This has to have been the worst summer ever for my close family. Tomorrow however, Mrs Meldrew and I embark on a 16 night cruise calling at many of the beauty spots in the Adriatic.
I look forward to the break before returning to rant once more at my computer screen. I just wonder what can happen to this once great country in two weeks?
Monday, 27 September 2010
Fairness in the Voting system....
If you have ever wondered where our money went in the last 13 years take a look at the hundreds of political quangos recently listed in newspapers.What a huge waste of public finance created by the NoLab politicians. I never realised just how vast and how destructive the Quangos had become. Hundreds upon hundreds of NoLab supporters have been living off the teet of the New Labour Project and thankfully some are now being dismantled. I believe that many more should also go.
This is the reality of NoLab politics. They have stitched up all of our lives to such an extent that the great unwashed now get more from the system than the taxpayer. Witness the immigrant living in a large house when an ex serviceman cannot even get on the list! No wonder the takers will always vote NoLab because NoLab is geared to handing them advantages. The respectable, the educated, the law abiding all lose out under the Milliband regime. Only the lawless, the feckless and the useless will prosper under Milliband.
NoLab have a system where people appear to be able to vote according to their importance in the NoLab hierachy. This could turn out to be a good idea. Can we take this a step further? If you have paid into the system for fifty years then you are allotted fifty votes! Now that would be fair.
Using this system we have a vote for the very people who have served the country and paid their dues and can now have a say in what we do with the country!
My mother is 94 and she has firm views in what she wants for our country. She has paid her taxes all of her life but now rates level with any Somali immigrant or gypsy traveller. This cannot be right so is it not time that a political party adopts this 'fairness' policy?
I reckon that I qualify for about 50 votes and considering that I spent 25 years in uniform towing my family from posting to posting that I reckon is fair recompense. By the time the Somali immigrant qualifies for 50 votes he/she may have also contributed something to this country (possibly)and I will be long gone.
This is the reality of NoLab politics. They have stitched up all of our lives to such an extent that the great unwashed now get more from the system than the taxpayer. Witness the immigrant living in a large house when an ex serviceman cannot even get on the list! No wonder the takers will always vote NoLab because NoLab is geared to handing them advantages. The respectable, the educated, the law abiding all lose out under the Milliband regime. Only the lawless, the feckless and the useless will prosper under Milliband.
NoLab have a system where people appear to be able to vote according to their importance in the NoLab hierachy. This could turn out to be a good idea. Can we take this a step further? If you have paid into the system for fifty years then you are allotted fifty votes! Now that would be fair.
Using this system we have a vote for the very people who have served the country and paid their dues and can now have a say in what we do with the country!
My mother is 94 and she has firm views in what she wants for our country. She has paid her taxes all of her life but now rates level with any Somali immigrant or gypsy traveller. This cannot be right so is it not time that a political party adopts this 'fairness' policy?
I reckon that I qualify for about 50 votes and considering that I spent 25 years in uniform towing my family from posting to posting that I reckon is fair recompense. By the time the Somali immigrant qualifies for 50 votes he/she may have also contributed something to this country (possibly)and I will be long gone.
Sunday, 26 September 2010
Ed Miliband
I watched the recently elected leader of the NoLab party live on the Andrew Marr show this morning and it was the usual joke. He used the same well worn phrases favoured by NoLab politicians. He has been schooled exactly as they are all schooled when facing the media. He constantly refused to answer a question honestly and directly.
He waffled, obfuscated and ducked all the important issues. None of the NoLab politicians have any idea what they should do to bring the nation's finances under control. They cannot understand that, to support the EU, to wage a major war on behalf of the EU and to continue to prop up failing nations costs far more than we can afford.
They must cut their cloth but none of them can answer this monumental question. Where do we cut? What would they do if they were in government? Everytime Marr asked Ed the Red this crucial question he just waffled.
This is why the Coalition will continue without a challenge for the foreseeable future. The Labour party has fallen into the hands of people who frankly have no connection with the working class. The Unions continue to dominate the strategy of the party despite having no policy other than to wreck everything that they can lay their hands on.
The British 'thinking' public realise that Ed Miliband is a pawn in the hands of the Unions. They know that the Labour party has been ruined by champagne Socialists like Ed Miliband and his likes who are all public school educated and have no idea what life is like for the working class.
This is the time for a charismatic Nationalist to emerge. Come on you know who you are and you know that you could turn this nation on its head!
He waffled, obfuscated and ducked all the important issues. None of the NoLab politicians have any idea what they should do to bring the nation's finances under control. They cannot understand that, to support the EU, to wage a major war on behalf of the EU and to continue to prop up failing nations costs far more than we can afford.
They must cut their cloth but none of them can answer this monumental question. Where do we cut? What would they do if they were in government? Everytime Marr asked Ed the Red this crucial question he just waffled.
This is why the Coalition will continue without a challenge for the foreseeable future. The Labour party has fallen into the hands of people who frankly have no connection with the working class. The Unions continue to dominate the strategy of the party despite having no policy other than to wreck everything that they can lay their hands on.
The British 'thinking' public realise that Ed Miliband is a pawn in the hands of the Unions. They know that the Labour party has been ruined by champagne Socialists like Ed Miliband and his likes who are all public school educated and have no idea what life is like for the working class.
This is the time for a charismatic Nationalist to emerge. Come on you know who you are and you know that you could turn this nation on its head!
Thursday, 23 September 2010
The Police
Can we dare to believe that someone has seen a chink of light and that the police are about to attempt to tackle the scourge of the country...anti social behaviour? Even one of the arch NoLab wasters, ex Home Secretary Alan Johnson, has admitted that they 'coasted' where anti-social behaviour was concerned. 'Coasted'? They bloody ignored the louts while they terrified whole communities and in particular the most vulnerable.
