand the difference between different tools in the European Parliament and that resolutions have no power or are they just being mendacious? Do they also not understand that UKIP, by virtue of wanting democratic decisions to be made in democratic parliaments, do not accept the authority of EU legislation?

The fact that they're sitting with the Greens means that they must be full of shit to a certain degree. But perhaps they just haven't got to grips with how the system works? Either way, I am here to set the record straight so the Pirate Party UK can apologise...

UKIP's members of the EU's consultative assembly will certainly vote against ACTA.

We have some difficulty in endorsing the resolution and written declaration, which you mention, owing to their implied recognition of ACTA as a valid agreement, concluded by legitimate authorities.

UKIP does not recognise ACTA as valid, because the EU is not a legitimate authority, and, as I have said, we shall certainly oppose it.

So there you are, Pirates. If you want a lesson in how it works I'm sure I could oblige and would be much more helpful than Caroline bloody Lucas and the assorted collection of those who knit their own knickers and want us all to live in caves.

3000 Euro for a damp rag

2010-03-03T21:46:00.003Z

The President of the Parliament and the ridiculous Herman Van Rompuy have done a wonderful job demonstrating exactly why anyone who wants an independent country and civil liberties should vote for the UK to leave the EU. Fining an elected member of a Parliament because they don't like what they say is the sign of a dictatorship. As my representative in that region, Farage spoke what I think to a man I cannot vote for and want to fuck off. Most people in the European Parliament make little sense and yet I'm stuck with the fuckers interfering in my life.

Their open displays of hatred towards the views and opinions of the peoples of Europe is evident in their every day actions and speeches: if only our media would look at how we're governered and let us look at some of it. It's only on rare occasions like this that we get a glimpse of what it's really like.

Of course we have this Treaty because only Ireland was given the chance to vote and when they voted incorrectly they were asked again and lied to and bullied. So we have this Treaty which costs us not just money but freedom. And when we now criticise it, the result is punishment.

Did you hear the papers calling for the suspension and fining of Vince Cable when he compared Gordon Brown to Mr Bean? Quite the contrary; he received cheers and praise for being so 'witty'. I don't disagree with comparing Gordon Brown with a mentally retarded social outcast, I only wish the man would stick with driving around in a mini and trying to get his television aerial to work by taking his clothes off and sitting in a cardboard box rather than raping this country.

One of the people who called for punishment for freedom of speech is Martin Schultz who gets to decide on laws in this country even though he's German. He thinks that people who oppose the EU are fascist. Danny Cohn-Bendit said people who wanted a referendum on Lisbon were mentally ill.

But that it allowed, because they are just calling you and me that. And who are we to them? They don't give a fuck about us: we are just a group to ignore until election time when they pray on our ignorance and our obsession with the social lives of strangers.

As the ghastly Margot Wallstrom said, Ireland had to be ignored because 'European Leaders have invested a lot of capital in this Treaty'. It was, like RBS, clearly too big to fail.

It's too big to continue, if you value your freedom and your pay packet. Take note of such hypocrisy and remember it when you vote.

Freed before Charles and Camilla turn up

2010-03-01T14:17:00.003Z

I'm delighted to hear that the two Brits, Michael Turner and Jason McGoldrick, who were locked up in Hungary because of the European Arrest Warrant, have been freed finally.

The Telegraph covers it, fails to mention that only UKIP didn't support it in the European Parliament, and also that one of the fathers thanked UKIP MEP William Dartmouth for his efforts in trying to release his son.

Because, you see, that would really be an inconvenient truth: a ghastly law which the consensus parties voted for and you can't do anything about unless we leave the EU.

Now, what about Andrew Symeou? He's still locked up in a Greek jail on the signature of a magistrate in Greece.

Prison for smokers

2010-03-01T09:31:00.003Z

Last week Nick Hogan was sent to prison for failing to pay the fines he was given for allowing people to smoke in his pub.

A former pub landlord yesterday became the first person to be jailed in connection with the smoking ban.
Nick Hogan, 43, was sentenced to six months in prison for refusing to pay a fine imposed for flouting the legislation.
Two years ago Hogan, who ran two pubs in Bolton, became the first landlord convicted of breaking the law for allowing his customers to routinely light up in his bars.

Six months in prison for this:

At the hearing, in January 2008, magistrates were told Hogan held a 'mass light-up' in his two pubs, the Swan Hotel and Barristers' Bar, in Bolton, on the day the smoking ban came into force in July 2007.
He was visited by inspectors from the local authority, who found letters taped to pub tables advising customers they had the 'freedom to choose whether or not to smoke'.
They also saw regulars smoking on five separate occasions.

That's a considerable fraction of a prison sentence of those two 'devil children' for allowing people to smoke legal cigarettes in the building which he owned. Readers, we live in revolting times.

Would anyone like to see the video of Nick Hogan having a smoke indoors?

Question Time: the fists are still clenched

2010-02-26T12:11:00.002Z

I'm past expecting journalists to be informed and knowledgable about the EU because it really is a tremendous bore for them not just to have to monitor Westminster but about four organisations in Brussels and admit that most legislation comes from the EU and that there's no real different in voting Labour, Liberal Dem or Conservative especially now that the Lisbon Treaty has gone through.

But Question Time is still the main media output which is causing a rise in my blood pressure and I don't think I'll calm down any time soon because I don't like bias and manipulation.

Biased BBC, the experts on this, have summed up last night's reason for not paying the license fee beautifully.

Oh, and just a point: Wales loves the EU so much that one of its four MEPs is John Bufton who, incidentally, is from UKIP.

A damp rag, and other stories - updated

2010-02-24T22:48:00.004Z

Nigel Farage admits that his statement which has caused some rumpus around Europe wasn't what he originally was going to say. But he sat there in Brussels, listening to Rumpy Pumpy blather on about untold amounts of bullshit all whilst earning a completely unjustified salary and just thought he'd tell it how he saw it.

He was later attacked by Martin Schultz, a German Socialist who previously has called Farage a fascist for demanding a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. Slightly twisted logic you'll grant, but then he is a socialist and therefore completely devoid in sense or reason.

It's not that the EU doesn't understand democracy: they do but they just don't care because most people are more interested in Cheryl Cole's marital status than they are their own liberty. The reason they crack on with their beloved project is because there are very few people trying to stop them. Brown, Cameron and Clegg all gang bang the EU social model and most newspapers in Britain try to deny the existence of UKIP. Even Melanie Phillips promotes the BNP rather than pretend there's a non racist approach to immigration control.

It's been a long time since I've seen a speech from an MEP make it onto the 10 o clock news. There are matters more important than the bun fight which is Westminster happening every month but it would take more effort than they require to give for our beloved 4th estate to monitor properly.

The Full Speech!

random headline of the night

2010-02-24T21:16:00.002Z

Goes to the Press Association for this:

BROWN PLEDGES TO STAND WITH GAY PEOPLE

Gay people: they'll stand with anyone.

They'll sleep with even more.

I've said it before and I'll say it again...

2010-02-23T21:38:00.003Z

one can get repetitive strain injury writing about the EU because the words 'fucking stupid', ''what idiot thought up this' and 'economics of the mad house' can be applied to just about everything which emerges from the beast.

And today is no different, with a blast from the past given a new gloss of paint as the ~~lesbians~~ wimmin's committee of the European Parliament vote to make it harder for women to get jobs.

MEPs today voted on an EU-wide extension of maternity leave to 20 weeks on full pay. This will cost an additional £2 billion a year to the Treasury at a time when we're talking about slashing the defence budget while we're at war.

Current UK rules give pregnant women a full year off, with just six weeks paid at 90% of the mother's average pay, followed by 33 weeks on Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) of £123 a week - 55% higher than sick pay. The rest is unpaid.

Under existing EU rules agreed in 1992, minimum maternity leave is set at 14 weeks, with pay for the duration to be no lower than sickness pay in the member state concerned.

Can I take you back to 2004 when a certain Godfrey Bloom said that no self respecting small businessman would employ a woman of child bearing age?

Mr Bloom said: "This is the economics of the madhouse.

"At this time of economic crisis this proposed legislation is stupid and wrong. I said this years ago and I repeat it now - no small businessman or woman with two brain cells will employ a woman of child-bearing age.

"It is stupid because rather than increasing employment possibilities for young woman, it make them scarcer as hard-pressed businesses factor in the risk of losing staff - whilst paying them for months on end.

"And it is wrong because it is the small businesses that create wealth and innovation. Doing this strips them of the ability to invest effectively in staff.

