Sunday Paper Review: 2nd August 2009

We start this week with the News of the World which reveals that the banks which have been bailed out with OUR money are set to fork out £4BILLION in bonuses. The paper also reports on the massive profits that the banks are now making. So, if you were wondering what had happened to all the money that the taxpayer had taken off us and were wondering why small businesses were going to the wall, millions are unemployed and we the public are all struggling to make ends meet... wonder no more.

The Independent on Sunday claims that the Joint Committee on Human Rights will publish a report this week demanding an independent inquiry into the allegations of British involvement in torture and rendition that have been swirling around for many months. An independent inquiry sounds a good idea in principle, but worthwhile in practise? Will anyone ever admit to anything? Will any proverbial ever hit a fan? Of course not. Why not just steal the taxpayers money and give it to some bankers, or live the high life on 'expenses' as per usual? Call us cynical.

Henry Porter in The Observer needs no such inquiry. He just comes out and states as fact what most of the rest of us accept as being the case as he writes simply: "No one's fooled – we colluded in torture". His article makes for powerful reading. One of his conclusions is that: "It is preposterous that Britain still presents itself to the world as a paragon of virtue when our people have been sitting with their fingers in their ears as some poor bastard has his fingernails ripped out, waiting for a lull in the screaming so they can ask the next question". Powerful writing, Mr. Porter, which we hope many will read.

That 'New Labour' has - by all accounts - brought our once proud nation to this sorry state of affairs. It's enough to make one weep.

The Sunday Telegraph has a story which suggests that Labour MPs once loyal to Blair are trying to persuade Lord Voldemort, Peter 'Prince of Darkness' Mandelson, to use a not-even-on-the-statute-book-yet change in the law allowing peers to resign from the House of Lords... so that he can stand for election as an MP in a 'safe' north England seat. There have been a few stories of late suggesting Mandelson could become Prime Minister after Gormless. Out of the frying pan..?

The Sunday Times contains an article with the new Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, twattering on about Gary McKinnon - Johnson doing his best 'not my fault Gov'nor' routine. We're not listening, Labour. You're a shower, a scandalous shower, and the worst thing to happen to Britain and it's people, period. Meanwhile, there's a revelation that Harriet Harperson tried to change ZaNuLiebour's rules so that a woman had to always have a position of power as 'you can't trust men in power'. Oh really? We have just two words for Harperson - 'Jacqui' and 'Smith'. Shuddersome.

The Sunday Express has an interesting story on passports. It says that of the £130million spent on face-to-face interviews for passport applicants, only 87 applications have been held back as suspect - a cost of £1.5million per application. So, when you look at your PAYE slip and see how much tax you're paying each week and thinking 'good grief', take heart in knowing that your money is being put to such good use, won't you?

The Mail on Sunday has a story that is both hilarious and pathetic in equal measure. It tells how an illegal immigrant is on the run - after sneaking himself into Britain under a coach hired by the Border Agency and crammed full of immigration officials. They all failed to spot the immigrant - until they got to Folkestone whereupon the plucky immigrant made his dash for freedom... and got away. You could not make this up, could you? And political uproar is sure to follow. The report suggests that the coach driver will not face any penalty - even though British hauliers who fall foul of illegal immigrants are routinely penalised if immigrants are found in their vehicles.