Meanwhile the Senior Officers who have stood back and paid lip service to the NoLab politicians so that they could rise up the ranks on the back of useless diversity and politically correct mandates now begin to wriggle. They should be ashamed of themselves!
I still won't believe it until I see it but someone is at least making the right noises. We still have to sort out the prisons, the sentencing policies and the useless CPS but it is a start!
Meanwhile the Senior Officers who have stood back and paid lip service to the NoLab politicians so that they could rise up the ranks on the back of useless diversity and politically correct mandates now begin to wriggle. They should be ashamed of themselves!
I still won't believe it until I see it but someone is at least making the right noises. We still have to sort out the prisons, the sentencing policies and the useless CPS but it is a start!
Foreign Aid!
So Nick Clegg thinks that it is acceptable to give away taxpayer's money to foreign countries and is so insistent that he wants laws drawn up to make it illegal not to contribute a certain percentage of National GDP. We have a Coalition persistently telling us that we are broke, that NoLab left us in such a parlous state that we cannot afford anything and up pops good old Nick insisting that we can still give money to worthy causes like Zimbabwe.
This is where these EU supporting politicians lose all credibility. Has anyone thought of asking the British public before throwing our money down the pan? Anyone who has studied history and the antics of a variety of African leaders know damned well that Aid to Africa rarely gets to where it was intended to go unless someone stands over them and insists that it is spent properly.
When will they realise that we are in the state that we are in because successive politicians from all parties have given our money away and we never see any benefit. Our schools are in disrepair, our elderly are neglected, our soldiers lack support, our tax system has been corrupted and the most important issue is to give our money away. He is plain nuts!
This is where these EU supporting politicians lose all credibility. Has anyone thought of asking the British public before throwing our money down the pan? Anyone who has studied history and the antics of a variety of African leaders know damned well that Aid to Africa rarely gets to where it was intended to go unless someone stands over them and insists that it is spent properly.
When will they realise that we are in the state that we are in because successive politicians from all parties have given our money away and we never see any benefit. Our schools are in disrepair, our elderly are neglected, our soldiers lack support, our tax system has been corrupted and the most important issue is to give our money away. He is plain nuts!
Monday, 20 September 2010
New Labour
Somewhere in the country five people are conniving to lead a political party. This party historically represents the working class and their funding is traditionally taken from the subscriptions of the members of the Trade Unions. These same Trade Unions, where their leaders reward themselves with huge salaries and then parade around the world living off the hog of the land.
We have seen the performances of their leading members like John Prescott who frankly has always reneged on his so called beliefs but at least he is patently working class. The rest of them are all public school educated. They are all toffs who are using the Labour party as their party of convenience. They know nothing of life at working class level but they continually pose as political leaders.
No wonder when push came to shove they all failed the country. Between them they wrecked the economy of a major western power. Between them they almost achieved the impossible...they almost (well they may have achieved it) broke their country financially. And yet they still soldier on in the quest for glory.
Before we even consider any of these awful candidates (the best that Labour can promote) then should we not examine their track records. None of them have ever apologised for ruining the economy. None of them have ever suggested an alternative solution to the ongoing problem. None of them have any ideas of how to curb their profligacy. They are totally devoid of ideas and should be dismissed out of hand.
We have seen the performances of their leading members like John Prescott who frankly has always reneged on his so called beliefs but at least he is patently working class. The rest of them are all public school educated. They are all toffs who are using the Labour party as their party of convenience. They know nothing of life at working class level but they continually pose as political leaders.
No wonder when push came to shove they all failed the country. Between them they wrecked the economy of a major western power. Between them they almost achieved the impossible...they almost (well they may have achieved it) broke their country financially. And yet they still soldier on in the quest for glory.
Before we even consider any of these awful candidates (the best that Labour can promote) then should we not examine their track records. None of them have ever apologised for ruining the economy. None of them have ever suggested an alternative solution to the ongoing problem. None of them have any ideas of how to curb their profligacy. They are totally devoid of ideas and should be dismissed out of hand.
The Attendance of our Elected Representatives...
Sorry I must apologise because just occasionally I visit the House of Commons 'live' channel and I am always amazed at how few MPs actually attend the routine debates. I suppose that makes me rather sad in modern parlance but then we have been conditioned to mock those that care and monitor the performances of our elected representatives.
Our House of Commons is frankly a disgrace. The recent publicity given to the attendance of Gordon Brown illuminates the hypocrisy of the problem. He is the show pony of the corrupt system but think about the Sinn Fein MPs who refuse to take the oath and therefore cannot attend. These charlatans still get paid!! Just how much are we the public expected to accept?
Our Political Class has been taking the P*** for so long that we now almost accept their conduct. The British unlike the French will never march on Parliament and throw these people into the Thames. In return we get the same old crap. Our political system is inherently corrupt. So once gain I will repeat...until we are granted a referendum on the EU then the politics of this country will always be corrupt.
Until we cleanse our House of Commons and root out all the posers and make them attend debates, until we expose the Gordon Browns and the Gerry Adams's then there is no honesty in our politics. Over to the Coalition but don't hold your breath!
Our House of Commons is frankly a disgrace. The recent publicity given to the attendance of Gordon Brown illuminates the hypocrisy of the problem. He is the show pony of the corrupt system but think about the Sinn Fein MPs who refuse to take the oath and therefore cannot attend. These charlatans still get paid!! Just how much are we the public expected to accept?
Our Political Class has been taking the P*** for so long that we now almost accept their conduct. The British unlike the French will never march on Parliament and throw these people into the Thames. In return we get the same old crap. Our political system is inherently corrupt. So once gain I will repeat...until we are granted a referendum on the EU then the politics of this country will always be corrupt.
