Blog Feed: A View from Middle England by Arden Forester

Gay marriage in church after all - Cameron U-turns!

Published on 2012-12-07 07:30:00

David Cameron is to go back on his word and try to foist the idea of homosexual unions onto the Christian Church. No doubt this is all part of his programme, which appears to be a heady mixture of secular themes and religious liberalism. Nothing much

On Church and State and all that

Published on 2012-12-03 06:53:00

Jeremy Paxman in his book The English : A Portrait of a People sums up the attitude of the English to the church as "they were not in any meaningful sense religious, the Church of England being a political invention which had elevated being 'a good c

Middlesbrough by-election returns Labour as usual

Published on 2012-11-30 05:06:00

The Middlesbrough vote came as no surprise. Labour was bound to win. However, as Yorkshire people had two by-elections to consider, it is interesting that the industrial north is not the same as the industrial south in voting habits. In fact, no seat

UKIP bothers main parties in Rotherham by-election result

Published on 2012-11-30 04:24:00

I've been following by-elections since the Leyton by-election when Patrick Gordon Walker got his comeuppance for thinking he could plonk himself there after being beaten at Smethwick in the 1964 general election. By-elections from then have been some

Tony Blair is the real superbug of the EU virus

Published on 2012-11-29 04:36:00

Tony Blair hoping to take the European crown Tony Blair is hovering around Europe giving his bot mots to anyone who will listen. Most of his life he has either spent ingratiating himself with someone or other, or he has taken his well-yeah-but style

The underemployed feel they under achieve as part-time workers

Published on 2012-11-28 05:40:00

Making sure the plank fits Britain now has a sizeable proportion of the workforce not working as they would like. It probably works out at about 20% , and not 10.5% as suggested, of those who find their earnings not completely satisfactory. First th

Diana Carney to level with George Osborne

Published on 2012-11-27 04:42:00

Mark and Diana Carney come as a package I see that the wife of the new governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, is something of a left-wing firebrand. She doesn't take kindly to bankers who mess up, she promotes vegan ways and she is a supporte

Mark Carney named new Bank of England governor

Published on 2012-11-26 10:42:00

Mark Carney looks forward to 2019 Mark Carney, governor of Canada's central bank, has been named as the new governor of the Bank of England by George Osborne. Some think it a surprise choice but these choices are never really surprises. He takes up

Nigel Farage says UKIP "at war" with Cameron

Published on 2012-11-26 08:02:00

So now it's a real tooth and claw debate. David Cameron seems to have lost all his Celtic genes because he isn't a canny politician. What has happened over the Fabricant kite flying exercise is that we now know where both sides sit. Plus we know that

UKIP prefers the highway to David Cameron's way

Published on 2012-11-26 04:16:00

David Cameron and UKIP in satnav negotiations Michael Fabricant has decided a discussion needs to take place about an EU referendum and the electoral arrangements at the next general election of the Conservative Party and the UK Independence Party.

Rotherham foster carers banned for UKIP membership

Published on 2012-11-24 06:01:00

Joyce Thacker, one of the new army of self-righteous zealots The zealotry of the politically (in)correct classes, which now permeate our society in its administrative structures, seems to know no bounds. Today we hear of Rotherham Borough Council's

What is race exactly? Who determines it all? Don't let the judges decide!

Published on 2012-11-23 05:50:00

Get the dog warden - It's canine abuse I thought we were over a few things in this world but apparently not. Racial abuse and racial denigration are wrong. Definitely not on the help list for "Love Thy Neighbour as Thyself". However, in this mad wor

If you want bile look here. It's in spadefuls.

Published on 2012-11-22 12:19:00

Suzie Leafe has gone into the lions' den and written what she believes. This is how it happened for her as a member of the House of Laity who voted No to the legislation (measure) before the Synod. For her troubles, Independent readers let loose and

Tony Baldry denigrates the Church with "sect" slur!

Published on 2012-11-22 07:13:00

Tony Baldry uncharitably slurs the Church The salvos are coming thick and fast. Now Tony Baldry, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, has told MPs that he was frustrated by the actions of a blocking minority in the synod. And so the House erupted

New BBC Director General is Tony Hall

Published on 2012-11-22 06:22:00

The chief executive of the Royal Opera House and the BBC's former director of news, Tony Hall, has been appointed the corporation's new director general. BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten said Mr Hall was "the right person to lead the BBC out of its cur

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Published on 2012-11-22 04:20:00

Thanksgiving Day Today is Thanksgiving Day in the United States. This is probably the only day of the year when Americans can feel like real Americans. It is uniquely American in it's understanding of fusing the soil with the soul. Not even the Harv

A measured response to the Women Bishops Measure

Published on 2012-11-21 12:47:00

David Cameron gives ABC a sharp prod to "get with the programme" David Cameron is on his own mission to prod and poke and generally create a climate of revulsion against orthodox Christianity. This is a shame. A more measured response would have bee

A point of view concerning "getting with the programme"

Published on 2012-11-21 10:09:00

I spied upon this piece from "Let Nothing You Dismay". I cannot really disagree. David Cameron has decided to stir things up a bit. This is the piece - Most previous Prime Ministers, of all parties, not as obsessed with the 'equality

Stephen Dorrell in £70,000 flat deal row

Published on 2012-11-21 08:41:00

Stephen Dorrell at the Leveson Inquiry One would have thought that MPs would have got the message. That fiddling expenses is not right. Legitimate expenses OK. Huge mega cash deals are not quite on. Only recently Denis MacShane left the House of Com

"Get with the programme" says David Cameron

Published on 2012-11-21 07:50:00

David Cameron has a programme. The Church of England needs to "get with it". It, I take it is his secularising programme. With Ben Bradshaw aiding and abetting him, we can be sure of a hostile approach to any traditional believer daring to speak up.

Church of England is still here

Published on 2012-11-21 07:26:00

Feast of Christ the King One would have to wonder if the Holy Spirit had decided to leave the Church of England to its own devices yesterday. Oddly it was the Spirit who was invoked by many the day before. When the vote was announced it was as if th

Women bishops Measure defeated - Church rejects the idea

Published on 2012-11-20 12:44:00

Am I pleased? Not really. Not at all in fact, because if the Synod had acted fairly to start with we would have had something that both sides could have lived with. Justin Welby was right to link the Middle East with our Anglican problems but he shou

Channel 4 secularises Synod's women bishops debate

Published on 2012-11-20 10:50:00

Katie Razzell reports the facts I'm looking around the web for comment about women bishops. Most I've seen is very harsh and vituperative. Channel 4 News has a bit on it. They're not noted for their balanced approach on the subject. This article use

Lower moral standards, eh, Rosie Harper?

Published on 2012-11-20 09:08:00

Canon Rosie Harper - wedded to respect? Canon Rosie Harper is vicar of Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire. She spoke at today's Synod. She said, amongst other things, these two things about women bishops and not getting them. "Firstly, as a Church fo

Women Bishops - A letter too far!

Published on 2012-11-20 08:36:00

Just what Rowan and Justin were waiting for! Yesterday there was a letter published in the Independent, a national newspaper noted for its devotion to secular themes. It was signed by 1000, mostly female, clerics. It read - "We, as clergy of the Ch

Operation Elveden charges for Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson

Published on 2012-11-20 08:36:00

These two think the police are barking up the wrong tree The Metropolitan Police set up Operation Elveden as the investigation into corrupt payments over phone hacking and other associated matters. In the sights of the Scotland Yard sleuths came one

Blasphemy in Pakistan

Published on 2012-11-20 08:35:00

Christian girl Rimsha escorted to safety Christianity in Pakistan has a long and enduring history, but it has been difficult for believers. At best one gets a sniff of approval as being some sort of accepted citizen. At worst, life is a living hell.

Bishop of Worcester please hear this!

Published on 2012-11-20 08:34:00

High Mass at St Hilda's, Prestwich, Manchester Last night on Newsnight there was a report on the upcoming women bishop vote. Liz MacKean was travelling around the diocese of Worcester and went between those in favour and those against the idea. When

Back on the boil!

Published on 2012-11-20 08:34:00

There's no other way to put it really. I went off blogging and sort of thought "Oh, what's the point!". I have gone down to rock bottom as far as the Coalition is concerned. I had high hopes. No doubt they did too. That Downing Street rose garden thi

G4S - £57 million fee to be collected whatever!

Published on 2012-07-17 10:18:00

G4S is charging a management fee of £57 million. Paid on results?

G4S - Insecurity all round, it seems

Published on 2012-07-17 07:32:00

Waiting for his job centre recruits to turn up! As I type this, Nick Buckles, chief executive of the hapless conglomerate that is G4S, is warbling away about how much he knows or doesn't know. All the members of the Home Affairs Committee appear astonished by his answers. And no wonder. He seems more to have been bothered about the size of the contract than about dealing with the people his outfit was recruiting. £8.50 an hour! After all that time dangling on a string? Companies like G4S have [..]

Cardiff City football shirt business - Luvvly Jubbly!

Published on 2012-07-05 05:23:00

Fans see red as Cardiff ditches blue I would have thought by now that those keen on football had got the message that football is a business and not a game for fans. In fact fans is an outdated word for them. They are CUSTOMERS! And, as such, get a raw deal mostly. Unless they become shareholders of their favoured firm, those that watch have diddly squat to do with the governance of the "club". The money men are the ones in charge. They can take a

Bob Diamond's memory seems awry

Published on 2012-07-04 11:04:00

I'm just watching Bob Diamond giving evidence at the Treasury Select Committee. He seems to have had a whole series of monumental information pass his desk

Eric Sykes, comedy legend, dies aged 89

Published on 2012-07-04 05:28:00

Eric Sykes wearing his hearing aid on his nose! I've just seen that Eric Sykes has died. At 89 he had a good innings, as my uncle would have said. As a teenager in the Sixties, I watched Eric Sykes in all his many roles. By many roles I mean versions of himself. He was always "Eric" in his sketches. His humour can't be that dated because he is still being shown on cable TV. It is a humour based on adults doing childlike things in adult situations. And with the willing help of Hattie Jacques, Ri [..]

Bob Diamond falls on his cheque book and resigns!

Published on 2012-07-03 05:34:00

Bob Diamond ponders life and its meaning after bonuses Bob Diamond has bowed to the inevitable. He has resigned as chief executive of Barclays. The bank was in turmoil over the LIBOR rate fixing scandal. This whole sorry saga has been the tipping point for the banks. But I think this is a good thing. Because now we can get it right out into the public gaze and have a proper debate. Do we want our banks to be run like casinos? And casinos that can basically print their own money so the roulette [..]

Rough Diamond bobs and weaves in Barclays' LIBOR storm

Published on 2012-06-29 04:32:00

Big Boy at Barclays to be done over if not bound over! Today we hear of more miscreant activity in the banks. This time the rogues have allowed their salespersons to target small businesses with a toxic product linked to loans. When the hapless business owner went to their bank for a loan, the greedy "adviser" was more keen to sell an add-on that would help the bonus pool but would more than likely hinder the business it was linked to. These products were known as interest rate swaps, things th [..]

RBS gives open-ended commitment on software debacle

Published on 2012-06-25 10:06:00

"Can all claimants form an orderly queue please" Just when we thought the Royal Bank of Scotland was getting its house in order, we get the bombshell that their computers are not on message and have failed to deliver. What was described as a glitch is turning into a nightmare of extreme proportions. Stephen Hester must wonder whether banking is worth his while. The problem with modern banking is that it is all one hundred per cent computerised. We have no bank managers, just managers of bank [..]

Cameron, Carr, Taxes and Expenses

Published on 2012-06-21 05:12:00

"Wisteria? What's that?" David Cameron has been questioned about the tax affairs of Jimmy Carr, the comedian. Apparently Carr, on the prompting of his accountant, put his earnings through some tax avoiding scheme called K2. Now it's more like K9 as the media have got hold of the story and put two and two together to make five. Carr may have "made a terrible error of judgement" over using

Updating in a world of googlies

Published on 2012-06-20 04:24:00

I've got a new computer. I just couldn't keep with the demands of updating. It's not even tortoise and hare stuff these days, more like

Looking after baby - and baby's minders

Published on 2012-06-11 04:57:00

We've been away over half term to Germany and experienced life the Bavarian way for a while. It did rain a bit but not as much as in Britain apparently. Thankfully the sunny periods were when we wanted to be outside and the downpour periods were when we were in the museums and the like. All very accommodating from a climatic point of view. Children in Germany seem very much part of the family. There family life is taken seriously but with a great amount of joy, satisfaction and a good degree of [..]

Murder he did not commit - Sam Hallam freedom story

Published on 2012-05-19 06:30:00

Justice at last! People get caught up in all sorts of things they never ever expected to. I once witnessed a case of petty violence at a petrol station. I called the police. Wrong move. As I gave interminable personal information to the call centre, the perpetrators had disappeared. On one hand the police seem to see public involvement as a nuisance and on the other they get decidely worked up. Murders work them up. They seem to think they must close the case in days regardless of the facts bec [..]

All the human colours of the rainbow - US style

Published on 2012-05-17 08:36:00

It takes all sorts to make the USA go round A few years ago the Daily Mail got all excited and published an article suggesting that Americans would be foreigners in their own country in 50 years. Euphemism followed euphemism but the general gist was that white people would be outnumbered by non-whites. So what, I thought when I read it. Is America a white country? It used to be British, then George Washington got the hump with the king, if only a little hump. Things carried on more or less as u [..]

Rebekah Brooks charged with perverting the course of justice

Published on 2012-05-15 04:33:00

Not smirking now! So just now we've heard that Rebekah Brooks and her husband Charlie are to be charged with the very serious matter of perverting the course of justice. If convicted, it's definitely jail time for them both. And you can reckon that David Cameron's texting days will be over as far as she is concerned. LOL! She says the decision to prosecute is a case of “posturing” by the CPS. "We deplore this weak and unjust decision." Really? There have been an unprecedented number o [..]

New Blogger -old blogging!

