Man in a Shed

Leading questions

2012-01-27T12:23:00.000Z

As a tribute to the slippery nature Alex Salmond is trying to con his fellow residents out of the UK with his leading question its time for a Friday break and reminder of the shear brilliance of Yes Prime Minister I attach the clip below.

Integrity lost

2012-01-25T16:40:00.001Z

One of those moral panic type surveys has been reported in the MSM today.

Apparently people in the UK are getting less honest, and more willing to tolerate lies, adultery etc.

For my 2ps worth I'd blame UK soap operas ( esp East Enders ) and programs like "The Apprentice" - where getting caught lying is just seen as evidence of how "passionate" and candidate is about ~~themselves~~ becoming Lord Sugar's next Apprentice.

Lying on CVs is now common place. Adultery is fine as long as its not your partner doing it.

Ultimately we reap what the modern church of the UK ( that's the BBC in case you've missed it ) sows. And the politicians - especially the New Labour types and Tory modernisers who utter contempt for truth and honesty goes unpunished to this day can share the blame.

Sad.

The UK must not lose another refinery

2012-01-24T10:15:00.001Z

Despite all the anger and outrage you see the BBC whip up on petrol forecourt refining has been in decline in the UK for some time. The reasons are:

Poor margins ( yes really ) - remember refiners have to buy their oil before they sell the products.
Fear of environmental sanctions - large multinationals are afraid on the levels that career politicians will go to for a few extra votes in pursuing what the general public continues to mistakenly believe are all powerful oil majors.
Improved efficiency - we can produce more with less equipment - so some refineries have dropped out naturally - the least efficient ones ( this is capitalism working well ).
Competition from Europe and soon the middle east - the Saudis and others are keen to export products rather than crude. They also need jobs for their exploding populations ( no pun intended ). - imagine the day that the gulf cooperation council announces petrol sanctions against the UK, because that day is potentially coming soon.

The UK didn't blink when ICI was taken over and seems oblivious to the fact that one of the few industrial areas where we were world leaders is quickly being dismantled. The public hasn't realised that many of our major refineries are now owned by non-traditional oil refinery companies.

But the wake up call is arriving today with the closure of Coryton. ( Once Mobil, then BP now a cash starved Swiss company Petroplus ).

Not all refineries are the same, and Coryton produces important products that will be hard to substitute. It also sits next to what was the Shell Haven refinery ( closed and removed ).

Expect the price of Diesel to rise sharply in the South East - if it hasn't already. ( The reason diesel is more expensive than petrol in the UK these days is we now have to import diesel from Europe as its popularity has crossed over our diminishing refinery capability ).

And where is the coalition government on this ?

Well the bad news is that Lib Dem minister are in charge, Cable and Huhne. They are too distracted by their political careers and potential end of them to be looking after the vital interests of the nation.

Huhne has his green fairy land that he inhabits. Reality is coming round soon to knock him out of his delusions.

Cable is too busy hating success and business to notice that ordinary people will soon be stuck.

What will Govt do if Coryton stays shut ? It will have to do something.

Here's what may well happen:

Denial, possibly including something about global warming and biofuels being the future.
Press campaign "do something".
Half baked announcements and calling industry leaders into the dept of climate fairy dreams and/ or Industry.
Cameron takes over from Lib Dem no hopers. COBRA convened - immediate action announced (what is unimportant).
BP take over Coryton again for a temporary time on behalf of the govt.

In the mean time millions of people will have got very hot under the collar in petrol station queues, Labour will blame spiv capitalism, and Conservative poll ratings will plummet.

View Larger Map

Escalation in the South Atlantic

2012-01-18T18:52:00.001Z

Is something up in the South Atlantic ?

A planted question was used in PMQs to allow the Prime Minister to accuse the Argentines of colonialism and that he had been discussing military issues.

This looks like a public warning to Argentina.

The next question is why is it necessary ? You have to assume the military threat has increased. Does HMG have intelligence suggesting trouble ? ( Any linke to the Star Princess being sent back recently ? )

We won't be told, but its starting to look like something is string down there.

If so act now and act decisively.

It was encouraging to see Argentine aggression called by its proper name by David Cameron - colonialism. The appropriate squeals have come from the Argentine govt, but its time the world was made aware that the Falklands are 400 miles away from South America and their people have as much right to their homes, customs and government as those of the United States of America or even Argentina itself.

But it is also an olive branch, if Buenos Aires was capable of seeing it. A similar declaration of no selfish interest as has been made over Northern Ireland. The task for Argentina is to persuade the Falkland Islanders of the merits of being in their country as opposed to the UK. the more they try to bully, the closer the Falkland Islanders will cling to the UK.

Update: It looks like acts of provocation, aggression and bullying are being planned by the thuggish government in Bueno Aires. See here.

Now we'll see what Salmond is made of

2012-01-12T23:33:00.004Z

Lets be frank, up till now Alex Salmond has had the run of the public subsiy theme park that is Scottish politics. There's no serrious chanlanger in his own party or any of the other Scottish branches of supposed Unionist parties.

But now the Westminster machine has opened one weary eye and focused on him.

It may be that SNP strategists had the opening moves worked out and counter moves anticipated. but events are going to start moving far too quickly for that and wit is going to matter more. Already Salmond is taking hits on the economy and his involvement in the RBS down fall. This is just the start.

The Union breakup debate is going to be more of a spectacle than the AV referendum - and that provided enough entertainment.

As of yet there have been now radical Unionist counter proposals, but I hoep they'll come.

There shoudl be room for a full discussion on the Union and England as well as Scotland's place it it.

Here's hoping...

Appeasement just makes the beast hungry

2012-01-09T22:43:00.002Z

You'd think this message would have been burnt into the minds of our politicians.

Its one of the earliest lessons of English history. Paying the Danegeld just gets you more Danes with menaces back in a few years.

Sacrificing Czechoslovakia doesn't buy peace, it guarantees war.

For a while the democracies learnt this lesson and Lady Thatcher and President Regan faced down the evil empire of socialism and freed half of Europe.

But with Scottish separatism the lesson was forgotten.

The SNP aren't to blame here - though the swamp of Scottish nationalism has some unpleasant undercurrents, creatures, pools of Anglophobia and views in it.

It was Labour and the Lib Dems who thought playing with the Union would let them get back at Thatcher. So for narrow partisan advantage they played up to the separatism and broke the Union with the rabidly anti-English devolution betrayal of the Union. ( Yes it was Labour that brought this to pass - but the Lib Dems where key partners in crime here ). They thought they could rule Scotland for ever and that appeasing the nationalist beast would stop it in its tracks.

How misguided they were. ( Though lets face it since Labour has been wrong about almost every major decision in politics its not a surprise ).

Now a SNP Scottish Executive ( which the government lacks the guts to call it its legal name ) plays up on grievances, and plans an emotional referendum and Westminster has suddenly realised perhaps they could lose it. ( Though of course no one is offering Scotland independence, but really Greek style rule from Brussels ).

Appeasement has been a disaster - again.

But also the mold of the UK has been broken. As I have said on other forums before only a federal UK can be stable and that requires an English Parliament that contains an English Executive.

Nothing else can prevent the inevitable break up of the UK under the unjust partisan botched job that Labour created when they started the break up of the Union with devolution.

Though perhaps the break up of the UK and its hated citizens with their conservative values was Labour and Lib Dems idea all along, to deliver the home nations in bite sized chunks to the EU.

HS2 is insane - but then so's much of govt policy

2012-01-06T10:08:00.002Z

I've had a great trip with my kids down to Montpelier on Eurostar and a double deck TGV. The SNCF train was better than the ageing Eurostar. There was room to move about - even with a sofa area at the end of the carriage for those who can't last 5 secs without making mobile phone calls.

The kids loved it. It took slightly longer than the flight, but thanks to the French tax payer and their recognition of cheaper fairs for children it was far cheaper (for me) than flying ( all the cheap Easy Jet tickets having gone ). Very civilised.

So don't get me wrong - I loved it.

But the current plan for high speed rail is insane. There is no ( repeat no) need for the HS link to Birmingham. Maybe Leeds or Manchester could try to make a case ( undermined by trains that have to divert via Birmingham and probably stop there ), but it would be very marginal.

Who benefits ?

Well mostly MPs and civil servants who get back and forth a bit quicker and won't have to pay. This won't be a peoples transport system anymore than Concorde was. (At least not unless you take into account paying for it ;-) ). It will ensure that MPs and civil servants don't give a monkey's about the trains that run from Euston and Kings Cross north.

In Spain they found the High Speed rail pulled more companies into Madrid away from the centre, 180' opposite of the apparent objective here.

This is one of those high prestige monument building projects like the Sheffield or Edinburgh tram systems.

Its not needed, and paying for it will ensure the railways that tax payers used are neglected.

If you want to help the economy don't put down a high speed rail track - build a new motorway. ( Run it through the Chilterns if you must ). That would make sense. The M1, M6,M40 can't take the strain and we know more motorway capacity will lead to better regional growth and economic prosperity.

But the naked self interest groups won't like it.

So I'm guessing we will end up borrowing more billions from our children to waste building something that will actually hurt the country and destroy the regions.

What's needed is a new motorway - why does no one campaign for that ? ( Oh yes I bet the MPs concerned - except perhaps Chris Huhne MP who's a alleged user of motorways - prefer first class rail. )

PS If you move the 2 one character to the left you get a gas that's 25% as toxic as Hydrogen Cyanide ... H₂S.

I like Diane Abbott but

2012-01-05T14:16:00.001Z

The now infamous tweet from Diane Abbott MP hasn't been taken out of context. ( The hash tag she used herself shows that she was referring to the present ).

She initially refused to apologies - all we got was weasel words. Even now that #RedEd has been on the case the line carries on being about being misunderstood.

We understood you fine Diane, and what's more you know we did.

Should she be fired ? I hope not. She's one of the few MPs with character who is capable on occasion of being brilliant and independent minded. Yes she's suffered from the intellectual and moral failure of being a socialist, but we are all fallible.

But let remember next time some one from a different race or political creed makes a similar type of gaff not to build up that bonfire on the vanities any higher.

When someone says something racist they need putting right not, in most instances, having their careers and lives ruined.

Perhaps this stupidity with John Terry could be treated the same way.

Cleggie on the radio

2012-01-05T09:13:00.000Z

I wonder if the producer on Radio 4's Today realises how boring their continual attempts to trip up politicians rather than learn something from them are in radio interviews.

Thanks to the line of questioning which was all - tell us about how you were stabbed in the back by Cameron and your plans to return the favour - all we got was the usual pleading by Clegg to his own membership that look the good things are all Lib Dem in the world and all evil is Tory. ( There will be plenty, perhaps most the the weird sect that is the Lib Dems who believe all that guff, along with our joining the Euro and surrendering to a EU superstate being a good idea - but Radio 4 shouldn't be about them. )

Of course Clegg could have stood up to them and just told them where to get off, but these days he lacks the self confidence and strength of character to do that.

Perhaps that's the news after all ....

Drink !

2012-01-02T10:00:00.000Z

Now there's going to be trouble - the govt want to take away Father Jack's bottle ( and everyone else's ).

So the inevitable bun fight between the libertarians and the modernisers on the centre right has started.

Normally I lean to the libertarian side of the argument and away from the dark road to soclialism that regulation and restrictions bring.

But there's no denying we have a problem. Photo's of a night out in Cardiff that recently humiliated the UK are all to real ( as is the misery and frankly lonliness and lack of confidence that these scenes represent ).

So what to do ?

Up the minimum price of Alcohol ? I would support this if its effective - what does the experience in Scotland with this show ? ( In the past the Victorian crisis with Gin was solved this way ).