Of course most people in the European Parliament are several sandwiches short of a picnic. A short while in a committee meeting or plenary session is enough to hammer this point home as they drivel on endlessly about things they've no concept about, only some rough grasp on left wing political rhetoric.

I imagine the lefties will come out screaming over this, grasping their pubic hair and trying to hit people with copies of the Guardian but you see, lovies, it's true. The left don't seem to understand this because they all work for Islington Borough Council in the 'soft centred chocolates for the elderly' department and the concept of innovation and risk of ones own money and assets is something they tend to read about in the Daily Mail when no one's looking. It's certainly not something to be discussed around the dinner table when the lentil and chick pea curry is being served.

But what's so endlessly desperate about this situation is the way that our government has to go begging to these clapped out old fools not to vote this into being legislation. After the committee stage this goes to the full plenary in Strasbourg where all MEPs vote on this. Even if every single British MEP voted against it it could still go through. And when was the last time you heard of a full debate and vote in Westminster on a piece of EU legislation? Even the age discrimination legislation was only discussed in a committee for 46 minutes and that included a conversation about Estee Lauder's anti wrinkle cream.

It's very simple to grasp that making legislation where people get paid for not working is going to be very hard on small businesses. It gives control to the women when they are employed and the way the company can keep control is by not employing them. Wonderful. Well done, politicians.

But how much fucking money do we give to the EU for them to shaft us relentlessly and ruin the competitiveness of this country? Why is a Minister of the Crown having to lobby some twat from Lithuania, asking them not to be an ignorant, mendacious bastard by voting in this monstrous heap of cow shit?

Where has our dignity gone? We should be looking at such proposals and laughing, before saying 'what nonsense, Hugo. Thank goodness we've nothing to do with these ghastly people.' and then making a good stab at throwing the balled up paper into the office bin.

Instead we: you, me, everyone, pay them to dream up this shit and cost this country more money.

For the love of God please! Can we just leave?

No more snowfalls

2010-02-22T18:57:00.002Z

An (icy) blast from the past comes to us in the form of climate change bullshit

By Charles Onians
Monday, 20 March 2000

Sledges, snowmen, snowballs and the excitement of waking to find that the stuff has settled outside are all a rapidly diminishing part of Britain's culture, as warmer winters - which scientists are attributing to global climate change - produce not only fewer white Christmases, but fewer white Januaries and Februaries.

"Children just aren't going to know what snow is," he said.

The effects of snow-free winter in Britain are already becoming apparent.

Anyone who hasn't been in a coma for the past few months may of course beg to disagree:

Britain colder than Canada as temperatures plunge to -18c... with more snow on the way

Last updated at 10:44 AM on 22nd February 2010

If you thought the start of March would herald warmer weather, think again.
Forecasters said today that the wintery weather which has settled over Britain since December will continue for another two weeks.
Commuters faced a miserable start to the week on 'miserable Monday' as snow flurries and heavy rain causing widespread disruption across Britain's transport network

So that's nice.

All in the name of research

2010-02-20T19:47:00.004Z

A busty blonde who was shafted by some dozy football player has written a book about dating the species. Francesca Amber Sawyer has the requisite number of opposing statements regarding morals in her delightful interview with the screws. but we should not mock, for she has gone above and beyond the call of duty.

Not only has she wapped out her bazongas for us all to understand the complex editorial issues but:

Blonde Francesca dated more footballers for research for her book, following her split from the cheating player.

For research, ladies and gentlemen.

Research.

My quotation of the week

2010-02-20T17:28:00.003Z

But anyone who changes their mind about voting for Gordon Brown as a result of watching him being deepthroated by a dripping wankstain like Piers Morgan doesn't deserve that vote; they deserve a public horsewhipping. I don't want this man "humanised". I want him out.

who else

Wolfman?

2010-02-20T16:19:00.005Z

I went to the pictures last night to see Wolfman, mainly because Gay friend wants Emily Blunt to be his wife in his straight fantasy world. It's not my normal choice of film: bonnets and heaving bosoms or war films, but it did have the occasional nice frock.

The thing with this werewolf, though, was that it didn't look like a wolf at all.

Wolf

Wolfman 2010

See: wolfman doesn't have that wolf like face. In fact, he looks like quite a different character

Now, hands up: who would rather have Bungle in charge instead of Gordon Brown?

Eurozone countries take supportive stance against Greece

2010-02-18T10:50:00.007Z

Financial ministers have sent a strong message of support to Greece in the wake of its financial crisis.

Eurozone ministers have taken a brotherly, collective stand against the beleaguered country by declaring that it needs to sort out its problems because it's making the rest of them look bad.

The country, which has a public deficit t of 12.7% of GDP, was initially expecting support from other countries which also sacrificed their monetary independence when joining the single currency.

But statements from politicians indicate that the message appears to be one of blame and disappointment.

"The Greeks were expecting support from other eurozone countries" said a senior insider. "But instead they feel like a Muslim girl who has been attacked by a man. They've brought shame on the single currency and it's only the outward perception which matters, not the fundamental flaws in the original plan."

Euro Politicians had been following strict Commission guidelines when they made statements announcing support which were completely devoid of any fact or meaning. Instead of help and assistance, it's been made clear to Greece that they need to sort out their mess and stop bringing shame on the rest of the family.

"We all know that the reason Greece are in such trouble is because they've given up the ability to devalue which is the best way to solve their problems" said a treasury insider.

"But if they admit that then they'd be admitting that the single currency is fundamentally flawed and nothing but a vanity project.

Feta and Olives: the Greeks will try to restore faith in their financial system through a massive export programme and legislation to ban plate smashing

"And that would never do because these clever chaps with shiny suits need the world to know that what they did was right and good."

Eurocrats have been pouring scorn on protestors in Greece who are unhappy at the severity measures being put in place by a desperate government.

"It is so selfish of these people to want jobs and pensions" said a German spokesman. "Don't they understand that their country isn't allowed to undertake normal measures to get themselves out of zis debt because there are more important countries, like France and Germany, to take into consideration?

"Like zee Royal Bank of Scotland, this Gross Projekt which we have signed up to is too big to fail and so is must be zee little people who get fucked so the politicans don't have to eat the 'umble torte."

A French Treasury official said "Eef they didn't want to be in zis club wiv all zee risks that small countries in parteecular take zen zey shouldn't have let their government said 'oui' to eet.

"I know that our government didn't leesten to our people when they said 'NON' to ze constitution but zat is different."

Fancy that

2010-02-18T10:21:00.002Z

It's quite clear these days that despite politicians taking us for a ride, spending our money feathering their nests and sacking off most of their work to the European Commission we still don't treat them properly.

Take this unacceptable piece of news which I've heard via the PA newswires:

Veteran Tory MP for Macclesfield Sir Nicholas Winterton has hit out at the new expenses culture at the House of Commons, saying he is "infuriated" that he can no longer travel first class on trains.In an interview with Total Politics magazine, Sir Nicholas claimed the Commons "reforms" being introduced in the wake of the expenses scandal will "make things much worse".

He said: "They want to stop Members of Parliament travelling first class. That puts us below local councillors and officers of local
government. They all travel first class. Majors in the Army travel first class. So we are supposed to stand when there are no seats. I'm sorry, it infuriates me."

It infuriates me, too!

How can we do that to people who are in an incredibly over prescribed job? Fancy having to stand up sometimes on a train? For a ticket that they don't even pay for, but we do!

It's not like most people who travel to work on public transport have to stand up; those poor people who pay his wages and his wife's wages and their second home allowance and their bills...

When I travel in using public transport the chance of actually being able to get on a fucking train would be nice, Sir Nicholas. I spend most of my commuting time waiting on underground platforms for a tube to pull up which actually has space for me to squeeze in. The prospect of getting a seat is a pipe dream; a reality only for those who live at the end of a tube line.

That's why, Sir Nicholas, I invested in a bicycle because it was the quickest, if not also the most dangerous, way to travel to my office. And unlike your boss, I don't have a car following me with my documents in: I have a rucksack on my back.

MPs: you're so out of touch. If you don't like it then fuck off and get another job because the state this country is in, it's quite clear you're shit at the one you have.

chocolate euros: prone to meltdown

2010-02-14T16:33:00.004Z

Despite being away this week I have still had time to watch the compulsive viewing which is the Greek financial crisis. As the News of the World failed to mention today, there's one huge difference between the shit which we in the UK are in and the shit that Greece are in: because we stayed out of the Euro we have control over our monetary policy and they don't. They are fucked, and not in a good way.

