It's very much sad that the nation of Greece is at the constant heart of unrest as it's economy struggles through such turmoil.
Greece - the birthplace of theatre, civilisation's very heartbeat.
And, it is true, the notion of democracy and politics - as we know it - also have Greece at their peak of their historical point of lineage.
Then, of course, they also have handed down - to the scholarly or those with still active imaginations full of the wonder of life - the beautiful Greek myths and the tales of their Olympian Gods and Goddesses.
Much of the nature of the Greek myths can be summarised in one sentence: allegories to the rites of passage for mortal life and explanation of the possibilities of a spiritual life.
The curiosity comes in examining Greek mythology.
For a swathe of tales which describe the very essence of the meaning of living, much of what is described seems impossible in modern times.
To assemble a motley crew and go off on a free-spirited quest for the golden fleece? Couldn't happen today. Think of how many bureaucrats and health & safety regulators would put a stop to such a desire.
The spirit of human adventure appears to have been regulated into non-existence.
Though should we be surprised?
The fact that the modern Olympics are coming to London 2012 is impressed upon us all the time.
But they could never bear resemblance to the Games of our Ancient Greek forefathers.
For a start, the athletic sportsmen who participated would have been naked in the sporting events.
See, back then, the human body was not something that had been treated as an object of revulsion and disgust.
Through a warped sense of morality, we have even deemed our own very physical construction to be sinful.
...unless the State wants to take sneaky pervy photographs of our naked bodies at an airport, of course.
And when one thinks about the necessity of our regimented lives - work, sleep, paying bills, adhering to legislation and statute all over the place...
...one thinks back to the Ancient Greeks myths and archetypes.
They described the very nature of existence for the human animal.
Yet we would not be allowed to engage in many of the very human rites of passage that the old myths of Greece allude to.
We have been out-Governed to the point where, our fat arsed, beer swilling, Sky Sports watching non-lives seem so removed from the human condition detailed in Greek mythology that one wonders whether we are human at all.
And before people think of The Killers song, we're not 'dancer' either. We seem to be headed to a point where we are so culturally sterilised that even a waltz seems like an activity too ambitious to contemplate for a majority.
How did we come to this?
Over-regulation and over-Government. Ignorant petty rules and laws. Busy-bodying, interfering do-gooders with too little personal wonder for the world that they had to ruin everybody else's.
Oh, great Zeus, if only you could set us free to be human again...
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
Sunday, 28 March 2010
Net savvy cider drinkers delivering a crab apple to Alistair Darling
It's started...
Cider drinkers, totally 'pissed' at Alistair Darling's 10% above inflation increase on tax on the drink, have started hitting back... by buying The Wurzels track I Am A Cider Drinker.
The move - the result of an internet campaign - appears to be enjoying success.
The track, from the Top of the Crops album, currently sits just outside the top twenty on the Amazon UK downloads chart.
44,792 people have - at the time of writing - signed up to the Facebook campaign group behind this musical V-sign at the Chancellor. The Wurzels will be donating their royalties to Sports Relief.
Of course, the fun nature of the Wurzels campaign does have a serious side and traditional cider makers in Britain could suffer devestating consequences as a result of Alistair Darling's bizarre tax measure.
The Talking Clock asked our friend, UKIP's Hereford and South Herefordshire PPC - Valentine Smith - to spell out the serious side for us.
Valentine is seeking to become the elected representative of an area where cider production is of local significance.
And writing exclusively for The Talking Clock, Valentine explains: "In a budget that was just venal and vindictive and completely missed out on any real initiative to solve our financial woes, the most stupid and crass announcement was the ‘Cider Tax’. The cider industry has been one of our very few success stories in the UK in recent years, for both employment and the environment and it’s success has been a noticeable thumbs down for the EU agricultural initiatives.
"As more UK consumers have been drinking home produced real cider in a responsible way, orchards that had formerly been grubbed up to take advantage of EU grants are now returning to profitable and environmentally friendly growth of apple trees of many cider varieties. This includes an increasing use of many almost lost old varieties as recipes from the past are being recreated for a growing number of genuine enthusiasts.
"For the record, as the Chancellor obviously doesn’t know or care, cheap superstrength ‘cider’ that has never been near a real apple will continue - even after this measure - to be a cheap, nasty route to oblivion for people with a drink problem along with cheap vodka. Real cider is a drink for people who, apart from the taste, appreciate the craft and heritage of the production - the same as fine wines.
"This tax could put some producers out of business; most of the vulnerable are family firms and another blow for already hard hit rural pubs."
Cider drinkers, totally 'pissed' at Alistair Darling's 10% above inflation increase on tax on the drink, have started hitting back... by buying The Wurzels track I Am A Cider Drinker.
The move - the result of an internet campaign - appears to be enjoying success.
The track, from the Top of the Crops album, currently sits just outside the top twenty on the Amazon UK downloads chart.
44,792 people have - at the time of writing - signed up to the Facebook campaign group behind this musical V-sign at the Chancellor. The Wurzels will be donating their royalties to Sports Relief.
Of course, the fun nature of the Wurzels campaign does have a serious side and traditional cider makers in Britain could suffer devestating consequences as a result of Alistair Darling's bizarre tax measure.
The Talking Clock asked our friend, UKIP's Hereford and South Herefordshire PPC - Valentine Smith - to spell out the serious side for us.
Valentine is seeking to become the elected representative of an area where cider production is of local significance.
And writing exclusively for The Talking Clock, Valentine explains: "In a budget that was just venal and vindictive and completely missed out on any real initiative to solve our financial woes, the most stupid and crass announcement was the ‘Cider Tax’. The cider industry has been one of our very few success stories in the UK in recent years, for both employment and the environment and it’s success has been a noticeable thumbs down for the EU agricultural initiatives.
"As more UK consumers have been drinking home produced real cider in a responsible way, orchards that had formerly been grubbed up to take advantage of EU grants are now returning to profitable and environmentally friendly growth of apple trees of many cider varieties. This includes an increasing use of many almost lost old varieties as recipes from the past are being recreated for a growing number of genuine enthusiasts.
"For the record, as the Chancellor obviously doesn’t know or care, cheap superstrength ‘cider’ that has never been near a real apple will continue - even after this measure - to be a cheap, nasty route to oblivion for people with a drink problem along with cheap vodka. Real cider is a drink for people who, apart from the taste, appreciate the craft and heritage of the production - the same as fine wines.
"This tax could put some producers out of business; most of the vulnerable are family firms and another blow for already hard hit rural pubs."
Sunday Paper Review: 28th March 2010
In the run-up to a General Election, there are some very strange stories jockeying for space in today's Sunday newspapers. But, ever dependable these days are sleaze stories. So... it's another day, and more Labour sleaze stories in the headlines...
The Sunday Times claims that two more former Labour ministers - who it names as Adam Ingram and Richard Caborn - have "been secretly recorded offering to exploit their government contacts and experience to help commercial clients for fees of up to £2,500 a day." The latest claims follow from last week's furore over the joint Sunday Times / Channel Four Dispatches sting revelations which placed Stephen Byers into the public spotlight for all the wrong reasons. The same news report states that "a YouGov poll of more than 1,500 people for The Sunday Times shows that by nearly two to one, 49% to 29%, voters agree [...] this is the most corrupt parliament in Britain’s history."
The Mail on Sunday goes for dirt digging against Labour MP Margaret Moran who, the paper claims, has "boasted she used a private company based at the Commons to change immigration policy to allow cheap workers to be brought in from India."
Staying with politics, and The Observer says that Labour will attack the Shadow Chancellor - George Osborne - throughout the election campaign, in the belief that he is the Conservative Party's 'weakest link'.
They'll have their work cut out... Britain's biggest newspaper, the News of the World, has joined it's sister publication - The Sun - in backing the Conservatives. In their explanatory editorial, the newspaper says: "Overwhelmingly, on all fronts, this country is crying out for change. Which is why, after much soul-searching, the News of the World believes that David Cameron and the Tory Party must now be given the chance to run the country."
The Sunday Express has an interesting piece on the State snoopers who, according to acts of statute anyway, can apparently enter our homes. It reports that "there are 418 pieces of legislation which allow council officials to enter your home" and they "can show up without notice or warrants and with 1,208 reasons to enter your home, workplace or land without your permission." And we have 1,208 different ways of telling them to get stuffed, too.
We won't link to the story about Jordan's haunted sunbed. But it's out there in newspaper land, folks! Honest!
The Sunday Times claims that two more former Labour ministers - who it names as Adam Ingram and Richard Caborn - have "been secretly recorded offering to exploit their government contacts and experience to help commercial clients for fees of up to £2,500 a day." The latest claims follow from last week's furore over the joint Sunday Times / Channel Four Dispatches sting revelations which placed Stephen Byers into the public spotlight for all the wrong reasons. The same news report states that "a YouGov poll of more than 1,500 people for The Sunday Times shows that by nearly two to one, 49% to 29%, voters agree [...] this is the most corrupt parliament in Britain’s history."
The Mail on Sunday goes for dirt digging against Labour MP Margaret Moran who, the paper claims, has "boasted she used a private company based at the Commons to change immigration policy to allow cheap workers to be brought in from India."
Staying with politics, and The Observer says that Labour will attack the Shadow Chancellor - George Osborne - throughout the election campaign, in the belief that he is the Conservative Party's 'weakest link'.
They'll have their work cut out... Britain's biggest newspaper, the News of the World, has joined it's sister publication - The Sun - in backing the Conservatives. In their explanatory editorial, the newspaper says: "Overwhelmingly, on all fronts, this country is crying out for change. Which is why, after much soul-searching, the News of the World believes that David Cameron and the Tory Party must now be given the chance to run the country."
The Sunday Express has an interesting piece on the State snoopers who, according to acts of statute anyway, can apparently enter our homes. It reports that "there are 418 pieces of legislation which allow council officials to enter your home" and they "can show up without notice or warrants and with 1,208 reasons to enter your home, workplace or land without your permission." And we have 1,208 different ways of telling them to get stuffed, too.
We won't link to the story about Jordan's haunted sunbed. But it's out there in newspaper land, folks! Honest!
Saturday, 27 March 2010
Labour: We promise you... absolutely nothing!
We're getting close to that time where Gordon Brown - the Prime Minister that no-one (not even his party) elected - calls a General Election. Not that he wants to, but because he has to.
My goodness. For all the media coverage of the Unelected Prime Minister Gordon Brown's big moment unveiling Labour's big five election 'pledges', you'd have thought that there might be some substance.
And, in fairness to them, Labour appear to have learned from previous mistakes.
Labour - the party that printed lovely glossy manifestos full of promises which they then went on to break has, for this election campaign, promised you... absolutely nothing!
Their five 'pledges' which are so vague as to not even be worth quoting are printed on a picture of sunkissed fields of crop... representing the country way of life which Labour so despises.
How bizarre. But funny...
My goodness. For all the media coverage of the Unelected Prime Minister Gordon Brown's big moment unveiling Labour's big five election 'pledges', you'd have thought that there might be some substance.
And, in fairness to them, Labour appear to have learned from previous mistakes.
Labour - the party that printed lovely glossy manifestos full of promises which they then went on to break has, for this election campaign, promised you... absolutely nothing!
Their five 'pledges' which are so vague as to not even be worth quoting are printed on a picture of sunkissed fields of crop... representing the country way of life which Labour so despises.
How bizarre. But funny...
Oh, Mrs Merkel! You are a tease!
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is ruffling a few feathers amongst her European Empire colleagues... and causing both Gordon Brown and David Cameron some pre-election worries.
Following on from summit discussions in light of the Greek economic situation, Merkel has taken up the position of suggesting that new treaty negotiations in Europe are inevitable.
While isolated - and deliciously opposed by Gordon 'New World Order' Brown - she is, according to The Guardian, drawing positive comparisons with Margaret Thatcher amongst her domestic audience.
However, her European counterparts - and not just the treacherous Gormless - are hating what she has to say... and proud British patriots like you and I are the cause of their turmoil.
An unnamed senior official is quoted by the newspaper as saying of Merkel's position: "There are member states that will reopen other issues. I know in Britain that the party that is ahead in the polls would like to open discussions."
You reckon? We weren't aware that UKIP were on course to win the General Election, but we can but dream.
The party that is ahead in the polls - just, despite opposing the crappest British Government of all time - is no doubt shedding brown-stuff over such talk.
It would seem that do-nothing, 'Cast Iron' Dave would rather the European issue vanish off the radar completely, never to trouble his eco-obsessed party's new found socialist tendencies.
Meanwhile, back to the reality of the real Conservative Party (those not in the Shadow Cabinet) and - already - those backbenchers are seizing on Mrs. Merkel's observation.
Proud patriot Bill Cash MP is quoted by The Times as saying: "This is a dramatic development and one that needs decisive action. We must lead Europe out of this mess by re-affirming we will have a referendum — which we were denied on Lisbon. A decisive ‘No’ vote from the British people would then lead to a new Europe based on an association of nation states."
So, please Mrs. Merkel. We know that it is you and Sarkozy who really have all the power in Europe.
Don't just tease us with flirtatious talk of a new treaty.
Just do it!
Think how much easier it would be to be supreme ruler of Europe without us pesky Brits moaning all the time.
Go on. Give all those male politicians a damn good handbagging - the likes of which Maggie would be proud of - and get your own way on a new treaty.
Pretty, pretty please!
Following on from summit discussions in light of the Greek economic situation, Merkel has taken up the position of suggesting that new treaty negotiations in Europe are inevitable.
While isolated - and deliciously opposed by Gordon 'New World Order' Brown - she is, according to The Guardian, drawing positive comparisons with Margaret Thatcher amongst her domestic audience.
However, her European counterparts - and not just the treacherous Gormless - are hating what she has to say... and proud British patriots like you and I are the cause of their turmoil.
An unnamed senior official is quoted by the newspaper as saying of Merkel's position: "There are member states that will reopen other issues. I know in Britain that the party that is ahead in the polls would like to open discussions."
You reckon? We weren't aware that UKIP were on course to win the General Election, but we can but dream.
The party that is ahead in the polls - just, despite opposing the crappest British Government of all time - is no doubt shedding brown-stuff over such talk.
It would seem that do-nothing, 'Cast Iron' Dave would rather the European issue vanish off the radar completely, never to trouble his eco-obsessed party's new found socialist tendencies.
Meanwhile, back to the reality of the real Conservative Party (those not in the Shadow Cabinet) and - already - those backbenchers are seizing on Mrs. Merkel's observation.