Until we cleanse our House of Commons and root out all the posers and make them attend debates, until we expose the Gordon Browns and the Gerry Adams's then there is no honesty in our politics. Over to the Coalition but don't hold your breath!
The Public Payroll
One of the many aspects of political behaviour which infuriates the public is the immense waste of taxpayer's money. Barrowloads of public money is being distributed in every direction other than where it should be going and that is providing services for the public.
During the past 13 years under the NoLab government the rise in the public payroll has been spectacular. A recent Freedom of Information request has revealed that 9000 people on the public payroll are being paid more than the Prime Minister. Now to my mind if the PM is being paid his salary to run the country then everyone else scales down from that.
This is the reason that some of the examples of unparalled greed in the public sector beggar belief. The Chief Executive of Wandsworth Borough Council receives almost £300,000 which means that in his eyes Wandsworth is almost twice as important as the rest of the UK! Apparently the rest of the Public payroll scale down from him but there are notable exceptions. A GP from Hillingdon reputedly earning £475,000 per annum, a teacher from Essex earning £232,000 and the head of the BBC crowns everyone (of course) as he creams off £832,000 of licence payer's money without batting an eyelid.
If The Coalition is to maintain credibility it must address this huge misuse of public funds. These salaries are a crime against the public. Many of these Heads of Departments are prepared to close vital public services rather than submit themselves to a realistic appraisal of their own role in the public service. It has to be imposed upon them and until it is then the public has reason to believe that they are being criminally shortchanged.
During the past 13 years under the NoLab government the rise in the public payroll has been spectacular. A recent Freedom of Information request has revealed that 9000 people on the public payroll are being paid more than the Prime Minister. Now to my mind if the PM is being paid his salary to run the country then everyone else scales down from that.
This is the reason that some of the examples of unparalled greed in the public sector beggar belief. The Chief Executive of Wandsworth Borough Council receives almost £300,000 which means that in his eyes Wandsworth is almost twice as important as the rest of the UK! Apparently the rest of the Public payroll scale down from him but there are notable exceptions. A GP from Hillingdon reputedly earning £475,000 per annum, a teacher from Essex earning £232,000 and the head of the BBC crowns everyone (of course) as he creams off £832,000 of licence payer's money without batting an eyelid.
If The Coalition is to maintain credibility it must address this huge misuse of public funds. These salaries are a crime against the public. Many of these Heads of Departments are prepared to close vital public services rather than submit themselves to a realistic appraisal of their own role in the public service. It has to be imposed upon them and until it is then the public has reason to believe that they are being criminally shortchanged.
Thursday, 16 September 2010
Question Time
Tonight we have a Question Time with the five contenders for the Labour leadership trying to impress the public.
They don't matter!
They don't matter!
I just don't get it...
I see the fuss, the media scramble and I really try to understand the commitment of all the people who crowded into Bellahouston Park in Glasgow today. What is it about a religion which throughout history has taken advantage of the poorest, the most vulnerable people in any era of life?
Any religion which demands that their followers remain celebate and then abhors contraception must be lost in a modern society. I have spoken to Catholics, many of them close friends and some who have tried to leave their church only to be almost blackmailed to remain within the fold.
Sorry this is not a religion in my opinion..it is a power trip but what I don't get is why they have such a hold on their followers? I can understand faith. I see what a comfort it has been to my daughter but the Catholic church appears to me to be quite out of touch with modern reality.
Their track record is also very bad and of course it will be if their followers are so sexually deprived. It is a recipe for abuse and apparently it has already caused controversy. Why has this visit taken place? Why has it caused so many problems? Why politically has this version of Christianity been given so much coverage? Why has it cost so much? Why have the beleaguered British public had to pay for it?
Sorry I just don't get it!
Any religion which demands that their followers remain celebate and then abhors contraception must be lost in a modern society. I have spoken to Catholics, many of them close friends and some who have tried to leave their church only to be almost blackmailed to remain within the fold.
Sorry this is not a religion in my opinion..it is a power trip but what I don't get is why they have such a hold on their followers? I can understand faith. I see what a comfort it has been to my daughter but the Catholic church appears to me to be quite out of touch with modern reality.
Their track record is also very bad and of course it will be if their followers are so sexually deprived. It is a recipe for abuse and apparently it has already caused controversy. Why has this visit taken place? Why has it caused so many problems? Why politically has this version of Christianity been given so much coverage? Why has it cost so much? Why have the beleaguered British public had to pay for it?
Sorry I just don't get it!
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
Well is he right...?
One of the Catholic Cardinals who is very close to the Pope has described landing in the UK as landing in a third world country. Personally I believe that many of the ethnic majority in this country would agree with him. There are huge swathes of this country where a white face dare not or would not venture.
Of course many of us believe that this has been deliberately engineered by those wanting to ruin the UK. It has been going on for years, porous borders, ineffective MP's, weak laws, improper banking regulations, inappropriate Civil Service recruitment...it goes on and on. I cannot think of one political decision taken since we joined the EU which benefits the British ethnic majority.
Our taxes support every other nation, every other cause, every other community apart from the very people who should benefit. Who decides this? Why do we ignore our own elderly, our own disabled, our own disadvantaged. We actually throw money at every cause which is not our own. Our Foreign Aid contribution has been ringfenced (according to David Cameron) and yet he wants to almost destroy our Public Services!
It is a long time since a leading politician in this country actually supported us the taxpayer. Think about it... nobody (apart from Nick Griffin of the BNP) actually champions the cause of the taxpayer. Nobody thinks about the taxpayer... our elderly who have paid into the system throughout their lives are being forced to sell houses to pay for their old age.