Hind Sight, it is often said, has 20:20 vision. No one likes a smug know it all but this video is from over 12 months ago:

With reference to the comment about Greek bonds, Tim Worstall commented on it at the time:

Following today's attempt by Mr Farage to attack the EURO through provocative statements on Greece's membership to the EMU -during the plenary debate on the 10th anniversary of the EURO-, the Greek EPP-ED Delegation (Nea Demokratia) would like to inform you that today's tender of government bonds yielded a total amount of 2,550 billion Euros at an average rate of 2,51%, well below the Euribor rate of reference. The final result covers more than 6 times the amount targeted by the Greek government.
This offers a tangible response to any Member seeking to establish the truth regarding the credibility of Greece's performance as a trustworthy member of the Eurozone.
Mr Farage was really unlucky to attack Greece on the same day that markets proved their confidence to the Greek economy.

I love it when they do stuff like that:

Actually, the Greek government didn't issue bonds. They issued bills. Bonds are for more than a year, bills for less than one. Also, they didn't get "below Euribor". Euribor was 2.19% yesterday for 360 day bills. The Greeks paid 2.67%. This is known in financial circles as "more" than, not "less than" or "well below". The implication of this is that the markets think that the Greek government is a worse risk than your common or garden bank.

pointed out Young Master Worstall.

So 13 months down the line and we have the vote for the approval of the European Commission. Of course Labour and the Lib Dems were frothing at the gash to register their approval of 27 people who the poor chaps who pay their wages have no say over, but that's socialism for you. And the Tories? Well, what do you expect that fine, upstanding bunch of eurosceptics did?

Abstain, of course. Still, at least there's some opposition:

Lord Mandelson, of course, remains committed to selling this country down the river. but then the man's a wanker and what did we expect?

The Business Secretary spoke of the "remarkable success" of the beleaguered euro despite the problems which have beset the single currency in recent weeks.
The peer was speaking just as a group of key eurozone countries lined up to pledge “determined and co-ordinated action” over Greece.

I hope to dear God that you and I don't get asked to bail out this political project dreamed up by a group of twats with tiny todgers. Our economy is bad enough without Brown getting any more involved in it and handing us another huge bill. We are like Blackadder's proverbial pelican in this country.

Mandelson, of course, doesn't appear to understand that monetary flexibility is a good thing and let's have a look at what he said last June:

Britain "obviously" remains committed to joining the euro following the currency's "success" in helping its members to weather the economic crisis, Lord Mandelson said.

The newly promoted First Secretary of State, speaking in Berlin, hailed the euro as a saviour that had brought stability to the European Union during financial turmoil.

Looks it.

But then if anyone in Labour had a grasp of economics perhaps we wouldn't have such huge debts and such pitiful growth.

I wish I had faith that the next lot would be any better: I'll have to cling on to the hope that it would be nigh on impossible to be any worse.

Britblog Roundup - Happy Pancake Day

2010-02-14T15:54:00.007Z

Welcome aboard Britblog flight 260 bound for Greece, the only subject I've been following whilst I've been away from it all on hols.

Luckily, to avoid you all having to read about how I hate the Euro (cruel as it might sound, am rather enjoying watching this monetary breakdown) I have a whole list of posts to point you in the direction of. Busy things you are: whilst I have been hurtling down mountains with bits of wood strapped to my feet, some people have actually been writing and thinking beyond the firm buttocks of the ski instructor in front.

And it's just as well that others have been able to keep record of their finds in the blogosphere: for when it comes to my personal admin my strengths included integrity and doggedness but not record-keeping and office tidying and my "office is piled high with paper, fragments from over the years, tens of thousands of pieces of paper."

But enough of that, let is crack on with the goings on on t'interweb.
Natalie Bennett looks to the way her Grandmother used to live: 'green' living before such things were a lifestyle choice rather than a necessity pre mass consumption and credit cards.

What ever happened to Lady Billiana Harley?

Penny Red would like a good conversation instead of chocolate on Valentines Day. If there's a third option I'll go for that one: 400 calories an hour, it burns. Or to put it in more realistic terms, 100 for 15 minutes.

The F Word isn't that impressed with Labour's efforts to win over the 'white working class' with their policy of grass on your neighbour. I presume this action is something to do with the fact the BNP won two seats in the European Elections which were previously held by Labour and there's a General Election coming up. I'm sure there are easier ways to deal with benefit cheats than pitching a community against each other.

The Daily (Maybe) comments on a jury finding Ali Dizaei guilty when he wrongfully arrested a man with whom he had a personal dispute. Personally I've no idea why there is a 'National Black Police Association'. Aren't they all part of the same organisation? Why would they seek to separate themselves and distinguish themselves as 'different' based on the colour of their skin?

Those of you in town may wish to visit this show or instead you could stand around on a red car with your mates. Or not. Stand on a fence post and see if I care.

Staying in town, ornamental passions points to the irony of the Royal Institute of British Architects residing in a really shit building.

Women, know your limits and have dinner on the table to let your husband know you've been thinking about him all day.

Moving onto politics and A Place to Stand considers what the Conservatives should do if we get a hung Parliament come the imminent General Election. Side with the Lib Dems is one option, the other is avoid it by getting some policies.

The excellent Bishop Hill has a number of items the panel chosen to investigate those CRU e-mails including this rather interesting nugget on the views of a couple of the chaps chosen to come up with a conclusion. You can hold your breath if you like, or you can let out a huge sight and blow the mounds of paper around Prof Jones's office.

Mark Reckons that the dislike of taxes leads to politicians bringing in rises through the back door. With both Labour and the Conservatives looking at raising VAT to 20% the so called regressive tax (which I don't agree with: if you buy more expensive things then you pay more tax so it all balances out in the end) look forward to being able to spend less of your own money until someone realises that tax cutting is a fiscal expansion. Or grows a pair and gets down to some public spending cuts.

In this global village, is the entire British economy a 'local' issue, asks To much to say for myself? Local MP Chloe Smith seems to think so.

Green Party candidate Gayle Donovan takes issue with detention for asylum seekers and those wishing to migrate to this country. Some locals are joining in a hunger strike which is being undertaken by detainees to complain at conditions.

Sticking with the concept of injustice, Harry's Place discusses more MPs expense scandals, this time involving their staff and alleged donations to their political parties.

A facebook group I've joined recently, because I know exactly how to let people know what I think and take a stand, is regarding the hypocrisy of Amnesty International for sacking Gita Sahgal after a Sunday Times article where she spoke out about her concerns. She felt Moazzam Begg, a Guantanamo Bay inmate, could damage Amnesty's reputation:

“To be appearing on platforms with Britain’s most famous supporter of the Taliban, whom we treat as a human rights defender, is a gross error of judgment.”

Speaking of gross errors of judgement, His Grace has made the mistake of juxtaposing 'dark recesses' and 'Harriet Harman' which is something of a body blow. Don't read that until you've digested your evening meal even if you find the fact that the Equality and Human Rights Commission has been subject to 15 employment tribunals quite amusing.

Charles Crawford details Tony Blair's decision to open the UK labour markets to A8 countries following EU accession in 2004 and how the Polish government did not believe him, straight from the horses mouth. It would have been nice, I think, if the policy on open borders hadn't been based on a German study of how many workers would migrate there.

Sticking, or rather not sticking, to Teflon Tony, Pajamas Media comments on Blair's defence of the illegal war in Iraq. And that's me being unbiased before anyone moans: I could have written a lot more.

And finally, thanks to Master Worstall for pointing those of us with a concern for the anatomy of Haridan Harperson towards this little snippet

She may not have a spine so winning 'Rear of the Year' may compensate in some way.

And if that doesn't then this gift suggestion by the lovable clown should do the trick...

Next week we're paying a visit to philobiblon which will be lovely.

Send your super suggestions to britblog [at] gmail [dot] com

Brown: how dumb does he think we are?

2010-02-06T12:40:00.003Z

Sitting on the bus going home yesterday evening I was flicking through the Standard and noticed a large double page piece on Gordon Brown.

And flicked through to the next page.

Because what can that man possibly say to a journalist that I actually believe or trust? I wasn't the only one. I glanced around the bus to see passengers all flicking over this piece of which Gordon must have been so pleased. The standard writing about him: gosh. Things are about to change and we really can win the general election!

Except that not even someone as absent from reality as our Prime Minister can believe that, can they? The news that he wished to change the voting system seemed to me an announcement to the country saying 'even we don't really think we can win'.

Labour of course lured the Liberal Democrats in the 1990s with their promise of electoral reform. And funnily enough, when it was obvious that they would smash the opposition via the First Past The Post System, there was no appetite for electoral reform.

