In the counting house

If political parties can't make ends meet, have they any right to attempt to govern us and pontificate on the state of the Nation's finances?

Prudence, where are you?

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Heavens Above - Not 'Arf!

Not long ago I saw a copy of the Daily Mail with an article about performers and artistes residing in a retirement home. Alan "Fluff" Freeman was a resident. I was both saddened to see him as an old man, but pleased that he appeared happy. I for one will always remember Alan Freeman as the man who made the Top 40 something to wait for every Sunday night. He rattled through the list without ever fluffing his lines it seemed. Maybe he did, but he made 45rpm records into a must have item.

Now it's all so very different. Are there any Pop Pickers left? Downloads and ipods, you tube and mobiles! Fluff was a one-off. He didn't copy anyone but himself. Another Australian import that the Brits took to their hearts. Well done, mate! You did well, not 'arf.

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Boo! I'm a Policeman! Got yer!

This excellent piece of journalism from Paul Routledge. Just goes to show what a banana republic Blair's turning us into.

Paul Routledge

"INSPECTOR Idiot of the Met police was on duty in Whitehall for Queen's Speech day. He ordered two constables to search Peter Murray, 48, an award winning male nurse, for shouting "boo" at Tony Blair's limousine. They also took his name, abusing their powers under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000. It is now an offence to be rude about the Prime Minister in public. Tshirts with the slogan "B******s to Blair" can land you in jail. I don't know who's more stupid, the politicians who make the laws, or the police who enforce them with such dumb enthusiasm."

Does Hendon Police College teach them to be this bonkers? Or are they picked for their boneheadedness? What a world!!

It can only get worse! (Until the Spiv-in-Chief goes, of course!)

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Blair's Fund Raising Activities!!

Mandelson's old chum Blair, otherwise the Spiv-in-Chief, has been advising on new funding methods. Labour has been accused of using councillors' publicly-funded allowances to help pay off party debts. Don't they ever learn. Anyday now Blair is going to get a knock on the door by a policeman asking him about dodgy dealings. Is the rap sheet getting longer?

Labour said the cash was used to support its local group activities, but the Tories say a leaked memo shows funds are being sent to Labour Party headquarters rather than to fund local party activities. Sleaze watchdog the Standards Board for England said it had received a complaint from an ex-Labour councillor. Northumbria Police have also confirmed they have received a complaint from a former leader of Sunderland Council, Bryn Sidaway, who quit in protest at the levy.

It can only get worse!!

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Mandelson, Money, and Mortgages!!

Where did Peter Mandelson find the money to buy a £2.4m house in London's fashionable Primrose Hill? Good question! Mandelson and money go together like bees and honey. The BBC are good enough to raise this but they don't go digging too far into the trackbed of the gravy train!

One former Commission official said the pay system of the EU was hard to follow, even for insiders. "I never quite understood my pay packet," she added. "I just knew that it was large."

Doesn't that comment just about sum up these bloated ne'er-do-wells?

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Eggsactly!

Apparently there is a salmonella risk from eggs from Spain. Salmonella is present in one in every 30 boxes of eggs imported for sale in England, but with eggs from Spain, this rises to one in eight, according to the Food Standards Agency.

They suggest cooking eggs COMPLETELY if you're elderly or vulnerable in any way. A television reporter showed a fried egg cooked to vulcanised rubber standards. It looked revolting as she cut it open with a knife. I would sincerely hope that they tried to eradicate this disease rather than suggesting that those of us who like eggs should eat them in a rubbery blubbery condition. I would hate to be in an old folks home only to be offered boiled eggs that give off a warm smell reminiscent of the school chemistry labs!

How do you like your eggs?

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Oranges & Lemons say the Bells of........

I'm still having trouble with internet access. A less than lively guy from Orange suggested that it's all the fault of the "little copper wires" being overloaded. Is it just the fact that an old system is being used by a 21st century megasystem? My wireless connection is somewhere in the postal system. So many systems all seemingly with systemic faults.