In the meantime 'chancers' from the third world arrive and are granted huge sums of public money to set up a useless scrounger existence here in the UK. Perhaps the Cardinal was right; perhaps the Catholic Church is sending us a message which the Church of England refuses to acknoweledge.
It is time to think inward but none of our political parties can even think of us the taxpayer. We are a hindrance to their global aspirations. We pay the money but get nothing back. As a nation we are bankrupt if we think of the taxpayer but, if we don't, then we can afford a war in Afghanistan, a political, unaudited, socialist, ideal in Europe, a Foreign Aid programme and we can pay bankers, Civil Servants, Local Governments Officers and quango Chiefs huge sums of public money for doing nothing. They are being bribed to keep socialism alive!
I am afraid the Cardinal may be thrown to the wolves but he was right! We have become a third world country and we deserve what we have become.
Of course many of us believe that this has been deliberately engineered by those wanting to ruin the UK. It has been going on for years, porous borders, ineffective MP's, weak laws, improper banking regulations, inappropriate Civil Service recruitment...it goes on and on. I cannot think of one political decision taken since we joined the EU which benefits the British ethnic majority.
Our taxes support every other nation, every other cause, every other community apart from the very people who should benefit. Who decides this? Why do we ignore our own elderly, our own disabled, our own disadvantaged. We actually throw money at every cause which is not our own. Our Foreign Aid contribution has been ringfenced (according to David Cameron) and yet he wants to almost destroy our Public Services!
It is a long time since a leading politician in this country actually supported us the taxpayer. Think about it... nobody (apart from Nick Griffin of the BNP) actually champions the cause of the taxpayer. Nobody thinks about the taxpayer... our elderly who have paid into the system throughout their lives are being forced to sell houses to pay for their old age.
In the meantime 'chancers' from the third world arrive and are granted huge sums of public money to set up a useless scrounger existence here in the UK. Perhaps the Cardinal was right; perhaps the Catholic Church is sending us a message which the Church of England refuses to acknoweledge.
It is time to think inward but none of our political parties can even think of us the taxpayer. We are a hindrance to their global aspirations. We pay the money but get nothing back. As a nation we are bankrupt if we think of the taxpayer but, if we don't, then we can afford a war in Afghanistan, a political, unaudited, socialist, ideal in Europe, a Foreign Aid programme and we can pay bankers, Civil Servants, Local Governments Officers and quango Chiefs huge sums of public money for doing nothing. They are being bribed to keep socialism alive!
I am afraid the Cardinal may be thrown to the wolves but he was right! We have become a third world country and we deserve what we have become.
Monday, 13 September 2010
Trusts, Committees and Quangos...
Is it just me or is the Coalition dragging its feet somewhat over the abolition of the many hundreds of trusts, committees and quangos that somehow have access to large sums of public money. I believe that most people who take an interest in politics realise that the formation of the countless groupings of unaccountable authorities is a modern day racket.
I can't remember when these unelected bodies sprang into life but I suspect it has something to do with the EU because their main occupation seems to be channelling public money away from the British public. Certainly the sole object of many of them appeared to be to fill the New Labour coffers. Something many of them did with aplomb.
To do so they buy the loyalty of the trust members by rewarding them with salaries which far exceed their talent. They are then bought and paid for and will conceal their nefarious activities to retain their salary. The whole procedure stinks of EU interference because nobody has been elected, everyone is vastly overrewarded and public money disappears down a huge black hole.
What concerns me is that, despite the trumpeting of the Cameron Brigade that they would attack the trusts and quangos and disband them, they have a problem because both Cameron and Clegg support the EU. They are therefore morally tied to EU practices and cannot therefore attack the very process that they support.
So in this country we now have the government spending public money like water, the bankers ripping everyone off, the EU demanding ever more and now lo and behold in come the Unions to ensure that our misery will soon be complete. The Unions are opposing the reduction of public services and in some cases they are right because the government are demanding that we slash public services but public services have already been slashed. There is frankly very little more to slash (unless you get rid of a few thousand Chief Officers) before we have to pack in all public services altogether.
The Coalition cannot make the public suffer any more. They must tackle the European Union and the banks. If Cameron and Clegg don't ensure that banker's bonuses are kept in line with their own austerity measures they will have no moral authority to demand more public cuts. If they don't then the Unions, who have never had the public interest at heart, may suddenly begin to gather public support because they will appear like knights in shining armour to the working class and they are NOT!
More than ever we need a right wing power group of Nationalists who have their country at heart. Where are they all? Have the bankers, News International and the Industrialists scared everyone underground?
I can't remember when these unelected bodies sprang into life but I suspect it has something to do with the EU because their main occupation seems to be channelling public money away from the British public. Certainly the sole object of many of them appeared to be to fill the New Labour coffers. Something many of them did with aplomb.
To do so they buy the loyalty of the trust members by rewarding them with salaries which far exceed their talent. They are then bought and paid for and will conceal their nefarious activities to retain their salary. The whole procedure stinks of EU interference because nobody has been elected, everyone is vastly overrewarded and public money disappears down a huge black hole.
What concerns me is that, despite the trumpeting of the Cameron Brigade that they would attack the trusts and quangos and disband them, they have a problem because both Cameron and Clegg support the EU. They are therefore morally tied to EU practices and cannot therefore attack the very process that they support.
So in this country we now have the government spending public money like water, the bankers ripping everyone off, the EU demanding ever more and now lo and behold in come the Unions to ensure that our misery will soon be complete. The Unions are opposing the reduction of public services and in some cases they are right because the government are demanding that we slash public services but public services have already been slashed. There is frankly very little more to slash (unless you get rid of a few thousand Chief Officers) before we have to pack in all public services altogether.
