England Expects

It must be an awful lot.

2009-11-18T18:08:00.002+01:00

Bob Spink asked a pertinant question of the Home Office a couple of days ago,

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what grants his Department made to charitable organisations in each of the last five years.

The Minister's answer is rather chilling,

Mr. Woolas: The Department's funding of charities can not be provided, without incurring disproportionate cost.

Note that this is just for one department, and they are not prepared to admit to the level of government involvement in the so called third sector. Across government as a whole the numbers must be astonomic.

So not only are they corrupt themselves, but this points to a wholesale corruption of the voluntary or NGO sector, or as I prefer to call them the Para-Governmental sector

EU Foriegn Minister: The only way to do the job would be by breaking the law

2009-11-16T19:51:00.001+01:00

Well that has never stopped them before. After all the Commissioners are currently on pretty dicey legal ground now.

Anyhow, according to the EU Observer this new post will be a little difficult,

"Although the Lisbon Treaty does not mention the possibility of having a deputy, and the legal service of the council, representing member states, says it would be illegal, delegating parts of the job to others is likely to be the only way to manage it."

Back to the dark ages

2009-11-16T15:39:00.003+01:00

Some Maori bones are being given back to New Zealand by the Museum of Cardiff today.

From what they were it seems that they were collected for scientific study, rather than as pure trophies as was so much of our national museum (particularly ethnographical) collections stock. The rights and wrongs of this particular exchange does not concern me greatly. They had never been on display, and nobody seems to know if they had ever been studied which suggests not.

However the comments by Mike Houlihan the Director General of the Museum of Wales sent shivers down my spine,

"Science may have been the reason human remains were brought to the museum, but that's not as important as the human spirit or honouring and respecting ancestors."

Science is not more important than what! Surely science is in many ways the human spirit distilled. To honour our ancesters by standing on their shoulders, to learn and understand more about ourselves and the earth and the unviverse is, to me and anybody of a rational disposition the very epitome of the human spirit. To pander to emotionalism like this creates a real threat to our rationalist heritage.

Not least as the chap is also Chairman of the British chapter of the International Council Of Museums.

What are ID cards for?

2009-11-16T14:09:00.002+01:00

Well according to today's announcement from the Home Office,

"2. The National Identity Service will deliver recognisable benefits to residents, businesses and local authorities. They include:
• a universal and simple proof of identity that brings convenience for organisations and individuals and means an end to the use of photocopied bank statements, phone
bills and birth certificates;
• ensuring that foreign nationals living, working and studying here legally are able to easily prove their identity and prevent those here illegally from benefiting from the privileges of Britain; and
• travel in Europe, using the identity card which fits in a wallet or purse.

The Minister states that it will help "entering a nightclub". I just wonder if she is so ugly that the style police won't let her in?

But £250,000 a day for this. ID cards were in the past going to protect us from terrorism, next week we will be told that they can help us to knit and ride out bikes.

They are wrong, in practice, in principle and economics. They are threatening to liberty and they and the databse state that they reveal are something that all of us should oppose.

Ancona is barking over Barking

2009-11-16T12:09:00.004+01:00

Mathew d'Ancona is badly wrong when he calls for the three main parties to "collaborate and field a single candidate to ensure that Griffin is defeated comprehensively and definitively".

Utterly nuts.

An object lesson in how to play into the hands of the BNP. Again we would see the sight of the political establishment closing ranks against the BNP. All well and good, but of course this allows Griffin and his supporters to (accurately?) portray themselves as victimised by an establishment that doesn't care about the white working class.

All parties must work the patch hard, they must explain why they are relevant, and what they will do to deal with mass immigration, poor schools, disasterous housing, and dire crime rates. Then and only then will the BNP threat subside.

Not by gangimg up against him and allowing him to portray himself as a villain.

Who'se a naughty Europe Minister?

2009-11-15T20:01:00.002+01:00

In a piece of rather splendid timing, just weeks before Spain takes over the EU Presidency we discover that Diego Lopez Garrido is up for fraud.