Proud patriot Bill Cash MP is quoted by The Times as saying: "This is a dramatic development and one that needs decisive action. We must lead Europe out of this mess by re-affirming we will have a referendum — which we were denied on Lisbon. A decisive ‘No’ vote from the British people would then lead to a new Europe based on an association of nation states."
So, please Mrs. Merkel. We know that it is you and Sarkozy who really have all the power in Europe.
Don't just tease us with flirtatious talk of a new treaty.
Just do it!
Think how much easier it would be to be supreme ruler of Europe without us pesky Brits moaning all the time.
Go on. Give all those male politicians a damn good handbagging - the likes of which Maggie would be proud of - and get your own way on a new treaty.
Pretty, pretty please!
Friday, 26 March 2010
The week in review (26/03)
These are the ten blog posts which have been viewed most here on The Talking Clock over the last seven days.
NTW = New This Week
(1) 1. Lord Monckton - on Alex Jones (Jan)
(2) 2. BBC Question Time - our thoughts on 18th March edition
(4) 3. PMQs - Cameron attacks on gold sale
(-) 4. Knackered and Corrupt - the impression of Britain NTW
(-) 5. Jasna Badzak - our exclusive interview with the UKIP PPC
(5) 6. Lord Monckton - on Alex Jones (Feb)
(3) 7. Sunday Paper Review - mainstream stories, 14th March
(-) 8. William Hague - emphatic no Tory 'in-out' referendum NTW
(-) 9. Paedophiles - Labour makes even builders suspects NTW
(-) 10. Strike! - Labour really are taking the proverbial... NTW
Our favourite seven blog posts or articles seen elsewhere this week. These can be from established columnists or opinion writers in the mainstream, else independent thinkers and authors in the blogosphere (and this week, Gerald Warner has been on amazing form!):
1. Gerald Warner - gulf between politicians and people
2. Peter Oborne - public life is so corrupt
3. James Delingpole - ClimateGate, a Parliamentary cover-up
4. Gerald Warner - carbon religion's worst week
5. Gerald Warner - cows do not cause global warming
6. Richard Littlejohn - stuck in a lift with Gordon Brown
7. Looking For A Voice - Government Inhibition
Thank you to those who've read, positively linked to, or posted comments on The Talking Clock over the last seven days.
NTW = New This Week
(1) 1. Lord Monckton - on Alex Jones (Jan)
(2) 2. BBC Question Time - our thoughts on 18th March edition
(4) 3. PMQs - Cameron attacks on gold sale
(-) 4. Knackered and Corrupt - the impression of Britain NTW
(-) 5. Jasna Badzak - our exclusive interview with the UKIP PPC
(5) 6. Lord Monckton - on Alex Jones (Feb)
(3) 7. Sunday Paper Review - mainstream stories, 14th March
(-) 8. William Hague - emphatic no Tory 'in-out' referendum NTW
(-) 9. Paedophiles - Labour makes even builders suspects NTW
(-) 10. Strike! - Labour really are taking the proverbial... NTW
Our favourite seven blog posts or articles seen elsewhere this week. These can be from established columnists or opinion writers in the mainstream, else independent thinkers and authors in the blogosphere (and this week, Gerald Warner has been on amazing form!):
1. Gerald Warner - gulf between politicians and people
2. Peter Oborne - public life is so corrupt
3. James Delingpole - ClimateGate, a Parliamentary cover-up
4. Gerald Warner - carbon religion's worst week
5. Gerald Warner - cows do not cause global warming
6. Richard Littlejohn - stuck in a lift with Gordon Brown
7. Looking For A Voice - Government Inhibition
Thank you to those who've read, positively linked to, or posted comments on The Talking Clock over the last seven days.
It's happening: European Government openly announced; Climate Change 'deniers' being catalogued by European Empire
Who needs a Jim Marrs book to see what's happening here, then?
The biggest secret - which was never really difficult to work out for anybody who ever bothered trying - is now out in the open.
Sarkozy and Merkel yesterday called for economic government for Europe.
Spot the mission creep. They already make most of our laws and European Empire legislation extends into EVERY area of our life.
Once they have control of the economy, the mission will be complete.
Paranoid conspiracy nonsense? Nope. Here is the story in The Sun, the Daily Mail and The Times.
And the wibbly-wobbly response of our Unelected Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, who - along with his sidekick David Miliband - made sure the European Empire got their way over us?
Oh, could you change the phrase 'European Government' to 'European Governance'..? Don't want to scare the voters at home and that little change will con the stupid people.
No, Gordon.
Here is the dictionary definition of 'governance'. It means 'government'. We know you think the British people are as thick as two short planks, but we're not all that stupid.
Meanwhile...
Here is the front page of today's Daily Express:
In their report, the Daily Express - which appears to be the only newspaper with the bravery to tell us the truth (just as they did over Diana's death) - tells us that Europol is collating information on our political affiliations, our sexual preferences, whether we might be xenophobic, and whether we might be 'climate change deniers'.
Here's more from the report: "Among personal details that can be gathered and stored are “behavioural data” including “lifestyle and routine; movements; places frequented”, tax position and profiles of DNA and voice. Where relevant, Europol will also be able to keep data on a person’s “political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs or trade union membership and data concerning health or sex life”."
Let's save them the bother.
This blogger backs UKIP, it is authored by a gay man, we are not in anyway xenophobic but we believe Britain should be governed by the people of these islands from our centuries old Parliament at Westminster, and the climate change hypothesis has been shown to be littered with dodgy non-science - time and time and time again.
If any of that upsets you, feel free to come and drag my naked ass from my bed and spirit me away to somewhere.
So, now you know all that, what you gonna do? Huh?
And stick the term 'naff right off' in your database while you're at it.
Now then, which idiots are paying for this disgrace?
Answer? We are.
The Daily Telegraph tells us: "Britain has given £800million more than expected to the European Union this year, Treasury documents show. Figures contained in Treasury documents published alongside the Budget show Britain is projected to hand over £6.4billion this year, and £7.6billion in 2010/11."
£6.4 billion. Think about that. With Gordon Brown's stuffed up economy and the size of the national debt, the word 'billion' has lost any unusual significance - it's become an every day word like 'and'.
So, let's look at it another way.
How many hospitals, nurses, schools, teachers, roads and army helicopters could £6.4 billion buy?
And what would you like to spend the change on?
So, there's a bit of straight talking.
Stick all of that in your databases, EU, and shove right off.
...but, when you drag us off in the night, please can we have the cell on the same wing as Nigel Farage, Dan Hannan and James Delingpole? May as well be in good company.
The biggest secret - which was never really difficult to work out for anybody who ever bothered trying - is now out in the open.
Sarkozy and Merkel yesterday called for economic government for Europe.
Spot the mission creep. They already make most of our laws and European Empire legislation extends into EVERY area of our life.
Once they have control of the economy, the mission will be complete.
Paranoid conspiracy nonsense? Nope. Here is the story in The Sun, the Daily Mail and The Times.
And the wibbly-wobbly response of our Unelected Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, who - along with his sidekick David Miliband - made sure the European Empire got their way over us?
Oh, could you change the phrase 'European Government' to 'European Governance'..? Don't want to scare the voters at home and that little change will con the stupid people.
No, Gordon.
Here is the dictionary definition of 'governance'. It means 'government'. We know you think the British people are as thick as two short planks, but we're not all that stupid.
Meanwhile...
Here is the front page of today's Daily Express:
In their report, the Daily Express - which appears to be the only newspaper with the bravery to tell us the truth (just as they did over Diana's death) - tells us that Europol is collating information on our political affiliations, our sexual preferences, whether we might be xenophobic, and whether we might be 'climate change deniers'.
Here's more from the report: "Among personal details that can be gathered and stored are “behavioural data” including “lifestyle and routine; movements; places frequented”, tax position and profiles of DNA and voice. Where relevant, Europol will also be able to keep data on a person’s “political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs or trade union membership and data concerning health or sex life”."
Let's save them the bother.
This blogger backs UKIP, it is authored by a gay man, we are not in anyway xenophobic but we believe Britain should be governed by the people of these islands from our centuries old Parliament at Westminster, and the climate change hypothesis has been shown to be littered with dodgy non-science - time and time and time again.
If any of that upsets you, feel free to come and drag my naked ass from my bed and spirit me away to somewhere.
So, now you know all that, what you gonna do? Huh?
And stick the term 'naff right off' in your database while you're at it.
Now then, which idiots are paying for this disgrace?
Answer? We are.
The Daily Telegraph tells us: "Britain has given £800million more than expected to the European Union this year, Treasury documents show. Figures contained in Treasury documents published alongside the Budget show Britain is projected to hand over £6.4billion this year, and £7.6billion in 2010/11."
£6.4 billion. Think about that. With Gordon Brown's stuffed up economy and the size of the national debt, the word 'billion' has lost any unusual significance - it's become an every day word like 'and'.
So, let's look at it another way.
How many hospitals, nurses, schools, teachers, roads and army helicopters could £6.4 billion buy?
And what would you like to spend the change on?
So, there's a bit of straight talking.
Stick all of that in your databases, EU, and shove right off.
...but, when you drag us off in the night, please can we have the cell on the same wing as Nigel Farage, Dan Hannan and James Delingpole? May as well be in good company.
Thursday, 25 March 2010
BBC Question Time, 25th March 2010
Tonight's episode of Question Time came from Glasgow and the guests were Liam Byrne (Labour), Baroness Warsi (Conservative), Julia Goldsworthy (LibDem), Alex Salmond (SNP) and Sir Martin Sorrell (a top businessman, apparently).
Darling: Labour cuts will be deeper than cuts under Thatcher
When pushed by David Dimbleby, Liam Byrne admitted that - yes - Labour cuts are going to have to be deeper than any cuts imposed by Thatcher. Sorrell said that the detail on where cuts will fall should have been in the Budget statement. He got a huge round of applause when he accused all of the political parties of treating the public as if we were imbeciles and idiotic through holding back detail of where cuts might fall. Baroness Warsi noted that the amount we're paying on debt interest alone is more than the entire defence budget. Alex Salmond says Darling has shot Labour "in the foot, head, and every appendage of the body." Julia Goldsworthy tried to project an image of the Libdems being different, trying to assert that they were setting out details of where cuts would fall... then rapidly proceeded to not actually give us any of that detail, bar mentioning Trident.
Strikes
The question here was whether the Government would survive the waves of strikes that are washing over the country. Liam Byrne - intentionally or unintentionally - made the quote of the day here. He said: "I think the Government will survive until an election is called." - this left Dimbleby with the easy tap-in goal of "...and not after."
On a more serious level, Alex Salmond warned of the massive economic damage to Britain of the imminent rail strikes.
A member of the studio audience called Liam Byrne to order for making comparisons with industrial relations under Thatcher when, actually, the masses of strikes under the end of the last Labour Government are perhaps more relevant to reflect upon.
Lobbygate
Liam Byrne kept talking about the 'people' and 'politicians' caught out in the Channel Four Dispatches programme, failing to mention that it was LABOUR politicians who had been mired in sleaze in the centre of the scandal.
Sorrell expressed the view that power, over long periods of time, does corrupt.
Salmond pointed out that non-disclosure of interests in the Scottish Parliament is a criminal act. He also said that if the claims made to the Dispatches programme by Stephen Byers were not true, then he had been trying to claim money under false pretences and - either way - he was sunk. He added that the fact politicians had been caught out so easily in an obvious sting demonstrated that they were too stupid to be hired by anybody.
Warsi received a big round of applause from the studio audience when she demanded, via Liam Byrne, an inquiry into the affair. She repeatedly asked how long the Cabinet Secretary's inquiry had taken, asking whether it was "twenty minutes". To derision, Byrne replied saying it was "very quick".
For her part, Julia Goldsworthy kept trying to finger the Conservatives constantly. She denied trying to take the high moral ground on the issue... moments after David Dimbleby gave examples of where the LibDems possibly had no moral high ground to stand on.
Leader debates - an affront to democracy?
Alex Salmond pointed out that the change in name from 'Leader Debates' to 'Prime Ministerial Debates' was a late change and it was, he said, made to justify excluding smaller parties such as the SNP and Plaid Cymru.
Much merriment here in the Clock Tower when everyone started questioning whether Nick Clegg was a legitimate participant in 'Prime Ministerial Debates' if their purpose was to gauge genuine candidates to be next Prime Minister.
Israeli Diplomat Expulsion
Before we write up this bit, can we carefully say that this is not the opinion of this blogger. Please watch the BBC programme and see we're only repeating what was said...
There was large applause for a member of the studio audience who said that Israel was a 'terrorist state going round killing people'.
Alex Salmond said that any action against Israel must amount to more than just a 'diplomatic dance'.
The panel - our ratings
Liam Byrne (Labour): Was he even trying to defend the indefensible party that he represents? We think not. 1/12
Baroness Warsi (Conservative): How many times has she been on this show as the Conservative representative recently? Is she the only Conservative politician left in the country? Perhaps someone in the BBC or the Conservative party could explain that one to us? Anyway, despite that, she made some very good contributions. Forceful at times without being too over the top. 7/12
Julia Goldsworthy (LibDem): There has been talk of a Lib-Con pact in the event of a hung parliament. Based on Goldsworthy's contributions, one would be forgiven for thinking there is a left wing conspiracy - a pact between Labour and the LibDems - to slag the Conservatives off at every opportunity. What Goldsworthy needs to realise is that the Conservatives have not been in power since 1997. It's Labour who are in Government. And if she doesn't know that... 4/12
Alex Salmond (SNP): A strong solid performance. Liked what he had to say and the way he said it. Insightful with just about the right blend and mix of political quips and digs. A job well done. 9/12
Sir Martin Sorrell: Had been doing okay, right up until the time that David Dimbleby started asking about LobbyGate, at which point, this blogger lowered our rating for him. 5/12
Viewers in the UK can watch this edition of Question Time on BBC i-Player by clicking HERE.
Darling: Labour cuts will be deeper than cuts under Thatcher
When pushed by David Dimbleby, Liam Byrne admitted that - yes - Labour cuts are going to have to be deeper than any cuts imposed by Thatcher. Sorrell said that the detail on where cuts will fall should have been in the Budget statement. He got a huge round of applause when he accused all of the political parties of treating the public as if we were imbeciles and idiotic through holding back detail of where cuts might fall. Baroness Warsi noted that the amount we're paying on debt interest alone is more than the entire defence budget. Alex Salmond says Darling has shot Labour "in the foot, head, and every appendage of the body." Julia Goldsworthy tried to project an image of the Libdems being different, trying to assert that they were setting out details of where cuts would fall... then rapidly proceeded to not actually give us any of that detail, bar mentioning Trident.
