TV Or Not TV That Is The Question - In This Election At Least!

Today, we are all invited to take part in a bit of history making, for it is the day that the leaders of the three biggest political parties engage in a live televised election debate - a first for this country.

Of course, it is not going to be a real ‘debate’ as the ground rules have been heavily negotiated and all three men have been rehearsed over and over again.

All of the questions from the audience have been vetted and no-one watching the event is allowed to show any emotion in response to any of the answers given.

It will not be the real leaders we will be seeing here; it will be the characters they want us to believe are real.

In fact, it will be no different from watching an episode of our favourite soap - except the storyline will have far more reaching consequences and will not be as funny.

Sadly, TV influences us more by what people look like and not by what they can do or say. We form impressions from seeing body language and afflictions. For that reason, it might have been better if the debates had been on the radio but....we are in the TV age and we have become programmed (no joke intended) to believe what we see is the truth.

Tonight is a gamble for all the party leaders but one thing I can guarantee....Britain’s Got Talent it won’t be!

Liberal Democrats - The 'Lifeboat' In A Sea Of Falsehood?

Monday was the turn of Labour, yesterday was the Conservatives and today the focus was on what the Liberal Democrats would do for the country should they gain control of Parliament after the election.

Leader Nick Clegg described his manifesto as:

"... hope married to credibility, it is optimism in touch with reality."

and you know what? he could well be the first party leader to be telling the truth; it is not half bad!

Whether the sums add up or not (as his rivals have been quick to claim), he and his deputy Vince Cable have not shied away from admitting there is a very strong possibility taxes will have to rise - but fairly. He described the manifestos of his rivals thus:

"They are treating people like fools, imagining that manifestos barely fit for a time of plenty are good enough for a time when money is tight."

What was most noticeable, today, was that the venue for his own manifesto launch was not from a gimmicky location like Battersea but from the heart of the City of London.

What better location could you pick to send a message about financial reforms?

I liked the honesty and I like the way Nick Clegg is suddenly gaining credibility.

Just when I thought I would have trouble knowing who to vote for, I now have at least a glimmer of hope.

The time might finally have arrived when the Lib Dems stop being regarded as just a protest vote

Conservatives, 'Borrowing' Lib Dem Ideas And The Gay Vote!

I was surprised to see George Osborne’s plan to tackle homophophic bullying in schools promoted so willingly by the press last Sunday.

It also features prominently on the front page of the Conservative Party website.

Unfortunately for him, though, I remembered posting about an almost identical plan put forward by the Lib Dem’s Nick Clegg back in January.

Surely the Conservatives can’t be getting so desperate to catch the extra votes the gay community could provide, that they need to re-package something already proposed by a rival party? It seems so.

My views on the proposal have not changed since January, so fortunately, you can read the old post here and just switch the names!

It seems that is what Mr Osborne has already tried to do!

Cameron's Hollow Conservatives!

David Cameron's choice of venue for the launch of his party's election manifesto, this morning, struck me as being a strange one, until I realised that Battersea Power Station has an immensely impressive facade but very little on the inside. Do you see the irony?

Just like the Conservative party, it is struggling to convince anyone it is worth the investment and will return a long term benefit.

Cameron's headline grabbing idea of community ownership sounds very impressive in the media but he has forgotten one little thing; most of the electorate suffer from total apathy and are as likely to participate in the running of councils and hospitals as they are to give up their high definition televisions.

Sadly, he seems yet to realise that real life is not like an episode from Eastenders and we are increasingly made up from divided communities who could never agree about anything.

As many scientists have found out - theory is a wonderful thing until it becomes reality!

Political Leaders Trying To Sell Us Bankrupt Stock!

This week will see the launch of manifestos from all the main political parties. They will set out their ‘shops’ hoping to convince us to walk through their doors and buy their promises.

Sadly, they all have one thing in common; they have nothing to sell!

Oh sure, they will try and convince us we are purchasing some quality goods but the fact is...they are all broke! We as a nation are broke. If we were actually a high street chain we would have been formally declared bankrupt a long time ago.

Whatever your personal views on how we have borrowed our way both into and out of the recession, we now have to start paying it back and it is going to be painful.

So today, Gordon Brown has announced a list of ‘non-measures’ trying to sell the idea we are going to have more control under Labour and we will all feel better off. He seems to think we suffer from memory loss and have erased the broken promises from the last two elections made when they really did have something to give us - but they failed.

Today's promise of no rise in income tax is just a distraction. He has not made the same promise about VAT. All of us, whether employed or jobless is affected by that tax. It is collected on nearly everything we need to live. Raising the percentage of VAT we have to pay will provide easy money for the treasury and help to cover up the deficit this government has created.