Published on 2012-05-15 04:06:00

I've been off the air, so to speak, with a heady mixture of felling unwell with a nasty head cold and being busy with other things. During the time since my last post, I've been contemplating certain posts I could have made. George Galloway's win in Bradford. Respect for him at least. Then there's all the stuff about the euro, the new French president (being inaugurated today) and, well, loads of things. Blogging is a funny thing. It's a bit like breadmaking. You've got to keep at it to perfect [..]

Rick Santorum bows out of gruelling GOP battle

Published on 2012-04-10 17:40:00

Rick Santorum says goodbye to the White House race The nominee for the Republican Party will be Mitt Romney. That was always a reasonable cert in this horse race. Now that Rick Santorum has bowed out it leaves Mitt with two terriers snapping at his heels. My hope was for Ron Paul to make it. Still is. But the system will give the nomination to Romney and he will lose. How he can expect to win I do not know. Many Republicans are dismissive of him. And his candidature will act as a pivot to the ac [..]

Shopping in Shirley and Wonderland too!

Published on 2012-04-09 04:37:00

The new Park Gate shopping centre for Shirley Those of us living in the southern reaches of the Birmingham conurbation are waiting with tremendous excitement for the building of a new Asda supermarket. This WalMart creation is going to envigorate the shopping habits of the good people of Shirley, or so we are led to believe. Truth to tell it will only benefit the pockets of WalMart shareholders and the man behind the scheme who has told us all such wonderful fairy stories. The concept in Britai [..]

Come Dine with the Camerons

Published on 2012-03-24 18:19:00

"For £250,000 it's a 3-course dinner with champagne!" Can't you just see it. A new reality show for Channel 4. A bevvy of desperados, each with at least a quarter of a million to spare, cook up a reason to dine with Dave and SamCam in the Downing Street flat. I thought David Cameron was going to put a stop to all this nonsense. I must have been either deluded or thinking of someone else at the time. It's all a tragedy for the Conservative Party. David Cameron appears to have nothing to conserv [..]

Mass murderer assad and missus find it all so funny

Published on 2012-03-19 15:45:00

Assad shows his trigger finger as wife smirks sweetly These two are laughing about how good they are at murdering their own people. Mrs Assad is just like the hideous Mrs Ceauşescu, although she has an alluring beauty to hind the venomous hatred. She claims to be the "real dictator" of Syria, in that she not only supports her husband's killing policy but actively promotes it. When they eventually fall, as fall they will do, it should be the International Court in the Hague that wipes the smile [..]

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams to stand down

Published on 2012-03-16 11:20:00

Archbishop to leave St.Augustine's chair for a chair at Magdalene College The Archbishop of Canterbury has decided that the time is right to stand down. Or at least next January that is, when he will take the position of Master of Magdalene College at Cambridge University. He will carry on for the rest of this year as Archbishop, which is probably a good thing seeing as there is unfinished business within the church. I have thought his time in office has been quite good. He is obviously a very t [..]

Gay marriage consultation starts

Published on 2012-03-15 06:26:00

Feathers ruffled by Featherstone? The government has launched its consultation period over the issue of gay marriage. 12 weeks to decide the efficacy of such a momentous decision to change English law. One thing they will have to consider is what exactly constitutes a legal "gay marriage". They will have to incorporate some reference to homosexual activity in order to comply with the aspect of law that covers consummation of a marriage. For the first time, buggery will be officially sanctioned a [..]

Goldman Sachs director quits "toxic bank" for sake of his conscience

Published on 2012-03-14 09:15:00

Goldman Sachs has its admirers...doesn't it? Who says we don't have consciences. We all do, but some of us don't let them get pricked, whilst others get them pricked quite a lot. Working in today's banking world must be a hard place for anyone. I've known plenty of people leave employment with banks because they just could not stand it any longer. Their consciences troubled them. Clients may be sold policies they don't need or want (PPI just one type), there are investment "vehicles" that have p [..]

Rebekah Brooks and husband arrested on phone hacking charge

Published on 2012-03-13 06:08:00

Conspirators or what? Police arrest these two and detain them One rogue reporter, eh? Not any more! It's a whole bevvy of sleazy News International operatives including the erstwhile editor of the Sun, Rebekah Brooks. She's now been arrested, along with hubby Charlie, on suspicion of conspiring to pervert the course of justice. That's a big time offence in the judicial minds. Judges might have seen phone hacking as a measly crime, but this is something else. Should she be charged with this and s [..]

Lynne Featherstone is revealed as the crusading secularist

Published on 2012-03-12 07:56:00

Lynne Featherstone spots a crucifix-wearer in the auditorium! The Equalities minister, Lynne Featherstone, is behind this clumsy attempt to deny Christians the right to wear crucifixes and crosses. The Daily Mail has revealed her zealotry in seeking to stop Christian workers using such adornments. Ms Featherstone is not religious as far as I know. She is apparently a secular Jew with little or no regard for hasidic habits. I don't think she would take on the Jewish community, though, with their [..]

Anti-Christian Coalition? Cameron leads an increasingly nasty party

Published on 2012-03-11 13:35:00

Banned by the Coalition? Could be! David Cameron is an odd cove indeed. He sees the Conservative Party as something which has little to conserve by way of tradition and received values. Instead he favours bringing in laws that fly in the face of Christian teaching and the established order of England. Virulent voices appear to charm him most, and those voices are distinctly against matrimony and catholic order as we have known it. Cameron claims to be a member of the Church of England, yet he w [..]

Nicolas Sarkozy says France "has too many foreigners"

Published on 2012-03-07 10:51:00

It takes one to know one! Vive La France and vive the Foreigners. After all, where would France be without foreigners? Well, a dull place for President Sarkozy himself is the product of immigration. His father came over from Hungary to settle. I suppose that, being some time ago, makes Sarkozy junior some kind of assimilated Frenchman and not "a foreigner". I well remember a row in the Seventies about who should represent France in Miss World. What sort of delectable French woman would fit the b [..]

Super Tuesday, Ron Paul and the Future!

Published on 2012-03-06 04:39:00

Super Tuesday is here - Republican contests in 10 states Today is Super Tuesday, so called because ten states get to do it all together. Vote in primaries and caucuses that is. The Republican Party is soon to know who is likely to be the candidate. I don't think this will decide anything, though. That will be at the convention, when the voters will take a side step and watch the delegates swap opinions and possibly swap sides. Some delegates are more equal than others, but then some voters get a [..]

Christopher Tappin denied bail in bizarre court hearing

Published on 2012-03-05 17:00:00

A correctional center - Texas style - for correcting people! It doesn't surprise me. The judge at the hearing today thought Christopher Tappin "might pose a danger to the community". First crazy piece of logic. Home grown lunatics are more of a problem. Then it was suggested he might be a flight risk. Second piece of crazy logic. He was prepared to be electronically tagged and heavily monitored. How he could possibly be a flight risk is beyond credible understanding. But then this is not about [..]

Welsh actor Philip Madoc dies

Published on 2012-03-05 10:15:00

Philip Madoc Now it is news that Philip Madoc has died, after a short illness. Whatever else Philip Madoc did in acting, and it was considerable, his finest hour must have been portrayal the German U-boat officer in Dad's Army. It may not have been top flight drama but it was definitely the best line in British comedy. It showed up the just how marvellous British humour can be, especially English humour, and it is a fitting tribute to him. He was also fantastic as Lloyd George.

Norman St.John-Stevas - Lord St John of Fawsley - dies aged 82

Published on 2012-03-05 07:24:00

Politician and Pope Enthusiast The old guard are dying off now. Another of the stalwarts of Margaret Thatcher's years has died. Norman St.John-Stevas was a colourful character who probably got his cabinet post through charm and eloquence more than his practical policies. I thought he was a good kind of Tory. My kind of Tory in fact. I don't know what his views were on the Coalition of David Cameron, as I haven't heard about him in a while. When I was a Young Conservative (oh yes!) he was up ther [..]

Free speech and democracy - do we have it all?

Published on 2012-03-04 08:58:00

Only if there is a fire, but then form an orderly queue! I'm all in favour of free speech. That is the freedom to say what you like when you like it. However, there are natural limits and then there are unnatural ones. An obvious natural limit is not allowing anyone falsely to cry "fire!" in a crowded theatre. Oliver Wendell Holmes quite rightly flagged that one up and it has been universally agreed ever since by right thinking people. It is also wrong to abuse people like shouting racist taunts [..]

Halifax to hike mortgage interest rate

Published on 2012-03-03 07:03:00

Halifax coffers need topping up so customers get to pay The Halifax, Britain's biggest mortgage lender, is expected to raise its standard variable mortgage rate (SVR) from 1 May. The bank says this is because they are finding it harder to raise money. Oh, yes? How come they are doing so well, as part of Lloyds Banking Group, and cannot keep their housekeeping in order. Hypocrites! Royal Bank of Scotland has already raised the rate on two of its mortgages from 3.75% to 4%. We've just seen the bl [..]

The nastiness of the American justice system

Published on 2012-03-03 05:03:00

Christopher Tappin leaves London for an uncertain future The United States prides itself on being a free democracy. That misnomer has long been peddled on the good folk of America who, quite often, blindly follow all the stuff about God favouring them over other people. If God indeed did pick out America for special treatment, He left out the titbits. Now don't get me wrong, Americans are genuine people with tremendous hearts for the stranger. I can honestly say that I've been treated better in [..]

Rebekah Brooks gave back police horse in poor health

Published on 2012-02-29 04:10:00

I have just seen on the BBC News website that Rebekah Brooks, News International red top and former editor, did not treat the horse she was lent as well as she should. He was described as being in "poor condition". The animal died of natural causes after being returned to the police. Maybe one or two unnatural causes as well, such as prolonged inactivity due to inconsiderate horse borrower. That horse won't say anything now, but maybe Mystic Meg, the Sun's spirit world person, could muster up a [..]

Bob Diamond's Deal, No Deal as taxman delves deep

Published on 2012-02-28 15:19:00

Bob Diamond keeps schtum! Barclays Bank just announced that they have done very well in the profits department. Bob Diamond, chief executive and counting house boss, got a hefty bonus. Smiles all round. Now the government has just announced that a bank (it was Barclays - they admitted it) has done very well in the tax avoidance department. Smile wiped off Bob's face as money is demanded back by HMRC. Of course, Barclays say they didn't do anything wrong. Well, not criminal, that is. But banks to [..]

Santander wants to know all about your money habits

Published on 2012-02-26 17:09:00

Knowing you, knowing me, the bank that likes to know! Those lending money for mortgages have a right to know whether the borrower is an upstanding person. They also have a right to enquire about ability to repay, such as finding out about salary and regular household outgoings such as utilities and household expenses. That is justifiable and represents good business practice and sound lending. But should a lender feel it is right to enquire about discretionary spending? About whether the odd tre [..]

Outrageous extradition to America of Christopher Tappin

Published on 2012-02-24 10:53:00

David Cameron let him down - so says Christopher Tappin The United States is very much using sledgehammers to crack walnuts when it comes to extradition. Not only that, but the American system of justice is quite hopeless in its approach to fairness. David Cameron is full of good words but very little decent action on occasions. Yet another extradition is under way. This time it is retired businessman Christopher Tappin who has been implicated in some FBI sting or whatever. Mr Tappin said as he [..]

Queen speaks of Church of England duty to all faiths

Published on 2012-02-15 11:56:00

Clash of colours as Queen meets Archbishop Today the Queen spoke to a multi-faith gathering where she told them of her belief that the Church of England has "a duty to protect the free practice of all faiths" in the UK. She argued the Church's role was not to "defend Anglicanism to the exclusion of other religions". That sounds good to me, although I don't hold that Anglicanism is a religion but an expression of a religion, namely Christianity. Seeing as there are catholics and others within the [..]

Livelylefty and the trolls on the BBC website attack religion

Published on 2012-02-14 14:53:00

Baroness Warsi speaks out about marginalising religion Baroness Warsi came out with a fairly reasoned piece in The Daily Telegraph about the marginalisation of Christianity in Britain. The BBC reported this and got a hefty 1943 comments. The top one voted a plus was from Livelylefty, who said this - "can we stop pandering to this nonsense? Do you know why religion is under threat? Because its a ridiculous anachronism that has no place in modern society or the modern mind. It was an out-dated wa [..]

Abu Qatada released "to walk the streets of Britain"!

Published on 2012-02-14 09:20:00

Abu Qatada released to relax at home Abu Qatada is the latest bete noire of the British government and of a vast swathe of the British people. This self-styled Islamic teacher, this bearded cleric, has not be charged with anything in Britain but is generally deemed exceedingly undesirable. We're told he represents a threat to us. Well I slept soundly last night except for being awoken by my wife who thought I was behaving oddly. Flinging my arms around, apparently. She then thought it must have [..]

Sean Penn knows nothing about The Falklands

Published on 2012-02-14 08:31:00

Two dodgy customers! It is absolutely ludicrous for Sean Penn, a reasonably able Hollywood actor, to interfere in the sovereignty of The Falklands. These islands are inhabited by British people who wish to remain British and for the islands to be a dependency of the Crown. Mr.Penn should study history. If he was so worried about a "ludicrous and archaic commitment to colonialist ideology" he should think about Hawaii. Now there the Americans have ruled over the local inhabitants with impunity. A [..]

Mitt Romney to be on a right-wing rollercoaster

Published on 2012-02-10 18:07:00

Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich taking it all in Politics is a rough trade. But then so are quite a few other occupations. Even those who profess to be charitable in their daily lives can be quite uncharitable at times. The General Synod of the Church of England is even marred by fits of unholy talk. Politics is expected to be rough and ready, especially in a democracy. The United States likes to think it is the biggest and best democracy, but it is really a representative-based meritocracy where [..]

Clive Bone picks a bone with council prayers

Published on 2012-02-10 11:51:00

Ezekial cried, "Clive Bone, Clive Bone!" The Christian Faith is under attack from all sides it seems. Judges colluding with atheists to do down the cherished traditions of England. Prayers have been said at council meetings for yonks. But I suppose it was bound to happen. Atheists, secularists and credal-bashing liberal religionists have come together in a heady coalition, sometimes acting in unison, sometimes alone. The latest have-a-go-at-the-Christians character is Clive Bone. He used to be a [..]

