Oscar the dog wins canine slimming title!

It is not only us humans who are having trouble with our eating habits. Dogs and cats do too. Or rather, it is the owners giving "treats" to the animals. We've all done it. Many moons ago my father used to make a pot of tea in the evening, and our dog always got a bowlful of warm tea to lick up. She was denied sugar, though, so stayed on a relatively strict regime.

I've always thought there was a problem over food for animals. Most of the stuff given is appalling. There has never been a dog who has turned up his/her nose at proper meat. After all they are carnivores. Cats prefer fresh fish to a highly smelling mash containing fish bones and rusk material. I remember a chap from the old Safeway days, saying he tasted the tinned food that the supermarket sold. I suppose he was trying to prove a point!

So with all this noxious food around, isn't it going to be that dogs, in particular, and cats will want to step outside their world of nasal nuisance and wish to devour human comfort food. Like the odd burger here, or the pizza portion there?

With so many podgy pooches and cuddly cats around, the PDSA have set up an annual slimming competion in connection with their Pet Fit Club. The winner in the dog section was Oscar who lost 10kg to come in with a much reduced waistline (by five inches!). He's the WINNER – PDSA Pet Fit Club Champ!

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Ron Paul - Internet Marketing's Best Friend!

Ron Paul is for less regulation, lower taxes, a sound currency & more freedom. That's why he is the choice of not only those who “hang” around the online world, but also those who do business in it. His message is going to be heard by business people in Seattle, he is going to North Dakota for the caucus there. Funny how he does better in the discussive nature of the caucus that at the ballot box. Is it because his policies are heard in the caucus and he is denied national TV airtime or kept to the minimum.

John McCain and Mitt Romney were tersely sparring in last night's CNN battle of the brains. Mike Huckabee is running out of cash and won't have a dime after Super Tuesday. So it will carry on.

Ron Paul will be the last man standing!

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Call centres in India disrupted - good news or bad?

Internet services have been disrupted in large parts of the Middle East and India following damage to two undersea cables in the Mediterranean. Apparently call centres in India can't call anybody because their internet instructions are all out of whack! So we could have a week free from persistent phone calls from people speaking in perfect 1940's Standard English. "Sorry, what was that again?".

That's the good news. It also means that bloggers from the Middle East are mainly offline. That puts the likes of Osama Bin Laden in the isolation cave, which is good, but prevents the truth tellers from getting online, which is bad.

The bad news also is that trade and commerce will be badly affected. Not what we want in these global credit crunch days. Egypt's Telecommunications Ministry said it would probably take several days for internet services to return to normal following the disruption on Wednesday. Emergency teams were trying to find alternative communication routes, including satellites. The ministry's Rafaat Hindy said, "Despite this being an international cable affecting many Gulf and Arab countries, we are closest to it and so we have a lot of responsibility."

"We are working as fast as we can." He should come and see the guys at Network Rail!

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Baby snatched at birth by officials was illegal, says judge!

Over zealous social services officials, who sometimes appear to have learnt their trade at the King Herod School for Baby Snatchers, have been brought up short by a judge. In this New Labour world of "we know best", the indignity and inhuman actions that seem to accompany officialdom know no bounds. The judge, Mr Justice Munby, at the High Court, said no baby could be removed "as the result of a decision taken by officials in some room". That's the point here. They put motherhood aside, they reckoned on a form-filling excercise, backed up by a clinical approach to the seizure.

The mother did indeed have mental problems and a troubled childhood. She's only 18. But do we really want people in our social services who would do Vinegar Joe Stalin proud, or do we want caring professionals who have the ability to think for themselves, have a bit of charity (yes, charity, that old fashioned word - it just means love with strength of mind!), and can use common sense.

Nottingham Social Services are determined to take the baby boy into "care". They are in a mood, which given a long leash, could frighten most people. The woman's solicitor said she faced the prospect of "an application by the local authority social services for an interim care order, which will be vigorously contested". The judge added that the situation was "most unfortunate". He said officials involved in the case "should have known better". Certainly they should.

We must be vigilant against these types and promote a standard of care that we would all be proud of. Many times social services do what they think the law requires, or what they think is right, without consideration for human emotion or pain. It's all too clinically brutal. Sometimes they forget about the real problems, such as Victoria Climbier.

Thank goodness we have judges who can stand up to the menaces lurking within the New Labour mentality. Whilst I very much want children to be protected from any form of harm or neglect, I believe there are also many injustices perpetrated on innocent families. These families may not be that articulate or sterotypically normal by certain standards, but an injustice is an injustice.

Groups such as Forced Adoption, Unity-Injustice, and PAROC (Parents Against Removal of Children) are fighting for justice. John Hemming MP is doing very good work in this regard. He also supports a referendum on the EU Treaty, but that's another matter!

So I would hope that we can campaign for better social services, more transparency (Gordon Brown's new buzz word), and employing firm but fair people who understand the needs and welfare of our children.

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Ron Paul censored by USA Today!

The media in the US does its own thing. Equal time, fair play, etc, when it comes to elections is for wimpish democracies. If the big guys don't like you, then you're gonna know it!

This video shows who is running the game at USA Today, and it's certainly not village cricket!

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Ron Paul steals a march on Huckabee in his own back yard!

Ron Paul ads are airing on Arkansas TV stations before the other main contenders have broken sweat in the state. Huckabee's not got anything scripted yet!

On the ad, an off-screen announcer says, "Who among these men has never supported a tax increase? Never supported an unbalanced budget? Never supported wasteful government spending? Congressman Ron Paul, the taxpayer's best friend."As the questions are asked, each candidate's photo fades out until only Paul is left. A quote from Ronald Reagan then appears on the screen: "We need to keep him fighting for our country." The ad ends with Paul's voice saying, "I'm Ron Paul, and I approved this message."

Surprising that the others haven't bought airtime, but then they couldn't answer positively to all three questions!

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Jeremy Beadle dies at 59

Jeremy Beadle has died at the relatively young age of 59. He was apparently suffering from pneumonia. He was a fixture of the TV screens in the UK during the 80's and 90's and made his entry into the TV world with "Game for a Laugh". I never really took to that, but I found some of his Beadle's About shows hysterical.

One show he did I thought was the best. This young man was set up by a friend (the usual method!) to be given the Saturday morning of his life. He was put in a temporary job in a bed showroom. This was one of those places with literally hundreds of beds all jammed together across a wide floor space. The manager suddenly tells him he must get to the bank before it closes, leaving the hapless boy on his own. As soon as the manager has departed (voice over by Beadle, encouraging the audience) a very large man, a very large woman, and their exceedingly large daughter Dainty, walk into the store. This is the Golightly family. The boy mutters expletives under his breath as the trio waddle towards him. Mr Golightly wants to buy a bed for his daughter. They insist on trying them out. Of course, the beds bust and the place becomes a wreck in no time. All the while the poor boy is beside himself. When the manager returns and remonstrates with him, he's almost cracking. Then Beadle pops up and great relief all round. It was a great prank.