To me, the polls these days show how shit all the parties are, rather than how inspirational any of them will be. The Tories will be tinkering pointlessly around the edges and the fact that they aren't in for a landslide victory at the General Election, leaving the disastrous Labour Party floundering around in a death dance, like a wasp in summer after an effective blast of 'raid' sadly says more about them than it does about our government.

But the declaration that Brown wants a new voting system to somehow rebuild trust in this shattered parliamentary democracy we have left is laughable, were it not so insulting. 'I want to give Parliament back to the people' he declares: the very man who refused us a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty and thus on our own future.

The AV system involves voters ranking their candidates in an order of preference. If a candidate receives a majority of first-place votes, he or she would be elected just as under the present system. However if no single candidate gets more than 50 per cent of the vote, the second choices for the candidate at the bottom are redistributed. The process is repeated until one candidate gets an absolute majority.

The Labour Party have moved boundaries around to benefit them in the first past the post system and now it seems that they will not win for a fourth time under FPTP, they wish to fiddle it so they have a fighting chance.

In the old days, before the Tories elected a leader who was missing a vital part of his skeleton, Labour and the Lib Dems were both on the left with the Tories on the right. In alternative voting this means that Labour and Lib Dems will do better because their supporters will rank each other 1 and 2 with the Tories ranked much lower down or, if you're a tactical voter like me, not ranked at all.

It's why the Lib Dems have long supported it and why now the outgoing government wishes to support it. It's to pretend to those who don't understand the complexities of gerrymandering that not only will they be tough on expenses *cough* but they will also make the parliamentary system more accountable.

I've long been an advocate of a change to the voting system because whilst there are flaws to proportional voting I think that universal suffrage is hampered if people have 'wasted votes' because they live in a strong hold. It also means that people end up voting for the big party they hate less rather than vote for the party they actually feels represents their views. European Parliament elections don't have these same constraints which is why there is a much broader spectrum of political views represented from your left wing Labour, BNP Labour and Green (although I suspect people who vote for them do it for the kittens rather than because they actually know what they stand for) through to your centre ground Tories and then tipping right towards UKIP. In simple terms.

What do we get in Westminster? A group of people barely distinguishable from each other who are occasionally joined by a chap in a crumpled suit and some well meaning gentleman who wandered into a village hall and was then unexpectedly elected to represent the 'Save Piddlington Hospital' party.

Gordon: if you'd said this when you were winning I might have wanted to punch you in the face less. But the fact that you've said it when you're losing and desperate to pick up votes from the Liberal Democrats makes me want to find a brick to fit snugly in my clenched fist.

At least I can be sure of one thing: it doesn't matter what he says as most people just don't care.

Quotation of the picosecond

2010-02-05T08:18:00.001Z

Comes from crook ex MEP Tom Wise:

He also said that one of his "most prized possessions" in prison is a Christmas card signed by ex-Beatle Paul McCartney when he visited parliament recently.

He told the friend, "I keep it under my pillow. You have to be careful as this place is full of thieves."

You said it. Can we have our money back?

inverted snobbery

2010-02-03T23:36:00.002Z

Fuck off with your non RP accent.

I've got one, fucking live with it. I live in a nice part of town, I've worked fucking hard to get to where I am in my job and so fucking what if the post code I'm most familiar with is SW1.

If you have a problem with that I suggest you take that up with yourself. It's no reason for you to try to make me feel small, you pathetic people, because I don't happen to know all the areas around where I've just moved to. Why should I? I have time for that and right now I know how to cycle to work, I know how to cycle to the gym and I know how to get to my favourite lunch spots and night spots.

Everything else, I get a nice black cab for.

If you think that makes me some stuck up London bitch I suggest you take your patronising, jealous, smug little ugly face and shove it up your arse. Fuck off.

I live by my rules and not yours, you desperate wanna be social climber. It's not my fault you have a chip on your shoulder about your own background and your own accent: if you were enough of a person it wouldn't give a flying fuck.

The reason you don't get invited to the places you want to go to is because of your own attitude. Why would someone invite you somewhere if you have this hatred pinned to your clothing? It's like inviting me to a green party.

Of which, more to follow...

From our US Correspondent: Bin Laden and the environment

2010-02-03T08:19:00.001Z

"Terrorist ring-leader pretends to care about climate change" shocker

It’s such a relief. Now we know why Bin Laden’s disciples keep hijacking aeroplanes. They’re worried about airline emissions and the deleterious effect that they have on our environment. How could we have been so dumb to think that they were attacking the developed world for being morally vacuous, secular, pluralistic and democratic!

Bin Laden’s TV spot on Al Jazeera was among the most bizarre online viewing last week; more bizarre even than Boris strutting his stuff at a City Hall Christmas Party or President Obama requiring a teleprompter to deliver a speech to a class of eleven year olds in their school. It seems strangely incongruous for Bin Laden to care passionately about climate change – a twenty-first century concern. This afterall, is a man committed to turning the clock back to the eighth century, where men were ruthless warriors, women were chattels and gays and infidels were dead.

Bin Laden has political and financial motives for his latest telly spot; his motives have nothing to do with ice caps melting and polar bears dying. He is trying to appear to make common cause with the left and their pet issue: the environment. This enables American Republicans to label Democrats as friends of Osama in the mid-term elections in November. Anyone who says they care about the environment will be labeled “Bin Laden’s soul mate on carbon” etc. Bin Laden knows this and knows the way politics work – if this happens he expects the American people to elect Republicans, resulting in a far more right of centre Congress. Electing largely anti-regulation Republicans to Congress will halt the development of alternative or renewable energy sources.

Bin Laden is worried about his long term funding. The US reported last week that wind power had increased by 39% in the past year. The US is the only nation on the planet with the capacity to develop affordable alternatives to fossil fuels – if the US carries on in this vein then maybe they could have alternative sources to oil in a decade – who knows?. This terrifies Bin Laden because he needs the US to remain reliant for oil on Arab producing states; the very nations that fund his terrorist activities. Saudi Arabia is the single largest source of money and men for Al Qaeda. For instance, according to the United Nations Security Council Report, “Terrorism Financing: Roots & Trends of Saudi Terrorism Financing” of December 2002, Al Qaeda has collected between $300 million and $500 million in donations since the late 1980s, almost all if from sources inside Saudi Arabia. If the oil money dries up (and the Saudis have done nothing to diversify their single product economy while they’ve been swimming in cash) who will pay for all the detonators and semtex? They’ll be no one to fund the next round of horrifying fireworks in Washington, DC, Madrid, London, New York, Tel Aviv (delete as applicable).

Whether you believe in man made climate change or not – and this post is not about that issue; whether you’re George Will or George Monbiot, don’t let Bin Laden be a factor in your decision – he doesn’t deserve your consideration.

Godfrey Bloom on Climate Change scammers

2010-01-24T17:04:00.002Z

Enjoy:

Lest we forget

2010-01-24T10:11:00.003Z

Today the name of the 250th serviceman to die in Afghanistan was named as Rifleman Peter Aldridge, 19, of A Company 4 Rifles. He died on Friday while on foot patrol with 3 Rifles Battle Group near Sangin in Helmand province.

Our Armed Forces keep us safe, not our politicians and I think we should take a moment at this bloody milestone to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in this conflict.