The Coalition cannot make the public suffer any more. They must tackle the European Union and the banks. If Cameron and Clegg don't ensure that banker's bonuses are kept in line with their own austerity measures they will have no moral authority to demand more public cuts. If they don't then the Unions, who have never had the public interest at heart, may suddenly begin to gather public support because they will appear like knights in shining armour to the working class and they are NOT!
More than ever we need a right wing power group of Nationalists who have their country at heart. Where are they all? Have the bankers, News International and the Industrialists scared everyone underground?
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
The 'Blitz' Spirit
What a magnificent bunch of old people turned up today to celebrate the 'Blitz' spirit at St Pauls. Seeing their dignity, their fortitude and listening to their memories I must admit that I felt ashamed of my country today.
How can we have slipped so far from the people who march past the Cenotaph every year to the dregs of humanity who fill the tabloids with their lurid stories. How can our morality have collapsed to the point where a man (a Prime Minister) can lie to Parliament and then make a fortune on the back of that lie?
How do these people, with their rows of medals. square themselves with the influx of strangers who have been allowed to swallow huge sums of public money and then usurp their place in the queue for housing, health, welfare and benefits.
How can we breed a generation of people who can defile themselves and make more money than university graduates? How can footballers and Pop stars earn more respect than surgeons and nurses? How can heroes from the Battle of Britain, D-Day, the war in Burma be left in poverty whilst immigrants who owe this country nothing live in luxury. Most importantly who is responsible and why are they not in jail?
How can we have slipped so far from the people who march past the Cenotaph every year to the dregs of humanity who fill the tabloids with their lurid stories. How can our morality have collapsed to the point where a man (a Prime Minister) can lie to Parliament and then make a fortune on the back of that lie?
How do these people, with their rows of medals. square themselves with the influx of strangers who have been allowed to swallow huge sums of public money and then usurp their place in the queue for housing, health, welfare and benefits.
How can we breed a generation of people who can defile themselves and make more money than university graduates? How can footballers and Pop stars earn more respect than surgeons and nurses? How can heroes from the Battle of Britain, D-Day, the war in Burma be left in poverty whilst immigrants who owe this country nothing live in luxury. Most importantly who is responsible and why are they not in jail?
Taxation and the Public!
It really does beggar belief that the taxation authorities have just proven themselves to be absolutely incompetent. Yet another arm of government in this country has let the public down and now it seems we cannot trust anything run by Civil Servants. In every public service department all we get are excuses for incompetence.
We are paying a high price for the destruction of our education system and the Blair project which replaced career Civil Servants with Special Advisors whose sole qualification was their slavish loyalty to New Labour and the European Union.
The abolishment of any academic entrance selection test was the last straw because it gave local recruiters carte blanche to employ anyone regardless of their educational background. It gave opportunities to those politically motivated people to advance through the ranks regardless of their ability to organise, man-manage and administer their departments. An ability to smile sweetly, follow rules and not rock the boat does not replace the essential qualities required to run a government department.
So now we have the result! It has apparently taken a computer to spot that most of us have probably been incorrectly taxed for years. All those highly placed, highly paid departmental leaders have complacently allowed the system to slide into decay until it collapsed. I would like to bet that not one of them loses their jobs.
The rest of the world must be looking at the United Kingdom and either giggling insanely at what we tolerate or just shaking their heads sadly at the demise of a once lovely country.
We are paying a high price for the destruction of our education system and the Blair project which replaced career Civil Servants with Special Advisors whose sole qualification was their slavish loyalty to New Labour and the European Union.
The abolishment of any academic entrance selection test was the last straw because it gave local recruiters carte blanche to employ anyone regardless of their educational background. It gave opportunities to those politically motivated people to advance through the ranks regardless of their ability to organise, man-manage and administer their departments. An ability to smile sweetly, follow rules and not rock the boat does not replace the essential qualities required to run a government department.
So now we have the result! It has apparently taken a computer to spot that most of us have probably been incorrectly taxed for years. All those highly placed, highly paid departmental leaders have complacently allowed the system to slide into decay until it collapsed. I would like to bet that not one of them loses their jobs.
The rest of the world must be looking at the United Kingdom and either giggling insanely at what we tolerate or just shaking their heads sadly at the demise of a once lovely country.
Monday, 6 September 2010
New Labour Hypocrisy
At long last the NoLab leadership contest is tottering to an end. Soon (yawn yawn) we will probably have David Milliband leading this collection of no hopers. Occasionally I have half listened to their pathetic jibberings hoping to hear just one pearl of wisdom which would make me sit up.
I have heard nothing that makes me believe that any of them have the slightest clue how to run the country in an orderly and professional manner. Not one of them has ventured any rational explanation as to why they left the country in its current financial plight. No reason, no excuse, and no apology just the same old cliches and platitudes. In the Millibands I have never seen a pair of grown men who are so bland, so colourless and so devoid of stature. They appear to believe that because they went to the right school and the right university that they have a divine right to be born to the manor.
They are so far removed from socialism that it is a mind boggling joke of very poor taste to think of them as representing the working class. Mind you the same goes for Ed Balls and Diane Abbott because all of them seem to have a divine right to be part of the Political Class purely down to their privileged education and nothing to do with experience, leadership, ethics and common sense. I doubt if any of them has ever witnessed life outside of the political bubble.
Whatever happens to the working class politician? What happens to the elected representatives from the Northern and Scottish heartlands when they arrive at Westminster? Most of them appear to disappear up their own backsides never to be seen again (but they do know the way to the expenses desk). In the meantime who cares who wins?