Madrid - Spain's secretary of state for Europe is to be questioned by a judge over allegations he misappropriated public funds, just weeks before Madrid takes over the EU presidency, judicial sources said Friday.

The judge ruled admissible a complaint by a conservative law centre that Diego Lopez Garrido granted tens of thousands of euros of government aid to the Alternatives Foundation, a think-tank close to the ruling Socialist Party and which he used to head.

He has met up with Chris Bryant our internet model come Europe Minister. What with our expenses scandal they will no doubt have much to talk about.

But if they had it would be less damaging than what the did talk about. It appears that they

joined to discuss the UK’s Climate Change Act and how similar policies may be introduced in other European countries.

PC Garnett must have been born in Spain

2009-11-13T13:17:00.003+01:00

Following the discovery that Spanish authorities are teaching people to be wankers, comes the realisation that we don't need that sort of training here at home. We have enough of them already. Take PC Garnett of Reigate nick. He has no doubt passed the course cum laude. I hand you over to the Surrey Advertiser, I do so in full so you can appreciate the full horror of the story, and how much of an onanist PC Garnett, and his backers are.

"A former soldier who handed a discarded shotgun in to police faces at least five years imprisonment for "doing his duty".
Paul Clarke, 27, was found guilty of possessing a firearm at Guildford Crown Court on Tuesday – after finding the gun and handing it personally to police officers on March 20 this year.
The jury took 20 minutes to make its conviction, and Mr Clarke now faces a minimum of five year's imprisonment for handing in the weapon.
In a statement read out in court, Mr Clarke said: "I didn't think for one moment I
would be arrested. "I thought it was my duty to hand it in and get it off the
streets."

The court heard how Mr Clarke was on the balcony of his home in Nailsworth Crescent, Merstham, when he spotted a black bin liner at the bottom of his garden.
In his statement, he said: "I took it indoors and inside found a shorn-off shotgun and two cartridges.
"I didn't know what to do, so the next morning I rang the Chief Superintendent, Adrian Harper, and asked if I could pop in and see him.
"At the police station, I took the gun out of the bag and placed it on the table so it was pointing towards the wall."
Mr Clarke was then arrested immediately for possession of a firearm at
Reigate police station, and taken to the cells.
Defending, Lionel Blackman told the jury Mr Clarke's garden backs onto a public green field, and his garden wall is significantly lower than his neighbours. He also showed jurors a leaflet printed by Surrey Police explaining to citizens what they can do at a police station, which included "reporting found firearms".
Quizzing officer Garnett, who arrested Mr Clarke, he asked: "Are you aware of any notice issued by Surrey Police, or any publicity given to, telling citizens that if they find a firearm the only thing they should do is not touch it, report it by telephone,
and not take it into a police station?"
To which, Mr Garnett replied: "No, I don't believe so."
Prosecuting, Brian Stalk, explained to the jury that possession of a firearm was a "strict liability" charge – therefore Mr Clarke's allegedly honest intent was irrelevant.
Just by having the gun in his possession he was guilty of the charge, and has no defence in law against it, he added.
But despite this, Mr Blackman urged members of the jury to consider how they would respond if they found a gun.
He said: "This is a very small case with a very big principle. You could be walking to a railway station on the way to work and find a firearm in a bin in the park.
"Is it unreasonable to take it to the police station?"
Paul Clarke will be sentenced on December 11.
Judge Christopher Critchlow said: "This is an unusual case, but in law there is no dispute that Mr Clarke has no defence to this charge.
"The intention of anybody possessing a firearm is irrelevant"

Where to start?
Well obviously to arrest him was stupid, maybe PC Garnett might have considered saying to Mr Clarke something along the lines of, say,
"Thanks for bringing this in, best check it for fingerprints and the like, it might well have been used by local nere-do-wells and could lead us to the arrest of a criminal hoodlum or two. I joined the police to protect public spirited chaps like you from the ruffians who previously owned this piece".
Then the Judge might have advised the jury that though the law was strict they, the jury, were in their rights as an English jury to overturn a stupid law. So might his defence council for that matter. Because if they cannot what is the point of them?

