Being selfish.
Well it seems that I'm a bit of a selfish b4$^4&d. I use up all these carbon units and don't have a care in the world about what is going on outside my little world.
It seems that when I discuss green issues it doesn't matter what is said if you are not all for giving billions to our useless politicians and moving to caves to reduce emissions then you are selfish.
So I thought about this selfishly. I thought about what it would mean to me and mine in reality.
1) I
earnam paid more than the average bear. I have a good well paid job.
2) My main base is three miles away from where I live. I could cycle or walk there easily.
3) The bulk of my traveling is on company business and I therefore get expenses. Soon this will include trips to the US. Not really any regular personal travel costs. I filled my tank two weeks ago and It's still over 3/4 full.
4) I have a reasonable mortgage and I could afford it if it doubled.
5) I have enough spare cash every month to live comfortably even if everything went up by over 50%.
6) My hobbies are inexpensive and what I spend I could cut back and still have a reasonable level of enjoyment.
7) My kids are still in full time education which means they don't have any expenses themselves. The school and college are within walking distance of about ten minutes. Only expenses are food, water and clothes.
8) My only real -ve is electrickery. I have several systems and toys at home and my bill is above average.
So, if I wanted to I could just sit back and wait for the proverbial to hit the fan. Many people before me will be hard hit by the increase in taxes. I'll just stock up on food, water and ammo and wait until the UK explodes. There will be many forced into action before my pips squeak.
I'll do what I can to encourage some +ve action. Can't just sit back.
To help this of course I would like to point out that we will move the poverty line up to cover a significantly larger percentage of the population and, the best bit, for no real benefit whatsoever. I've just seen an
article where is says the UK's contribution is 2% of the worlds emissions. Even if we reduced our emissions to zero, nothing, nada, ziltch. China would make up the difference in two years.
Here is an interesting study on the influence of the Internet.
This
article has some statistics on Rape and violent crimes that make interesting reading.
It does make me wonder about if I should let the kids watch so much Disney. It clearly is not having the desired effect.
It's worse than I thought.
According to this article by Boris Johnson it seems he is having difficulty choosing a researcher because of the quality of the application. Read
here.
Now I've interviewed a good few graduates in my time and although I have had a similar problem it was never exactly the same. I had a problem choosing because the quality was so poor.
God help us but that makes it look like the best ones are going into politics. Shouldn't be that much of a surprise really as fewer people are going into engineering and science courses and taking more social and soft courses.
When I thought about ensuring we had eradicated poverty and ensure we all had the same chances I stupidly thought it meant we would bring the Africans etc. up to our standard. Not we would lower our standards to the lowest common denominator.
A whole new ballgame.
The French Police are not having much luck with the rioters in Paris. They are geared up for the normal run of the mill French people who may use their trucks to protest and go on strike over their issues. Occasional Riots and burnings. People that riot and burn cars and buses and attack them en-mass on a daily basis are outside their experience and they have no real training for it.
Thus the title that French police are losing their battle. Read
here.
It's not surprising really. Can you imagine the uproar if they shot a group of youths chasing them with iron bars and knives? However, it may soon come to that. It won't be long before a copper or innocent bystander is killed or seriously injured. Then things will take a different turn and we could be looking at scenes from the Lebanon in Europe.
Now what surprises me is that this situation seems to be so difficult for the authorities to grasp. Rioting youths and insurgents in Iraq. They have seen what we have difficulty handling and play up to it. Why are we not looking at a new strategy and some new tactics to deal with the situation? I bet some are now looking at the way the Chinese handle their dissidents and are wondering how to introduce that.
It's should be clear to everybody now bar our PC do-gooders and politicians that we have a major issue on our hands. Sorting out how to deal with the rioting is bad enough but to grasp the nettle and look at the underlying issues is something none of our politicians or PC do-gooders want to do. They don't want to face up to the answers.
It has already started in the UK and it can only get worse.
I think we can equate this situation to the human body. Over hundreds of years we have evolved and no longer have the capability to handle certain foods. Now we are being force fed this food and it is poisoning us as our immune system can't handle it. So we either eradicate the threat or we succumb to the poison.
The good news is that the French are getting it first. Maybe even our thick witted do-gooders and politicians will see what happens over there and finally get it before it is too late.
It's an invasion. Now there can be no doubt now and action needs to be taken. First step is identification and to admit we have an issue. A kind of AA for politicians. It's the difficult step admitting they have done wrong. Although to be honest it should not be so much of an issue because it isn't like it's the first time.
Public back calls for Police to do their jobs and keep their noses out.
It seems that despite our Police forces failings at doing their own jobs they feel like they can get involved in others jobs and comment on policy and support political calls for things like higher tax on alcohol. Read more
here.
Now as many others have commented then all that will happen if this goes through is that people will switch to the cheaper stuff, steal it or even make their own. Then let's see the impact to our society when people are still binge drinking but cheaply and even more health issues. jeez, the poor all over the world get drunk on a daily basis. It will never be too expensive to make liquids that make people drunk. It will just become a tax avoidance issue.
In the meantime can our police spend more time worrying about policing and enforcing our laws and keep out of politics. Maybe, just maybe, they will get crime under control and we all feel safe and sound.
A Halloween crime wave. What a joke.
They must be joking. It seems that our police are going to be out in force this Halloween. Not for serious crime fighting of course but instead to make sure that you don't get plagued by people knocking on your door and running away.
£80 fines, unmarked spotter cars, thousands of extra police. A real crime wave obviously occurs every Halloween and we have been missing it.
The sort of behavior can be knocking and running away from doors, ringing doorbells and running away. Jeez. Talk about basic kiddie games. Maybe it can go over the top but on Halloween. Must they spoil everything?
The best bit. PC Nick Stephens from Warwickshire Police told the BBC "Our concern is that Halloween is a time when young people are going to enjoy themselves". There was more but that says it all. Read more
here.
An improvement in Government process.
Going through the blogs now I have five minutes and came across this
article in Burning Our Money.
It seems that our government has improved process significantly. At least in one area anyway. It seems that they have mastered the political U-turn
What an achievement and not one I expected to see in a positive light.
Performance ratings.
I wasn't going to play around with the performance ratings for the police that were issued earlier this week. However after reading this
article I just couldn't not say something.
It seems that the forces are rated on 7 areas, its ability to reduce crime, investigate crime, promote public safety, provide assistance, improve citizen focused policing, improve resource use and deliver local policing. Each area is given points on a scale of excellent, good, fair or poor where, with a maximum of 21 in total must mean that excellent = 3 points and poor = 0.