Strikes
The question here was whether the Government would survive the waves of strikes that are washing over the country. Liam Byrne - intentionally or unintentionally - made the quote of the day here. He said: "I think the Government will survive until an election is called." - this left Dimbleby with the easy tap-in goal of "...and not after."
On a more serious level, Alex Salmond warned of the massive economic damage to Britain of the imminent rail strikes.
A member of the studio audience called Liam Byrne to order for making comparisons with industrial relations under Thatcher when, actually, the masses of strikes under the end of the last Labour Government are perhaps more relevant to reflect upon.
Lobbygate
Liam Byrne kept talking about the 'people' and 'politicians' caught out in the Channel Four Dispatches programme, failing to mention that it was LABOUR politicians who had been mired in sleaze in the centre of the scandal.
Sorrell expressed the view that power, over long periods of time, does corrupt.
Salmond pointed out that non-disclosure of interests in the Scottish Parliament is a criminal act. He also said that if the claims made to the Dispatches programme by Stephen Byers were not true, then he had been trying to claim money under false pretences and - either way - he was sunk. He added that the fact politicians had been caught out so easily in an obvious sting demonstrated that they were too stupid to be hired by anybody.
Warsi received a big round of applause from the studio audience when she demanded, via Liam Byrne, an inquiry into the affair. She repeatedly asked how long the Cabinet Secretary's inquiry had taken, asking whether it was "twenty minutes". To derision, Byrne replied saying it was "very quick".
For her part, Julia Goldsworthy kept trying to finger the Conservatives constantly. She denied trying to take the high moral ground on the issue... moments after David Dimbleby gave examples of where the LibDems possibly had no moral high ground to stand on.
Leader debates - an affront to democracy?
Alex Salmond pointed out that the change in name from 'Leader Debates' to 'Prime Ministerial Debates' was a late change and it was, he said, made to justify excluding smaller parties such as the SNP and Plaid Cymru.
Much merriment here in the Clock Tower when everyone started questioning whether Nick Clegg was a legitimate participant in 'Prime Ministerial Debates' if their purpose was to gauge genuine candidates to be next Prime Minister.
Israeli Diplomat Expulsion
Before we write up this bit, can we carefully say that this is not the opinion of this blogger. Please watch the BBC programme and see we're only repeating what was said...
There was large applause for a member of the studio audience who said that Israel was a 'terrorist state going round killing people'.
Alex Salmond said that any action against Israel must amount to more than just a 'diplomatic dance'.
The panel - our ratings
Liam Byrne (Labour): Was he even trying to defend the indefensible party that he represents? We think not. 1/12
Baroness Warsi (Conservative): How many times has she been on this show as the Conservative representative recently? Is she the only Conservative politician left in the country? Perhaps someone in the BBC or the Conservative party could explain that one to us? Anyway, despite that, she made some very good contributions. Forceful at times without being too over the top. 7/12
Julia Goldsworthy (LibDem): There has been talk of a Lib-Con pact in the event of a hung parliament. Based on Goldsworthy's contributions, one would be forgiven for thinking there is a left wing conspiracy - a pact between Labour and the LibDems - to slag the Conservatives off at every opportunity. What Goldsworthy needs to realise is that the Conservatives have not been in power since 1997. It's Labour who are in Government. And if she doesn't know that... 4/12
Alex Salmond (SNP): A strong solid performance. Liked what he had to say and the way he said it. Insightful with just about the right blend and mix of political quips and digs. A job well done. 9/12
Sir Martin Sorrell: Had been doing okay, right up until the time that David Dimbleby started asking about LobbyGate, at which point, this blogger lowered our rating for him. 5/12
Viewers in the UK can watch this edition of Question Time on BBC i-Player by clicking HERE.
I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't swear...
So, who remembers that rather rubbish joke from childhood?
"I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't swear... oh f***ing hell, I've left my fags in the pub!"
And that's the theme for this post.
Cider drinkers from across the UK - but in particular, those in Somerset and the South-West area - are flocking to Facebook to stick two fingers up at Alistair Darling's budget and the 10% above inflation increase in tax on cider.
At the time of writing, 16,504 people had joined the Facebook protest group 'Leave Our Cider Alone'.
Meanwhile, Nick Hogan - the first and only pub landlord to have been jailed over defying the smoking ban and now UKIP's pub industry spokesman - says of the budget increases on alcohol tax: "It is apparent that this government has no understanding of this country and no love for its traditions. The pub trade is beleaguered enough already and to hit it with price increases of 10p per pint is a travesty. [Alistair Darling] obviously wants people to get their drinks from cheap supermarkets and hang around in parks, because that will be the result. Over 40 pubs a week are closing already, and he wants to accelerate the problem."
As for those of you who like a ciggie with your over-taxed cider or pint of real ale..?
Now the anti-smoking fascists want to ban us from smoking in our cars and in vast swathes of outdoor open spaces.
This follows a pointless rant at Blur and Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn who has been portrayed as Satan incarnate... for having a smoke on stage. Rock 'n' roll! Cold Steel Rain and Velvet Glove, Iron Fist pick up the rest of the story.
And we all know where the anti-smoking, anti-drinking, anti-fun police can go, don't we..?
How did it go again?
I don't drink, I don't smoke, and I don't swear.
F**k off, who are you to tell me I can't have a ciggie with me pint? You can go naff right off...
"I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't swear... oh f***ing hell, I've left my fags in the pub!"
And that's the theme for this post.
Cider drinkers from across the UK - but in particular, those in Somerset and the South-West area - are flocking to Facebook to stick two fingers up at Alistair Darling's budget and the 10% above inflation increase in tax on cider.
At the time of writing, 16,504 people had joined the Facebook protest group 'Leave Our Cider Alone'.
Meanwhile, Nick Hogan - the first and only pub landlord to have been jailed over defying the smoking ban and now UKIP's pub industry spokesman - says of the budget increases on alcohol tax: "It is apparent that this government has no understanding of this country and no love for its traditions. The pub trade is beleaguered enough already and to hit it with price increases of 10p per pint is a travesty. [Alistair Darling] obviously wants people to get their drinks from cheap supermarkets and hang around in parks, because that will be the result. Over 40 pubs a week are closing already, and he wants to accelerate the problem."
As for those of you who like a ciggie with your over-taxed cider or pint of real ale..?
Now the anti-smoking fascists want to ban us from smoking in our cars and in vast swathes of outdoor open spaces.
This follows a pointless rant at Blur and Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn who has been portrayed as Satan incarnate... for having a smoke on stage. Rock 'n' roll! Cold Steel Rain and Velvet Glove, Iron Fist pick up the rest of the story.
And we all know where the anti-smoking, anti-drinking, anti-fun police can go, don't we..?
How did it go again?
I don't drink, I don't smoke, and I don't swear.
F**k off, who are you to tell me I can't have a ciggie with me pint? You can go naff right off...
Quote of the Day - 25th March 2010
"There is no question that we face a serious threat from terrorism, or that we need legislation to counter that threat. The question is, are the counter-terror measures we have in place justifiable, on an ongoing basis, in light of the most up to date information we have. The idea that we have consistently faced an emergency level threat for over eight years since September 11 is, we believe, questionable. What is needed now is not consolidation, but a thoroughgoing, evidence-based review of the necessity for and proportionality of all the counter-terrorism legislation passed since that day. This should be an urgent priority for the next Parliament."
- Andrew Dismore MP, Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights
Or, to put it another way, truck right off now you tyrannical bankers... we've had a bookin' nuff of all this tyranny!
- Andrew Dismore MP, Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights
Or, to put it another way, truck right off now you tyrannical bankers... we've had a bookin' nuff of all this tyranny!
Darling's last stand: What the papers say about the Bore-dget
So, the morning after the very dull afternoon before. How are mainstream media opinion writers reacting to Alistair Darling's rather tedious budget?
The editorial of The Times starts: "The Chancellor of the Exchequer spoke for an hour yesterday, but managed to say almost nothing. There was no vision for the future, no radical thinking, precious little courage and no indication of what a Labour fourth term might be for."
The lead article of The Independent tries to adopt a politically balanced position. While noting Darling's performance as a politician as a masterclass of the art, they go on to say: "There is a budget for an election and a budget for the nation's future, and the two are not necessarily the same thing. What Mr Darling did yesterday was to fire the opening salvoes of the election campaign and secure some of the territory from which Labour intends to fight. But he was singularly vague about where the spending axe might eventually have to fall, and his attention to small business overshadowed the expectation of lower public spending that could reduce opportunities for those very same businesses."
As you'd maybe expect, everything is Labour love-in-central over at The Guardian, but in their editorial piece, we did find the stated reservation: "This was a budget without big headline measures for Labour activists to tour around constituency doorsteps – and it was also one that deferred the tough decisions on cuts until after the election."
The Daily Mail has scathing words in it's editorial. They say: "By turns disingenuous, cynical and, let's be blunt, untruthful - the lies by omission in this Budget were simply awesome - yesterday was the moment that Alistair Darling lost his grip on posterity. Instead of an honest attempt to chart this country's route out of terrifying indebtedness, he delivered a Budget for his party and not his country."
It's a similar verdict over at the Daily Express where Patrick O'Flynn writes: "Alistair Darling yesterday delivered an hour-long party election broadcast rather than a genuine Budget. His speech had virtually nothing to offer in terms of repairing shattered public finances."
Edmund Conway in the Daily Telegraph writes: "No sooner had Alistair Darling sat down shortly after lunchtime than the gilt market suddenly crumpled. Investors around the world started selling British government bonds, pulling their money out of the country as fast as possible. As markets closed last night, the stampede was continuing. [...] it was a hint of what could happen if Labour still wields control after the election."
The Sun's editorial concludes in a similar vein, noting: "It is Labour's lack of a detailed plan to reduce the £167billion deficit that places us in greatest peril. Sure enough, the stricken Pound fell further as the world lost more faith in Labour. Unless Labour are dumped, we face Greek-style economic chaos. The shambles was summed up when Mr Darling had to cross a picket line to enter the Commons, with unions promising mayhem if public pay was capped."
The editorial of The Times starts: "The Chancellor of the Exchequer spoke for an hour yesterday, but managed to say almost nothing. There was no vision for the future, no radical thinking, precious little courage and no indication of what a Labour fourth term might be for."
The lead article of The Independent tries to adopt a politically balanced position. While noting Darling's performance as a politician as a masterclass of the art, they go on to say: "There is a budget for an election and a budget for the nation's future, and the two are not necessarily the same thing. What Mr Darling did yesterday was to fire the opening salvoes of the election campaign and secure some of the territory from which Labour intends to fight. But he was singularly vague about where the spending axe might eventually have to fall, and his attention to small business overshadowed the expectation of lower public spending that could reduce opportunities for those very same businesses."
As you'd maybe expect, everything is Labour love-in-central over at The Guardian, but in their editorial piece, we did find the stated reservation: "This was a budget without big headline measures for Labour activists to tour around constituency doorsteps – and it was also one that deferred the tough decisions on cuts until after the election."
The Daily Mail has scathing words in it's editorial. They say: "By turns disingenuous, cynical and, let's be blunt, untruthful - the lies by omission in this Budget were simply awesome - yesterday was the moment that Alistair Darling lost his grip on posterity. Instead of an honest attempt to chart this country's route out of terrifying indebtedness, he delivered a Budget for his party and not his country."
It's a similar verdict over at the Daily Express where Patrick O'Flynn writes: "Alistair Darling yesterday delivered an hour-long party election broadcast rather than a genuine Budget. His speech had virtually nothing to offer in terms of repairing shattered public finances."
Edmund Conway in the Daily Telegraph writes: "No sooner had Alistair Darling sat down shortly after lunchtime than the gilt market suddenly crumpled. Investors around the world started selling British government bonds, pulling their money out of the country as fast as possible. As markets closed last night, the stampede was continuing. [...] it was a hint of what could happen if Labour still wields control after the election."
The Sun's editorial concludes in a similar vein, noting: "It is Labour's lack of a detailed plan to reduce the £167billion deficit that places us in greatest peril. Sure enough, the stricken Pound fell further as the world lost more faith in Labour. Unless Labour are dumped, we face Greek-style economic chaos. The shambles was summed up when Mr Darling had to cross a picket line to enter the Commons, with unions promising mayhem if public pay was capped."
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Budget reaction live
So, our reaction to the budget as we are moved or otherwise...
12.45 Global, global, global... international regulation. Yes, get on with it, love.
12.53 Alistair Darling has just openly, on behalf of the Labour/Unite/Communist Party, declared open class war as one of the central planks of the General Election, using stamp duty as the vehicle for the warfare.
Even as we speak, journalists all over the country should be checking the value of homes of every single Labour MP.
Class warfare - so distasteful. One wonders why it hasn't be outlawed, like everything else the politically correct thought-police get their attentions on...
12.59 Do these borrowing and debt 'good news' bullet points not have an air of suspicion around them? We wait to see what the economic analysts say about them later.
13.01 Much laughter when Darling claimed he had not made his tax rise decisions based on dogma or ideology.
13.02 Cider drinkers being clobbered with a 10% above inflation increase in tax. Tobacco duty up - what a surprise.
13.05 While he trots out a few more tractor production statistics, we wonder whether he will mention how much our membership of the European Empire costs us..?
13.06 Onto cuts and savings. How about cancelling the Identity Card Scheme and scrapping all of these Government databases? No..? Thought not.
13.07 Regional warfare now - more relocation of civil services out of London. No doubt to struggling Labour constituencies.
13.09 Asset sales - Student Loan book, Tote and Dartford Crossing mentioned.
13.19 Green investment bank plans. Offshore wind turbines and windmills everywhere sounds to be the point of it all.
13.23 Pledges to support the computer games industry.
13.27 Announces Government ready to sign tax agreements with Dominica, Grenada and Belize - this will take place in the next few days. Labour benches loving this as it gives them much 'Ashcroft' hilarity. So, nothing political in this announcement.
13.30 Darling finishes.
13.32 Cameron begins response saying Labour's big idea is a copy of the Conservative's stamp duty cut. Cameron already has a batch of quotes to ridicule Labour hypocrisy. Cameron says Darling's hour long speech could have been delivered in one sentence. Puts the 'good news' on borrowing into stark terms, pointing out it's still utterly disastrous.
13.36 Cameron going through red book and pointing out a few facts and figures which contradict Labour boasts.
13.37 Cameron tells Darling that he should be ashamed of what Labour have presided over in the economy.
13.39 Brilliant. Cameron uses a Brown speech to bankers to marvellous effect, making it imply that he was intent on buggering up the British economy.