Bishop of Gloucester is a discriminator

Published on 2012-02-08 15:10:00

A pantomime dame as a bishop? Could be, you know! I thought the idea of the Bishop of Gloucester being a discriminator quite fitting. After all, he's turned his back on the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church to fashion his own ideas of credal belief and sacramental doctrine. Just as David Jenkins, erstwhile Bishop of Durham, when asked if female ordination was possible if only carried out by Anglicans, he replied that he thought it was. "Yes, we can do it", he chirruped. For all those in fav [..]

Swinney swindles the Scots in favour of foreigners

Published on 2012-02-05 17:14:00

John Swinney telling the BBC that EU votes are Scottish votes The Scottish National Party is an oddball organisation at times. We know they have been keen on independence ever since the party was started, yet they have never been very keen on saying who the independence was for. Now we are getting dribs and drabs coming out. According to John Swinney, independence is for anyone in Scotland who has a vote at the time of the proposed referendum. Tough luck if you feel you are as Scottish as heathe [..]

Hungarian Malev Airlines collapses

Published on 2012-02-03 16:57:00

Malév Hungarian Airlines Airlines are folding rather like card houses on a rickety card table. Now its the turn of Malev, Hungary's national airline. Depending on what the Hungarian government does or does not do, this is still a case of less competition in the airline business. It would appear that the debts are far too big for a rescue. Tonight, the website of Malev says, "Dear Passengers, concerning your travel, we suggest that you ask other airlines about their offers or, if possible, you c [..]

Chris Huhne resigns as LibDem Energy Secretary

Published on 2012-02-03 06:03:00

Chris Huhne resigns his cabinet seat The third cabinet minister to resign from the coalition. First David Laws, then Liam Fox and now Chris Huhne. That's 2 to 1 in the LibDems direction. David Laws is not yet fully rehabilitated. Liam Fox has gone to ground and now Chris Huhne falls from the top table. Is coalition politics any different, I wonder? So it's likely to be Ed Davey in the Cabinet. Fully right honourable and no mistake. I thought it might be Jeremy Browne, but that's only because I [..]

HSBC manager locks customer up for half an hour!

Published on 2011-07-06 05:58:00

Shanghaied by the bankers! HSBC, aka the Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation, seems to be following some of the tips it has picked up over the years from its involvement with Chinese mandarins. One of them is that if you don't get a customer to se

Dominique Strauss-Kahn to meet French justice?

Published on 2011-07-06 05:33:00

Was it all worth it? Just as he was smiling in the knowledge that his ankles would be free of a heavy tagging monitor, Dominique Strauss-Kahn has heard that his French accuser, Tristane Banon, is upping her case against him. She claims she was attack

Off the air with a wire loose

Published on 2011-07-05 05:03:00

Cable TV and internet are at the mercy of wires and wiring. Last week my internet went down. Google Chrome was unresponsive. Then some of the cable TV stations started to pixilate in front of our eyes. Virgin Media was called, via some outpost in Ind

Hidden card charges for travel tickets to be banned

Published on 2011-06-28 05:48:00

Hidden card charges to be outlawed? The BBC reports that travel companies have been ordered to end the use of hidden surcharges for passengers paying by card. It was an outrage to start with. Rather like the price of a new car, which you could never

Blue Peter moves out of Television Centre

Published on 2011-06-28 05:28:00

"Oooh, get off me foot!" The longest running children's television show in the world is leaving the confines of Television Centre and moving up north to the new Salford Quays operation in Manchester. I don't see Blue Peter these days as it is not a p

Corruption in Britain - Debt collection racket

Published on 2011-06-27 10:28:00

There was a time when overdue debts were followed through by court action. There are such things as debts and there such people or companies who are indebted to others. However in the financial services world debt is a commodity that is bought and so

Corruption in Britain - Hospital surgical supplies racket

Published on 2011-06-27 09:56:00

Grinding away at NHS surgical tools Here is another racket going on in Britain. And it involves the National Health Service, which for some is nothing more than a death service. Cutting costs? Yes they are! By procurring surgical instruments made on

Corruption in Britain - Personal injury insurance racket

Published on 2011-06-27 09:37:00

Jack Straw says he has only recently come across this immoral sideline of the insurance industry and agencies associated with aspects of motor insurance. Basically the racket, or dirty secret as it has been called, is for insurance companies to sell

UK £1 billion offering for Greeks

Published on 2011-06-24 07:35:00

I thought we were strapped for cash, yet Britain is loaning the Greek government £1 billion to tie it over until the final collapse happens. This dosh is via the IMF, but will we ever know where it is actually coming from? Certainly not from taxatio

Habitat to close retail units outside London

Published on 2011-06-24 05:25:00

I could see if they switched the lights on It does not look good this year for the so-called bricks & mortar retailers. That is those with shop units. They are caught in a cross between a spiral and vacuum if there is such a thing. Rents keep goi

Singer Glenn Campbell has Alzheimer's disease

Published on 2011-06-22 17:03:00

The Original Rhinestone Cowboy Alzheimer's disease is probably the saddest of all diseases because it robs a person of mind which in turn limits the functionality of the body. Whilst it is invidious to rank disease in a table of severity and sufferin

My Big Fat Greek Bankruptcy

Published on 2011-06-21 17:48:00

Tartan clad Greek protests against cuts Not an original slogan, I admit, but one that is truthful none the less. Bankruptcy is on the Hellenic horizon. Greece is now caught between a rock and a hard place. The rock appears to be the Greek people, fed

Car crushers on the loose

Published on 2011-06-20 04:31:00

Off the road for good From today the 1.4 million car drivers who do not have motor insurance risk having their cars crushed after being impounded by the police. According to the insurance industry the fact that there are so many uninsured drivers aro

No jokes at the Tea Party

Published on 2011-06-20 04:18:00

"Heard the one about Sarah Palin and the....?" The Republican Party is becoming a bit of a sad case. Not really bothered with the US economy, with its stresses and strains caused by relentless immigration and the exports of jobs to China and Mexico c

Lord Strathclyde speaks with silver forked tongue

Published on 2011-06-19 09:36:00

Lord Strathclyde performing in the House of Lords House of Lords reform, eh? What they mean is some second rate gasbags' senate. Lord Strathclyde was once opposed to electing another lot of politicians. Now he's on the bandwagon for an elected c

Cameron's goose gets booed by Philip Davies MP

Published on 2011-06-18 16:25:00

"Who said boo?" I was intrigued to see how quickly the Conservative Party dropped Philip Davies like a lead balloon. He is the MP who said it might be better if disabled, in his point mentally disabled, people took jobs at a lower rate than the minim

Waverly Hills sanitorium - is it the scariest place?

Published on 2011-06-16 13:58:00

Waverly Hills Sanitorium (in closed state) I've just come across Wavely Hills Santinorium as being popular with those who like being haunted. The house is set in southwestern Louisville/Jefferson County, Kentucky. The haunted crowd think it is the sc

Police drop Andrew Bridgen MP sex assault case

Published on 2011-06-16 11:05:00

Andrew Bridgen MP So Andrew Bridgen, MP for North West Leicestershire, has had the case against him dropped. He had vigorously denied any wrongdoing and said the allegations were entirely "false and without foundation". The police have found this to

George Osborne plans £1bn privatisation of Northern Rock

Published on 2011-06-16 04:54:00

Northern Rock savers waiting to take cash out in 2007 Planning something and effectively carrying out the plans are two different things. George Osborne is keen to get rid of Northern Rock, the gobbler of toxic debts. As it happens, the Rock is cleav

Capitalists are destroying capitalism, claims Lord Parkinson

Published on 2011-06-15 17:44:00

A very true word, or series of words, from Lord Parkinson on the sleazy greed in the City of London. Capitalists seem keen on destroying capitalism. They do indeed. Of course, free enterprise doesn't live by the same rules as those involved in corpor

Regional fire centres cost £50,000 per day!

Published on 2011-06-13 04:30:00

A regional fire centre in a time warp I heard yesterday that the regional fire centres, nine in all and all closed down, are costing £50,000 per day in rent to landlords. The RFCs were the brainchild of John Prescott. Now they are a liability of hug

Southern Cross weasel on Today programme!

Published on 2011-06-13 04:08:00

If you want to know what is wrong with corporate Britain today listen to the weasel words of Christopher Fisher, who must have gone to a real weasel for training to give answers like he gave to John Humphries on the Today programme this morning. As

Russell Crowe gets the circumcisers riled

Published on 2011-06-12 10:34:00

Russell Crowe tweeted that he thought circumcision was barbaric. Then he tweeted some more. It all ended up with tweets going back and forth with it resulting in him being branded an anti-semite. Now in the "you can't say boo to a goose" department,

Southern Cross care homes bubble about to pop!

Published on 2011-06-12 10:00:00

Southern Comfort not Southern Cross When I was at school the general gist of studying history was that we could learn from our mistakes as a people. One subject that cropped up was the South Sea Bubble, that notorious scam about selling shares in a d

House prices 'wilted in spring' says Halifax

Published on 2011-06-07 04:30:00

House prices falling before his eyes So it wasn't just the daffodils being given a roasting by the April sunshine. The BBC reports that house prices have been falling in spring, according to the Halifax, but that the lender is expecting a stabilisati

Richard Dawkins - Is it a case of evil be?

Published on 2011-06-07 04:14:00

Looking serenely atheistic! I've just seen Archbishop Cranmer's Blog about the arch-secularist and purveyor of all things atheistic Richard Dawkins. Dawkins has been in Dublin setting up some declaration for atheists in a proposed secular state. He h

Wayne Rooney's wig - er, hair transplant

Published on 2011-06-06 09:09:00

Rooney's new hairline Wayne Rooney is to get a hair transplant or a stylish new wig apparently. He is fed up with his bonce being mocked by his team mates. He may have a few problems but lack of hair is not one of them, surely? He'll look a proper na

Indian anti-bribery site set up

Published on 2011-06-06 04:28:00

"The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane" India is not the only country where bribery takes place, but it is probably a leader in bribery being rife at all levels of society. Italians tend to keep it to the inner sanctums of officialdom with a helping of Mafi

The long hours worked by MPs

Published on 2011-06-05 09:15:00

I don't know why our MPs are expected to burn the candle at both ends. Many of the new intake, and it was one of the largest ever, say they expected to work a 60-hour week at Westminster. Surprised, they now find on average it is 69 hours. Which woul

Jai MacDowall is a worthy winner of BGT

Published on 2011-06-04 18:02:00

The final of Britain's Got Talent was a good show. All the acts performed well, or well enough. In the end it was Jai MacDowall who won. The press are saying it was a shock result. Can't think why, unless they fell for the fixed show thing. Apparentl

Is Simon Cowell being dead straight with us?

Published on 2011-06-03 19:37:00

Ronan Parke - Is he the eventual winner? I like Britain's Got Talent. I think it is generally an entertaining show. The three judges, David Haselhoff, Amanda Holden and Michael McIntyre all seem fairly relaxed and fair with the contestants. But they

Sexy MP? They're outraged at the very thought!

Published on 2011-05-31 18:03:00

Bessie Braddock MP A new website is causing a stir with MPs. It is called Sexy MP and is the brainchild of a certain Francis Boulle. He wants people to rate their most fancied MP by asking the lurid question "Which MP would you rather have sex with?"

X-Factor and the x-factor Cheryl Cole publicity machine

Published on 2011-05-31 03:54:00

That's show business! Some companies couldn't care whether they get good publicity or bad publicity, as they reckon all publicity is good. Ryanair seems to fall into this category. Michael O'Leary, the chief of the airline, loves to banter about publ

Ted and Grace did well - and he's 92!

Published on 2011-05-30 15:22:00

"I'm 92!" I'm an unashamed fan of Britain's Got Talent. And it's good to see Simon not being so acerbic. The first eight acts tonight in the semi-final were, imho, a tale of two halves. But the best of the not so goods must be Ted and Grace. If they

Royal Wedding boosted retail sales

Published on 2011-05-30 03:44:00

Waving the flag for higher retail sales The British Chambers of Commerce predict a gloomy year ahead for the economy. That's going to help retailers, I'm sure. Now there's news that the Royal Wedding last month helped boost retail sales. In April the

Bin Hamman footballed out of FIFA race

Published on 2011-05-29 03:33:00

"Not me guv!" Football is an industry. Part of the entertainment industry. It is run by businessmen (no women much in evidence at the top) who see it as a way to enrich themselves. The fans are just a commodity. Where vast sums of money are involved

Poverty linked to early periods start

Published on 2011-05-28 03:57:00

When I was about to enter puberty in the early Sixties, I was surrounded by people, much older, who appeared to liken the whole thing to a mixture of cricket and confirmation. It was a rite of passage, I believed. I was completely bewildered by it al

Twitter to leave twitterers to the birds

Published on 2011-05-25 18:04:00

I'm still mulling over this Twitter business with Ryan Giggs. But as a starter for my thoughts, if the judges and the lawyers thought their super injunction was so great, how can they try and convict a bunch of gossips for talking about it? Surely go

Oh it was Ryan Giggs after all!

Published on 2011-05-23 10:53:00

75,000 Twitters outwit this twit! So now we all know it was Ryan Giggs. Wasted his money on expensive lawyers. What little ............!!!!! And he was parading himself yesterday as a family man. More like hypocrite. Now let's forget him and get back

When it comes to these two buggers!

Published on 2011-05-23 10:46:00

When it comes to these two buggers, I believe EVERYTHING Bob Marshall-Andrews says!