There is no magic ‘get out of jail’ card to reverse the situation we are in and whoever gets the keys to No.10 will be facing the same indesputible facts.

Tomorrow it will be the turn of David Cameron and his Conservatives (he likes it to be portrayed as HIS party).

Just like in an episode of Dragon’s Den, he is going to have a hard time to convince us, the panel, he has a product worthy of investment!

Pubs, Politicians And The Benefits Of Global Warming

If there is one group of people who must relish the prospect of global warming, it is that of those who work in the pub trade.

They have been hit really hard over the last few years with unfair competition from the undercutting supermarkets and customers reducing their spending during the recession. Many pubs have simply gone to the wall, while others have had to diversify into new areas of the hospitality business.

What the above picture proves, however, is there's life in the old dog yet and once we feel a bit of warmth from the sun, we are prepared to venture out of our caves and be both generous and sociable.

I would bet our politicians are hoping that the weather is fine on May 6th and our mood is just as relaxed and generous!


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Labour's 'Woman Of Substance'

Well, I have finally discovered who is standing for Labour as their chosen candidate to replace Derek Wyatt at the polls on May 6th.

The above info was lying on my doormat yesterday evening.

Apparently, Angela Harrison is a 'Woman of real Substance, real Achievement and NO SPIN'

That seems to be a bit of a tall claim seeing as she represents a party that has relied on spin since Tony Blair became its leader in it's present form.

As for real substance and achievement, I am not sure it is valid when she has not even been elected yet.

Of course, the leaflet spells out the usual things she will be doing to help the local community and of course they are so generalised as not to be held to account should they not happen but what I want to know is: who is Angela Harrison?

Surprisingly, for what amounts to a professional CV there is not one item of information about the woman herself.

Does she like stroking furry animals? Can she eat a doughnut without licking her lips? Has she ever been convicted of skateboarding naked along the High Street? Does she share her predecessor's liking of pork pies and scotch eggs?

These are the things I need to know about my local MP.

The point I am making, is that I am not stupid enough to vote for someone just because they stick a pretty coloured leaflet, making vague promises, through my letterbox. I need to know about the person who will be representing my interests and whether they are qualified to do the job...

Sadly, she has failed to convince me she possesses the qualities she claims to have on her leaflet - it is more interesting for what is not written than for what is....

I await to find out more, although time is running out.

Meanwhile, I am eagerly awaiting the manifesto of The Monster Raving Loonie Party which should be hitting the mat anytime soon!

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Nosey Neighbours Speeding Us Along The Road To Communism!

As if things are not bad enough in our new Big Brother world, Kent police have started to issue some of its residents, in the larger towns, radar detection kits to check on the speed of passing motorists. If they are exceeding the limit, the speed flashes onto a large roadside sign and the vehicle's registration number is recorded by one of the vigilantes... errrm I mean... helpful citizens.

The police then send a warning letter to the naughty motorist although no legal action can be taken - yet anyway!

If the scheme is judged to be a success, then the rest of the county will follow and presumably soon after that the world!

This tactic, by the authorities, of encouraging us all to spy on each other I find to be very worrying. We have already seen TV adverts providing a dedicated phone number to shop those we suspect of being benefit scroungers.

What is more worrying is that there are people willing to take part in schemes such as these.

However, it is not a new idea. We spent many years, as a free society, criticising such actions when they were a part of everyday life in both Communist China and Russia.

Over to you Comrades!!

Conservatives Win Round One!

Congratulations to the Conservatives, who were first to litter my letterbox with election recycling materials yesterday.

Prospective MP, Gordon Henderson, is keen to replace Labour's Derek Wyatt who has been a very active MP locally but who is standing down this time around following his parliamentary expenses revealing a penchant for pork pies and scotch eggs. Incidentally, the two are not connected!

Seems like his prospective replacement has been a bit slow off the starting blocks and I still do not know his/her name.

I shall keep you updated as my front door mat becomes more littered!

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Feel The Lurve And Dream The Dream It's Election Time In The UK!

The starter has finally fired the gun and the race is officially on to be first over the doorway of No10

Yep, there is going to be a ballot on May 6th

Gordon Brown has been to see the Queen at Buckingham Palace, to ask her permission to disband parliament so campaigning can begin (I wonder what would happen if she had said no) and while almost a quarter of the present inmates in the Palace of Westminster will be ‘retiring’ (many were given no choice after their creative accounting practices), the rest will be wearing out the shoe leather and knocking on doors around the country canvassing for votes

There’ll be hardly a baby, pensioner, immigrant, muslim, gay activist, union official or jobseeker (preferably all in one for the great photo opportunity it will present) who will not be courted and able to feel the ‘lurve’ as it is radiated from all those who seek to be elected.