13.40 Cameron calls Labour plans to clean up the state of the economy 'pitiful'.
13.42 Cameron really giving a barn-storming performance now - he's ripping Labour a new one right across the board.
13.43 Cameron calls for Office of Budget Responsibility.
13.44 Cameron listing the many tax rises that are coming in under Labour. He calls them 'ticking tax bombshells timed to go off after election'.
13.45 Cameron calls for freeze in Council tax.
13.46 This speech from Cameron is utterly awesome. Cameron has finally come of age. And Cameron's speech probably just won the General Election with a majority.
13.47 Nick Clegg starts speaking - calls budget an 'obituary'.
13.49 Clegg says Labour's budget 'in denial of cuts needed' and consisted of 'insubstantial waffle'.
13.50 Clegg pledges to cancel biometric ID cards.
13.51 Clegg talks about the need for affordable housing and says budget will make life impossible for people on housing benefit in London.
13.52 Clegg lays into Darling's supposed national debt flurry of 'good news' reports and says someone massively in debt with credit cards isn't better off because their phone bill comes in lower than expected.
13.54 Clegg accuses Labour over failure to get banks lending.
13.55 Clegg says High Street and investment banks must be separated for good.
13.57 'So much for fairness under Labour' becoming a Clegg mantra on the issue of tax. Pledges LibDems will take people earning under 10K out of tax bracket.
13.58 Clegg concludes by saying today's budget was the budget of old politics and it is time for change.
12.45 Global, global, global... international regulation. Yes, get on with it, love.
12.53 Alistair Darling has just openly, on behalf of the Labour/Unite/Communist Party, declared open class war as one of the central planks of the General Election, using stamp duty as the vehicle for the warfare.
Even as we speak, journalists all over the country should be checking the value of homes of every single Labour MP.
Class warfare - so distasteful. One wonders why it hasn't be outlawed, like everything else the politically correct thought-police get their attentions on...
12.59 Do these borrowing and debt 'good news' bullet points not have an air of suspicion around them? We wait to see what the economic analysts say about them later.
13.01 Much laughter when Darling claimed he had not made his tax rise decisions based on dogma or ideology.
13.02 Cider drinkers being clobbered with a 10% above inflation increase in tax. Tobacco duty up - what a surprise.
13.05 While he trots out a few more tractor production statistics, we wonder whether he will mention how much our membership of the European Empire costs us..?
13.06 Onto cuts and savings. How about cancelling the Identity Card Scheme and scrapping all of these Government databases? No..? Thought not.
13.07 Regional warfare now - more relocation of civil services out of London. No doubt to struggling Labour constituencies.
13.09 Asset sales - Student Loan book, Tote and Dartford Crossing mentioned.
13.19 Green investment bank plans. Offshore wind turbines and windmills everywhere sounds to be the point of it all.
13.23 Pledges to support the computer games industry.
13.27 Announces Government ready to sign tax agreements with Dominica, Grenada and Belize - this will take place in the next few days. Labour benches loving this as it gives them much 'Ashcroft' hilarity. So, nothing political in this announcement.
13.30 Darling finishes.
13.32 Cameron begins response saying Labour's big idea is a copy of the Conservative's stamp duty cut. Cameron already has a batch of quotes to ridicule Labour hypocrisy. Cameron says Darling's hour long speech could have been delivered in one sentence. Puts the 'good news' on borrowing into stark terms, pointing out it's still utterly disastrous.
13.36 Cameron going through red book and pointing out a few facts and figures which contradict Labour boasts.
13.37 Cameron tells Darling that he should be ashamed of what Labour have presided over in the economy.
13.39 Brilliant. Cameron uses a Brown speech to bankers to marvellous effect, making it imply that he was intent on buggering up the British economy.
13.40 Cameron calls Labour plans to clean up the state of the economy 'pitiful'.
13.42 Cameron really giving a barn-storming performance now - he's ripping Labour a new one right across the board.
13.43 Cameron calls for Office of Budget Responsibility.
13.44 Cameron listing the many tax rises that are coming in under Labour. He calls them 'ticking tax bombshells timed to go off after election'.
13.45 Cameron calls for freeze in Council tax.
13.46 This speech from Cameron is utterly awesome. Cameron has finally come of age. And Cameron's speech probably just won the General Election with a majority.
13.47 Nick Clegg starts speaking - calls budget an 'obituary'.
13.49 Clegg says Labour's budget 'in denial of cuts needed' and consisted of 'insubstantial waffle'.
13.50 Clegg pledges to cancel biometric ID cards.
13.51 Clegg talks about the need for affordable housing and says budget will make life impossible for people on housing benefit in London.
13.52 Clegg lays into Darling's supposed national debt flurry of 'good news' reports and says someone massively in debt with credit cards isn't better off because their phone bill comes in lower than expected.
13.54 Clegg accuses Labour over failure to get banks lending.
13.55 Clegg says High Street and investment banks must be separated for good.
13.57 'So much for fairness under Labour' becoming a Clegg mantra on the issue of tax. Pledges LibDems will take people earning under 10K out of tax bracket.
13.58 Clegg concludes by saying today's budget was the budget of old politics and it is time for change.
PMQs: 24th March 2010
Mike Penning (Conservative) asked a follow-up about Gordon Brown misleading Parliament and/or Chilcot over defence spending. The Unelected PM tried batting the question away by rolling out a few tractor production statistics.
Indeed, most of PMQs centres on tractor production statistics. Let's see how the opposition leaders managed...
Brown vs. Cameron
Cameron came up with a good line about a picket line outside the Treasury on Budget Day. Cameron then revived the sale of gold at rock bottom prices and demanded the publication of documents about the matter to be published in full, without redactions, before the General Election. Brown responded with some tractor production statistics. When Cameron asked why Brown had spent four years fighting release of information on gold sale, Brown said it was down to the Information Commissioner - to much ridicule from the Conservative benches. Cameron said Brown was once again taking the whole country for fools. On Cameron went with a question on raiding pension funds. Brown said he was happy for everything in his record to be judged... as you wish, Gordon. Cameron repeated his question on pensions and demanded a 'yes' or 'no' answer - he did not get it. Cameron accused Brown of dithering, cover-ups and failing to answer questions.
Our verdict: Cameron victory - supremely confident and quite clearly the better leader.
Brown vs. Clegg
Clegg raised the issue of lobbying and accused both Labour and the Conservatives of blocking LibDem attempts to introduce reform. Brown used his supremely irritating "trans-pair-ent" word four times in replying.
Our verdict: Clegg victory. Portrayed himself as pro-active against Labour and Conservative reactionary approaches.
We can't wait for the General Election and Gordon Brown being booted out of office. He must be the most irritating and annoying politician of all time, anywhere in the world.
Indeed, most of PMQs centres on tractor production statistics. Let's see how the opposition leaders managed...
Brown vs. Cameron
Cameron came up with a good line about a picket line outside the Treasury on Budget Day. Cameron then revived the sale of gold at rock bottom prices and demanded the publication of documents about the matter to be published in full, without redactions, before the General Election. Brown responded with some tractor production statistics. When Cameron asked why Brown had spent four years fighting release of information on gold sale, Brown said it was down to the Information Commissioner - to much ridicule from the Conservative benches. Cameron said Brown was once again taking the whole country for fools. On Cameron went with a question on raiding pension funds. Brown said he was happy for everything in his record to be judged... as you wish, Gordon. Cameron repeated his question on pensions and demanded a 'yes' or 'no' answer - he did not get it. Cameron accused Brown of dithering, cover-ups and failing to answer questions.
Our verdict: Cameron victory - supremely confident and quite clearly the better leader.
Brown vs. Clegg
Clegg raised the issue of lobbying and accused both Labour and the Conservatives of blocking LibDem attempts to introduce reform. Brown used his supremely irritating "trans-pair-ent" word four times in replying.
Our verdict: Clegg victory. Portrayed himself as pro-active against Labour and Conservative reactionary approaches.
We can't wait for the General Election and Gordon Brown being booted out of office. He must be the most irritating and annoying politician of all time, anywhere in the world.
Crap Election Literature: Part Three - Labour
We absolutely and totally promise you, this is genuine - this blog has not doctored or faked this in any way whatsoever.And how we chuckled...
In fairness to Karen Buck MP (Labour), our spies lurking high in fellow Clock Towers inform us that she was seen (presumably) going to work yesterday... by bus. So, fair play to her. We won't hang the expenses scandal on her head, on that evidence.
However, she does remain on our list of MPs who simply must be voted out.
The back of this latest literature from Karen Buck contains a survey, asking the electorate which of the three parties - LibLabCon - constituents are supporting.
We'd recommend another way to the people of Westminster North - UKIP's Jasna Badzak.
ClimateGate: An official diktat from the bunker
You signed a petition asking the Prime Minister to "suspend the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia from preparation of any Government Climate Statistics until the various allegations have been fully investigated by an independent body."
The Prime Minister's Office has responded to that petition and you can view it here:
http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page22924
The Government believes that all these allegations should be investigated transparently.
An independent review is currently examining the scientific conduct of the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) and is due to report its findings later in the spring. More information on the review can be found at: http://www.cce-review.org/. The University of East Anglia also recently announced that there will be a separate review to examine the CRU’s key scientific publications. The findings of both these reviews will be made public.
The House of Commons Select Committee on Science and Technology is also investigating the matter. On 1 March the Select Committee heard evidence from a wide range of contributors, including Professor Jones, who has temporarily stepped down from his post as Director of CRU.
CRU’s analysis of temperature records is not funded by, prepared for, or published by the Government. The resulting outputs are not Government statistics.*
Our confidence that the Earth is warming is taken from multiple sources of evidence and not only the HadCRUT temperature record, which CRU scientists contribute to. The same warming trend is seen in two independent analyses carried out in the United States, by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Goddard Institute of Space Studies at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). These analyses draw on the same pool of temperature data as HadCRUT, but use different methodologies to produce analyses of temperature change through time. Further evidence of this warming is found in data from instruments on satellites, and in trends of declining arctic sea ice and rising sea levels.
Science is giving us an increasingly clear picture of the risks we face from climate change. With more research, we can better understand those risks, and how to manage them. That is why the Government funds a number of institutions, including the University of East Anglia, to carry out research into climate change science.*
Lovely. Thank you for communicating. We are glad to have heard from The Party. We wish you well as you number crunch the latest tractor production statistics which will be heralded by The Party's mouthpiece media organisation later today, no doubt.
* Bold text = our emphasis.
The Prime Minister's Office has responded to that petition and you can view it here:
http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page22924
The Government believes that all these allegations should be investigated transparently.
An independent review is currently examining the scientific conduct of the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) and is due to report its findings later in the spring. More information on the review can be found at: http://www.cce-review.org/. The University of East Anglia also recently announced that there will be a separate review to examine the CRU’s key scientific publications. The findings of both these reviews will be made public.
The House of Commons Select Committee on Science and Technology is also investigating the matter. On 1 March the Select Committee heard evidence from a wide range of contributors, including Professor Jones, who has temporarily stepped down from his post as Director of CRU.
CRU’s analysis of temperature records is not funded by, prepared for, or published by the Government. The resulting outputs are not Government statistics.*
Our confidence that the Earth is warming is taken from multiple sources of evidence and not only the HadCRUT temperature record, which CRU scientists contribute to. The same warming trend is seen in two independent analyses carried out in the United States, by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Goddard Institute of Space Studies at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). These analyses draw on the same pool of temperature data as HadCRUT, but use different methodologies to produce analyses of temperature change through time. Further evidence of this warming is found in data from instruments on satellites, and in trends of declining arctic sea ice and rising sea levels.
Science is giving us an increasingly clear picture of the risks we face from climate change. With more research, we can better understand those risks, and how to manage them. That is why the Government funds a number of institutions, including the University of East Anglia, to carry out research into climate change science.*
Lovely. Thank you for communicating. We are glad to have heard from The Party. We wish you well as you number crunch the latest tractor production statistics which will be heralded by The Party's mouthpiece media organisation later today, no doubt.
* Bold text = our emphasis.
My Own Perfect Idaho - liberty, democracy and constitution
Fourteen U.S. States have filed lawsuits against the controversial 'Obamacare' introduced into federal law by President Barry Soetoro's Democratic Party. The States variously argue that the measures are unconstitutional.
The States involved are, at various levels: Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington.
Other States may follow.
This blog is taking a neutral stance on 'Obamacare'. Here in Britain, we have a National Health Service that - despite it's many flaws - does often do a fantastic job. We do not know enough about America's previous healthcare arrangements to comment on the difference in the arrangements which 'Obamacare' would usher in.
However, this blogger is a BRITISH constitutionalist. We'll say more on that when the General Election is called, but this blogger will be backing ALL minor parties who have our national constituion at their heart of ethos.
The U.S. Constitution is one of the greatest written documents in the world - and it was based upon our OWN written Constitution. More on that in a moment.
As 'Obamacare' was voted upon, this blogger was moved by the speech of the Republican Minority Leader John A. Boehner. Here is that speech - and it contains plenty for us here in Britain to reflect upon:
The brilliant conservative libertarian Ron Paul has plenty to say on the matter, too:
So, with defiance of citizens and constitution as a theme, we have to turn to Britain and the European Empire.
We have no States filing lawsuits against the unconstitutional Lisbon Treaty. Unconstitutional? Yes. Read the Bill of Rights 1689. It's all very well and good Members of Parliament using that document to defend themselves against criminal charges over their expenses... but that document should also be used against the Lisbon Treaty.
The Bill of Rights 1689 - one of the documents that inspired the American Constitution - quite clearly states:
In a country of some sixty million or more people, only TWO individuals have taken this corrupt Government to court over the Lisbon Treaty - patriotic UKIP supporter Stuart Wheeler and Conservative backbencher Bill Cash. Both lost in their attempts... but, as far as we know, neither attempted to use the Bill of Rights 1689 in the way that we have described to challenge the United Kingdom's signature upon the Lisbon Treaty.
Once this corrupt Government is swept from power, this blogger will write to the incoming Government's Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary about these matters.
There is no point writing to the current Government. It is corrupt, it is rotten - as is this Parliament.
Yet one of our central themes on this blog when the election is announced will be our demand for any would-be Member of Parliament to uphold their vows of office and to uphold the Constitution of this green and pleasant land.