Now that seems fair enough but when you look down these list some of these are easier to do than others. For arguments sake reduce crime is a lot more difficult to do than promoting public safety and so on. Plus, most of these tasks bear little resemblance to crime fighting which is what we want our police to do. In fact only reducing crime and investigating crime are targets I would consider for a police force not providing citizen focused anything. What does that mean anyway?
Anyway, as with everybody that is given targets you concentrate on the things you can do to give the best return on investment. Biggest bang for your buck as they say. Of course this then gets to a point where to move up the ladder will require a significant investment for perhaps one extra point.
At this stage we will stick with the 'improvements' in the forces at the bottom of the pile who are now at three points. WTF. I was flabbergasted. My flabber was well and truly gasted. Three points. What did they have before?
In reality that means that they could take every penny given to them. Sack the coppers. Spend it on a PR firm giving awareness posters, TV spots and road signs for promoting public safety and get an excellent worth three points. They would then have the same points they have now on a fraction of the police force and at greatly reduced cost. Next year they wouldn't have to keep up so many posters so they could then spend the bulk of their money on improving the resources delivery of the safety notices. Streamline the payments for the PR firm. FM it to a third party. Now they are at six points. Of course no chance of reducing crime but, Hey, that's only worth the same three points max and it would require real work and dedication and is by no way guaranteed to work.
Interesting that the top force is 18 points. Could it be that no force has a decent score in reducing crime either? Because let's face it the only areas in the measured items list that interests us is the reduction and investigation of crime. Everything else is paper pushing and politicking. I suspect nobody got full marks in either of those two areas.
Anyway, the bit that made me say something. 'the results show a slight improvement, from 62.3% in 2004/05 to 63.2% in 2005/06, this is equivalent to an additional 1,186 full-time officers carrying out front line duties' So a less than 1% increase in a artificial figure can be equated to an extra 1,186 policemen on the beat. Are we paying 1,186 more people for front line work? I doubt it. It just means that they are getting more efficient at filling out the forms.
The Police, NHS, DWP, everybody is striving to meet artificial targets and not doing what they are being paid for. Politicians, *spit*, they have a lot to answer for.
The truth. How strange it sounds.
Go and watch
this at Michelle Malkins.
It says things that we are no longer allowed to say. Makes points we are no longer allowed to identify. And shows things they would prefer were hidden.
Everyone talks about it among themselves but do we really know how bad it is? Clearly not.
At least some eyes are being opened while there is some time.
I smiled at the part when the Swedish Minister said that we needed to be nice because we hoped it was reciprocated. Talk about naive.
DNA DB revisited with a maths question.
It appears that we are all expected to register our DNA on the DNA DB. Of course it is voluntary but if we want to continue earning money, eating food and breathing it will be mandatory. So voluntary then according to our politicians.
Now, if I remember correctly, the chances of mismatch on the DNA DB is one in 10 million. In a country like the UK that means that six other people may have my DNA traits. In the meantime the population of the world is 7 billion. That means at least 700 other people have my DNA traits on average. Not a lot I'm sure you agree but more than enough to make you concerned.
So I'm at home playing with myself, as usual. Someone is murdered, raped, whatever by somebody who doesn't have a DNA record because (s)he is just visiting. A DNA match is made. The other six have real good alibis and witnesses. Ooops. Our foreign buddy is off like a shot.
If you have nothing to hide. Well I don't really. Nor do I feel any safer as the chance for justice gets further and further away as each bit of legislation is made.
No ban. I just don't believe it.
Why are mini motorcycles not to be banned? Read
here.
Not that I think they should be banned but this must be the first thing that they could ban that they have not. And all the usual reasons are there as well. It's for the children. Danger to the public? They are
having funbreaking the law. etc. etc.
What is going on? Someone must have their nose in that particular trough.
You have just got to smile.
The US is killing them, Israel is killing them and they are
killing themselves. Soon Israel will just be able to move back in because there will be nobody alive there. They hate everybody and yet we still send them $1Bn a year. Our wonderful leaders clearly are bonkers.
Can't say this sort of death is a bad thing either.
Why don't they just go the whole hog.
After the article on more cameras being added to the arsenal against the motorist I thought to myself it won't be long before they fit the cameras to your cars and it has a card swipe so you can pay the fines as you are driving. Then I thought what was really being pursued was to build a camera into every person and send the signals back to a central station. Then the can monitor everyone all the time.
I've often said this is what the Soviets wanted but they fell apart before the technology was viable.
Our lot of course would find it a godsend. Of course it only works on the generally law abiding as no matter how many cameras there are the real bad guys never get caught because they either know where they are and avoid them or don't care because they will be removing the evidence or bribing those in a position to do something.
Bit more difficult when the camera is on your person and sent to a central server. I'm sure it would be easier to justify than ID cards.
Of course 'If you have nothing to hide it won't be a problem'
Being sensible about it for a minute. A camera that recorded your every move yet was controlled by you would be handy in many situations. Rape accusations, during arrest while you are being interrogated, accidents. Of course that all goes out the window if the
bad guysgovernment can access it without your permission. I'm sure it will be coming soon. I think I would sign up for one if it was totally under my control. Talk about memories.
Surrey Police hire private security to protect them.
Err. This is what we are paying our taxes for. The Police can't even look after themselves in Surrey. Read more
here.
Won't be long before they have to take them out on domestics in case there is violence. After all if the police get hurt who is going to type up the reports.
Of course they will still be volunteering to go out and arrest 13 year old girls. For a while at least,
some of them will have reputations to keep up by the time they hit thirteen.
And in the meantime I'm still not allowed to protect myself.
More Cameras focused on Motorists.
Reading this article on some new cameras which are being considered to pick up certain bad driving traits. Things like no right turns, no entry signs and the boxes you are not supposed to go into.
And, it goes without saying, that they will be used to send automatic fines to people. I didn't really need to say that bit.
Read the story
here.
A Department of Transport spokesman said there would be a consultation next year on giving local authorities the powers. "We do not know how many will take up the powers but we do not anticipate that many"
Anyone that can make such a blatant lie has a career ahead of him as a politician.
A must watch article.
An American article but rings a bell in the UK.
Well worth a few minutes of your time.
Now here is something for the Boy Wonder Jamie Oliver.
This article headlines that 'Almost half of patients 'find hospital food inedible''.
Now here is something where everyone would benefit from a visit by the Boy Wonder Jamie Oliver.
Why doesn't he go in to a hospital and fix it for them? The new Jimmy Saville. With all to money going into the NHS this one must be an easy win.