Can't find that one, but the "Husband's Nude Modelling" sketch is just as good!



And just looking found this other scene, the "Golightly's Go Skiing" (a bit grainy!) which gives a flavour.

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Giuliani and Edwards abandon the race

As expected, both John Edwards and rudy Giuliani have announced they are abandoning the White House race. The mystery now is whether they will swing behind anyone quickly or hold fire for a while. Let's see.

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Pilot "who wanted to talk to God" carried off Air Canada flight!

An Air Canada flight has been diverted to Shannon airport in Ireland because the co-pilot became hysterically unstable, shouting and swearing, saying he wanted "to talk to God". One of the passengers, Sean Finucane, said he saw the pilot being carried into the cabin in restraints.
"He was very, very distraught. He was yelling loudly at times". It can't have been a pleasant experience.

It's in times like this that one hopes for a Lloyd Bridges or Tommy Lee Jones type to take control and calm the passengers and crew down. "At no time was the safety of the passengers or crew in question" said an Air Canada spokesman. That's good to know. It was lucky that they were close to Shannon. If it was halfway across the Atlantic, the passengers could have been in for a performance ranging from a Bible Belt preacher to Freddie Starr doing his Hitler impressions!

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Giuliani and Edwards to quit race anytime soon!

Any day now both Rudy Giuliani and John Edwards are to announce they are quitting the race for the White House. Edwards has been somewhat knocked off course by the rise of Barack Obama, and Giuliani made the mistake of putting most of his eggs into the Florida basket.

Whilst the Democratic race will be down to two horses of very different qualities, the Republicans will have four to contend with. Ron Paul's not leaving the race because he's got the financial clout to stay in. That was Giuliani's achilles heel. McCain may slip up. Who knows? His grasp of the economy is woefully slim, but folks don't seem to mind. Maybe a major cock-up is on the horizon. Better before the election, than after!

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Conway to step down at election

What a difference a day makes! Within less than 24 hours of David Cameron withdrawing the whip it is all over for Derek Conway. He's done the right thing. With that it can be concluded he is going with his integrity intact even if his reputation is temporarily tarnished.

"I have concluded that it's now time to step down." And with that, he has prevented an ongoing whispering campaign by high-minded Labourites. Let's hope he is able to work out his time as an MP without any more consequences.

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Conway Twitty - or is it Twitty Conway?

Derek Conway, the Conservative MP in search of sinecures for his sons, deserves what he got. That is, being deprived of the whip in parliament. I'm surprised David Cameron didn't give him a good thrashing with the whip before he confiscated it. Another MP, Roger Gale (former Radio Caroline DJ, no less), came to Conway's assistance by confirming he was a man of integrity. He may well be in normal circumstances.

What I find really odd is that by now you'd have thought these MPs would have sussed that any wrongdoing over financial matters is going to get them into trouble. Are they thick, stupid, naive, insensitive, or what? Did Conway ever say to his son "Look, put in a couple of appearances, for goodness sake!" or did he just not even bother with that? Beggars belief, I say.

So it is Twitty Conway, for being such a twit!

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Ryanair runs into a spot of ad turbulence!

Ryanair is the sort of company that regulators hate. It's run by a cheeky Irishman who has brought it up from a pilot and his dog operation to one of Europe's most successful airlines. Whilst some may grumble at paying for baggage and drinks, they still rush to fill the seats.

Part of the appeal is the advertising. Ryanair has never been short on a gimmick. Now the pointy-heads and penpushers at the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) have got themselves all in a lather about an advert featuring a Britney lookalike. It's all St. Trinian's stuff brought up to date. But as my mother might say "Sex reared it's ugly head!", and the "Authority" said it was an "irresponsible" image and it appeared to link teenage girls with sexually provocative behaviour. Oh, really? What in their minds or ours?

Quite rightly Ryanair have told these busybodies where to go. Peter Sherrard, head of communications for the airline, said "It is remarkable that a picture of a fully-clothed model is now claimed to cause 'serious or widespread offence', when many of the UK's leading daily newspapers regularly run pictures of topless or partially-dressed females without causing any serious or widespread offence. This isn't advertising regulation, it is simply censorship. This bunch of unelected self-appointed dimwits are clearly incapable of fairly and impartially ruling on advertising." Well said, sir!

Would these dimits, as he calls them, care to ask the editors of national dailies to review their titty count? I'd get Anne Widdicombe on the case to weed out sanctimonious behaviour, double standards, and "authority control".

Surely it's the Advertising Double-Standards Authority? I can't see much wrong with the picture myself, but then I'm not signed up to New Labour control freakery, which has permeated every government office, agency, quango, or service in the land!

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Ron Paul won all the debates, says Giuliani

The Florida Primary is over now for the Republicans. Although John McCain won with 36% of the vote, Mitt Romney is still in there with 31%. McCain is being hailed as the new frontrunner after Rudy Giuliani's risky gamble in Florida failed to ignite the voters' hearts and minds. But a frontrunner who can only manage to garner a third of the votes? It means two-thirds don't agree. I'd say that McCain is "in front", but that the other runners have various degrees of political stamina to allow them to become "frontrunners" too! After all, Huckabee has won, Romney has won, so the race is far from being a done deal. The fat lady hasn't even arrived in the theatre!

The results were:

Republicans
John McCain: 36%
Mitt Romney: 31%
Rudy Giuliani: 15%
Mike Huckabee: 14%
Ron Paul: 3%

Democrats
Hillary Clinton: 50%
Barack Obama: 33%
John Edwards: 14%

Rudy Giuliani is likely to drop out now. He gave the hint, "I don't back down from a principle fight, but there must always be a larger purpose." He may endorse McCain, but I'd hope he'd hold back until after Super Tuesday. He said that the others had fought well, but, as shown in this piece, he also said that Ron Paul won all the debates!

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The Flip-floppers in Florida!

It seems the pundits are getting what they want. A fisty-cuffs fight between McCain and Romney, with Huckabee and Giuliani vying for third place. They like to give Ron Paul the dumpster diver's approach to vote gathering. I'll bet Ron Paul does far better than these cheesy phone polls give him. I think Giuliani has also been given a rough ride by the media, but he didn't make much use of the internet, did he?

McCain and Romney are slugging it out in the insult department downtown. Romney attacked McCain for legislation reducing the role of money in politics, for his position on immigration and for his support for an energy bill that he said would have driven up consumer costs. "If you want that kind of a liberal Democratic course as president, then you can vote for him", Romney said. Trouble is a lot are thinking just that. One wonders if the messages are getting through OK. McCain responded to this jibe by saying that "on every one of the issues he has attacked us on, Mitt Romney was for it before he was against it". Now that's a bit rich, Johnny Boy, because on a lot of issues, you were against them before you were for them!