MP names wayward footballer in Commons

Published on 2011-05-23 10:42:00

Imogen Thomas John Hemming, a LibDem MP, has named in the House of Commons the footballer at the centre of the Imogen Thomas affair. And why not, I say. It's all getting far too ridiculous. If this doesn't stop soon, we will have to come to terms wit

Chris Huhne can't remember

Published on 2011-05-22 04:22:00

You may think so. I couldn't possibly comment! It's very strange. Unless one is an inveterate speeder with absolute nonchalance towards speed cameras, penalty points and the traffic police, I would have thought a speeding ticket event with penalty po

TV star is first to face jail over tweets after England footballer claims injunction breached

Published on 2011-05-21 18:52:00

It gets worse. Can you imagine it? Panicky football star paying through the nose to get everyone naming him stuffed in jail. Ken Clarke will have a fit. 10,000 Twitterers in the Scrubs alone. Great days ahead for judging jobs, hard days for prison st

Twitter Ye Not! Famous footballer fears Big Brother is coming to get him

Published on 2011-05-21 18:43:00

The bird will sing a loud song I don't know what has become of the British people. We say we believe in free speech yet we appear helpless when a gaggle of superannuated footballers, bankers and a general coterie of famous flotsam decide to go for su

Sir Fred Goodwin is not a banker or an adulterer

Published on 2011-05-19 18:07:00

The finger of suspicion So now we know. Previously Sir Fred Goodwin went to great lengths to try to convince us he was no longer a banker. Some feel he never was one. Now he has tried to convince the world he was not an adulterer or more accurately t

Ken Clarke in rape proposal row

Published on 2011-05-19 04:10:00

Ken Clarke the Justice Secretary Ken Clarke, the Justice Secretary, finds himself at the centre of a row because he did not choose his words carefully. His understanding of the cause of the row. He had appeared on a Radio 5 phone-in show. When BBC in

Earl of Onslow dies aged 73

Published on 2011-05-17 17:48:00

Earl of Onslow in the House of Lords I've just noticed this on the BBC website. "The hereditary peer, the Earl of Onslow, has died, House of Lords speaker Baroness Hayman has announced. The 73-year-old peer had been a member of the House for 40 year

Dominique Strauss-Kahn held in Rikers Island Jail

Published on 2011-05-17 17:12:00

No holiday camp for Strauss-Kahn The City of New York has a Correction Department and their choicest facility is Rikers Island. Where better than this to send the head of the International Monetary Fund. Dominique Strauss-Kahn has moved from a $3,000

Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley being investigated

Published on 2011-05-17 16:52:00

These big beasts of American banking are being subjected to an "active and ongoing investigation into the mortgage crisis." This is being conducted by New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. He's leaving no stone unturned in his quest to f

Tom Miller flies high to land the presidency?

Published on 2011-05-17 12:46:00

Tom Miller Tom Miller is a career flight attendant, single dad, believer that America is a Judeo-Christian country and definitely not a career politician. He just wants a short career as president. Bon mots from Tom - 1. I have no prior political e

Fred Karger - Gay, Republican and running for president

Published on 2011-05-17 12:04:00

Fred Karger is new to me. On this video he is in his contemplating running for president stage. He is now a declared candidate describing himself as "Gay, Republican and Running For President" which will attract many and detract others. He describes

New Gingrich is a candidate for 2012

Published on 2011-05-17 11:53:00

Newt Gingrich, onetime Speaker of the House of Representatives and champion of Marietta, Georgia is running for the presidency. His campaign is styled "Together We Will Win The Future". Here is Newt announcing his candidature - and here is his camp

Donald Trump bows out of winnable contest

Published on 2011-05-17 11:32:00

Donald Trump looking at a strong conviction He's fired himself from a contest he says “I maintain the strong conviction that if I were to run, I would be able to win the primary and ultimately, the general election.” So says Donald Trump. Are we

Queen visits Ireland today

Published on 2011-05-17 05:13:00

Queen opening hospital wing in Londonderry 2009 Her Majesty The Queen is making a state visit to the Republic of Ireland today. This is not her first visit to Ireland, but it is her first visit to the Republic of Ireland, or Eire as my prep school Ge

Is Chris Huhne speeding to disaster?

Published on 2011-05-16 10:33:00

Chris Huhne in Chicken Run riddle Chris Huhne is an ambitious man. He has put his ambition to good use. He set up his own business, he succesfully launched a political career, has become a cabinet minister and would like to be leader of his party and

Dominique Strauss-Kahn in second sex allegation

Published on 2011-05-16 09:01:00

Tristane Banon Dominique Strauss-Kahn appears to be caught between his political ambitions and his history as an alleged womaniser. Only hours after being accused by a chamber maid that she was sexually attacked by the IMF chief, a second accuser has

South West Trains sack safety conscious stationmaster

Published on 2011-05-16 07:22:00

Last train for station master Faletto Here's another corporate moron deftly displaying super arrogance when it comes to health and safety laws and regulations. Every time we get such things happening, the company concerned says it is doing it for the

Queen beheaded in mock Dublin execution

Published on 2011-05-16 05:51:00

Mock execution in Dublin Some Irish people are tearing their hearts and minds out with hatred and vitriole. Currently the Republic of Ireland is a basket case financially. There are a few that would wish it to become a basket case morally, spir

Porn Found in Osama Bin Laden Evidence Trove

Published on 2011-05-15 13:27:00

So the old devil was a sexual animal keen on looking at pornography. Osama Bin Laden may have been the world's most wanted terrorist but basically he was a low level hypocrite. There are many debates about whether pornography is a good, bad or indiff

Iran acid blinding sentence postponed

Published on 2011-05-14 08:24:00

The Iranian authorities have seen sense. They postponed blinding a man with acid following an international outcry over the retributive punishment imposed after he was found guilty of doing the same to a woman who refused to marry him. In a literal

Visa for the Olympic Games Tickets

Published on 2011-05-14 05:07:00

You'll need a visa to get in! Those who want to come to the 2012 Olympic Games and live abroad may well need a visa to get into Britain. Fair do's, really. However, what is not fair is that Visa, the credit/debit card operator, which has become a spo

Wither the weather today?

Published on 2011-05-14 04:36:00

So yesterday it was forecast as "sunny intervals" for today in Solihull. Now when the icon goes up with the tag line, that's supposed to be the predominant weather pattern. I accept it's not 100% guaranteed. But each day it changes. So today this mor

Seaweed or satellites?

Published on 2011-05-13 18:44:00

I am beginning to wonder whether we should go back to hanging seaweed in the garden to tell what weather we might be getting. As I type this, the BBC Weather says Solihull will get "sunny intervals" tomorrow, Sunday will be "white cloud" as will Mond

Fish on Friday is back! Did it ever go away?

Published on 2011-05-13 18:12:00

Fishy Fridays for all In the Daily Telegraph Cristina Odone is reporting on her blog that "the bishops are introducing once again the traditional diet of fish on Friday". This is, she claims, "a brilliant move, calculated to bind Catholics in England

British woman beheaded in Canaries

Published on 2011-05-13 17:42:00

Woman beheaded by mad man with machete in Tenerife A British woman apparently on holiday in the Canaries has been murdered whilst shopping in a supermarket. She was repeatedly stabbed then beheaded in a frenzied attack. Eye witnesses saw the perpetra

Candidate Jack Davis in fisticuffs fight with GOP tracker

Published on 2011-05-13 12:30:00

Jack Davis before the mayhem started Jack Davis is a Republican candidate running in the special election to replace former Rep. Chris Lee for New York's 26th district congressional seat. In a very odd moment he was involved in a videotaped scuffle w

Ron Paul is joining 2012 presidential race

Published on 2011-05-13 12:19:00

Ron Paul to run in 2012 So Ron Paul has announced he is running for president. Good news. He told ABC's Good Morning America of his plans. I'd have commented earlier on this but Blogger went into the blogosphere and I've just found out it's back on e

Birmingham Airport faces closure threat

Published on 2011-05-11 11:21:00

I noticed a copy of the Birmingham Mail in Morrisons this afternoon. "Holiday Chaos" was the headline with the distinct impression that summer holidays might be ruined for some. It's all about Birmingham Airport being forced to close completely if an

Is Gaddafi dead? Or just hiding?

Published on 2011-05-11 10:55:00

There's an odd thing about dictators and terrorists (some of whom happen to be both at the same time) and that is we all seem uncertain as to whether they are actually dead when they are dead. There are some who thought Hitler survived the bunker. Ot

The Young Wife Who Defended Osama Bin Laden

Published on 2011-05-10 07:20:00

Osama Bin Laden's willing wife - willing to talk? The Osama Bin Laden story is continuing. Someone told me that the Americans should just have done it and kept quiet about it. Trouble with that is it would not have stopped the rumour mill. You're dam

Foreign affairs for Nick Clegg?

Published on 2011-05-10 06:36:00

Nick Clegg meeting Dutch PM Mark Rutte - did they speak in English or Dutch? I've just read the link that Iain Dale put on his blog. This is about an interview he has given to So So Gay. He suggested it was read and I did. And it is a good read. Two

Telegraph undercover LibDem sting "broke press rules"

Published on 2011-05-10 04:49:00

Pressing on with pressing constituency business The Press Complaints Commission has said that the Daily Telegraph breached rules on the use of subterfuge when it sent reporters to secretly tape Lib Dem ministers. The Telegraph denied it was a "fishin

Can Anglicans be Catholic?

Published on 2011-05-09 09:51:00

For those pondering this question you might like to watch these lectures by former Anglican and now Catholic Priest Rev. Dr. John Fleming who tackles the relationship between the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church. Starting with the harm

Samoa is not in yesterday but today as time moves forward

Published on 2011-05-09 07:49:00

Time to question time in Samoa In the classic "Radio Ham" Tony Hancock memorably explained to would-be helpers of a stranded yachtsman that it "isn't this time of night where he is, it's yesterday afternoon". The time zones of the world have often le

Law and Order UK - Police to prosecute

Published on 2011-05-09 06:21:00

"I've got a bigger postbag than you!" The Crown Prosecution Service is getting its workload reduced and by implication its staffing numbers. Home Secretary Theresa May has announced proposals aimed at reducing police bureaucracy. She said her plans m

New bishops of Ebbsfleet & Richborough

Published on 2011-05-09 06:01:00

Fr Jonathan Baker SSC The Archbishop of Canterbury has seen fit to appoint new bishops to the suffragan sees of Ebbsfleet and Richborough. Downing Street made the announcement on Thursday that the next Bishop of Ebbsfleet is to be the Revd Dr Jonatha

Osama, Obama, Hillary and the Leprechauns

Published on 2011-05-09 05:01:00

Coughs and sneezes spread deception It's difficult to know what to believe these days as far as politicians are concerned. Honourable gentlemen and ladies have spent a good deal of the 21st century behaving dishonourably. Or at least quite a few of t

John Walker of The Walker Brothers dies aged 67

Published on 2011-05-08 19:01:00

Just seen this on the BBC website - John Walker, one of the founders of 1960s group The Walker Brothers, has died at the age of 67. If there was one group that takes me back to the Sixties it is the Walker Brothers. The whole sound is just the epitom

No Oscar for Osama Bin Laden's home videos

Published on 2011-05-07 17:39:00

You've been badly framed! The White House has taken great delight in releasing some boring videos that they found in the Bin Laden compound. There aren't many laughs in them, so the comedy element is lacking. The wardrobe department is also rather la

Vince Cable "attacks ruthless Tories"

Published on 2011-05-07 04:46:00

Vince Cable looking cunning and ruthless The way the written media would have it today Vince Cable has come out as some kind of venomous spiteful loser. I heard his comments on the Today Programme and they do not merit the nuancing that is being plac

Leicester South By-election Result

Published on 2011-05-06 17:17:00

Jon Ashworth's red letter day The result of the Leicester South By-election is in. Probably the longest wait for a result ever. However, they did have all the other ballots to count in the other elections and no council wants to employ unnecessary co

It's no to AV - Alternatively so!

Published on 2011-05-06 15:59:00

Alternative Vote Prize! The country voted NO to the Alternative Voting system. No to 1-2-3 instead of X marks the spot. I was slightly annoyed to see that I was being asked whether I wanted the "first past the post" method. This is a rather derogator

Solihull goes blue with green tinges!

Published on 2011-05-06 08:39:00

The Conservative Party has gained six seats to regain its position as majority party on Solihull Council. Previously Solihull was run by a Liberal Democrat/Labour Coalition. It is interesting to see that the BBC has not caught up with local coalition

SNP cock-a-hoop - now for the cock-ups!

Published on 2011-05-06 04:46:00

A winker wins! Alex Salmond and his nationalist band of merry men and women are celebrating winning the Scottish Parliamentary Elections. Smiles all round, excited talk and chatter, interviews about independence. But winning an election and pushing a

Bashar Assad - Mass murderer of Syria

Published on 2011-05-06 04:21:00

Up yours too! This is the face of a cocky mass murderer. Happy to live in both sides of parallel universes. Kill two hundred people one day. Dine with two hundred cronies the next. Live in luxury whilst your people live in squalor. Say what you like

Lloyds to pay £3.2bn for mis-selling PPI policies

Published on 2011-05-05 09:29:00

Bank trainee? Lloyds Banking Group has set aside £3.2bn to pay compensation to customers who were mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI). This decision follows a high court ruling over the scandal. The bank is inviting past purchasers of PPI to

Vincent Tabak admits manslaughter of Jo Yeates

Published on 2011-05-05 07:12:00

Manslaughter or murder? Vincent Tabak, a 33 year old Dutchman, is accused of killing the landscape architect who disappeared on 17 December after going for drinks with colleagues. He has now admitted to her manslaughter but not her murder. The

UK votes today for a mixed bag in mixed bag elections

Published on 2011-05-05 04:03:00

Scottish sweet seller spotted in Holyrood candy store Some pundits in electoral sciences are calling this "Super Thursday" as a take on America's Super Tuesdays. Not a lot super about it really. For some they've only got the AV referendum to think ab

Florida shooting - Shawn Tyson to be tried for double first degree murder

Published on 2011-05-04 17:40:00

So the police in Florida have got enough evidence to put Shawn Tyson on trial for the double murders in Sarasota of British tourists James Cooper and James Kouzaris. Tyson is a tearaway. A danger to the community. That's what a judge said, but the ju

Alternative Vote Referendum

Published on 2011-05-04 12:14:00

Tomorrow is the referendum on the alternative vote system. I'm voting no because it's a hasbeens and losers charter for success if it is implemented. What we should have been voting on is whether we want our existing system or a proportional represen

City Mayor Election for City of Leicester

Published on 2011-05-04 12:04:00

As mentioned in the previous post, there is an election for a city mayor in Leicester tomorrow. Former council bigwig and Leicester South MP, Sir Peter Soulsby, is standing for Labour. He will probably win. Then Leicester can expect a protracted batt

Leicester South By-election

Published on 2011-05-04 11:47:00

Tomorrow, amongst other elections, is the parliamentary by-election in Leicester South. This follows the resignation of Sir Peter Soulsby, the last MP for Leicester South, who is putting himself forward as a candidate for elected mayor of the City of

Swindon driver with 39 penalty points still on road!