Meanwhile, the ‘Bitchy Fairy’ will be set free to malign and mock any opponent who has the audacity to try to ruin such worthy ambition

Claims and counter claims; promises and denials, we are going to be brainwashed by both the media and aspiring politicians, into thinking everything will be well in the world if we vote for a certain party or candidate

We are even going to be given four and a half hours extra sleep time when the party leaders (although not from all parties) debate ‘live’ on the TV for the first time - I am almost looking forward to the commercial breaks!

Make the most of the next few weeks, for like in all good dreams, we eventually wake up and are faced with reality!

No Room At The Inn For Gays - But Jesus Is OK!

While the political rumblings might not be as severe as the 7.2 on the Richter scale being experienced by those in Mexico, Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Grayling, must have felt more than a little quake in the pit of his stomach following publication of comments he made in private to the Centre For Policy Studies, a centre-right think tank.

He was referring to the case of a gay male couple turned away from a B&B on the grounds that the owner’s religious convictions meant she could not allow them to stay.

Mr Grayling expressed his personal view (in private to the committee but secretly recorded and sent to the Observer) that: "I think we need to allow people to have their own consciences” and “if it's a question of somebody who's doing a B&B in their own home, that individual should have the right to decide who does and who doesn't come into their own home."

Of course, technically at least, he is wrong as the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 states no one should be refused goods or services on the grounds of their sexuality.

But, the law does not often allow for the concept of common sense or political point scoring.

The media has been full of what should really have been a non-story and the fact it has even gained such prominence I find to be more worrying than the actual incident at the B&B itself.

Most of us would have walked away from the experience with the attitude that ‘shit happens’ and booked into somewhere else that was more tolerant of our lifestyle and was run by someone with less hostile views. Nothing would ever have been heard of the story again.

However, the couple in question, who apparently felt "we were treated as lepers in the worst possible way." (is there a good way?) felt the need to report the B&B owner to the police and are considering suing “for a principle”.

And that is where 'politics' checked into the B&B and I became disturbed:

One of the couple is, apparently, leader of the Lib Dem group on his local council.

Stonewall the activist organisation promoting gay rights has warned:

"There are lots of gay people out there who are thinking about voting Conservative – many for the first time in their lives,"

"They will now be interrogating these issues much more thoroughly."

Did you spot the implied threat?

The Observer, a paper which would be outraged if a similarly dubious recording had been made by an agency of the state, seems to find it acceptable to print Mr Grayling’s personal views when they are not even shared by the party he represents.

We are in election year and we must remember everyone wants to ‘score a goal’ against the opposition, or position themselves into a better place on the field of play.

One thing is for certain. Legislation cannot force acceptability of what is still a minority (yes, shock horror, the gay community is still a minority), albeit vocal group of people.

Acceptability comes about by behaviour and example.

For me, the couple lost all sympathy when they were seen on yesterday’s news 'mugging' the camera while draped in each other’s arms. It was a show of carefully staged ‘affection’ making a political point too crass even for the Camerons or the Browns to attempt.

Perhaps, the situation was best summed up by Andrea Williams, the director of the Christian Legal Centre:

"It is vital in a diverse and free society that we truly tolerate one another's views."

That should be taken as a two way street!!

The 'Irony' In A Labour Poster!

Just as I feared, Labour have now swallowed the bait from the Conservatives and are following them into an election campaign based on personalities rather than politics.

The party PR machine has launched the above poster depicting David Cameron in the role of a fictional TV detective based in the 1980's.

Detective Gene Hunt is a straight talking, no-nonsense, politically incorrect 'copper' with old fashioned values, who would bend the rules to get a result.

While it certainly sounds like the kind of person we should be electing into the role of prime minister - a leader - David Cameron he certainly is not!

The irony is, there's always a danger some voters (Sun readers probably) might actually believe the portrayal and vote for Cameron.

We would then need a decent copper to investigate Gordon Brown's political suicide!

UK Politics And A Blank Billboard!

The above is reported to be one of a series of posters commissioned by the Conservative leadership as part of their election campaign.

If it is to be an example of the standard of electioneering over the next few weeks then God help us all.

It's about time we banished the distraction of 'personality politics' and they started talking about policy. After all, a 'personality' will not get us out of our present difficulties but a clear vision by a united government will.

Sadly, though, with the present state of politics in the UK the billboards would remain blank!

'Terrorism' 'Liberty' And The 'Fear of Fear!'

Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights, comprised of peers and MPs from all parties, has reached a conclusion that many of us formed a long time ago - the government’s response to the threat of terrorism in the UK far exceeds the probability of an incident.