Then the jury itself might have had some gumption.

Come on, the good people of Guildford, Reigate and Merstham, get down to Guildford High Court on December 11th and stop this travesty of justice taking place. Mr Clarke could have used this gun in a robbery and he would almost get less time.

HT Dick Puddlecote

They don't need training surely?

2009-11-13T13:11:00.002+01:00

Extroadinary tale of official waste, but this time from Spain. The good bureacrats of the Extra Madura have alighted upon a percieved lack of skills amongst their people. And for every lack of skills there must be a training course,

"The region's socialist government has launched a €14,000 (£12,600) campaign
aimed at teaching young people how best to set about "sexual self-exploration and the discovery of self-pleasure".

Yes they are teaching themselves to be wankers.

"The campaign includes leaflets, flyers, a "fanzine" and workshops for the young in which they receive instruction on self-pleasuring techniques..."

Workshops!
Anyhow, just set someone off to dscover if this is part funded by you, the EU taxpayer. If it is, then the story rather writes itself, but not in a family newspaper.

What to say?

2009-11-03T16:48:00.000+01:00

Does this stack up?

2009-10-30T18:20:00.001+01:00

According to the Council conclusions published today,

The climate is changing faster than expected and the risks this poses can already be seen. We experience widespread melting of ice, rising global sea levels and increased frequency, intensity and duration of floods, droughts and heat waves.

Now I am not an expert, but this seems to be patent, verifiable tosh.

Job creation scheme

2009-10-30T16:00:00.002+01:00

James Bartholomew has dug up the Government's press officer list.

I wonder if there are any plans to slim the number come June?

(of course I do have an interest)

Interesting Stats from Ireland

2009-10-29T18:52:00.002+01:00

The Irish stock exchange was asked by afriend how things have been gouing since the Yes vote.

The answer back from the ISEQ was as follows.

02/10/09 3,230.82
28/10/09 2,859.05
Difference = -11.5%

Yes to jobs, Yes to investment indeed.

According to the Irish Times,

Investors decided it was “get out of Ireland day”, according to one Dublin-based share dealer.
Overall, the Iseq index closed down 6.5 per cent, worse than the performances of other European stock markets on a weak day.
“We haven’t had a day as bad as this since the Lehman Brothers collapse last year,” one dealer said.

Oh deary me.

Single European Drunkard?

2009-10-24T08:07:00.003+02:00

Plans to introduce a single harmonised booze policy hit an academic roadblock according to the Wine Information Council.

Experts told a meeting in Brussels that,

"Greek teenage girls drink almost three times less than their Danish counterparts; young Spanish consumers drink less alcohol, but more regularly than British youngsters, who drink in greater quantities, but less often".

Adrian Furnham, Professor of Psychology at University College, London told us,

"Pan-European policies are insufficiently sensitive to have a significant effect in different drinking cultures.
Furthermore, the literature suggests that the regulatory approach is simplistic, and sometimes counter-productive - punishing moderate drinkers and leaving problem drinkers unhelped."

"To be effective, solutions must be adjusted to local needs and cultural specificities" it said. "There is no single way to consume alcoholic beverages".

Of course nowhere else in Europe are transport plans explicitly organised by those in their cups, as GK Chesterton pointed out,

Before the Roman came to Rye or out to Severn strode,
The rolling English drunkard made the rolling English road,
A reeling road, a rolling road, that rambles round the shire,
And after him the parson ran, the sexton and the squire,
A merry road, a mazy road, and such as we did tread,
The night we went to Birmingham by way of Beachy Head.