Private Darren John George, from the Royal Anglian Regiment
Corporal John Gregory of the Royal Logistic Corps,
Sergeant Robert Busuttil of the Royal Logistic Corps,
Private Jonathan Kitulagoda, the Rifle Volunteers,
Lance Corporal Steven Sherwood, 1st Battalion, The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry,
Corporal Mark Cridge, 7 Signal Regiment,
Lance Corporal Peter Edward Craddock, 1st Battalion The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment,
Captain Jim Philippson, 7 Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery,
Sergeant Paul Bartlett, Royal Marines,
Captain David Patten, of the Parachute Regiment;
Lance Corporal Jabron Hashmi, Intelligence Corps,
Corporal Peter Thorpe,Royal Signals,
Private Damien Jackson, 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment,
Lance Corporal Ross Nicholls, Blues and Royals,
Second Lieutenant Ralph Johnson, Household Cavalry Regiment,
Captain Alex Eida, Royal Horse Artillery,
Private Andrew Barrie Cutts, Air Assault Support Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps,
Private Leigh Reeves, Royal Logistic Corps,
Lance Corporal Sean Tansey, The Life Guards,
Corporal Bryan James Budd, 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment,
Lance Corporal Jonathan Peter Hetherington, 14 Signal Regiment (Electronic Warfare),
Ranger Anare Draiva, 1 Royal Irish Regiment,
Mne Joseph David Windall, Royal Marines,
Corporal Oliver Simon Dicketts, the Parachute Regiment,
Sergeant Gary Paul Quilliam,
Sergeant John Joseph Langton,
Sergeant Benjamin James Knight,
Flight Sergeant Adrian Davies,
Flight Sergeant Gerard Martin Bell,
Flight Sergeant Stephen Beattie;
Flight Sergeant Gary Wayne Andrews,
Flight Lieutenant Steven Swarbrick,
Flight Lieutenant Allan James Squires,
Flight Lieutenant Gareth Rodney Nicholas,
Flight Lieutenant Leigh Anthony Mitchelmore,
Flight Lieutenant Steven Johnson,
Private Craig O'Donnell, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland,
Corporal Mark William Wright, 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment,
Lance Corporal Luke McCulloch, 1 Royal Irish Regiment,
Lance Corporal Paul Muirhead, 1 Royal Irish Regiment;
Marine Gary Wright, 45 Commando Royal Marines,
Marine Jonathan Wigley, 45 Commando Royal Marines,
Marine Richard J Watson, 42 Commando Royal Marines,
Lance Bombardier James Dwyer, 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery,
Marine Thomas Curry, 42 Commando Royal Marines,
Lance Corporal Mathew Ford, 45 Commando Royal Marines,
Marine Jonathan Holland, 45 Commando Royal Marines,
Marine Scott Summers, 42 Commando Royal Marines,
Lance Bombardier Ross Clark
Lance Bombardier Liam McLaughlin;
Marine Benjamin Reddy, 42 Commando Royal Marines,
WO2 Michael 'Mick' Smith, 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery,
Private Chris Gray, A Company, 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment,
Guardsman Simon Davison, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards,
Lance Corporal George Russell Davey, 1st Battalion the Royal Anglian Regiment,
Guardsman Daniel Probyn, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards,
Corporal Darren Bonner, 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment,
Corporal Mike Gilyeat, Royal Military Police,
Lance Corporal Paul "Sandy" Sandford, 1st Battalion The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters,
Guardsman Neil 'Tony' Downes, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards;
Drummer Thomas Wright, 1st Battalion The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters,
Captain Sean Dolan, of 1st Battalion The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters,
Sergeant Dave Wilkinson, from 19 Regiment Royal Artillery,
Guardsman Daryl Hickey 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards,
Lance Corporal Alex Hawkins, of 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment,
Guardsman David Atherton, from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards,
Sergeant Barry Keen of 14 Signal Regiment,
Lance Corporal Michael Jones,
Private Tony Rawson, 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment,
Captain David Hicks of 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment;
Private Aaron James McClure, 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian
Private Robert Graham Foster, 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian
Private John Thrumble, 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian,
Senior Aircraftman Christopher Bridge from C flight, 51 Squadron RAF,
Private Damian Wright, of 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment,
Private Ben Ford, of 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment,
Private Johan Botha from The 2nd Battalion of The Mercian Regiment (Worcesters and Foresters),
Sergeant Craig Brelsford from The 2nd Battalion of the The Mercian Regiment (Worcesters and Foresters),
Lance Corporal Ivano Violino from 20 Field Squadron, 36 Engineer Regiment,
Colour Sergeant Phillip Newman of 4th Battalion The Mercian Regiment,
Private Brian Tunnicliffe of 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment,
Major Alexis Roberts, 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles,
Lance Corporal Jake Alderton of 36 Engineer Regiment,
Captain John McDermid of The Royal Highland Fusiliers,
Trooper Jack Sadler of The Honourable Artillery Company,
Sergeant Lee Johnson of 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment,
Corporal Darryl Gardiner of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers,
Corporal Damian Stephen Lawrence of the 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment,
Royal Marine Corporal Damian Mulvihill,
Marine David 'Dave' Marsh of 40 Commando Royal Marines,
Lieutenant John 'JT' Thornton of 40 Commando Royal Marines,
Senior Aircraftman Graham Livingston of the Royal Air Force Regiment,
Senior Aircraftman Gary Thompson of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force,
Trooper Robert Pearson of the Queen's Royal Lancers,
Trooper Ratu Babakobau of the Household Cavalry Regiment,
James Thompson
Dale Gostick, of 3 Troop Armoured Support Company, Royal Marines,
Private Charles Murray of 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2PARA),
Private Daniel Gamble of 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2PARA),
Private Nathan Cuthbertson of 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2PARA);
Lance Corporal James Bateman, 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 Para),
Private Jeff Doherty, of 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 Para),
Corporal Sean Robert Reeve of the Royal Signals,
Paul Stout, TA SAS
Corporal Sarah Bryant of the Intelligence Corps,
Lance Corporal Richard Larkin, TA SAS
Warrant Officer Class 2 Michael Williams of 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA),
Private Joe Whittaker, (2 PARA)
Warrant Officer Dan Shirley, B Company, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland
Lance Corporal James Johnson, B Company, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland
Corporal Jason Stuart Barnes from the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers,
Lance Corporal Kenneth Michael Rowe of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps,
Sergeant Jonathan William Mathews of The Highlanders, 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland,
Private Peter Cowton from 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment,
Signaller Wayne Bland, Signal Regiment,
Corporal Barry Dempsey The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland,
Ranger Justin James Cupples, 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment,
Warrant Officer Class 2 Gary O'Donnell GM, 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment Royal Logistic,
Private Jason Lee Rawstron of 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment,
Lance Corporal Nicky Mason, 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment;
Trooper James Munday from D Squadron, the Household Cavalry Regiment,
Rifleman Yubraj Rai of the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles,
Royal Marine Neil Dunstan,
Royal Marine Robert McKibben,
Nepalese Gurkha Colour Sergeant Krishnabahadur Dura,
Marine Alexander Lucas, 45 Commando Royal Marines,
Marine Georgie Sparks, 42 Commando Royal Marines,
Marine Tony Evans, 42 Commando Royal Marines
Corporal Marc Birch, 45 Commando Royal Marines,
Sergeant John Manuel; 45 Commando Royal Marines
Marine Damian Davies, 45 Commando Royal Marines
Lance Corporal Steven 'Jamie' Fellows 45 Commando Royal Marines,
Lieutenant Aaron Lewis from 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery,
Rifleman Stuart Nash from 1st Battalion The Rifles,
Corporal Robert Deering from the Commando Logistic Regiment Royal Marines,
Lance Corporal Benjamin Whatley, 42 Commando Royal Marines,
Corporal Liam Elms, 45 Commando Royal Marines,
Serjeant Chris Reed of 6th Battalion The Rifles,
Marine Travis Mackin of Communications Squadron, United Kingdom Landing Force Command Support Group (UKLFCSG),
Captain Tom Sawyer, 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery;
Corporal Danny Winter, 45 Commando Royal Marines,
Acting Corporal Richard 'Robbo' Robinson, 1st Battalion the Rifles,
Corporal Daniel 'Danny' Nield, 1st Battalion, The Rifles,
Marine Darren Smith, 45 Commando,
Lance Corporal Stephen Kingscott of 1st Battalion The Rifles,
Rifleman Jamie Gunn from 1st Battalion The Rifles,
Lance Corporal Paul Upton from 1st Battalion The Rifles,
Corporal Tom Gaden, from 1st Battalion The Rifles,
Marine Michael Laski, from 45 Commando Royal Marines,
Lance Corporal Christopher Harkett, from 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh.
Corporal Graeme Stiff of 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards,
Corporal Dean John, member of the Light Aid Detachment of 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards,
Lance Sergeant Tobie Fasfous, of 1st Battalion Welsh Guards,
Corporal Sean Connor Binnie, from the 3 Scots 'C' Company Royal Regiment of Scotland,
Rifleman Adrian Sheldon, from 2nd Battalion The Rifles,
Sergeant Ben Ross, from 173 Provost Company, 3rd Regiment,
Corporal Kumar Pun, from the 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles,
Lieutenant Mark Evison, of the 1st Battalion, The Welsh Guards,
Marine Jason Mackie, of Armoured Support Group, Royal Marines,
Fusilier Petero 'Pat' Suesue, of the 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
Sapper Jordan Rossi of 38 Engineer Regiment,
Lance Corporal Robert Martin Richards from Armoured Support Group Royal Marines,
Lance Corporal Kieron Hill from 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment,
Lance Corporal Nigel Moffett, of the Light Dragoons,
Corporal Stephen Bolger, (1 PARA),
Rifleman Cyrus Thatcher, of 2nd Battalion The Rifles,
Private Robert McLaren, from The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland,
Lieutenant Paul Mervis of 2nd Battalion The Rifles,
Major Sean Birchall of 1st Battalion Welsh Guards,
Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe MBE, Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards.
Trooper Joshua Hammond of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment,
Lance Corporal David Dennis, from The Light Dragoons,
Private Robert Laws, from 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment,
Lance Corporal Dane Elson from the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards,
Captain Ben Babington-Browne, from 22 Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers,
Trooper Christopher Whiteside, The Light Dragoons,
Rifleman Daniel Hume of the 4th Battalion The Rifles,
Private John Brackpool of the Prince of Wales' Company, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards,
Corporal Lee Scott of The 2nd Royal Tank Regiment,
Rifleman Daniel Simpson of 2nd Battalion The Rifles
Rifleman Joseph Murphy of 2nd Battalion The Rifles,
Rifleman James Backhouse of 2nd Battalion The Rifles,
Rifleman William Aldridge of 2nd Battalion The Rifles,
Corporal Jonathan Horne of 2nd Battalion The Rifles,
Rifleman Aminiasi Toge, of 2nd Battalion The Rifles,
Corporal Joseph Etchells, of 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers,
Captain Daniel Shepherd from 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment,
Guardsman Christopher King, of 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, The Royal Logistic Corps,
Bombardier Craig Hopson from 40th Regiment Royal Artillery,
Warrant Officer Class 2 Sean Upton from 5th Regiment Royal Artillery;
Trooper Phillip Lawrence from The Light Dragoons,
Craftsman Anthony Lombardi from the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), attached to The Light Dragoons, Corporal Kevin Mulligan from the Parachute Regiment,
Lance Corporal Dale Thomas Hopkins from the Parachute Regiment,
Private Kyle Adams from the Parachute Regiment,
Private Jason George Williams, from The 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment,
Lance Bombardier Matthew Hatton from 40th Regiment Royal Artillery,
Rifleman Daniel Wild from 2nd Battalion The Rifles,
Captain Mark Hale from 2nd Battalion The Rifles,
Private Richard Hunt of 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh;
Sergeant Simon Valentine of 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers,
Lance Corporal James Fullarton of 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers,
Fusilier Simon Annis of 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers,
Fusilier Louis Carter of 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment, Fusiliers,
Private Jonathan Young of 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (Duke of Wellington's),
Serjeant Paul McAleese of 2nd Battalion The Rifles,
Fusilier Shaun Bush from 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers,
Sergeant Lee Andrew Houltram of the Royal Marines,
Sergeant Stuart Millar of The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland,
Private Kevin Elliott of The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland;
Lance Corporal Richard James Brandon of the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers,
Private Gavin Elliott of 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment,
Corporal John Harrison from the Parachute Regiment,
Kingsman Jason Dunn-Bridgeman,
Trooper Brett Hall from 2nd Royal Tank Regiment,
Acting Serjeant Stuart McGrath from 2nd Battalion The Rifles,
Corporal Michael Lockett from the 2 Battalion The Mercian Regiment,
Private James Prosser from 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh,
Acting Corporal Marcin Wojtak of the Royal Air Force Regiment,
Guardsman Jamie Janes, from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
Lance Corporal James Hill of 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards,
Corporal James Oakland of the Royal Military Police,
Corporal Thomas 'Tam' Mason from The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS),
Staff Sergeant Olaf Sean George Schmid, of the Royal Logistic Corps,
Corporal Nicholas Webster-Smith of the Royal Military Police,
Corporal Steven Boote of the Royal Military Police,
Guardsman James Major of 1st Battalion The Grenadier Guards,
Sergeant Matthew Telford of 1st Battalion The Grenadier Guards,
Warrant Officer Class 1 Darren Chant of 1st Battalion The Grenadier Guards,
Serjeant Phillip Scott of 3rd Battalion The Rifles.
Rifleman Philip Allen, from 2nd Battalion the Rifles,
Rifleman Samuel John Bassett, of the 1 Platoon, A Company, 4th Battalion The Rifles,
Rifleman Andrew Ian Fentiman from 7th Battalion The Rifles,
Corporal Loren Owen Christopher Marlton-Thomas from 33 Engineer Regiment,
Sergeant Robert David Loughran-Dickson of the Royal Military Police,
Sergeant John Amer, from 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards,
Lance Corporal Adam Drane, from 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment,
Lance Corporal David Leslie Kirkness from 3rd Battalion The Rifles,
Rifleman James Stephen Brown, from 3rd Battalion The Rifles,
Corporal Simon Hornby, from 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.
Lance Corporal Michael David Pritchard of the 4th Regiment, Royal Military Police,
Lance Corporal Christopher Roney of A Company, 3rd Battalion The Rifles,
Lance Corporal Tommy Brown from The Parachute Regiment,
Rifleman Aidan Howell, from 3rd Battalion, The Rifles,
Sapper David Watson of 33 Engineer Regiment (Explosive Ordnance Disposal), Royal Engineers,
Private Robert Hayes, of 1st Battalion the Royal Anglian Regiment,
Captain Daniel Read of 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment, the Royal Logistic Corps,
Corporal Lee Brownson from 3rd Battalion, the Rifles,
Rifleman Luke Farmer from 3rd Battalion, the Rifles,
Rifleman Peter Aldridge, of A Company 4 Rifles.