The committee has questioned whether ministers could legitimately argue, nine years after the 9/11 attacks, whether a “public emergency threatening the life of the nation” remained.

The government insists the threat from terrorism remains “real and serious”

A Home Office spokeswoman stated:

“The threat to the UK from terrorism remains real and serious and we are committed to doing all we can to protect our nation's security while protecting individual liberties using the proper safeguards.”

And therein resides the lie...

Individual liberties have been eroded massively since the turn of this century. A knee-jerk reaction, Anti-Terrorism Bill, was rushed through the commons after the attacks of 9/11 and 7/7. It was not properly drafted, or debated, and has introduced all sorts of restrictions on the ‘individual liberties’ we have been permitted to enjoy in recent years.

Local and district councils have used the bill as a ‘snoopers charter’, monitoring the recycling habits of residents within their boundaries, while tourists and photographers have been left open mouthed with shock, when stopped and searched by police officers for the potential terrorist crime of photographing public buildings. Refusal to comply with intrusive questions has often led to unjustified arrest. Nearly every time, the police officers themselves, do not understand the rights of individuals under the act.

Identity cards are still being discussed as a mandatory requirement for all of us residing in the UK and ministers use every opportunity to hype up the terrorist threat, to ensure we comply with their wishes to introduce even more controls over our everyday lives.

I have not bothered to go into the number of surveillance cameras operating in the UK since 7/7 or the diversity of their use, which cannot even be slightly justified by any terrorist threat.

I do not question whether the UK is a target from an act of terror in the foreseeable future. We have always been threatened by terror of one sort or another. The seventies were a far more dangerous period than that we are in now and it became a common occurrence to be within range of an IRA bomb going off in London. We were not, however, stopped in the streets for no reason, or surveilled by faceless camera operators while going about our daily lives.

I find it surprising that none of the mainstream political parties have mentioned the present erosion of our civil liberties as being something worthy of discussion in the forthcoming general election debates - or is it really that surprising?

Hitler’s Reich Marshall, Hermann Goering summed the politics up thus:

“…it is always a simple matter to drag people along whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country.”

It seems nothing has changed!!

Jamie Bulger, John Venables And 'Human Rights'

What sort of society have we become that we care more about preserving the anonymity of a convicted child killer than we do about the terrible act he committed against his victim?

I am referring, of course, to an incident in 1993 when a two-year-old boy, Jamie Bulger, was taken from a northern shopping centre by two ten-year-old boys who tortured and beat him to death on a railway line.

Jamie’s abductors, John Venables and Robert Thompson, were subsequently caught, processed by the courts and given custodial sentences. It was argued that, legally at least, because they were minors, they could not be held responsible for their actions, even though it is inconceivable that anyone who could commit such a terrible act could possibly have carried it out without knowing that what they were doing was against every accepted standard of humanity.

They have since been released back into society, on license, given new identities and promised anonymity to protect them from revenge attacks.

One of them, John Venables, now 27, has been taken back into custody, following what are described as offences being committed which are in breach of his licence conditions. He is expected to face serious charges under his new identity.

Predictably, the media and the family of Jamie Bulger want to know the full facts which would involve releasing details of his new life. The Justice Secretary, Jack Straw, is resisting the pressure and refusing to comply. There is talk that to do so would infringe Venables’ human rights and put his life in danger.

When he was released from his original custodial sentence and given his new life, he was given a second chance. It now seems that he has betrayed that trust and should, therefore, forfeit the benefits and generosity our society has shown towards him.

Lawyers say he is innocent until proven guilty and of course they are right but they forget that Jamie Bulger was never given the chance to prove anything in his short life!

His ‘human rights’ were extinguished in 1993!

Gordon Brown, Iraq And The Ominous 'World Order'

PM Gordon Brown’s appearance, today, in front of the Iraq Inquiry into the war was, as expected, forceful and confident. He told the panel the war had been “right”

He said he had been convinced by his own intelligence briefings that Iraq “had to be dealt with” as it had become a threat.

He thought Iraq was in breach of UN resolutions and had become one of the “rogue states” that should not be allowed to flout international law.

However, what I found to be the most ominous statement by the PM was that he feared the “new world order we were trying to create would be put at risk”.

What world order would that be and who is the “we”?

I am unaware of us agreeing to be part of any “world order” and would like to know: who are the other member states? Who is deciding the 'agenda' within this “world order?

We have already discovered what happens when a financial “world order” goes into meltdown and will be paying the price for a long time.

To me, the phrase plants the seed of questioning over whether there might be a bigger game being played in which none of us are aware we are even taking part.