Do something about our drinking culture ? Yes - but the solution is perhaps less obvious than it seems. To my mind student lifestyles are a key issue here. Freshers week is pickled and loads of just of the leash 18 yr olds are told the adult way is binge drinking. Given how nervous and vulnerable they are at that point (but would never admit to it) they are a push over. The vast increase in those attending University has been reflected in the vast increase in the University student drinking culture. Something needs to be done here.

Do something about the drinks on offer ? Alcopops have a lot to answer for here and lead onto the vast spirit consumption we now see. People should be encouraged to drink beer, and lower proof beer should be a lot cheaper ( as the govt is doing ). Personally I would outlaw larger - but that's just the real ale old man in me speaking.

Do something about opening hours ? Personally I never minded the old limit s on opening hours, but as they existed before supper markets sold very passable cheap beer it would probably just wipe out what's left of our pubs. However the move to city centre clusters of bars has been a very bad thing. In Liverpool, which I visit often from time to time, I've seen the old local pubs close and the city centre binge drinking sky rocket.

A lot of things will have to be tried. I understand the libertarians hate all this stuff, but the sad truth is this is a herd issue. People behave as a herd in this area and herd solutions will be required or else we will be seeing many relatively young people die of violence now, or liver diseases later on.

Politically its going to be a brave government that tackles this.

Update:

Argentine aggression and colonial ambitions are getting bolder

2011-12-21T10:25:00.001Z

The problem I have with the current UK position on the Falklands is you just can't see it going well.

The underlying problem is the rabid aggression from Argentina against the inhabitants of the Falklands.

UK policy should be to reverse this misunderstanding, as its the well of future disputes.

The Foreign Offices policy of not upsetting anyone just isn't working and isn't going to work.

Saying No to reinforcing hopeless situations

2011-12-19T18:09:00.001Z

The last time it was necessary to say no to sending good resources into a hopeless situation.

It looks like George Osborne has learnt this lesson from the Euro. We have the Germans suddenly wanting to be all chummy with us so that we will sell out children into more debt to provide more money to burn on the Euro bonfire.

The time has come to say No and to keep repeating it.

Let Nick Clegg take his fortune and fat Euro pension and burn it on the funeral pyre of the Euro - no other British tax payers should be required to.

HEADQUARTERSFIGHTER COMMAND

ROYALAIR FORCE,

BENTLEYPRIORY,

STANMORE,

MIDDLESEX.

SECRET   May 16,1940
Sir,
            I have the honour to refer to the very serious callswhich have recentlybeen made upon the Home Defence Fighter'Unitsin an attemptto stem the German invasion on the Continent.
2,         I hope and believe thatour Armies may yet be victorious inFrance and Belgium, but we have to face the possibility thatthey may be defeated.
3.        In this case I presume that there is no-one who willdeny that Englandshould fight on, even though the remainder of the Continentof Europe is dominated by the Germans.
4.        For this purpose it is necessary to retain some  minimum fighterstrength in this country and I must request that  the Air Councilwill inform me what they consider this minimum  strength to be, in order that I may make my dispositionsaccordingly.
5.        I would remind the Air Council that the last estimatewhich they madeas to the force necessary to defend this country  was 52 Squadrons, and my strength has now been reduced to the equivalent of36 Squadrons.
6.        Once a decision has been reached as to the limit on which the AirCouncil and the Cabinet are prepared to stake the existence ofthe country, it should be made clear to the Allied Commanders onthe Continent that not a single aeroplane from  Fighter Commandbeyond the limit will be sent across the Channel,no matter howdesperate the situation may become.
7.        It will, of course, be remembered that the estimate of 52 Squadronswas based on the assumption that the attack would come fromthe eastwards except in so far as the defences might be outflankedin flight.   We have now to face the possibility thatattacks may come from Spain or even from the North coast ofFrance.   The result is that our line is very much extendedat the same time as our resources are reduced.
8.        I must point out that within the last few days the  equivalent of10 Squadrons have been sent to France, that the  Hurricane Squadronsremaining in this country are seriously depleted, and that the more Squadrons which are sent to France the higher willbe the wastage and the more insistent the demands for reinforcements.
9.        I must therefore request that as a matter of
paramount urgencythe Air Ministry will consider and
decide what levelof strength is to be left to the
Fighter Commandfor the defences of this country, and will assure me thatwhen this level has been reached, not one  fighter willbe sent across the Channel however urgent and insistentthe appeals for help may be.
10.       I believe that, if an adequate fighter force is kept in thiscountry, if the fleet remains in being, and  if Home Forcesare suitably organised to resist invasion, we should beable to carry on the war single handed for some time, ifnot indefinitely.   But, if the Home DefenceForce is drainedaway in desperate attempts to remedy the  situation inFrance, defeat in France will involve the final, completeand irremediable defeat of this country.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,

Your obedient Servant,

Air Chief Marshal,
Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief,
Fighter Command,Royal Air Force.

H/T http://www.battleofbritain1940.net

Left wing utopia loses its beloved helmsman

2011-12-19T10:49:00.003Z

Maybe #RedEd should apply ?

PS See also http://kimjongillookingatthings.tumblr.com/

And there's more !

How can we have ignored such a genious all these years ! Of course you just need to ask the workers to work harder - that's it. I see it now.

Prime Minister Cleggie

2011-12-16T10:31:00.000Z

I was going to title this Prime Minister Miliband, but I think the best way for #RedEd to play his cards would be to make Cleggie PM. I'll outline that as option 1 and the more likely Prime Minister Miliband as option 2.

Option 1: Labour offer the Lib Dems a coalition lead by Nick Clegg which would include all scroungers from the minor parties in an unexploded coalition. Why allow Cleggie to be PM ? Because it adds to the temptation, strokes Lib Dem egos even further, and provides a human shield to soak up the blame for the disaster that is bound to follow.

This can happen now - the Lib Dems and parliamentary arithmetic could change coalitions. though the procedure for getting one party out of power to imposing another might be rather difficult. ( Would a vote of no confidence force what exactly ? The PM can no longer ask for a dissolution of parliament in this session ).

Option2: The Lib Dems revolt - desperate to re-establish their brand and wingers and moaners on behalf of any cause that has votes attached to it before the nightmare (for them) of the 2015 general election. Clegg gets deposed and the new chief whiner phones #RedEd up to offer to make him PM. #RedEd is stupid enough to say yes.
We have a rainbow govt of all the vested interests just at the time that our credit rating gets blown away and we can't borrow any more money to bribe them with.
Chaos - with ministerial broadcasts from Ed Miliband to explain it - ensues.
(Time to leave the country ).

Neither of these two options is as unlikely as many of us would like to believe..

I guess a minority Conservative govt is perhaps option 3 - but given that most of the key things ahve now been done that require legislation that might not be too bad.

But just to warn you - you might wake up one morning and discover Cleggie is PM under our current crazy parliament term limits.

The end of the beginning

2011-12-13T13:18:00.006Z

So I am still asking what to think.

There a lot of smoke and misdirect out there. Many parties are finding aspects of the 'veto' last week convenient to play up. I'm not going to list them as they are all over the press.

If these events have a significance they are the El Alamein of the battle with the EU.

A victory, after so many retreats and defeats, but nothing like a war won.

In Churchill's words perhaps "the end of the beginning".

The problems are obvious. Cameron acted as he did as he had a shot gun forced to his back and needed to be seen to play along. Initially the Lib Dems were in on this, but then due to the extremist nature of Lib Dem Europhilia and hatred of the UK as a sovereign state had to move their position to one of shock.

Whilst his Eurosceptic credit was up - Cameron slammed the door on a referendum. ( Even if he wanted one he couldn't deliver as the Lib Dems won't allow it ).

In the mean time over in the technocrat lead European Empire the debt implosion is getting worse and worse. Greece, Portugal & Ireland are condemned to austerity without hope of parole. Italy may soon join them as its EU enforced governor tries to do his Brussels master's bidding.

Germany refuses to accept its responsibility for the currency union fiasco and trade imbalances its set up.

The one thing they can all agree on is the need for a scape goat - and that's going to the the UK and the city of London in particular.

Things are going to get nasty, very nasty indeed.

And the truth is still Cameron is no Churchill. He's a manager not a leader.

He looks good against the incredible weakness of Labour, and he has the tactical political instincts of Machiavelli - but still he has no political soul.

So has any of this made me want to renew my Conservative party membership ? Well I thought about it, but the truth is given the crisis and the threat a half backed veto just isn't serious.

There are fundamental problems with our relationship with Europe. One of the key ones is other European countries lie and cheat openly - flouting the law and treaties they have signed. This is not the sort of organisation that the UK can share its sovereignty with.

Politically there needs to be one clear objective - the return of the pooled sovereignty from Brussels and a set of bilateral treaties in its place which are government by world courts.

Now I know there are lots of people in the Conservative party who believe this - its just this isn't Conservative party policy and is very unlikely to become so.

The Eurosceptic movement has a very long and bloody battle ahead of it that may last life times.

Given this time scale decisions on political allegiance don't have to be limited to who would win the next election, but to who might deliver the ultimate goal.

Update: That didn't take long, Benedict Brogan is forecasting that Cosnervtaive MPs are about to be sold short to save the Coalition.

Ok so the Euroquislings are upset now ( took a while )

2011-12-12T08:27:00.003Z

All those who gained from the UK being sold out to Brussels ( or Frankfurt ) have suddenly realised being a Quisling may not be so good for them after all.

The temper tantrums are in, about 24 hrs late, inclining all the usual suspects:

and of course the entire BBC ( more evidence of why the BBC needs to be broken up - not that you need any more ).

However we still can't be sure what the actual game being played is. The delay in Nick Clegg's save himself reaction suggests some sort of a deal has been done to allow David Cameron to save himself from his party, just as Nick Clegg is given the right to go on anti-Tory manoeuvres to save his own position.

If so its the #EuroQuislings who will have the last laugh, and England that will pay and suffer.

Why aren't the Lib Dems more upset ?

2011-12-09T17:00:00.002Z

This is the Dog that did not bark in the night question.

One answer is that they have been forewarned and know how this will all play out now that Cameron has established his euro sceptic credentials.

Sorry the cynicism is back.

Hold on - here comes the Lib Dem backing both sides ... that's a bit better.

Well an apology is in order

2011-12-09T14:30:00.007Z

I have to say ( and did in the last post ) that I never thought David Cameron would do it.

But he has finally used the veto. So I owe him an apology and am happy to give it here. Sorry Mr Cameron.

But there is much much more to do. The UK needs to line itself up with the world and not old sick Europe. All the people who moaned about our not being in the Euro are going to go into over drive now.

But remember we import more from the EU than we export.

We are net contributors to the outrageous EU budget.

Along with the French we are a key military power ( just ).

We must not sell ourselves short. Though the predictable hedging of bets from the Labour party suggest there are many would would like to see just that.

Now how about that referendum ?

David Cameron must have a very low opinion of the voters

2011-12-06T18:08:00.005Z

This "I'll veto any treaty not in Britain's interests" thing is fooling no one David. We can all see your spin on the betrayal of UK interests.

If not then can I suggest the following moves:

Unilateral withdrawal from the Common Fisheries policy and Common Agricultural policy might convince us of your good faith ( breaking treaties seems easy for the Euro countries for whom the law is just their flexible friend ).

We recognise weasel words when we hear them and only accept actions now - after 13 years of Blair & Brown ( and not a little Clegg and the two face lying Lib Dems who admitted to the US Embassy how their position kept changing to avoid letting the people vote ).

I was planning on taking some time to think about my political future, but I wonder if I really need it.

Bah humbug

2011-12-06T16:50:00.003Z

Kids - why haven't we got our Christmas tree up yet ?

MiaS - because its the 6th of Dec - thats 19 days till Christmas then 12 days of Christmas and the trees not staying up that long.

Kids - Aarrr

MiaS - Bah humbug.