I knew no harm of Bonaparte and plenty of the Squire,
And for to fight the Frenchman I did not much desire;
But I did bash their baggonets because they came arrayed
To straighten out the crooked road an English drunkard made,
Where you and I went down the lane with ale-mugs in our hands,
The night we went to Glastonbury by way of Goodwin Sands.

His sins they were forgiven him; or why do flowers run
Behind him; and the hedges all strengthening in the sun?
The wild thing went from left to right and knew not which was which,
But the wild rose was above him when they found him in the ditch.
God pardon us, nor harden us; we did not see so clear
The night we went to Bannockburn by way of Brighton Pier.

My friends, we will not go again or ape an ancient rage,
Or stretch the folly of our youth to be the shame of age,
But walk with clearer eyes and ears this path that wandereth,
And see undrugged in evening light the decent inn of death;
For there is good news yet to hear and fine things to be seen,
Before we go to Paradise by way of Kensal Green.

Even the European Central Bank can see that the Hedge Fund Directive is dicey

2009-10-22T20:25:00.002+02:00

It is a wonderful hedging version of Central Bankese, but it looks like ther are some concerns in Luxembourg.
So they start by not frightening the political horses in Frace and Germany,

" The ECB supports the intention to provide a harmonised regulatory and supervisory framework for the activities of alternative investment fund managers
(AIFMs) in the European Union."

But after that it the says,

"The ECB sees a potential risk of regulatory arbitrage between alternative investment fund managers, insurance companies and credit institutions, among which the proposed directive does not create a level playing field,"

Or in other words, if the EU pushes ahead with the Directive then business will sod off to places where the legislation doesn't exist.

Amusingly though it does want to ensure that central banks are exempt.

Milliband to be European Foriegn Minister?

2009-10-22T20:12:00.003+02:00

Well that is the gossip dug up by the Guardian this evening. Weirdly though it would be appalling if it were to happen, I can see how the Europeans could see it as appealling.

1) Britain has to have one of the top jobs, mail to try to placate the UK's notorious scepticism.

2) If he got that job then Blair wouldn't become President. From what I hear Wiliam Hague's campaign is begining to bear some fruit. Brussels and the Chancellries of Europe are beginning to understand that as much as they dislike the Tories, making Blair President could spark all out diplomatic warfare with the likely incoming Tory Government. Though they could handle it (probably, they don't yet know how far they can push Cameron. He did in the end leave the EPP). However though it wouldn't be a "declaration of war" in the same way as the Blair appoitment, it would seriously piss off the Tories, particularly Hague who he has been winding up a treat over the Poles and Lithuanians in the CER.

3) He is as Iain Traynor points out "seen as the most genuinely europhile of senior people in the Brown cabinet".

Liz Lynne attempts satire

2009-10-22T19:59:00.001+02:00

It really has to be satire, doesn't it?

"So let's have three cheers, one for democracy, one accountability, and one for the Lisbon treaty".

The bill for the EU will rise to £50 million a day

2009-10-22T19:01:00.008+02:00

Here is Marta Andresen pointing out in pretty simple language what is going on with the EU budget this year.

What is astonishing in this time of economic difficulties is that the Council of Ministers asked for a 3% rise. The European Commission asked for a 4% rise, but the European Parliament, that circus of rectitude, has asked for and voted for a 10% rise. Which as Marta points out would push the daily cost of the EU up to a staggering £50 million a day.

The author of the report, one László Surján, a so called centre right politician from Hungary overules our doubts.

"He said the €120.5 billion suggested by council was not sufficient and that the figure put forward by parliament offers a "global solution" to all member states to cope with the downturn.

He said, "The budget for 2010 needs to be the answer to solving the economic crisis and to re-launching the European economy. Therefore, more money is needed, while respecting the principal of value for money."