I have heard nothing that makes me believe that any of them have the slightest clue how to run the country in an orderly and professional manner. Not one of them has ventured any rational explanation as to why they left the country in its current financial plight. No reason, no excuse, and no apology just the same old cliches and platitudes. In the Millibands I have never seen a pair of grown men who are so bland, so colourless and so devoid of stature. They appear to believe that because they went to the right school and the right university that they have a divine right to be born to the manor.
They are so far removed from socialism that it is a mind boggling joke of very poor taste to think of them as representing the working class. Mind you the same goes for Ed Balls and Diane Abbott because all of them seem to have a divine right to be part of the Political Class purely down to their privileged education and nothing to do with experience, leadership, ethics and common sense. I doubt if any of them has ever witnessed life outside of the political bubble.
Whatever happens to the working class politician? What happens to the elected representatives from the Northern and Scottish heartlands when they arrive at Westminster? Most of them appear to disappear up their own backsides never to be seen again (but they do know the way to the expenses desk). In the meantime who cares who wins?
Phone Tapping and Politics
I watched the statement made by Home Secretry, Teresa May, in the House of Commons about the involvement of Tory media chief Andy Coulson with the phone tapping scandal which happened a little while back. I also watched the concerted attack by NoLab politicians to get the government to hold an enquiry into the affair.
Her oft repeated reply was purely that this was a police matter and if new evidence came to light then they would reopen the enquiry. If the words of the NoLab MPs are to believed the original so called enquiry was a pretty sketchy affair and most of the muck was swept under the carpet.
Now the New York Times has entered the fray claiming that this was a large operation led by Coulson on behalf of News International (The Sun and News of the World) aimed generally at leading politicians. There are also suggestions from other blogs that in this case the police knew what News International was doing and turned a blind eye. The problem is that the New York Times is apparently refusing to release the evidence that it has so the police can legitimately claim that no new evidence is available.
I'm afraid this is not good enough. If Andy Coulson was leading an operation to tap phones and I know from my past life that it would have to be a major operation then the police are obliged to investigate. The longer they hesitate the more the public perception will be that they are concealing something that stinks to high heaven.
The relationship between the Politicians, the Police and the Public in this country is sinking ever deeper into the mire. The longer the police delay any action the more it will appear that they have something to conceal. News International can risk having a dodgy reputation but the police cannot.
Her oft repeated reply was purely that this was a police matter and if new evidence came to light then they would reopen the enquiry. If the words of the NoLab MPs are to believed the original so called enquiry was a pretty sketchy affair and most of the muck was swept under the carpet.
Now the New York Times has entered the fray claiming that this was a large operation led by Coulson on behalf of News International (The Sun and News of the World) aimed generally at leading politicians. There are also suggestions from other blogs that in this case the police knew what News International was doing and turned a blind eye. The problem is that the New York Times is apparently refusing to release the evidence that it has so the police can legitimately claim that no new evidence is available.
I'm afraid this is not good enough. If Andy Coulson was leading an operation to tap phones and I know from my past life that it would have to be a major operation then the police are obliged to investigate. The longer they hesitate the more the public perception will be that they are concealing something that stinks to high heaven.
The relationship between the Politicians, the Police and the Public in this country is sinking ever deeper into the mire. The longer the police delay any action the more it will appear that they have something to conceal. News International can risk having a dodgy reputation but the police cannot.
Sunday, 5 September 2010
Pakistan and Cricket
The Sundays have had a field day today as the story of Pakistani cricketing corruption rolls on. As I write the 20/20 test at Cardiff has been delayed by rain but I believe that it should have been cancelled. On the word of the 'match fixer' at least seven of the team were involved in the corruption and only three have been suspended.
He mentioned that two all rounders and the wickekeeper were also part of the plot and photographs identify two or three of the cricketers being shown the 'bribe' money hidden in a jacket when the fixer returned to their hotel. At the same time their opening batsman, Yasir Hameed, has been taped by another reporter complaining that he lost his place because he refused to take bribes. His confirmation that match fixing and spot betting was rife in the Pakistani team widens the circle even further.
Surely the manager must also have known that there was a dodgy element in his squad and if a batsman is being bounced in and out of the team because he cannot be corrupted then that involves the selection team as well.
The International Cricket Board cannot allow this affair to rumble along. They must act swiftly and ruthlessly. For too long there have been rumours about the honesty of Pakistani cricket. It is time that they were banned until they can prove that their cricket is clean and that may take some time.
He mentioned that two all rounders and the wickekeeper were also part of the plot and photographs identify two or three of the cricketers being shown the 'bribe' money hidden in a jacket when the fixer returned to their hotel. At the same time their opening batsman, Yasir Hameed, has been taped by another reporter complaining that he lost his place because he refused to take bribes. His confirmation that match fixing and spot betting was rife in the Pakistani team widens the circle even further.
Surely the manager must also have known that there was a dodgy element in his squad and if a batsman is being bounced in and out of the team because he cannot be corrupted then that involves the selection team as well.
The International Cricket Board cannot allow this affair to rumble along. They must act swiftly and ruthlessly. For too long there have been rumours about the honesty of Pakistani cricket. It is time that they were banned until they can prove that their cricket is clean and that may take some time.
Saturday, 4 September 2010
BBC
Is it just me or are the BBC Board, who exist because we the taxpayer fund their lifestyle, continually playing politics and playing politics with a huge bias towards anything that is remotely left wing. In years gone by the BBC was a byword for impartiality but in recent years I get the impression that they are a major factor in our political system.
The Coalition should have a problem with the BBC but I await a softening of approach mainly because the Coalition are pro European Union. You see The BBC have masters who control our political scene. If the Coalition do not threaten the EU then they will be tolerated, accepted and given air time.