I thought I had posted this on Wed but better late than never.
My TV watching just shot up.
Sadly I have added another two hours to my TV schedule from yesterday on. StarGate SG1 and StarGate Atlantis have restarted earlier than I expected. Luckily I just happened to glance through a TV paper while I was waiting and there it was episode two on the new series. Bugger. Then, joy, as I discovered that was next weeks and the first episode was on in an hour.
So now I'm going to be watching two hours a week, at least until BattleStar Galactica series 3 arrives when it will just to three. When is it due to start? It must be near.
That's my planned TV schedule 3 hours for about 13 weeks for the entire year. Anything else is just because it's on when I just want to waste a few hours.
Making a point.
It sounds like the Pakistani's are making a point with the execution of Mirza Hussain by scheduling it for during the royal visit. Read more
here.
I think this guy has had it. It sounds like money is the only thing that would save him now but I think that there is only really one more card to play. The
jokerprince card.
A simple public request from the Prince as he arrives in Pakistan for the life of Hussain mentioning injustice and Islamic law conflicts. Ignoring the usual gifts and political games. The issue, of course, would be would we take him back to the UK for a life sentence if they did not pardon him but instead commuted death on the understanding we would house him.
Worth a try. Nothing else is going to work. Our FO isn't any good nowadays.
If however, they execute him our royal visitors should just get up and walk out. Fly home and make a point of ignoring everybody on the way out. That would make news worldwide and is bound to be a big embarrassment. Of course it's easily avoided by slipping the dates but would they be too proud?
Speed Camera Catch 22.
It seems our speed cameras may have a weakness. Changing lanes between cameras means that the SPECS cannot generate a ticket. Read
here. There are caveats.
Absolutely brilliant though. Police chiefs were forced to urge drivers not to exploit the shortcoming by trying to evade the cameras. Not a hope. Accident rates will go up as the world and his dogs will be weaving all over the show whilst moving between the SPECS cameras. It a bit like asking a bank robber not to avoid the shortcomings of CCTV and remove his mask before he goes into the bank.
Of course an increase in accidents means it is a prime spot for speed cameras in a safety drive so that's a bit of a catch 22 situation. Speed cameras cause accidents.
I would actually like to see the stats for road accidents on stretches of roads before and after speed cameras are installed. From what I've seen I think the accident rate would be up in most of them as I've seen several rear enders whilst people brake for the cameras. 40 limit. Car in front not sure brakes to 30 and the car behind checking his speed goes in the back. Ooops.
Identity Fraud.
I was reading this
article on Identity Fraud. Not much in it really it just mentions the crime and how to start to recover from it but fails to mention how to actually stop it or avoid it. Which is not surprising really.
The issue I have with the whole thing is that you may do nothing wrong but through ineptitude by someone else your details are made public. How many systems now do you have to supply your name, address, dob, mothers maiden name and inside leg measurement to join? Using them anyone can change your bank accounts and credit cards and redirect cards and cheque books or arrange credit without your knowledge.
Their solution to this. You need to check your credit rating every year and take out credit insurance. At your cost of course. Problem solved then. I feel a lot better now.
If despite the precautions you do get hit there is the damage to your credit rating, the trauma of chasing and fixing the debt and the possibility you can never recover your status or may even have a further financial loss yourself. At an extreme you could go to prison.
It is clear that the basic issue is actually beyond our control. It's fairly easy to gather peoples ID details now and they never change. Once they are out in the market place people collect them for various legitimate reasons and if you want a service you have the option of supplying the details or not getting the service. It's got worse lately because of government requirements that you identify yourself for everything, up to and including, the air we breathe for our CO2 points. Sorry, next years legislation.
So we, individually can't stop it, we can help, and the basics have been explained ad nauseam but there are some people that you just can't help and no matter what you say they still click on links or agree to install rogue SW. We could look at alternative ways to stop these spammers and play catch up all the time or we could just let Darwin take over and let the stupid lose all their money. After all it's these stupid people clicking on the spam that make it lucrative for the spammers. A different rant.
All we are expected to do is spend more of our hard earned cash in checking if it is happening and, if it has, fixing it. What sort of cure is that? No wonder this sort of crime is spiraling out of control. I think it's now at £2Bn each according the the ID card study. (I may have over egged that)
There is only one group that can stop and control this and that is the lenders. I propose that if someone confirms there has been fraud the lenders etc. have to restore that persons credit details and any monies lost. The banks then have to chase the issue and identify a bad guy. Of course, like rape, people will cry wolf but unlike rape, burglary or muggings this involves money so our *cough* justice system is geared up to prosecute to the max. Although to be fair I think the lenders take a reasonable stance on this at the moment. They could do more though. For example they should stop changes of address and then new cards by making sure changes of address are followed up with a letter to the original address or something. No new transactions until it has been confirmed. Very few people move house so quickly they can't verify before they go and need a new card or ID straight away after. This activity needs a closer check with one eye on fraudulent activity.
After all who is the group with the problem here? Not me. I've done no wrong. It's the lenders who are being taken in by crooks not me. I have no input to their procedures nor am I able to stop my ID being used. So why should it effect me in the slightest?
As and when data is shared willy nilly by our government I bet fraud of this type goes up. Then the lenders will start to dig their heels in and we will start to get some horror stories. The ID card idea to combat fraud is laughable if it wasn't so real. All your ID in one place and yet, of course, it will be perfectly safe. Everyone will have a scanner and everyone will have everyone else's ID. It's just up to those with the balls to do something with it. That will be the criminals then.
In the meantime what exactly does the Data Protection Act do for us nowadays?
Comeback from what?
It seems Gareth Gates in attempting to make a comeback album. Read more
here.
Don't you have to be there before you have a comeback? All he had was one hit on the back of the popular TV show. I don't think any of these shows generated any stars that are still top of the pops a couple of years later. Although they are probably making a decent living from the show the real winners are the ones which didn't make it on the show itself who have gone on for a while. Does that not say something?
The exception of course is Kelly Clarkson who seems to have done well here although she was a US winner.
Mine your own Business.
Found this
article on An Englishman's Castle.
Mine your own Business. It's becoming more and more apparent that we can't continue the way we are going. However, some are luddites, some are practical.
The luddites are winning at the moment in everything they do. It's time to stand up against them and find a better way than simply stopping progress and reverting to nature.
Just as an aside, could an environmental movement be the reason the Muslims stopped progress in 800AD? Just thinking out loud.
Interesting Theory. Look at the facts.
A study from the US tries to explain what happens when police kill. Read
here.
