Bag's Rants

There is only so much cake.

2008-08-04T13:05:00.002+01:00

Reading that Josef Fritzl could also be facing slavery charges over holding his daughter in a cellar for 24 years seems to me to be egging it a bit. Read here. How much manpower is going into generating these charges?

I think the word overkill springs to mind here as at his age surely the charges he faces already will keep him behind bars until he has been dead for nearly 100 years before they start going down the road of finding new charges.

Why don't they just get him in court with the easy to prove charges, send him to jail and then get on with finding any others.

Of course if he was in the UK the most serious charge he would face would be installing electrical equipment in his house without a certificate from a qualified electrician.

and this is why I'm against the death penalty.

2008-08-03T12:47:00.002+01:00

Innocents go to jail and the guilty walk free. Read here. That includes those that set them up.

On the plus side with the death penalty missing from the UK he only, and I use only ironically, lost 8 years of his life.

You can't trust anybody these days.

2008-08-01T06:40:00.000+01:00

I was reading this article about converted guns used for murders. Oh dear. It seems that criminals can still get hold of their guns when they need them. Read here.

The bit I found funny though was the statement 'A bunch of criminals were caught out when Polish tenants of The Briars, along with a neighbour, found the gun factory when their curiosity led them to look inside two outbuildings at the rear of the semi-detached property'

Is it me or did I translate 'curiosity' to 'search for something to steal' because that's the way my mind works? I suspect that's one bunch of Poles heading home soon.

What is good for the Goose....

2008-07-31T15:28:00.005+01:00

On the one hand we have women being able to legally kill their husbands if they are under fear of being attacked. Read here. On the other hand it seems that violence in women is now being recognised. Read here.

Now I wonder if the women on the picture in the first article will be as happy now knowing that as well as them being given a free pass to kill someone because they feel threatened that the very same thing could happen to them. I have heard a rumour that Attorney General Baroness Scotland's hubby is fearful for his life. I'll be a character witness that he killed her in self defence under the new laws.

Typical though, these laws were not in place when I was getting ~~divorced~~ beaten up by my ex-wife and fearful of losing my ~~house~~ life.

Don't forget to pack for your holidays.

2008-07-29T09:32:00.000+01:00

Another picture from Theo's site. He has some good ones and comments are turned off so I thought I would say something here.

Max Mosley packs for a nice relaxing holiday after the stress of his recent court case.

The Greens test their new transport proposal.

2008-07-29T09:30:00.000+01:00

Got this picture from Theo's site.

If the Greens have their way this will be the new compulsory public transport service. (Notice the free passholder, OAP and student, space under the luggage at the back)

What is going on? I'm agreeing with politicians.

2008-07-28T10:17:00.002+01:00

Well, partly anyway. John Prescott, our famous binge eater and I think he has involvement in F1 or something, has said that there is no one in the Labour party who has the skills to replace the PM. Read here. It's almost right.

I agree with him that there is no one in the party with the skills to be PM. Notice I have changed it slight as the implication that Gordo has the skills because of his previous experience as Chancellor is laughable. It's only now that the general public are seeing his mismanagement and incompetence over the last 11 years and they don't like it. Even the ones on his payroll like Glasgow East are unhappy with it. There is no one in the labour party, and that includes the current PM, with the skills to be PM. That is why it would be a big mistake for labour for Gordo to stand down as they would get annihilated. However, on the bright side, labour supporters are so thick that they actually still believe that labour is for the common man. LOL. Harman and the other clowns in the cabinet actually still believe that if Gordo was out the way he would take the blame for everything and, to be honest, knowing that people are still labour supporters atm, I am not 100% convinced that they are not right.

But back to Prescott. In a more optimistic note he also said Gordo would come back from his holiday renewed and ready. Not much chance of that as Gordo will have more time to actually see the news and read the papers and will be unable to come out with some quick off the cuff knee jerk legislation to fix it. In addition his *cough* loyal colleagues will be running about during their lengthy holidays plotting and planning. I suspect his stress levels will be sky high when he returns. Fingers crossed. A heart attack would look better on the history books than anything else. (Next time not superglue you berk but rattlesnake venom or something. Plonker.)

Personally I think Gordo is doing the normal thing that he does when faced with uncertainty, he does nothing, no decisions, no risks, nada, ziltch, SFA. It's the only thing he sees that he can do at this point, sit tight and hope that the economy changes enough to give labour a chance in the polls in 2010. People are stupid, history shows that, look as far back as 2005 to see, they forget very quickly and if things pick up then these last few years will be forgotten when his core voters look at what he has done for them over the years and the Tories with their wishy washy policies will be unable to compete.

However, one thing Gordo has shown he can't control is the economy. It'll shoot downhill so fast we will be looking at the Soviet Union for ties and advice on how to control the revolting plebs. It could even get to the state where he can call the elections off until it suits. Maybe not this time but if they get in again, certainly that time. Mugabe style.

Mmmm. Maybe I'm not actually agreeing with him at all. Just one of his million and one statements most of which are not worth investing the limited time I have to listen to.

What a statement has been made in Glasgow.

2008-07-25T09:29:00.003+01:00

Well of course we were all hoping for labour to get their ass kicked in Glasgow but I actually didn't think it would happen. Read here. I'm going to have another party.

Now this must be a blow that even someone as thick as Gordo can feel. His merry men must be running around now, less merry, making plans for the future. Sadly, those plans won't translate to an election for us but fingers crossed, as I said before, I've been wrong before. Although planning to cancel elections Mugabe style is more to their way of thinking.

However, it did make me think. It seems that every election over the last few months has come with a bit fat zero for labour. We just need more of them to erode away at labours lead. We can get elections in several ways, the incumbent resigns, Yeah! Right! like they are going to get their noses out of the trough. The next is they retire with illness, I wondered if stress would do it but as they lead sheltered lives this must be the only stress they are under and the smoking and drinking at their workplace, if they ever go that is, must help them combat that. Or they die. Now I like the sound of this one.

Now in the past I've prayed for the death of Blair but it just didn't happen. I'm sure at the time millions of people were doing the same thing, yet nothing happened, at all. Not even a bad cold. Millions of innocents children and adult alike have died, many in horrible ways and in excruciating pain because of Blair and Gordo's policies but those two seem to be immune. So clearly nothing will happen from that direction without some serious help and I do remember a saying 'God helps those who helps themselves' I wonder how we can apply that to these circumstances?

I'm not sure though how many politicians it would take to resign, or die (preferable option), before a general election was called though. I though originally that it would take all 640+ to resign or, die in an unfortunate accident, for an election to be called but now I'm not so sure. After all they can't all be bad. So giving them the benefit of the doubt we are only looking at 620 then.

Let's all get our heads down to pray. Let's try the stress first. They must have more today than they did yesterday.

Happy Birthday to me.

2008-07-22T23:28:00.002+01:00

It seems that I have been doing this Blog for three years now. I have made 1737 posts, including this one, and have a very small but loyal set of readers. I thank you all, next time you are in the area call in for a drink. Sadly I have no idea how many hits, misses or whatever I have because I don't record it. i did think about it once but as it was not part of blogger and just needed a tick in a box I just couldn't be bothered. I'm doing this for my sanity not for fame and glory.

Bit busy in RL now so I'll do some real posting soon. There is just so much to write about in the UK but there is just not enough time.

Anyway, off for some drinkies to celebrate still being sane and not shot by plod yet in the UK.

More people will die because of this.

2008-07-21T23:20:00.003+01:00

It seems Mugabe is feeling the pressure. Someone, not Gordo, has told him to make some concessions and he is signing a deal on a framework. Read here.

A deal on a framework. Wow! What a concession. It must have taken hundreds of man hours of tough negotiations for that.

So that will delay to all the sanctions and talks for a while and in the meantime life in Zimbabwe will continue as normal. A very short run into a hell hole. Eventually nothing will have changed and it'll be back on the agenda but at the moment everyone will be smiles and pats on the back.

Bit of honesty from Politicians.

2008-07-20T15:26:00.002+01:00

I missed this on Wednesday but it was the quote of the day from David Cameron. Read here.

"There is an element to politics that is a bit like Tomb Raider".

Well I think he is right. You see Lara Croft is a made up character, has several attributes that attract attention away from what is really going on and lives a fairy tale life isolated from the real world. Everything just goes as the puppet master says. Remember how modern day fairy tales start 'If elected I promise....'. It's all one big fairy tale.

Lara Croft is just like a politician, except most are not that good looking, as in the end all you remember are the big tits.

Yes, Lara Croft is just like Cameron.

Another failure by our whingy whiney leaders..

2008-07-18T14:28:00.005+01:00

Well it looks like council ~~snoops~~ litter wardens will need to be accompanied by armed police on their travels. Read here about plod being assaulted by youths for telling someone to pick up litter. It's either that or arm the litter wardens.

What is going on with our society? It's about time we accepted that this namby pamby method isn't working. Let us sort it out, sure there will be an increase in violence at the start, but when these punks realise that it isn't all going their way it will calm down.

What alternative is there now? Our whingy whiney people have tried everything they can and with negligible success. About time they were pushed aside preferably into the gentle hands of these punks whom they have aided.

Exactly how stupid are we?

2008-07-16T23:07:00.002+01:00

Fuel is going up again but it's been postponed until after the by-election in Scotland. Read here. What a coincidence. But it has nothing to do with that. Of course not.

Well we will find out how stupid we are soon.

More authoritarian statements from the Busybody Medical Association.

2008-07-14T20:54:00.005+01:00

I read this on my travels today about another call from Doctors in the BMA making recommendations that teenage drivers have the drink drive limit cut to zero. Read here.

Of course there is a million and one other suggestions where these old busybodies are sticking their noses in from smoking to sex. I'm assuming he isn't mandating sex but we can keep our fingers crossed. However I'm a realist and I can only assume that they are looking at limiting it. Probably to what they actually get now they are in a building far away from all those horny hot nurses.

I particularly liked the statement 'although there was a risk the move would be unpopular among young people, it would improve road safety'. No sh1t Sherlock. If we reduced the drink drive limit to zero and we also made it mandatory for BMA busybodies not to have had a drink for a week before you went driving that would also improve road safety. I should hope that of course this would be accepted as intended and not be unpopular among BMA busybodies. In this respect I must be one up and at least plod have a better chance of enforcing this one.

I have an additional proposal as well. I think all the doctors in the BMA should be out in the world fixing these issues hands on rather than sitting on their fat asses, drinking port and smoking cigars before driving home in their fancy CO2 polluting cars. They should be examined monthly to see if they are drinking, smoking and not taking enough exercise and if they are found in breach they should be jailed for being hypocrites.

Gordo's next tax wheeze. Ooops. He will miss it.

2008-07-11T12:10:00.000+01:00

This is another area where we start with the thin edge of the wedge. Something acceptable to most but with the capability to be expanded. First you introduce legislation that allows Brits to be penalised for legal sex abroad. Read here. It may be legal there but our government thinks it shouldn't be so we will prosecute and fine you here even though you have broken no laws. Of course this is OK because everyone knows it's for the children. You agree with it or you clearly are a monster and as it will only impact child molesters then you have nothing to worry about.

Of course it won't be long before it is expanded. We all know that looking at a gun never mind touching one turns everyone into homicidal maniacs. Five years for you if you get found out using one whilst on a holiday. Get caught speeding and the UK is notified. Then Gordo slaps on a fine as well. After all Johnny Foreigner hardly gives out decent fines. You need to be punished.

Sadly for Gordo he will miss the best tax grab he could get. One that would be free and would get him little media attention, although it would not get him much it will be virtually cost free. Phase 1. Once we all have little trackers implanted in our heads, coming to a UK county near you soon, they can be monitored 24/7. Then when you exceed the speed limit, no matter where in the world you are, you can be fined. Of course by then the fine will come directly out of your bank account. Phase 2. We will define for every road in the world our own speed limits and then enforce them. It'll be for the children some of these other countries have speed limits too fast for our H&S guys and even they are not properly enforced by a speed camera every 25 yards.