Perhaps Alexander Graham Bell and Charles Babbage could come back from beyond the grave and boom some choice words into the ears of all concerned!

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Roses are Red

Thinking of roses? How about this site. Just come across it. http://www.rosesarered.co.uk/

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Freedom of Speech

Sir Elton John has voiced his opinions. "I think religion has always tried to turn hatred towards gay people. Religion promotes the hatred and spite against gays. But there are so many Christian people I know who are gay and love their religion ..." Last week Nick Griffin, the leader of the British National Party, was cleared of inciting hatred with such words, amongst others, as Islam being a "wicked, vicious faith" and said Muslims were turning Britain into a "multi-racial hell hole".

It's interesting that Sir Elton's views are not deemed inflammatory but Griffin's are. My view is that both are entitled to express their opinions. I disagree with Elton John but feel he said it in a non-belligerent way. I've always been a keen fan of his from the earliest days. We all know where he stands. The Church does not "promote the hatred and spite against gays". Quite the opposite, in fact. Whether there are some who profess a belief in Christianity and attack homosexuals by hating them or being spiteful does not imply that "organised religion" believes it. The Church has a doctrine on the sacrament of matrimony and this is well known. It is based on love and discipline (Latin disciplina ‘instruction, knowledge’).

Griffin, on the other hand, I believe does intend to inflame. However, the best way to deal with his rhetoric is either to tackle it head-on through debate or to ignore it. Taking the legal route, which the CPS lackies have done, only gives Griffin cause to celebrate (this time as the victor of free speech).

The trouble is that under this regime of Blairite Correctness, the very issues that the BNP feed on are seen as not important to a rabble of former communists/bomb-banners/socialists who are now on the capitalist bandwagon of greed! Instead of discussing these issues they sound pious, say how odious they think the BNP is, and then talk about something else.

Free speech is definitely being eroded or at least muzzled. Anyone wanting to stop the BNP should discuss the issues and get out to vote instead of standing on street corners looking like morons!

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Plymouth Brethren?

The left-wing council of Plymouth, from where the Pilgrim Fathers set sail to the New World, have become decidedly mean-minded and spiritually bankrupt. What was the Archbishop of York saying about atheist Britain?

These politically correct characters have now changed the parking fees in two car parks located near churches in Plymouth. They were free on Sunday mornings. Now it's £1 an hour to park!

A jobsworth said, in response to a letter of complaint, "Dispensation is not given to other religions. The basis of your representation was rejected on the grounds that the current free parking on a Sunday morning is discriminatory to other faiths and religious praying days."

But hold on! This is supposed to me a Christian country, is it not? If I were in Israel, I might expect free parking on a Saturday, or free parking on a Friday in Saudi Arabia. Fancy being a Christian complaining about parking charges on a Sunday in Jeddah?

These are the people running Britain, folks!! Do you like it?

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A Collar Getting Felt?

Killer e-mail sends Blair into panic over cash for honours row!

Headline News in the Daily Mail. Apparently Blair is now said to be 'very worried' that he could be implicated as a result of the vast quantity of evidence obtained by police. "No one took the inquiry very seriously at the outset, and no one thought the PM would be in any difficulties,' said a senior Minister. Well, didn't it cross his mind to think that getting round his own legislation would cause problems? Things can only get worse! that should have been his more honest election slogan in 1997.

There are some choice remarks in this piece from the Mail. I like this one!

I'm quite confident he still has enough supplies of snake oils to slither out of this one.- Asp, Herts

But isn't all so sad that the moral fibre of the Cabinet is so weak?

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TV Takeover or Takeaway?

ITV has a possible suitor. The cable company NTL is seeking a merger. I think before they talk turkey maybe they can put their own house in order. NTL owns Telewest and through various "ownerships" they all seem to have a stake in UKTV and other cable broadcasters. These cable cheepskates offer no date as to when they will broadcast in widescreen. I know I have been advised it's because they don't have the money as it seems they are all going down a route of diminishing advertising returns. But as the retailers push more new-fangled products the broadcasters take a reverse turn!