It's all to do with reaction times and memory under stress which leads to
itchy trigger fingerslack of remembering and how fast people can move. I can understand that people move quickly and can change aspect relative to a policeman but it does kind of reinforce the fact that they are nervous and shooting early at the slightest move rather than waiting to see what the suspect is doing. To be honest I don't blame them. I'd hate to be in that situation. However, they are highly trained and paid to do that. If I did it I would go straight to jail no matter what the provocation. It makes you think though. Was Tony Martin just slow on the trigger and Barras turned quickly? Funny that. Facts show Barras was shot in the back and Tony Martin went straight to jail.
What this article doesn't explain is why nobody has been prosecuted at all or why we still insist on doing these no knock
invasionswarrants. Even the most innocent person is going to be panicking when a bunch of unidentified stormtroopers enter a house at 4 AM. Where sudden movements equals a bullet we should not be blaming the officer involved but the strategy employed. Maybe the study could help
Cory Maye. Somehow I doubt it.
But overall it does put things into perspective. Police are nervous going in, bloody obvious statement, and will have very light trigger fingers, unfortunately the public are going to be just as nervous and good and bad people are going to be moving around panicking. There really needs to be another way of doing this. The number of innocents killed during an armed arrest must be out of all proportion to the risk to a police officer. It must be worth an investigation into alternative methods of arresting these people. Why an immediate confrontation when conditions are not right? Maybe more stakeouts and sieges where it would be easier. I would imagine no knocks are only for hostage situations not drug raids.
I particularly liked the comment 'The CPS has said it will take this into consideration in future cases. ' WTF. It's not like they can let any more off. It just means they now have a nice study to refer to and support them when they let them off.
Now I'll leave you with a single question;
How far did Jean Charles De Menezes run or move while seven bullets were fired into his head?
A very strange protest.
This group of Hindu's have changed their faith as a protest against the caste system in India. A system different from all other religious systems where non believers are low class and are targeted for conversion. It seems that people are allocated roles in Hinduism and any offspring are also in that role with no chance to change. The converts, Dalits, are the lowest caste of Hindu's in this system.
Hinduism teaches that most humans were created from parts of the body of the divinity Purusha. According to which body parts they were created from, humans fall into four basic castes which define their social standing, who they can marry, and what jobs they can do. Dalits fall outside this system and are traditionally prevented from doing all but the most menial jobs or even drinking from the same water sources as other castes. How exactly they do that I'm afraid to ask.
Read more
here.
It is against the law to discriminate this way but it still goes on and the mass conversions are to protest against this. Thousands are converting to Christianity, Jainism or Sikhism as well as Buddhism with other ceremonies planned. What! No new Muslims?
In the meantime some states have passed laws restricting conversions while a political party reclassify Buddhism and Jainism as branches of the Hindu religion to keep it's supporters.
On the plus side nobody got their heads cut off.
Rumsfeld's second favourite photograph.
Rumsfeld's second favourite photograph is this one on the difference between North and South Korea.
See
here for the full story.
Good point and an interesting article showing the difference between the two parts of Korea. It also shows a bit of China with very few spots of light as well. Wonder what a similar map of the US looks like as there are lot's of open spaces.
This photo, though, is nowhere near my top 1,000,000. Maybe Rumsfeld should get his nose out of those boring classified documents and look around a bit more. Here is a nice one for him to consider instead.
Elisha Cuthbert. Yummy.
Not getting a full service.
What is the difference between these articles?
A
policeman is excused from guarding the Israeli embassy.
A
chemist refuses to dispense the pill.
A
teaching assistant refuses to remove a veil.
Nothing really. All of them are performing public duties on behalf of the government and are not performing their full role for a religious reason. We are getting reduced services and still paying full price. Yet, except for the teaching assistant, nothing is being done. Why is that? Is it because the veil has been raised in government circles as a bad thing and an example is being made? In two of the cases it seems that dispensation are being made. The chemist seems to be allowed to do this and the policeman is being allowed to change his duties. That can't be right. There should be a code of conduct that these guys have to meet and if they don't they lose the contracts they have. After all I'm sure some joined to police force to punish criminals. Do they refuse to attend a hostage situation because the hostage is a known criminal? 'Nope. I'm sorry I'm not risking myself for a criminal.' 'I'm not dispensing a heart pill to him because he is a homosexual'. It won't be long now we have started on the slippery slope.
Doesn't it seem interesting how much these issues seem to be coming into the public view so much lately. I think these things have been happening for years and nobody has raised the profile because they are scared of being branded intolerant. The gloves seem off at the moment as the media swings behind pointing all these things out more and more of us are up in arms. If we were armed that is.
The pot is starting to boil.
Malicious intent.
Reading this
article about how a schoolgirls shabby treatment ender her up with a permanent record with her majesty's slightly tarnished police force. I would say finest but my opinion on our police force has taken a downturn over the last year or so and I'm now starting to see them as working for the enemy. A step above the enemy, barely.
You see I can understand the teacher. She was just stupid as some of the modern teachers seem to be. No common sense. Escalating a simple issue to a criminal event. I would be interested in seeing her performance reports for her teaching work.
In addition what school has a police officer based full-time at the school? Why do they need one? They clearly decided to do nothing.
But then, in what was clearly a thought out policy because it was several days later, they arrested her, terrorised her and then did not press charges. Why they couldn't have responded, as they do with me, with a simple crime number even though it was clearly not a crime and left it as that shows that this was a deliberate act with an intent above and beyond a simple mistake. It has a political stench to it.
If I was one of the parents I'd be looking at legal action for this. In the meantime I'd be moving my child to another school after looking at their abysmal
school statistics. (That's if I read the tables right. At the bottom of the page it's pupil's results are down while the rest of the area, and the rest of the UK's averages go up)
Desperate justification.
With all the talk of crime and punishment, or lack of, the government continually looks for ways to justify it's decisions. Take the current crisis over prison spaces. There isn't enough people can't be sent to prison because there is no space.
My cure is that we release all the non victim prisoners and stop putting them in jail and keep the spaces for those that commit crimes with victims. Redefine our justice system to make prison less palatable, not for the judges, but for the prisoners. We don't want them to reoffend.
But of course our government has a slightly different view. They want to let burglars and muggers and other criminals out. Is that vicar still in jail for his council tax I wonder?
Anyway, our wonderful government is starting to put out justification for it's decision. Which is really encapsulated in this article '
Tagging is good rehabilitation'. Sounds good until you read it. To be fair I hope this guy does turn his life around but IMO getting off early is not a good start. It makes it seem the system is giving in, which I think it is.