Communism always pushed for “world order” and the Muslim extremists seek the same thing.

I am not sure we should be part of a ‘one vision’ approach that sees “world order” as being justification for invading countries that do not share the same stated values as ourselves.

That would be no better than communism, or Islamism, by the back door!

ITV Thinks Its Audience Are Goldfish!

What is going on?

ITV has been showing the live football match between England and some foreign team for two and a half hours tonight and after just a half hour break for its News At Ten, it is now playing out the highlights of the same match.

Do they think we are all suffering from memory loss? Do they think we have started to turn orange and spend hours swimming around the bath? Do they think we have all turned into bloody goldfish and can't remember what happened just 40 minutes ago?

Is it really surprising they are finding it a challenge to attract any advertisers when they are treating all their viewers like complete idiots?

With a summer of World Cup on the horizon I am thinking of selling my TV! But then....do goldfish buy TVs?

Michael Foot - A Lost Era!

It was with a great deal of sadness that I heard the news of the death of Michael Foot, a left-wing Labour party leader from an era when politicians had integrity and conviction and not the false facade of media training courses and spin.

Mr Foot always reminded me of a crazy mad scientist with his casual manner of dress and his long silverish hair. He was as far removed from today's politicians as you could possibly be.

Whatever you thought of his political views - and to some he was almost seen as the devil - you could never ignore his speeches or his forceful arguments. He was simply a brilliant orator.

Sadly, his tenure as leader of his party came at a time of warring ideology and personalities and he led it into its worst election defeat ever. However, he made an impression on me that, unlike that of today's politicians, is hard to forget.

He was an honest man with idealistic views.

You would be hard pressed to name many of those in twenty years time. Oh for the good old days!

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Cheryl Cole-Text With Ashley And A Night In LA With A Dog!

The media is full of the marital strife of celebrity Cheryl Cole and her footballer husband Ashley, who appears to have been trying to take full advantage of playing offside.

It has been reported that Cheryl, who has been in LA for the weekend, has dumped her husband by text and has been seeking comfort with an American male dancer.

The Daily Mail said today:

‘Mr Hough - a professional on Dancing With The Stars, the U.S. version of Strictly Come Dancing, stayed with Mrs Cole until 4am when he left with his dog.’

Up until then, I was bored by the whole story, but now....!!

Three Cheers For 'Brown The Bully'

Shock Horror!

It is being implied that our prime minister, Gordon Brown, is a bully and has been intimidating his staff by his rants and physical abuse.

An anti-bullying charity has stated it has received calls from No.10 personnel seeking comfort and advice about the upset they are suffering while at work.

Predictably, No 10 are denying the allegations and the Conservative Party are calling for an official enquiry. The Lib-Dems are doing what they always do and waiting to see which side to emulate before committing themselves to an opinion.

Guess what...it’s almost time for an election and all the parties will grasp at every opportunity to tarnish their opponents. None of them have any original policies or solutions, so it is better to start name calling to divert our attention away from that fact.

The story first broke because of a new book being publicised by a self promoting journo.

Personally, I am disappointed: by the charity for its lack of confidentiality; the Tories for their cheap attempt at character assassination; the journo for being a journo and the staff of No.10 for being pathetic spineless wimps.

The latter group are employed in the 'pump room' of what is supposed to be the 'heart' of our government. Their leader is supposed to be a man of iron who is ruthless in his decision making.

All leaders have to show their displeasure and frustration from time to time, otherwise nobody would do anything but sit around sharing coffee and doughnuts while discussing celebrity lifestyles.

I am pleased the PM has finally demonstrated some character; I have spent far too long waiting for such a sign.

If the workers in Downing Street find the temperature too hot for them, I can only suggest they get out of the 'hell' they think is the kitchen!

Dial 'M' For Mossad, Murder And Miliband

The killing of a Hamas commander in a Dubai hotel last month, is starting to cause an international outcry - officially at least.

Mahmoud al-Mabhouh is thought to have been in Dubai negotiating a deal for armaments, when his life was ended by what is believed to have been members of an Israeli secret service hit squad.

Dubai's police chief has said he is 99% sure of the involvement of Mossad agents in the killing. He has released details and photographs of the squad and rather predictably, they were all found to have been using stolen identities - some of them of UK passport holders.

The Israeli government, in their normal blunt and forthright way, have responded by saying there is no proof!

Foreign secretary David Miliband has vowed to “get to the bottom” of the incident but I am assuming it is the same “bottom” he got into, when trying to suppress involvement by our own security services, during the US interrogation of suspected terrorists, recently made public in the UK Court of Appeal.