Anyway. Warning to you all. Be careful with the holiday snaps and video. Go digital and visit a cybercafe to FTP them home or upload them. Soon they will be the evidence used against you in a court of law. Especially if you are stupid enough to take them to Boots or Max Speilmans so their snoops can turn you in for handling a gun on your holiday in Texas. Naughty person that you are.

The people have spoken.

2008-07-11T10:39:00.002+01:00

David Davis has won his seat on a very large majority especially for a reduced turnout. Read here.

Now he can make his play from the back benches knowing that his constituents have voted for their policies.

I would venture a guess that the low turnout was due to the 22% of labour voters who decided that they were not going to vote for a Tory at all no matter what. It's unbelievable that they are still thinking that way but there is Socialism for you. Stupid to the end.

Pacifists and Liberals.

2008-07-10T19:34:00.002+01:00

Found this post via Theo's site. It is about how Liberals are causing issues around the world. Read here.

Now I do agree with this post and would expand it a bit. We are certainly living in the age where we feel comfortable and don't want to risk anything and just sit and wring our hands, talk and then expect the issue to resolve itself or for someone else to step up to the bat. When we are the only people that can make a difference then it is our obligation to do so. Yet we don't.

In 100 years time we will look back at this time as the time where we allowed millions to die for a PC ideal based on assumptions about our species that is not true. We do work well with boundaries and knowing that if we go over them we will be punished is a deterrent. That's how we learn as kids and as we can see if it is not followed then we quickly learn that we don't have to follow rules because nothing will happen. Harsh words just don't cut it. Soft words, like we are doing are just laughed off.

So in my opinion there is a time for talking, usually we come to a compromise, but if not when an impasse is reached then the next stage is diplomacy by other means, or war as we know it. However, we just never stop talking. We never get to the stage where we actually do something outside talking. This allows atrocities like Darfur and Zimbabwe.

Of course when it comes down to things that are part of our individual leaders master plans for looking after their interests then the whingy whiney liberals and pacifists don't get a look in. Sadly, this is where it goes wrong with the US. They seem to believe that almost everything they have an interest in is sufficient reason for them to get involved in.

Pacifists and Liberals. Why do they get into positions of power? Sweet talking and what they say sounds good. It may sound good but it won't work for our species, never has and never will. yet we keep on trying. Time after time after time.

When will we learn? Another 40 years I think after we have entered another dark age.

Typical Politicians.

2008-07-09T22:08:00.002+01:00

It seems that to encourage voting they are considering entering all voters in a prize draw. Read here.

It seems that 'almost 70% of people wanted a bigger say in local issues, but she said the "structures and culture" of politics "sometimes alienates them.'

Dozy politicians. The structures and culture that alienates us is the fact that politicians are totally useless and don't reflect what we want and there is virtually no difference between the main parties. We have very little choice, basically the colour of the rosette, but everything else is so similar that we can't tell the difference.

So after careful examination by the combined intellect of our wonderful leaders they decide to bribe us. I wonder why it is that slipping someone some money is seen as a valid solution? I suppose when that is your experience it is difficult to see alternatives.

Food crisis coming.

2008-07-07T22:03:00.000+01:00

and it's all our fault. What a surprise. Gordo is shouting about how much each household wastes and we should do something about it. Read here.

Nutters suggest that we stop supermarkets giving 2 for 1 offers on perishable goods, which is about everything I buy in 2 for 1 offers. Thus effectively doubling the cost for me on those items.

So not only is the price of food going up because our government, among others, has founded another market in biofuels which raised prices worldwide, now special offers are to be targeted which will also increase the cost of food. Couple that with inflation and the increase on taxes that actually reduces our disposable income and we can see there is clearly a crisis coming.

All made by politicians. Every single decision they have made is the wrong one. That takes some doing as even those nice devices that generate random Yes/No answers couldn't get it wrong as many times as these useless twats.

The storm is coming. We better be prepared.

Some things are just bad for you and need regulated.

2008-07-06T19:28:00.001+01:00

And it seems Tofu is one of those things. Read here at where Tofu compares with cannabis and comes out about the same, imo.

How I laughed at what all these whingy whiney people must be thinking now. that's if they have the capability though. LOL.

It would appear a simple task but civil servants are involved.

2008-07-05T20:23:00.004+01:00

Here is a schoolgirl who due to a mix up because she was born on holiday in Spain is unable to get her birth registered and get a passport. She resides in the UK. Read here.

Perhaps she should just go to her local council and claim asylum in the UK as she is from some backward country. She will get full UK id, a council house and probably a shed load of cash. The ironic thing is that she would have to undergo the citizen test. Personally I would fail so I suspect she would to. I wonder if that means she would get kicked out.

On the plus side that means she can't be on our master KGB style database nor will she required to get an id card because she can't prove who she is and as she will work on the black market (Shhh it does exist) she won't have to pay income taxes either.

This must stretch the use of the word natural.

2008-07-03T23:26:00.000+01:00

I was reading this article about a 'man' who has just had a baby girl.

She/He was a woman that had a sex change to become a man.
She/He married to a woman. I assume a real one this time.
She/He was inseminated artificially.

And it was classed as a natural birth. That stretches the English language somewhat.

Poor little tyke.

Mugabe loses marks in Diplomacy test.

2008-07-01T14:45:00.002+01:00

It seems Mugabe told the West to 'Go Hang'. Read here.

Our government, in an usual show of speed, has already examined that statement and given him 2 out of 27 for diplomacy.

It seem if he had used punctuation he would have got 3 points. Read here.

The price of stupidity.

2008-06-30T18:09:00.004+01:00

I was reading another article on the 10p tax blunder at Burning our Money. Read here.

It made me think. OK, I know I got a headache but this one was because of stress.

It calls to take the poor out of the tax brackets completely. I'm beginning to wonder if this is a good idea now. Sure it should be done for societies sake but just because it should be done has never been a criteria before. So should we do it?

I say 'No'. For one simple reason. If this hole is plugged without a corresponding cut in public spending then the money will have to come from elsewhere. That means us. So we will end up paying more and I already pay too much into this black hole. An increase in their take home pay will result in many of these revising their decisions against voting labour and, at the moment, with still no real opposition with Cameron in charge labour could reverse it's decline. Of course that is only short term as the high earners will leave and it will all fall apart but it could last long enough because despite so many having take home pay reduced by this government a significant amount still believe they are great. I find it unbelievable how many die hard labour supporters there still are out there. Their take home pay is dropping, costs are going up, services are reduced but they still believe. So I suggest we just let them get on with it as if they are not interested in change because it will make them better off then they sure as hell won't be interested in change to help others when they are all sorted out and cosy.

If they are so stupid that they still vote for screwing the well off despite it having a very negative effect on them then they deserve another two years of it. maybe then they will have a change of mind. Although, with the IQs apparently going down in the UK, based on personal observation, I doubt it will be any different.

One rule for all. Well sometimes.

2008-06-30T18:00:00.002+01:00

Well it's clear that it is not one rule for all in the UK. it hasn't been for a long time.

Man kills a woman gets life (OK,well a jail term). Women kills man. He clearly deserved it.
Pleb commits fraud and goes to jail. Politicians simply made an error.
The list goes on.

Now it seems that being a cyclist gets you special privileges also. I like the way Edmund King, of the AA, said "We do see cyclists just not obeying the rules of the road jumping red lights, one way streets, also we get motorists doing things that they shouldn't so maybe we need to clarify the rules for all." Read here. I don't need anything clarified you plonker.

Strange that. I see the rules being clarified for motorists every day when they break the rules by insignificant amounts. The courts are full of them. the tills chinging away like it's Christmas as the money flows to the government. Yet, cyclists break the rules big time. red lights and wrong way down a one way are not minor, and yet nothing happens to them at all.

Isn't it about time we licensed these people and got them to pass some sort of test. Where are the whingy whiney people now?

Oh No! Looks like I'm becoming one.

I love government databases.

2008-06-29T20:22:00.003+01:00

Via the ASI I read about this new real time display of containers that arrive in the US. Read here. Each container is listed with the contents and we must not forget it is illegal to lie to Uncle Sam. For a fee you can access this data and search it and it is apparently a boon to many people.

I'm sure it is. After all how many times have hijackers made off with a lorry load of plastic toys from China and not the super new microchips and memory they were after? Those timesare behind us now.

Isn't technology wonderful and it's compulsory too.

Mugabe wins in poll shock.

2008-06-28T19:52:00.000+01:00

It seems Mugabe won the vote in Zimbabwe. Read here.

Glad to see democracy is alive and well somewhere.

Kind of brings back memories of a year ago when Gordo won his parties vote.

Even better than we hoped.

2008-06-27T18:36:00.002+01:00

It was fairly clear that Labour would be beaten by the LibDims and I was hoping for them to be beaten by the BNP as well although I thought it was a long shot. But here we have them beaten into fifth place and overtaken by the Greens as well.

It seems that although labour were hoping to steal the green voters they, the voters, are not as green as they hoped as they ignored labour are voted directly for their own lame duck candidates.

It seems to me that maybe labour will be forced to drop the green disguise and appeal directly to their own voters. the ones that don't want to spend billions now for a unlikely potential disaster in the future and have made their voice known.

Even someone as thick as Gordo must realise now that it all ends for him at the next election at the very latest. No matter what he is told while he is plotting in his bunker, all external signals are showing bad news. The question is will he just go or will he hang on to the very last?

That seems to be the question we keep on asking after every setback. Therefore we already have our answer. He will hang on to the bitter end. So the best we can hope for is someone stabs him in the back. Personally I'm hoping this is not just figuratively.

Technological advances.

2008-06-25T20:34:00.003+01:00

It's amazing what we can do nowadays. Read here about a skyscraper proposed for Dubai that has each floor able to rotate so that it will have a different look every day. There are plans to build another in Moscow.

Cool or what although I wonder how people will feel in a corner office. Obviously it will make the view interesting although I wonder it will induce motion sickness even though it won't be moving very fast. Between 1 to 3 hours for a complete rotation of each floor.

Won't be a problem for me though. Cheapest apartment is $3.7M with the best ones going for $36M. That is a hell of a price difference.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

2008-06-24T20:55:00.002+01:00

Politics. The art of lying and smiling whilst wielding a sharp knife into position.

It seems that Billy has finally made up his mind which one of his enemies is the one he is going to hook up with. Obama or McCain. Seems like he has, finally, come down on the side of Obama. Read here.

I suspect he had no choice being a committed Democrat but luckily for Billy he is happy to stray away from home as I suspect that 'comfort' is going to be in short supply at his home for a while.

He would of course have told Hillary it is so he can put a case for Obama and/or the Democrats to top up Hillary's campaign so she can pay her debts. Debt, for what I understand, she owes mainly to herself. Debt, which I also understand, she ran up in a last ditch desperate attempt to gain the nomination. Just why anyone else should pay for it is beyond me but I suspect there will be a deal made to ensure Billy's cooperation in the election.

Maybe that is something McCain should have thought of. Although even I doubt Hillary's spite would turn her towards the other side. She will be planning for the 2012 elections now but you never know. Obama could very well choose her for his running mate and get both the PC votes. Although if he did he would never be able to turn his back on her. She would be only one heartbeat away from the Presidency. LOL

Oh Dear. Yesterdays appeal fell on deaf ears.

2008-06-23T17:31:00.002+01:00

Well it seems like Darling wasted his time over the weekend. The first, of many I have no doubt, have made their views known. Read here about council workers voting to strike over higher pay.

I guess the rest of the civil servants will be following quickly enough as well as some of the more powerful unions. It'll be up to the private sector to bite the bullet as most won't have the deep pockets of the government. Well, deep albeit empty though.

Good luck with that you bunch of hypocrites.

2008-06-22T15:50:00.002+01:00

It seems Darling is calling for wages restraints from the public. Read here.

This is the same public that has seen taxes (general, council and stealth), fuel costs, food costs, etc. go up by more than their salaries for the last ten years whilst the MPs themselves have seen their salaries far outstrip inflation, new troughs installed almost yearly and they set themselves up for life.

If people have the power, like the tanker drivers, they will take it, I know I would, and the unions have it. It could bring the late 70s back with a vengeance.