This example of why tagging is so good was released with a tag on the 25-Sep. It's now the 13-Oct so he has not even been out a month yet. However, he still managed to fail his curfew of 19:00 because he was stuck in traffic at least once in the two and a half weeks he has been out.
Apparently being under a curfew meant he has not been sucked back into crime. Was any sucking going on in prison? Maybe we shouldn't go there. He then goes on to say it has eased him back into a life without his mates and being unable to go out at night means he can't get back into his old life. What is going to happen when the tag comes off? I hope he does well but it sounds like he will drop back into his own life before he went away. Let's face it it's so easy to do so. He has a job interview next week so it will be interesting seeing where he is in a years time.
I like the apparent throwaway comment 'People who commit crime while tagged would have done it anyway after their full sentence.' Err. Sounds like it's been put there to justify tagging to me. Is this an interview or a advertisement?
Why is this not an article on someone who has been tagged and not reoffended from a few years ago? One of the first lot. Is there any of these out there? Just a question.
Aircraft hit NY building.
Of course the first thing that pops into your mind is that another attack is underway. Apparently its not the case. Just some rich sportsman with someone else in his plane. Read
here.
Of course when you read the story it brings up lots of interesting questions. The guy was learning and his passenger was an instructor. For a start why was anyone learning to fly over a residential area? If there was a problem then where is the plane going to end up? Maybe the instructor was incapacitated and the learner lost control. It not quite the same as putting down some cones in a car park and driving along them.
In a way they were lucky it was only those two that were killed. I thought this whole flying over residential areas was banned after 911. After all it could easily have been crammed full of explosives.
There must be more to this story than just what is in the article.
Evidence given in secret.
This case must be one of the first few cases where we have to trust that the evidence these guys are giving is right. Mainly because very few people hear it and nobody can really check it. However, it appears that there is contradictory evidence being used in two cases. Read
here.
It seems this only came to light because the defence was the same in both cases. What are the chances then that there is evidence being used against others that is wrong or will again in the future? That is the reason we had the right to hear the evidence against us in a court of law and the right to challenge that evidence. With disclosure so the evidence can be checked and validated.
This process can only lead to more injustice. How many people have we wrongly imprisoned based on false evidence and how many are still being held, awaiting a trial on the same type of evidence? Why the hell we allow this is beyond me. It has given people the process to persecute others with no comeback on the age old cry of national security.
Justice in modern Britain. It's a farce getting worse.
Ooops.
Seems a new, theoretically more accurate, estimate of the Iraq death toll now puts it at 655K. Read
here.
Ooops.
New NK test is good news.
It seems to me that the threat of NK performing a new nuke test is good news. Read
here.
We should be encouraging it. Claiming their nukes are failures which certainly sounds the case for the first test being only 0.5kt.
The more they use the less they actually have to use on us and when they have none left I think a visit from a few TLAMs to their nuclear facilities will make a nice change.
Labour keep a promise. Well, half of one anyway.
Just read an
article regarding Reid's plan to move people to open prisons and how this could lead to more people absconding. Ooops.
So much for 'Tough on Crime and Tough on the causes of Crime'.
Then it struck me. OK, they are not tough on crime. Let's face it you can go to jail for drug offences and not paying council tax but not for mugging, burglary and theft. So they are not so tough on crime really. But, when you think about it the statement also adds another dimension. 'Tough on Crime' should cover it all so why the addition of 'Tough on the causes of Crime'?
What causes crime? People. No people, no crime no matter what else there is. Bank with no safe and money on the counter. No people, money remains untouched. So Labour are being tough on us. Making us pay more taxes, making us sort our rubbish, making us fill in lots of forms to claim back a few quid, nicking us for playing ball in the streets, arresting us every time we step out of line in the slightest.
Tough on the causes of Crime. An election promise they kept.
The guesswork is over.
Well I think that confirms the reports that they have nukes. It's saved our intelligence guys shooting themselves in the foot again.
North Korea has performed a test of a nuclear warhead. Read
here.
That has thrown down the gauntlet although the test will have given out a lot of information to us such which will come in handy.
It's not sporting to take advantage.
For the last few months there has been continual talk about the lack of prison spaces. There is even talk about actions to ease the situation. Read more
here. This coupled with our troops tied up in far away lands means that the government has had it's options reduced when it comes to handling certain situations.
I must admit I was expecting this to be a hotter topic as I was expecting every man and his dog to be taking advantage of this and going to court about council tax disputes, parking, speeding, going on strike, etc. Getting our grievances out on a government with fewer options to choose from in response. Taking advantage of an enemy's weaknesses.
Our British nature does not seem to think of these things because it's not sporting or something. Strange really.
UKIP. Can they shed the single issue tag?
I've been keeping an eye on the UKIP proposals over the last few weeks, mainly because of
The Devils Kitchen who has decided to throw his hat in with them.
My issue with them is they still are a single issue party to most of the voters and a vote for them is in reality a protest vote at the moment.
However, with Nigel Farage leading it seems to be moving away from that. Read
here. Plus, I like the way he talks. That speech about Blair's EU presidency was great. Watch it
here and check out the rest. It made me look at them in a new light. He might not be everyone's cup of tea but he is a good speaker and the policies seem to be heading in the right direction.
The good news it is still a few years before an election so they have time to change that and a rebranding with a name change would be advisable. The UKIP still sounds a single issue party no matter how many policies are behind it.
Another word bites the bullet.
It seems like we can no longer use the word Yob to describe young people. From what I understand it seems that we generalise with the word and give some poor innocent youths a bad name. I'm hoping that if they are, well yobs, we can still use it.
The only thing is that when words are banned people come up with new ones and being an old b4$^4&d and not being hip everyone is using them before I find out what the replacements are.
What am I paying my council tax for then?
Just reading this article about Councils looking at charging for waste. The more you put out the bigger the charge. Read
here. So no waste disposal service at all really.
Well I have a question now. What am I paying my council tax for then?
If I remember my council tax goes towards so many things I don't use. The only ones I can think of that I could use are the police, fire service and an environmental section.
The police : Mmm. If I call them they don't come unless I am speeding in which case they will be there so fast you think that teleportation is finally here. They are getting so much from speeding and other traffic issues that they should get funding from them. It can't cost much for someone to create a crime number and supply it over the phone which is all I get.
The fire service : If I call they come. They do the job I'm paying for which is to save our lives and as much property as possible. Not used it yet but comfortable that if push came to shove they would be there.
The environmental section : This appears to put flowers on roundabouts and pick up my waste.