John McCain in an earlier thought process - "If you get involved in a major ground war in the Saudi desert, I think support will erode significantly. Nor should it be supported. We cannot even contemplate, in my view, trading American blood for Iraqi blood - New York Times Aug 19, 1990" OK, it's some time ago, and maybe he changed minds over 9/11, who knows. Now he says, "It's a tough war we're in. It's not going to be over right away. There's going to be other wars. And right now—we're gonna have a lot of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) to treat, my friends...We're gonna have a lot of combat wounds that have to do with these terrible explosive IEDs that inflict such severe wounds." With that kind of message, I'd hope Ron Paul's message of diplomacy and trade was shouted about from the rooftops as the alternative way.

If the Republicans choose McCain or Romney as the eventual nominee, then they will go down as a loser in November. But if they want someone who could forensically pull apart the rhetoric of either Mrs Clinton or Obama, and provide the American people with a real Republican agenda for change, then Ron Paul is the only candidate.

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Gnomes of Zurich pick Blair - 'Because change happenz'

Slogans and more slogans are what the bosses of the Zurich Financial Services Group will get now that Tony Blair is "advising" them. "Anything I can do for you gnomes?" They've bought into the idea of giving him another part-time job. Will he have time to run Europe as well? (Rumour has it that Gordon Brown might not let the EU President thing go ahead - "because change happenz").

I'm not against ex-prime ministers earning money. I think it is perfectly acceptable, especially in one as young as Blair when he left office. He's not exactly of retirement age. My beef with him is the rather cheesy way in which he went about it. Buying huge houses in London, flats in Bristol, etc, etc, with mortgages no other citizen in the country could get. How was he able to do it? As one prominent mortgage broker put it "He'll be able to earn a fortune when he leaves office, so any lender won't worry". So all the press speculation about how he could afford the monthly payments was all wasted as the lenders in question would do any deal because they had a bankable client on hand. In that sense Blair is a far better risk than the likes of the former Northern Rock management.

What all this means is that the British people put up with ten years of spin, deceit and manipulation so that a man who is paid a reasonable but not huge salary can bide his time for the jackpot years that come afterwards.

Well "change happenz" and people are beginning to realise that this gravy train mentality has got to end. When Nigel Farage stood up in the EU parliament to put to Manuel Baroso the fraudulent nature of his commission, Baroso just gave an oily smirk.

Change happenz and people will want it to happen more often.

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Ron Paul says "Fortunately technology is very challenging!"

Just when those of us who support Ron Paul for President are in a period of lamentation over the way he is treated by the media, then up jump some very nice media people from a Fox affiliate in Washington State to have a talk with Dr. Paul. This is a very fair interview. It shows how Ron Paul's grasp of economic matters is way above the others. I think those who are contemplating voting for McCain, Romney, Huckabee or Giuliani tomorrow should have a good long think as to whether those guys can cut the mustard in these straightening times.

Ted Kennedy was talking of change today, in his effusive support of Barack Obama. Change is the buzz word this year because most Americans want some change in their lives. My feeling is that if Republican supporters want real change, then Ron Paul is the only one to vote for tomorrow. But before you vote, watch this little offering -

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How African is African-American?

Oprah Winfrey had a show once, devoted to the subject of being an African-American. It was a well discussed debate, tempered by Oprah's good humour and gently inquisitive style. The end result was that it all depended on the person and on how they felt about themselves, so nothing new really. Interesting that the term "blacks" has been disposed of generally, but "whites" hasn't. There are virtually no "European-Americans" on the basis that most who could claim to fit into this grouping call themselves Italian-American, Irish-American and so on. But there are no English-Americans. Mr. Wilson of Boston or Mrs. Johnson of Montgomery are just Americans.

African-Americans covers a wide canvass. For the more politically conscious, it helps to claim descendancy from slaves. But to reckon with being from the slave owner's loins is less attractive. Oprah asked people who were patently not of a pure African descent if they thought they were white. Never, they said, they were not, thereby dismissing a hefty portion of their DNA. Where white or other race relatives fit into the concept of Africa-America is never really contemplated. I suspect that if you are one of these you take things as they come.

Barack Obama is often put forward as the first African-American candidate to have a serious chance of getting to the White House. African-American? Maybe it is more accurate to call him a Kenyan-American. His grandmother was on the television recently proudly espousing the talents of her grandson. She lives in Kenya. Obama's father married a white American, but this antecedence is left out of the equation. The American bit forgotten, the Kenyan bit confused, and the African bit promoted.

If it had been the other way round and Obama's mother (pictured with young Barack) had visited Kenya, Barack could now possibly be President of Kenya. Would he still be an African-American? I suspect not.

In a way, Barack Obama is the first genuine African-American to be in such a position, but maybe he should be called Kenyan-American first and foremost. If he gets to the White House it may just be the best thing Kenya could have. Africa, in general, would then have a US president who had more than a geography lesson's view of the continent.

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McCain put's Putin in new Presidency role!

Could be a slip of the tongue by John McCain or a genuine belief that Putin is a Prussian not a Russian!

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Obama bounces back by beating Hillary in a knockout!

Harold Wilson, 6o's pipe smoking British Prime Minister, once said that a week in politics is a long time. His Tory predecessor, Harold Macmillan, once said, in reply to a question about political problems that it was all a matter of "Events, dear boy. Events!"

Barack Obama may do well to ponder these two political truisms. Although he won a stunning victory over Hillary Clinton with 55% of the vote, he needs to make sure that his support base is not just in the places where it is easier to win. Mrs Clinton almost conceded defeat in advance. When a presidential candidate leaves a state for better pickings elsewhere (a bit like being at a cocktail party where the guest you are talking to is looking round the room for more important people to reign in!) it suggests loud and clear that the opponent is going to win.

And 55%? That's a majority win! Not 33% which is what John McCain thinks a majority win is. The Democratic race is of two equally placed riders. The Republicans are riding a bookies nightmare!

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Tony Blair to be EU President (of all he surveys?)

Blair left the House of Commons quicker than any other prime minister. Been there, done that! He was off like a fox looking for wayward hens. He moved on to a role which apparently had him building bridges with the various groupings in the Middle East. This was hoped to provide his persuasive powers, which are quite considerable when used on willing supplicants, with some root system. However, the ground hasn't been that fertile. Only his desires are that.

He now has his eyes set on being the EU President. Can you imagine it? President Blair of the EU and President Whoever of the USA. Equals in the world? Well, not really. The American president is head of state, whereas the EU president is head of a commission, which is a gaggle of bureaucrats and politicians. Slight difference!

I'd say Blair has come a long way since his schooldays. But just like then, when he would knock on his housemaster's door and quip "Anything I can do for you, Sir?", requiring the poor schoolmaster to think quickly for fear of entrapment, the same is going on today. "Anything I can do for you?" he poses, to the eager European coterie of political leaders. Thinking it a good idea to cement him to a chair within the heart of the Brussels empire, they may come to rue the day.

New Europe, New Labour! Vice versa, makes no difference. With Peter Mandelson gliding around the icy paths of Davos, feigning ignorance, it's as the Telegraph says. A DONE DEAL!

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McCanns' to reveal all on Oprah's show?