Published on 2011-05-04 10:25:00

Totally unacceptable. Verdict of the courts - Mumble and bumble. My verdict - OUTRAGEOUS!

Bin Laden blame game begins

Published on 2011-05-04 07:11:00

Tourist season starts again in Abbottabad The two countries with most to gain or lose from the Osama Bin Laden shoot out are the United States and Pakistan. However, it's a bit like a snakes and ladders game at the moment. The Americans were quick of

New York City to get Nissan minivans as taxis

Published on 2011-05-04 04:48:00

Big Yellow Taxi for Big Apple Mayor Bloomberg has done a deal with Nissan to make a whole "new generation" of taxis for New Yorkers and all the visitors to the city. Big Apple gets Big Yellow Taxi! The vehicles look a bit like school runners for socc

FBI to cough up the Osama Bin Laden reward money?

Published on 2011-05-03 15:00:00

Off the Most Wanted list! I thought I'd look at the FBI's most wanted list. I got the thought from the BBC who likened the search for Bin Laden as something resembling a chase from the Wild West. It was the Geronimo link that did it for them. Well,

Canada's Liberals liberally routed!

Published on 2011-05-03 14:27:00

In the limelight With all the other stuff going on in the world I quite overlooked the fact that there was a general election in Canada. And what a result it turned out to be. No longer quite a two party system slightly mirroring that of Britain's We

The Obama Osama contest for truth and certainty

Published on 2011-05-03 11:05:00

Osama Bin Laden is dead. If I didn't know before, I do now. Just been down to the corner shop where the Daily Mail, The Sun et al scream out about the death. "Obama watched Bin Laden die on live video" declares the Mail. It then delicately asks the q

Cameron backs Pakistan's bin Laden myopia!

Published on 2011-05-03 06:12:00

Gripping viewing as Osama bin Laden is "taken out" David Cameron is saying sweet things this morning about the Pakistani Government. He said it would be wrong to "throw up our hands in despair and walk away" and not engage with Pakistan. Well, that m

Bin Laden's Abbottabad compound is prized property indeed!

Published on 2011-05-02 18:24:00

Half private compound - half private prison I'm just wondering about those Pakistani authorities. Did it ever occur to them that a fortified house with fortified walls was something a tad odd in town? Abbottabad is apparently a sought after place for

Donald Trump's birther push no hindrance to poll ratings

Published on 2011-05-02 05:41:00

Larry King checks out Trump's thatch Donald Trump is a very successful businessman. No difficulty in saying that. However, as a candidate for president he's got some odd ways of expressing his suitability. The Obama birth certificate nonsense was one

A Windmill in Old Brixton Town

Published on 2011-05-02 04:57:00

I came across this about the windmill at Brixton. One of the last surviving windmills in London, it has been restored to its former glory. The BBC has a nice slide show depicting its progress. The windmill has given its name to other places in Brixt

Osama Bin Laden - Wanted Dead or Alive! Well, it's dead now

Published on 2011-05-02 03:15:00

Killed in a compound not a cave! So Osama Bin Laden is finally cornered and killed. Not in the Afghan hills. Not in the sandy deserts of Saudi Arabia. Not even in a cave in the Caucasus Mountains. No, he was found in PAKISTAN!! Right under the noses

Robert Mugabe feted in Rome

Published on 2011-05-01 06:12:00

A penny for his thoughts? There are a couple of things concerning me currently in the Vatican direction. Not the Ordinariate and Anglican contemplations of such. No, this is more the beatification of Pope John Paul II so soon after his death. It smac

Alternative Voting or Voting Alternatively?

Published on 2011-05-01 05:52:00

The Alternative Vote is being hailed as a kind of John the Baptist in the British voting mechanism. It isn't quite the proper saviour, that would be Proportional Representation in all its glory. No, the AV system proposed by the Liberal Democrats and

Royal Wedding in 60 Seconds - and the Balcony Kiss

Published on 2011-04-30 12:33:00

From ABC News in America is this video - Royal Wedding in 60 Seconds - I wonder what King George III (last King of America!) would have made of it all. A man of great passion, who was persuaded not to marry his great love Lady Sarah Lennox ("I am b

Cartwheeling verger, Uncle Gary, Boris, Becks and Pippa too!

Published on 2011-04-30 08:18:00

Uncle Gary in the posh clobber There are certain events where it pays to have a second look. The Royal Wedding all looked so fantastic on the "live" event. But for the "extras" you had to wait for the recorded bits. That's when the digitally-enhanced

Royal Wedding Day

Published on 2011-04-29 04:23:00

Royal Wedding Watcher Two billion people will be watching the Royal Wedding on television. Staggering thought. I've also thought of those hardy souls in California and the West Coast. Have they stayed up late or got up early? I see Tara Palmer-Tomkin

Royal Wedding - obeying commands

Published on 2011-04-28 17:26:00

The Royal Wedding is only a day away now. It's the best show in town and has put paid to the alternative show next week! Even if some may not be bothered, there's always something for everyone in a royal event like a marriage. This time it includes t

Bloody Syria!

Published on 2011-04-27 05:20:00

Says it all! President Bashar al-Assad has unleashed his so-called security forces on Syrians seeking no more than democratic freedoms. What he aims to achieve heaven only knows. The time has gone when it was the way to sit up late into the night dre

Alitalia plane hijack attempt by agitated Kazakh

Published on 2011-04-25 04:07:00

"Are you a doctor?" An Alitalia plane flying from Paris to Rome was briefly the subject of an attempted hijack. Luckily the man was overpowered and subdued with a sedative. A flight attendant was slightly injured by his knife. Such stories are rare t

Happy Easter

Published on 2011-04-23 18:34:00

Today is Easter Sunday. This is King's College Chapel Choir -

Good News Story - British baby catcher honoured!

Published on 2011-04-23 12:25:00

Helen Beard - Guardian Angel Helen Beard, now known as the "British baby catcher", has been honoured for her quick actions in saving a baby falling from a hotel balcony window. Ms Beard, 44, from Worksop, Nottinghamshire, said, "It felt like somethin

There Is A Green Hill Far Away

Published on 2011-04-22 03:15:00

Today is Good Friday. The sun is shining brightly in Solihull. It is quiet at the moment. Reflecting on the day, I reminded myself of this hymn, by Mrs Cecil Frances Alexander (1818-1895). She wrote this hymn when she was only twenty years old. As a

Queen hands out Maundy Money on her Maundy Thursday birthday

Published on 2011-04-21 07:18:00

To day is the Queen's birthday. Many happy returns, Your Majesty. 85 years old so eighty-five recipients of the specially minted coins. This is the first time that the Queen has had her birthday coincide with Maundy Thursday. Being an April birth, sh

Online poker industry in trouble and strife

Published on 2011-04-20 07:04:00

Playing poker or the market? The US authorities have a thing about online gambling. They don't like it. So they've set about telling Americans that having a punt on a poker game is not only bad for the brain, it's ILLEGAL! Now they have unveiled an i

Banks lose Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) judicial review

Published on 2011-04-20 06:07:00

British banks, and that includes finance house, credit card issuers and other assorted moneylenders, have lost a judicial review that could have a major impact on whether more compensation has to be paid on mis-sold loan insurance. The whole practice

Too many lords a-leaping - the House is full!

Published on 2011-04-20 04:19:00

The serried ranks of peers David Cameron has been told by a cross-party group of senior peers that the House of Lords is "full" and he must stop creating new members. The prime minister has created more peers more quickly than any of his post-war pre

Doctor Who's Elisabeth Sladen dies aged 63

Published on 2011-04-19 16:59:00

Elisabeth Sladen I've just seen this news pop up on the BBC tonight. Elisabeth Sladen, who was the star in the Doctor Who spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures, has died aged 63. She originally appeared as Doctor Who assistant Sarah Jane Smith in

Donald Trump for president?

Published on 2011-04-19 04:16:00

"Democrat, eh? You're fired!" I can't believe this anymore than I can the Sarah Palin thing. Loads of people think Donald Trump would make a good president. Some even think he would make a great one. Now, I'd say if it was a toss-up I'd go straight f

RAF's largest plane ever lands in UK

Published on 2011-04-19 03:34:00

Voyager of discovery The Royal Air Force is going for biggest is best now. They've taken charge of a new tanker and transport plane, named the Voyager, which is almost 60m (197ft) long and has a 60m wingspan. It is twice the size of a Lancaster bombe

Florida gun deaths suspect named as Shawn Tyson

Published on 2011-04-18 14:31:00

Shaun Tyson A 16-year-old boy charged with the murders of two British holidaymakers in Florida has been named by detectives. Shawn Tyson is due in court later charged with murdering James Kouzaris, 24, from Northampton, and James Cooper, 25, of Warwi

Royal Wedding and a family tree

Published on 2011-04-18 12:37:00

The BBC has a neat little family tree it has designed showing that Kate Middleton is from humble stock. This is shock news it appears. But aren't we all from humble stock? It may not be our fathers or grandfathers but even the Queen has some humble c

What's the point of "best before" dates?

Published on 2011-04-18 11:45:00

"It's good in parts" This question is posed by the BBC News Magazine - "Best-before" dates on food could be reformed, the UK government has indicated. But what purpose do they actually serve?" None at all in many cases. We found some Safeway couscou

Gay men pub snogging row rumbles on

Published on 2011-04-18 10:37:00

Iain Dale had Lynette Burrows on his LBC show. If you haven't heard of her before, she pops up occasionally on TV and radio as a family concern expert. In this dialogue of the hard-of-hearing, she and Iain discuss gay men snogging in pubs. I've heard

Two English tourists shot dead in Sarasota, Florida

Published on 2011-04-18 08:50:00

Not exactly Car 54 Where Are You? This is a tragedy all round. First of all two young bright intelligent men go on holiday to Florida. Somehow they found their way into a neighbourhood that isn't on the tourist trail. That's a euphemism for saying it

Sarah Palin is policy lite, platitude heavy!

Published on 2011-04-17 17:41:00

I don't think there has ever been a candidate in any election since elections were invented who's been like Sarah Palin. I saw a clip of her on Have I Got News For You where she was outdoing Mrs Malaprop. I then wondered what sort of person would wan

Kate Middleton confirmed in Church of England

Published on 2011-04-16 11:20:00

It's confirmed! She's confirmed Just a few days before the Royal Wedding takes place it has been announced that Kate Middleton has been confirmed in the Church of England at a private ceremony carried out by the Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Rich

Earl of Onslow is ill

Published on 2011-04-16 10:44:00

Quentin Letts has a good turn of phrase usually. Spot on with is observations. I didn't know that the Earl of Onslow was very ill. He is a doughty fighter for causes, an exemplary example of a hereditary peer and a very good antidote to the type of n

Prison won't work for Stephen Fry - Tweet-Tweet!

Published on 2011-04-16 05:15:00

Working at a proper pace in a disciplined manner I've read or heard about two things this morning, tenuously linked in my brain. The first is that Kenneth Clarke has been harrumphing about prison not being a suitable punishment for offenders. He'd ra

Are You Being Served? star Trevor Bannister dies at 76

Published on 2011-04-15 10:46:00

"Are You Free, Mr.Humpries?" Sad day for fans of Are You Being Served? Trevor Bannister has died aged 76, his brother has confirmed. The actor suffered a heart attack on Thursday at his allotment in Thames Ditton, Surrey, John Bannister said. The se

No Rogue Traders Here

Published on 2011-04-15 10:14:00

Whilst looking around for a reputable trader I came across this site. No Rogue Traders Here it's called. The organisation is based on a simple premise. Linking customers with good honest traders. Of course, the customers have to be honest too. There

Say No to the Alternative Vote

Published on 2011-04-14 09:19:00

I've put up a poll on the Alternative Vote. Of course, it's the real one that counts on May 5th. I'm voting No. Not because I'm negative but this is all a bit of a joke. It's not proportional representation, which is what the LibDems were after. All

Son writes off his dad's £275,000 supercar!

Published on 2011-04-14 08:52:00

Gumpert Apollo just Brokdorf A 20-year-old has written off his dad's £275,000 Gumpert Apollo after taking it for a spin in Germany. He lost control of the rear wheel drive supercar on a sharp bend near Brokdorf, just north of Hamburg. "It just Brokd

Nigel Farage plane crash - Death threat pilot guilty

Published on 2011-04-14 08:28:00

All smiles before the death threats came! Bizarre is the only thing to say about this case. On election day last year, as Nigel Farage campaigned to rid Buckingham of the delights of Squeaker Bercow, the light aircraft carrying the UKIP ex-leader, as

BP face angry protests at AGM today

Published on 2011-04-14 03:17:00

Oily protesters in action The board of BP plc is likely to get the drilling of their corporate careers today. Unless they have imposed an iron grip on proceedings, in a Gaddafi-like manner, they will hear protests outside the hall and within it. Many

GOP leaders take fright at Obama deficit reduction plan

Published on 2011-04-13 12:24:00

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor Republicans have today come out with fighting talk against the notions for deficit reduction that the Obama administration is contemplating. They had a message today, Wednesday, for President Obama as he prepared to

Mother drives minivan into Hudson river with kids

Published on 2011-04-13 11:57:00

Hudson River Newburgh Bay A mother and three children were found dead in a submerged minivan she intentionally drove into the Hudson River after a fourth child escaped and got help, officials said on Wednesday. Mayor Nicholas Valentine said Newburgh,

Happy Again - Ronnie Hilton

Published on 2011-04-13 09:53:00

Taking the happiness thing a bit further, here is Ronnie Hilton singing his version of Happy Again. Ronnie Hilton was a favourite with my mother, in a recording sense, of course. I remember listening to his Don't Let The Rain Come Down on our Dansett

Unilever and Procter & Gamble in price fixing fine

Published on 2011-04-13 09:53:00

"It cleans unmentionable stains too!" You'd think corporate business would be changing their ways, what with the combined forces of internet bloggers and consumer organisations keeping a beady eye on them. The latest industry with corporate backslide

Gillian Duffy collars Nick Clegg over Coalition policies

Published on 2011-04-12 11:14:00

Gillian Duffy is shocked again! "It's all gone wrong," opines Gillian Duffy, the feisty pensioner who took on Gordon Brown at the general election last year. As she encountered the Deputy Prime Minister today she gave him her ten pence worth of Labou

Retail sales down by 1.9%, record lost since 1995

Published on 2011-04-12 05:41:00

"No dip in sales here!" The British Retail Consortium’s latest Retail Sales Monitor shows a dramatic fall in retail sales values for March this year compared with March 2010. “Total sales are down by 1.9%, the worst fall since we started collecti

Action for Happiness? Just listen to Ken Dodd!