Somehow I think Darlings plea will fall on deaf ears. In fact I wonder why he made it? Every time a politician tells you not to do something everyone seems to do it out of spite. And there is a lot of spite around at the moment.

US banking it's oil.

2008-06-22T14:45:00.001+01:00

It seems that the US has much bigger oil reserves than I ever imagined. Read here. I'm not an expert anyway so this was a bit of an eye opener.

Now I was thinking that if they have so much oil why are they so dependant on the Middle East? One thing I did think of is that that oil must be an asset that they want to realise in the future and they will put up with a bit of trouble now to ensure that it remains untouched. Sure they are looking at opening some of it now but even starting now it will be decades before the results show. So a dependency on cheap ME oil whilst there is plenty of it whilst your own oil gains value sitting in a bank, well in the oil field anyway.

Just imagine in fifty years time. The Middle East oil could well be running out, if the predictions are correct, the costs of extraction and therefore each barrel will rocket and in the meantime the US oil fields will come online. The US can ensure that regardless of the cost of oil it will be able to keep itself going and sell it's surplus onto the world market at a high rate. Much higher than the ME is selling it's resources for now. It's only resource may I add.

It's better than money in the bank. Oil is irreplaceable and no matter what technology develops over the next few decades there will always be a demand for it.

Seems to me to be a good reason for not drilling and in the land where the dollar is king I don't see the whining of a few environmentalists stopping drilling. Could the US actually be planning for the long term for a change?

WhooHoo we are all going Green.

2008-06-21T18:45:00.002+01:00

From the sounds of this we are all going to be forced to go green at the barrel of a gun. Read here.

It seems that some new government proposals are being revealed. These proposal 'may' include measures to force homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. Exactly why the authors of the report don't know what is in it I have no idea. It looks like it has not been fed through the PR system yet and thus they are not clear that it will if fact have no such statement but rather an obscure statement that bears no resemblance to fact but hints that only terrorists will be forced to make their homes green. So it obviously won't impact on the honest hard working plebs like you and I.

One arm of the governments propaganda machine, the Guardian, has seen a copy of these proposals. (Obviously not released outside the government yet) They said 'the proposals seek a 30-fold increase in off-shore wind power generation, new loans and grants for businesses to increase green energy supply and a compulsory measure on households to boost efficiency. The plans recognise that the new energy policy could transform large areas of Britain's landscape and have a "significant impacts on all our lives...not all of these positive" That's one reporter soon to be found under a tree in a remote forest with his wrists cut.

Now if homes are to increase efficiency does that not imply that we have to have a benchmark? I knew we would find a use for all those efficiency inspectors trained for the Home Information Packs that are now unemployed because nobody is selling their houses. Need to keep them employed and who better to do it that those rich plebs who have their own houses. They are as much of a cash cow than the motorists. And, as a bonus, most probably won't vote labour anyway.

I bet it won't be long before we are all living back in late 1940s style with rations and eating lentils for our main, and only, meal. Yummy.

What a surprise. More knee jerk legislation coming.

2008-06-21T16:03:00.002+01:00

It seems that the decision earlier this week that anonymous witnesses do not give a fair trial is not to our governments liking. They are proposing to bring out legislation making them legal. Read here.

Typical that they can spring into action when it suits them. It's almost as if they have nothing else to keep them busy. Wonder why they are not commissioning a report and setting up a committee to look into it? Could it be that they already know the answer and feel that this is just one area where the public will not be happy for experts to be ignored by useless politicians?

As it is whilst they are rushing through this bit of illiberal legislation there are forty people convicted by anonymous witnesses that are appealing. Makes to actually wonder how many of them are actually guilty. It does me. Forty sounds a lot. It sounds very much that with that amount there must have been a few who are victim to a few anonymous grudges and to be perfectly honest it would not surprise me in the slightest if plod had not got a few to provide testimony anonymously as they knew it would not hold up to the scrutiny of the defence. So probably a higher percentage of injustice than most then.

British justice. It's a joke. It seems to get worse as every day you here about more the farce our justice system gets up to.

When this lot get kicked out of power and the next lot get in I wonder if any thought will be given to investigating some of these cases. Of curse nothing will be done for those who have served their sentence or are on short ones but what about those on long term sentences? I don't want criminals getting away on a technicality but we can't just let the government screw people over just because they can.

It's a right mess. Makes you proud to be a free man in the world. *cough*

A very hard call to make.

2008-06-20T14:31:00.003+01:00

Here is a father that turned his son into the police when he found some ammunition in his house. The son has now been jailed for three years. Read here.

The father says he says he has no regrets but already in the article he is already saying he didn't know his son would get three years and that he should have accompanied him down to the station. Sounds like the start of regret to me and that is before he has to face his family over Xmas thinking about him rotting in the nick. Or if something happens to him whilst inside and even before he comes out after his immersion into the criminal subculture in prison which will make him a different person.

I don't know what I would have done but I'm sure in this day and age and in this country I would not have done it for a few bits of ammo. Maybe that makes me bad. Many people on our side of the criminal justice system think that a hard shock will be good for them. It isn't for everyone and his son doesn't look like it will be for him.

The father doesn't regret it now. I don't know if he is already changing his mind but one thing I am sure. He will regret it later on.

Jails are full of crminals.

2008-06-19T16:23:00.001+01:00

Although it seems that it has come as a big surprise to the The Prisons and Probation services. They, after carefully investigation have come to the conclusion that 'There was a "criminal subculture" at a jail'

Shock! horror! Who would have thunk it that filling a jail with criminals would lead to a criminal subculture?

From my understanding there are probably more people in prison that are not what we would class as deserving of prison and these people, once inside, then have to learn how to live in a criminal subculture. Thus when they get out they actually have learnt more about the criminal culture and have picked up some handy contacts and tricks, handy of course if you are a criminal.

I'm sure the next expose we will be reading about is the Immigration Office explaining how all these immigrants are from a different culture from us in the UK. Catholics are religious and politicians are liars. I know. It's hard to believe isn't it.

Justice takes a backseat again.

2008-06-19T14:29:00.002+01:00

After the court decision earlier this week, read here, that anonymous witness do not meet the criteria for a fair trial it was obvious that others convicted using the same methods would appeal. Well the first has come forward. Read here.

Now I can understand why we need to have anonymous witnesses. Major crime lords and syndicates can exact revenge after a conviction and due to this we have set up the witness protection programme.

Now it seems to be that in their eagerness to get convictions we are doing 'Witness Protection Lite' It's where they can remain anonymous and legislation is used to ensure that they cannot be questioned too closely. Thus we again reduce peoples right to a fair trial and the opportunities for injustice grow uncontrollably.

It seems to me that our courts and the House of Lords seem to be the only things that are protecting us from our government. When this is all over and Gordo and his minions are rotting on the end of a piece of piano wire then I think we should have a serious think about giving the Lords more power.

Not long ago I didn't see the need for the Lords and I thought that all these high court judges were pretty useless but lately they have been the only thing protecting us. We should really look at restoring the powers that both these groups have to what they had ten years ago.

GPS jamming.

2008-06-18T20:38:00.002+01:00

Well, well, I knew that you could jam GPS easily because of the way it works and the strength of the signals but what I did not know is that 'a pen-sized device could "stop ships in a port being able to receive GPS". Read here about the suggestion that we go back to WW2 technology for military backup.

Well it may make sense for them to do so for mission critical tasks. However, I doubt it would be of use for the common man but that is another story.

Now, that was not my initial thoughts. My first is 'Where do I get one?' My second was roll on road charging using GPS. LOL My third was Galileo is also subject to this issue. Probably more so because at least GPS is run by the US military. Our system probably won't even have the resilience of the US one before it even starts.

What technology giveth it also taketh away and it isn't all going the way the government wants. That cheers me immensely.

When prejudice is involved we actually enable more death and despair.

2008-06-17T11:54:00.004+01:00

I was reading this article via Tim Worstall on AIDS and the fact that we do not recognise certain truths pertaining to the spread of the disease.

It made me think that we seem to have the same type of problem with many similar things such as Black gun crime, African atrocities, the Muslim issue as well as many many others. We know certain facts about all these issues that because of PC attitudes we are not able to identify, the current popular phrase, the elephant in the room. Thus we do not educate the public and target the issue correctly as to give a solution that will lead to a cure or control. We don't need a medical analogy as this article gives us a clear one.

By not identifying the main sources of the virus, 'junkies, sex workers and gay men' we do not target these for education and prevention. They are seen as low life by the public and not worth spending money on directly. Thus we allow the virus to propagate but as a sting in the tail we make matters even worse by treating the sufferers for the disease we didn't try and stop. This is targeted to a sufferer of a disease and is thus acceptable to the public. The reason it is worse is that this treatment extends the life of the sufferer and thus allows them to propagate the disease more. But who cares, it's only low life is it not?

Therefore our policies, imo, are actually directly responsible for the propagation of this terrible disease. Was this really the intention?

I have no doubt that there is a significant number of other 'unsolvable' issues that are treated the same way and if we dealt with them in a logical and scientific matter we could improve every ones lot in life. So how could we do this best? Open and free discussion of facts in public and using logic instead of emotion for many issues.

Of course that actually boils down to taking the politicians out of the decision making loop. Why am I not surprised by that conclusion?

If only this was so.

2008-06-16T21:41:00.002+01:00

If only this was so. I suspect that the EU will just turn it into a submarine. They will not just give up because 100% of the public votes so far have gone against them. From where they are 100% of the discussions they have are in agreement.
*Picture found on Theo Spark's site. I liked it.

Happy Fathers Day to everyone.

2008-06-15T22:48:00.001+01:00

Happy Fathers Day to all. Well mainly to all Fathers.

Been busy today getting spoilt by the kids and lazing around.

David Davis.

2008-06-13T15:48:00.002+01:00

I've been trawling the web this afternoon catching up on the news and reading pages after pages of David Davis and why it's a fools errand he is running etc.

Personally I think he has done the right thing for himself.

1) Labour won't put up a candidate. They can't afford it and it will give the plebs another chance to smack them in the face. I'll miss that.
2) Davis won't turn to the Libertarian Party either. Jeez, it's taken him this long to realise he is a liberal. No such luck. He may have hit his personal limit but it's not because he is a converted libertarian. If Davis was to be a Libertarian candidate he would be a big fish in a very much smaller pool and pretty powerless. In the Tories he will still wield a lot of power even before the next election. Never mind the Libertarian Parties stance on salary and expenses.
3) The Tories will let him stand as their man. They won't contest him themselves.
4) Other parties have already said they will not stand.

He is likely to just walk in without any battle at all.

I think this will give him the standing to take on Cameron who we already know is just as useless as the current bunch in power. His stand must have Cameron panicking again and when, Sorry if, he is reelected Cameron won't have the balls to leave him out of the shadow cabinet as he will campaign actively against him from the back benches. Hell, even while he is in the shadow cabinet he will make statements that will change Tory policy and have the whole of the UK cheering.

Imo. Davis has made the best move for himself for a long time and I think he will be the leader of the Tories when they go into the next election. Watch the poll ratings when Cameron is removed.

After yesterdays farce of democracy in action there are two things today that have made it up.

The tide is changing Ladies and Gentlemen. About time too.

And they say Friday the thirteenth is unlucky.

2008-06-13T14:10:00.001+01:00

Well maybe it is for the useless politicians. Read here about Ireland rejecting the EU ~~constitution~~ treaty.

Time for a party methinks.

Move over Cameron. Someone with principles coming through.

2008-06-12T18:27:00.003+01:00

Finally someone with principles in the Tory camp. Read here about Davis resigning over the 42 day detention farce.

At last a mainstream politician is standing up to be counted. Personally I think that the Tories are just as bad but this must be a start. Let's see if it makes Cameron make a stand on something. Or maybe it's time for a change in the Tory ranks as well.

A politician with principles. Who would have thunk it.

New evidence in the Dando case proves his guilt.

2008-06-11T16:43:00.002+01:00

The b45^4rd. He liked Bond girls. Read here. Clearly a nutter and guilty on any unsolvable high profile crimes in the Met area.