Meanwhile, as the election approaches, it may be worthwhile remembering this. We were reading through the court documents on Stuart Wheeler's website. In response to his legal challenge to the Lisbon Treaty, a Government lawyer wrote to the Court:
"The Claim is based upon political statements, consisting of, and analogous to, manifesto commitments, which cannot give rise to legitimate expectations."
You have that in writing from a lawyer working for the Government. Manifesto promises aren't worth the paper they're written on.
-
This blogger would like to send our congratulations and gratitude on behalf of British libertarians to the U.S. State of Idaho.
Idaho has taken a stand against the naked body scanners which were rushed into airports all over the world.
You can read some of the background to Idaho's very welcome stand in this report over on the Alex Jones site, Prison Planet.
The State of Idaho obviously has a spine.
May the flame of freedom that Idaho has sparked reach a scorching crescendo that ripples across the Atlantic and sets the people of Britain free.
Meanwhile, the political class in our Parliament want to SPEED UP the roll-out of naked body scanners. Well, they know what they can do, don't they..? Cretinous swine.
This announcement comes on the day that we learn that the police have been called in over misuse of the naked body scanners.
Yet this corrupt Government wants more? They can kiss my naked ass...
The States involved are, at various levels: Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington.
Other States may follow.
This blog is taking a neutral stance on 'Obamacare'. Here in Britain, we have a National Health Service that - despite it's many flaws - does often do a fantastic job. We do not know enough about America's previous healthcare arrangements to comment on the difference in the arrangements which 'Obamacare' would usher in.
However, this blogger is a BRITISH constitutionalist. We'll say more on that when the General Election is called, but this blogger will be backing ALL minor parties who have our national constituion at their heart of ethos.
The U.S. Constitution is one of the greatest written documents in the world - and it was based upon our OWN written Constitution. More on that in a moment.
As 'Obamacare' was voted upon, this blogger was moved by the speech of the Republican Minority Leader John A. Boehner. Here is that speech - and it contains plenty for us here in Britain to reflect upon:
The brilliant conservative libertarian Ron Paul has plenty to say on the matter, too:
So, with defiance of citizens and constitution as a theme, we have to turn to Britain and the European Empire.
We have no States filing lawsuits against the unconstitutional Lisbon Treaty. Unconstitutional? Yes. Read the Bill of Rights 1689. It's all very well and good Members of Parliament using that document to defend themselves against criminal charges over their expenses... but that document should also be used against the Lisbon Treaty.
The Bill of Rights 1689 - one of the documents that inspired the American Constitution - quite clearly states:
"And I do declare that no foreign prince, person, prelate, state or potentate hath or ought to have any jurisdiction, power, superiority, pre-eminence or authority, ecclesiastical or spiritual, within this realm. So help me God."Now, one could attempt to dismiss the Bill of Rights 1689 in a number of different ways. However, to do so would create another Constitutional crisis in Britain because Her Majesty The Queen is only our Monarch as a direct result of events surrounding that document.
In a country of some sixty million or more people, only TWO individuals have taken this corrupt Government to court over the Lisbon Treaty - patriotic UKIP supporter Stuart Wheeler and Conservative backbencher Bill Cash. Both lost in their attempts... but, as far as we know, neither attempted to use the Bill of Rights 1689 in the way that we have described to challenge the United Kingdom's signature upon the Lisbon Treaty.
Once this corrupt Government is swept from power, this blogger will write to the incoming Government's Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary about these matters.
There is no point writing to the current Government. It is corrupt, it is rotten - as is this Parliament.
Yet one of our central themes on this blog when the election is announced will be our demand for any would-be Member of Parliament to uphold their vows of office and to uphold the Constitution of this green and pleasant land.
Meanwhile, as the election approaches, it may be worthwhile remembering this. We were reading through the court documents on Stuart Wheeler's website. In response to his legal challenge to the Lisbon Treaty, a Government lawyer wrote to the Court:
"The Claim is based upon political statements, consisting of, and analogous to, manifesto commitments, which cannot give rise to legitimate expectations."
You have that in writing from a lawyer working for the Government. Manifesto promises aren't worth the paper they're written on.
-
This blogger would like to send our congratulations and gratitude on behalf of British libertarians to the U.S. State of Idaho.
Idaho has taken a stand against the naked body scanners which were rushed into airports all over the world.
You can read some of the background to Idaho's very welcome stand in this report over on the Alex Jones site, Prison Planet.
The State of Idaho obviously has a spine.
May the flame of freedom that Idaho has sparked reach a scorching crescendo that ripples across the Atlantic and sets the people of Britain free.
Meanwhile, the political class in our Parliament want to SPEED UP the roll-out of naked body scanners. Well, they know what they can do, don't they..? Cretinous swine.
This announcement comes on the day that we learn that the police have been called in over misuse of the naked body scanners.
Yet this corrupt Government wants more? They can kiss my naked ass...
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
We make the pledge: the LIGHTS ON campaign
Seeing as James Delingpole has asked us so very nicely...
We hereby pledge to join in with Damian Thompson's 'Lights On' campaign, to take place this Saturday, 27th March - 8.30pm to 9.30pm (GMT).
Load of old nonsense, but it will feel GOOD to be able to do something to stand up to the eco-fascists, finally.
But how impotent we are when all we can do in protest at the politics of green is to switch a light bulb on for an hour. Tsk!
We hereby pledge to join in with Damian Thompson's 'Lights On' campaign, to take place this Saturday, 27th March - 8.30pm to 9.30pm (GMT).
Load of old nonsense, but it will feel GOOD to be able to do something to stand up to the eco-fascists, finally.
But how impotent we are when all we can do in protest at the politics of green is to switch a light bulb on for an hour. Tsk!
Brown's judgment under fire as three former Labour ministers suspended
Following the screening tonight of the Politicians for Hire episode of Dispatches, three former Labour ministers - Stephen Byers, Patricia Hewitt and Geoff Hoon - have all been suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party. Margaret Moran MP has also been suspended, the Daily Telegraph reports.
The move has apparently come as a result of a decision by Labour's Chief Whip Nick Brown and General Secretary Ray Collins.
The Independent tells us: "Backbench MPs demanded action against the former ministers in angry scenes at last night's weekly meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party."
Whoever it is in the Labour Party who has made this decision has realised the gravity of the scandal in the court of public opinion.
It contrasts strongly with the Unelected Prime Minister, Gordon Brown's attitude.
All day long, rolling news has told us: "The Prime Minister [...] is satisfied that there is no impropriety."
At the time, this blogger thought: 'He might be, but the British public aren't satisfied'.
What is clear now is that there are some people in the Labour Party who have the good sense to realise what a scandal this is.
However, the fact that Gordon Brown could not or would not see it tells you lots about the man.
As David Cameron said at PMQs last week, Gordon Brown never admits to anything. And he would have hated to have to admit that he presides over a very tainted and tarnished political party... and we say that without even starting in on their policies.
Yet what can you expect when the leader of the party and the Prime Minister of the country misleads Parliament and the Chilcot inquiry, who is alleged by all and sundry to be a control freak and a bully, and who is only Prime Minister by virtue of a deal in dark places that have never been exposed to the sunlight of genuine democracy.
The Labour Party is rotten... but the source of the decay is right at the top.
-
A Daily Mail investigation has found that "at least ten former ministers are employed by firms with interests in their former areas of Government. The figures, from the Commons' Register of Members' Financial Interests, show that between them they earned £1,394,169 from jobs closely related to the ministerial positions they left."
Meanwhile, "[h]undreds of breaches of parliamentary rules by MPs who accepted free overseas trips from foreign governments have been uncovered by a BBC investigation."
The move has apparently come as a result of a decision by Labour's Chief Whip Nick Brown and General Secretary Ray Collins.
The Independent tells us: "Backbench MPs demanded action against the former ministers in angry scenes at last night's weekly meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party."
Whoever it is in the Labour Party who has made this decision has realised the gravity of the scandal in the court of public opinion.
It contrasts strongly with the Unelected Prime Minister, Gordon Brown's attitude.
All day long, rolling news has told us: "The Prime Minister [...] is satisfied that there is no impropriety."
At the time, this blogger thought: 'He might be, but the British public aren't satisfied'.
What is clear now is that there are some people in the Labour Party who have the good sense to realise what a scandal this is.
However, the fact that Gordon Brown could not or would not see it tells you lots about the man.
As David Cameron said at PMQs last week, Gordon Brown never admits to anything. And he would have hated to have to admit that he presides over a very tainted and tarnished political party... and we say that without even starting in on their policies.
Yet what can you expect when the leader of the party and the Prime Minister of the country misleads Parliament and the Chilcot inquiry, who is alleged by all and sundry to be a control freak and a bully, and who is only Prime Minister by virtue of a deal in dark places that have never been exposed to the sunlight of genuine democracy.
The Labour Party is rotten... but the source of the decay is right at the top.
-
A Daily Mail investigation has found that "at least ten former ministers are employed by firms with interests in their former areas of Government. The figures, from the Commons' Register of Members' Financial Interests, show that between them they earned £1,394,169 from jobs closely related to the ministerial positions they left."
Meanwhile, "[h]undreds of breaches of parliamentary rules by MPs who accepted free overseas trips from foreign governments have been uncovered by a BBC investigation."
Sunday, 21 March 2010
Labour MPs are going on strike - WTF?
Apparently - well, according to the Telegraph anyway - a number of Labour MPs are going on strike on Wednesday, Budget Day.
The newspaper reports that they will "shut down their Commons offices in solidarity with the strikers and those who take part in the action will join members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) on a boat trip down the Thames."
Well, at least they're not on strike over their own pay and conditions!
But come on. These people are taking the p**s out of the British public. Yes, even more than they normally do.
Think about it - they are actually going on strike against THEMSELVES! You couldn't make it up!
Go on strike Labour. Stay on strike. We, the people will PAY you (we know you like that... brown envelope do?) - yes, pay you to NOT ever return to work.
Every piece of legislation you've touched since 1997 has invariably meant hell and making the country worse.
Go on strike, stay on strike and don't come back.
The newspaper reports that they will "shut down their Commons offices in solidarity with the strikers and those who take part in the action will join members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) on a boat trip down the Thames."
Well, at least they're not on strike over their own pay and conditions!
But come on. These people are taking the p**s out of the British public. Yes, even more than they normally do.
Think about it - they are actually going on strike against THEMSELVES! You couldn't make it up!
Go on strike Labour. Stay on strike. We, the people will PAY you (we know you like that... brown envelope do?) - yes, pay you to NOT ever return to work.
Every piece of legislation you've touched since 1997 has invariably meant hell and making the country worse.
Go on strike, stay on strike and don't come back.
Jesse Ventura's 'American Conspiracies' book is coming to the UK
Fellow listeners to the Alex Jones show might want to know that Jesse Ventura's book American Conspiracies is getting a UK release - so no need to import from the States (unless you want the free DVD Alex is offering).
Amazon UK is currently taking pre-orders for a 29 April 2010 release.
This blog promotes out of principle rather than profit and the link below contains no affiliate code - it's just a helpful link to take you straight there:
Apparently, the book has been whizzing off shelves in the U.S...
Meanwhile, Alex's film Police State 4 is released on 21 April. We'll make a lot more of it closer to the time, but for now, we're using all our space to freely promote the amazing looking Jason Bermas film Invisible Empire. For now, here's the trailer for the new Alex Jones film:
...looks well made, but frightening, huh?
Lastly, in this vein, have a read of the latest post from Lord Monckton over on his blog.
Amazon UK is currently taking pre-orders for a 29 April 2010 release.
This blog promotes out of principle rather than profit and the link below contains no affiliate code - it's just a helpful link to take you straight there:
Apparently, the book has been whizzing off shelves in the U.S...Meanwhile, Alex's film Police State 4 is released on 21 April. We'll make a lot more of it closer to the time, but for now, we're using all our space to freely promote the amazing looking Jason Bermas film Invisible Empire. For now, here's the trailer for the new Alex Jones film:
...looks well made, but frightening, huh?
Lastly, in this vein, have a read of the latest post from Lord Monckton over on his blog.
William Hague: Emphatic there'll be no 'in-out' referendum under Conservatives
Were you watching the non-debate between David Miliband (yuck!) and William Hague on Sky News show Sunday Live just now?
If not, you couldn't have wedged a slimline cigarette paper (illegal possession) between them on policy.
However, the headline thing to report is William Hague's response when asked whether the Conservatives might offer an 'in-out' referendum on Britain's membership of the Evil Empire... sorry, European Empire.
Hague gave a very emphatic and unequivocal 'absolutely not'.
So, now you know.
Stick that in your pipe and smoke it (provided no State snitchers are around), Dan Hannan and John Redwood.
Don't guilt trip those of us supporting UKIP.
Have a word with your own front bench.
UKIP and it's supporters will, I'm confident in saying, continue to oppose all MPs and PPCs who support Britain's membership of the EU.
If not, you couldn't have wedged a slimline cigarette paper (illegal possession) between them on policy.
However, the headline thing to report is William Hague's response when asked whether the Conservatives might offer an 'in-out' referendum on Britain's membership of the Evil Empire... sorry, European Empire.
Hague gave a very emphatic and unequivocal 'absolutely not'.
So, now you know.
Stick that in your pipe and smoke it (provided no State snitchers are around), Dan Hannan and John Redwood.
Don't guilt trip those of us supporting UKIP.
Have a word with your own front bench.
UKIP and it's supporters will, I'm confident in saying, continue to oppose all MPs and PPCs who support Britain's membership of the EU.
Sunday Paper Review: 21st March 2010
The Sunday Times reports on a joint investigation between itself and Channel Four's Dispatches programme in which MPs were exposed to a 'sting' operation to test the way companies might be able to buy political influence. The episode of the programme - called Politicians For Hire - will be screened on Monday evening. In it, former Labour minister Stephen Byers "was secretly recorded offering himself “like a sort of cab for hire” for up [to] £5,000 a day". Labour's former health Secretary Patricia Hewitt "claimed she helped to obtain a key seat on a government advisory group for a client paying her £3,000 a day". Former Labour Defence minister Geoff Hoon "offered to lead delegations to ministers and told the reporter that he was looking to turn his knowledge and contacts into “something that frankly makes money”. He said he charged £3,000 a day." Labour MP Margaret Moran - seriously shamed in the expenses scandal - made a boast about being about to "ring a “girls’ gang” of colleagues on behalf of clients. Among those she named were: Jacqui Smith, the former home secretary; Hazel Blears, the former communities secretary; and Harriet Harman, the deputy leader of the Labour party." The newspaper's headline report is backed by in-depth background analysis.