Not quite the same air time that the BBC afford to the discredited NoLab politicians who continually appear on our screens disgorging their wisdom that has brought this once great country to its knees. I am sick of seeing Ed Balls, the Millibands, bloody Prescott and Alistair Campbell being paraded in front of our screens night after night. Do they not get the picture that these disgraceful politicians have just taken us through our worst ever decade?
And then we get the Tony Blair performance...out comes Andrew Marr the NoLab patsy who will excuse and protect any Scottish NoLab politician regardless of their track record. Marr the rock solid egotist who will always throw the straight ball to our NoLab politicians when he should have thrown the curved ball. He is of course the one person who they rely upon to maintain the status quo when a NoLab politician is either in trouble or needs maximum media exposure. The plethora of books written by the NoLab mafia typifies the bias of the BBC.
The modern BBC is actually a disgrace. Their sports coverage has descended almost to a joke, their politics is biased and their comedy is tortuous. Long gone are the glory days where one could enjoy the masterly comic genius performers. Like the politicians that they emulate the BBC staff reportedly spend vast sums of public money funding their pet projects and in the process award themselves huge salaries.
In my opinion if should stop. The licence fee should be abolished so that the BBC competes on a level playing field with the rest of the media. They may then appreciate the advantage that government funding gives them.
The Coalition should have a problem with the BBC but I await a softening of approach mainly because the Coalition are pro European Union. You see The BBC have masters who control our political scene. If the Coalition do not threaten the EU then they will be tolerated, accepted and given air time.
Not quite the same air time that the BBC afford to the discredited NoLab politicians who continually appear on our screens disgorging their wisdom that has brought this once great country to its knees. I am sick of seeing Ed Balls, the Millibands, bloody Prescott and Alistair Campbell being paraded in front of our screens night after night. Do they not get the picture that these disgraceful politicians have just taken us through our worst ever decade?
And then we get the Tony Blair performance...out comes Andrew Marr the NoLab patsy who will excuse and protect any Scottish NoLab politician regardless of their track record. Marr the rock solid egotist who will always throw the straight ball to our NoLab politicians when he should have thrown the curved ball. He is of course the one person who they rely upon to maintain the status quo when a NoLab politician is either in trouble or needs maximum media exposure. The plethora of books written by the NoLab mafia typifies the bias of the BBC.
The modern BBC is actually a disgrace. Their sports coverage has descended almost to a joke, their politics is biased and their comedy is tortuous. Long gone are the glory days where one could enjoy the masterly comic genius performers. Like the politicians that they emulate the BBC staff reportedly spend vast sums of public money funding their pet projects and in the process award themselves huge salaries.
In my opinion if should stop. The licence fee should be abolished so that the BBC competes on a level playing field with the rest of the media. They may then appreciate the advantage that government funding gives them.
England and Fabio....
Well once again England have pulled off a good start to their European campaign. They were, I thought, rather flattered because Joe Hart proved what most of us believed at the World Cup that he is by far the best goalkeeper available to us. His saves gave us breathing space and discouraged the Bulgarians but if they had gone in we may have seen a different game.
Fabio will soon have to make THE big decision because it cannot be a coincidenece that we looked a far better team without Frank Lampard. Don't get me wrong Lampard is a fine player but for some mysterious reason he disrupts the English team. the midfield doesn't function with Lampard in the team and in particular Gerard seems much more comfortable.
I am also concerned about Wayne Rooney. Something has happened to this lad and I suspect that the wealth is affecting his appetite for the game. He has lost that vital spark, the speed and the desire which made him exceptional. He is now workmanlike which is not enough and his lack of goals must be a concern for the England boss. Defoe on the other hand surprised me because I am not normally a fan.
However once Crouch is available then on the face of it then in my opinion it would be Rooney who would step down.
Of the rest Adam Johnson showed that he should have gone to South Africa and Jagielka and Dawson deserve further opportunities (pity about Dawson). I await the introduction of some of the younger brigade like Huddlestone. Walcott continues to frustrate me by the lack of an end product but overall we still need a potential world star...someone who will shake up the planet. We thought it would be Rooney but then we saw what the rest were producing.
I am increasingly of the opinion that a footballer's life is a very short one in the modern game. They peak in their early twenties and by the time that they are past 25 they have seen better days. Not perhaps with defenders but with those who take the physical puinishment up front then their shelf life is limited.
Who will be the next superstars?
Fabio will soon have to make THE big decision because it cannot be a coincidenece that we looked a far better team without Frank Lampard. Don't get me wrong Lampard is a fine player but for some mysterious reason he disrupts the English team. the midfield doesn't function with Lampard in the team and in particular Gerard seems much more comfortable.
I am also concerned about Wayne Rooney. Something has happened to this lad and I suspect that the wealth is affecting his appetite for the game. He has lost that vital spark, the speed and the desire which made him exceptional. He is now workmanlike which is not enough and his lack of goals must be a concern for the England boss. Defoe on the other hand surprised me because I am not normally a fan.
However once Crouch is available then on the face of it then in my opinion it would be Rooney who would step down.
Of the rest Adam Johnson showed that he should have gone to South Africa and Jagielka and Dawson deserve further opportunities (pity about Dawson). I await the introduction of some of the younger brigade like Huddlestone. Walcott continues to frustrate me by the lack of an end product but overall we still need a potential world star...someone who will shake up the planet. We thought it would be Rooney but then we saw what the rest were producing.
I am increasingly of the opinion that a footballer's life is a very short one in the modern game. They peak in their early twenties and by the time that they are past 25 they have seen better days. Not perhaps with defenders but with those who take the physical puinishment up front then their shelf life is limited.