Published on 2011-04-12 03:41:00

Tattyfilariously happy! I heard all this stuff on the radio this morning about an organisation called Action for Happiness. I've just read their website and it all seems jolly nice and happy and... Action for Happiness is a movement for positive s

Church of England in 'sham marriage' crackdown

Published on 2011-04-12 03:07:00

Pixilated policeman in bridal handcuffs arrangement! The BBC is reporting the agreement between the Church of England and the UK Border Agency in their combined attempt to reduce the number of "sham marriages". Of course, it all depends on what is de

A Brummie for the Vatican?

Published on 2011-04-11 09:47:00

St.Peter's at dawn Damian Thompson is a bit miffed because a catholic is not being sent to the Holy See. He has had his heart set on Ann Widdecombe going there, or David Alton. It's likely to be a career diplomat by the name of Nigel Baker. Damian is

BNP charge of Koran burning dropped - but not forgotten

Published on 2011-04-11 09:24:00

Book Burning Bonfire A British National Party election candidate accused of publicly burning a copy of the Koran has been freed after the charge against him was unexpectedly dropped. Sion Owens, 41, of Bonymaen, Swansea, South Wales, was arrested and

Saginaw Michigan - Lefty Frizzell

Published on 2011-04-11 05:47:00

Lefty Frizzell was the kind of country singer that started off, for me at any rate, as a honkytonk sounding soul. His earlier offerings seemed to have been recorded in a drain. Then I got hold of Saginaw Michigan and played it non-stop. I never went

BNP 'Koran burn' candidate Sion Owens due in court

Published on 2011-04-11 04:25:00

Sion Owens, the BNP candidate in question A BNP candidate for the Welsh assembly is due in court on Monday after police were passed a video appearing to show him burning a copy of the Koran. Sion Owens, aged 41, has been charged with a public or

Yasmin Alibhai Brown misses the freedom point

Published on 2011-04-11 04:16:00

"I'm speaking my mind!" In an article in the Independent, Yasmin Alibhai Brown calls for a democracy where free speech is limited. Limited no doubt by her fellow thinkers and not by those who disagree. She mentions Oliver Wendell Holmes but then push

BNP Koran burner gets arrested - Florida preacher goes free!

Published on 2011-04-10 14:48:00

Fiery Fury from a Foolish Man A tale of two countries. In Wales and no doubt the rest of the United Kingdom, Koran burning is seen as a criminal offence. I'm not sure it should be. What I do know is that it is offensive as much as burning the Bible i

Libertarians call for permanent US government shutdown

Published on 2011-04-09 15:26:00

The Libertarian Party of the USA sees things differently. They have called today for a permanent shutdown of most of the federal government. Would such a move change America? I wonder if many would notice any difference. Here's what Libertarian Part

Rhythm of the Rain

Published on 2011-04-09 05:20:00

Were the Cascades named after falling rain or did they sing this song because they were the Cascades? As a teenager I wondered to myself about this. I liked it when it first came out and I still like it. I seem to remember that there were two version

News International under fire and under pressure

Published on 2011-04-09 05:20:00

Hacked off over the hacking! Rupert Murdoch let his minions do what they wanted mostly. In the newspaper world if it sold papers then it didn't matter how the story was obtained. If it was largely untrue, so what. The News of the World started out by

Fatal shooting on nuclear submarine at Southampton Docks

Published on 2011-04-08 07:59:00

HMS Astute The Bournemouth Echo is reporting that there was a fatal shooting on or near HMS Astute in Southampton. Four police cars, an unmarked police car and an ambulance were all seen going into the port at dock gate four. I heard about it just no

Luftwaffe Dornier 17 at Goodwin Sands still intact

Published on 2011-04-08 06:16:00

Sunken Treasure There must be all sorts of interesting stuff on the sea bed. Ranging from the discarded rubbish of cross channel ferry passengers to the bones of famous people. So the discovery of a unique German warplane off the Kent coast is someth

Corrina Corrina - Ray Peterson

Published on 2011-04-08 05:02:00

In the Seventies I used to listen to Jimmy Savile's Speakeasy show on Radio 1. It was followed by a chart show based on playing a chart from that week of years gone by. On one show Jimmy was gabbling away about "Dance Awls" and reminiscing about his

Drinking raises risk of cancer

Published on 2011-04-08 05:02:00

Little Ole Beer Drinker Me Yet another study comes out telling us that something we do as humans is going to kill us. This time it's the demon drink back on the chopping block. Yes, we all know that some drink too much. Winston Churchill drank like a

Google Plans To Make YouTube More Like TV

Published on 2011-04-07 10:31:00

Cats Eyes Google is apparently planning to invest close to $100 million on revamping the website to tailor it for viewing on television sets. YouTube executives have said that they want to enable people to "watch YouTube" just as they "watch TV." Tha

BP unites Christians in opposition to high exec pay and poor safety

Published on 2011-04-07 08:19:00

BP and its legacy BP fans more flames with its corporate management strategy than it ever does with oil itself. If they just decided once and for all that telling lies, covering up mistakes and generally acting like spivs on the make is not the stuff

Couple lose fight to live in Hertfordshire luxury barn

Published on 2011-04-07 06:23:00

The barn dance is over A developer who built a luxury house disguised as a barn on greenbelt land has lost the final stage of his legal battle to live in his home. Alan Beesley, and his wife Sarah, now face losing their house at North Brook Meadow ne

Wayne Rooney is gutted!

Published on 2011-04-07 06:23:00

"I'm gutted!" Wayne Rooney said he is "gutted" he will miss the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City on 16 April after he failed to overturn a two-match ban. The Manchester United striker accepted the Football Association charge for swearing int

Please Come To Boston

Published on 2011-04-07 06:22:00

The first song on my new-looking blog is that of "Please Come To Boston" and this version is by Reba McEntire. I went to Boston in 1974 and have not been back. Not because I didn't like the place but because I found other cities to visit and differen

MPs expenses published

Published on 2011-04-07 06:22:00

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has just published details of 576 MPs' expenses. It totals £3.2 million. It's all quite absurd. This new quango costs a fortune and MPs are still not happy. What they should do is just claim for pers

Ex-MP Elliot Morley due in court over expenses

Published on 2011-04-07 04:26:00

Yesterday's Man? It's Elliot Morley's day in court this time. He is due to appear in his first hearing to face allegations of dishonestly claiming more than £30,000 in parliamentary expenses. Mr Morley, who quit Parliament at the last election, deni

Ron Paul 'close' to joining 2012 presidential race

Published on 2011-04-06 11:35:00

Rep. Ron Paul says he'll make a decision on a 2012 presidential race "within a month or so" and plans for now to stick with the Republican Party. The Texas congressman, who gained an ardent following with his 2008 bid, made his comments Tuesday night

Oliver Letwin in Sheffield holiday row

Published on 2011-04-06 06:43:00

"A holiday in Sheffield! Wow!" Oliver Letwin occasionally pops up in the news. Then he keeps his head down. This time he apparently made comments about not wanting Sheffield families to afford cheap holidays. The comments were made in a private

Obama and his ratings

Published on 2011-04-06 06:10:00

"Is that Peeping Tom over there?" President Obama has let it be known he's running again for the presidency. 2012 will be an olympic year all round. One thing Americans get on a daily basis is a good dose of popularity ratings. Obama has had some of

The Killing : Sofie Grabol, new TV star in Britain

Published on 2011-04-06 05:44:00

Fingerprint Six and Fingerprint Seven For those watching The Killing, as it was known in English on BBC4, must be like me. Quite unsettled its all over. Danish TV acting is right up there on TV Everest. Sofie Grabol was just perfect. This was acting

Libyan rebels say NATO isn't doing enough

Published on 2011-04-06 05:22:00

Rebels with a cause The rebels have a general and the rest make do with a colonel going crazy. The general seems capable but has a few proper soldiers and a ragtag of a volunteer army. The colonel is incapable, has a lot of proper soldiers and a dimi

Nick Clegg attacked as a hypocrite

Published on 2011-04-06 04:46:00

Making a difference to social mobility I can't understand why people should get so agitated about the government's desire to improve social mobility. Maybe it's because they think only they should do it. Labour in particular think the apparatus of th

Black poet wiped from "Yes to AV" leaflet!

Published on 2011-04-04 04:38:00

Alternative Poet not Alternative Vote Those on the liberal side of politics sometimes get a bit too illiberal for my liking. When it comes to fighting elections, and that includes referendums, they can become the best there is in hypocritical behavio

Haulage magnate Eddie Stobart dies, aged 56

Published on 2011-03-31 08:17:00

Keep on truckin' Eddie Stobart has died. He suffered what were described as "heart problems" on Wednesday and died this morning in hospital in Coventry. Sad news. One can't drive very far on a British motorway without seeing one of his lorries. Drivi

Winson Green (Birmingham) Prison to be privatised!

Published on 2011-03-31 06:59:00

 "I'm escaping This prison's not what it used to be!" Winson Green Prison, known by the Home Office as HM Prison Birmingham, is to be privatised. G4S are to get their hands on it. I do hope they won't let any prisoners escape. The only reason

Salt of the Earth? Not in Stockport chip shops!

Published on 2011-03-31 06:30:00

"They've banned salt in the chippy, Ada!" The council in Stockport is the latest to get themselves all in a lather about the relationship between salt intake and unhealthy Northerners. They think fish and chip shops and takeaways in general use far t

BAA told to sell two airports!

Published on 2011-03-30 05:16:00

Flying the flag....but for how long? Well, well! BAA is not flavour of the month. Having been told to sell off Gatwick they now have another crusty jewel in their crown to sell. Stansted is seen by the Competition Commission as the second airport&nbs

Jordan in Christian relics row

Published on 2011-03-29 10:34:00

"I think a bit's missing!" When I saw this headline on the BBC website I momentarily thought "what's she involved in?" and wondered what row it could be. Katie Jordan? No just Jordan it turned out to be! Another Bible busting discovery in the Hashemi

Making sense of the Census!

Published on 2011-03-29 06:27:00

"How many children did you say you had?" I've filled my census form in. Fairly simple questions. However, I still think they've missed a trick. The religion question is far too vague. I put down "Christian" but they will have no clue as to what kind.

Harriet Harman is outraged by the "disgraceful" Boris Johnson!

Published on 2011-03-28 17:09:00

"Oh no! It's Candid Camera!" Harriet Harman is a grade A hyprocrite when it comes to castigating people for political offence. She has been making offensive remarks most of her political life. Probably because she fits so badly into the clothes

East Coast rail delays spark passenger anger

Published on 2011-03-27 12:56:00

Last Train to Clarkesville? Last train cancelled! I hardly know where to start! And I was not on the wretched train. It beggars belief that corporate business gets away with the mushroom treatment of customers on a daily basis. The latest company to

The death knell sounds for the National Lottery!

Published on 2011-03-27 12:26:00

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow I've long since given up doing the National Lottery. I find it's a lot better just hoping to find dropped pennies in the street. The odds are against me anyway. Now if you want far better odds you'd be better off betting o

Defecating dog sparks US shootout

Published on 2011-03-26 11:02:00

A real pooper scooper! Two neighbours in the US state of Mississippi drew weapons and fired at each other as an argument over a defecating dog ran out of control. It's not something that surprises me. Whether in the USA or in Britain, quite a lot of

George Osborne to watch fuel prices 'like a hawk'

Published on 2011-03-24 05:33:00

The eyes have it! It's good to hear that the windfall tax on oil companies announced in the Budget will not be passed on to motorists in higher fuel prices. George Osborne says ministers will be "watching like hawks" and will be wanting to

Athena tennis model girl revealed?

Published on 2011-03-23 19:33:00

Fifteen Love The BBC are saying that they have "revealed" the girl in the famous Athena poster. She's called Mrs Fiona Walker. On reading about this, I had a feeling (not for the first time about news items) that I thought this wasn't new news. It wa

George Osborne pleadges Budget growth for economy

Published on 2011-03-23 05:41:00

"My box of tricks" George Osborne is about to get up and tell us whether we are going to be better off or worse off. That's the usual stuff of budgets and chancellors. However, this budget is different, I think. We can either carry on with boom and b

Energy firms bamboozle customers

Published on 2011-03-21 09:54:00

The BBC reports that Ofgen thinks that energy firms are causing confusion with customers over prices. The regulator said that customers were "bamboozled" by a complex system of tariffs, which have increased from 180 to more than 300 since 2

"Of course, I'm not religious in anyway" mantra backed by humanists

Published on 2011-03-21 06:03:00

What all good humanists are sending with their census forms Two-thirds of the British people are not religious, according to a survey commissioned by the British Humanist Association. The result has sent the humanists into the stratosphere with ecsta

Sarah Palin curries favour with the Indians

Published on 2011-03-20 18:35:00

"Ooh look! There's India" Sarah Palin has left Alaska to visit India, a place she definitely can't see from her kitchen window. She's been chatting up the high and mighty at dinners, galas and conclaves. The Indians seem mightily impressed, but

Honours Degrees and Honours Student Loans

Published on 2011-03-19 16:19:00

Following on from my post about the government student loans business, I see that DirectGov has another company involved. Namely Honours Student Loans, owned by Deutsche Bank and Nationwide Building Society. In this report from This is money.co.uk th

Largest student debt is a whopping £66,150

Published on 2011-03-19 14:32:00

"Don't look now, but I think we're being followed" I'm all in favour of education being properly funded and paid for, whether private or state. However, I think the student loans business has a few snakes in the educational grass. Today the BBC revea

HSBC shanghai'd in Bernie Madoff fraud

Published on 2011-03-19 08:35:00

Madoff with their money! Banking is a murky world. HSBC started off life in the city streets of both Hong Kong and Shanghai. It may be a case of "you can take the bank out of Shanghai but you can't take Shanghai out of the bank". I don't know about t

Jet Harris, The Shadows bassist, dies aged 71

Published on 2011-03-18 13:56:00

Don't You Rock Me Daddy-O Jet Harris, the original bass player with The Shadows, has died of cancer aged 71. Sir Cliff Richard paid tribute to his former bandmate, saying, "Jet was exactly what The Shadows and I needed - a backbone holding our sound

No gadfly zone over Libya - Gaddafi to get swatted!