Spelthorne Primary

2010-01-23T13:31:00.004Z

Last night was the Spelthorne Primary where local voters decided who would be the Conservative candidate, and thus probably the next MP.

There were a few candidates, as I have mentioned before, with one in particular actually being a local woman.

Contact this morning was from pissed off Spelthorne voters who had concluded that the Liberal Democrats flooded the primary and selected the candidate least likely to get appeal from the general population of Spelthorne: aspirational middle classes who prospered under Thatcher, people who work at Heathrow Airport and the occasional Toff.

Alas, because Central Office refuse to listen to what people on the ground say, these people now have a non local cambridge attending intellectual who is being supported by Boris Johnson and George Osborne.
The brief given to potential voters is below, emphasis mine:

KWASI KWARTENG

Kwasi Kwarteng for Spelthorne: I am delighted to be a candidate for the Open Primary for Spelthorne this coming January. I promise to live in the constituency and be accessible to all constituents.

My two immediate priorities as an MP will be to improve Ashford Hospital and to to make sure that any decisions on the third runway are made only after widely consulting local opinion.

I will be a powerful voice for Spelthorne's interests in Westminster. I will talk to, and meet, as many constituents as I can. I will always have time to listen and learn. Please contact me on my e-mail: kwart2000@hotmail.com or visit my website at www.kwart2010.com.

I was born in 1975 to hard-working parents, who came to Britain from the Gold Coast in the 1960s. I was taught to work hard and believe in Britain. At Cambridge University, I earned a Bachelor's degree and a PhD in British History and also appeared on University Challenge in Jeremy Paxman's first year as the host.

I have worked as a company analyst in the City for 7 years, and as a journalist. I am currently writing a book, Ghosts of Empire, about the global legacy of the British Empire. This will be published by Harry Potter publishers, Bloomsbury, next year.

A quick look at the website (very short, one can only imagine that he hasn't actually had his eyes on representing Spelthorne for long but that any seat would do and central office would sort it out for him) brings us this nugget:

Dad went to the LSE, where one of his classmates, though only for a few months, was Mick Jagger.

His Dad once shared a class room with a former rocker? Jeez, he'll really listen to my problems and do what's best for the constituency and not the party. I bet he already has an opinion on the proposed housing development on Green Belt which was in the paper this week.

Vague connections to a walking scrotum with lips and a fictional wizard doesn't really compete with knowing the local area and understanding the concerns of the people who live there.

I also highlighted his points about Heathrow Airport, for a good reason. This proposal has been in the pipeline for a long time. It's just another indication of how Spelthorne is a means to an end for Mr Kwarteng and his CCHQ chums so he can whizz up the parliamentary career ladder and Cameron can say, "look, it's another black chap; we're not the nasty party of old at all!". Anyone who actually had any desire to represent the seat for the sake of wanting to represent that area would have a clue about the Third Runway. He hasn't a fucking clue because this is a last minute fix up by the people who are more interested in PR than actual politics.

One thing's for sure and that's that traditional Tory voters in Spelthorne will now suffer no moral crisis if they vote UKIP.

And phone calls I've had already with Tory party members are saying they hope he doesn't get the seat to send a message to Tory HQ that voters are there to be listened to.