( My guess is I'll only be able to hold out for a week. )

This looks like required watching

2011-12-04T13:59:00.008Z

Now I know Robert Peston isn't everyone's cup of tea - but the idea behind this BBC program looks like its worth a watch.

See The Party's Over: How the West Went Bust tonight at 7PM.

The BBC seem to be making some, belated, effort to convey economic reality to the country ( a sure sign of how desperate things are ) - as this follows Nick Robinson's interesting series on public spending and Evan Davis the UK economy.

I think this in part helps explain why the earth hasn't opened beneath George Osborne - the public is sobering up from Labour reckless debt fuelled binge of irresponsibility.

Update:

Part of the way through Peston's first episode and I think I see where the BBC is going with all this. Its free markets that are to blame - not the every increasing expansion of the state. All Reagan & Thatcher's fault - very predictable ( but I suppose I didn't), very left wing.

I suspect it may also become the BBC's received view on things very quickly.

It is very important that those of us on the right refute this sort of sixth form socialist groupie half baked analysis.

I see Will Hutton giving the professional left wing failures view on things. As its the BBC he's just an expert - no hint of his political ideology is given though conversely ideology (evil) is ascribed to those on the right.

Shed love

2011-12-03T09:31:00.000Z

The men in sheds thing is moving forwards, perhaps in part fuelled by the success of the Aussie inspired Movember thing - combined with the idea that men's health is better served by sheds where men can tinker rather than being nagged by health professionals / wives idea. Just another thing that we can also thank those who used to good a cricket for.

The Daily Telegraph is going shed nuts right now - key articles:

Every man feels a yearning to live in a shed

Why every man needs time in a shed

Where men go to shed their inhibitions

And let us not forget the keepers of the sacred Shed fire ( two words that perhaps need more separation ) Uncle Wilco (Readersheds - my shed was in here somewhere but lost my password years ago ) and Alex (Shedworking & in who's book this author's humble shed features ).

MiaS is happy to recommend sheds to all owners of a Y chromosomes - even socialists ( pretty sure George Orwell had one once ), if the can get over the private property hurdle thing.

If you're not planning a Shed yet - its time to start thinking about it.

Remember thanks to the shed movement you can sell this idea to her indoors by explaining it as a men's health thing. There has to be a article in Good Housekeeping somewhere which you could use - they love all that "Men are useless about talking about health and their problems" & "how to get your man to the Doctor" type of thing. Tell her is the latest thing in men's health ( it is - but your probably not about to form your own tinkering collective, but by the time that's been figured out you'll already have established the facts on the ground - or the corner of the garden at least. )

Remember Christmas is coming up ....

Scab

2011-12-02T22:29:00.002Z

Given all the Bonfire of the Vanities style rage being used against Jeremy Clarkson for being a prat and saying some ill judged things on TV this week, you would think there would be more focus on words that are intended to cause harm being used.

Specifically the term Scab.

An official for Unison has sent an email round which included the following ( reported by Sky news and in the Daily Mail ).

Its a clear case of bullying and intimidation. In any other context ( race relations or other equality areas the police would be involved ). It comes close to inciting violence.

Clarkson was an idiot - who perhaps deserves to be taken down a peg or two, or even sacked. But what this unchastised Unison official did is far worse, and far more likely to result in violence and bullying.

Its time we agreed not to use words like scab.

If Unison can't get its members to support its coarse of industrial 'action' then its going to have to accept it can't act in unison after all ...

Modern nostalgia

2011-11-30T17:00:00.000Z

For the attention of Ed Balls MP

2011-11-30T13:16:00.000Z

"We used to think that you could spend your way out of a recession and increase employment by cutting taxes and boosting government spending. I tell you in all candour that that option no longer exists." James Callaghan

Reality denial leads to debt denial, ignorant greed and strikes

2011-11-30T08:07:00.003Z

What is Labour promising ?

Labour is 90% Union funded, and these days that means public sector Union funded ( really tax payer funded as lots of lovely kickbacks are given to the public sector unions such as the pilgrims and the union modernisation fund etc.

And yet do you hear Labour saying it will restore public sector pensions back to where they are now ?

The silence is deafening.

Now striking public sector union people, especially those of you using children and the safety of our country's borders a hostage, not even the main left wing party you fund has any plans to restore pensions to that demands your making.

This is before you take into account the way the last Labour government destroyed private sector pensions ( if you don't know anyone in the private sector then ask ). These are the same people who are expected to pay for your generous retirement who have had there's removed and worse of all have to have their taxes vastly increased to pay for your. ( And by the way due to Labour's debt crisis the annuities on sale this year are 30% lower than previous years - that's right many private sector pensioners are getting a 30% cut ion top of the loses Labour enforced on them due to Brown's stealth taxes and destruction of private sector pension schemes. They are also suffering negative interests rates of between 2-3% - which is effectively a tax on those poor souls who saved anything for their retirement. And yet still you put you greed first by going on strike ! ).

The economy's a mess. Mostly its Labour's mess - the political party most of you support, so your responsible for all the misery and debt denial yourselves also. So there is zero moral case for strike today, and no prospect of getting what you want.

Even if you win some concessions, they will have to be removed in the future as things are just unaffordable as they are. ( When I've mentioned this on twitter I occasionally get some self deluded responses about the rich paying - well the rich will just leave taking their spending and jobs with them making the crisis even worse so your policy of vindictive envy is also self defeating - as the 1970's should have taught everyone ).

So this is a strike that not even Labour support which is routed in reality denial, injustice, greed, and debt denial. Its morally reprehensible and anyone involved should feel the deep shame.

The BBC frames the agenda

2011-11-28T08:25:00.004Z

Wow - on at least two BBC news outlets with different reporters I've seen the same BBC message.

That message is 'this week will be when people make up their minds - particularly in relation to the strikes on Wednesday'.

Just to tell people what to think the BBC interviewed a thousand people across the country ( ie with a much higher than average public sector worker count - or relatives of such ) and found that 60% supported the insane moon on a stick grind everyone else into poverty demands of the public sector Unions. ( ComRes poll for BBC Radio 5 Live ). No context - no explaination of how many polled had relatives who stood to gain from bleeding the rest of the country dry.

The BBC is now setting the terms on how people will think - i.e. its leading the debate.

Fine for the Guardian or Independent ( which as we all know is anything but ), but its a breach of trust for the BBC. But then again its nothing new.

The Lib Dems should just accept at their heart is a vacuum and disband

2011-11-27T16:22:00.004Z

What is the point of the Lib Dems ? Nobody knows ( not even them ).

Hence there's a re-branding exercise going on.

However, their problem is they are an empty soulless political hobbiest organisation, who exist to win elections and to not be the other two parties.

Time to put the old bird out of its, and everyone else's, misery.

Its likely to happen at the European and UK elections shortly anyway ....

BBC 'impartiality' on display again

2011-11-25T09:10:00.006Z

Now I know some of us bang on about this a lot, and every so often we catch the BBC our with surveys like the BBC staff self identifying their political leanings through facebook. ( Which has lead to BBC issuing advice to its staff to be more careful about revealing the in built political bias of the staff who work there.)

But here's another strong whiff of smoke from the BBC impartiality gun.

Climategate 2.0 has given us an email of a BBC journalist explaining his allegiance to the AGW cause .. see the most excellent Watt's up with That blog post here. It shows a BBC journalist describing those who question the Warmist religion as Loonies and that they only occasionally allow one of their points through as they have to. But really they know they are talking through their hats. ( Just like the BBC knew the eurosceptics were insane to question the wonderful Euro of course. )

However I do wonder if some in the BBC aren't trying a little harder these days. There was at least the bird blender Panorama exposé and Nick Robinson's series on how govt spends our money ( though I must admit I haven't watched any of it yet, and lets face it they are probably trying to build up their case for continuing after the next licence fee review and charter review which must now be on their radar if - horror of horrors - Labour aren't in power to protect them ).

I suspect the BBC knows its under pressure here, as it knows the charge sheet against it mostly rings true and they suspect they won't be able to get away with their Guardian world view for ever.

Further: Today the BBC has its loyal spin on the discovery that the climate is less sensitive to CO₂ than thought. Yes the bit of research is reported by its swamped in warmist caveats, but never is the explanation that the case for damaging man made global warming relies on other unproven feedbacks. They just can't help themselves.

More email laundry

2011-11-22T20:14:00.003Z

OK so we have more email leaked from the UEA CRU mob.

Richard Black over at the ~~Green propaganda corporation~~ BBC quotes Prof Mann as follows

UEA says these extracts "have been completely taken out of context".

Prof Mann - cleared of misconduct last year by a panel convened by Penn State - described the new release as "truly pathetic".

"Agents doing the dirty bidding of the fossil fuel industry know they can't contest the fundamental science of human-caused climate change," he told BBC News.

"So they have instead turned to smear, innuendo, criminal hacking of websites, and leaking out-of-context snippets of personal emails in their effort to try to confuse the public about the science and thereby forestall any action to combat this critical threat."

You've got to hand it to the Warmist fanatics - no one does hypocrisy better. They are funded by the scare they perpetuate and they have the gall to accuse others of smearing just after mentioning the "dirty bidding of the fossil fuel industry".

Of course the leaker raises a good point (they have release a statement with the leaked emails ) - the billions destroyed in the green industrial suicide pact all means billions of value that can't be spent on good things like saving people's lives or stopping pensioners dying of the cold due to vicious green energy subsides they are forced to pay to rich people who own wind farms and solar panels.

PS I bet its nice and warm in the CRU's offices over at the UEA in winter - perhaps wind farm/solar panel subsiding impoverished pensioners should queue up to be let in for winter ...

Picking winners - guaranteeing one loser , the honest tax payer

2011-11-22T08:38:00.005Z

So now we have the Coalition government channelling Gordon Brown ( and more worryingly more Bill Clinton - of which more further down ).

On Newsnight last night I saw a normally sane Grant Shapps talking about the need, on Newsnight no less, to "do something"^tm Gordon Brown.

The "Lib Dem lead" Coalition ( as I'm toying with now calling it ) wants tax payers who have paid their debts or who at least repay them to underwrite those who don't. This they call stimulating growth - I call it theft.

What's the plan ? To guarantee 10% of the mortgage of first time buyers, buying new ( in UK terms this means very expensive and likely to crumble egg boxes )homes.

Also in a 180 degr reversal of the common sense on deposits that had been building up they will do so on much lower deposits.

This means they will almost all fall into negative equity almost straight away !

The problem is high house prices - the cause is the insane availability of credit for these assets and this is exactly the wrong sort of thing to do.

Its also very close to the thing that light the touch paper on the current financial crisis, when Bill Clinton insisted that a proportion of mortgages were provided to those who couldn't afford them - setting up the whole basis for the sub prime thing. ( If you get your news from the BBC / Guardian then of course you'll never have heard of this ).

Its desperate and insane.

PS Hat tip to Allister Heath
last night who did at least make a stand for sanity against the "aggregate demand" fruitcakeness of Labour's Katty Usher and some mindless CBI bloke on News night ( and less we should forget the new )Newsnigh.

See also: Allister Heath "Brownonomics makes a shock return"

Farage vs the unelected assassins

2011-11-19T14:43:00.001Z

Needed saying ...

Youth uneployment

2011-11-16T09:19:00.004Z

Here's the thing - pension ages are being pushed back. Education will soon be compulsory to 18 with a targeted 50% wanting to continue to at least 21, and youth unemployment is back with avengeance.

News night last night was on the subject with a audience meeting Paxman, Chris Grayling and a me me me look at me David Miliband (who was trying to channel Nick Clegg and his sickly crawling to the audience lines ).

Some of the young people made some sense. Most of them were good at saying what had happened to them, but very poor at understanding why.

One or two showed that they might understand that a media studies degree might not have been a good idea in hindsight. But the majority showed how domesticated by the state system they had become.