Who will be the next superstars?
Thursday, 2 September 2010
William Hague... very vague...!
I do regret getting involved in this because a personal life is a personal life unless of course you conflict your personal life with your public life. I really believe that Guido Fawkes would not have brought this into the public domain unless he was utterly convinced that a politician was acting improperly.
I have no view on the sexuality of William Hague. It is none of my business until it spins into the public domain. Then it becomes important because if he is really is pretending to be 'straight' when he is actually 'gay' then is he trustworthy? Why in this modern day snd age does he need to conceal his sexuality and if he does what does that say about the rest of him?
In conclusion I recently saw a video of his marriage. There came a time when he had to kiss the bride in full view of the cameras. I am sorry but that was not a kiss with affection and his wife knew it. That is only an observation but watch it for yourself and you will see what I mean. Make up you own mind!
I have no view on the sexuality of William Hague. It is none of my business until it spins into the public domain. Then it becomes important because if he is really is pretending to be 'straight' when he is actually 'gay' then is he trustworthy? Why in this modern day snd age does he need to conceal his sexuality and if he does what does that say about the rest of him?
In conclusion I recently saw a video of his marriage. There came a time when he had to kiss the bride in full view of the cameras. I am sorry but that was not a kiss with affection and his wife knew it. That is only an observation but watch it for yourself and you will see what I mean. Make up you own mind!
A Heart Attack
I have decided to blog a little about the recovery (I hope) from a Heart Attack. I will attempt to be honest even though I am quite stupid about this because I almost refuse to believe that I am not the same person that I was before.
No doubt something has happened which makes me feel weaker than ever before...but a death threat? I know...I know it is a big thing...it is a big threat to my health. I can feel it so let me explain the male psyche... or shall I say my psyche! I know that I now have my limitations. My mate Trevor collapsed three times and had to be revived both in his house and in the ambulance. I sat calmly on the edge of a bowling green and recovered.
I have seen Trevor bowl brilllantly for two years so why not me? Yesterday I drove on the anniversary of my heart attack (one month) and celebrated by taking my wife to the coast at Bridlington. I tell you what guys even if you think you can do it that is a really stupid thing to do! I had a very dodgy moment.
Today I am better...I had a drink with my buddy... but I am a much wiser man. No more the hero, no more the man that I was a few week's ago.
No doubt something has happened which makes me feel weaker than ever before...but a death threat? I know...I know it is a big thing...it is a big threat to my health. I can feel it so let me explain the male psyche... or shall I say my psyche! I know that I now have my limitations. My mate Trevor collapsed three times and had to be revived both in his house and in the ambulance. I sat calmly on the edge of a bowling green and recovered.
I have seen Trevor bowl brilllantly for two years so why not me? Yesterday I drove on the anniversary of my heart attack (one month) and celebrated by taking my wife to the coast at Bridlington. I tell you what guys even if you think you can do it that is a really stupid thing to do! I had a very dodgy moment.
Today I am better...I had a drink with my buddy... but I am a much wiser man. No more the hero, no more the man that I was a few week's ago.
Pakistani Ethics
Now let me get this right. A video exists depicting an agent with immediate links to the Pakistani cricket team conducting a deal with representatives of the News of the World newspaper. In front of the said agent is £150000. It was handed to him slowly and deliberately so that he had time to count each bundle.
In this video he agrees that in return for the money stacked in front of him he will ensure that the Pakistani cricket team (and two bowlers in particular) will bowl three no balls. He confirms that these three no balls will be bowled at exactly the time that the negotiating team want them to be bowled.
The reporters are seen writing down the timing of the no balls. The bowlers names are confirmed and the name of the captain is mentioned because he will ensure which bowler bowls which over. Now is that clear so far? We now all know that these bowlers have been bribed to bowl the no balls.
The following day the three no balls are bowled exactly on time. They are so obviously no balls that it is almost comical and the commentary teams for Sky Sports even mention what bad deliveries they are. Now here is my quandary.
What part of this scam does the Pakistani High Commissioner not understand? What part of this scam is questionable? What on earth makes him think that these young men are innocent until proven guilty? Why would he wish to prolong the agony and the embarrassment of this whole shocking affair? How does he honestly believe that he can excuse, explain or support the conduct of these individuals.
I sometimes just shake my head at people who find it so difficult to confront reality. All people involved in this miserable little deal should be banned for life and Pakistan should be suspended from international cricket until they recognise that it is wrong to excuse cheats. The series in the meantime should be cancelled!
In this video he agrees that in return for the money stacked in front of him he will ensure that the Pakistani cricket team (and two bowlers in particular) will bowl three no balls. He confirms that these three no balls will be bowled at exactly the time that the negotiating team want them to be bowled.
The reporters are seen writing down the timing of the no balls. The bowlers names are confirmed and the name of the captain is mentioned because he will ensure which bowler bowls which over. Now is that clear so far? We now all know that these bowlers have been bribed to bowl the no balls.
The following day the three no balls are bowled exactly on time. They are so obviously no balls that it is almost comical and the commentary teams for Sky Sports even mention what bad deliveries they are. Now here is my quandary.
What part of this scam does the Pakistani High Commissioner not understand? What part of this scam is questionable? What on earth makes him think that these young men are innocent until proven guilty? Why would he wish to prolong the agony and the embarrassment of this whole shocking affair? How does he honestly believe that he can excuse, explain or support the conduct of these individuals.
I sometimes just shake my head at people who find it so difficult to confront reality. All people involved in this miserable little deal should be banned for life and Pakistan should be suspended from international cricket until they recognise that it is wrong to excuse cheats. The series in the meantime should be cancelled!
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