That's it. Everything else it is doing for some other person which I am paying for under the pretence it is a public service. Now it appears the only real service I get from the whole bunch of useless clowns I have to pay for directly.
So massive increases over the last 10 years comes down to it is only the fire service I am paying for as a form of insurance. The rest of the money is just wasted. In thinking about the whole package I wonder how much I pay towards the government actually gives me anything back.
This new tax now means I now have to perform more work on behalf of the council. I now need to sort my waste into two piles. The pile that can identify me and the pile that can't.
I do have one question though. If the jails are full at the moment, with druggies and other non victim crimes, what are they going to do when more and more people don't pay their bills? Now is surely the time to make a protest. No jail space means you can only get fined and what can they do when you don't pay.
There is nothing we can do about it at all. Legally we don't have a leg to stand on. I'm beginning to understand why Labour's first act was to ban guns. It gave them the courage to rip us off like this knowing that nothing can be done about it. Even illegally there is nothing at all we can do realistically. Most of us are law abiding. Maybe I'll ask our local DVD guy if he has a batch of Uzi's in. Him being a front for terrorism and all that.
Voters are looking for quick returns lately.
I was reading this
article on Angela Merkel's political troubles in Germany. Basically it's about her failure to deliver on her promises from her election. The part that caught my eye was that it was only 13 months ago she was elected. How quickly the Germans were expecting some action.
It made me think about what happened here in the UK as well. When Blair was reelected last year it was not long after that when it started to go wrong for him. Now here we are 15 months later and he has been pushed out, well OK nearly, and is working on his resignation tour. Bush was pretty much the same not long after his reelection he was looking at the lowest popularity figure for a president in a long time with active rebellion and calls for impeachment. Coupled with the political upheavals in other parts of the world it pains a surprising similar picture. Corruption and/or failure to deliver.
Could this be an indication that the electorate all over the world is really fed up with politics? All politicians are now being viewed in a unsympathetic light. Given no quarter when they fail to deliver. Maybe they will change their ways and actually only promise what they can deliver. Maybe they will change the system so that they are only in office for two years between elections. In the olden days four or five years was OK but nowadays it is clearly too long.
It actually shows how corrupt politicians are. Not just here, all over the world.
I'm laughing now when I hear of them paying the price and the reactions of the public are certainly hotting up. Riots, assassinations. Being a politician is looking like a high risk career choice now. Long may it be so.
The EU wimps out.
Seems that despite our lofty ideals and our bureaucratic dictates from Brussels when faced up with an aggressive opponent we just wimp out. Read more
here.
When this
first came up I thought this was going to be where the EU dug it's heels in and made a point.
The EU has put in another interim agreement regarding the sharing of passenger data in direct conflict with EU directives. You and I can get fined thousands and jailed for a breach of the data protection law but here we are now sharing data with the US and, as a bonus, they now get official approval to pass it around.
The first real test of EU power and we have flunked it. What a bunch of wimps. Probably no French people on this panel. They seem to have the ability to dig their heels in and get their own way.
Climate Change. Just a thought.
Just found this article on Climate Change which talks about the first rumblings of change. Read
here. It's just some more data contradicting the current CO2 model.
I was thinking after I read this that similar thoughts had being theorised in the past and yet nobody has mentioned these as any way being something to consider in our headlong dash down a CO2 reduction path.
Then it hit me! Of course not. The reason these b4$^4&ds don't want to look at any other theories is simple. I don't know why it had not occurred before. It is exactly what they have been looking for. Something that they can use as a reason for us being taxed more and having to put up with restrictions or travel and fuel with dozens of policies we won't like. In 15 years when it comes time for delivery on all the promises and the benefits of our sacrifices they can then point out that the scientists were wrong, not them, the scientists and they couldn't deliver because we can't do anything to change it but they tried. They had noticed no difference and had set up a study which has been running a few years using real world data and not our fag packet calculations.
In the meantime their pet projects, companies and bank accounts are fat with our ecotax money and we are now used to being taxed for exhaling and farting. Wind farms are in everyone's back yard and we no longer eat red meat or travel abroad.
It's win win for them. No delivery required, funding for everyone and someone else to blame. All the parties would like a bite of that cherry so no one is upsetting the wagon. It's the best thing to heaven a politician can get. Even after they are dead they will all be heading downwards.
Where is the US going next?
I think we've been concerned for some time over the path the US has been taking under Bush and the UK under Blair.
In many ways the US is the pinnacle of western civilisation. They have a society and a capability to do so many good things and be a productive and tolerant leader on our planet. They have the power and the influence to change the world for the better. Their society is not perfect with so many injustices and inconsistencies but it is one of the best on the planet. They have never used this capability up to now except to fiddle with other countries policies to ensure they meet the US demands for whatever is good for the US.
At the moment under Bush they are using that power more actively. Unfortunately it is the dark side that seems to have taken them due to the events of 911. All they are doing at the moment seems to be turning the world against them. This is not good news as it is a self fulfilling prophesy where more restrictions and attacks are called for which causes retaliation in an every downward spiral calling for more draconian methods.
Bush started off with his either you are for us or against us speech. A good political ploy as it forced people who were not all in to make the final step which they didn't really want to. Pakistan threatened with destruction if they did not join in. How many of the coalition of the willing are actually willing? Then they used this coalition to perform tasks not everyone agreed with but were drawn along. Slowly, countries have pulled out as the sympathy was lost and now the lines are blurred between the fences. People want to help the US but it's attitude makes resistance easier and compromise unlikely. Nobody believes what is being said. It's my way or the highway isn't quite working as well as a few years ago and the US is meeting resistance from it's former allies as they query every statement and discuss compromises. Hell, even Blair is starting to be mistreated by the US so will he bite the hand that pets him? Probably not as he needs this for his future. Sad that he should have one when so many do not because of his actions.
Lately they have had the travesty with human rights which removed many basic human rights and legalised torture. Finally formalising an unofficial policy put in many years ago. The US is making a strategic move from the high ground down into the murky waters of a dictatorship. They are giving up their humanity and compassion and joining in with the savages. Can someone explain to me now the difference between the US torturers and Iraqi torturers? I can only think of one at the moment, subjects won't end up maimed, and that will change as the US starts down the slippery slope. To me this is the single issue that defines how far America has fallen from the intentions in their constitution and as a culture. America under this leadership has made the world a much more dangerous place than it did before. Don't get me wrong the UK is just as bad and if justice was to be served those responsible in both countries would be held accountable.