Where's the help ? Where are the course and training after University ( mentioned by one young man apparently oblivious to his having been in full time education since the age of 5 for 16 years ! - why did he think a few more months would help ? ) Why can't the state just make more jobs ? The govt must do something !

This is what happens when you raise these poor victims in a socialist theme park that our education system has become. The sense of entitlement and diversity training are there - but the grip on reality is just missing.

Over 75% of jobs go to immigrants in the UK ( almost all of whom didn't have English as a native tongue ). 90% of new jobs created went to immigrants.

The question is why ?

Round where I live plumbers and cleaner advertise themselves as being Polish - as their reputation is so good.

My brother tells me of a friend of his who runs a car wash in Liverpool and employs immigrants as the local unemployed youth don't turn up to work, scare the customers, don't work hard and are a general pain in the neck. ( Perhaps the vast amount of time and money we all spend on education needs to address these issues ).

Its time for a more radical overhaul of how we educate and train our young people.

I have a lot of sympathy for the young people on newsnight last night. They are the victims of socialism and left wing muddled education, and they lack the self awareness to even know it.

This is the sort of thing I mean ...

2011-11-13T23:35:00.002Z

This post on the most Excellent Biased BBC Blog is the sort of reason I'm no longer a party member.

French planning Vichy Europe

2011-11-11T09:10:00.007Z

Having installed Quislings in Greece and any second now Italy the new inner Europe axis powers and getting ready to demand every one else surrenders also. ( Nicholas demonstrates the French national dance on the right - its easy just give up all your sovereignty, money and self respect - there's cheese in it you know - the Germans are paying ... ).

The new line to whip the remaining free countries in Europe is to threaten the inner axis ( started with the sinister Frankfurt group* recently - we have no pictures of the event, but it must have been something like the picture below).

Expect very shortly the usual suspects ( Peter Oborne's Guilty Men ) to start bleating on the radio and TV that we have no choice but to be in the Axis powers, and it would be a disaster if we had to trade with a group of countries where we import far more than we export to due to out weak position - hang on a minute ....

Those who have sold their souls to Brussels will shortly be trying to sell their country again. My guess is it'll be on the radio by Monday morning as we are told we can't repatriate any powers and must let a new treaty go through without a referendum due to the world wide emergency the EU bloody minded incompetence has created.

(Below) New EU Treaty getting signed.

* Yes I know the Frankfurt group is used to refer to a very nasty brand of left wing political thinking also.

Update: The unsubtle truth from the leading nation in the Fourth Reich ( H/T White Wednesday )

Our meta-stable economic world

2011-11-10T10:13:00.007Z

There have been now shortage of John the Baptists crying out in the desert about debt levels in the western world, and specifically the US & UK.

But there have been far more "smart" people saying debt doesn't matter, and that we need "investment". Its so happened that their approach is much less painless in the short term and helps you win elections.

So that's what we've had. But still our trajectory has been in a direction that we all knew would become unstable.

We all know the public sector pensions are a ponzi scheme, but that you lose the next election if you tell anyone.

No one asked too many question about the house price bubble or the credit splurge that financed it - as you could tax the wave and win the next election on the bribes.

Even the Euro bailouts are pointless in the long term, without harsh economic reform in the South and sacrifice in the North of Europe. ( And we know whilst "kicking the can down the road" is politically popular - and may allow you to win the next election. The reforms ( which will be very unpopular ) will cause you to lose it. )

We are asking political Turkey's to vote for Christmas.

They will fudge, delay, do the stuff that keeps them in office and not the stuff that will get them kicked out. ( Though that has its limits as Ireland, Greece and Italy have found out ).

And as the crisis develops we learn how little of how our world works our leaders really understand. They are experts in politics, getting elected and climbing the greasy pole whilst clubbing others off it. They're lives devoted to the mayflower type moment when they win office and cling to the glory for as long as they can.

They have had the dream, one in which they feature prominently by coincidence, but now reality can no longer be denied.

Democracy is starting to look like its failed.

Those who want to save it had better start rehearsing and making their arguments heard, because if this goes all the way there will be revolution in parts of Western Europe.

How to spend England's money in Wales

2011-11-07T20:11:00.004Z

A bit busy this week, but here's a diverting suggestion. If you happen not to live in Wales, but you do pay taxes then this week edition of "Dragon's Eye" is worth a half hours watch.

WARNING - Do not watch whilst eating cornflakes as you may choke.

Some of our usual theme's are present - Tory hatred as pushed by the BBC, unopposed assertions at the end of reports ( remember the Welsh NHS is a car crash of socialist neglect and vested interests which makes the English NHS look great - quite an achievement ).

The Welsh Conservative members put up for interview are depressing, and there's no solution to anything that doesn't involve English funded state spending.

Standing order cancelled

2011-11-03T12:00:00.002Z

If you read this blog often you'll have noted an increasing level of frustration and anger building with my political party, and especially its leadership.

There are a range of issues that this frustration centres on - here's a subset:

the EU;
the failure to correct the anti-English devolution settlement;
the climate change insanity;
the failure to support marriage;
the failure to confront the nation on the size of the state, debt and the basic facts of our economic future. Preferring to impoverish our ( and my ) children rather than risk losing office and the end of that all important political career;
the creation of a secular religion around so called "human rights" and "diversity" ( which left wing cant - in terms that no one is allowed to question );
locally the insane debt levels of Woking council and its non-core interests combined with inviting the notorious WWF to have a spectacular deal on moving to Woking;
the promotion of a new secular orthodoxy at the expense of tradition and our Christian culture, heritage and religion, and;
the complete and utter failure to get to grips with immigration and the long term future of our nations ( and for that mater emigration ).

Now I know many good people in the Conservative party like Daniel Hannan MEP, John Redwood MP, Tim Montgomery, and as ever Norman Tebbit. Whilst people like that have been in the Conservative party I've been always tempted to remain. But like Roger Helmer MEP I just can't see the point any more, not even to give some small support to such people whom I respect.

If truth be known I can't knock on doors and say vote Conservative, because I may not be doing so at the upcoming elections.

I'm afraid the current leadership have spent all their political capital and now only deeds will do. I'm just not listening to the words any more. ( The staggering lies being spoken as solemn truth all over Europe right now in parliaments, including our own by Chancellor's who do know better just shows the total moral bankruptcy of much of politics in the western world. )

Words have become the fiat currency of politics - devalued and backed by nothing you can take to the bank. As such their is a crisis of confidence.

Clearly other political options present themselves, but I'm in no rush.

My plan is to give things a bit of time and space, after going political walkabout - perhaps I'll even return - I'm willing to be open minded and let things develop.

I know there's an argument for staying to support the other people who have similar views, but the truth is the party membership are solely a cheap postal service who's only other use is to be dressed down by party leaders when they feel like "appealing to the centre ground". The bond of trust has just broken down. Yes I know about the fate of the left as it fragmented and split - but that has been held unreasonably over the heads of those of us on the right who's support the 'modernisers' has just wanted to take for granted.

But the long and short of it is that the author of this blog is no longer a paid up Conservative party member. You can argue that my party has left me, or that I have become more aware and left it. But the standing order's cancelled either way.

Baroness Warsi can expect a resignation letter in the post shortly.

My vote, for the very little it is worth, is now up for grabs.

The Greek prime minister at least understand democracy

2011-11-01T08:41:00.002Z

A referendum ? On the diktats from out Brussels masters ? Not allowed, impossible, pointless, its the wrong time - oh hold on you can do it after all.

All that's required is for the politicians to be more frightened of their people than their EU masters.

Food for thought.

Greece joins Iceland in demanding the opportunity to be sovereign.

Signs of the times

2011-10-26T20:40:00.000+01:00

Just had an unpleasant 45 mins on Virgin Trains.

The problem ?

A few of the other passengers.

Apparently what I'm about to tell you is now common.

A few people without reservations sit in reserved seats. When they are challenged they say all the reservations are cancelled and they themselves found their seats taken.

The rumour spreads through the crowded carriage and becomes self forefilling. Now the entire train is filled with irate passengers. A few, like myself, with,young families. ( A conversation between my wife and the guard an hour later confirmed these facts. )

One man had to be restrained from smashing a laptop over someone else's head. ( Nothing to do with me, though my blood pressure was high enough. )

This is a sign of the times. The low down common cheating and lying that permeates much of our society and the failure of the authorities ( in this case Virgin Trains ) to react.

I'm tempted to ask you to guess where the train is traveling to, but you already know don't you.

My seats were taken by another family. I should have asked to see the reservation they claimed to have lost. What I fear is that the grandfather was lying and his grandkids will inherit his dirty thieving habits.

PS We are still making MPs travel second class right ?

Sent from my HTC

Changes in strategy called for

2011-10-26T11:48:00.002+01:00

Well things aren't going well.

In my business things have come to a bit of a crunch and a change in approach is required.

PS I'm disgusted with Nick Clegg's actions to try to cripple the UK for his Euro masters. This is one of the many reasons the hatred for the Lib Dems in many Conservative circles goes far beyond that for Labour.

Frank Field on the EU debate and England last night

2011-10-25T13:10:00.001+01:00

Its hard to argue with a word here ...

The 81

2011-10-25T10:04:00.001+01:00

Stuart Andrew (Pudsey)
Steve Baker (Wycombe)
John Baron (Basildon and Billericay)
Andrew Bingham (High Peak)
Brian Binley (Northampton South)
Bob Blackman (Harrow East)
Peter Bone (Wellingborough)*
Graham Brady (Altrincham and Sale West)
Andrew Bridgen (Leicestershire NW)
Steve Brine (Winchester)
Fiona Bruce (Congleton)
Dan Byles (Warwickshire North)
Douglas Carswell (Clacton)
Bill Cash (Stone)
Chris Chope (Christchurch)
James Clappison (Hertsmere)
Tracey Crouch (Chatham and Aylesford)
David T C Davies (Monmouth)
Philip Davies (Shipley)
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden)
Nick de Bois (Enfield North)
Caroline Dinenage (Gosport)
Nadine Dorries (Bedfordshire Mid)
Richard Drax (Dorset South)
Mark Field (Cities of London and Westminster)
Lorraine Fullbrook (South Ribble)
Zac Goldsmith (Richmond Park)
James Gray (Wiltshire North)
Chris Heaton-Harris (Daventry)
Gordon Henderson (Sittingbourne & Sheppey)
George Hollingbery (Meon Valley)
Philip Hollobone (Kettering)*
Adam Holloway (Gravesham)
Stewart Jackson (Peterborough)
Bernard Jenkin (Harwich and Essex N)
Marcus Jones (Nuneaton)
Chris Kelly (Dudley South)
Andrea Leadsom (Northamptonshire S)
Jeremy Lefroy (Stafford)
Edward Leigh (Gainsborough)
Julian Lewis (New Forest East)
Karen Lumley (Redditch)
Jason McCartney (Colne Valley)
Karl McCartney (Lincoln)
Stephen McPartland (Stevenage)
Anne Main (St Albans)
Patrick Mercer (Newark)
Nigel Mills (Amber Valley)
Anne-Marie Morris (Newton Abbot)
James Morris (Halesowen and Rowley Regis)
Stephen Mosley (Chester)
Sheryll Murray (Cornwall SE)
Caroline Nokes (Romsey and Southampton N)
David Nuttall (Bury N)
Matthew Offord (Hendon)
Neil Parish (Tiverton and Honiton)
Priti Patel (Witham)
Andrew Percy (Brigg and Goole)
Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin)
Mark Reckless (Rochester and Strood)
John Redwood (Wokingham)
Jacob Rees-Mogg (Somerset NE)
Simon Reevell (Dewsbury)
Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury)
Andrew Rosindell (Romford)
Richard Shepherd (Aldridge-Brownhills)
Henry Smith (Crawley)
John Stevenson (Carlisle)
Bob Stewart (Beckenham)
Gary Streeter (Devon SW)
Julian Sturdy (York Outer)
Sir Peter Tapsell (Louth and Horncastle)
Justin Tomlinson (Swindon N)
Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight)
Martin Vickers (Cleethorpes)
Charles Walker (Broxbourne)
Robin Walker (Worcester)
Heather Wheeler (Derbyshire S)
Craig Whittaker (Calder Valley)
John Whittingdale (Maldon)
Dr Sarah Wollaston (Totnes)

The three line whip suicide pact

2011-10-23T15:40:00.005+01:00

So it begins - the Conservative party is hell bent on destroying itself.