Is there any real justice in the UK? If this is actually classed as evidence no wonder we have full prisons nowadays.

UK Justice. What a farce.

ISPs pushed onto a slippery slope in the US.

2008-06-11T10:55:00.002+01:00

It seems like a group of ISPs in the US have given into pressure from the US government and will now start censoring content. Read here. Not only that they have squeezed some cash out of them because, well it's just because they have it. So a tax in a way on internet use.

Of course they have started with child porn as only a paedophile would object wouldn't they. Any objectors and they will be kicked off those providers, some of the biggest in the world, and more than likely added to a government list.

Will not be long before it is BDSM and fetish. After all only perverts are up to that and we travel further down the slippery slope until everything on the web is government approved.

Of course the child porn community of course will move onto other providers and hide their stuff and yet again the average consumer gets hit with the bill. You see this time the ISPs have agreed to fund it. Not being government roles it will be paid for by their subscribers. But it's for the kids so it's OK.

The best bit for the government is they didn't have to make legislation. It's all voluntary. What a nice group these ISPs are. Nothing at all to do with the expensive investigations they were put under nor the threats of prosecutions and the pretending to be subscribers complaining about child porn. Nothing underhand there in the land of the free.

Of course they won't try that here. No sirree. Our government will just legislate and take the money.

All hail the state and the puritans that run it. Public servants, one and all.

Maybe I should read the whole story.

2008-06-10T18:02:00.002+01:00

A little while ago I remember reading about a International Cluster Mine ban we had signed up to with great fanfare. Well it seems that instead of skimming I should have read it fully. It seems that out of the 109 countries that signed up the UK was the only one, from what I understand, that actually makes them. The manufacturing nations US, Russia, China, Israel, India and Pakistan have not signed the treaty. Read here.

Now it does not surprise me that the UK has signed up. It would not be long before guns were banned in the MoD if our government had their way but an International treaty with the main players not being part is a bit of a waste of time. It must be some EU thing. The only countries it seems to impact are the UK and France. Now, to be honest, I'm all for the ban. These weapons last so long on the battlefield that long after the war is over they are still killing civilians. So something needed to be done. But another paper tiger. That is politics in a nutshell.

At least it solved one puzzle I had over the Dublin talks. It finished early which I thought was surprising. Now I don't understand how it took so long. 'OK. It's 1130 let's get started. Not long till lunch. We are here to have a ban on cluster mines. Let's start by taking a vote to see where we stand.' 'Hands up for those for the ban.' '..... 107, 108, 109.... That is it, 109.' 'OK, Hands up those against the ban.' 'None. Cool. Let's get those taxpayer funded drinks out the way and head for our taxpayer funded meals and get off to our taxpayer funded homes.' 'Another good job for democracy.'

Guns are certainly dangerous.

2008-06-09T19:12:00.004+01:00

In times long gone many people in the UK had guns and there were significantly less people bumped off than there are now. So after a nasty episode our nanny state banned guns just to get good PR from a bunch of whingey whiney liberals.

Now the only ones legally with them are coppers and yet the gun stats are going up.

But as the public has less access to guns I am interested in how many people are actually bumped off by plod. Hell they can't even look after themselves as it looks like there will be another HSE case soon. Read here about the role playing game than went wrong when a plod said 'Aww, Come on it's my turn to be a terrorist"

Guns are dangerous. In the wrong hands.

It's not all bad news though. It seems that for the first time in, well forever, the UK has a chance to win the shooting part of the Olympics. That is if they are out in time.

Making a point.

2008-06-09T12:58:00.004+01:00

It seems that the unions may be putting the pressure on the government by removing funding for MPs not voting in line with their policies. Read here. It seems that now labour is in deep financial trouble the unions are taking advantage to make their point.

Although I was surprised to find that they were funded by the unions at all. In my naivety I thought we were paying, and paying, for their useless hides at the rate of £60K pa, plus expenses. And boy what expenses, expenses that HMRC would not let you or I claim at all.

It seems that we are not their masters after all. How silly of me.

Finally a plan to control gun crime.

2008-06-08T19:00:00.001+01:00

Read here about the latest plan to control gun crime by restricting air guns.

Oh wait! I think I see a couple of minor flaws.

I know people say it is merely incompetence but... read the execution of Britain.

2008-06-08T18:35:00.003+01:00

Read this article on Britain being held down and it's head pumped full of bullets.

Getting your priorities right.

2008-06-08T14:10:00.002+01:00

Well it seems that we are in a bit of a pickle over the price of oil. So much so we are holding crisis talks. Read here.

Now correct me if I am wrong but is the price of oil not driven by market factors. Supply and demand the basics of economics. In fact it's it current high demand that is causing prices to surge. So fuel is up all around. It seems to me that it goes up but 0.5p per day as every two days another penny is added on. Ignoring the obvious which is the biggest winner out of the whole thing in the UK is actually Gordo and his taxes the price is now the price and is likely to be here to stay. Why is it that when there is a problem our government has it's fingers grasping the pie?

In the meantime however we have diverted foodstuffs to be used as fuel. This diversion is leading to a surge in food prices, riots and starvation. People are dying. Yet by the law of economics this new source of fuel should increase the supply and thus lower the cost. I wonder why that is not happening? Maybe my grasp of economics is too simple. I must nearly be qualified to be a labour politician. Just need to practise the lying with a straight face. Just can't get it right.

In the meantime the concern is the cost of fuel whilst people die. Talk about priorities.

Osama (wheelie) bin Laden must be a winner.

2008-06-07T21:33:00.003+01:00

I was reading this article about this guy, Maurizio Montalbini, who has the world record because he spend three years in a cave.

Come on.... only three years most of al Qaeda have done better than that. It's a western plot to keep minorities from their rightful place at the top.

The trouble with the West.

2008-06-07T19:27:00.002+01:00

Reading one of the many articles about Hillary Clinton conceding defeat to Obama where it was talking about the glass ceiling. You know that artificial ceiling that is used as an excuse every time a women fails to get to a certain point. This article is actually talking about Clintons failure as if it is a win for womankind. Read here.

I'm sure to be accused of being sexist but such is life. You see I don't see Clinton's failure, as it was a failure, to get the nomination as a reflection on her being a woman. The Democrats love that sort of thing and her main problem was she was up against another minority and she came across to the public the way she is and Obama compared very favourably with that. Simple. So I'm sure that a few wouldn't vote for her because she was a woman, but some wouldn't vote for Obama because he is black and some won't vote for McCain because he is too old. Shock, horror we all have prejudices and legislation will never get rid of it. It just allows people to be pushed into corners and informed that 'If you don't vote for Clinton you are sexist'. Boy, I wonder how many suicides occurred when these whingy whiney do gooders discovered that they were going to be sexist or racist with no way out.

The fact is Clinton has not done anything for women at all. In fact she may have put their chances back. I don't remember Thatcher crying when things didn't go her way and despite Clintons recollections Bhutto was actually in the line of fire whilst she went about her business to her cost. Many other women have been in top positions and in societies where women do have a lower standing and face death threats by people that really mean it. Clinton's main risk to life and limb was choking on her fund raising dinners and catching something from Billy boy. So other women have done much more than Clinton has. OK there has not been a woman president yet but neither has there been a black president, hispanic president or many other minorities. Perhaps if a good women candidate was put forward then she would have beaten Obama and perhaps even have got the top spot. So it's less of a sexist agenda and more of a I hate Clinton agenda.

It seems that here in the west that without some sort of guilt trip women can't compete favourably. That isn't true but while it is seen as a requirement then women will never compete as equals. The Clinton supporters who claim otherwise are doing women no favours at all.

btw : I'm glad to see that in America their choices are just as bad as ours. No real differences between any of them. It's not just us that are screwing our society.

Always on the lookout for new ideas.

2008-06-06T15:36:00.003+01:00

Not really been keeping up to date with the goings on in Turkey but read today that the prosecutors in the courts are suggesting that the ruling AKP party is anti-secular and should be disbanded. This means that the party that was elected by the country could be made illegal. Read here.

Now, I can understand the ruling party in a country making other parties illegal to keep their power base but you could only expect that in mickey mouse countries such as African states or the UK but the ruling party presiding over making itself illegal. How exactly did that come about?

More importantly could we do something like that here in the UK? What! Just thinking out loud.

Pension planning

2008-06-05T10:43:00.002+01:00

Have been sorting a few things out here and one of those was looking at my pension. Since Gordo did his raid on my, and your, pension scheme I have been wondering how it was working out.

The results so far are that no one has been questioned never mind arrested for this blatant theft. Nor do plod seem that interested. I suspect they have microchipped all the apples in the country just waiting for one to be found in the street so they can build a case or looking for another bank to raid and go through all the inappropriately named safety deposit boxes. I've closed mine already and moved my stash of drugs, guns, slaves and home porn vids to the shed outside where they will be safer.

Anyway, so I thought it was about time that I worked out where my retirement fund will be going and came across this handy little calculator at the Motley Fool, I've mentioned them before, a nice informative and educational site for all financial issues and it's free to sign up.

The calculator works by taking what you have estimated you need to live on, factoring in inflation and giving you a fund target to aim for then how much you need to put aside from now on to meet that. Nice and simple. Of course you can't factor in everything. So just fill in your details and off you go. There is an associated article which explains it all which is worth a read if you are interested.

Well, my results are in. I'm in a better position than I thought but no thanks to Gordo. I need to pay a little more to ensure that I'm OK in the future although I'd have been in a much better situation if he had keep his grubby socialist hands off but life is a balance. On one side is Good and the other Gordo and his ilk. I don't see that useless Cameron fixing it either.

To be honest I'm a bit relieved. I could see myself in a few years time lighting up a cigarette in the street so I was put in jail for life to ensure I had a roof over my head and something to eat.

There is hope for me yet.

2008-06-04T19:48:00.002+01:00

In this BBC article on the round up of newspapers. The Daily Mirror claims Josef Fritzl, the Austrian who kept his daughter in a cellar, has had international fan mail. Prison authorities have apparently said that along with 5,000 items of hate mail, there have been letters from 200 women offering love and support.

What is it with people? How many nice kind geeks go unloved because they are a bit shy and not forward with women and yet an ugly insane dirty old man gets letters with love and support. Yet, we wonder why we as a society screw everything up.

Common sense is not that common.

and they say we are not a Police state.

2008-06-03T10:34:00.002+01:00

This must surely put paid to that. Read here about plod raising 7000 safety deposit boxes just on suspicion that some are used to hold laundered money, drugs and guns.

Of course if you have 10,000 stored away from a legitimate reason it will be interesting seeing how well you fair under the bright lights explaining it.

Oh, the KGB would be proud. Long live the State.

BBC waste.

2008-06-03T09:36:00.002+01:00

The BBC is under fire for how much they pay some stars. Read here. What a surprise. A tax funded operation wasting it's money.

They claim that that is what they pay them to stop them going elsewhere but a) Who cares? b) Who else would have most of them?

From what I understand they also will not divulge how much they pay their 'top stars' because it will cause others to ask for more. Makes sense. That is why many people in real jobs don't talk about their salary to avoid friction.

What I don't understand is why either of these arguments covers Terry Wogan, Jonathan Ross, Graham Norton and Chris Moyles. All those mentioned in fact. There are 50 of these 'top names' 50 salaries for *cough* top talent and I bet most people couldn't name 50 BBC employees at all never mind any worth a fraction as much at the ones we know get paid.

Please God don't let any of these mind numbing reality show presenters like Jeremy Kyle be on that list. That would be too much.

Is this a win or not?

2008-06-02T15:08:00.002+01:00

Just as a pointer to the futility of banning an item and expecting an increased level of safety we have this article on an anti-gun campaigner who has spoken to the government no less. Strangely, her anti gun stance came after the gun ban but banning something twice is bound to be better isn't it.

Nevertheless she has been stabbed. Perhaps her campaign needs a new direction. Although with her not being shot you could claim a success for the campaign.

It's a bit of a puzzler if it's a win or lose here from a PR point of view although it's clearly a lose for society in general because whilst we waste our time on taking the weapons from law abiding ~~citizens~~ plebs we fail to deal with the real cause. The murderers in our midst.