The Madeleine McCann story goes on like a demented suomo wrestler desperate for the fight to end. All the McCanns' want is for Madeleine to be returned. Their lives have been turned upside down, that's for sure. Now we are told that they might be on the verge of striking a deal with Oprah Winfrey to tell all they know. Or if not her, the simpering Barbara Walters. However, the main problem is that they don't know even half of what they really want to know.

This sorry tale has been driven by two sides who have diametrically opposing agendas, which at times become entwined. The media in general sees the "Madeleine Story" as a way to make money, even though they are after a "result". From the start reporters were all over each other, often contradicting themselves. Then a mouthy reporter said she was suspicious of a man called Robert Murat. The press went to town, in fact, every town he'd ever lived in! All sorts of acquaintenances and people he'd met at bus stops were asked their opinions. The McCanns were put on pedastals, then knocked down as being bad parents. Kate McCann was discussed as if being an animal about to be slaughtered. Was she well? Was she too thin? Was she any good, etc, etc.?

For the McCanns, publicity was seen and still is seen as being the only vehicle that will help in the search for answers. For this they have been praised and castigated in equal measure.

The one peculiarity in all this is the behaviour of the Portuguese Police. They conveniently hide behind secrecy laws, but only recently the photofit of a stranger (pictured) apparently spotted at the scene has only become known. The police appear to be like moles digging around under a golf green. When they pop up, blinking at the press flash photography, they are surprised at all the hullabaloo and outrage at their antics.

If the McCanns do earn a reputed £1 million from Oprah, I won't be lining up to blame them. And neither should the press. After all, I and plenty of others have just helped the Daily Mail's circulation figures!

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If I said I was anti-Irish, what would you say?

The Irish government will, at some time, have to hold a referendum on the EU Treaty. It's all part and parcel of their consitution. If there's to be a change in the law affecting the Irish constitution, then the people must decide by referendum. The Irish opposition leader Enda Kenny has called on Prime Minister Bertie Ahern to set a date for the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, so as to stop the "anti-European groups" filling the vacuum.

Have you noticed (you must have, it's so blatant), how people like Mr. Kenny can get away with describing people as being "anti-European" as if they are rabid foreigner haters. If I said I was anti-Irish, I bet he'd be the first to jump up and down claiming racist/ethnic/whatever discrimination and the rest. Mr. Kenny and his ilk lose the plot and the argument when they talk like this. Many people opposed to the centralising, bureaucratising, undemocratic nature of the EU, are married to foreigners, speak another language other than their own, trade and work with other nationalities, and generally want to see a prosperous and contented Europe.

Just for the record Mr. Kenny, I'm neither. I'm not anti-Irish any more than I am anti-European.

I do not know of any serious-minded politician expressing opposition to the EU Treaty who is "anti-European". UKIP and the English Democrats both want to succeed in their own ways with European co-operation. Those in the Conservative Party calling for a referendum want the EU to be less legalistic and far more about trade and commerce. Even Labour Party members with reservations about railroading the Treaty through are no way "anti-European".

People like Mr. Kenny are "anti-democratic" and we all need to be on the look out for those types! So let's have the Irish referendum. Let's discuss the policy differences, and let's see who is who in the debate.

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Rogue trader scandal is embarassment to banks

The rogue trader at the centre of this French banking scandal has gone into hiding but apparently is prepared to talk to the police. The two are not mutually supportive, so he either comes out of hiding and talks, or stays put. However, if I was the boss of the bank, I'd be a bit worried about what the police might pick up. The bank in question, Societe Generale, has filed a legal complaint against the trader, 31-year-old Frenchman Jerome Kerviel accusing him of defrauding the bank, which led to a loss of 4.9bn euros ($7.1bn; £3.7bn). The chairman Daniel Bouton said the fraud was a "one-off" and went on to deny it was a trading or risk-management fault. Does he think we will buy this? In any event, Kerviel is reported as having gained nothing or wanting to gain anything from such an escapade. And would M. Bouton be so upset if the "risks" had panned out? Would he hell!

How come a wizz-kid type broker, who had the ability to breach "security", got away with it for so long. Did no other person in the bank have the proper authorisation? "Mon dieu!" they cried, as their eyes saw this gargantuan amount of cash being moved back and forth. No chats along the Seine, his co-workers itching to know if he was going to be Broker of the Year?

Come off it M. Bouton! Nick Leeson, that other well-known money mover, said that such a feat could not be done as a "one-off". It's all corporate rank-closing. Daniel Bouton comes across as a well-filled suit who has done well out of such characters as Kerviel.

What is needed now is no Inspector Clouseau, more an Inspector Maigret!

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McCain is economically tight and fiscally lite!

John McCain, if ever elected President may have a mouth that runs away faster than his brain. Currently, George W Bush manages to garble together a few words of wisdom on the current economic woes, such as commiserating with "those good folks who find themselves on hard times", meaning those caught up in the sub-prime mortgage market. John McCain has slightly more finesse, but it is delivered at times with menacing tones. His attitude to Iraq is perflexing, as if bombing and bulldozing through Baghdad with "the surge" will help adjust anti-American sentiments. Good luck to him in chasing down Osama Bin Laden ("I will do that!"), but closer to home I'm sure the American people want a president who has at least some grasp of economic matters.

McCain, in last night's GOP debate, airily brushed aside Ron Paul's question about the President's Working Group on Financial Markets—the so-called Plunge Protection Team. This was probably asked because McCain had boasted that "I'm very well versed in economics" to Tim Russert. Apparently at an earlier date, he had alluded to his lack of economic expertise, possibly as a humorous aside. But the awful truth was that McCain didn't have much clue, in fact he side-stepped it by implying he would be like some emperor summoning his minions (who would be trusted and learned financial experts!).

I think it would be far better to have a president who understands a fair bit about economics and has a thought out policy around the subject, rather than one who glibly demurs to others and finds the whole thing too much.

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Ron Paul in 2nd place confirms Louisiana GOP

So with the tally of votes being tallied up to a preliminary stage, the Republican Party of Louisiana confirms that Ron Paul has come in second behind John McCain, but in front of Mitt Romney. Kind of throws open the Florida race to something of an even stevens race, I'd say.

Ron Paul is capable of beating Fred Thompson (out), Rudy Giuliani (limping on), and Mitt Romney! Not bad for a candidate who gets the short straw from the media in the TV debates. Louisiana Republican Party Chairman Roger Villere said "I applaud the supporters of Congressman Paul for their enthusiasm and superior organizational ability." Now that's what one expects from a potential president and his supporters.

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BBC gives Ron Paul a profile at last!

Now with Fred Thompson out of the Republican race, the BBC has found space on its gianormous website to put Ron Paul's name in place!

It's a fair piece of copy and has a few choice quotes. I like this one from Aaron Jones, a 29-year-old supporter from Indiana who was playing the guitar and handing out pocket copies of the Constitution by a polling station in New Hampshire. He said he had been impressed by Mr Paul's selflessness. "Ron Paul really stands against the establishment in so many issues," he said. "I've never met a more humble politician."