The three line whip on a motion that reflects the majority views in this country, being denied by the political elite, could well be the moment that David Cameron loses the next general election.

So the long march it is then...

BBC makes Freudian slip with its beloved Hockey graph

2011-10-21T17:20:00.007+01:00

Oh dear - the warmist fanatics over at the over staffed BBC are have a bit of excessive excitement again.

Today's link on their web site has the now famously discredited Hockey stick graph back in full view.
( They know that many people will just see the graph and not bother or understand they are being decieved by the BBC again. )

Compare and contrast the icon used below with the BBC's archive reporting on the false Hockey Stick here. ( The article itself refers to a paper that hasn't yet finished peer review and has signifcant revisons required of it, but since green propaganda doesn't wait for such scientific niceties its being publicised in a coordinated coup anyway ).

Democracy could fall

2011-10-21T09:46:00.002+01:00

There are two key events in the UK at the moment.

The limit on the funding of social democracy by debt ( lets not kid ourselves by blaming banks & Capitalism - though the BBC is doing its best, especially on Radio 4 - the problem, as the Chinese have correctly pointed out, is our social settlement. Its unaffordable and the alternative is unpalatable ( not because its heartless or even less effective, but because of vested interests in the state provision of public services ).

I've said on twitter that debt is the crystal meth of democracy, and so it is turning out. It is perhaps no coincidence that the greatest crisis is in Greece, the home of democracy.

And yet in other areas democracy fails. The European Union and similar international bodies / treaties that constrain the government of the UK are spectacularly unpopular. And yet on Monday we will see the sight of all three main party political leaders denying the majorities wishes. Again democracy fails.

And now with semi-authoritarian regimes like China as competition, its no longer clear that democracy will win out.

We need to take a long hard look about how democracy functions, and how our politics functions. If measures aren't taken soon then democracy will no longer be guaranteed in this country.

A vote to break up the UK but not leave the EU - come on Mr Cameron !

2011-10-20T08:11:00.002+01:00

So when the SNP won the Scottish election Mr Cameron was quick to let it be known that a referendum on Scottish Independence would be allowed.

He also promised a referendum on Lisbon but then used an excuse to get out of it.

How come the UK can be dismantled by referendum, but can't become sovereign again with one Mr Cameron ?

( I'm afraid the answer really lies in how we are governed, and how those who govern us think they can just dismiss our opinions and wishes. )

Hemlock for your morning coffee

2011-10-18T09:08:00.007+01:00

H/T To Wildgoose for putting me onto this in the comments earlier.

Link to the report here - perhaps easier to read in that form.

Also the original source over at Tullet Prebon and the author Tim Morgan.

There's a lot to think about in this report... and a lot that isn't making mainstream media analysis - or more worryingly government action.

Energy prices - a bit of realism

2011-10-17T18:00:00.003+01:00

Source: Ofgem report

The threat to the middle classes (US)

2011-10-17T14:27:00.004+01:00

Below is a lecture by Elizabeth Warren, Harvard Law School - and I think a Democrat , in 2008 on the collapse of the middle classes in the US. Its about an hour I'm afraid. However if you have the time its well worth watching.

Note this is before the full impact of the debt crisis has hit. Whilst things may be different in the UK in some respects I suspect there's a similar story here also.

This is going to be a source of not inconsiderable trouble.

Signalling market failure

2011-10-17T08:34:00.004+01:00

David Cameron is falling into the trap #RedEd has laid for him, ably assisted by that national disgrace as a minister Chris Huhne.

Apparently Energy companies are to be told to ... and here its get vague, but the public are meant to hear the words reduce prices.

What he's saying is the market isn't working - either through collaboration ( legal or not ) and/or due to a failure of competition.

When we all know one of the key factors in increasing electricity prices is the green costs government has bundled onto consumers. ( #RedEd is as guilty as the disgrace Huhne in this department. )

By calling the companies together Cameron gives weight to the argument that their is a conspiracy and that markets don't work.

Its a spectacular home goal born of a lack of self confidence and very very short term thinking. Plus perhaps desperation to hide the cruel costs that mindless green fascism is putting on top of the poorest in this country.

Its a depressing sight.

An inflection point could be close

2011-10-15T23:34:00.006+01:00

Things could suddenly move a pace. The financial crisis really could yet lead to revolution, most likely in some southern European states.

The US will soon be insolvent, the UK is not certain to survive due to separatism and debt.

No wonder the left are getting so excited - they dream of this stuff. The key moment when the men with machine guns take over the government buildings...

The democratic right has no such tradition - and needs to be careful of those who have dreamed of this all their political lives.

Further: I'm not a fan of Paul Mason's politics, but he does articulate things well. He's a left-winger of the most dangerous type, but he also is a journalist trying to communicate and its worth reading his post of the leftist Occupy spurt of protests - see here.

As it happens I don't think these are the real thing. But he's right someone has to pay - and its going to be the middle classes. Once they full understand we can expect an Argentine pot banging response - and then the moment of real danger will have arrived.

People on the hard left are waiting for their moment. Their people in the media, government and political parties have hoped and done their godless version of praying for this moment. They will try to take full advantage of it.

For the attention of my customer satisfaction champion at HSBC bank

2011-10-11T20:15:00.012+01:00

The Shed,
End of the garden,
Woking
11 Oct 2011

Dear Sir/ Madam / Person of indeterminate gender,

Whilst I have long taken a traditional view of accounting practices and have till now believed what's mine is mine, what's your in yours, I can see that we live in extraordinary times.

I am also aware of the heavy responsibility as a consumer of Chinese electronics, Polish labour, German engineering and Scottish sour grapes that I must do my part in saving the world economy, by getting out there and spending.

You may be aware of the, till now, restriction of the low balance in my bank account which has prevented me from performing my duty in the world economy.

However I am now pleased to announce I am undertaking a programme of Quantitative Easing, and the £75.13 in my current account should be replaced with a figure of £1,000,000,000.00 at the opening of business tomorrow.

I promise to spend it all quite quickly saving the world economy.

Yours faithfully,

Man in a Shed.

PS I realise this may sound irregular, but its quite kosher for the Bank of England, so please give Sir Mervyn King ( chairman of the Bank of England and Monetary policy committee ) a call if you need to go over some of the details. Since this is just an electronic transaction there will be no need to undertake anything messy with printing presses and dead trees ( just the sort of bottle neck that caught out the Argentine government a few years back ). I take my responsibility to the environment very seriously indeed.

More inconvenient truth

2011-10-10T23:41:00.003+01:00

Sorry been a bit quiet of late - loads of work to get done.

But it looks like there's more bad news for the Warmist fanatics as solar variability's getting harder to ignore. Today its the discovery that ultraviolet variability with solar cycles has been making the weather warmer in the Arctic and Greenland - just the headline facts being used to push the Warmist agenda with its economic suicide plan.

The BBC were quick to remind us that this doesn't impact on the holy truth of global warming ( they were sufficiently desperate this morning to use those two words - which are normally hedged as climate change these days since the snow started falling on the Copenhagen farce).

I guess we must but hope that the penny has dropped in government circles ( with the exception of Huhne who's beyond all hope of redemption ).

The fight against green insanity continues

2011-10-09T22:35:00.003+01:00

This may yet be known as the greatest scandal in science for a hundred years...

If its really all about confidence...

2011-10-06T23:41:00.003+01:00

....then why all the scary mood music just now ?

After all isn't that guaranteed to knock confidence ?

Makes me wonder if the real agenda isn't something else - like softening us up for a massive contribution to the IMF to save French and German banks.

The last day

2011-10-05T10:04:00.000+01:00

Watch live streaming video from conservatives at livestream.com

and perhaps my last chance ...

Today's work distraction

2011-10-04T15:45:00.002+01:00

H/T Flightradar24

Clever George

2011-10-03T08:05:00.003+01:00

Another council tax freeze ?

Its certainly good politics when your defending a large local government presence. No chance of the Lib Dems getting any credit as they always argue for wasting more of other peoples money. The more local councillors you have, the better your national camapigns go at general election time.

Yes clever George.

The solution that dare not speak its name

2011-09-29T08:17:00.004+01:00

Its time for the Radio 4 Today program panic about social mobility again.

Guess what ? All the fixes, fiddles and plain bodges to get children who's education has failed at state schools into top Universities isn't fitting the targets which have been dreamed up.

They'll try anything - scholarships ( free money for some people taken from others ), summer schools, putting out information that a half consious monkey could figure out for themselves on A levels required. But it not working.

The system has failed since - the Grammar school ruled.

But we must not have selective education !

But of course we already do. Almost every secondary school will stream, and yet the monster comprehensives aren't achieving the same results with their top streams. Why ?

The answer has to to do with wider issues that you get when your in a school with people of similar capability, but not just in a class of them.

Because of the stranglehold the BBC and Guardian have on the windpipe of English education this question will never get asked.

And ugly of class warfare will be called upon instead.

Are you Michael Foot in disguise ?

2011-09-28T07:59:00.005+01:00

Oh dear.

Oh dear.

Good and Bad companies ?

Low priority for Council houses for the unemployed ( and of course, inevitably, single mothers ).

We're so sorry for [redefine you Labour failure here - so the real problem isn't admitted to and you can abolish the memory of it by tricking people into thinking something else happened - see flood gates of immigration, over spending, the debt disaster, failure to control the banks, the debasement of education standards etc etc - see Ed Balls for details ].

Oh dear.

Having to practice waving and walking "in human".

Oh dear.

Big brother leaves before little big brother's speech.

Oh dear.

Even the BBC lose the will to live during the great leader's speech and lose the feed.

Oh dear.

The star speech was by a naive, yet photogenic 16 year old who no one has told yet has been sold into debt slavery by the people behind him on the podium. ( update it gets worse as it turns out that young Rory might be ,, ummm, a bit of an actor shall we say. )

Oh dear.

He's not Neil Kinnock , he's Michael Foot in disguise ( without the back story ).

Oh dear.

Normally I'd try a quick Fisk of the leader's speech, but frankly what's the point in #RedEd's case.

So what will this weekend bring ?

2011-09-23T14:16:00.000+01:00

The crisis has been headlining for long enough. The tension, fear and desperation are at designed levels to overcome 'political' obstacles.

Time now for the everyone gives a little ( but more than they think ) compromise.

All over before the markets open on Monday ?

Somethings up ...

Sent from my HTC

Political add

2011-09-23T08:12:00.003+01:00

In some ways you have to admire this political broadcast, in others I'm horrified by it.

The negative part comparing promises to record is fine, but the complete absence of an explanation of the alternative is alarming. Even if Mr Perry is a fine candidate for US President.

I guess its little different from many of the leaflets lots of UK parties put through letter boxes - and I wish I could add but not the Conservatives, but I can't.

A moral victory - but defeat is still more likely than not

2011-09-22T13:09:00.004+01:00

The quote of the day has to be from Peter Oborne (H/T Guido and the gang ):

“Very rarely in political history has any faction or movement enjoyed such a complete and crushing victory as the Conservative Eurosceptics. The field is theirs. They were not merely right about the single currency, the greatest economic issue of our age — they were right for the right reasons.”

The problem is that projects like the Euro and the EU have more in common with a Count Dracula tale than a court room drama. They are the undead.