Published on 2011-03-18 07:18:00

"Is it a bird? Is it a plane?" So the United Nations finally came up with a decision. A no fly zone is just the beginning. It is far better that dictators who are contemplating slaughtering their own people are dealt with by the international co

Nigel Farage gives Van Rompuy some home truths

Published on 2011-03-16 19:04:00

This is delicious. Herman van Rompuy getting another dose of Nigel Farage's straight talking. The Belgian boss of the EU had been waffling on about what a nasty piece of work Gaddafi is. Seems that van Rumpuy knows the guy quite well. What a guy he i

Damian Thompson, the Catholic bishops and a revolting building

Published on 2011-03-16 06:38:00

Damian Thompson is the blogs editor of the Daily Telegraph. I read his religious affairs blog. Very good it is. Mr.Thompson has a down on the Catholic bishops. In fact, it could be said he's near to revolt on occasions. They apparently are near to re

Wolverhampton mayor arrested after cannabis raid

Published on 2011-03-16 06:03:00

There was a time when the police would accept the word of someone like the mayor of a town. But we live in very changed times. A gentleman may not seem all that he appears. A policeman may not appear all that he seems. We've lived through MPs having

Kraft chiefs quizzed on Cadbury takeover by MPs

Published on 2011-03-15 17:34:00

MPs have said the absence of Kraft chief executive Irene Rosenfeld from a hearing over the firm's Cadbury takeover was a "slap in the face". The Commons Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee was following up a report in which it said Kraft

Newspapers facing decline as web media interest increases

Published on 2011-03-15 17:11:00

According to the Pew Research Center’s Project For Excellence in Journalism the likelihood of newspapers as we know them surviving is slim. They say local news is going mobile. Nearly half of all American adults (47%) report that they get at least

Midsomer Murders? No Gay, Black, Asian or Minority victims or perpetrators portrayed!

Published on 2011-03-15 07:40:00

The producer of ITV1's Midsomer Murders has been suspended after saying the drama "wouldn't work" if there was racial diversity in the show. ITV's Political Correctness Unit has gone into an outrage of humbug over it. Quite OK for them to produce the

Birmingham police are not to retrain as postmen!

Published on 2011-03-14 18:25:00

As the chief constable of West Midlands Police checks up on the coppers he's going to make redundant, he'd be well advised not suggesting the Post Office as alternative employment for them. When it comes to identifying roads in Birmingham, names can

Innocent until proved guilty?

Published on 2011-03-12 17:57:00

What's in a name? What's in a word, in fact? Words. Humpty Dumpty, as I've said before, made them mean what he wanted them to mean. In the world of business, names mean a lot. But do words mean as much as names, or less? A mother of two, Dawn Reid,

One man dies in 3ft of water, the other is saved after jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge

Published on 2011-03-12 09:16:00

Britain is still suffering from the New Labour regime's politically correct (incorrect) meddling. They left a legacy where Sodom & Gomorrah met up with the Temple of the Pharisees and the Courts of the Moneychangers. A mish-mash of greed, self-ri

Gay couple end hotel payout claim

Published on 2011-03-11 10:25:00

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is supposed to be about equal rights but, as in George Orwell's Animal Farm, some are more equal than others in this Brave New World. In the second decade of the 21st century, gay rights completely trum

Ron Paul says Leave Libya Alone!

Published on 2011-03-11 04:41:00

This is a great speech to the House. Straight from the heart. Ron Paul is only saying what is true. That a no fly zone is an aspect of war. As General Sherman once said "War is Hell!" and it certainly is. No right thinking person wants war except des

When is a banker not a banker? When he's called Fred Goodwin!

Published on 2011-03-11 04:12:00

Fred Goodwin got to be known as Fred the Shred for his activities whilst he was the semi-piratical captain of the ship at Royal Bank of Scotland. He took a once great institution so close to the rocks that it nearly broke into tiny pieces. For his am

Bob Diamond bags a diamond tipped bonus from Barclays.

Published on 2011-03-07 06:31:00

The banking business is now a computerised casino for making money out of bytes. Touch the button and zeros become prime numbers with alacrity. Bob Diamond is the chief of Barclays Bank. He gets a salary of £250,000 for his day job. For his croupier

Prestwick Airport sees drop in winter passengers

Published on 2011-03-07 05:17:00

Prestwick Airport has suffered a sharp decline in passenger numbers this winter, down by 40% in recent months. So reports the BBC. This airport used to be the tourists' airport, but its fortunes have waxed and waned like the moon over the years. May

Landlord Chris Jefferies is not a suspect in Jo Yeates murder case

Published on 2011-03-07 05:07:00

So after a protracted time whilst he has had to endure innuendo from the tabloids, a disgraceful episode whereby police leaked his name and the fact that he has been on police bail for over two months under suspicion, Christopher Jefferies is uncerem

Independent candidate hits out at public sector greed

Published on 2011-03-04 06:45:00

Tony Devoy, Independent candidate in the Barnsley Central by-election, yesterday gave the civic bosses a blasting for greedy goings-on. Here he is featured on Barnsley Cronicle Online. He and his supporters at least realise that New Labour was a gree

Barnsley Central clobbers the Coalition

Published on 2011-03-04 04:47:00

The voters of Barnsley Central Central gave the Coalition a drubbing in the polls yesterday. Not so much by the fact that they voted in a neatly turned out ex-soldier, but by the sheer weight of their indolence. The Apathy Party took over and seduced

MBNA in the doghouse again!

Published on 2011-03-03 05:10:00

The credit card issuer MBNA finds itself yet again on the receiving end of a judge's sharp tongue. Not that such remarks will give them the slightest feeling of shame. Such companies carry on regardless. They have a nice business model based on slick

The busty substances of Jane Russell remembered

Published on 2011-03-01 15:38:00

Jane Russell has died at the grand age of 89. Remembered as she was for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, I have an abiding memory of her as a topic of conversation for Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. If the three of them should meet up in the next world, I won

Breast milk ice cream gets boobed by authorities

Published on 2011-03-01 15:20:00

Ice cream made from breast milk has been removed from a central London restaurant on health grounds following complaints by members of the public. Surely not those who tasted it. The owner of the ice cream parlour says the stuff is very fine indeed.

Derby City Council free to discriminate against Christians

Published on 2011-03-01 04:23:00

The Supreme Court (supremely something!) has ruled that it is not acceptable for traditional Christians to be foster carers. Derby City Council, which took against a traditional Christian couple over their beliefs on homosexual activities, are free t

Simon Kirby MP in attack on Church

Published on 2011-02-28 14:52:00

Some Conservative MPs are fast becoming secularists and anti-Christian lobbyists. I'm all in favour of people being themselves, but it ill becomes those who lecture others about their beliefs, especially when there is a paucity of knowledge. Simon Ki

Eric Illsley's positive porridge time!

Published on 2011-02-27 10:34:00

The wife of disgraced Labour MP Eric Illsley says he's doing fine in jail. He's keeping his head down. She says, "The first few phone calls were slightly emotional obviously because it was a shock but he's keeping his head down and getting on with it

By-election in Buckingham? Bercow to be bounced?

Published on 2011-02-26 13:21:00

John Bercow got the overwhelming support of the electors of Buckingham in last year's general election. They seemed satisfied with an MP who was a bit dodgy on expenses and a bit dodgy on political savvy. But then this a seat that elected the bouncin

Mad dogs and Englishmen

Published on 2011-02-25 11:51:00

Colonel Gaddafi has some nerve. He calls those opposed to him mad dogs. If ever there was a person in need of cerebral therapy it is him. He is a tyrant that deserves all he gets. People all over the world just want to live in freedom. Free to wander

Gay weddings to be held in St.Featherbrain's church!

Published on 2011-02-13 07:11:00

The Liberal Democrat minister for "equality", Lynne Featherstone, is pushing ahead with so-called religious gay weddings. Seeing as most of those campaigning for this novelty are either atheists or agnostics or revisionists, I'd say this was an attac

Mubarak, the robber of Egypt

Published on 2011-02-12 17:07:00

I see in the Daily Mail today that Mubarak and his family have stashed away £25 billion over the last 30 years. Did he think he earned it all? Was there a salary as president? How much time was he spending on running Egypt and how much time was he i

Mubarak falls off the wall, with slight bump and heads for the beach!

Published on 2011-02-12 06:40:00

I wonder what it must be like for a dictator's mindset. Over a million people crammed into a square all baying for your blood, the rest of the country wishing you'd clear off and your erstwhile cronies fingering their rubber daggers. It's ridicule, h

Six killed as Belfast plane crashes in Cork

Published on 2011-02-10 06:25:00

Six people have been killed after a small plane travelling from Belfast crashed in fog at Cork Airport. Cork University Hospital is treating six other people who were injured. More from BBC News

Health worker sacked for making cheeky joke as she straddled naked patient was unfairly dismissed

Published on 2011-02-05 17:11:00

A nurse who cracked a saucy joke as she helped to restrain a patient having an epileptic fit was unfairly fired, the Appeal Court has ruled. Laura Bowater, 34, quipped, 'It's been a few months since I have been in this position with a man underneath

Jo Johnson MP in uncommon prayer request

Published on 2011-02-05 16:46:00

Who is Jo Johnson, I thought. Sounds like a Safestyle double glazing salesman. The sort that have been banned from doorsteps. Then I found out he's the MP for Orpington and the brother of Boris. One thing that family is not shy about is talking. He

Personal insolvencies at record high

Published on 2011-02-04 05:17:00

People going into voluntary insolvency has rocketed. There were 135,089 people declared insolvent during 2010, up by 0.7% compared with the previous year, the Insolvency Service has said. There were twice as many personal insolvencies as in 2005 and

Female guard strangled in prison chapel

Published on 2011-01-31 05:22:00

I've never understood why the American authorities call their prisons correctional centers when very little correction seems to take place. Washington State is the latest to find out they have made a grave error - a dereliction of duty in fact. Femal

John Barry the composer dies at 77

Published on 2011-01-31 04:55:00

John Barry has died. Tributes have been paid to him for his contribution to film music. They were good but for me the best he ever did was far more of a hit than it ever was a miss. Jukebox Time Hit & Miss. from Lone Rider / DanceMusic57 on Vim

Heroin use down

Published on 2011-01-31 04:23:00

I heard on the Today Programme that heroin use is down. This is partly due apparently to the poppy fields of Afghanistan not producing so much. The crop spraying has been a failure. In fact, the whole Afghan adventure is a disaster. The Taliban is no

Mubarak is the dimmest man in the world!

Published on 2011-01-31 04:11:00

Hosni Mubarak must be the dimmest man in the world. Virtually the whole of Egypt thinks he is past his sell-by-date for whatever reason. He thinks otherwise. Just on that level only he is not fit to be in power. Has he read history? If he hasn't he s

Practising Muslims to overtake churchgoers

Published on 2011-01-29 13:32:00

Damian Thompson has a piece on his blog about practising Muslims outnumbering churchgoing Britons. Shock horror! I think this needs to be taken apart as a statement of "fact". Just turning up at a mosque doesn't make one a believer practising or othe

Humpty Mubarak sat on a wall...

Published on 2011-01-28 13:23:00

Humpty Mubarak had a great fall! Well, not quite yet, but he's going either tomorrow or some time soon. This erstwhile "friend" of theWest is nothing more than a nicely suited bully, keen on the old Stasi type tactics of whispering campaigns mixed in

Vincent Tabak case lines up legal eagles

Published on 2011-01-24 17:21:00

The Joanna Yeates murder case is intriguing from a criminal justice viewpoint. Some murders are so low profile nobody outside the local nick knows they ever happened. Some are the exact opposite. This case is the latter. It has all the ingredients to

Sexist views in the news for Sky News

Published on 2011-01-24 16:55:00

I was wondering what had happened to Richard Keys. Sort of. Then I hear he's been talking in that blokish way Sky blokes talk. Does it surprise me? Not really. I can't think what all the fuss is about. Football is full of blokish blokes. It's year's

Vincent Tabak's family hire a "professional spokesman"

Published on 2011-01-23 17:12:00

According to De Telegraaf, one of the top newspapers in the Netherlands, the family of Dutchman Vincent Tabak, the man accused of murdering Joanna Yeates, has hired a media man to protect their side of the events. They have suggested that the British

Gordon Brown hacked off with hackers

Published on 2011-01-23 16:50:00

Gordon Brown may not have been the best prime minister, but he did get to be in that office. Whatever one may think of the leadership of the country, it is no excuse to try to listen in on phone conversations. I have no clue what the News of the Worl

Vincent Tabak charged with the murder of Joanna Yeates

Published on 2011-01-22 16:32:00

Vincent Tabak, a Dutch architectural engineer, who lives in the same apartment block as Joanna Yeates, has been charged with her murder. He will appear in court on Monday. This is progress in the case, but it does not mean it is the conclusion

BBC institutionally Left-wing or just plain biased?

Published on 2011-01-22 11:29:00

Daniel Hannan, in his Telegraph blog, suggests that the BBC is not impartial but that it should be. He asks the question "How is this impartiality to be secured?" and answers by sayng," By the best possible method: the new chairman will be subje

Banks to be broken up?

Published on 2011-01-22 07:04:00

The BBC reports, "The head of the commission reviewing whether the UK's biggest banks should be broken up is expected to say later that wide-ranging reform is needed. In a speech in London, Sir John Vickers is set to confirm he is considering plans t

Tony Blair sat on the wall - Tony Blair had a great fall?