Racism is worse than Sexism. It's official.

2008-06-01T21:03:00.002+01:00

It seems that the only reason Hillary lost was that the Democrats were sexist. Read here.

As I said before it was two minorities head to head. Sadly for them, and the Democrats, it was both at the same time. Sexism against racism. Looks like racism is the winner but only just it came right down to the wire.

Sad for Hilary. Couldn't have happened to a better person.

Zero tolerance as a cash cow.

2008-05-31T17:52:00.004+01:00

I wonder how many of these zero tolerance schemes actual really work the way they are sold.

Here is a schoolteacher punishing a boy that didn't do his schoolwork, memorizing the Koran. He ended up killing him and was himself arrested and will be punished. Probably a smacked bottom because the kid was clearly insulting Islam or something. OK, OK. It's not here but made me think if a society like that with it's OTT punishments and little regard for human life has it's non conformists then what hope have we.

It made me think though how much deterrent we can put in place for crimes. Here is way over the top punishment for failing a school test and yet the little guy didn't manage to memorise what he had to in the same way the teacher was not stopped from killing him, albeit accidentally.

So, bearing this in mind how does a society such as ours where nobody is ever at fault expect to reduce crime in any way. Punishment doesn't happen and it won't be long before this drops down to the bin brigade and thus the only people that will be getting any form of punishment for anything will be middle class with some spare cash. Therefore increasing the number of people in that bracket with criminal records and for things as serious as mixing cabbage stalks in the green waste recycling bin. Of course the CRB checks won't identify what the heinous crime is so they will lose their jobs, perhaps their livelihoods, over potentially trivial offences. Pre-school teachers don't exactly have transferable skills for example.

So it seems to me that these zero tolerance tactics are actually not zero tolerance at all. They are targeted fairly and squarely on those with some spare cash, the middle class who have to put their own bins out, who have to travel to work and who, in their lifetimes, make enough mistakes so the law of averages ensures that they get caught out for something. Thus dragging down the middle class and under the guise of law and order getting some desperately needed funds into the coffers of the government.

It seems, only seems though, that this sort of thing may be coming to an end. We are starting to rebel against the system that allows this. Still, having our stiff upper lip means that we don't really do it well. Instead of mounting a raiding party and stringing them up we write harshly about them in blogs. At least it is a start.

Any way, zero tolerance is now a class war tool used for gathering funds. Nothing else and it's is being wielded against us because we have some money we are no volunteering to give to the state. They can't have that and they are not at the stage where they can just call around and collect it either. Thus our million and one new laws and all with the benefit of fines.

An interesting new concept.

2008-05-30T21:29:00.000+01:00

It seems that the government is suggesting the data on poorer people is shared with energy suppliers which the government will then provide with funds to go towards their bills in an attempt to ward off fuel poverty. Read here.

Now they estimate that 2.4 million are in fuel poverty. Personally, due to the high costs of fuel I suspect that most of us actually spend more than 10% of our income on fuel. Of course 90% of us are in tax poverty. Those on the dole are the only ones immune to that.

So, if this takes off can we expect to see the data shared with Asda, Aldi, Lidl etc. so that they can help with food poverty. If so then we can expect some stores to be missed out. They are rarely used by the poor or will be too small to process the new systems required for this new facet of the turkey empire.

So, just a thought, what about some sort of id card system. Finally a real use for them. Keeping the plebs in line. Or perhaps we could put a yellow star of the cards of all those eligible for any poverty stream.

Hey, bread is now £1 a loaf. We need to help the poor as much as we can and we can even get a new branch of the turkey army out of it as well. All paid for by rich people. Well, rich as in those who do not spend more than 10% of their income on fuel or food.

I'm sure that they won't mind ensuring the whole of the UK knows their status by having an id card. Well, maybe to save plastic they could put a cloth yellow star on their clothes. That must be better for the environment.

Hey, here is an idea. Why don't they reduce taxes all around and let us all benefit? Oh, they can't can they. So yet again more people will find it's cost effective not to work and more are dragged down the social ladder.

An interesting social concept.

2008-05-30T20:55:00.002+01:00

Why is the US hated all over the world?

2008-05-29T01:01:00.000+01:00

Well it's things like this for one where the US is creating legislation against foreign states and companies. Via the ASI again. Just confirms the US is the bully of the world. Do it our way or else.

Now I love the US and it's people but the politicians over there are as useless as politicians the world over. Not only hypocritical but downright dangerous. The difference of course is that nowhere else has armed forces like the US and as we know that is what it all comes down to in the end. Perhaps it's things like this that cause the EU to look at joining up with Russia.

It will be interesting seeing if anything ever happens about this. I would like to see what would happen if the OPEC countries decided to just sell their oil to Russia, the EU and China. I'm sure that the costs and demand would be there.

Every little thing you do makes a difference.

2008-05-28T01:12:00.002+01:00

I read this article via the ASI update which talks about Senator Kennedy's tumour and his potential treatment. Now, I have nothing against the guy personally, from my understanding he seems very popular having served in place (if served is the right word for a politician) for nearly five decades. Despite his history it seems that those in a better position to judge have given their verdict. Plus, I really don't wish death on anyone. (UK politicians excluded)

The article points out that because of policy put in place by US politicians may not have helped his own chances of survival. By setting large bureaucratic costs on the development of new drugs making drug manufacturers very careful about what new drugs they invest in so as to maximise profit but leave many potential cures unapproved because there are few sufferers and thus making it uneconomical.

Of course as he has so much money he can buy the best treatments which are unavailable to the general public due to the policies put in place by the politicians. Of course, some treatments are unavailable to anyone no matter how much money they have due to the fact that early advances or theories were dropped due to financial reasons.

I don't really know what I'm trying to say here besides that no matter how rich you are decisions you make can come back and bite you many many years later so you need to be careful throughout your life with every choice you make. In the end we are all the same.

Politicians and honour.

2008-05-27T12:09:00.004+01:00

Well it seems that some politicians still have a sense of honour. Sadly, it is not a UK one. Despite the UK being known as having a stiff upper lip and a sense of honour the facts show that we may have a stiff upper lip, shown by the fact we put up with so much without exploding in fury, but we certainly have no sense of honour.

We just have to look at the state of the place where we see crime rampant, liars are never challenged and even when discovered just a little apology, if that, and then they carry on as if nothing happened. Fingers in the till and when caught, it's within the rules, and then they cry about how they were only found out because of invasion of privacy. What an example they are setting everyone. Lying and theft seem to be the norm and will continue to be until our stiff upper lip quivers and we snap. Hang them high.

So here is a politician in Canada, the foreign minister Maxime Bernier, resigning over leaving a classified document in an unsecure location. Read here. If our politicians fell on their swords over their errors then we would have none of the current bunch in power.

The politicians go on about the moral fabric of the country without even considering that their moral fibre is actually less that the vast majority of the public in the UK. If we looked at it percentage wise there are more crooks and immoral people in the house of commons than there is on the streets of even the worse areas of the UK. The UK as a whole is in a much better situation despite the small percentage of criminals in our midst. It's not perfect but most people still have their morals intact. That's why unlike many other countries our bunch of immoral leaders are not tapdancing in midair and we are ineffectually objecting and voting. It's democracy you see and things have to be done the right way.

Representatives of the people they are not and it's about time they took responsibility for their actions before the pot boils over and they are made to. Of course I don't condone violence as it is against the law but when it is legal to hunt down and torture politicians then I for one will be sharpening the sporks, which is all we will have, and going on a quest. I just hope there is enough left for a trophy on my wall. Of course unlike the head of a great man eating tiger I will have a small body part from a dishonourable person but I'll be proud of it. It'll be a talking point and a reminder to all would be politicians. Funny I feel all cheered up now.

Miliband does Poliics.

2008-05-25T15:09:00.002+01:00

It seems to me the David Miliband is being sensible when he said preparing to throw his hat into the ring in a leadership contest to “save new Labour". Read here.

It is win win win for him and, despite him being a Labour MP, he has used his few brain cells since the by-election and come up with a plan.

There are four outcomes available here from this;

1) It goes nowhere. There is no support.
Gordo can't afford to do anything to Miliband. He won't want someone going behind his back and making little cuts with all the concerned MPs. Death by a thousand cuts. He is more likely to give him more power in a attempt to appease him and hope to get him back later. He is too vindictive not too.

2) Gordo is ousted but Milibands leadership bid goes nowhere.
However replaces him, unlikely as there is no one out there, will face the same issues as Gordo and have to keep him in the circle of power. So he has shown ambition which will come in handy later when he explains how he was going to fix the Labour party but was prevented by shortsighted MPs voting for someone else.

3) Gordo is ousted and Miliband is in.
He gets to be PM for the next few years. OK he won't get a waxwork at Tussuads but he gets the pension and the kudos that goes with it plus whatever he can milk over the next two years. The UK will put up with another unelected PM after all what can we do? We are unarmed and a bunch of pussies. OK it's changing but slowly and the next two years will have taken place before anyone does anything despite all the ill feeling. After two years we will have forgotten about it.

Now at the next general election Labour will have a PM explaining how it is turning around (Even if it is not), the recession could very well be weakening and he will explain he has more plans to fix it. If they get trounced Miliband will have his pension, his memoirs and a peerage or something at the very least. More than he will get if he sits still while Gordo steers us to disaster. The state of the IQs in the UK could very well have Labour holding on to power with a good salesman at the helm against that useless Cameron. The UKIP and the Libertarian Party are nowhere near ready yet and as for the Lib Dems, don't make me laugh.

However, the last option is;
4) Gordo decides to preempt any leadership bid and dissolves the cabinet and go for an early election. Gordo gets to keep his pension but Miliband won't get his PM one. It's too soon for people to have forgotten the state of the nation so Labour will get trounced. Labour could very well disappear forever.
It's very unlikely but one cannot underestimate our Socialist leader. Stalin trained him well.

So from the odds what has Miliband to lose? He has it all to gain. I think he has done the right thing. Fingers crossed that Gordo decides to preempt him and go for an early election in spite.

OK. You selfish lot need to listen.

2008-05-24T18:45:00.002+01:00

It seems that users on the web have become selfish. You go to web sites read what you want and only what you want and then leave. Read here. How selfish is that?

Personally when I go to web sites I read what I want and then, just not to be selfish, I then spend just as much time reading all the rubbish in people personal profiles and the 2000 links they all have to other sites no matter how boring they are. I'm clearly not one of these selfish browsers you see.

What a load of rubbish. Is there any other way of doing it? I want to read an article so I go and read it but the rest of it looks boring so I don't bother. The author then feels put out that he has spent time writing drivel and nobody reads it so we are classed as selfish. It's now our fault. How very modern. I have this vision of it being made a law that we must read at least two rubbish posts if we read one good one. Personally, I write about what I want to and yet my visitors seem to find the stuff I feel particularly proud of to be the least interesting. It's a fact of life. Live with it and get a life.

Bunch of whiners.

A new hope.

2008-05-23T13:04:00.002+01:00

Well it seems that the Labour stronghold of Crewe & Nantwich has fallen. Read here. This must mean that Labours hold over the electorate has been weakened.

The people were not fooled by the political rhetoric and for the vote to change by 17.6%, turning a 7000 Labour majority into a 7800 Tory majority, must mean that Labour supporters also made a stand rather than just not voting in protest. That says a lot about the public.

Now, after the people have made their voices heard and, theoretically, Labour is listening when can we expect Gordo to announce a general election?

Oh wait! They are already making excuses and giving speeches on what it means. Seems those ticks in a box tell many stories depending on who is reading them. To Labour they are telling them to continue but concentrate on the economy (Don't remember hearing about that box), and to the Tories it is a sign they are back in favour (Didn't hear about that box either). Politicians really are scum of the earth.

Now this is collatoral damage we could live with.

2008-05-23T01:28:00.001+01:00

Seems Israeli fighters were targeting a plane Blair was on. Read here. What happened to the twitchy trigger fingers when we need them?

So close but no cigar.

How ironic is this for Blair?