You can win the moral argument, and a few months later those who lost will declare they won ( see Nick Clegg' assertion no one could have foreseen the Euro criss as a classic example ).

The Euro's not dead until its notes are being collected at banks and shoved into furnaces. And the EU won't die until we stop paying the BrusselGeld and shameless traitors like the LibDems stop trying to continually betray their country and sell it into slavery ( and yes there are plenty of similar people in Labour and the Conservative party's).

I wish it was really all over - but it isn't, not by a long shot.

This is just the beginning. You'll notice the gold price has been static as the markets fall and Greece's inevitable default comes very close.

Today is already priced in - the battle of tomorrow has yet to be entertained.

Why they're known as the Fib Dems

2011-09-21T07:58:00.005+01:00

Nick Clegg pulled of the stagering dishonesty that many of the Lib Dem opponents think is the signature of the Liberal Democrats.

On the radio he said no one foresaw the problems with the Euro, when challenged on why he had supported UK membership.

The truth ? Plenty of people did. They were many key high profile Conservatives not least William Hague. ( Stuck in a burning with no exit ring any bells Mr slippery Clegg ? )

Why is it necessary for Lib Dems to lie like this ? Because they are seeking electoral advantage by rewriting history. Its what they do all over the country and why they are hated by Labour and Conservative activists with almost equal passion.

This is who the Lib Dems are - they are unable to give an honest answer to a question that everyone knows they are lying about.

This is before the disgusting bile that emerges from Chris Huhne's mouth or that nasty rabble rouser Tim Fallon is considered.

The Lib Dems have a honesty and a morality problem. Personally I think its in part linked to Nick Clegg's atheism.

Anger management

2011-09-19T09:44:00.006+01:00

Over the last few months I've been getting progressively more fed up with David Cameron, the Conservative party in general and the European Union in particular.

Angry enough to change a habit of a life time.

Does someone at CCHQ have a device that can detect this level if disquiet in the ranks ?

I ask as suddenly my ears are ringing with Eurosceptic dog whistle noises. Its no enough to drown out the annoyance of the Liberal Democrat Fiasco in the media just now, but its loud neither the less.

What I ask myself is if what's really happening is I'm being managed - along with thousands of other Conservative activists - to get us over our current wave of fury. I suspect the answer is perhaps yes.

Note to CCHQ - we'll be watching announced policy, not William Hague making jokes or trying to sing to Eurosceptic mood music. This really could be our last waltz ...

See also Will Heaven "I'm sick of the 1922 Committee threatening to rebel, then rolling over to have their tummies tickled by David Cameron"

The road to Hell is paved with wishful thinking

2011-09-16T13:38:00.001+01:00

As the news rolls in there's two types - emergency measures which are sold as confidence building but turn not to be enough, and the other sort dire.

The Economist tells us that Angela Merkel needs to explain to the German people someone has to pay and its going to be them.

We have George Osborne telling us Britain's interests are in a strong Euro zone ( do you feel you wallet quiver when you read that ? ).

The can is going to get kicked down the road again and its going to cost.

But how did we get here ? The answer is simple - the dishonesty of debt. Governments have given the electorate everything they have wanted ( low taxes high spending ) by using something that's too boring to be understood - debt.

Even if people did try there were the Keynsian apologists to tell them they didn't understand economics and it didn't matter anyway.

We now know where that road leads ...

Can't be long now ....

2011-09-14T17:08:00.002+01:00

... all the signs of the great EU stitch up are in play.

My bet is that the North of Europe loses out, in exchange for being enslaved in yet stronger "European Union".

Prepare to have more of your money, freedom and sovereignty stolen ....

The left don't care, they are just selfish about guilt

2011-09-12T14:38:00.005+01:00

Just reading Tim Worstall having a go at Melissa Benn's intellectual or moral ( it has to be one of them ) failure on free schools something occured to me that been nagging for a while.

The left are always on about how they care ( see Polly "bleeding heart - but not enough to sell my villa in Tuscany" Toynbee for an example). And yet it s very clear what they espouse doesn't work.

For those who didn't follow the intellectual defeat of the left, there are plenty of practical real world examples.

And yet still they go on ( and on and on - just see the Stalinist dinosaurs at the TUC today ).

I have come to the conclusion that many of those on the right really do care, enough to do the right thing.

On the left they just want to make their personal guilt feeling s go away (see the #LibDems ), and whatever fixes that personal need fastest is what they go with. ( Hence many of the public school educated aristocratic socialists ).

In reality with the left its all really selfish.

We mistake their protestations for an interest in other people when in reality they are just concerned about themselves and how they are feeling.

Discuss ...

Ten years

2011-09-11T12:43:00.002+01:00

Avenged, but never forgotten.

A new right wing lexicon

2011-09-09T09:54:00.006+01:00

I've been impressed by the power of some words being used in the last few months. Normally language control and manipulation is a left wing thing ( think Diversity etc etc ).

But the use of terms like looters rather than rioters shows how powerful small changes can be.

So I thought why not try and crowd source a new right wing lexicon ? ( Its Friday after all ! )

Loading...

Please keep things within the bounds of publishable decency and nothing too personal.

Have fun,

MiaS.

PS If the form doesn't work for you try the comments and if they're good I'll add them.

The results (moderated) so far !

Murdo Fraser is right - but only because appeasement has been followed for so long

2011-09-09T09:45:00.000+01:00

For most of my political life I've been a ardent Unionist. I was appalled by Labour's devolution plans and remember telling a church of Scotland minister ( who ran a church in London ) that this would eventually lead to the break up of the UK.

But the move and the subsequent referendum result did not surprise me.

That's as I have lived over 3 years in Edinburgh and Aberdeen just before hand. I had seen the continual appeasement of Scottish Nationalism and its fuelling by Labour as a cheap way to get at "The Tories". The Anglophobia was very evident - though Scotland is a very civilised country and the vast majority of its inhabitants know how to behave and are genuinely warm and welcoming to individuals.

Anglo ignorance was even more rife. I was on my way down to a port facility with a fellow worker when half asked me "why to they all hate us in the south of England ?". I had to explain to him that few people, at that time, in England gave much thought to Scotland, and when they did they thought of positive things. But the Scottish media and all those who hadn't been good enough to make it down south had a vested interest in bringing the rewards up North to Edinburgh.

The appeasement started - British Rail became Scot Rail, British Gas - Scottish Gas. Everything had the work Scot as a precursor.

I can remeber walking past a newspaper stand where the headline from Scotland on Sunday was "What's wrong with the English" - it sold papers.

The response from the Conservatives was initially right ( oppose devolution ) but then the appeasement and triangulation set in. But none of it was any good as the terms of the debate in Scotland had been changed for a generation.

David Cameron showed his ignorance of this with his restatement of appeasement to save the Union trip to Scotland early in his leadership.

No one will ever respect someone or a political party that doesn't respect itself.

British politicians have been trying to buy Scottish loyalty with English money and appeasement of English interests for far too long. Yes they pocket each insane concession and smile, but really they despise the lack of self respect involved.

I have a knighted Scottish relative (by marriage) who has been the head of a very austere UK institution who has started voting SNP. When men like that are willing to vote for separation all seems almost lost, it certainly shows a change of strategy is required.

This is why I support Murdo Fraser's idea of reforming the Scottish Conservatives as a separate party. Devolution has happened, and no one seems to want to make the case to reverse it, so we had better follow its logic.

The UK needs to adopt a federal identity - with an English Parliament and government also, or else it will lose all meaning.

Murdo seems to know this. I fear David Cameron is too lazy to think this all through.

Clegg sacrifices the future of children to appease his Guardinista Lib Dem party members

2011-09-05T12:35:00.004+01:00

Onto the bonfire go children's futures as that most selfish of parties insists their ideological hatreds are placed ahead of the good education of our children.

Clegg thinks he's being clever trying to save his job by making an issue out of stopping profit for free schools.

But what is he really saying ?

That schools should not be run efficiently, effectively and have parents choose them if they do. ( Which is what the profit motive ensures ).

Remember schools run for profit would have to achieve that by being run far better than other schools.

Here of course is the real objection of the selfish Guardian reader class, many of whom are employed in our education industry who prime objective seems to be employing and paying teachers well, rather than providing a good education.

The Unions and the left are scared to death that our children might be allowed a good education achieved without using the Stalinist approaches they approve of.

Choice is good - profit ensures that the choices are good.

The Lib Dems should hang their heads in shame for the nasty way they are sacrificing the futures of many children just because some of their own membership can't get its heads round basic ideas and facts.

Again the Lib Dems show why they are such an unpleasant political party of selfish people.

How red tape is slowly strangling small business

2011-09-02T08:56:00.003+01:00

Here an example from the real world:

A friend of mine's small company (<10 employees) has recently been recruiting.

They have been advised that you can now longer ask anyone about their sickness or attendance records, due to recently legislation.

Therefore they run the risk of not only losing the services of a key employee due to sickness, but also have the life blood of the company drained at the same time as income is lost. They are not allowed to do anything about the risk at interview time.

Their answer ? Sick pay is being cut to its legal minimum, as they don't think they can carry anything else.

These sort of regulations may be fine in civil service offices where people like "Civil Serf" and the former head of the CBI say you could lose half the staff and things would work better.

But its another nail in the private sector's coffin.

Weapons of (cheap) precise destruction

2011-08-30T16:27:00.002+01:00

Earlier this summer Southampton University showed a small model aircraft that had been 'printed' with a 3-D laser sintering machine.

An iPhone gas GPS, accelerometers, gyroscopes, a camera and far more processing capability than a space shuttle had.

It doesn't take an Asimov type visionary to see where this is going.

Very soon it will be possible to have a cheap precision guided weapon that can be assembled as easily asa a model aircraft.

You could have swarms of them on the battlefield, or just one or two with a terrorist or criminal.

This is going to change our world, and also make put assassination back on the agenda in a way it hasn't been since the 19th century.

See also this economist article here.

This type of drone technology also has large implications for our armed forces and even police. In short the RAF is doomed as a Biggles flying club.

The Politicians

2011-08-27T20:29:00.002+01:00

So how much blame belongs with the politicians for the recent riots ?

The newspapers had fun with the by now annual game of get the leader to return from holiday early. Though to be fair it was a bit like shooting fish in a barrel given the ammunition of the euro / US / and London riots.

It seems that something is amiss to have too many key senior office holders out of rye country at the same time. A lesson to be learnt perhaps, though wasn't Nick Clegg supposed to be minding the shop ?

But that's a side show compared to the game of pinning the blame for last weeks breakdown of law & order on anyone other than the flat footed plod.

Theresa May - as Home Sec the buck really should pass her desk first. She has been one of the more confident performer in the coalition, until this event. She came home early from her holiday and has good relations with the police, or at least as far as I can tell. But she is not a visionary leader, she is one of the technocrat types who have risen in politics. Thanks goodness she's competent but she can't overcome that lack of long range vision and purpose. She has barely done enough to redeem herself for that almost unforgivable conference speech all those years ago. In short she's just not up to the leadership job that's required here.

Ed Miliband - with his family schooling in Marxism RedEd is just blind to what going on. His world view says it can't happen. He reminds me of those spectators at the Oval in Douglas Adams Hitch Hicker's Guide to the Galaxy stories whom refuse to see the space ship land in front of them as they have no conceptual framework to hand it on ( similar rumours exist about the native Americans being unable to see the first European ships in their waters ).

What RedEd does understand is that the public are scared, angry and ready to ditch the liberal moral relativism that he and his professional politicians leftie chums have been busy trying to establish as the consensus. RedEd is playing for time - he doesn't care as he doesn't understand and indeed can't understand the issue, but he does understand its consequences hence his opting for the long game of reviews, inquiries etc - which he hopes the Lefts superiority in pundits and control of the BBC agenda will allow the public's attention to be refocused and to be told and believe that something other than the mass break down in law and order due to criminality actually happened. Ed Miliband is thus an enemy of the common people and will do his best to do great harm to this nation. The good news is that the nation is surely not insane enough to let him.