The Sunday Telegraph reports on the same Channel Four Dispatches programme. The additional information in their report is that Conservative MP Julie Kirkbride was subjected to the same 'sting' test... but knocked back the offer saying: "I did the very British thing of swallowing hard, spluttering that it was not the done thing, and keeping up polite conversation." Elsewhere, the newspaper also reports that Tony Blair "is to play a key role in Labour's election campaign". Expect to hear lots of media reminders about Iraq during the election campaign, therefore...
Or, perhaps, we'll hear lots about Blair's many lucrative business dealings. Today's Mail on Sunday exposes how the "chief executive of a South Korean oil firm which secretly paid Tony Blair undisclosed sums of cash has reportedly served a two-year prison sentence for bribery after one of his country’s most notorious corruption scandals." The report asserts that "[t]he disclosure raises fresh questions about Mr Blair’s judgment."
The Observer tells us that Vince Cable has "held unprecedented and detailed talks with the top official at the Treasury about the Liberal Democrats' economic policies". The move comes amidst continuing media speculation about the prospects of a hung parliament. Cable has also "declared himself willing to serve as chancellor after the next election". He may well be willing. This blogger is very willing to be Home Secretary, but we can't see it happening. And, in all this talk of hung parliaments, everyone should try to remember that we, the people have not been consulted yet.
The Independent on Sunday reports that "[f]resh evidence has emerged that British military intelligence ran a secret operation in Iraq which authorised degrading and unlawful treatment of prisoners." The newspaper claims that a British military commander in Iraq was informed that the unit deploying the techniques was "an independent unit" which "reported directly to their chain of command in London". The claims about the activities of what is being dubbed "a renegade torture unit" have emerged in an inquiry which "is looking into how interrogation techniques banned by the Government in 1972 and considered torture and degrading treatment were used again in Iraq". In other news, the newspaper also tells us that the UK "faces the threat of £300m in fines after it failed to meet legally binding EU targets" on air pollution. Any excuse the European Empire can find to screw the British taxpayer out of money, you can sure as hell guarantee they'll take it...
Meanwhile, the Sunday Express tells us that Cathy 'Baroness' Ashton - the unelected and supposedly most powerful woman in Europe and the highest paid female politician in the world after her appointment to the European Empire by Gordon Brown - is so weak in her job that the French are exploiting the situation and are now "taking over the EU’s new £7billion foreign service by quietly putting their own officials in key positions." UKIP's Nigel Farage is quoted as saying of the EU diplomatics corps: "The whole project is French bureaucracy."
And finally... the News of the World tells us that Katherine Kelly, the actress who plays the very popular Corrie character of Becky MacDonald, is to take a break from the show to star in a musical stage show version of the soap - being staged to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the programme. Strikes me that if Corrie fans want to help the show celebrate, they'd prefer to do so with their favourite characters remaining on screen. If anyone from the Corrie production office were to read this, go see if you can tempt Julie Goodyear back for a few episodes...
The Sunday Telegraph reports on the same Channel Four Dispatches programme. The additional information in their report is that Conservative MP Julie Kirkbride was subjected to the same 'sting' test... but knocked back the offer saying: "I did the very British thing of swallowing hard, spluttering that it was not the done thing, and keeping up polite conversation." Elsewhere, the newspaper also reports that Tony Blair "is to play a key role in Labour's election campaign". Expect to hear lots of media reminders about Iraq during the election campaign, therefore...
Or, perhaps, we'll hear lots about Blair's many lucrative business dealings. Today's Mail on Sunday exposes how the "chief executive of a South Korean oil firm which secretly paid Tony Blair undisclosed sums of cash has reportedly served a two-year prison sentence for bribery after one of his country’s most notorious corruption scandals." The report asserts that "[t]he disclosure raises fresh questions about Mr Blair’s judgment."
The Observer tells us that Vince Cable has "held unprecedented and detailed talks with the top official at the Treasury about the Liberal Democrats' economic policies". The move comes amidst continuing media speculation about the prospects of a hung parliament. Cable has also "declared himself willing to serve as chancellor after the next election". He may well be willing. This blogger is very willing to be Home Secretary, but we can't see it happening. And, in all this talk of hung parliaments, everyone should try to remember that we, the people have not been consulted yet.
The Independent on Sunday reports that "[f]resh evidence has emerged that British military intelligence ran a secret operation in Iraq which authorised degrading and unlawful treatment of prisoners." The newspaper claims that a British military commander in Iraq was informed that the unit deploying the techniques was "an independent unit" which "reported directly to their chain of command in London". The claims about the activities of what is being dubbed "a renegade torture unit" have emerged in an inquiry which "is looking into how interrogation techniques banned by the Government in 1972 and considered torture and degrading treatment were used again in Iraq". In other news, the newspaper also tells us that the UK "faces the threat of £300m in fines after it failed to meet legally binding EU targets" on air pollution. Any excuse the European Empire can find to screw the British taxpayer out of money, you can sure as hell guarantee they'll take it...
Meanwhile, the Sunday Express tells us that Cathy 'Baroness' Ashton - the unelected and supposedly most powerful woman in Europe and the highest paid female politician in the world after her appointment to the European Empire by Gordon Brown - is so weak in her job that the French are exploiting the situation and are now "taking over the EU’s new £7billion foreign service by quietly putting their own officials in key positions." UKIP's Nigel Farage is quoted as saying of the EU diplomatics corps: "The whole project is French bureaucracy."
And finally... the News of the World tells us that Katherine Kelly, the actress who plays the very popular Corrie character of Becky MacDonald, is to take a break from the show to star in a musical stage show version of the soap - being staged to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the programme. Strikes me that if Corrie fans want to help the show celebrate, they'd prefer to do so with their favourite characters remaining on screen. If anyone from the Corrie production office were to read this, go see if you can tempt Julie Goodyear back for a few episodes...
Saturday, 20 March 2010
UKIP supporters won't be scared by Conservative scare tactics
Very disappointing to see Dan Hannan - of all people - trying to scare UKIP supporters into voting for the Conservatives.
This blog had already slated John Redwood for doing exactly the same thing, and now we have to have a pop at a politician who would, normally, have their praises sung highly here.
One wonders whether the Conservatives are running scared of just how much support UKIP might muster.
This blog's message to Conservatives is, instead of trying to scare UKIP supporters back into the false left-right paradigm, they might be better served putting intense pressure on David Cameron to honour his 'cast iron pledge' of a referendum.
That is not to say that Dan Hannan does not have some positive things to say about UKIP and UKIP supporters - and for that reason (and due to his incredible high standing with this blogger), we'll refrain from rudeness or ferocity.
However, the timing of Dan Hannan's attempt to unnerve UKIP supporters is unfortunate.
Here's a part of what Dan Hannan says on his blog today:
With that clear, one would imagine - repeat - IMAGINE that one such person Lord Pearson might have had in mind is Dan Hannan's close Conservative colleague Douglas Carswell.
This blogger thinks that Lord Pearson really has said something amazing. He has put principle and purpose above the colour of a rosette and no doubt risked the wrath of a few too blind to see it.
It is, therefore, a great shame that Dan Hannan had to write the 'let's try to scare UKIP supporters' piece that he wrote today.
Dan, if David Cameron and William Hague had announced policies in line with those proposed by UKIP, the Conservative Party would not be facing huge defections in supporter to the UKIP cause.
You will have to take David Cameron's policies up with David Cameron.
UKIP supporters should be aware that they will face a lot of this and must hold their resolve. Do not be swayed by appeals to fear and insecurity.
We know what we want and - with only a couple of exceptions - only UKIP are promising to deliver it.
Meanwhile, if any Conservative PPC's wish to try and outflank the growing popularity of UKIP, you could start showing your dedication to national sovereignty by signing the Albion Alliance pledge.
Go on... give UKIP headaches. Go against Conservative policy and show us what you - you personally - are made of and intend to do, already.
We dare you...
This blog had already slated John Redwood for doing exactly the same thing, and now we have to have a pop at a politician who would, normally, have their praises sung highly here.
One wonders whether the Conservatives are running scared of just how much support UKIP might muster.
This blog's message to Conservatives is, instead of trying to scare UKIP supporters back into the false left-right paradigm, they might be better served putting intense pressure on David Cameron to honour his 'cast iron pledge' of a referendum.
That is not to say that Dan Hannan does not have some positive things to say about UKIP and UKIP supporters - and for that reason (and due to his incredible high standing with this blogger), we'll refrain from rudeness or ferocity.
However, the timing of Dan Hannan's attempt to unnerve UKIP supporters is unfortunate.
Here's a part of what Dan Hannan says on his blog today:
What I’d ideally like – and what I assume my UKIP readers also aspire to – is a situation where UKIP no longer needs to exist: where it can award itself a medal and retire with honour, job done. Obviously, we’re not at that point yet. But I worry that every activist who deserts the Tories for UKIP is retarding the prospects of a Euro-sceptic Conservative Party without taking his or her energies to an alternative party of government.Now, just YESTERDAY, UKIP leader Lord Pearson bravely and controversially told his own party, UKIP, the exact same thing. In his speech, he told UKIP supporters:
We must remember the prime object of our exercise, which is to get this country out of the EU. The easiest way to do that is of course to win a binding referendum. But, in the absence of that, we must also do what we can to get people into the House of Commons who will really fight for our freedom. We must not stop them doing so by standing against them if we are unlikely to win the seat. To do so would be to defeat our own greater purpose; it would be to put our party and our local enthusiasms before our country. The Conservatives have done that, as you know, but we must not do it. I am not talking about candidates who just say they think we would be better off out of the EU. I am talking about candidates, and they are very few, perhaps 7 or 8, who I am convinced will force questions and debates in and outside the Commons, and who will if necessary defy their whips. And of course it has to be clear that if we stood against them, we really could prevent them from being elected.Now, before going on, this blogger needs to make it very clear that we do NOT speak for UKIP, we have NO knowledge of who Lord Pearson had in mind and we have NO inside information.
I know this is not an easy concept for many of you. But it doesn’t help to say that they should simply cross the floor and join us. That would not take us any nearer to our goal. It would not advance our cause. Of course I will be talking to our candidates personally, and to their chairmen, and I hope I can persuade them to see that if they stand down and fight elsewhere, they really will be breaking the mould of British politics. They will in fact be making history, and so will we. I imagine it will be national news, and so I believe it will help to convince the electorate everywhere that we really are different, that we are not just another political party pursuing our own selfish interest.
With that clear, one would imagine - repeat - IMAGINE that one such person Lord Pearson might have had in mind is Dan Hannan's close Conservative colleague Douglas Carswell.
This blogger thinks that Lord Pearson really has said something amazing. He has put principle and purpose above the colour of a rosette and no doubt risked the wrath of a few too blind to see it.
It is, therefore, a great shame that Dan Hannan had to write the 'let's try to scare UKIP supporters' piece that he wrote today.
Dan, if David Cameron and William Hague had announced policies in line with those proposed by UKIP, the Conservative Party would not be facing huge defections in supporter to the UKIP cause.
You will have to take David Cameron's policies up with David Cameron.
UKIP supporters should be aware that they will face a lot of this and must hold their resolve. Do not be swayed by appeals to fear and insecurity.
We know what we want and - with only a couple of exceptions - only UKIP are promising to deliver it.
Meanwhile, if any Conservative PPC's wish to try and outflank the growing popularity of UKIP, you could start showing your dedication to national sovereignty by signing the Albion Alliance pledge.
Go on... give UKIP headaches. Go against Conservative policy and show us what you - you personally - are made of and intend to do, already.
We dare you...
Are you one of New Labour's nine million paedophile suspects?
This is just unbelievable. No, really.
Got a job?
Well, chances are, you may have to put yourself on the Government's database and be vetted to prove that you're not a paedophile.
What sort of jobs are included?
Try... builders. Football referees. Driving instructors. Even opera singers - bizarrely.
Want to know if the Government is treating you as a suspected potential paedophile?
Here you go.
What... and you'd still vote for New Labour?
What do these people have to do to you before you'll wake up? Drag you from your bed and spirit you away in the dead of the night, perhaps?
Sorry, what we have with New Labour is a party of dangerous extreme socialists who have visions of a united, federal Europe and who believe that they have the right to construct massive lists and databases on you all.
Is it still not sounding familiar?
Heed the warnings from twentieth century history, before it's too late.
Got a job?
Well, chances are, you may have to put yourself on the Government's database and be vetted to prove that you're not a paedophile.
What sort of jobs are included?
Try... builders. Football referees. Driving instructors. Even opera singers - bizarrely.
Want to know if the Government is treating you as a suspected potential paedophile?
Here you go.
What... and you'd still vote for New Labour?
What do these people have to do to you before you'll wake up? Drag you from your bed and spirit you away in the dead of the night, perhaps?
Sorry, what we have with New Labour is a party of dangerous extreme socialists who have visions of a united, federal Europe and who believe that they have the right to construct massive lists and databases on you all.
Is it still not sounding familiar?
Heed the warnings from twentieth century history, before it's too late.
Straight talking... from UKIP's Lord Pearson
Hat-tip: ukipwebmaster
Free-speech alert: Is this the start of the internet take-down?
Two stories in the newspapers that free speech defenders and civil liberties champions need to get onto and fast.
ZaNuLiebour plan to rush through the controversial Digital Economy Bill in the 'wash up' - the race to ram through legislation in the short window when a General Election is called.
This is the Bill that will force people guilty of 'copyright infringement' to be denied access to the internet.
Use some imagination there... come on, this Government has form. Join the dots...
You can read this awful Bill HERE.
In an open letter (published by The Guardian), opponents of the Bill - including Anthony Barnett of openDemocracy, Billy Bragg, Lord Errol, Jo Glanville of Index on Censorship, John Grogan MP, Andrew Heaney - the Director of Regulation at TalkTalk, Caroline Lucas (Green Party), Baroness Miller, Peter Tatchell, Tom Watson MP and Lord Whitty write:
Helpfully, the 38 Degrees website is making it easy for you to write to your MP about this matter - and you absolutely MUST.
Meanwhile, in other news, The Times has this:
Now, if we throw biometric identity cards and the database state back into the equation, can you spot what they're doing yet?
Here's a scenario for you to consider:
The website YouTube is blocked after rows over supposed 'copyright infringements'. A couple of months later, there are violent attacks on peaceful political protesters. Some of this is caught on mobile phone camera, but no-one has any web video provider to upload it to. Meanwhile, the 'internet' comes under 'cyber attack' from the bogeyman. As a temporary measure, the internet is switched off in the name of 'security'. Luckily, this does not effect our ability to communicate with the State as our personal webpage - accessed via our unique identifier - has been hosted on a secretive alternative internet network, called 'Internet 2'.