There were good candidates in that list. I don't think this guy was one of them.

UPDATE:

Many thanks to The Devil for confirming some earlier received Intel that Mr K does, in fact, have another link to our would be Prime Minister:

Having checked, I note that Mr Kwarteng modestly left off his years at Eton from his biog quoted in your post.

I can't imagine why he'd want to leave that off.

Pigs Might Fly

2010-01-22T19:25:00.002Z

It's so annoying when you're on public transport and some guy is taking up two seats because he's a porker. They're taking up a seat someone else who paid could be using when we all know he only paid for one. But we're supposed to just ignore it and be squished into a corner whilst they scowl, daring you to ask them to move up.

Well, this could be a thing of the past if you fly KLM!

Overweight people unable to squeeze into a single seat will have to pay for the one next to them – at a 25 per cent discount. Air France-KLM claimed the double charge, being brought in from April 1, was for safety reasons. We have to make sure that the backrest can move freely up and down and that all passengers are securely fastened with a safety belt,’ said company spokeswoman Monique Matze.

Seems perfectly sensible to me and it might go some way to making the poor person who can't get out of their seat for the entire duration of the flight feel better. Can you imagine a long haul flight next to someone who is virtually guaranteeing you some kind of deep vein thrombosis.

By paying for both, the overweight passenger will be assured two seats will be available next to each other.

so they've thought it out...

Another airline representative, Jerome Nguyen, said: ‘If an extremely corpulent passenger can’t fit into one seat and they don’t want to pay for a second, then they can’t fly.’

Their airlines, their rules.

Of course, France being France (and I think there is some state funding somewhere with Air France?) there are people crying 'mon dieu!'

The policy was condemned by Nadine Morano, French secretary of state for the family. ‘If people have to pay twice because of their illness, I find that shocking,’ she said.

Er, what? Sorry, can you run that past me again?

Your illness?
What illness is this that forces people to eat too much and not do any exercise? That restricts movement except a stroll to the fridge and some bicep work bringing cake from the table to the mouth? We're not talking about someone with a broken leg who can't go jogging, now, are we.

That's not an illness, is it. You're ill if you've got the flu or cancer. You're not ill because you struggle to walk past the chip shop without popping in for a large portion. I'm not speaking from that much of a moral highground: I like a cake as much as the next person but if I'm overweight it's no ones fault but my own and certainly nothing to do with me being ill!

Are we not allowed to accept responsibility for anything anymore? Must the state always be there to protect us should there be a deviation from the view that we are homogenous and one-size-fits-all? I know that some people are naturally skinny and others lean to the portly side, but when you have 25 chins and your trousers all have elasticated waists it might be time to put the cake down and pick the trainers up. Not to eat, though.

From our US correspondent

2010-01-20T15:53:00.002Z

From the Shoes US correspondent, also known as "Ann Coulter's Love Toy"

In a stunning act of political lese majeste, the people of Massachusetts have elected a Republican to the “Kennedy seat” in the United States Senate. Martha Coakley’s team ran an undisciplined, but not terrible campaign, her performance in the debate was average and she clearly preferred hob-nobbing with members of her Party’s elite than pressing the flesh in her home state. She made a series of gaffes, most notoriously in this sport-obsessed state when she said on-air and inaccurately that one of Boston’s iconic Red Sox was a New York Yankee (bit like saying Wayne Rooney plays for Chelsea FC). Her campaign was complacent, seemingly justifiably because it believed it was cruising to an election landslide; why waste money on expensive political television advertisements in Massachusetts?

What the Coakley campaign managers didn’t take seriously was the depth of anger toward the agenda of coastal liberal Congressional Democrats (or the “axis of granola”). Team Coakley underestimated how skilled a populist politician Scott Brown had become. They underestimated how much the Republican Party and its sympathizers were working beneath the radar to cause an election upset. Coakley’s managers fooled themselves on what a poor candidate they had until it was too late. Disdainful and lazy, Attorney General Coakley gave the impression that it was somewhat beneath her to ask for votes and seemed to believe that she would be borne aloft to the US Senate by her sense of entitlement alone. Humility is an alien concept to Coakley and previously, so too was defeat; thankfully she was introduced to both of these sensations this morning.

Normally one of these factors alone wouldn’t matter, but the combination of all of them turned the race toxic for the Democrats - and their consequences? It now seems that healthcare, the political cause of Sen. Edward Kennedy’s life will be struck down by the man sent to Washington to replace him. Forty one Senators means the Republicans can happily stall and destroy legislation.

Aside from the messy and intriguing legislative battles ahead in Congress, what happens now? This result reshapes not just the current Congress, but the next. While one special election does not a trend make, this result will embolden and enthuse the Republican Party – and I’m not talking about morale:

The Republicans will suddenly find excellent candidates coming forward; these will be remarkable, self-funding candidates who’ve sat on their heels waiting for a positive party tide. The gubernatorial victories in Virginia and New Jersey last November hinted at what was to come and this tide has now solidified in Massachusetts

There will now be a rush of Congressional Democratic retirements, as Congressmen and Congresswomen in marginal districts find the Capitol exits for themselves, before their constituents show them the door in November

The legislative ambitions of the Democrats on the Hill and in the White House in the remaining months of this Congress will be severely cut-back.

The GOP is about to receive a massive influx of money; both to the national campaigns and to individual candidates. Scott Brown is the proverbial crow-bar that has pried open major donor’s cheque books; he has given contributors hope that the Republicans can win for the first time since 2004. Similarly, corporations will need to hedge their bets in case of a Republican House from next January.

In the Senate, the GOP will hold their five open Senate seats and they are likely to pick up between five and seven more; this includes the Nevada seat of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid who, as is predicted in all recent polls is likely to lose in November

This campaign has been remarkable; one of those unlikely, impossible stories which rarely occur in politics. For the first time since Nixon, Massachusetts has elected a Republican who gained sufficient momentum to take on an entrenched political machine, in a state which defines liberalism. Brown is now a poster boy for the GOP. He ran a campaign which has given his party a blueprint for recovery in the mid-terms, both in New England (which has no Republican Congressmen) and beyond. What role he has to play in the future, is open to conjecture. At first glance, Brown is following a similar trajectory to that of the President. But this is a shallow observation.

Like Brown, Obama was a state senator before his election to the US Senate. Sen. Obama served only two years before being elected President and Brown only has two years left before he needs to run for re-election in 2012, a date which neatly coincides with the next Presidential election. Brown has had a career and worked as a street-fighter against the overwhelmingly Democratic establishment in Massachusetts. Obama had a few years experience as a community organizer (a social worker in the Chicago projects) and never sought to challenge the standard issue 1960s and 1970s liberal dogma which he inherited along with a safely Democratic senatorial seat in Illinois.

If Obama can rise to the Oval Office on such flimsy professional and personal achievements, armed only with a specious litany of random verbs, nouns and adjectives, who knows what Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) can do? There’s no comparison. Can Obama drive a truck? Does he/has he ever served in the armed forces? Has he ever run a successful business? And I don’t remember seeing BO’s spread in Cosmo…

Hours of fun to be had

2010-01-19T20:38:00.003Z

Make your own David Cameron poster

Or my suggestion:

.

Britblog round up

2010-01-18T22:46:00.001Z

is here. Enjoy!

lifting the veil on the debate

2010-01-17T19:07:00.004Z

I've been watching the reaction to UKIP's latest policy statement with some interest but little surprise. I'm afraid I'm not one of those people who consider the rights of others to repress more important than those they are repressing. I also do not hold any regard for a religion which values women less than men. Nor do I consider it right or sensible that there are people in this country who think they can live by different rules.

One country: one legal system. Stick it or fuck off.

The insistence that multiculturalism is the only way to succeed in this country has not brought about cultural harmony. Far from, for we have home grown fundamentalists who would happily see people who fund their education and benefits smeared on the sides of a tube carriage wall or British soldiers succumb to the red mist.

The covering of an entire face bar a letter box slit is a clear example of an area of British society which has not assimilated. An entire section of the community singled out by the garments they don't so much wear, but smother themselves in. They make themselves unapproachable and many people find them intimidating. I fail to see how it is not repressive to expect women to look like they've misread the instructions on some camping equipment; to not be able to take exercise with other people or to have to go to different cafes because their male dominated society tells them to.

This is a country where we had a female Prime Minister in 1979 and we have not had anyone who is her equal since.

I do not want Sharia law in this country, I do not think the murder of women should be referred to as an 'honour killing' by anyone and I don't see why people should be able to break the laws of this land because of some belief in a being.