Now we have a US diplomat, not very diplomatically, saying NK has either a future or nuclear weapons but cannot have them both. No wonder the world is rushing to procure these weapons everyone who the US doesn't like is under a threat of some sort. If I was NK I wouldn't be testing weapons any time soon I would start packing them up for transport leaving a big button on the side as a just in case. I must confess I don't want NK, Iran or any of these people to have nukes but I accept this needs to include us as well. Who has the biggest stock of nukes in the world? If anyone is serious about any negotiations it must include compromise. Force is a last resort not the first. With this lot it is give them their instructions, if they don't obey, force them through sanctions or attack. Hell, won't be long before another attack happens and the US won't know who on the planet is involved as almost everyone will have a reason. Will they attack them all?
Most of us are with you America but Bush is making it really difficult. I hope not too many irreversible things are done by the world against the US before he leaves office. Although with the talk about two CVBG's moving to the middle east makes me think another disaster is in the making. I don't believe that the US can handle Iran at the moment but at the same time when has thinking gone into US policy since 911. My main concern is that if things take a turn for the worse that the US will start looking at it's nukes as a solution to it's current issues and this would not be good news for anyone.
In addition, at the worst time just before an election, it seems that like the UK some of the citizens of the US are getting fed up with politics. Unlike the UK, with their style of democracy the US can still make a difference. Only a little one because like the UK their democracy isn't really working either. Path A or Path B. None of which are too far apart except in a couple of key areas.
I know the American people know what is right and wrong. I have my fingers crossed that whoever they put in does the right thing.
Maybe all the parties should elect new leaders.
It seems that, aside from labour, all the political parties seem to have people in the rank and file who seem to be talking a little bit of sense. These people seem to have their fingers on the pulse of what the average Brit wants even if it is not in line with what their leaders are saying.
If only all the parties had leadership elections and make a fresh start. A new era of politics beckons.
Now is the time for these people to invest the money for a Blair mannerisms course and a dentist. Not an NHS one of course. They are just an urban myth.
They can do the opposite of Blair when the get elected. They could drop the mannerisms and leave them in the dustbin of history as part of the era of spin and no substance. Unlike Blair who kept the mannerisms and dropped the policies.
Could this be the end for Jamie Oliver?
Jamie puts the boot into working women. Read
here. It seems it's all the fault of women wanting to go out to work. Oh dear.
It's a mistake to pick on women. The get to bite and kick you in places you don't like then accuse you of all sorts of things and you end up with the blame. If you stop them you have assaulted them, if you don't you get reduced to paste. If you argue you are unreasonable if you don't you are just being ignorant. It their way or, err, their way. No matter what way it is your fault.
But wait! If he is going on about traditional roles why is he cooking? Is that not traditionally a girls job? What a hypocrite.
I for one will be watching this with interest. It'll be interesting seeing him strangled by his halo.
Either we have improved detection rates or....
Just reading this article about the increase in Sex Offenders in NI. Read
here.
It seems they now have 900. Interestingly enough though it was only 600 prior to June. So there has been 300 since June. I wonder how many there are in the rest of the UK?
Now I don't know of any great perv hunting initiative nor that there has been so many people raped or molested or whatever over this last year compared with all the previous years totaled together. Maybe it is something I missed.
Or, and call me cynical, it could be to do with the fact that so many people are now put on this register for things that are not really sex crimes and were standard practice years ago when we were allowed to think for ourselves. Photographing your kid in the bath or whatever. To many people just biting the bullet and taking a caution or whatever to get it over with. Little realising the impact.
Soon the sex register will be so diluted with such people that it will be ineffective. We will then get calls for a Serious Sex Offenders Register. A new team, super duper DB and, probably, some brand new legislation.
Another step along the path of criminalising everyone in our quest for a perfect society.
The Centre Path. The one that suits all.
After reading all the sound bites from Cameron and the Lib Dems over the last few days and thinking back to what Labour is churning out I really am lost to differentiate between any of the main parties in UK politics. The differences in policy I see don't actually fit the parties historical stances and it's all starting to blur into one. Bit like the parties themselves.
Cameron is really Labour in a Tory tie, Blair is Tory in a Labour tie and Ming is, well, he is a mixture of New Labour, Tory, Old Labour, New Tory and Green. Ming the pointless. It has just not got the same ring to it. Talk about covering your bases. All the parties intend to tax us till we squeal, all are rolling out green policies that amazingly enough will tax us until we squeal unless our throats are already hoarse from our 'normal' tax burden squealing. Plus, ignoring the real threats to the UK, our society, economy, our global role and the EU.
It seems we are going to have to live without our central heating, holidays, water and pensions. Limit our rubbish, freedoms and selfish attitudes. Just for starters. Fund people who don't even like us and limit our growth so we can be overtaken by them. Will they be so helpful? We can not say or do anything to offend anyone. No matter what they do to us. Because they have descended from the oppressed where as we are descended from the oppressors. Didn't do any oppressing myself but I still need to be punished. Sins of the father and so on. Although, I now can't film it because it is illegal. Doh!
The parties themselves bring back the memories of the Bill Hicks quote about the two puppets. 'I'm voting for the puppet on the right', 'I'm voting for the one on the left' 'Hey!, It's one man controlling both puppets. What is going on?' In the US they only have two
puppetsparties. In the UK we have the choice of more than two. Yippee! Unfortunately, they are still almost exactly the same and it has become apparent that it will make little difference whoever gets in. Although, like the US, we only have two main parties in reality. I've always thought a hung parliament is the best thing because then they have to compromise but with this lot a hung parliament probably won't be any different except for the odd bit of legislation on plant pots or something.
But I've come to the conclusion that Cameron is going to win if we stick to our usual method of selecting politicians. Not because he is a Tory, or a New Tory anyway but because out of all the candidates the only differentiator is the smile and mannerisms. Blair has a winning smile and mannerisms. Camercon
1 has the best smile and mannerisms out of who is left. Brown, Reid and Ming certainly do not. Their policies can't be used to differentiate them so only the teeth are left. Politics sure is simpler nowadays.
So much for Democracy. This is what we are forcing on the world at the point of a gun. A smile and you can lie your way to the top so you can remove freedoms and legally torture. Unlike what we are replacing which is a gun and forcing your way to the top so they can remove freedoms and legally torture.
There must be a better way.
1) Spelling mistake honest! but it is quite apt so I left it in.
The Robert the Bruce theory.
Try, try and try again.
Another plan for Iraq and, surprisingly, it to ends with the threat that if this doesn't work it's the end. Read
here. I suppose the real overall strategy is just to try something, anything, and see if it works. If it doesn't we will try something else. Wonder how much in advance they make these plans or if someone just makes it up when the last plan is announced as a failure.