Meanwhile, Interpol has issued red notices for the eleven suspects in the Dubai killing and distributed photos for identification purposes.

I am not sure what is more ridiculous: that they really believe such professional killers are not disguised; or that the international “outrage” at the killing is genuine.

Oh the games governments play.....!

Profiteering And A Complete Bunch Of 'Bankers'

Barclays Bank has just announced profits of £11.6bn. This is an increase of 92% on the previous year. Other banks are expected to announce similar news in the near future.

Barclays' management is intending to share out a bonus pool of around £1.5bn amongst some of its staff.

Meanwhile, interest on credit cards is running at its highest level since the late 1990's, despite the lowest base rate we have ever seen.

According to the Institute of Directors, 60% of small firms are being turned down for loans by the banks. Many are only surviving in the short term by the use of credit cards.

Yesterday it was reported that it will not be until at least 2016 that we will see repayment of the massive public funds poured into the banking system by the present government.

Is it really surprising then, that such huge profits are being announced?

It seems that City institutions have, once again, taken us all for a ride.

They really are a complete bunch of 'bankers'

The Cost Of Balancing Art And Earthquakes!

The above life-size bronze sculpture, by Swiss Artist Alberto Giacometti, was sold at auction in London, yesterday, for the record sum of £65m after just eight minutes of bidding.

The UK appeal for the disaster victims of the earthquake in Haiti has raised £70m and taken almost three weeks.

Somehow, comparing those two facts makes me feel uncomfortable.

I am not sure whether it is because one person can have so much as to be able to spend such a huge sum on a piece of bronze, or whether it is that so many people are left with so little, and are not able to find even the basics necessary to survive.

I guess that is the balance of life....for those who have, there are many more who have not.

It just does not seem a fair equation to me!

Troops Patrolling Streets Of UK?.....It Could Soon Happen!

Just when you thought it could not get any worse...it has!

We are already the most surveilled population of almost any country in the world and now it seems our controlling government are paving the way to be able to deploy the armed forces on the streets of Britain.

The news came in a Green Paper published yesterday as part of a strategic defence review. Of course, it uses the same old tired excuse - terrorism!

The report says decisions need to be made on the...

"balance between focusing on our territory and region and engaging threats at a distance"

and

"what contribution the armed forces should make in ensuring security and contributing to resilience within the UK".

I have no idea what the hell such a vague and all encompassing statement means but I do know that the possibility of troop deployment is a much more frightening prospect than the perceived threat it is supposed to be preventing.

However, it seems that the media are far more interested in publishing news of philandering sportsmen, than reporting on what would be an irreversible attack on our individual freedoms.

If we don't wake up to reality soon, we could all be dozing into a permanent nightmare!

Katie Price Wedding Draws 'Gasp' Of Boredom!

According to the website of ITN, the latest wedding of Katie Price (aka Jordan) which took place in Las Vegas yesterday "drew gasps throughout the nation".

Really?

The only thing close to a gasp that I could hear, was a collective yawn of boredom and the odd wheeze from an asthmatic.

Somehow, I doubt there will be many anniversaries!

Richard Madeley On Saddam And Blair!

If I was Tony Blair I would be seriously worried tonight.

TV presenter, Richard Madeley, who is the 'Dick' of the legendary TV partnership of Richard and Judy has felt the need to make a short film for BBC's Daily Politics show in defence of our previous prime minister.

I am not sure which shocks me the most: TB needing to be defended by RM or RM becoming an authority on the legalities of war.

It has to be said, that as a political analyst, Richard makes a very good television presenter.

Watch for yourself here and weep!

Could it soon be "Arise Sir Dick"?

Should John Terry Remain England Captain? - Hell No!

Predictably, the papers are full of the alleged marital indiscretion of England and Chelsea captain John Terry and questioning whether he should be allowed to continue as captain of the England squad at this year’s World Cup Finals.

For me, the answer is very simple...No!

I say this not because of what he has done but because of the arrogance demonstrated in the way he has done it.

Whether this is a one-off transgression or whether more stories will surface in the near future, I do not know but so far at least he has not even expressed regret.

Terry did not ‘come clean’ when he became aware he was about to be exposed by the press but, instead, resorted to legal action to gain a complete injunction against the allegation being published in the UK media.

Fortunately, this injunction was lifted last Friday by Mr Justice Tugendhat who made it clear he thought Terry was more interested in protecting his lucrative advertising sponsorship than protecting the privacy of his family. Mr Justice Tugendhat also said:

"Freedom to live as one chooses is one of the most valuable freedoms.

"But so is the freedom to criticise - within the limits of the law - the conduct of other members of society as being socially harmful, or wrong."