2008-05-22T17:19:00.003+01:00

It seems Tony Blair has been presented with an honorary doctorate from Queen's University, Belfast. Read here.

How ironic is this? Blair gets the same sort of recognition that is given to any school child nowadays. He does no studying, a dead easy test, if any, and a certificate is presented to him as a reward. How very much like our current educational system.

Of course this one will be just as useless as the ones presented to the kids after Blair has finished with our educational system but unlike Blair the kids won't have people pushing money into their hands just for smiling and saying a few words. Sadly these kids will have a bit more of a struggle for the rest of their lives.

I would have hoped that with all the weapons in Northern Ireland Blair could have had a more suitable reward. Although that is probably why he didn't go in person to collect it. I can't think of any other reason for him to keep away from a free meal.

A tried and tested fund raising technique.

2008-05-21T18:35:00.003+01:00

The war on drugs is feeling a bit jaded. Like all our other wars it doesn't seem to be going well. Street prices for drugs are low showing how useless our policies actually are.

So one of our brightest in the drugs war decides it's time to jump on the latest craze sweeping our planet and try and get some funds and support from the environmental loonies. So it is announced that 'Cocaine use 'destroys rainforest''. Read here.

Now I'm a bit of a cynic and I actually wonder if it is the growth of the plant that is destroying the rainforest or the lengths the drugs lords have to go to to hide the drug from the authorities because it is illegal. I understand that when a crop is found it is chemically nuked so that it can't be harvested. Of course that has no impact on the rainforest at all. Personally I don't see the growth of the plant to be any more detrimental to the rainforest than the growth of wheat, barley or rice but having a former bassist saying it is so must be right as he clearly has all the qualifications you need to ensure the facts are correct.

I particularly liked the phrase 'I don't know why we care more about monkeys dying than people dying but we do. So this is a really intelligent way of going about it'. Mmmmm. I think not. This has been done to death by the Global Warming nutters and people are getting so fed up of environmental issues so this may backfire. Sure there will be plenty who will cry and wail about the monkeys but those taking drugs will accept the sacrifice to get what little pleasure there is left in this miserable country. We still whinge and whine about tigers and other animals for aphrodisiacs but they still die. Few legal highs are left and they are under attack from the whingy whiney brigade soon that will only leave illegal things. No wonder we are all turning to criminals. 'Buy your heroin, cocaine, cannabis, ciggys and booze here' will soon be the cry of every corner street dealer. Those not interested in drugs will be too battered by everything else we have to fund on to care about monkeys and the rainforest.

But on the bright side they might get some funding redirected from the Global Warning pot however what is more likely is that they will put up the taxes on cocaine to pay for it's environmental impact. Wait! I think I see a flaw in this plan. So more taxes on tobacco to pay for it. A new black market beckons.

Russians clamp down on BP.

2008-05-20T15:40:00.002+01:00

The headline said 'Russia police raid BP Moscow base' I thought Tom Paine must be in trouble now as he had just got back from his tour of Europe in his new motor and wham. Nicked. BlogPower must be a cover for something. Mmmm.

What a disappointment I got when I read that little bit further and found BP was the oil giant British Petroleum and not BlogPower. Of course I was a bit more pleased for Tom knowing he wasn't at that moment in cuffs and facing waterboarding as Russia does it's bit to drive investment away from it's shores.

Modern day fairy tales.

2008-05-19T17:56:00.001+01:00

Olden day fairy tales begin with the words 'Once upon a time....'

Modern day fairy tales begin with the words 'If elected I promise....'

Banning new toys.

2008-05-19T12:33:00.002+01:00

It seems that the UK is going to request exemptions from the cluster bomb ban being proposed. Read here.

Cluster bombs are being looked at because of the way they work. Effectively they come in one big bomb which when at an optimum height disgorges it's payload, several smaller bombs, over a wider area. in effective making a much wider area a target. For example it can be used as a runway denial weapons where one big hole might leave enough runway for smaller planes to use. Hundred of little pockmarks across the entire runway make it unusable. When the bombs turn into landmines it is an area denial weapon.

They are looking at banning the use of the landmine part to fit in with the landmine ban. It does make sense otherwise you are allowing landmines to be distributed via this method. For some reason our government seems to think it is acceptable. I wonder why? They are even looking at reclassifying weapons that were labelled cluster bombs to something different to avoid the potential ban. That sound more like our government.

I would imagine that a clear definition could be agreed. Something along the lines that after a certain time after deployment then the bombs must become inactive or just explode with a size of less than six inches and a payload of more than ten or something. Of course whatever it is we will make them to just fit in that spec so we will need to be very careful. Otherwise we could end up classifying the MIRVs from our nuclear deterrent as cluster mines. It might even cover bombers and drones. That won't be good. Of course no specification will never be 100% effective as there will always be a percentage of any weapon that fails to function as expected but such is war. The failure rate will need to be agreed and independently tested. After all in this day and age why would we want to leave landmines around for years to maim and kill civilians?

It's about time we brought our munitions into the 21st century. Although they will always be dangerous. That is what they were designed for.

Another puzzle for today.

2008-05-19T12:03:00.003+01:00

Seems this guy has made a complaint to police that a royal convoy was driving at dangerous speeds on the M4. Read here.

To be honest it doesn't surprise me. I bet all the royals and our new 'royals', the politicians, get driven all over the place by Police escort and ignore the speed limits because, well, their drivers are special and can handle it.

However the bit I liked was that he said he was forced to drive at dangerous speeds to get out the way. Well, speed is subjective. Some people think 60 is dangerous but it is up to drivers to drive at their own speed within their limits and within the law. He has admitted to driving dangerously. I bet the other guy will not as he will say he was driving safely and have several people backing his claims. Our complainant won't but if he feels he was driving dangerously why did he do so? How did he know it was an unmarked Police car anyway?

But the real telling part was that after he pulled over to let the convoy get on it's way he managed to keep up with it enough through London so that when it reached it's destination and before it's passenger could disembark he managed to see him putting on shades and covering his face. Doesn't sound like he was going much less than the convoy especially as they were driving so fast it was dangerous and he was not. Bit of a puzzler that for such a careful driver.

So won't be a lot happening here then. Just another blot on Harry's book and he wasn't even driving. Got to laugh.

A difficult journey requires a good guide.

2008-05-17T20:04:00.002+01:00

Imagine you are on tour holiday. You don't really know what is going on, where to go or even the best places to go so you hire a tour guide. At the end of the week you are ready to move on to your next destination. You know it will be a difficult journey over rough roads with many mountainous roads with sheer drops just feet away and much of it uncharted with many unknown challenges. The tour guide you hired for the last week is saying he is up to the job but you remember the time he led you into dangerous situations, he has clearly not been maintaining his transport and owes a lot of money to unsavoury characters. Would you hire him for this difficult journey?

So is Gordo the right man to steer the country through difficult economic times as he suggests? Personally when he says again I wonder what difficult times he is thinking of as the first time. The Great Pocket Money depression of the 1960s perhaps?

Luckily in the first case you can just fire him. In the second case we are not so lucky.

Avoid Epson printers.

2008-05-16T13:45:00.002+01:00

Almost a year ago I bought a Epsom Stylus DX5000 and a very good specification it had too. Everything I needed and at a good price. I usually buy HP printers as my main one is still a HP LaserJet 4 and it's going fine. Must be nearly 15 years now.

Today I just went to get some new cartridges and have found that I can't get replacement cartridges only Epsom branded ones. The price is about average for branded but few people hold them. It seems that the cartridges are specially made to be non functional if an attempt is made to refill them. The refill shop owner says that this model is one of a few that the manufacturers are doing this too lately. He told me a story about one brand that when the ink runs out it burns the heads so it can never be refilled.

When I'm looking for a replacement printer again I'll be checking and avoiding any super dooper printers that can't be refilled. I've never had a problem with refilled ink, it's cheaper and lasts longer. I think the filled cartridges are only three quarters filled anyway. By volume petrol is cheaper than ink and probably costs less to create.

So, when the ink runs out again I'm going to buy a new printer instead. Anyone know where I can find out which models can be refilled or not? I'm thinking it is just better to visit a refilling web site or shop and choose one of those that refills are available for. Why go for a latest technology printer that you only use basic printing and scanning from the functions available anyway?

Rip off companies. I hope their market share falls. Epsom was such a good supplier when I first started. Obviously they see this as their way to bigger profits. I hope it backfires on them.

Sometimes things are too funny for words.

2008-05-15T21:23:00.002+01:00

Remember how Madame Tussauds had decided not to automatically make a wax model of Gordo in their exhibition because he was not elected. They obviously know the way the wind is blowing. They put up a poll to see what the public though and it seems the vote is in. No place for Gordo at Madame Tussauds. Read here about how 84% of the public voted against Gordo.

Sometimes things are just too funny for words.

Word verification

2008-05-15T20:47:00.002+01:00

I've just turned off the word verification. Last week I got a word that was unbelievable, it went something like this ljikmmnljp. All the letters were stuck together and , of course, I failed it and the following two as well. I've also make it so anyone can comment as well. Let's see how it goes.

Nothing for this year then?

2008-05-14T22:05:00.002+01:00

It seems Gordo has spoken about plans for next year. Read here.

He must be trying to make the point that he will be here next year. The only way that is happening is he isn't going for an election and he still needs to be keeping his guys down and in front of him so he doesn't get a Julius performed on him. Pity.

Why can't we have some good news this year. Gordo committing suicide, being assassinated or something. hell, I would even settle for him resigning although that would be a bit of a let down.

Desperate measures.

2008-05-13T20:44:00.002+01:00

The Government has turned to desperate measures now. The Crewe and Nantwich by election must be really important for them. Barely a few months since the budget and a few weeks after the disastrous local elections they have announced a ~~bribe~~compensation package for all basic rate tax payers. Read here.

Of course having no money means that they have had to borrow money to make they payment but the payments will be after the by election so it won't hurt anyone during that critical time.

The only question is will it be enough? Will be British electorate, in Crewe and Nantwich anyway, be so stupid as to fall for it? One thing to be considered is that Crewe and Nantwich is a Labour stronghold and that this ~~bribe~~compensation package will have been targeted at getting to most of the people there. Will that fact coupled with their natural tendency to vote Labour anyway make the difference?

I certainly hope not. Fingers crossed.

I wonder what plan Boris has for this?

2008-05-12T22:53:00.002+01:00

It seems that yet another person has been murdered in London. Bearing in mind that the first thing Boris did was ban booze on public transport I would envisage that he will probably continue on the tried, and failed, banning things path. It just seems to be the fate of the UK to be managed by people who make great PR but crap policies.

Obviously this is a foretaste of what will happen if Cameron comes to power. Hopefully Gordo will hold out long enough for the Libertarian Party to build up enough support that they will make a difference. Sadly I just don't see the British public being ready for being able to look after themselves so they will still mainly vote for the three same nanny state parties and therefore it will be a while before our society will change.

In the meantime we should buy shares in metal detector and CCTV manufacturers and installers. Looks like those and private security are going to be the only things making money in this mickey mouse country.

What is going on here?

2008-05-11T19:07:00.002+01:00

First of all it's Brown is getting advice from Blair. Then it's Blair is scared of Brown. Now it appears that Brown is not 'prickly' despite the last eleven years we have of watching the guy in action. What is going on? Labour must be desperate and is trying to make him look tougher than he is in real life. A real go getter and his own boss.

His new image required him talking about his kids on prime time TV and from the sounds of it it was not what was agreed so it wasn't a conscious decision to give Gordo a heart.

Despite the latest rebellion in the ranks it seems that Gordo is determined to hang on to the power as long as possible and actually intends to go for a new term.

I wouldn't mind some of the stuff he is obviously on. I don't know about you but I get the opposite view from all this media coverage. It shows Gordo for the tyrant he is and whoever is organising it should get their money back. Labour need it for their finances.

With friends like this.