Dare I said he would wouldn't he. After all his country Hungary are net recipients from the EU budget, recieving according to the European Commission figures for 2007, a mere 1.6 billion euros. What it is getting now with the downturn is anybodies guess

I am, yet again reminded of that great old saw of Milton Friedman's,

There are four ways in which you can spend money. You can spend your own money on yourself. When you do that, why then you really watch out what you’re doing, and you try to get the most for your money. Then you can spend your own money on somebody else. For example, I buy a birthday present for someone. Well, then I’m not so careful about the content of the present, but I’m very careful about the cost. Then, I can spend somebody else’s money on myself. And if I spend somebody else’s money on myself, then I’m sure going to have a good lunch! Finally, I can spend somebody else’s money on somebody else. And if I spend somebody else’s money on somebody else, I’m not concerned about how much it is, and I’m not concerned about what I get.

Sort of sums up the Parliament's position.

Spot the difference

2009-10-22T18:10:00.002+02:00

Between Item A
The Good Food Chinese Cantonese Takeaway in Kingsway, Kirkby-in-Ashfield.
and Item B
Baroness Scotland?

The Chinese restuarant has been busted,

The people - a 31-year-old woman, 37-year-old man and his 35-year-old fiancee - were found when Immigration officers went to the Good Food Chinese Cantonese Takeaway in Kingsway on October 16. The three were found to be from Malaysia and were all put on a plane to Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.
A fourth man, a 20-year-old Chinese failed asylum seeker, was also found and the UK Border Agency is now taking steps to remove him from the country. The business was issued with an on-the-spot penalty notice and could face fines of
up to £40,000.

Whereas of course the good Baroness was described in glowing terms by Gordon Brown this week, thusly,

"At the same time you have the Attorney General who is the first black Attorney General and a very successful one at that."

Governors barred from Westminster

2009-10-21T13:37:00.004+02:00

The little saga of Hariet Harperson and her tropes barring access to the Houses of Parliament to the 72 MEPs in order to block vists by the BNP to Westminster is of course ridiculous.

Unpleasantly socialist they may be, unapologetically racist they are, but to suggest that overcrowding is the reason is risible. Refusal to accept the verdict ofthe electorate more like.

Of course Westminster was happy to have the Sinn Fein MEP visit last time, an unapologetic suporter of the IRA. It also seemed happy to give office space to Mr Adams and his party workers, all of whom would no doubt pass all security checks with flying colours.

However what is ironic of course is that, aprt from one or two Cabinet Ministers, MEPs have more real power to effect legislation than MPs. So why would they want to visit Westminster? It would be the political equivalent of slumming it.

Ask a stupid question.

2009-10-21T11:13:00.003+02:00

Greece has shocked the European Union by adjusting its expected budget deficit for this year to 12.5 % of GDP, twice what was originally predicted. The announcement was made at the finance ministers meeting in Brussels yesterday by Greek Finance Minister, Papaconstantinou.

He 'fessed up about how the former government manipulated statistics and accidentally forgot to imclude include government debts in its figures.

Commissioner Almunia said the EU must investigate why and how Greece adjusted its statistical data.

He asked what?

As if we don't know. They did so in order to fraudulently join the Euro. We all know this, and the approach was more than tacitly supported by the European elite. Why? Simple. Because it was a political imperative.

I wonder how much the investigation is going to cost? And I am prepared to bet that the Commission's investigation will discover that nothing wrong happened at all desîte the Greeks admitting that it did.

Aside
Interestingly this story was brought to my attention by the Parliament's Czech press cuttings service, whereas the Greek service fails to mention it. I wonder why?

Green shoots of localism, maybe

2009-10-20T18:50:00.003+02:00

Well it must be something like that if this press release from the dreadful British Wind Energy Association,

"Figures revealed today at the wind industry’s annual conference in Liverpool show that local council approvals of wind farm applications have fallen to a shocking new low of just 25%."

I think I need to pick myself up from the floor, but this suggests that despite the bullying, bribery and propaganda, local authorities are beggining to see through the greenwash and represent the interests of their constituents.

Stranger things have happened (not many I grant you).