Terry chose the girlfriend of a teammate - and a friend of his wife - as the focus of his attention and according to the press, paid for her to have an abortion when she became pregnant with his child.

In reality, he was not just cheating on his wife but cheating the general public and his sponsors by selling his image as that of a responsible role model.

Sadly, in the world of football things like infidelity are not often thought of as being a red card offence; I remember several instances over the last decade - including that of an England coach.

Meanwhile, the general public seem to be more impressed by the amount of money a player earns in a week, or the 'flash' cars they are seen to be driving. Football players have become celebrities and many of them think they can do what they like, when they like and get away with it. They are arrogant.

Whoever captains the England squad should be an ambassador for the whole country and a genuine role model for the young. He should not be someone who behaves as John Terry has done. Respect is something that should be earned and not something that can just be bought.

So, on balance, I think Terry’s behaviour has been less than that we should expect of someone worthy to lead the England team into the Finals.

In the meantime, his betrayed wife has - like all betrayed wives of celebrities seem to do - flown to sunnier climes to concentrate on her tan and her future.

The alleged ex-mistress is said to be negotiating the sale of her story to the media for a sum that most of us will never see in our lifetimes.

Welcome back to the real world!

Climate For A Change...Of Message!

The UK’s Climate Change Secretary, Ed Miliband, has stated it would be “profoundly irresponsible” to use one “mistake” as an excuse not to act.

He was referring to the fact that the Himalayan Glaciers have not seemed to melt in quite the 'doom and gloom' manner predicted by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Mr Miliband added it did not "undermine decades of climate research and the overwhelming majority of scientists say that." Hmmm it must be right then!

The trouble is, no-one has come up with a convincing argument either for, or against, climate change being a man-made problem. It has, instead, been a storm of confusion and opposing ‘facts’.

Cyclical changes in climate have been occurring since the creation of the planet.

Yes, we could all do a lot better at helping the environment but we have reached a stage in our evolution where we no longer just accept, or believe, the words of Al Gore, government funded scientists or self important ministers. We need to respond to positive education and not desperate scare tactics.

I have no idea who is right or wrong about global warming but what I do know, for sure, is...... I am bloody freezing!!

Blair And Iraq - All In One Picture!

Having spent today following the reports of Tony Blair's historic grilling, yesterday, at the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq War, I was really not sure what impression I was left with.

Then, I saw the above picture in The London Daily News and it seemed to sum it all up perfectly!!

MMR Jab - The 'Proof' Is Still Out There!

One of the biggest decisions for parents of small children over the last decade, has been whether to have a child vaccinated with the MMR jab.

The triple vaccine is said to protect against Measles, Mumps and Rubella and is highly recommended by the officers of our nanny state who, of course, always know best. They do not take kindly to anyone questioning their self proclaimed wisdom and will take all the action they think necessary to quash any dissent.

One such dissenter is Dr Andrew Wakefield, a gastroenterologist who now faces being struck off as a physician by the General Medical Council (GMC) after a hearing said to have cost £1million and lasting 148 days.

The GMC, today, ruled that Dr Wakefield has ‘failed in his duties as a responsible consultant’ and ‘acted dishonestly’ after he published the results of his study questioning the safety of the MMR jab in The Lancet in 1998. He believed - and still does - he had uncovered a link between the MMR vaccine and bowel disease and autism.

Following publication of his claim, the uptake of the jab decreased by over 20% and he was blamed for panicking the public. It seems unsurprising then, that an attempt would be made to destroy his reputation.

Interestingly, Tony Blair, while in office as Prime Minister, refused to clarify one way or the other whether his own children had been given the vaccination and this did little to instill confidence amongst worried parents.

Today’s ruling has not found Dr Wakefield guilty of being wrong but guilty of using the methods he did when carrying out his research.

The children in his study, were aged between three and ten and all had enjoyed a life of normal development, before having the vaccination. However, soon after having the MMR jab, they were found to suffer intestinal problems including diarrhoea and constipation. Nine of the group were diagnosed with autism.

According to the research team, subsequent study of a further 48 children revealed that 46 followed the same pattern.

However, the GMC has not questioned the results of the study but the methods used by Dr Wakefield’s team.

Amongst the accusations were: ‘subjecting vulnerable children to inappropriate and invasive tests’, of ‘being in breach of some of the most fundamental rules in medicine’ and accusing Dr Wakefield of not having paediatric qualifications and not having worked as a clinician for a number of years.

Finally, the GMC claimed the children did not meet the criteria for inclusion in the research and that the doctors did not have ethical approval to investigate them.

Surely, one of the most ‘fundamental rules' of a medical researcher, is to voice concern when there is doubt about something that could be so harmful to those most vulnerable.