2008-05-10T19:10:00.002+01:00

Who needs enemies? It seems that Blair is giving Gordo some advice. Read here. Personally I doubt it. Just because the Blair Witch says so does not make it so but you never know. Gordo screws up enough on his own so I doubt he needs someone else to help by undermining him. Surely by the law of averages he would get something right if Blair was helping. But advising Labour on how to win the next election. Surely the cure for cancer will be here before that.

One sure way to tell though. Check (sic) Gordo's, sorry our, cheque book. Blair doesn't do anything unless some pennies flow his way from it.

Prepare for a new class of unemployed.

2008-05-08T17:04:00.002+01:00

If this database takes off there will soon be another class of people who will never be able to get a job in the UK. If everyone uses it, and who wouldn't or they would think they would end up with all the bad uns because they won't be able to get a job elsewhere. Will these people get special treatment on the unemployment register and not be expected to even try for a job?

It's an Orwellian nightmare. To never be able to get a job and, let's face it, there will be many people falsely accused. Who will not know they are on this database and continually be turned down for no apparent reason. Even if you have been working for someone for a while I can see them checking up on their employees and taking preemptive action to reduce risk.

On the more +ve side, I don't see this taking off as I can't see many employers putting names onto this database. There is nothing more likely to get them sued than putting unproven allegations out into the marketplace. At the moment some employers will not even provide references in case they are sued and most will not provide a reference that is not from HR using a template pre approved by a lawyer which gives basic minimal information.

What is it that every man and his dog and it's fleas seems to have a hard on for an obtrusive database at the moment?

Justice must be done.

2008-05-07T15:47:00.004+01:00

It seems we have a rapist seal out there on the ice pack. After reading this article on a seal 'raping' a penguin two hundred social workers from all over the UK flew out to rectify the situation.

The penguin, although it looked uninjured, was clearly in shock and was in desperate need of counseling. Unfortunately as we approached it raced away across the ice into the sea and was eaten by a killer whale. One social worker said that it was clear from it's suicidal dash that it was more traumatised than it appeared. The social worker who was closest said 'All I said was 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help you' when it jumped up squawking and wobbled it's way across the ice directly away from us as fast as it could hop from one little leg to the other'.

Although no other penguins were attacked each one was taken aside for counselling and twenty two baby penguins were removed because the parent penguins were suspected of abusing their chicks or allowing others to abuse them. 'It's a temporary measure until we can find suitable foster penguins' said one of the other social workers. 'It's for the chicks' was the response when one penguin caused a ruckus. 'I'm suspicious of that one. He clearly could not care about the chicks.' said one of the social workers carrying a day old chick. It was decided to take his chick as well.

The remainder of the social workers, escorted by armed police, went in search of the seal. 'Justice must be done and be seen to be done' said PC Plod as he prepared his HK MP5 machine gun. Several seals were shot because they appeared to be armed with something as the search went on for the suspect seal. 'It appears to be some form of cult' claimed one officer. 'You need to be very careful. Those flippers can hide an Uzi or Shotgun easily so we can't take chances'. Unfortunately things went horribly wrong when a hole where the seals and his family which was identified by a seal, 'persuaded by the new techniques available to the Police, was found to be occupied by a family of Polar bears. As ten of the social workers were ripped apart the Police were powerless as the lead bear, a powerful 10ft tall animal, identified as Fluffy the Polar bear who was returned to the wild two years ago. 'It's a protected species' shouted a Greenie as the animals gorged on social worker sushi. The three bears, nicknamed, Daddy Bear, Mummy Bear and Baby Bear after the bowls they used in the feast soon retired and could be heard being violently sick ten minutes later. The Greenie suspect that the social workers were too bitter for the palates of the bears but was pleased that Fluffy, aka Daddy Bear, was still using the bowls he was presented with as a leaving present and had passed on the skills. He explained his two friends had been eaten by the bears and seemed to be palatable enough. It shows our diet is right he claimed as he passed wind again. 'What?' he said as everyone left the warm tent to walk outside for five minutes.

The team, and the Greenie, returned to the UK vowing to track down the seal and are proposing a Seal DNA DB to help in the task. Plod of course claimed that CCTV cameras on the ice would have helped them get an arrest and it was liberals who stopped that. The RAF had to write off the C130 after the 8 hours the Greenie on board. The crew are in medical recovering' 'I've carried nuclear waste, chemical and biological weapons but nothing was close to that' said an RAF decontamination squad leader. 'The Geneva conventions stops us dropping him on Afghanistan but he could save many, many lives' claimed the MoD comparing him to the flight of the Enola Gay.

Footnote : We are sad to report that all the baby penguins died after they were released into the wild and were eaten by bears, wolves and seals. 'I don't understand' claimed one scientist 'We release all our animals here and just slide them down that little slide to the ice floe.' When the social workers were informed a spokesperson said 'Well better than living a life of fear and abuse with their families. My job is done.'

Gordo screws up again. More lives this time.

2008-05-07T11:16:00.003+01:00

It's a gift. This time is the reclassification of Cannabis. Experts say it is one thing but our omnipotent leader says it is something else. Read here.

So the whole world knows that he is doing it for his own ends and not because of expert advice or even a scientific basis in fact. Purely on his perception and *cough* intuition. The same intuition that has done him so well up to now.

These changes have to potential to ruin lives all because Gordo is a puritan and a dictator who can not put up with something that he personally disagrees with. If he really wants to send a good solid message he could start by sacking every one of his MPs who have used it in the past, even though for some reason it appears it was clearly much safer then as it's only recently it's evolved into the evil drug as MPs, on both sides, used it when it was safe clearly. Then as an added bonus take Jack Straws kid and lock him away as well as any other MPs kid who partakes of the evil weed. That should send a real message about the evil weed.

The war on Drugs really is another waste of time and money. As Bill Hicks said "George Bush says 'we are losing the war on drugs'. Well you know what that implies? There's a war going on, and people on drugs are winning it! Well what does that tell you about drugs? Some smart, creative motherfuckers on that side." Certainly none on the side of law and order that is certain. Hard to believe Bill Hicks died 14 years ago as his words still ring true and he is well worth listening to today as with Bush in the White House it sounds pretty much as it was then.

They just can't stop themselves.

2008-05-05T23:08:00.004+01:00

It looks like tax changes may drive some more firms abroad. Read here.

The bit that had me in stitches was the statement from the Treasury 'making the changes "broadly revenue neutral" overall'

Well my first thought was if it was revenue neutral yet going to drive even one more company away the why the hell are they going to do it?

The answer of course is that it won't be revenue neutral and they need every penny they can get now that doesn't seem to come from the common man. Not only have the wheels come off but the momentum is now spent and UK Ltd is grinding to a halt.

My right brain seems to be missing.

2008-05-03T20:42:00.003+01:00

Can you see a man in this picture? Click to enlarge if you think it will help.

The blurb sent to me said:
------------------------------------
FIND THE MAN IN THE COFFEE BEANS:
This is bizarre -- after you find the guy -- it's so obvious. Once you find him -- it's embarrassing, and you think, why didn't I see him immediately?

Doctors have concluded that if you find the man in the coffee beans in 3 seconds, the right half of your brain is better developed than most people. If you find the man between 3 seconds and 1 minute, the right half of the brain is developed normally. If you find the man between 1 minute and 3 minutes, then the right half of your brain is functioning slowly and you need to eat more protein. If you have not found the man after 3 minutes, the advice is to look for more of this type of exercise to make that part of the brain stronger!!!
And, yes, the man is really there!!!
------------------------------------

Well, I can't see the man at all, so far well over three minutes, so I clearly need a lot of protein or I have no right brain whatsoever. Strange as I always do so well normally in these sort of tests.

This time we should plan for the future.

2008-05-02T13:16:00.000+01:00

Oh dear. How sad it is that Labour have performed poorly in the local elections. Read here. It could not have happened to a nicer bunch. The cycle is almost complete and the general election due in the next few years will bring us full circle and then we will start the whole thing again.

So after we all finish celebrating we need to ensure that this time we plan a little for the future. It's not that difficult to plan for more than four years ahead, many people, organisations and even some countries do it all the time. Although clearly not our country.

My general understanding, and this is general, is that younger people have fewer assets and lower paying jobs whilst the older ones have collected assets and experience that gives well paid jobs.

Thus the younger ones vote Labour because they believe they will take the money from the rich, not them, and pass it to them in the form of benefits and tax concessions. The older ones vote Tory because they believe that they will let them keep more of their money and give them tax concessions. This group is pretty evenly balanced with a bias towards the lower paid.

Thus the floaters are the key players. The ones in the middle who can vote either Labour or Tory depending on the current state of the nation. High taxes that encompass the lower earners or high cost of living will turn them into Tories or where their heart is really into Labour either no vote or vote for dead wood like Lib Dems. Thus the core voters are almost equally split between Labour and Tory but the floaters make the difference and always have and as there are always winners and losers under the systems we have in place now so the floaters fluctuate.

Of course Labours way of gaining larger market share is for them to import more of the lower paid with no assets and the Tory way is to change their policies to appeal more to the middle market. It's a bit like marketing but you are allowed to lie and cheat with impunity.

So now Labours time is nearly over and they will be put out to pasture for a few years, approx 20 or so from history what can we do to ensure it is longer because, selfishly, I'll be retiring about the time they will be making a comeback and I don't want my pitiful assets seized just then thank you with another Socialist experiment because they claim this time we won't repeat the same mistakes as they aim for Socialist experiment version 2028.

So how exactly do we ensure that this latest example of the results of this version of the Socialist experiment are remembered? The kids being born now will not remember the hardship we are going through the same as we didn't in the late 70s and thus this lot were voted in. So we need to make sure they are remembered.

My proposal, and it may be controversial, is that every day first thing in the morning in the formative years up till they are 10 we play them DVDs of Socialism through the ages. Whilst showing images of starving people and people without Playstations and iPods we give them painful electric shocks up the arse. Then when it comes time to vote unconsciously they will have a terrible fear of voting for any socialists. Of course socialists will not do this to their children but this will at least swing the Tory voters rebel children away from Socialism at a critical time in ~~my life~~politics.

I'm sure you may have other ideas and I'm willing to listen. I can assure you my kids would appreciate it too.

Ignorance is bliss.

2008-05-01T19:23:00.006+01:00

This picture seems to be doing the rounds which shows protesters in San Francisco protesting against the Chinese Olympics. It's all about Tibet this time as it seems Iraq is a lost cause.

The supporting documentation is that these protesters are unintelligent. Although it was funny and that was my first thought when I read this on Adelaide Green Porridge Cafe. Read here.

Well I'm not sure it can be put down to stupidity, although it is San Francisco and it can't be discounted, I think it is more to do with ignorance. The difference being is that there may be simple facts that you are unaware of as I keep on saying when I put my foot in it over something I don't know is 'You don't know what you don't know.' I think it's more down to our current namby pamby educational system that gaffes like this are not unusual. Let's face it you would have thought that at least one of these protesters had a smidgen of history knowledge. Jeez, I hate history and just know the basics but I know all about Jesse Owens and Hitler in the late 1930 something.

Every day we get facts and opinions from one side of the story only. There are facts, opinions and logic to back it up and we believe it because we respect the person and their opinion and/or we process the facts ourselves. Yet, many times we get lied to and facts withheld so without gathering the other side of the story we pronounce judgement and act. It's puzzling in a way as people who are very intelligent and normally you would expect to be wary fall into this trap as easily as the truly unintelligent. Thus injustices are done so it's lucky for all of us that in the court systems we are able to answer our accusers and they have to make their accusations public. In our private and business lives we are not so lucky.

Today I bumped into an old acquaintance whilst out voting. I didn't like him much as I knew he beat his wife and kids and did until the kids had grown up and left home then he ended up kicked out and divorced. His ex wife was a friend of my ex wife so I got all the gossip at the time. All the emotional stuff and the innuendos and so I built up my impression of him and thus he was never invited around and when I met him it was simple politeness and no more than that for years. After the divorce he moved away but kept in touch with the kids. As his kids were just older than mine they stayed locally although I never really saw them again although my kids talk to them occasionally.