As Nigel Farage said on the Daily Politics yesterday, we can't wear a motorcycle helmet in a bank. One country: one rule.

I don't believe in any religion and I don't wish to be governed by any. I don't see why people should be treated differently because of their unfounded beliefs and I think that doing so creates a two tier society which breeds jealous and conflict. This policy doesn't advocate the obligatory wearing of hot pants for all women, it just says that actually there shouldn't be a group of people in this society who wander around like the demi monde, unrecognisable except en masse for their masks. It's an easy one for anyone wanting to avoid detection. I don't agree with the excessive amount of CCTV cameras but I also don't agree with fundamentalist muslims dressing up in Burkhas and veils knowing that they can't be recognised and that as a society we're so terrified of upsetting minorities, being branded a racist and having to listen to Harriet Harman blather on about it that we don't do anything.

And personally, I feel that's a situation which needs to change.

Most importantly, though, I feel this is a subject which needs to be discussed. If anything comes out of this statement it should be a discussion on how different groups in society are treated and it should make the establishment realise that the average Brit, whoever (s)he is, isn't happy with the way things are going. If you ever went down a pub for a pint you'd hear people talk about this. Alas our politicians don't tend to do that as they're too busy trying to close them down.

From the lands of Ulster

2010-01-15T10:43:00.001Z

Hormones: they make you do crazy shit.

Labour launch their class war

2010-01-14T08:09:00.006Z

The airwaves are alive with the sound of bullshit as Labour seek to drag prejudice, fears and jealousy to the table in the run up to the General Election.

Being black or Asian in the UK no longer means you will be automatically disadvantaged, Communities Secretary John Denham will say in a speech later.

He says progress made since 2000 means that, while racial discrimination still exists, disadvantage is now more linked to poverty, class and identity.

See what he's done there? He's saying that the Labour Party have solved the problem of racism and now are going to address class issues again, presumably by slagging off people who went to non state schools and raising taxes for successful businesses.

In an interview this morning on Radio 4 I heard him talking about 'closing the gap' in schools where ethnicity was no longer so much of an issue in school results.

I'm still not sure why skin colour has any implication on school results: one doesn't write an exam paper with ones skin. Athletics is about the only area I can think of any difference and then it's poor old skinny ginger white boy that's lagging at the back of the class, glasses askew. This obsession with everyone being the same is utterly tedious and damaging our business ethic. They ratchet up concerns and give people an excuse not to just crack on and get down by playing the card of one of a huge number of 'isms'.

"people feel that their concerns have been addressed by the state"

the listeners were told: a dangerous precedent which alas is de rigeur in this country where the committee knows the answer and the official rules the roost. If someone has a problem why don't the try sort it themselves and also work out whether it's actually a problem or just some miserable git having a whinge because they can't get something for nothing? It's not the job of the state to bash everything down to the lowest common denominator, riding roughshod over ability and determination so that some 'victim' has an excuse for being average.

It's also obvious that the Labour Party are trying to recover from their years of neglecting the ordinary white British bloke which was self evident as their vote in the European Elections dropped. It didn't go to the BNP, though, before we all start panicking: the BNP got two seats because turn out declined.

Of course, we still do have a racist immigration policy by virtue of our membership to the European Union. We allow unchecked access to people from traditionally white, Judeo-Christian backgrounds, allowing our social services to be exploited by people from countries with a lower GDP per Capita than ourselves. I'm not blaming the people themselves but the mechanisms which allow it. I don't want to provide child benefit for a kid who doesn't live in this country. Bite me if you are offended at that, it's my bloody money and I work hard for it.

At the same time, people from our Commonwealth - often not white - have to jump through hoops. This isn't often a good plan, particularly when it comes to Doctors from our Commonwealth. Why should doctors from the EU be excused a language test when English isn't their first language? Why should they be treated differently from the doctor from India?

On the subject of discrimination, the candidates for the Spelthorne Primary have been announced.

There are four women and two men, one of whom is white and single. I am told that he's "qualified to be selected" according to the agent. What does that mean? Does that mean that he's passed the 'positive discrimination selection procedure' because he's not white, straight and male?

Those candidates, for all their individual qualities, are insulting to the people of Spelthorne because they are tailored to fit some modern, caring Conservative image rather than what's best for the tax paying resident. The agent has said that the association were given candidates, but they weren't imposed. I presume that means 'if you don't be nice about this we will impose them so let's just play the game'. It clearly shows the manipulation which goes on in politics these days where it's all about image and fuck all to do with substance. One of those people sounds like a good egg so I hope she gets it. It's just a shame that people will be able to say to them that they weren't chosen because they were the best person for the job but because of some perceived minority status due to their gender, race or sexuality. However good they are, discrimination of any kind allows those statements to be said.

Really, who gives one as long as they work hard and don't take the piss with expenses? Spelthorne might have had an MP who resigned over his expenses (I think he was stepping down anyway) but he was a bloody good constituency MP who put his beliefs before his career. It's convenient for the iDave generation that people like him go because he addressed concerns rather than towed the PR line. 10 years it took to get a decision on T5 and he did so by continually asking people concerned their opinions. I do hope that whoever is selected for the Tories - and who will thus almost certainly be elected- has a sensible policy on the third runway. A huge amount of business and wealth is generated in Spelthorne because of Heathrow and that won't happen if the hub moves to Charles de Gaulle.

In other news, does anyone else see the irony in the government forgetting our dementia policy?

How not to respond to a story

2010-01-12T14:17:00.003Z

I was devastated on Sunday to hear that a friend of mine had been killed in Afghan. Sunday Mirror defence correspondent Rupert Hamer was a wonderful man who really cared about those he was writing about. It came across in his work with soldiers, senior military figures, families and charities. Tributes poured in after the news was announced because he was a man who was a joy to work with and a pleasure to know.

He knew the risks of being out on the front line but also knew that if he was going to do his job properly that meant leaving the perimeter fence of Camp Bastion.

Some people, however, can't just leave it at that. They have to use his death to promote themselves. Mr Eugenides points me towards this article today from a young lass who thinks that she was the first journalist to die in Afghan. She didn't actually die, of course, because she's still alive. Still, if it helps her get copy, eh? I won't go through the entire article because frankly reading it once was enough. I was lost for words, except a few choice sweary ones. Rupert died on Saturday: have some fucking respect.

ON 6 JULY, 2008, for four minutes my heart stopped. In those few moments, I was briefly the first British journalist to die in the war in Afghanistan. I had already been declared a fatality by soldiers on the ground after collapsing with acute heatstroke in the frontline town of Musa Qala while on foot patrol with British soldiers and US Marines in temperatures of 54C.

Yes, it's bloody hot out there and dangerous. Lots of people decide to prepare for their embed by doing a lot of phys and making sure their body is in tip top condition. The last thing a foot patrol needs is someone who will be a liability because it takes four people to carry a body on a stretcher and the Chinook which comes in to collect casualties is a target when it does so.

That Hamer has assumed the title that so nearly befell me is a tragedy. I did not know him personally, but I understand he was one of the best – skilled and dedicated to what he did. Both he and Coburn were seasoned professionals, veterans of both of the dusty wars our armed forces have fought in the past decade.

Assumed the title? The bloody title? He hasn't been awarded a peerage, he died in ghastly circumstances and leaves behind a wife, young children, friends and colleagues who will miss him dreadfully. Can you imagine having to explain to your children why daddy isn't coming home? He was a professional and I cannot imagine him ever using the death of someone else to get coverage no matter how much it's wrapped up in statements proclaiming the bravery of our troops and MERT. We know that because we read all too often of the deaths, the casualties and those people who save their lives. The Royal Army Medical Corps have 27 Victoria Crosses awarded to their numbers with two out of the three VC and Bars being awarded to soldiers in the Corp.

I will always bear the scars of what happened to me in Afghanistan. There are the nightmares, the occasional flashback, and the knee injury which my doctor keeps nagging at me to get physiotherapy for.

But these are minor scratches. Just over 18 months on, what has left the deepest mark on me is the profound respect I have for the British military, for our soldiers and for those journalists who, like Hamer and Coburn, accompany them into battle.

I think, love, that they're nothing like the scars that other people carry. They're minor, yes, but still rather handy when you want to dash out a piece to illustrate just how brave you are, it seems. Other people who don't write about their 'tragedy' in the papers just days after a father to three young children was blown up.

I suggest that if you want to really do something for the troops then it's probably worthwhile you fundraising for a charity of their choice rather than put pen to paper because frankly, this article is repulsive. Bad choice, Scotsman; Bad choice.