David Cameron's Bishops?

A new opinion poll, according to BBC Newsnight, gives the Tories a winning streak, enabling them to muster a majority of just 6 in a new House of Commons should a nervous New Labour leader run off to the palace seeking a fresh mandate. David Cameron would be Prime Minister, with all that the position holds, including juggling two names in a hat when it comes to the choice of a new bishop in the Church of England.

In these current elections due on May 3rd, a hapless Conservative candidate in Wales has got into a spot of bother by apparently be caught saying that homosexuality is a sin. No sooner had he uttered the words, then the Conservative leadership swung into action denouncing such talk. Mr Cameron, touring the Vale of Glamorgan today, said, "He's already clarified and made clear that we should not discriminate against people on the ground of their sexuality. That is the position of the Conservative Party, we're a party that doesn't believe in discrimination." Well, Mr.Cameron, nobody I know in the Church wishes to discriminate on the grounds of sexuality. What the candidate, Darren Millar, said was that some texts in the Bible said homosexual activity was a sin. A difference!

It seems in the New Blue Party of today that remarks, which follow orthodox Christian teaching, are to be condemned, and condemned in a rather patrician manner. This all leads me to wonder what would happen, some time in the future, when Dave is sitting behind Blair's desk, and a civil servant enters with the names of the two candidates selected for appointment to a diocese. One is a liberally-minded but effective pastor, the other is a traditional cleric with a background in serving the inner cities. Both outstanding candidates it would appear.

Question is, does Dave boot out the man of traditional belief because in the New Blue Paradise the rules are now written that say such orthodoxy has no place in positions within the State?

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400 Years of English America!

Can it be 400 years since the English first laid down a permanent settlement in Virginia? Named after the first Queen Elizabeth (Sir Walter Raleigh was a flatterer as much as anything else), Virginia is about to receive the second Queen Elizabeth for a State Visit to celebrate the 400 years.

Americans tend to say that their's is a young country, by which they mean the United States. In actual fact, it is an evolving nation, which has only been in its current condition for 50 years. The period from 1607 to 1777 is a long time. 170 years to be precise. Several generations lived in British America before the Revolution was completed. The Commonwealth of Virginia is the place to learn about these people - a people who had divided loyalties and a choice to make at the time the country became the forerunner of the USA we know today. Many left to reside in Canada, some returned to England, a country they knew little about.

The tragedy of last week's senseless shootings can be brought to a partial conclusion by the celebrations of American history that brings the values handed down over the four centuries to present day Virginians. These people are steeped in history, but alive to the realities of the world. They say that every American should stand in Jamestown, but I think it would be good if everybody could try to stand there.

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One Hundred Today!

Congratulations to Alec Holden, from Epsom in Surrey, who is picking up £25,000 from bookmaker William Hill, which gave him odds of 250/1 that he would reach his century. The retired engineer, born on 24 April 1907, joked he had been "very careful" about what he had been doing recently. He placed the bet on 10 December 1997, when he was aged 90, with the thought that he "would live forever".

I think this is a nice little bet, far better than walking into the bookmakers and asking for the odds on Elvis Presley returning. But guess what? William Hill are not so cheery. A spokesman said "When we started taking these bets, 100 years old seemed to be an almost mythical landmark and we were prepared to offer massive odds. But these age wagers are starting to cost us a fortune and from now on we are going to push out the age to 110."

Cost a fortune?!? They've only paid out on three! And those can't have amounted to much, unless the other two put down whacking wagers. By raising it to 110 it is virtually impossible to win, because the odds of the person who gets to 110 actually winning is remote in the extreme because you'd have to have a vision from Heaven to know you'd get that far. Of course, we could all put a bet on, but that would only benefit William Hill et al.

So, as with many other things in life, Alec Holden will be the last to do something interesting before someone steps in to stop it.

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Celebrating the Saints

Today is St Geoge's Day. He is the patron saint of England, a martyr and the embodiment of Englishness. So why not much merriment? Well, there are some of us thinking of the day and some of us who will have a celebration. But it still remains a minority.

There will be no St. George's Day parade in Birmingham. There was one for St. Patrick! Well, maybe not for him as such, for I doubt whether many on the parade were remembering his holy status as the bearer of the gospel to the Emerald Isle! But it is good to party. Nobody suggested it was a bad thing to do. However, can you imagine what might be said if English people set up their parades. My cynical mind tells me that the New Labour Fright Regime would like to set up a Parades Commission in return (and get some crony to sit on yet another quango!) and interfere. I hate being cynical, but 10 years of Blair makes a person a bit that way. Except, of course, for the dwindling band of Mr. Tony fans!