It's catching on!

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"Count All the Votes" says Ron Paul Campaign to Louisiana GOP

I thought New Labour was the only party to be capable of serving up a dog's breakfast as haute cuisine. The Republican Party of Louisiana may have been preparing a starter for the meal in their conduct of the caucus. The Ron Paul Campaign is appealing for ALL THE VOTES to be counted now. All this talk of provisional ballots and the dubious nature of allowing more delegates to be filed at the last minute is unsettling.

As I've said before, not a recipe for export. Ron Paul campaign manager Lew Moore says, “The failure of the Louisiana GOP to properly determine who was and wasn’t eligible to vote threw this entire process into disarray. The party needs to correct this mistake by counting all the votes immediately, and releasing the results.” I say hear hear to that.

It surely must be the desired hope of all democratic (with a small "D"!) Americans that this year of all years gives an unflawed honest election result. It's no good running around the world checking up on Arabs and Africans, when the home grown variety of election may seem slightly off colour. We had the hanging chads fiasco in Florida before, we surely don't want smoke-filled room stitch-ups to enter into the spirit of the democratic debate.

Honesty and transparency!

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Ron Paul floors McCain in Boca Raton debate!

Ron Paul, although given fewer questions in the least amount of time (what's new?), managed to show up the inadequacies of John McCain's grasp of economic matters. Ron Paul has consistently given serious policy arguments suggesting that the US economy is in a recession and only radical solutions will help. McCain seems to think the garden still has roses in bloom!

The man who says he will get to the Gates of Hell before Osama Bin Laden does, because he will have tracked him down ("I will do that!"), is no thoughtful thinker. A lot of his stuff is just rhetoric for the ride. Well, last night Ron Paul knocked him off his carousel horse!

Ron Paul is now in a good position to garner votes that would have gone to Fred Thompson and Dennis Kucinich, but also to squeeze the support of McCain and Rudy Giuliani. The latter is hoping his tortoise tactics will put him above the hares in the Florida race. He needs a more attractive shell if that's going to happen.

It's onwards and upwards for Ron Paul.



Ron Paul - the only true Conservative and the only candidate sticking to Republican Party values!

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Kucinich Drops Out of Democratic Race

Dennis Kucinich, the Democratic equivalent of Ron Paul, in that he was given little or no chance by the media, has abandoned his hope of securing the Democratic nomination for the Presidential election. He said he was quitting the race and would make a formal announcement tomorrow, Friday. "I will be announcing that I'm transiting out of the presidential campaign," Kucinich said. "I'm making that announcement tomorrow about a new direction." We'll have to wait and see (or hear, more actually) what he intends doing. Apparently, he won't be endorsing another candidate, though.

Some are reflecting that his supporters may gravitate to Ron Paul, even though that means switching party in the primaries (in some cases they may not be able to). The race is still open.

I hope his "transiting out" was not too painful. William Shatner did a lot of that once!

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Sloppy journalism from the Palm Beach Post

The Florida primary for the Republican Party will have five main contenders. Three are currently positioned as main players, whilst the other two are less favoured. This is as the press see it. However, in a piece in the Palm Beach Post about the contest, Liz Sidoti, who is described as an Associated Press Writer, gives an analysis whereby she says "Florida Can Clarify GOP Race". In this clarity she fails to mention Ron Paul. She says nothing in this respect, favourable or negative.

I would have thought that, with Fred Thompson out of the race, and Giuliani having had a lacklustre start, that Ron Paul's presence may have some impact.

One gets the impression that the American media is only happy to mention Ron Paul's name through gritted teeth or a cheesy grin!

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Rogue trader runs up a tidy sum in bank fraud!

In the "it can't get much worse" department, French bank Societe Generale gets done by a rogue trader. The bank says it has uncovered "massive" fraud by a Paris-based trader, Jerome Kerviel (pictured), which resulted in a loss of €4.9bn ($7.1bn; £3.7bn). The rogue trader has done a disservice to his employers in two ways. The second is that they have had to come clean about losses of €2.05bn related to the sub-prime mortgage crisis in the US. This begs the question - are all banks subject to such sub-prime losses?

The problem with banks today is that they have let in the chancers and got rid of the local bank manager who knew something, if not everything about, his/her customers. Initially, the long distance approach met with approval, but gradually people have come to the conclusion that banks are glorified gambling outfits with spivs, chancers, and, yes, a few crooks, at the helm.

In Britain, the Chancellor of the Exchequer blinks wearily at the problems before him. Northern Rock has proved to be a sandstone based on a gamble. The Financial Services Authority has little authority and offers precious little in the way of service to the citizens.

We need transparency in our banking system, not behind the scenes deals and secretive policy making.

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Prisoners get bed-and-breakfast lodgings in lieu of cells!

You couldn't make it up. Not in Gordon Brown's Britain. It's now a country run by the inept and the inadequate. Prisoners abscond, some get let out too soon, others just shouldn't be in prison. The courts have been piling up the flotsam and jetsom of the British social scene, and dispatching them to ageing overcrowded prisons. Although new prisons are being built, little or no attempt is made at joined up thinking.

Now we are told the Ministry of Justice (a New Labour outfit!) has spent £2.39million paying the rent of 339 offenders in B&Bs who would otherwise be in prison, either on remand or finishing their sentences. Are they mixed in with other paying guests? "Got any more porridge, Mrs Johnson?". The very thought. We should should get John Cleese to write a special edition of Fawlty Towers, with a couple of cons taking breakfast, with Manuel serving them!

The whole thing is preposterous. But then New Labour is preposterous. £250 a week to be in bed and breakfast accommodation. A new variation on the hospitality industry, I suppose.

ClearSprings, the private operator of this "scheme", says it provides a "robust" combination of safe and appropriately sourced accommodation, effective housing management, and rigorous support. The very use of the word robust puts the whole thing into a tailspin!

One of these guest houses was in Arundel, in Sussex. Burglars, muggers and petty crooks expected to behave in a genteel manner with the unsuspecting tourist or business traveller. Was it a case of separate tables? Why on earth can't these people in charge think?

I'm all for rehabilitation, all for humane prison time, but a prisoner should serve a proper sentence. "Norman Stanley Fletcher, you are a habitual offender......you will go to prison for five years, but just before the end you get a choice of bed and breakfast accommodation. Here's a brochure! I suggest you read it for the first couple of years and let us know which one you've gone for!"

What a New Labour world it is!

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Peter Hain quits amidst muddle and confusion

Peter Hain has decided to quit his Cabinet job as Work and Pensions Secretary (and his other part-time job!)because of the Metropolitan Police investigation into his dodgy dealings over financial contributions to his deputy leadership contest fund. Hain has always been a bit full of himself. He has a habit of sounding sneering when things are not as he would like. "In view of the decision of the Electoral Commission, I've come to the conclusion that I have no alternative but to resign as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Secretary of State of Wales," he said. "I have now done so."