Perhaps if they do get together they can, at last put a package together that gives the viewer a better deal. A deal that not only includes widescreen broadcasts, but decent local programming (ITV has almost given up), synchronised signals (Telewest still has voice and vision going at different speeds on some stations!) and easier recording facilities.

I wait with baited breath!

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Poppycock!

Jonathan Bartley, of the think tank Ekklesia, says "there is a crucial difference between the red poppy and the crucifix. Whilst the red poppy implies redemption can come through war, the Christian story implies that redemption comes through nonviolent sacrifice. The white poppy is much more Christian, in that respect, than the red variety." He was on BBC Radio 4 this morning claiming the moral high ground.

His slur, and it seems that way, is to suggest that those who wear a red poppy are in varying degrees supporting war as a cathartic experience for the soul. Nonsense! Aggressive warmongering has no place within the Christian Faith. However, soldiering to maintain peace is an honourable cause. Jesus recognised faith in the soldiers of His time and various soldiers mentioned in the Gospels spoke up in recognising the Divinity of Christ.

Laying down one's life is never a matter for trivia, but whether it be by violent means or non-violent, the overriding factor here is whether the person is prepared to spare his/her life for the good of others. "Whosoever shall seek to gain his life shall lose it: but whosoever shall lose 'his life' shall preserve it."

The white poppy suggests that all the soldiers who lie buried in a foreign field died in some mistaken belief of redemptive glory. No, they died because most of them had no choice, but they most certainly did not think they were getting brownie points in Heaven.

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Rumsfeld replaced after poll loss

What took him so long? The great handshaker of Saddam, when things seemed OK, is now given his marching orders. Swiftly done. Iraq was on the lips of nearly every American voter. Pity Rumsfeld saw it as a "shock and awe" spectacular.

Apparently George Bush thought it was right, that "after a series of thoughtful conversations", Rumsfeld should move on. He and the Defense Secretary have decided "the time is right for new leadership at the Pentagon". Bravo to that!

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Call for phone drivers crackdown

I would think this fair. Very fair, actually. Using mobile phones whilst driving can cause death. However, it seems that some drivers are too arrogant or just downright anti-social in their behaviour. I see all sorts whilst walking my children to school. BT van drivers (they should know better!), parcel vans, Mercedes drivers (wow! don't they just look like boardroom fatties stuffed behind the wheel, arm leaning on the window), and trendy women leaving the leisure centre in their SUVs. None seem remotely bothered. I think the view now is that it is to do just what you want when you want.

Med Hughes, Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) roads spokesman, said it was time to rethink the penalties. I agree. "Something like 17,000 people have been prosecuted for mobile phone offences, and it's time to have reconsideration of the penalties," he says. That would seem a drop in the ocean. I see at least two when walking less than a mile! All seem oblivious of the hazards in front of them.

Where is the community spirit with these people? In the graveyard?

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My Broadband getting broader!

I've just found out why I've been having trouble with the internet. I'm not on the right system! This is what happens when your service provider gets gobbled up by another. Looking back at emails from them there was some gobbledegook about things getter better but no real reference to the amount of "megs" I could use. Anyway, when I finally got fed up with it all, I summoned up the patience to do call centre time and spoke to a rather charming young man who explained that I would be better on a wireless system. I have been online to order and I am waiting now for the gadget to arrive. However, at first, I was told that my line was not capable of taking broadband (even though I've been on for nearly a year!) so that gave me a sense of security!

But I did ask him if I was the only one (thinking that I could not possibly be) to be affected. "Oh no, he said. We're getting quite a few calls about it". So they, like so many other businesses, just react to the customers rather than be pro-active in explaining things.

When I was in hospital there was a chap who had worked on the buses locally. It seems buses are maintained when they break down not when a weekly/monthly routine tells them to. Now I know why I see so many buses with flashing lights parked at the roadside.

There's always something behind the story!

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