So this leaves us with David Cameron to save the day ( I'm sorry this is serious stuff so the Lib Dems just don't count ). He knows how to react - tough sentences, clear condemnation, a little slow on the holiday return test, getting in help from the US to provide a counter balance to our politicised ( by Labour) police force, even sounding tough on the Human Rights Act ( which is a virtual golden calf as far as the Godless left and confused Lib Dems are concerned ). But here's the problem - David Cameron doesn't have the philosophical framework to hang all this on based on his previous leadership ( yes there will be clever spad's who can put together a set of quotes to show how wrong this is - but we all know David Cameron is another manager, much less of a visionary leader ).

If this had happened on Margaret Thatcher's watch there would have been no need to listen to her make a speech on the steps of downing street - we would have known what she thought, and what she was going to do - and even have a shudder when we think of the fate of those who might get in her way for getting it done. ( Yes she'd have made the speech also - but it would have just confirmed what we already knew about her and her vision ).

David Cameron has vision deficit syndrome, and that is a terminal condition if untreated in a political leader. Personally I doubt he will do anything about the Human Rights Act - or at least anything meaningful. And if he can't do that everything else will just fall.

If I hadn't just had such a great holiday down on the coast of Dorset and in the heart of Devon I'd be pretty depressed by now thinking about this.

Its a sad fact often repeated by fellow commentators on twitter and blogs that the current crop of leaders just don't seem to up to the job.

I suspect part of the problem is that their criteria for success was getting those jobs in the first place, not what they could do with them.

I'm afraid on the London Riots/Looting I'm with Damian Thompson - this is just the beginning of a breakdown in English society that not even the leader of the Conservative party understands or is ready to tackle. ( And this blog is still officially a Conservtiave supporting blog, written by a paid up Conservative party member. )

The police

2011-08-15T22:06:00.006+01:00

Its quite clear that last week was a public order disaster.

Its also clear that many people who thought the police would protect them were bitterly disappointed, whether a small shop owner who has their livelihood stolen or the women forced to hand over their wedding rings in restaurants that were terrorised by rampaging gangs.

Most commentators now accept that the TV images of the police standing by watching looting in the early phase of the public order disaster.

Clearly the police made mistakes, very big ones with consequences that have cost at least 5 lives and a massive amount of damage and theft.

But it doesn't seem to be the officers on the ground. They seemed to lack direction from above, not courage or determination.

Indeed their bravery is being used to hide behind for senior officers trying to deflect criticism. Some of the standard debating ploys are being used:

detail - you can always rely on using more detail to discredit your critics;
imply that your critics are armchair critics- that always works wheel, and ;
claim responsibility for the parts that worked ( in this case on the technicality that police commanders gave all the orders, ignoring the fact they did so under considerable pressure from politicians who returned from their holidays [ more on that in the next post ] ).

The senior police officers are also trying to have a good crisis of confidence by using it to avoid making efficiency improvements in the way the police are run.

The leadership of the police have lost the confidence of a very large section of the public. Those senior police officers who rose high in the ranks during the New Labour years appear to be the worse.

Clearly there needs to be new leadership to restore trust and reform the police. The government needs to make sure this happens. They must ignore the pleading interspaced with threats from those who served the old order instead of the people.

The Looters

2011-08-14T23:04:00.006+01:00

Well the press is having its fun.

We can send people to prison at the whim of the executive - well at least until recent anti-terrorism legislation you couldn't. So the next best thing is to humiliate people in the media.

The millionaire's daughter, the dance student, and the law student. They are going to be punished in the court of public opinion.

But don't get me wrong - they deserve it. My only observation is that this passes for justice now in Britain.

Of course a far higher proportion of impulse looters will have been caught than the harder corps, or at least those not terminally stupid enough to post their photos on Facebook & twitter along with their loot.

So we have a lot of analysis of the under classes in the press, some of it predictable, some very good. I can't do any better, or even delude myself to try.

What I will say is that a hidden world and the mainstream world clashed across the capital and then the country last week. ( Normally this only happens in a moment such as a mugging or burglary - that we have grown used to ignoring, if they even get reported ).

A friend of my wife's over a decade ago walked home with her baby in London and as she arrived home and turned to close the front door a thug jumped in behind her, put a knife to the child and demanded cash. I bet nearly everyone who lives in London has similar stories.

We also know, well those of us not in the fantasy world of left wing politics and its truth denial cult, that discipline in schools and on the streets has evaporated. We know that respect for truth, hard work, parents and other peoples property has gone and envy has taken over. ( As a mental exercise see how many of the ten commandments that little list breaks. )

All that was necessary for the Lord of the Flies act last week was for the police to look like they weren't in control, and then we had the explosion.

Many of the impulse rioters came from normal backgrounds. It is frightening the number of people who lie on their CV, routinely cheat. On TV shows like the apprentice being caught fibbing on your CV is almost treated as a sign of imitative.

This part of society has had a moral regression.

But the shocking stuff is in the jungle of the permanently unemployment, fatherless welfare dependent under class. Their world is frankly frightening. They live in virtual prisons limited to a certain post code that their gang controls ( and don't even start about the initiation rituals - especially for the girls ).

They are the result of the moral pollution that has been washed down from the middle classes that has dissolved the type of society that held things together for them in the past ( things like marriage, respect for parents enforced by the back of a present fathers hand, and people who respected teachers and others - and would take their side without question against their children's ).

And finally let us not forget that their is a political philosophy based on looting - socialism. Most of the political representatives in the areas affected are from the party to support using the state to loot and then spends the loot so ineffectively to make things worse ( mostly this is due to the utter incompetence of many left wing activists - but some do it deliberately to destroy society to bring about the repressive socialist utopia that Stalin, Hitler and Pol Pot were such fine examples of).

The looters are firstly Labour's children. They are directly the responsibility of the Guardian reading class. They are also responsible for themselves and must take their punishment - but whilst that's happening ( or in many cases not happening ) lets not forget who's mistakes made it necessary.

Here again is another reason for Ed Miliband to hang his head in shame, resign and go away and rethink his life and the hurt his party has caused to others. But he won't as he, along with Harriet Harman, is one of the biggest looters of them all.

Three posts coming

2011-08-13T20:28:00.001+01:00

1. The Looters
2. The Police
3. The Politicians

Sent from my HTC

Gove crushes the hypocrisy of Harriet Harman

2011-08-10T10:58:00.002+01:00

Fantastic stuff. Harman is a national disgrace.

The government and the mayor have 6 hours to get ahead of the game

2011-08-09T09:11:00.002+01:00

Three days of mass rioting shows that this has passed from the ability of senior police officers to control with their current rules of engagement and resources.

Hence their failure now passes the buck up to the layer of government.

David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson need to understand they will be judged on events tonight.

The terms of the law enforcement efforts need to be changed by them in the next 6 hours or they will join in the responsibility for what happens tonight.

They need to consider:

Curfews;
Army back up for the fire brigade & maybe police;
Shutting down the mobile phone data networks in London;
More aggressive localised policing ( you can't do it everywhere, but one or two traps to crush disorder might help ).

They also need to counter the argument the left are trying to make by telling the left that this is their fault due to the failure of morality in London.

They've got six hours to make decisions that could make a difference. They need to speak to people on the streets to understand what this means to them, as well as the police repeating their common purpose diversity trained brain washed lines.

Three days of looting

2011-08-09T00:44:00.001+01:00

There are clearly problems with policing in London.

The failure to get a grip means some senior police officers need to be sacked.

If this isn't stopped then political heads will be required also.

As for the crimnal gangs in our midst they need to be confronted.

If we still have the riot act then it needs reading and curfews enforcing for some time to come.

It may be time to bring the army onto the streets.

As for the BBC/Guardian/Ken Livingston Labour types trying to make excuses, they need to be made to understand that they have created the feral and criminal mobs who lack morality and common human decency.

Sent from my HTC

The #SillyWeek roundup

2011-08-07T17:46:00.008+01:00

Draft #1 - because I know I'll miss stuff:
Spotted in the wild:

John Ward -See-Three-Blair-Oh
James Higham - Dolphins sixth sense
Chuckles - The Guyness test
Welshcakes Limoncello - Fresh Supplies for Sooty
Harry Hook - Australian Tuna Tossing
North Northwester thinks sequels are silly.
Harry Hook again - George Lucas tributes.
Welshcakes Limoncello - Teaching ? A silly choice in Italy
A brief - and somewhat confused calendar entry
Tory austerity responsible for stranding of pilot whales
Fiscal responsibility

So have I missed anything ( can't link to your Karate lesson Pvt Hook due to the kids checking Dad's blog issue ) ?

Today, a day in #SillyWeek

2011-08-06T08:07:00.001+01:00

Hi all,

A Silly week round up is overdue- I was distracted with other things yesterday, but is probably going to be on Sunday.

Today I'll mostly be driving up and then down the M6, now how Silly is that ?

Hope your having fun....

MiaS

Sent from my HTC

#SillyWeek Tory austerity reponsible for stranding of pilot whales

2011-08-04T12:56:00.005+01:00

#SpinningForTheTUC_Uncut today announced that the evil Tories and their kitten murdering refusal to create a debt crisis and destroy the lives of our children by enslaving them to debt have directly lead to the death of a pod of pilot whales just off Scotland.

The Pilot Whales, all members of the RMT, stranded themselves in protest against Austerity and to show their support for #RedEd and his Trade Union owners.

The BBC will be running this story on Evil Tories on Today ( 6am, 7am, 8am leading items ), radio 5 live, BBC News channel ( repeating each 30 mins ) and a special aren't the Tories evil edition of Newsround.

#SillyWeek: Mad Dog Al Nutter to lecture US & UK on fiscal responsibility

2011-08-03T10:18:00.005+01:00

Dr Al Nutter, the Mad Dog of the desert, launched one of his 5 hour rants on Liabyan TV from an undisclosed bunker, but still sitting in his electric golf cart berating the US and other western infidels on there failure to balance the book.

Dr Al Nutter pointed out the following keys facts during his wide ranging lecture that also seemed to keep returning to the theme of hiring models and paying them to sit mostly undressed to hear his lectures on moral living:

When he had committed acts of terrorism it had been "fully funded". He had never needed to borrow money from the Chinese to they pay them back again for the rare earth metals to put in some decadent over the horizon fire and forget Western guidance system.
Even now, despite the efforts of the evil NATO he was more solvent than the entire Western world, just based on his Swiss bank account and a pile of Gold ( you can't trust the dollar these days ) he has buried away in the great desert.

Dr Nutter offered to return to the London School of Left Wing Economics, from which his honoury doctorate was purchased, and deliver another Dead Marxist lecture in memory of the Unions choice of leader of the Labour party there to explain how this "paying your way" thing actually works.

He only asked the Mr Ed Balls be kept out of the audience as he was as mad debt denier and completely beyond reason.

PS Just in case you don't get this - none of this is real, except perhaps the bit about Ed Balls ...

First innings

2011-08-01T23:26:00.001+01:00

Strapping on the pads of #SillyWeek the following adventurous bloggers have walked up to the crease ( no baseball puns here - its not the Apprentice you know ):

The Tapeworm Diet - why have I never heard of this.
And so it begins - some word definitions.
How To Green Your House & Destroy The Planet - Jonathan Porritt look away now.
Not even trying - even google translate doesn't help here.
The origami bank has ...
The Aussie take on the work of their defected to the US son - very good, the sort of humour thats missing from our screens.
Just to show the Italians treat everyone the same - by closing when you go on holiday there...
Being a splendid Steam Punk - somehow missed in the first draft

Publicity on

Calling England
They're Joking. Aren't they.
Orphans of Liberty

Let me know in comments or with email (here ) if you have contributions ... going to have to dream something up myself shortly.