About a year later the real story came out when she was arrested and charged with assault and boy, did the truth come out, the story told by the kids was slightly different to the original stories. All the facts were there but for one teensy weensy difference as it was his wife that has been beating him and the kids. He was the protector and that was why he remained and only left when the last one had safely gone. She had of course been spreading the story about him being the wife and kid beater via the women's network, a faster and more efficient method of local data transmission will not be created in my lifetime, and he had been hated for nearly two decades by all except his kids. How devastating must that have been? I can't imagine it.

Of course then all the inconsistencies and doubts were voiced with people then saying I never believed her and they knew something was not right. The stories of the woman excessively smacking the kids was then spread around by those that thought it was OTT at the time but never mentioned it. The injustice to the poor guy was never raised and when it was mentioned by a third party it was simply brushed off with silence and shrugs. People met him when he came back to see his kids and simply avoided him, ignored him or were simply polite. Guilt meant they couldn't go further. I thought it was terrible that now that they knew the facts they just brushed them away and were now away on another subject without a care in the world. An injustice that would not be corrected even assuming of course that two decades of injustice could be corrected by a simple apology or acknowledgement.

So today I made a point of being friendly and asking him how it was doing. He talked about the past and mentioned that after the court case he had returned to the area. He seemed amused that I was talking to him and in the end I just apologised to him for my thoughts with no real evidence on hearsay. He accepted it in good humour but clearly had no real interest as that time had past and he had already accepted it. He did tell me one thing though. He was not aware that he was known as a wife beater until the court case when someone had dropped it in conversation about how he must have been a saint not to tell the truth and correct the misapprehension. It's the usual case of the unfaithful husband where everyone knows except the wife as no one want to be the bringer of bad news. So not knowing meant that he was unable to defend himself until it was irrelevant. What can you do? You hear someone is a wife beater but you can't say anything to them as you cannot do anything except vent and then he would go back and beat her for talking. Or so you think. He understood all of this.

Ignorance is undoubtedly bliss. It's the transition to awareness that is the problem. You suddenly discover something that you knew to be fact is suddenly totally and utterly wrong. It's like discovering Gordo is really a financial genius or the climate change theory is true. It's a massive shock. To discover someone is unfaithful, your child/other half is a killer or rapist, you are suddenly penniless because your other half has gambled all your money away or you are falsely accused of something serious. Some of these could have been resolved if only someone had told you early enough but nobody wants to really get involved. Happy to gossip and spread the story though.

Well, I am one of those people that don't like to get involved. I still am despite what I believe because I have not yet worked out a way to broach subjects like this with others without some element of risk. How do you tell someone that their wife/husband is unfaithful unless you are really, really close to them prior to the situation? What if you are wrong? What if they don't believe you and put motives on your actions? Why should you when you really don't know the person anyway? It's just gossip so best to ignore and thus the false rumours spread further without any resistance so they must be true because, well, everyone knows, it's common knowledge. There always seems to be someone as well who is more than willing to stir the pot a little as well and encourage and enhance the rumours. It's a hobby I suppose when you get fed up being an unloved housewife. Being at the centre of a scandal is exciting and brings Jerry Springer into the real world. Talk about the audience getting into the swing of things.

One of the things I can do though is admit when I am wrong, apologise, if possible, and try to put it in the past. If they can't then I shrug and accept it. This guy had no previous relationship or bond and we parted with a simple goodbye and lets face it he was still a wife beater, oh wait he wasn't, it is difficult to forget these things you believed for so long. Anyway an injustice righted as much as I can but it will never be right. He is probably a good guy but I will never know. I do feel guilty though about it although I never spread any of the rumours myself although I will just drop it as a lesson learnt.

Now, how do I tell the recently arrived next door neighbour his wife appears to be having an affair and the single guy at the bottom of the street he is viewed as a pedophile because he smiles and says hello to the kids? Both current rumours doing the rounds in our little area. I don't know anything about the woman bar she gets a male visitor every few days when hubby is at work (fact) and the two men never meet (malicious gossip) or the single guy except he lives further down the street (fact), is late 50s (fact), looks strange (malicious gossip), chubby and bearded (fact) and is suspicious enough in attitude to be considered dangerous (malicious gossip). I don't have a problem with talking to close friends though but that is another story.

God knows what they think of me. I'm blissfully ignorant. I'd like to know, wouldn't you?

It's getting to the time to buy a pre-loved executive car.

2008-05-01T15:35:00.002+01:00

A few years ago I had the best car I have ever had. A BMW535. Fantastic. Went really fast, no more than 70 m'lud, and was really comfortable. Sadly it took two tanks a week, £50 each and needed a remortgage to keep going. That was many moons ago. I'd hate to see what it would cost now. It was written off in a car crash and then I moved to a more sedate model that took one tank a week at £30. Mmmm. Even the kids missed the BMW though.

So now that our tax grabbing government is looking at squeezing even more out of us under the guise of 'It's for the planet' it's tax bracket would be in the highest bracket whatever that is now. If I still had it it would be yet another financial incentive to move to a more standard car but when you are paying £150 per tyre and £100 a week fuel a rise to approx £8 per week just isn't worth bothering about. Sadly for many their necessity car is also getting hammered by this tax rise. So yet again those on a tight budget and have to have one of these cars is getting screwed yet again by our caring government. You just have to laugh. The good news is these are the people who are likely to actually support these clowns so it's a bit of a good news bad news scenario. The good news is we are doing something about the rich people with their fuel inefficient cars and 4x4s. Yay! Screw those rich b45^4rds. The bad news is your estate is classed as one of those. WTF? Read here about the bottom dropping out of these cars values.

I wonder how many just won't tax it and drive it around or will buy one, on the cheap, to do so. Luxury driving and the tax savings will pay for the extra cost of the fuel. As long as they don't go too far though because they may actually meet a police patrol around. OK, OK, I know it's unlikely but it is still a valid risk.

Well I did my bit.

2008-05-01T10:10:00.001+01:00

I went and voted although as in my ward there were only the three main parties to vote for it was a bit of a damp squib. I've already spoken to half a dozen people who do not intend to vote and bumped into an old acquaintance who made me think. (More on this later)

Long live democracy. Can't wait till it gets brought here.

Peace comes in many forms.

2008-04-30T15:54:00.002+01:00

It seems that Martin McGuinness is going to Iraq on a peace mission. Read here. Although I wonder who's side he is on. You see having successfully led a 'peace mission' where Blair just folded and let the terrorists have a load of concessions is he going to do the same hing in Iraq.

Peace can mean many things. Not just us defeating the terrorists. If they win there will also be peace.

Just what were they thinking?

2008-04-29T11:32:00.005+01:00

What were they thinking? From the designer to the manufacturer there must have been someone that just fell about when this was shown especially in this day and age. I just fell over when I seen this.

There you go James.

I wonder how we can solve this problem with fraud?

2008-04-28T19:35:00.002+01:00

Well, well, it seems that the current way we vote in the UK is open to fraud. Read here. What a surprise. It's only been like that for, err...., well forever and the new systems just make it easier.

I wonder what could be used as a solution? From the Home Office website. 'ID cards will provide legal UK residents, including foreign nationals, with an easy and secure way of proving who they are.'

No ID Card = No vote. Makes perfect sense.

It is no longer MAD that keeps us sane.

2008-04-27T18:06:00.002+01:00

Back when the nuclear bomb was first developed and it spread to other countries it was a case of 'We have to have it to protect ourselves'. The scenario was that if it was used then the other party would respond in kind and lead the to the destruction of both countries. MAD or Mutually Assured Destruction was the game. Use and be annihilated yourself.

Of course things never stay stagnant and much work was done on the neutralisation of the 'enemies' nuclear weapons and enhancing delivery of our own. ICBMs, SSBNs and stealth technology were all small steps forward and soon copied or countered by the 'enemy' leaving the balance intact while they could not be sure of getting all the launches and even if only 1% of 18,000 nukes got through it was back to the stone age for us all, those that lived of course. Their scenarios showed that enemy retaliation was never going to wipe us out although a look around shows we build major population centers around of military targets whilst they did not so infrastructure strikes meant less to them than us but our superior accuracy meant most, if not all, their leadership was history.

So for 50 years peace has reigned and the only wars being fought were conventional wars using third parties until the 'enemies' political system collapsed entirely. It was inevitable that it would whilst it did not dominate the globe and it couldn't take over whilst the western systems were still functioning. For it to survive it needed total domination so that there was no light to look up to and strive for and there was no help for the downtrodden and the will of the leaders was paramount.

So, nuclear weapons have only been useful whilst both parties have them and both parties want to live. MAD keeps them sane.

Now it seems were have forgotten the lessons of the past and are actually implementing a sub set of these systems in our own society. Such is life. Here in the UK we can't even remember the lessons learnt in the 70s so how can we be expected to remember lessons learnt before that in other countries. Damn these politicians to a new level in Hell. But that is another story.

Today I read on the comments section of the BBC website the following statement 'A nuclear power other than Israel in the Middle East might bring a balance of power to the region'. I nearly fell off my chair. How can any person think that in this day and age?

This latest bunch looking for a nuclear weapon are more than happy to die as long as they take us with them. Hell even if they only take a few they would do it. MAD no longer applies and thus the only balance that will be achieved is that a lifeless desert will be created where Israel is for starters. With Israel probably one nuke would destroy the country enough to enable it to be invaded and the fact that retaliation could take place would be irrelevant and against whom? Here in the West we usually like evidence to ensure we are doing the right thing, well, current presidents excepted of course. It stops us just thrashing around causing more harm than good. However, Israel in it's death throes would not be so kind I'm sure.

But in the end it all comes down to one thing. The countries in the nuke club have safeguards in place to control their use plus they know that to use them is tantamount to suicide, either of their country or the entire political regime. That goes for everyone not just North Korea and everyone of those seems to be happy with living and gorging at the trough of being our lords and masters.

The rest of the middle east however does not appear to be so caring. When their leaders talk about a caliphate and the arrival of the 12th Imam they are talking about the start of their domination of the globe. The 'old enemy' wanted this but their society also wanted to live so they could not get it through force. This 'new enemy' is happy to die to allow this domination and once the domination is in place there will be no coming back until this new society advances to the same stage we are now. It's already a thousand years behind and at it's rate of progress with no guiding light it will be a very long time before we get to this stage in our evolution.

On the plus side of course nuclear weapons being detonated all over the planet will drive us all into a new ice ages to the greenies will be happy. Those that are not dust of course and even then some probably still would be.

So with MAD no longer an viable option with these people can we with all conscience allow one of these other countries to be a nuclear power? In my opinion not if we do not put adequate safeguards in place to stop them moving on to nuclear weapons otherwise it would clearly be one of the more stupid of our decisions. Nuclear power for all but with a monitoring facility in place ran by anyone with an interest in monitoring them. That facility should be available to any country as long as they were prepared to fund the monitors. That way we could be reasonably confident that we were doing what we could to stop them being armed with the deadliest tactical weapons known to man.

Now, taking a step back, I can understand why everyone wants a nuke. It's still a game of they have one we want one and it seems hypocritical of us to stop someone developing one. Well, you are right, it is hypocritical but I'd rather be hypocritical and alive. You see my way would be to actually nuke these countries ourselves and take them back another few hundred years if they stepped out of line in the slightest. Our policy of examining the evidence and punishing the guilty doesn't work here because the perpetrators are dead. They are usually from a bunch of like minded countries where each country denies involvement. So what do we do? There is very little we can whilst we have the mindset we have now so containment seems to be the order of the day. Perhaps in the future we will move to be proactive and then it will not be an issue. We can treat them all as one, under a caliphate, and nuke the lot in one go.

Oh, and in case you are wondering. Biological or chemical weapons seem to be a much better way to go for these guys but they are difficult to make, store, transport and deliver although it is easier than the work required to make the warhead in a nuke. However, the nuke is seen as number one and still desired even after all these years. You have not made it as a country till you have a nuke in your arsenal.

So all in all, it's not looking too good and one day there will be a nuke detonated somewhere. The good news is that this lot are into a lot of infighting so it's likely to be 'over there'. The bad news is Israel is 'over there'. I wonder if they will make sure the Palestinians are safe seeing as they worry about them so. Mmmmm. I thought not.