But the bleating, frighteningly anti-democratic bleating that is at their conference is almost self-parody, listen to BWEA Chief Executive, Maria McCaffery MBE,

“Winning approvals at appeal is second best for everyone, it is expensive, slow and cumbersome for developers and frustrating & confusing for local people. We need a fresh, new approach to local decision making where Councils are not unduly swayed by vocal NIMBY pressure groups but make their judgements on the facts.”

That'll be the people who they represent. You know Maria, the locals. The people who live there. The constituents. The public. The voters, you know them. The ones that fill your gob with taxes, ripped unwillingly from their pockets.

And who is this jumping on the anti-democratic bandwagon with unbridled glee and expansive expenses-stuffed girth? Why it's that vile hoodlum and autocrat John Prescott,

'"It is absolutely scandalous that three quarters of all planning applications for onshore wind turbines are turned down. We cannot let the vocal minority stop our move to a low carbon economy and stop us meeting our global emissions targets.”

Vocal minority eh, so how is that they win, despite the money and propaganda poured out by your goverment you hectoring apology for a night club bouncer?

Milliband stoops to stoop

2009-10-20T18:37:00.003+02:00

Milliband's comments today in Foreig questions were illustrative of exactly what is wrong with this government, and sadly how weak Her Majesty's Opposition are,

"The future of this country depends on whole-heartedengagement in the EU, making Britain's case and ensuring that we arepart of a mainstream majority. This Government is proud to be alongside 27 governments, 26 opposition parties in saying that now is the time to put the Lisbon Treasty into practice and to ensure that it benefits all the citizens in Europe."

Of course the one thing that this devalued Goverment would never dream of doing is 'to be alongside' the wishes of its people, no it couldn't do that, but it sides with the political elites across Europe against their people.

"It is a great pity that the party opposite is stuck in the past."

But of course it is the elite that are stuck in their centrist sclerotic past.

However the Tories were hamstrung with Hague trying but failing to put his new EP Group behind him.

The best he could come up with uis that is was a"great pity" that the Government had broken an election manifesto promise to hold a referendum on EU reform.

A great pity!

I wonder why he was as weak as that? Is it because he knows that his own party will not be able to offer his much vaunted referendum, because he knows that it will be a fait accompli and he and his cohorts haven't the stomache or the bottom to take up the cudgels required for our freedom.

Milliband is offered an easy target, no matter how disegeous he is, because the Tories have nothing to say, nothing to add.

"We stand ready to have questions on Europe, of which there are none, and debates about Europe, which you are refusing to have."

The bugger is that Millband has a point. The Tories will do anything rather than have a debate about Europe.

What business is it of his

2009-10-20T12:31:00.002+02:00

Watching BBC News today and they are streaming from the Speaker's Conference. John Bercow it appears, has invited the party leaders to speak about the make up of their candidates lists, as to their ethnic, gender, cultural, sexuality etc. and so on.

Accordig to the Beeb he had told them he was keen to influence the way that parties select their candidates to ensure equality.

I only heard Cameron, he was talking about introducing female only short lists for by-elections.

Hold on a moment though, what business is it of the speaker to put pressure to political parties on how they select candidates?

Concentrate on your job Mr Bercow and stop grandstanding. After all making sure that the House is run properly is

Freedom go to hell

2009-10-16T14:31:00.003+02:00

Popped down to Westminster to see the fuss around the visit of Gert Wilders to be greeted by the Islamist rent-a-mob.
Seems to me that Mr Wilders may well have paid them to turn up just to prove his point.

There again I did like the little ditty being chanted,

"UK watch your back,
Islam is coming back!"

Where was it, when was it here before... We should be told.

Is the world better?

2009-10-14T15:57:00.002+02:00

I think we can safely say yes.

This superb gadget over at gapminder rather conclusively proves it. Fascinating and solid evidence that ecomonomic growth and globalisation saves lives. Though take a look at the end and see if you can spot Zimbabwe's death rate shoot up over the past few years.

Gapminder looks to be one of those sites that should be declared not work safe. Could spend ages gazing at statistics...