None of this should have happened. If he had half a wit to ask whether the donations were proper he could still be there. He spent his time in opposition sneering at the Tories, but then does exactly what he was previously castigating. But his real stupidity here is that dodgy donations to the Labour Party were well out in the open BEFORE he even put his name forward for Deputy Leader. He has only himself to blame.

A Cabinet Minister needs to be seen as a person who is not dissembling. Hain may not be a lier but he is patently incapable of speaking the plain truth.

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Louisiana to give Ron Paul 2nd place!

Seems like a good second place for Ron Paul in these convuluting caucuses down in the Louisiana parishes. Being that this is the only state in the Union to have a legal system based on Napoleonic law, perhaps the short stout Frenchman is watching over proceedings. Anyway, the fact is that Ron Paul is doing good, and making headway against the onslaught of non-to-little media attention. Things are changing.

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Ron Paul heading for victory in Louisiana?

The Louisiana caucus results are brewing up something of a surprise. The net is awash with rumours that he could do well. In one caucus meeting he won ELEVEN of the 15 delegates. I hope I'm not getting too excited, but things are looking very positive for Ron Paul.

If he wins, does that put him up with the frontrunners as far as Fox News is concerned? We will be watching!

PS: The BBC have succumbed and put Ron Paul on their site in "profiles", but not on the poll tracker!

I've had a look at the GOP Louisiana site. I can't fathom what it all means, and I'm not the only one. Seasoned watchers from the USA are equally nonplussed! I hope they haven't exported this kind of democracy to Iraq, otherwise they'll be caucusing to kingdom come!

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Gordon Bean's gone an' dunnit!

Prime Minister's Questions today. Nice turn of phrase or phrases from David Cameron. He says the government's proposed rescue package for Northern Rock is a "sub-prime deal from a sub-prime minister". He said Gordon Brown was like "a used car salesman who won't tell you the price". That's our Gordon! He also tells porkies about the inflation rate, conveniently leaving out mortgages and council tax. That way he can halve everything. A bit like going to a furniture store and asking what the discounts really mean.

Cameron said the deal was "damaging" and "dodgy". He taunted Mr Brown that the Northern Rock deal was "as much a rescue package for your reputation". "You've gone from Prudence to Del Boy without even touching the ground. The fact that you won't answer a single question just shows what a dodgy deal this is." That's Gordon's big problem. He won't answer questions, only ask them of the opposition parties. So that's what is meant by PMQ's. It's the Prime Minister's own questions!

I hope the Chinese and Indians were suitably impressed by his persuasive powers. Good thing he left that yellow van behind.

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Heath Ledger found dead in hotel room

Heath Ledger, the Australian actor who found fame in the movie Brokeback Mountain, has been found dead in a hotel room in New York City. Apparently he may have died from an overdose of prescription pills. Two things emerge from this piece of news for me. One, that a talented actor is on his own, maybe feeling depressed and in a moment has taken an action that has led to his life ending. Two, that there were an awful lot of people all over the world that thought his life was worth something quite different and much more than this. They have expressed shock at the tragedy. Mel Gibson said "I had such great hope for him. He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss."

The entertainment business in all its forms has more than its share of tragedy in this way. It could be the nature of the trade, its itinerant behaviour, one stage tonight, a different theatre tomorrow. All too often hotel rooms and tragedy go together.

Do we ask too much of the performers who entertain us? Are they put on Oscar's pedastal only to be knocked off when an alternative artist is flavour of the month?

The great tragedy for me is that in reality he died alone. Somehow he became disconnected from all those people who now say such wonderful things. Maybe we need to feel our actors and performers are not commodities "up there" but just like us. We and they should get re-wired!

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Tory councillor defects to UKIP

Stevenage is a marginal seat that the Conservatives need to win from the New Labour regime. The sitting MP is ripe for dismissal, being it is Barbara Follett, epitome of all that is New Labour.

As the EU Treaty is debated, though, rumblings in Stevenage Town Hall are heard in the Tory fold. A Conservative councillor defects to UKIP. Why? The expansion of the EU and the influx of migrants who can now enter Britain unhindered is unacceptable, she says, and is putting great pressure on the infrastructure of the NHS, GPs’ surgeries and the education and prison systems. For someone who has been in the party for 25 years, she must have felt the Tory message wasn't getting through.

It remains to be seen if she is an isolated case, or whether many more will copy her moves.

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Thompson out of the White House race!

"I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort". This is part of a short statement that ended the presidential hopes of actor and former senator Fred Thompson.

This statement was not unexpected, as the media had been mumbling about the possibility of him withdrawing since last week. It now narrows the field, but no rider is yet seen as winning all the races.

Fred08

As a postscript, I see that the BBC was quick to take Fred Thompson's name off the drop down "Pick a Candidate" menu. They now have space to replace him on the Poll Tracker with Ron Paul's name. Any bets on when this will happen?

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Desperately seeking Gordon!

That's a Gordon Brown lookalike. Apparently in the world of lookalikes there are plenty of Bushes and Elvises, but nobody has yet admitted to looking like the British Prime Minister!

Gordon Brown's jowly looks are distinctly a one-off matter. There must be someone out there, surely. Maybe they have been put off by the fact that being a true lookalike will mean being part-time. A real and proper lookalike should be prepared to job-share with an MSP lookalike.

Alison Jackson's agency is on the lookout!

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Bill Clinton in the land of nod!

Haven't we all been there? At a meeting or a service or a talk and you feel lousy because you're just dead whacked from the day. Poor Bill Clinton got caught out nodding off at a Martin Luther King Day service. No offence to the reverend gentleman, I'm sure. I've nodded off before at such events, but I never got a video made about it and I was always nearer to the back of the hall!

Bill Clinton's been out batting for Hillary. By all accounts she's making him work for the nomination. When he's First Gentleman (assuming Mrs. Clinton gets to the Oval Office), he'll be walking ten paces behind, getting his naps in, and minding his P's & Q's!

So I say, don't worry Bill.

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Ron Paul on the campaign trail in New Orleans - Part 2

Following on from the last posting here, I received a comment from Ben Montgomery who was actually at the meeting with Ron Paul.

Here is the video of the meeting-



and here is a link to Ben's website - At The Parade

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Ron Paul on the campaign trail in New Orleans

Ron Paul, on a campaign stop in New Orleans, outlined his policies that he hopes to implement as President. Chris Kirkham of The Times-Picayune was there to witness the speech to 600 supporters and interested citizens.

Kirkham gives a reasonable account of the meeting, but seems to lack giving us answers. He is aware that Ron Paul's "campaign organizers say he's the victim of "media blackout." ", but he doesn't venture agreement or denial. He says "Paul's fellow Republicans in the hunt for the presidency have criticized his position on the war", but doesn't say what they want in return.

This is probably as good as it gets at the moment. I'd say that it is as easy to criticise Ron Paul's position on the war, as much as it is the others. John McCain seems to think that having no plan after invasion, not asking other friendly embassies for information, and not having the wit to understand Iraqi sensibilities, is perfectly OK so long as America isn't "humbled".