All of the above accusations are, really, just technicalities and designed to distract from the main point.

Dr Wakefield has not been found guilty of being wrong but has been found guilty of questioning the word of those who are too arrogant to believe they could ever be wrong.

Science is, by its very nature, a subject of continual questioning and we must never just give in to things we are given as 'fact'.

After all, it was not that many years ago we were told, as 'fact', the earth was flat!

The future health of our children is even more important.

'Obscenity' And The Ministry of Defence

Defence Secretary, Bob Ainsworth, has been forced to reveal, in reply to a parliamentary question, that a senior official at the Ministry of Defence trousered a bonus payment of £84,500 last year.

The average payment for senior fixed term appointees was said to be £31,890 over the same period.

What the heck is a 'senior fixed term appointee'? Well, the Cabinet Office describe the positions as either consultants brought in from outside the civil service, or seconded from other departments. Hmmm... I am still none the wiser.

Given the way we follow everything the US does, I am tempted to question whether these 'senior fixed term appointees' are really private security personnel (aka mercenaries) contracted to perform dirty deeds - while allowing plausible denial for the government - in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.

A spokesman for the Taxpayers' Alliance branded the payments 'obscene' but what is really 'obscene' is the sight of the coffins in which our dead military personnel return, after losing their lives while earning a fraction of the pay being awarded to the recipients of the bonuses.

What is 'obscene' is the fact that the Ministry of Defence could not afford to supply our troops with the equipment needed to protect their lives during a war we should, arguably, not be fighting but can, instead, afford to pay consultants large bonuses.

What is 'obscene' is the cost of the security circus that will be protecting the man who led us into the present military actions, Tony Blair, as he is grilled by the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war, at the end of this week.

But the biggest obscenity of all is that it has taken a parliamentary question to even discover that our tax payments are being frittered away in such an unsavoury fashion.

New 'Foolproof' Airline Security On Test!

Don't laugh......It could well catch on!"

UK Politics In A Picture!

Seems pretty accurate to me!

Robin Hood And The Twitter Terrorist!

It’s a well known fact that Twitter is the place where terrorists the world over announce their intentions to commit another outrage. Well isn’t it?

Errrr actually no it’s not.

It is, instead, a place where millions of people the world over empty their heads by sharing thoughts that can sometimes be outrageous and stupid. It is not known for being a place of enormous intellect. It is communication in its simplest form - however irritating it can sometimes seem.

Unfortunately, no-one had told the officers of the South Yorkshire Police, who arrested a 26 year old man for tweeting, in total frustration at the effect the bad weather was having on his travel plans: "Robin Hood airport is closed," continuing "You've got a week and a bit to get your shit together, otherwise I'm blowing the airport sky high!!"

A week after posting the comment, Paul Chambers was arrested at his place of work under the Terrorism Act and questioned for seven hours, before being released on bail.

He said "I would never have thought, in a thousand years, that any of this would have happened because of a Twitter post," and "I'm the most mild-mannered guy you could imagine."

He has since been suspended from his work, pending an internal enquiry and banned from Robin Hood Airport, in Doncaster, for life.

An expert on privacy laws and free speech, Tessa Mayes commented:

"Making jokes about terrorism is considered a thought crime, mistakenly seen as a real act of harm or intention to commit harm.

"The police's actions seem laughable and suggest desperation in their efforts to combat terrorism, yet they have serious repercussions for all of us. In a democracy, our right to say what we please to each other should be non-negotiable, even on Twitter."

Of course she is right.

No-one would ever dispute that we should take the threat of terrorism seriously but if we are to live in fear of being arrested everytime we make a misjudged comment or an attempt at a joke, then the terrorists have already won the war.

The police, of all people, should know the difference between a genuine threat and what is obviously nothing more than a foolish declaration of frustration.

Be careful what you say or you could find your self being apprehended by a right bunch of tweets!

It's 'Butter' To Reduce The Prices!

One of the UK's leading heart surgeons has called for a ban on butter and some high fat foods, in an attempt to halt the rise in coronary disease and its related problems.

Oh that life were so simple.

The fact is, the things that are bad for us are often the very things we can all afford (and they taste just as good).

After all, despite the adverts and claims of the cholesterol reducing alternatives, it is highly unlikely that many people can afford the high prices that such 'goodness' will cost.

A tub of 'healthy' stuff to spread on our sarnies is almost four times the cost of that of its 'unhealthier' alternative.

Unless the government introduces measures to make the healthy alternatives affordable to all, it is unlikely that a ban on butter alone will make any difference.

In the long term, though,the cost to the health service is far greater than any of us can afford!