And, yet again, we have a article on violence in Iraq which just drops into the text the fact that another four US soldiers have died. It's not even mentioned as a news item, and hasn't been for some time. It's almost as if.... but no, it can't be a political ploy.
This is more like it. Violence without us.
Fatah has threatened to kill leaders of political rival Hamas. Read
here.
Now this is what we should be encouraging. All these groups seem to have the same objectives 'Kill, err, them'. Bit like the Americans but although they just shoot at everything at moves and make mistakes these guys are in a different league by actually not caring at all. We put our troops in the way of these people then they join together and gang up on our troops and we think we can talk reasonably with them. When there is no common enemy they then fight among themselves. I think I see a way forward here.
Simply, let's encourage that. Why don't we act sensibly and aid both sides. We can give information to both via middle men and keep out of their way while they do what comes naturally. This assumes of course that each side has a default enemy of us infidels. No point killing those on our side.
Regardless of what is said these people are a finite resource. Their ammunition, supplies and financing are finite resources. The more they are killing themselves by fighting among themselves the less there will be of any of these things to kill us, the infidels. We can keep Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon busy for decades. It's been going on for a few now without us actively getting involved. The others can send their
nuttersfreedom fighters to those places to become martyrs so that will save expanding it at the moment.
We could even help stir things up by encouraging this anywhere else they are getting a bit frisky about us in the future. These guys are on very short fuses. Jeez, when cartoons can get them so riled up that hundreds die I'm sure a few doctored photos or even carefully selected quotes of the other sides leaders could be put to good effect.
In case you are wondering I see a culture war with these people as inevitable. This seems a good opportunity to get started. How can we lose? They use resources, people, weapons, money. If they find out they hate us anyway. Our only concerns really are our own people putting the boot in. We really need to be thinking about a way forward on this front so when an opportunity arises we are not caught flat footed.
And round we go again. Justice takes another kicking.
A few years ago means testing for legal aid was stopped because it was too bureaucratic and costly. But of course after a few recent cases where really rich people received legal aid it raised it's head in the media and yet again our wonderful government swings into action and reintroduced it in another knee jerk legislation. It will save £35m apparently.
The new 26 page form is defined by a Department for Constitutional Affairs spokesman as a *cough* simple financial test and is designed to be as simple as possible. It is being rolled out to magistrates courts now and extended to crown courts by the end of 2007. How much will this cost to run?
My favourite bit was where they said in the vast majority of cases, privately-funded defendants who were cleared would be able to recover some or all of their legal costs. Some of their costs. That means found not guilty but still have to pay the costs. How is that right? It's a travesty that you can be accused of a crime. Make your case in court and still be worse off. With double jeopardy for some cases you can double or even triple the costs.
If they are concerned about the legal fees maybe they should look at making legal aid funding a maximum of £50 ph
1. Then if someone wants to exceed that then they can but the rest of us at least get some help. It's only going to save £35M anyway. Is £35M enough to fund even a few meals for the troughs at Westminster? Plus of course we have the running costs which are bound to be estimated wrong.
So as usual we screw up hundreds of people just to get a few odd balls sorted. Read the full story
here.
UK Justice still the
best you can afford.
Justice is getting harder and harder to find in the UK. The system seems to be changing to allow our criminal class to be better off. Free legal aid, lower fines, few custodial sentences while those in work don't get legal aid, big fines and custodial sentences for white collar crime. There is clearly an objective in action. Nobody can cock up so much to turn justice on it's head accidentally. All it means is that those who know how to use the system get the best from it and your ordinary guy in the street get screwed. He doesn't know his rights, can't get advice because he doesn't know if he can afford it. Coupled with the fact they are now adding on additional costs to stop us from pleading not guilty.
I think we need a new name for our justice system. Maybe something that doesn't have the word justice in it so we know what we are getting.
1) A totally made up figure. I have no idea what legal costs are. I know they are expensive though.
News of the world gets it wrong.
This article has the title 'Biggest Liar in Politics' Read
here. It's about Tommy Sheridan the former Scottish Socialist Party chief who resigned a couple of years ago. I would imagine it was only because he got some money, £200K, out of them. Won't be keeping that much longer then. A career following Archer beckons.
Anyway, they should be done under the trades descriptions as he may have told a whopper but he has nothing on our current government who tell them every day. Some even more important than being a swinger. Some so bloody obvious you are just stunned into silence.
Biggest liar my bum part. Not even close.
The law is the law. Or is it?
I'd forgotten about this tiff we were having with the US over flight data.
The history is that under the data protection act personal data can't go out of the EU to the US because of their lax data protection laws. Fair enough. Only the US wanted the data on flights so they could process the data while the plane was in the air so they could get a comfy cell ready for those they wanted to take for a dip. They threatened to stop flights to the US unless the data was supplied. The EU backed down and set up a temporary data transfer while they investigated options. This temporary agreement has now expired.
Clearly because it is the EU, who can't do anything right, and the US, who don't have compromise in their dictionary, they still have not resolved the issue. So the US is threatening flights from the EU but because the UK gives them everything they want regardless of legality our flights are OK. Whoopie Do Dah. Read
here.
Personally, I think we should tell them to go stuff themselves. We should enforce our data protection laws. They are there for a reason. The US is excluded for a reason. Planes will still come from the US so our people can get home. Why should we compromise our laws to fit in with these bullies? What will they do invade? We should put our foot down and enforce our laws and the UK should be brought in line as well.
This of course puts the airlines in a bit of a situation. The US will remove their rights to flights to the US if they do not supply the data and fine them. Just to be even we should remove the rights to flight from the EU and fine those companies that do supply the data. This is a two way thing it's not controlled by the US nor is the US in charge of the world, yet.
As usual, there are other ways just not the ones the US have decided on. They can do all their checks in the US on arrival or they can make everybody get a visa before they go. We can compromise on things that don't break our laws. I'm sure there are other options.
In addition with fewer flights we can make a start on our global warming work. This is our best and cheapest opportunity. Perhaps investment in infrastructure to reduce travel will benefit from this. Oh, we will make a fortune from all the American tourists stuck in the EU who can't get home.
I'm getting really fed up of all the compromises we have to make to fit in everywhere else. Some of them we need to because it is for our benefit, some we shouldn't do on principle and others we have no choice. Where we do have a choice we need to stick to our existing laws and whatever principles we have left. It's all about control and flexing of muscles. I think we still have some and because it's not the UK on it's own we may even flex them. Although I doubt it.