The problem with Iraq is that it will boil down to memories. The Iraqis will take on the elephantine type memory whilst the Republican "frontrunners" are currently trying out a gnat's brain for memory loss capabilities.

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Circumcision used as torture to terrorise!

What did St. Paul say? That there is neither Jew nor Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised in Christ. It makes no sense to God nor should it to us as humans.

Now we have a beautiful country in Africa that has broken down almost completely in a matter of weeks. Kenya was put forward as one of the great hopes for the African continent. For trade, commerce, education, tourism, all sorts. Then there was a disputed election and all hell let loose.

What most "Westerners" don't always appreciate is that every African country is an arbitrary piece of land. Most consist of straight lines delineating boundaries made by colonialists with no understanding of the feelings or aspirations of particular tribes. Once these countries gained independence most were governed by a dominant tribe. Kenya appears no different. In good times this doesn't matter much, but it hard times it does. Just like Yugoslavia, Iraq, Pakistan, Burma, China, where minorities have been or are being battered and butchered because they believe in something different or look a bit different.

So Kenya descends into barbarity. The BBC reports on how a town has become divided by circumcision. A local elder says "Sending students who are not circumcised is a recipe for chaos". Well, he might say it in moderate tones, but elsewhere men from the Luo tribe, who do not practice circumcision are being hunted down in order for them to be forcibly mutilated. Shouting such things as, "If we don't kill you, we'll cut your private parts".

No wonder the tourists have fled. Such behaviour is against the dignity of man, it is a form of rape and mental torture, let alone the physical harm it causes.

Let the Kenyan government come together with the opposition to sort things out. Surely they don't want their country pilloried for having satanic torture practices?

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EU Treaty court challenge

With the Government pushing the EU Treaty through Parliament, in the face of public demand for a referendum (75% in favour), it comes as no surprise that a legal challenge to their affrontery has arisen. Stuart Wheeler, a man of some wealth and of particular fondness for Britishness and the British constitution is seeking legal remedies in the courts.

It is interesting that a dour Scot, who spent quite a lot of time last year mumbling about his concept of Britishness, should be heading a government so keen to destroy our constitutional heritage. For make no mistake, the Treaty is the same as the Constitution. It's the same cake, but the icing has just got different decorations on it. The constitutional cake will taste the same!

So Stuart Wheeler is going to court to defend OUR constitution. The Daily Telegraph says -

"A pivotal question to be answered by the courts is whether Parliament really enjoys, or has ever enjoyed unfettered "supremacy" to do whatever it likes, as it is wont to claim. We have been studying the British Constitution, most of which is written but not codified in one document, for ten years. We believe that ministers are limited by the confines of the Constitution; that they have no authority to surrender, or lend, sovereignty to another power, especially one that is unelected, unaccountable, irremovable and owes no allegiance to the British Crown."

The trouble we face as a nation is that most of the New Labour hierachy are a mixture of republican, secularist and libertine ideologues with little or no regard for traditional values or historical comforts. They are forming their own Establishment, which is OK for them, but wretched for the rest of us.

So with regard to the EU Treaty, they probably like the undemocratic notions of the current crop of EU leaders. After all, when democracy in the form of a referendum was given to the Dutch, French and Irish, who voted against EU proposals, the EU top brass just put it down to being akin to a bad day at the races. Far better to shoot the horses and buy another lot, than waste time reflecting on the results.

Jim Murphy is the man Gordon Brown is giving the bulk of the Commons work to. Murphy could sell sand to the Arabs, and make them feel they got a bargain. I hope those campaigning for a referendum watch this guy as his guile is in the form of EU sweetness and light, or is it lite?


The Daily Telegraph campaign for a referendum

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Shaun Woodward's £70,000 luxury taxpayer-paid trips!

Remember Shaun Woodward? He's the former Tory MP for Witney (the seat now occupied by David Cameron), the former TV producer of That's Life, which made Esther Rantzen famous, and the former Bristol boy made good. Somehow the Tory party became too much for him. Far better the vulgarities of New Labour.

When Woodward left Witney in a huff, the New Labour machine parachuted the turncoat into the safe seat of St. Helens. Woodward had never been to the place. It took him over a year to find a house in the constituency. A terraced house into which he somehow managed to install three new bathrooms. Then there was all the joking about whether he could get his butler into the house as well.

Woodward is a man who has done well since he left his modest background of Bristol behind him. He married into the Sainsbury family and never looked back. He lives in a house his constituents only dream of when they fill in their lottery coupons!

Why mention this man? Because he spent £70,000 of taxpayers' money on three short trips to America. He flew first-class and stayed at some of the grandest hotels in Washington and New York, including the Four Seasons in Manhattan, where the cheapest rooms cost £350-a-night. Outrageous, when you think that those who elected him are having to endure hikes in utilities, council tax, and groceries. Ulster Unionist Lord Laird of Artigarvan said using public money in this way was "completely alien". I'd say so.

Of course, the Northern Ireland office backs him up, but as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what exactly does he do that the Chuckle Brothers don't do?

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EU treaty 'same as constitution' - as if we didn't know!

All the continental heads of government say that the EU Treaty is the same as the defunct EU Constitution. It is the constitution by another name. Now a report by MPs goes so far as to say that parts of the Lisbon Treaty, signed by Gordon Brown last month, are no different from the abandoned constitution. Only the stubborness of Brown and his foreign affairs sidekick, David Miliband, suggest it is otherwise.

Andrew Marr today tried to illicit from Miliband the truthfulness of the similarities. Miliband steadfastly refused to concede this point, thereby continuing his flintlike obstinacy when asked about a referendum. The continental bulldozers have seen to it that their people get no say in it this time round. Heaven forfend that the Dutch or the French would be allowed a say. It is up to the people of Ireland, who do have a constitutional right to a referendum, to speak at the ballot box for the whole of the EU community of nations.

David Miliband strikes me as being just like the shopkeeper in the Monty Python Dead Parrot sketch. "This constitutional treaty is just like the constitution!" "No it isn't!" and so on.

It's a pity Ron Paul's not running things in Britain. I bet he'd kick bullshitters like Miliband into the long grass!

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The BBC and the Ron Paul argument

Justin Webb of the BBC says "Let's take the Ron Paul bull by the horns. I like the fellow. I have just been watching him clashing with the Chairman of the Fed, Ben Bernanke. He made, as he often does, a kind of "emperor's new clothes" case; arguing that US interest rates have been artificially low for many years, the result of which has been to debauch the currency and store up future crises in the US economy."

You can join in the Ron Paul argument here

Ron Paul

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Ron Paul's Las Vegas interview

Here is an interview given in Las Vegas by Ron Paul. Part 1 and Part 2!



Part 2



Great insights into a great man!

Ron Paul

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McCain takes South Carolina with a third of the cake!