Work the rest out yourself. All it takes is a little imagination and an awareness of the totalitarian nature of New Labour...
Be afraid, be very afraid...
ZaNuLiebour plan to rush through the controversial Digital Economy Bill in the 'wash up' - the race to ram through legislation in the short window when a General Election is called.
This is the Bill that will force people guilty of 'copyright infringement' to be denied access to the internet.
Use some imagination there... come on, this Government has form. Join the dots...
You can read this awful Bill HERE.
In an open letter (published by The Guardian), opponents of the Bill - including Anthony Barnett of openDemocracy, Billy Bragg, Lord Errol, Jo Glanville of Index on Censorship, John Grogan MP, Andrew Heaney - the Director of Regulation at TalkTalk, Caroline Lucas (Green Party), Baroness Miller, Peter Tatchell, Tom Watson MP and Lord Whitty write:
The digital economy bill is a highly controversial bill. Many of us believe that it threatens to severely infringe fundamental human rights, by allowing the disconnection of internet accounts for alleged copyright infringement, and also by new 'website blocking' laws that could result in new ways to suppress free speech and legitimate activity. There are also dangers to business, through restrictions on provision on open wifi networks, that could damage our economy.More than 10,000 people in the space of just three days have written letters to MPs opposing the plans and a protest is due to take place outside Parliament on Wednesday next week.
But our worry today is that none of this will be properly debated by parliament. Last week, Harriet Harman MP failed to give the commons any reassurances that this important, complex and controversial Bill will be properly scrutinised by our elected MPs.
Democracy and accountability will be sidestepped if this bill is rushed through and amended without debate during the so-called 'wash-up' process. The thousands of people we know to be contacting their MPs with concerns will find their faith in politicians even further undermined.
For these reasons we are writing to ask that those most controversial parts of the bill – clauses 11-18, covering 'technical measures' and court orders for website blocking – either be properly debated, or be taken out of the Bill and subjected to genuine democratic scrutiny in a new parliament.
Helpfully, the 38 Degrees website is making it easy for you to write to your MP about this matter - and you absolutely MUST.
Meanwhile, in other news, The Times has this:
The aim is that within a year, everybody in the country should have a personalised website through which they would be able to find out about local services and do business with the Government. A unique identifier will allow citizens to apply for a place for their child at school, book a doctor’s appointment, claim benefits, get a new passport, pay council tax or register a car from their computer at home.We bolded those couple of lines for emphasis.
Now, if we throw biometric identity cards and the database state back into the equation, can you spot what they're doing yet?
Here's a scenario for you to consider:
The website YouTube is blocked after rows over supposed 'copyright infringements'. A couple of months later, there are violent attacks on peaceful political protesters. Some of this is caught on mobile phone camera, but no-one has any web video provider to upload it to. Meanwhile, the 'internet' comes under 'cyber attack' from the bogeyman. As a temporary measure, the internet is switched off in the name of 'security'. Luckily, this does not effect our ability to communicate with the State as our personal webpage - accessed via our unique identifier - has been hosted on a secretive alternative internet network, called 'Internet 2'.
Work the rest out yourself. All it takes is a little imagination and an awareness of the totalitarian nature of New Labour...
Be afraid, be very afraid...
Friday, 19 March 2010
Britain is knackered and corrupt... but you've got to laugh, huh?
It's all so unbelievable, one only has one recourse left - to laugh out loud and long.
The country is heading into a General Election. Our national economy is utterly screwed and our national sovereignty has been gifted to the fascist-inspired European Empire.
We have an Unelected Prime Minister with a Government crammed full of people who have never suffered the inconvenience of the ballot box. As at home, so it is in the European Empire, where one of the most powerful people had something to do with a quango, once. And that's it.
The banks have conned us all out of billions upon billions upon billions on the never-never.
We were fleeced and conned by big pharma over a swine flu pandemic that never was. There were no mass graves. But some people got very rich out of non-refundable Government contracts.
We continue to be fleeced all over the shop under the pretext of 'man made global warming' 'climate change' CO2 pollution - the science of which is shown to be dodgy every single day. Hans Christian Anderson could not have written anything as creative as the IPCC report.
Our politicians have lied to us on just about everything, and the police seem to be sending files on yet another one of them to the Crown Prosecution Service each day. A shedload more have had to repay millions upon millions back into the public purse.
Our domestic bills continue to rocket. Most of our power suppliers are French or Russian.
Our disposable income continues to shrink. Our wages are crap. We compete with people from all over the world for work who, we are assured, are only doing the jobs the lazy British won't do. Which is why they export all the call centre jobs to India. Because, obviously, you're all too lazy to commute to Bombay every day.
Naturally, there is no real industry in Britain any more. It was all closed down and exported. The jobs and industry, rather than the products, that is.
We all now work in part time jobs which we're lucky to have because the adverts for employment vacancies are deliberately written in languages other than English.
If you complain about this, you will be branded a racist and dragged off to the Ministry of Love for re-programming.
We're fighting two wars - one of them to keep us safe from the bogeyman and the other is an illegal war fought on the basis of a lie.
Our civil liberties have been removed and we're spied on around the clock by a sinister state.
Nothing in the country works on a good day - everything is defective and, if you complain, some moron tells you "it's the system". Today, even less works as about the only industry that isn't on strike is the British national industry... of selling coffee to each other.
If you try to board a flight to get out of here, the Government demands the right to take naked photographs of you. Timidly, you let them - because the week you'll spend turning lobster red by a pool in a concrete hotel complex with the rest of the Brits on the Spanish Costas really is that important to you.
You can't smoke. You can't drink. You can't think for yourself. And the existence of this humble blog no doubt has it's author on some scary database, listed as a subvertive.
I will never commit suicide. Or drive through the Alma tunnel.
On becoming a parent, you must instantly donate it to the Government - just in case you're a pervert - and they can then train (what was) your child to become a State snooper.
Commit a serious crime like murder and you'll get off. Put your rubbish out on the wrong day and you'll get twenty years hard labour.
Did we leave anything out?
The country is heading into a General Election. Our national economy is utterly screwed and our national sovereignty has been gifted to the fascist-inspired European Empire.
We have an Unelected Prime Minister with a Government crammed full of people who have never suffered the inconvenience of the ballot box. As at home, so it is in the European Empire, where one of the most powerful people had something to do with a quango, once. And that's it.
The banks have conned us all out of billions upon billions upon billions on the never-never.
We were fleeced and conned by big pharma over a swine flu pandemic that never was. There were no mass graves. But some people got very rich out of non-refundable Government contracts.
We continue to be fleeced all over the shop under the pretext of '
Our politicians have lied to us on just about everything, and the police seem to be sending files on yet another one of them to the Crown Prosecution Service each day. A shedload more have had to repay millions upon millions back into the public purse.
Our domestic bills continue to rocket. Most of our power suppliers are French or Russian.
Our disposable income continues to shrink. Our wages are crap. We compete with people from all over the world for work who, we are assured, are only doing the jobs the lazy British won't do. Which is why they export all the call centre jobs to India. Because, obviously, you're all too lazy to commute to Bombay every day.
Naturally, there is no real industry in Britain any more. It was all closed down and exported. The jobs and industry, rather than the products, that is.
We all now work in part time jobs which we're lucky to have because the adverts for employment vacancies are deliberately written in languages other than English.
If you complain about this, you will be branded a racist and dragged off to the Ministry of Love for re-programming.
We're fighting two wars - one of them to keep us safe from the bogeyman and the other is an illegal war fought on the basis of a lie.
Our civil liberties have been removed and we're spied on around the clock by a sinister state.
Nothing in the country works on a good day - everything is defective and, if you complain, some moron tells you "it's the system". Today, even less works as about the only industry that isn't on strike is the British national industry... of selling coffee to each other.
If you try to board a flight to get out of here, the Government demands the right to take naked photographs of you. Timidly, you let them - because the week you'll spend turning lobster red by a pool in a concrete hotel complex with the rest of the Brits on the Spanish Costas really is that important to you.
You can't smoke. You can't drink. You can't think for yourself. And the existence of this humble blog no doubt has it's author on some scary database, listed as a subvertive.
I will never commit suicide. Or drive through the Alma tunnel.
On becoming a parent, you must instantly donate it to the Government - just in case you're a pervert - and they can then train (what was) your child to become a State snooper.
Commit a serious crime like murder and you'll get off. Put your rubbish out on the wrong day and you'll get twenty years hard labour.
Did we leave anything out?
Another expenses file passed to Crown Prosecution Service
It's just never ending.
News has just emerged that another file on another alleged case against an unnamed Parliamentarian looked at in the expenses scandal has been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Most news sources are sticking firmly to the line that the Parliamentarian concerned is 'unnamed' and won't even guess at whether he or she is an MP or a peer - though a few independent bloggers are naming the person they believe it to be.
The name of one individual is referred to in this online report from The Guardian - and it's yet another Labour Party MP.
For this blog's part, we say enough about the European Empire and we say enough about the strange death of Diana, Princess of Wales... we'll let other blogs do as they see fit on this one - we're keeping our nose strictly clean!
News has just emerged that another file on another alleged case against an unnamed Parliamentarian looked at in the expenses scandal has been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Most news sources are sticking firmly to the line that the Parliamentarian concerned is 'unnamed' and won't even guess at whether he or she is an MP or a peer - though a few independent bloggers are naming the person they believe it to be.
The name of one individual is referred to in this online report from The Guardian - and it's yet another Labour Party MP.
For this blog's part, we say enough about the European Empire and we say enough about the strange death of Diana, Princess of Wales... we'll let other blogs do as they see fit on this one - we're keeping our nose strictly clean!
Another four MPs - all Lib Dems - in expenses shame
Four Liberal Democrat MPs - John Barrett, Sandra Gidley, Paul Holmes and Richard Younger-Ross - have been ordered to apologise to the House of Commons after being found to have been guilty of "serious misjudgment" over decisions relating to their taxpayer funded second homes in Westminster.
For some reason, Nick Clegg is being quoted in many newspaper reports we've just looked at as PRAISING the MPs for their conduct. His reason for doing so is that the MPs concerned referred themselves to the Commissioner.
Nick Clegg must live on Cloud Cuckooland if he thinks that any of this of worthy of praise.
The best write-up on this latest affair is probably that in The Guardian.
The findings of the Standards and Privileges Committee can be read HERE.
What's also interesting is that - just as with Jacqui Smith - all four have been told to apologise to the House of Commons.
That's funny. One would have thought the British public were the people who were owed apologies in these circumstances.
Will the scandals involving those in positions of power and authority ever cease, one asks oneself.
No wonder they've made Britain into a police state. Just in case we, the people finally do decide to chuck the lot of them out...
For some reason, Nick Clegg is being quoted in many newspaper reports we've just looked at as PRAISING the MPs for their conduct. His reason for doing so is that the MPs concerned referred themselves to the Commissioner.
Nick Clegg must live on Cloud Cuckooland if he thinks that any of this of worthy of praise.
The best write-up on this latest affair is probably that in The Guardian.
The findings of the Standards and Privileges Committee can be read HERE.
What's also interesting is that - just as with Jacqui Smith - all four have been told to apologise to the House of Commons.
That's funny. One would have thought the British public were the people who were owed apologies in these circumstances.
Will the scandals involving those in positions of power and authority ever cease, one asks oneself.
No wonder they've made Britain into a police state. Just in case we, the people finally do decide to chuck the lot of them out...
Broken Britain? Look to the people at the top, not to the council estates
As a special one-off today, we've decided to do a quick Friday newspaper review, because there are so many big stories in the mainstream British press today, it would be impossible to cover all of them any other way.
What a depressing picture of the state of the nation these stories paint. Broken Britain? Don't look to the council estates - look to these stories as examples...
We're just going to tell you what the headline is from the Daily Telegraph, without commenting. We make this clear. We do not agree or disagree with the assertion. We tell you simply what the headline reads. And it reads: "Union behind BA strike receives £18m from taxpayers in ‘money-laundering’ deal with Labour".
The Daily Mail has a big story about the last democratically ELECTED Prime Minister of both our country and his own party. Yup, it's Blair. The newspaper tells us: "Tony Blair waged an extraordinary two-year battle to keep secret a lucrative deal with a multinational oil giant which has extensive interests in Iraq."
On a slightly smaller scale, the Daily Express reports: "ED BALLS’ Department for Children, Schools and Families has spent more than £14.5million refurbishing offices since it was set up three years ago, figures reveal."
The Independent tells us that: "More than nine out of 10 scientists who backed a drug at the centre of a safety scare had financial links to the pharmaceutical industry, a study has found."
The Guardian tells us: "Gordon Brown breaks promise over torture guidelines". So, if you're thinking of voting for anyone but Labour, there's no guarantee he hasn't got a Zimbabwe style way of dealing with you planned. Let's face it, civil liberty and human rights abuses go hand-in-hand with ZaNuLiebour.
The Sun is accusing the BBC of being biased against the Conservatives - and has a number of examples which it says highlight their point. The Sun, of course, is pro-Conservative. Not that we disagree with them, but those of us who post on the internet have been accusing the BBC of pro-Labour bias for years... and are able to be so thanks to the compulsory telly tax. Yes, the telly tax, the TV license. The thing that we must purchase else money is demanded out of us in the most menacing of fashions...
So, there you go. Britain in a nutshell.
And they cast people on council estates in a negative light?
I know which group of people I'd rather have as friends, if this batch of news reports is indicative of anything.
What a depressing picture of the state of the nation these stories paint. Broken Britain? Don't look to the council estates - look to these stories as examples...
We're just going to tell you what the headline is from the Daily Telegraph, without commenting. We make this clear. We do not agree or disagree with the assertion. We tell you simply what the headline reads. And it reads: "Union behind BA strike receives £18m from taxpayers in ‘money-laundering’ deal with Labour".
The Daily Mail has a big story about the last democratically ELECTED Prime Minister of both our country and his own party. Yup, it's Blair. The newspaper tells us: "Tony Blair waged an extraordinary two-year battle to keep secret a lucrative deal with a multinational oil giant which has extensive interests in Iraq."
On a slightly smaller scale, the Daily Express reports: "ED BALLS’ Department for Children, Schools and Families has spent more than £14.5million refurbishing offices since it was set up three years ago, figures reveal."
The Independent tells us that: "More than nine out of 10 scientists who backed a drug at the centre of a safety scare had financial links to the pharmaceutical industry, a study has found."