#SillyWeek place holder

2011-08-01T19:39:00.001+01:00

I haven't forgotten, but will update you later on tonight ....

I'd get a bit depressed if it was for the thought of #SillyWeek on Monday

2011-07-31T21:46:00.006+01:00

Well things are grim.

First there's the horror in Norway and the almost unspeakable act of taking unarmed innocent lives whilst they are in a state of terror. Its bad when the Taliban and other Jihadist nutters do it, and its bad when other terrorists do it. Thankfully I believe in divine justice as well as temporal imperfect justice and unless those involved in these outrages repent and throw themselves on God's generous mercy through the sacrifice of his son then they can look forward to some real terror under his judgement.

Then there's been the reaction to all this, much of it opportunist anti free-speech stuff. Journalists use the excuse to swipe at bloggers, lefties use it to ban those they disagree with, and the EU uses it to set up a proto intelligence and internal repression unit. ( Which I am no doubt now listed with - so may as well say #EUSSR as my name is already "on zee list". )

Add to that the ongoing and ever deepening debt crisis.

Enough to make you weep - if it was for the thought of #SillyWeek starting tomorrow.

So cheer up ( there's not good reason for this - just do it anyway ) and for one week lets liven things up with a bit of humour and good cheer.

I've already seen one of two contributions, but I'll make my first official survey sometime on Monday.

Good luck everyone !

PS Since I'm always going of at my kids about what they watch on the internet I'm not going to be able to link to anything risqué - regardless of how funny it was Mr Big Dollop. Thanks to Google they'll be onto me.

_ Details of #SillyWeek here _

We can stand together or hang apart in the face of political terror

2011-07-25T09:48:00.004+01:00

Nature abhors a vacuum and the media is far worse.

so it can never happen again

Well here it comes. Some on the left are making the jump from the stated aims of a deranged terrorist to stating all those aims and issues he mentioned are themselves beyond the pale.

Its an enormous temptation for the left. They, this time, were the target so may feel there's some sympathy and victim ennoblement to be spent in the bank of public opinion. They also have always favoured refusing those they disagree with the right to draw political breath, let alone speak. Here is the perfect excuse to pursue the totalitarian objectives that are implicit in much of left wing politics.

And if they attack, others will respond on the airwaves, though perhaps the left wing bias and bigotry of the likes of the BBC might keep much of it off our airwaves.

And then what have we got ? The debate that the man who stole those lives in Oslo always wanted.

There are times to remember that silence is sometimes a good option. Whilst many of us are political opponents we are also subjects and citizens of the same nations and we all share common interests and common loyalties.

We should stick together. Forget this man who has done evil things, and comfort the bereaved parents, wives and husbands.

We can talk about and debate some of these other issues a little later on, when this man won't be taking the credit.

When evil strikes

2011-07-23T09:58:00.003+01:00

Just as with the Brighton Bomb, evil has found its way into a man's heart (and perhaps others) and allowed him to do unspeakable things in Norway yesterday.

We live in a political world and it will be hard for many to resist making political points, or even religious ones that are more based on their own agenda and opportunism than the facts of the events.

My advise to the Norwegians is this: treat this as a criminal act. Pursue those involved as you would criminals. Apply justice without fear or favour. ( Some of the great mistakes in the UK were made when we let our fury at these crimes overcome the implementation of proper justice - for example the Guildford four [ though as with many of these things the original victims of the pub bombings somehow get forgotten in the follow on court cases. I've drunk in one of the pubs concerned.] )

It is only by treating terrorism as a crime that sufficient disgust with the idea will become accepted by the far reaches of our societies were it can breed.

I've already heard the opposite approach on the BBC this morning and seen some individuals who have over stepped the mark this morning.

Lets stay focused and determined here.

Norway is one of my favourite countries, I've been there on holiday a number of times and can remember being shocked at how easy it was to walk up to key buildings in Oslo. I hope they can make the necessary changes without changing their wonderful character of their country.

There must be terrible grief in so many families today, and nothing I can say here will help them, but we can hold the line against political violence and help deter any future criminal acts.

Who pays ?

2011-07-22T10:39:00.005+01:00

The Greeks have had a slap up meal and there's just the small matter of the bill, which needs to be paid or else the Greeks can't come back tomorrow for a slap up meal ( which they would again like someone else to pay for ).

The EU has fudged the issue, but in the end its private individuals who get mugged. Here are the candidates:

The slightly guilty: Those with links to banks, especially French banks. They were trying to make money out of the Greeks debt gluttony and so really should take the hit, but since they might not be able to stand it and the French shorty President will never get re-elected if they do other candidates are needed.
Gamble the little money that's left, and hope no one notices and black 31 comes up on the roulette wheel. ( The advantage here is you can deny there was ever a problem if you win - if you lose its all over, but then it might be anyway ) This is the approach favoured by most Euro-criminals and the ECB.
Make the taxpayer pay but confiscating their property with the full force of the law. The French like this idea, especially when it applies to the Germans and well anyone else but them and their banks ( and shorty President ).
If only there was some way of making the Brits pay ? Still working on this one, but Nick Clegg might have a few useful ideas.

Silly Week 2011

2011-07-21T11:59:00.001+01:00

Back by popular demand .. Silly Week for 2011 from the 1st till the 7th August !

The journalists and Euro bankers have of course been doing a great job of keeping us impoverished and otherwise entertained during the year so far - but they all shove of on holiday over the Summer (Tuscany apparently - with Saint Polly and her second home) so its up to us amateurs to fill the vacuum.

Q So what's the point ?
A Whatever you want it to be ! ( I've learnt that wish projection trick from the Obamamessiah and Blair ).

Use the tag #SillyWeek in Twitter or blogging and I'll find your posts ( or email me at endofthegarden@yahoo.com to tell me ) and I'll list your efforts.

But there are a few rules if you want your contribution to be recognised and to be linked to:

Please nothing that would lead to me being hunted down by the (CIA, FSB, MI6, the Taliban, or Newsround ) - this means you Julian Assange.
And definitely nothing that leads to extradition and being locked up in one of the prison the Yanks have that feature in their many films ( cruel and unusual eh ).
Funny's good.
Don't be too cruel.
This rule allows me to make up any other rules when I feel like it but to pretend I always told you ( under the Third Wish Act shortly to be passed in the US Congress ).

Good luck everyone ! ( See last years line up - )

Biased BBC: IT WASN'T MEANT TO BE LIKE THIS...

2011-07-19T23:38:00.002+01:00

No time today so let me point you at the most inciteful post I've seen of today.

The Lefties and Guardianistas will be fizzing ...

La la la - not listening

2011-07-18T14:28:00.001+01:00

Somehow I missed the apprentice last night so am keeping clear of the internet ( this is submitted via email ) till I can watch it tonight !

At risk

2011-07-14T10:38:00.009+01:00

Well first of all to the victor the spoils - congratulations to Ed Miliband.

He took a risk, a reckless risk, in going for broke against News International. It looks like he's may have won and that News International could be too weakened to get its revenge. ( Though perhaps it just looks like that. )

But now the left have blood in the water and Cameron has let lose the wolves the drama will attempt to move to the US. The vehicle for this will be the 9/11 victims.

Can that new magic political formula of having the best victims to pluck the public's heart string work in the US ? They'll sure give it a go.

The ultimate prize ? Fox News.

The left wing establishment across the globe hates Fox with avengeance. The left's march through the institutions mean they control broadcasting in many countries ( certainly they have the BBC in their pocket ). Only Fox is outside their control and here is the opportunity to destroy free ( or even diversity of ) thought across the globe - they won' pass it up.

This is why Mr Cameron should have put up more of a fight.

Further: Similar concerns but focused on media freedom are made by Donald Blaney here

And more recently - the same point as this post with more research and words.... Anne Applebaum in the Daily Telegraph.

And now Tim Stanley (who can't be as young as his photo suggests ) The 9/11 phone hacking investigation: it's Murdoch and Fox News who could be destroyed, not the Republicans.

Brown and Miliband(jnr)'s cowardice left many innocent people open to having their privacy violated

2011-07-12T09:51:00.005+01:00

Ah how have I come to that conclusion ?

Well first let me tell you an abridged personal story.

Many years ago I was the victim of an assault by someone I knew, but wouldn't be seeing again. The question was do I involve the police ? The temptation not to and get the whole thing out of the way was immense, but then I remembered that the same character flaw that had cause the incident I was involved in would no doubt lead to other people suffering similar assaults - so I called in the police as I felt it wouldn't help me, but was my duty to protect others.

A similar thought process of civic responsibility should have been going through Gordon Brown's mind when as chancellor he was told of the appalling breaches of privacy carried out against his family ( the Brown's son Fraser with whom we all had great sympathy - as I said at the time ).

What he hasn't understood is it was his duty to act, not just for his own sake, but also for the other victims he would have known would follow.

He had the authority, considered the issue. He even says now he was in favour of a judicial enquiry, and yet he didn't act. Its not hard to speculate why.

Ed Miliband was Gordon Brown's close disciple and in the cabinet when these things were discussed. ( I don't know if he was in the particular meeting when they were discussed ). He had the opportunity to protect the public, murder victims, the families of dead soldiers and airmen, but he chose to do nothing.

And now we have the hypocrisy of Brown and Miliband launching their crusade against New International.

They have a lot of questions to answer. The only question is with News International cowered who's going to ask them ?

Update: Its starting

Questions are being asked about Brown's version of events.

Andrew Neil has been helpfully putting the boot in all day: see this, this and this.

Only an English Parliament and English Government can save the Union

2011-07-11T11:30:00.003+01:00

Last week I was at a Conservative political meeting and made the point of just how far English political opinion has moved against the Union being preserved.

It seems that one more round of appeasement may be being planned to solve the problem. Full autonomy for the Scottish government ( a sort of dominion I guess ).

Lets be clear - this will result in just one thing - Scottish independence in a generation, with England left paying for the Welsh and Irish.

There are only two ways to preserve the Union.

Reverse Labour's anti-English devolution settlement.
Set up an equivalent English parliament and government, with a Union government handling some macro economic issues, defence and foreign policy.

Anything less will mean the end of the Union. Its time for David Cameron to wake up and grasp this. We need to be lead to a new stable constitutional settlement that is just for everyone, or else the Union will just become history.

The new silver bullets

2011-07-11T09:16:00.003+01:00

I have long thought that eventually the establishment will clamp down on the internet and that public panic over some issue like child abuse will be used as the excuse. The last few days have perhaps shown how it will be done.

What the phone voice-mail default password scandal shows is that some stories just don't move until the heart strings of the public are plucked in a certain way.

John Prescott ( he of the affair with a civil servant and cheating on his wife ) has his voicemail listened to - we all think its funny.

Celebrities ? Well if anyone cared about them then certain newspapers wouldn't sell and they'd be no Heat magazine.

The last Labour cabinet decided not to inquire any further about people listening into other people's voice-mail, less its upset newspapers who's support they were still courting. ( A Gordon Brown side kick one #RedEd is most likely to have been in the cabinet meeting that took that calculation ).

So what's the silver bullet in this affair been ? Public sympathy for a murdered school girls, and dead servicemen.

The ground of public opinion has opened below News International with that magic ingredient. The new silver bullets of public debate and political combat have been found, and you can be sure they will be used again. ( In some ways this was the lesson of Bigotgate. )

So what will the political world have learnt ?

To phrase its arguments in these terms.

Expect the bonfire of the vanities to be built up with harrowing stories and the cult of victim hood as each side tries to trump the other with the story that generates the most outrage to allow it to defeat its opponents in the cage fight of public opinion.

Welcome to America.

A word on the anti-human climate change movement

2011-07-08T11:33:00.000+01:00

David Cameron needs to wake up to this ...