Published on 2011-01-22 04:38:00

The one thing Tony Blair will never have is a great fall. He may have a slow slide into ignomy, but his unbelievable "well, look, right, yeah!" talent gets him out of any spot of bother. Honed to perfection whilst at Fettes, where he practiced his ar

Facebook faces of Vincent Tabak

Published on 2011-01-21 18:55:00

Facebook is keen on faces. Join up and you post a face online. Sometimes in the most comical of poses. Vincent Tabak is seen on Facebook in various guises. One in a bow tie, one by Stonehenge. The photos look like anyone's snaps. Why did I see these?

Ron Paul mulling over 2012 presidential bid

Published on 2011-01-21 18:08:00

Despite speculation that Ron Paul was eying up the Senate seat of Kay Bailey Hutchinson in Texas, he has told the National Journal that a presidential bid in 2012 is still the more viable option. Last time round Ron Paul was the most successful candi

Andy Coulson resigns as Cameron's spin doctor

Published on 2011-01-21 07:22:00

So there was some fire behind his smokescreen? Andy Coulson has gone because he can't give 110% to the job. I suspect it's because a load of court cases are piling up and he will have to appear in each and every one, giving his usual denial that he k

Alan Johnson not protected by a fair cop!

Published on 2011-01-21 04:46:00

Alan Johnson's resignation was described as a personal affair. When I told my wife I thought he should have just said he wanted a change of job she said that it wouldn't be left there. "You know the press," she said, "they'll keep digging". They

Richard Barnbrook AM to join English Democrats?

Published on 2011-01-20 18:33:00

Richard Barnbrook is the Assembly member on the Greater London Assembly who was elected as a list member for the BNP. Somehow he fell out with the BNP and drifted off into the nether regions of nationalist politics. Now I see that he is being courted

Live chicken thrown through KFC window

Published on 2011-01-20 17:48:00

When I first heard about this, at the Nuneaton Kentucky Fried Chicken, I thought it was some stunt by animal liberation types. It was not. It was a couple of moronic pranksters who thought it a good joke to chuck a startled chicken in at the drive-th

How the Dutch report about a Dutch suspect

Published on 2011-01-20 13:22:00

De Telegraaf, one of the Netherlands top newspapers, writes about the arrest on suspicion of murder of a Dutch citizen with a certain degree of circumspection. Certainly not so dramatic as some British newspapers. Just a tad different, I t

Alan Johnson 'to quit frontline politics'

Published on 2011-01-20 12:51:00

So he's going and not staying. He says he had "found it difficult" to cope with issues in his private life while shadow chancellor. Very strange? He didn't have such issues when in government. Why just as shadow chancellor? He leaves it all with an&n

Tale of two suspects - Jo Yeates murder inquiry

Published on 2011-01-20 11:30:00

The Daily Mail says "Police withhold suspect's name because of worries over media coverage". Reading the story one would be given the idea that the Daily Mail was a paragon of virtue when it comes to reporting about people. The "Daily Mail Reporter"

Jo Yeates murder inquiry yields second suspect

Published on 2011-01-20 08:44:00

The police in Bristol have arrested another man. His name is being given locally as Vincent Tabak, a 32 year old Dutch National. The BBC reports that a flat in the same building which Jo Yeates occupied with her boyfriend is being searched and scaffo

Warsi on warpath over Islamophobia

Published on 2011-01-20 08:06:00

Baroness Warsi, the Conservative Party chairman, is highlighting today the fact, as she sees it, that prejudice against Muslims has "passed the dinner-table test" and become socially acceptable in the UK. Whether she has used the term "islamophobia"

Not so enthusiastic about the Coalition

Published on 2011-01-19 04:18:00

When the Coalition government was formed after last year's general election, I decided that I would be an enthusiastic supporter. New Labour had been a total disaster in my mind. Tony Blair, master of the grease and spin method of politics, had vulga

Tony Blair's Iraq War finally undone by Lord Goldsmith

Published on 2011-01-17 17:53:00

It had to come to it. Lord Goldsmith has spent years looking like a man who knows he's keeping the truth clenched behind his teeth. The Chilcott Committee, inquiring into the Iraq War decisions, submitted a written question to Lord Goldsmith. Th

Tories whispering against Speaker says Mrs Bercow

Published on 2011-01-16 17:42:00

Sally Bercow knows all there is to know about a whispering campaign. Twitter does her whispering quite well. I don't think Conservative MPs need to worry. Most don't bother with whispering. Muttering might be on the agenda. Some even say it out loud.

We believed Kraft, say Cadbury workers - who wouldn't!

Published on 2011-01-16 12:27:00

Krafty Kraft. They lied through gritted teeth. Having promised to keep open the Somerdale plant, near Bristol, they up sticks for Poland. Amoree Radford, who campaigned to keep Somerdale open, said she had no reason to think Kraft would go back on it

Tunisian despot Ben Ali turns up in Jeddah

Published on 2011-01-15 07:29:00

It was always a likely destinaton. What other country on earth welcomes despots and dictators of such ilk. Ben Ali is welcome to his bolthole. He's going to continue in some kind of luxury lap. A Saudi palace statement said, "Out of concern for the e

Tunisia in torment and turmoil with street protests

Published on 2011-01-14 12:00:00

Here's another greedy president on his way out. President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia may think he's been God's gift to his people but the people want a refund. He's probably best off trying to find digs in some Saudi prince's harem. Otherwise

Sarah Palin more sure about White House run

Published on 2011-01-14 08:33:00

Sarah Palin does have one thing in common with the wild animals that surround her in Alaska. She has a tough hide! She's not bothered much about what is said about her. Which in one way is admirable. However, I don't think she stands much credit or m

Oldham by-election result - the winners and losers

Published on 2011-01-14 05:00:00

Labour is celebrating its win in Oldham East and Saddleworth. The majority of more than 3,500 was better than they had hoped for earlier in the day. Somehow Ed Miliband sees this as a slap in the face for the Coalition. But he sees everything from a

Labour win Oldham East & Saddleworth by-election

Published on 2011-01-13 20:09:00

Labour have won the Oldham East & Saddleworth by-election with a majority of over 3,000. Ed Miliband can continue smiling. Also in a similar vein, Nigel Farage will be smiling as UKIP came fourth beating the BNP. The LibDems did OK and the Tories

New York inmate sues for penis bite by prison rodent

Published on 2011-01-13 17:18:00

Peter Solomon was jailed in the Nassau County Correctional Center near New York City, pending trial on charges he had menaced his wife. However, he got more than he bargained for. A rodent took a liking to his penis whilst he slept and had a bit

Eric Illsley to leave Commons within the month

Published on 2011-01-12 18:12:00

Eric Illsley is going to do the decent thing. He's resigning as an MP. Barnsley Central constituents won't need to be prison visitors unless of course they want to be. What Illsley should have done was to step aside at the General Election. He knew

Jewish groups regret Sarah Palin's ignorance of blood libel meaning

Published on 2011-01-12 17:45:00

The Anti-Defamation League, America's top body for countering defamation against Jews (and others as well) calls Sarah Palin's use of "Blood Libel" unfortunate. It stops short of accusing her of defaming anyone as this was not her intention. However,

Sarah Palin re-emerges with "Blood Libel" offensive

Published on 2011-01-12 11:56:00

I was wondering why she had been silent. Now, like a shrill volcano, she has attacked as a "blood libel" suggestions that political rhetoric contributed to Saturday's fatal shootings in Arizona. She says it is "reprehensible" and that "jour

Wild rhetoric and vitriolic rantings tend to lead to disaster

Published on 2011-01-12 09:34:00

People are saying that the massacre in Tucson was in some part triggered by a response to Sarah Palin's cry to "reload". I've suggested it myself. Not to be nasty to Mrs Palin, but to suggest that she tones down her rhetoric. As it happens, she's gon

Religious protesters banned from Tucson funeral - by law!

Published on 2011-01-11 18:23:00

The state legislators have banned Fred Phelps and his zealots from at least 100 metres from the funeral. I'd have thought a 100 miles would be better. Better still let him stay in Topeka and watch the trains go by. More here on update

Funeral of Tucson shooting victim Christina-Taylor Green to be violated by baptist pastor!

Published on 2011-01-11 17:52:00

Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka Kansas announced his group will protest at the funeral of Christina-Taylor Green who was gunned down in Tucson. Phelps takes the spirit of free speech to the farthest bounds of the earth and then l

Labour MP admits expenses fraud

Published on 2011-01-11 04:58:00

Labour MP Eric Illsley has admitted he fraudulently claimed more than £20,000 in parliamentary expenses. Appearing at Southwark Crown Court, he admitted three charges of false accounting. This after he strenuously denied any wrongdoing. I get the im

Tom DeLay in de dog house - 3 years jail time

Published on 2011-01-10 17:58:00

Former US House Republican Leader Tom DeLay has been sentenced to three years in prison on conspiracy charges. The Texas politician was convicted of conspiring to funnel corporate campaign contributions to legislative races in Texas, in violation of

Jared Lee Loughner - ideal gun owner!

Published on 2011-01-10 17:00:00

This is the picture that the authorities in Arizona have issued of Jared Lee Loughner, the alleged gunman of the Tucson murder spree. Just one look at him should have been enough to convince the powers-that-be that such a character should never have

Arizona shooting should be a wake-up call!

Published on 2011-01-10 16:09:00

It seems the polarisation in American politics is going to change. Let's hope for the better. Having lived a time in the US, I know that debate is raw in tooth and claw for many. The problem is that the real problems facing Americans, like the B

BNP candidate Derek Adams ejected from hustings by police

Published on 2011-01-10 10:01:00

Democracy is on our minds now. In Arizona and in Oldham. A nutter goes on the rampage in Tucson. In Oldham it's a different matter. Greater Manchester Police are now the arbiters of democratic free speech. Whatever the chief constable might think, an

Reload, said Sarah Palin, and one nutter did just that!

Published on 2011-01-09 06:36:00

I cannot for the life of me understand why so many Americans are infatuated with the hairbrain solutions that Sarah Palin offers them. I know she looks and sounds like your average mom dishing out cookies and desserts to adoring kids. But most of wha

Mixed sex handshakes banned

Published on 2011-01-09 06:14:00

Things have got so bad with political correctness that I immediately jumped to the conclusion that a link on the BBC's website was directed at some metropolitan council somewhere in Britain. I just don't like thinking like this. Should I be relieved

Kangaroo courts on our high streets?

Published on 2011-01-09 04:50:00

Shoplifting is a petty crime that is far from petty. It is estimated that it costs £1 billion a year. Some is done by organised gangs, some by desperate drug users, and some by cash-strapped folk just at their wits end. Not right in any case. Howeve

Edinburgh Airport closed due to snow

Published on 2011-01-08 06:05:00

Edinburgh Airport is closed again due to a snowfall hitting the runway. Whilst safety is obviously paramount, one has to wonder if BAA is really fit for purpose running airports. There has been much talk of underinvestment. Simple planning would

Paedophile Pakistani serial sex abusers sent to jail

Published on 2011-01-08 04:55:00

On Friday, Mohammed Liaqat, 28, and Abid Saddique, 27, were jailed at Nottingham Crown Court after being found guilty at a trial in November of charges including rape. The judge in the case said the race of the victims and their abusers was "coincide

Ladbrokes and the Labour Leadership

Published on 2011-01-06 12:15:00

I know that there are mutterings about Ed Miliband as Labour Leader. But what I didn't know was the types in the running to succeed him should that London bus get out of control. According to Ladbrokes, the "Next Permanent Labour Party Leader" may co

Starbucks changes its logo - slightly!

Published on 2011-01-06 04:07:00

Wake up and smell the coffee. Then look at the new Starbucks logo. I sometimes wonder what these corporations think of their buying public. Perhaps the chief executive of Starbucks was told most are in need of mental incentives and are too dim to get

Gulf of Mexico oil disaster was avoidable, says presidential comission

Published on 2011-01-05 17:45:00

The Gulf of Mexico oil spill was an avoidable disaster that resulted from management failures by BP PLC and its main contractors, a presidential commission has concluded. But the accident also reflected "systemic failures" by the oil industry and its

News Of The World in new phone hacking scandal

Published on 2011-01-05 13:10:00

The BBC is reporting that The News of the World has suspended its news editor Ian Edmondson over allegations of phone-hacking at the paper in 2005-06. As this rag knows only too well, if you dig deep enough you'll find out where the real secrets

Pete Postlethwaite, Oscar-nominated actor, dies at 64

Published on 2011-01-03 04:36:00

One of the great things about acting, especially in Britain, is that talent is probably the most important thing. Britain has long had great actors and one of the most talented was Pete Postlethwaite, who has died aged 64. Funny thing is that he had

Chuck Berry taken ill during Chicago gig

Published on 2011-01-02 12:48:00

Rock 'n' roll legend Chuck Berry cut short a concert in Chicago after collapsing on stage. I hope he's OK. He's 84. Legend indeed! Such memorable stuff to perform like Memphis Tennessee. This version was done in London in 1972. He later re-emerged f

Pressing times - media twists and turns

Published on 2011-01-02 06:58:00

I was reminded on this blog that the reporter who decided that Robert Murat (of the Madeleine McCann case) was a suspect was Lori Campbell of the Sunday Mirror. This is a youtube of her in action. She could have been speaking about herself and her ra

Chris Jefferies, the flattened flat and Bristolian innuendo

Published on 2011-01-01 07:38:00

It seems that the landlord of the flat rented by Joanna Yeates has caused people's tongues to wag. Wag so much that the Attorney General, Dominic Grieve, has stepped in to tell them to hush it all up. I said in a previous post that it is all getting

Happy New Year!

Published on 2010-12-31 18:23:00

Happy New Year! I hope and trust that 2011 will be a good year for us all and that we can stop a few bad things we started or continued last year and start a few good things we never got round to last year. Twenty-Eleven. Sounds like a soft drink me

Christopher Jefferies in a blue tinted frame?

Published on 2010-12-31 13:13:00

Or Are All Eccentrics Suspects? The media, Twitter and any other form of communicaton is buzzing with notions and comments about Christopher Jefferies. As Facebook would say, "Not the Christopher Jefferies you were looking for?". Depends. Google, I