The Guardian tells us: "Gordon Brown breaks promise over torture guidelines". So, if you're thinking of voting for anyone but Labour, there's no guarantee he hasn't got a Zimbabwe style way of dealing with you planned. Let's face it, civil liberty and human rights abuses go hand-in-hand with ZaNuLiebour.
The Sun is accusing the BBC of being biased against the Conservatives - and has a number of examples which it says highlight their point. The Sun, of course, is pro-Conservative. Not that we disagree with them, but those of us who post on the internet have been accusing the BBC of pro-Labour bias for years... and are able to be so thanks to the compulsory telly tax. Yes, the telly tax, the TV license. The thing that we must purchase else money is demanded out of us in the most menacing of fashions...
So, there you go. Britain in a nutshell.
And they cast people on council estates in a negative light?
I know which group of people I'd rather have as friends, if this batch of news reports is indicative of anything.
So, are smokers *more* patriotic..?
There's a whole blogosphere raging at the Policy Exchange 'think-tank' today, it seems.
It comes after the organisation issued a report for yet more to be done to victimise the soft-target of the poor, downtrodden smoker.
Some excellent breakdown and analysis on Dick Puddlecote and Velvet Glove, Iron Fist - backed by heavy hitters including no less than the highly respected (by this blogger, at least!) James Delingpole.
Alex Massie over at The Spectator has now also waded in, stating: 'Smokers are Patriots'.
Guilty on both counts - smoking and being patriotic.
Which got this blogger thinking...
A lot of the blogs which talk about defending the national sovereignty and upholding our civil liberties are also, seemingly, disproportionately more likely to be pro-choice on smoking.
Patriotism, defence of sovereignty, civil liberties, smokers...
I can feel a chemtrail-ing conspiracy theory coming on here. Maybe they are determined to make us us all stop smoking because...
...only joking - on this occasion! ;)
It comes after the organisation issued a report for yet more to be done to victimise the soft-target of the poor, downtrodden smoker.
Some excellent breakdown and analysis on Dick Puddlecote and Velvet Glove, Iron Fist - backed by heavy hitters including no less than the highly respected (by this blogger, at least!) James Delingpole.
Alex Massie over at The Spectator has now also waded in, stating: 'Smokers are Patriots'.
Guilty on both counts - smoking and being patriotic.
Which got this blogger thinking...
A lot of the blogs which talk about defending the national sovereignty and upholding our civil liberties are also, seemingly, disproportionately more likely to be pro-choice on smoking.
Patriotism, defence of sovereignty, civil liberties, smokers...
I can feel a chemtrail-ing conspiracy theory coming on here. Maybe they are determined to make us us all stop smoking because...
...only joking - on this occasion! ;)
The week in review (19/03)
These are the ten blog posts which have been viewed most here on The Talking Clock over the last seven days.
NTW = New This Week
(1) 1. Lord Monckton - on Alex Jones (Jan)
(2) 2. BBC Question Time - our thoughts on 11th March edition
(3) 3. Sunday Paper Review - mainstream stories, 14th March
(-) 4. PMQs - Brown's defence spending confession NTW
(5) 5. Lord Monckton - on Alex Jones (Feb)
(-) 6. French bread - spiked with LSD by the CIA? NTW
(-) 7. John Redwood - pushing the false left-right paradigm NTW
(-) 8. Dirty Linen - poor customer service, name & shame? NTW
(-) 9. Diana's death - about landmines, Mike Mansfield says NTW
(-) 10. John Bercow - ditch the Speaker, vote Nigel Farage NTW
Our favourite seven blog posts or articles seen elsewhere this week. These can be from established columnists or opinion writers in the mainstream, else independent thinkers and authors in the blogosphere:
1. Underdogs Bite Upwards - the bogeyman and brooding anger
2. Simon Jenkins - Alistair Darling, a lying banker's puppet
3. Fraser Nelson - would have a laugh at a Lib-Con pact
4. Nourishing Obscurity - EU/Trilateral Commission (Parts: 1 2 3)
5. Gerald Warner - IPCC's 'whitewash' review
6. Devil's Kitchen - response to debate on alcohol pricing (language)
7. Henry Porter - ID cards by stealth: pensioners targeted
Thank you to those who've read, positively linked to, or posted comments on The Talking Clock over the last seven days.
NTW = New This Week
(1) 1. Lord Monckton - on Alex Jones (Jan)
(2) 2. BBC Question Time - our thoughts on 11th March edition
(3) 3. Sunday Paper Review - mainstream stories, 14th March
(-) 4. PMQs - Brown's defence spending confession NTW
(5) 5. Lord Monckton - on Alex Jones (Feb)
(-) 6. French bread - spiked with LSD by the CIA? NTW
(-) 7. John Redwood - pushing the false left-right paradigm NTW
(-) 8. Dirty Linen - poor customer service, name & shame? NTW
(-) 9. Diana's death - about landmines, Mike Mansfield says NTW
(-) 10. John Bercow - ditch the Speaker, vote Nigel Farage NTW
Our favourite seven blog posts or articles seen elsewhere this week. These can be from established columnists or opinion writers in the mainstream, else independent thinkers and authors in the blogosphere:
1. Underdogs Bite Upwards - the bogeyman and brooding anger
2. Simon Jenkins - Alistair Darling, a lying banker's puppet
3. Fraser Nelson - would have a laugh at a Lib-Con pact
4. Nourishing Obscurity - EU/Trilateral Commission (Parts: 1 2 3)
5. Gerald Warner - IPCC's 'whitewash' review
6. Devil's Kitchen - response to debate on alcohol pricing (language)
7. Henry Porter - ID cards by stealth: pensioners targeted
Thank you to those who've read, positively linked to, or posted comments on The Talking Clock over the last seven days.
BBC Question Time, 18th March 2010
Tonight's episode came from Wythenshawe.
Unite and Labour
Margaret Beckett (Labour) was made to look ludicrous by both her answers - and by David Dimbleby - when talking about Unite contributions to her constituency office which, according to Dimbleby, apparently run to the tune of £16,000. Charles Kennedy (Lib Dem) says that the current fuss about Unite is actually about the union planning for the post-Brown era. Caroline Lucas (MEP, Greens) said the Green Party has a great track record of working with the unions... in Europe. David Starkey said the Green Party are just 'socialists with a bit of green colouring' - an assertion that was seemingly accepted by Lucas.
Brown's misleading of Chilcot
Charles Kennedy said he wouldn't rush to judge Brown - but thought it seemed remarkable that Brown could make such a 'slip' over hours of sustained questioning at the Chilcot Inquiry. Andrew Lansley (Conservative) said Brown ought to return to the inquiry to explain himself, rather than just sending an unapologetic letter - a thought which was backed by Lucas. Beckett attempted to defend Brown, but lost the studio audience following interventions from one or two members of the public who accused Brown of treating the British people as if we're all stupid.
One member of the public, a father of a soldier, said that he thought it disgusting that - as we're talking about wars where our brave young soldiers have lost their lives - that Brown should have treated his evidence over funding as 'an accounting error'.
Another member of the studio audience quipped that Brown cannot tell the difference between a 'plus' and a 'minus' sign.
Age of criminal responsibility - Maggie Atkinson
David Starkey made the point of adults being demonised by Labour when it comes to children, so we're all too scared now to say or do anything to discipline 'feral' youngsters. There were some very good points from the studio audience about the media whipping up 'the baying of the wolves' over Jon Venables and the seeming 'response of the public' as portrayed by the media is not necessarily what the actual public are thinking.
Unemployment figures
Andrew Lansley and Caroline Lucas pointed out that one in four people of employment age in this country are not in work. When asked by Dimbleby, Lucas said she disagreed with the European Empire's view of the need to reduce the British national deficit much more quickly than Labour is planning. The Greens are, of course, rabidly pro-European. Starkey noted that most of the jobs created under Labour are in the public sector and that the public sector does not create wealth. Andrew Lansley raised the impending Labour National Insurance hikes, decrying them as a tax on jobs.
Charles Kennedy was too busy thinking about his own country - apparently. Yes, he actually made reference to Scotland as being his 'own country'. So much for a United Kingdom! Folk in England might want to add such an attitude to their growing list of grievances about our status as third or fourth class citizens in the European Empire-affiliated United Kingdom, with a Westminster government comprised of a disproportionate number of people from... Scotland - which is apparently another country, we now know Charles Kennedy would assert. So, great. Let the Scottish people have their much talked about referendum on independence.
Meanwhile, would Scottish politicians taking up jobs governing the United Kingdom instead of staying as a representative of Scotland (complete with it's own devolved Parliament) please not vote at Westminster on whether the people of England can have a referendum on the European Empire, therefore!?
Female porn director as a Lib Dem PPC
Charles Kennedy started his answer by saying 'some evenings, I am extremely relieved..' - we thought he would continue that sentence to say something about porn films, but he actual went on to make reference to his former job as Lib Dem leader.
The panel
Margaret Beckett (Labour) - grinned throughout, even when being mass groaned at by the studio audience. 0/12
Andrew Lansley (Conservative) - continuing the Conservative election strategy of saying absolutely nothing and hoping they get elected by default because everyone hates Labour so much. And why not? It's a position that is still working, if the polls are an indicator. 4/12
Caroline Lucas (Greens) - again, not much to rate her on except for some references to socialism and the European Empire. 3/12
Charles Kennedy (Lib Dem) - we were quite liking him until he started banging on about Scotland being a separate country entirely - infuriating when Westminster is crammed full of Scottish politicians. Such a divisive comment. -3/12
David Starkey (historian) - this blogger continues to like him whenever he appears on Question Time. But for all the high praise we give him whenever he's on the programme, we cannot overlook the fact that, since the last time he was on, we have discovered that he once said some very nasty things about Diana, Princess of Wales. 6/12
David Dimbleby was on fine form tonight and the studio audience seemed pleasingly balanced for a change. So, our highest praise for the evening actually goes to... the Wythenshawe studio audience who were only let down in our highly rating stakes by the young lady who seemed to be very worked up by the mere mention of Jon Venables. Calm down, he's locked up already.
If you missed the episode and live in the United Kingdom (Charles Kennedy!), you can watch again for a week by clicking HERE.
Unite and Labour
Margaret Beckett (Labour) was made to look ludicrous by both her answers - and by David Dimbleby - when talking about Unite contributions to her constituency office which, according to Dimbleby, apparently run to the tune of £16,000. Charles Kennedy (Lib Dem) says that the current fuss about Unite is actually about the union planning for the post-Brown era. Caroline Lucas (MEP, Greens) said the Green Party has a great track record of working with the unions... in Europe. David Starkey said the Green Party are just 'socialists with a bit of green colouring' - an assertion that was seemingly accepted by Lucas.
Brown's misleading of Chilcot
Charles Kennedy said he wouldn't rush to judge Brown - but thought it seemed remarkable that Brown could make such a 'slip' over hours of sustained questioning at the Chilcot Inquiry. Andrew Lansley (Conservative) said Brown ought to return to the inquiry to explain himself, rather than just sending an unapologetic letter - a thought which was backed by Lucas. Beckett attempted to defend Brown, but lost the studio audience following interventions from one or two members of the public who accused Brown of treating the British people as if we're all stupid.
One member of the public, a father of a soldier, said that he thought it disgusting that - as we're talking about wars where our brave young soldiers have lost their lives - that Brown should have treated his evidence over funding as 'an accounting error'.
Another member of the studio audience quipped that Brown cannot tell the difference between a 'plus' and a 'minus' sign.
Age of criminal responsibility - Maggie Atkinson
David Starkey made the point of adults being demonised by Labour when it comes to children, so we're all too scared now to say or do anything to discipline 'feral' youngsters. There were some very good points from the studio audience about the media whipping up 'the baying of the wolves' over Jon Venables and the seeming 'response of the public' as portrayed by the media is not necessarily what the actual public are thinking.
Unemployment figures
Andrew Lansley and Caroline Lucas pointed out that one in four people of employment age in this country are not in work. When asked by Dimbleby, Lucas said she disagreed with the European Empire's view of the need to reduce the British national deficit much more quickly than Labour is planning. The Greens are, of course, rabidly pro-European. Starkey noted that most of the jobs created under Labour are in the public sector and that the public sector does not create wealth. Andrew Lansley raised the impending Labour National Insurance hikes, decrying them as a tax on jobs.
Charles Kennedy was too busy thinking about his own country - apparently. Yes, he actually made reference to Scotland as being his 'own country'. So much for a United Kingdom! Folk in England might want to add such an attitude to their growing list of grievances about our status as third or fourth class citizens in the European Empire-affiliated United Kingdom, with a Westminster government comprised of a disproportionate number of people from... Scotland - which is apparently another country, we now know Charles Kennedy would assert. So, great. Let the Scottish people have their much talked about referendum on independence.
Meanwhile, would Scottish politicians taking up jobs governing the United Kingdom instead of staying as a representative of Scotland (complete with it's own devolved Parliament) please not vote at Westminster on whether the people of England can have a referendum on the European Empire, therefore!?
Female porn director as a Lib Dem PPC
Charles Kennedy started his answer by saying 'some evenings, I am extremely relieved..' - we thought he would continue that sentence to say something about porn films, but he actual went on to make reference to his former job as Lib Dem leader.
The panel
Margaret Beckett (Labour) - grinned throughout, even when being mass groaned at by the studio audience. 0/12
Andrew Lansley (Conservative) - continuing the Conservative election strategy of saying absolutely nothing and hoping they get elected by default because everyone hates Labour so much. And why not? It's a position that is still working, if the polls are an indicator. 4/12
Caroline Lucas (Greens) - again, not much to rate her on except for some references to socialism and the European Empire. 3/12
Charles Kennedy (Lib Dem) - we were quite liking him until he started banging on about Scotland being a separate country entirely - infuriating when Westminster is crammed full of Scottish politicians. Such a divisive comment. -3/12
David Starkey (historian) - this blogger continues to like him whenever he appears on Question Time. But for all the high praise we give him whenever he's on the programme, we cannot overlook the fact that, since the last time he was on, we have discovered that he once said some very nasty things about Diana, Princess of Wales. 6/12
David Dimbleby was on fine form tonight and the studio audience seemed pleasingly balanced for a change. So, our highest praise for the evening actually goes to... the Wythenshawe studio audience who were only let down in our highly rating stakes by the young lady who seemed to be very worked up by the mere mention of Jon Venables. Calm down, he's locked up already.
If you missed the episode and live in the United Kingdom (Charles Kennedy!), you can watch again for a week by clicking HERE.
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