Today on BBC Breakfast the duo on the sofa limply said, "we're not allowed to wear roses" and most others on TV will be the same. On the radio, a local DJ was bemused by the apparent lack of interest, but seemed to accept it as the norm.

I look forward to the day when St. George's Day can be celebrated just the same as any other patron saint. OK, St. George may never match St. Valentine for popularity, but can't we love him a little bit more?

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Seasons? Is it summer?

The UK is basking in warm sunshine - with the highest temperatures of the year so far expected over this weekend. Forecasters are predicting it could reach 24-25C before tomorrow (Sunday) evening - about 10 degrees above spring average. Everybody I see is walking around as if summer is here.

What has happened to all the chatter about climate change? My guess is that it is now only politically possible to talk about that in Britain on a really shitty day. Then people will say, "Oh yes" to all the rigorous privations we will need to suffer in order to satisfy the pundits. But try putting the case to semi-naked sun worshippers on Brighton beach! A snowball would have a better chance!

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Maybe a good hiding instead!

Tony Blair is urging voters to resist the temptation to give him one final "kicking" in May's Scottish elections. The prime minister said he would be gone soon but Scotland would have to live with the "consequences" of an SNP government for many years.

Hold on a minute, Mr.Tony! In your 10 years at the helm you've been nothing short of a simpering disaster. The only thing that has enabled you to retain power is a fractured opposition. Other than that we've been subjected to the most inept government ever to befall the British people.

It was of course Mr.Tony and his New Labour Fright Regime that imposed the Scottish Parliament on the UK. So if the people of Scotland want to vote for the SNP is the PM suggesting they can't. It's called democracy. But then New Labour isn't keen on democracy unless they can manipulate things. I don't want to see an SNP government in Scotland, but the way New Labour has trashed the constitution, well, anything can happen!

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The Benefits of Lie Detectors!

Lie detectors will be used to help root out benefit cheats, Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton has said. Should make some nervous types worried, though. Just think, you're out of work, feeling down, and some heavyweight clerk leans over the desk. What if you fail? Any redress? It will be tested on housing and council tax benefit claims first, before being rolled out to job centres later in the year. Announcing the pilot, Mr Hutton said, "This technology aims to tackle fraudsters while speeding up claims and improving customer service for the honest majority." So another faultless machine brought to us by the wonders of New Labour!

Now then, has he thought of its benefits elsewhere? What about at Prime Minister's Questions? Up gets the PM. First question, "Has the PM done a deal with Iran?" Machine splutters. "Has the PM ever told a lie to the House, such as there being WMD and a 45-minute strike danger from Iraq?" Machine blows up - Speaker suspends sitting.

Well, if we are going to get lie detectors let's all have them, or are some people going to be allowed to carry on telling porkies?

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Banned Candidates

Bournemouth borough council has apologised for banning "lunatics, idiots, deaf and dumb" people from standing for election. Well, they meant something else but got it wrong. An election pack issued by the council stated that "lunatics and idiots" and "deaf and dumb persons" were disqualified from standing. Matt Pitcher, the council's electoral services officer, said it was a mistake and that the terms were taken directly from election law dating back to 1766. "Of course such language is certainly not acceptable today," he added.

This 1766 law is still valid today apparently. Does it say anything about liars, cheats, spivs and crooks?

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Standards? New Labour's Watching!

Dewsbury is having a spot of political police enquiries. Inspector New Labour from the local nick is at the bidding of a quango. The thing that bugs me here is that Shahid Malik, a New Labour stooge and MP, has complained to the "Standards Board" about a song from a folk-singing BNP councillor. What in Heaven's name is wrong with democratic debate? I would have thought that Malik, his family having left the ever-so democratic Pakistan, would be a defender of democracy. Instead, the little weasel runs off to Blair's quango to get these apparatchiks into motion.

This quote from the Dewsbury Today paper seems to sum it up!

The chief executive of the standards board has written to Mr Malik confirming the allegations had been passed on to the head of referrals at the SBE and that they were seeking legal opinion. Mr Malik said he would also be passing the lyrics to the police for them to view and consider any response.

The Head of Referrals? What evil-minded zealot is this? The way to confront the BNP is through debate and presenting policies that debunk theirs! Not resorting to the police-state tactics of the New Labour control freaks!

And the BNP is making political capital. What does Malik think he has gained?

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