The Republican primary cake could well end up with several slices and quite a few crumbs to be gathered up. Senator John McCain won the South Carolina primary with 33% of the vote. That puts him well into the long-playing record stakes. I know they say that no Republican candidate has won the nomination who hasn't won South Carolina, etc, etc, but this still is a race open for the others. Others who garnered between them 66%!

If McCain is to succeed he will need to ratchet things up into the 45% bracket and make sure he's not a one-hit wonder (he's actually got more hits this time!) and that the song is short, sharp and sweet.

The result -

John McCain: 33%
Mike Huckabee: 30%
Fred Thompson: 16%
Mitt Romney: 15%
Ron Paul: 4%
Rudy Giuliani: 2%


Ron Paul came in on 4%, not good, I freely admit, but he still beat the one-time hot favourite, Rudy Giuliani. Huckabee can claim, rightly I feel, that he remains a contender.

It's not over till the fat lady sings, whoever she may be!

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Ron Paul comes in 2nd and beats Ms Clinton!

Before I do go to bed and have a restless time, I had one more look around. Seems Ron Paul came in a good 2nd with over a 100 votes to spare from McCain's result.

But, hey, he beat the gracious Mrs Clinton, too! Put that in your pipe, Fox News, and smoke it! I will be waiting for your comments.

Democrat Votes
Hillary Clinton 5,317
Barack Obama 4,726
John Edwards 393

Republican Votes
Mitt Romney 22,220
Ron Paul 5,681
John McCain 5,535
Mike Huckabee 3,450
Fred Thompson 3,333
Rudy Giuliani 1,878
Duncan Hunter 877

For the very latest Republican result details - see here


One thing these votes do tell us. Caucusing is a minority sport!

Ron Paul

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Ron Paul surge in Nevada poll!

As I write this piece Ron Paul is likely to take second place in the Nevada Republican caucus of today. Being 7 hours behind, they are still caucusing! But what would a second mean to the race. It would put Ron Paul into the chattering classes mouths and they would have to reckon with a bit more talk with his name in it.

So, although Ron Paul has been sidelined to a great extent by the likes of Fox (or Weasel) News, he is still in with a chance.

Ron Paul has three things going for him which nobody can gainsay.

1. He's the most talked about candidate on the internet.
2. He raised more money in one day than any other candidate.
3. He won't make a political promise if it goes against the Constitution.

Let's hope I wake up tomorrow with glad tidings!


See also: Ron Paul comes in 2nd and beats Mrs Clinton

Ron Paul

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Black UKIP executive receives death threat

Whatever next for the party that rumbles from crisis to crisis, it seems. UKIP has a leader who offers great potential for showing up the lack of democratic accountability in the EU project. They have some good policies. However, they have some odd characters floating around in the party's structure.

Delroy Young, the only black executive within the UK Independence Party, received a telephone death threat in which several men threatened to kill him, allegedly on the orders of a senior executive of the party. A UKIP spokesman said, “We are glad this has been reported to the police and hopefully they can track it to the people responsible. If they are members of the party or connected to it they won’t be for very long. But it is too far-fetched for words that someone senior in the party ordered anyone to do this.”

A spokesman for Leicestershire police said, “I can confirm we are investigating one report of harrassment at an address in Hinckley.”

The problem smaller political parties face, particular if they are seen as a potential electoral threat to the main parties, is the possibility of cranks, gadflies, and miscreants joining in order to cause trouble. UKIP needs to weed out those who are not seen as supporting the party's core beliefs and principles.

It may all be a malicious hoax, in which case, now that the police have traced the mobile phone numbers, the culprits will be identified and lessons learned. If strangers to UKIP, they can point out that some outsider wants the party harmed. If they are known to UKIP, then measures can be taken to remove them from the party.

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Nudes won't take it lying down!

Standing around in the nude all day, being sized up by a person, usually a man, and young man at that, can be very frustrating indeed. Particularly if the person doing the looking is not paying towards you getting a decent wage. What sort of people go nude like this? Artists' models, that's the sort.

These nude models of Italy are getting a bit hacked off with the pay. I don't blame them. They can't move. If they even sneeze it's considered bad form. But the trouble with this work is that most artists are impoverished types who feel that they should get the nude model for about the same cost as a bowl of fruit.

The nude models who are hired out to Italian art schools have decided enough is enough. The protesters — male and female — said that they wanted “professional recognition” and full-time contracts. Only 50 of about 300 models at Italian art schools are on fixed annual contracts, with the rest hired by the hour. Antonella Migliorini, 42, said that it was “a tough, cold job” posing in the nude, often for eight hours a day. I'd say so.

But the Italian authorities were minded to look into the matter. Nando Dalla Chiesa, an education ministry official, said he had agreed to meet the protesters. “We need to get to the bottom of this,” he said, no doubt impervious to the pun.

The bottom and the top if the models are going to go back to work!

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British Prime Minister delayed as airliner crash lands at Heathrow

An international passenger plane has crash landed short of the south runway at Heathrow Airport after losing its rear undercarriage. All 136 passengers and 16 crew escaped from the British Airways flight BA038 from Beijing. Six people have been taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown was due to leave Heathrow on another plane for India and China but was delayed as a result. The BBC's Nick Robinson was on board that plane.

John McDonnell MP, whose Hayes and Harlington constituency includes Heathrow, told the BBC that the incident underlined concerns about extending the airport. "This is a near miracle that neither passengers or anyone on the ground has been seriously injured," Mr McDonnell said. Food for thought, indeed.

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Jamie Oliver gets egg on his face!

It had to happen. Just as soon as Jamie Oliver's campaign to eliminate the buying of battery eggs and stimulate interest in free range eggs gets underway, something happens. One of his restaurants is caught out serving up battery eggs. A group of farmers spotted the rogue eggs whilst having dinner at Fifteen Cornwall in Watergate Bay, Cornwall. A restaurant spokesman said it had been an embarrassing mistake and admitted Mr Oliver was very angry.

Some of the farmers were battery egg producers, who probably thought it would be a good wheeze dumping a load of chicken **** onto the campaigning chef. I'd think they would be better off thinking about the possibilities of switching to free range production, because if Mr. Oliver persuades the supermarkets to stock such eggs in large quantities they may be left behind.

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Tom Cruise plays mind games with You Tube!

Tom Cruise and the "Church of Scientology" has succeeded in getting a pirated video withdrawn from the mighty You Tube, part of Google. What were they so afraid of, and what on earth caused You Tube to buckle so suddenly.

If you go on You Tube they report that it (the video - the original posting) has been withdrawn, with "we're sorry, this video is no longer available" tagged, and some reference to the Scientologists and copyright! But guess what, another has surfaced. And another. Tom Cruise and his chums must be barking if they think they can censor the internet. I think he's a good actor, but what a plonker over this. I hope he never thinks of politics. Trying to shut down views has only given rise to a whole load of stuff that thinks he's a raving nutter. He scored not only one own goal here but a hundred of them! Silly man.



Here's ITN's take on the leaked Tom Cruise video -

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