Happy New Year

There are so many reviews of 2008 knocking around, in the papers, on t'internet and elsewhere, that I will not waste your time or mine doing one. Suffice to say I hope everybody had a wonderful Christmas and that we have a better New Year than the old one was.

Although personally I found 2008 to be one of my better years but I know for many it wasn't so good.

Anyway best wishes and have a great time tonight, whatever you are doing.

Socialist Misfits

Don't ever believe all that equality crap from the lefties. They love women and want to encourage them in public life, as long as they toe the line. Not if they are Mrs Thatcher according to these papers released after the thirty year rule expired.

Ask any leftie who whines about "wimmin" being oppressed about Mrs T and they come back with "she doesn't count". How come the Tory Party ended up with a female leader who went on to become Prime Minister? Because the Labour Party obsession with equality is a complete and utter fraud.

A Scouse Joke

Michael Shields has been spotted in the nick wearing a 'Free Stephen Gerrard' tee-shirt.

They just can't behave can they?

Firepersons Needed!

It is that time of year for silly stories and this one, from Ananova, must take the prize for daftest of the year.

Pressure is now being brought to bear on fire brigades to ensure that each appliance attending an emergency has at least one woman onboard. A prat, sorry spokesman, from the Local Government Association, Anthony Duggan, made the following statement:

"The fire service needs to be representative of the area it serves.

"It is important that the fire service attracts more women and ethnic minorities so that it can work more effectively in partnership with local authorities and other organisations to meet the needs of local people."

Wrong Anthony. I think you'll find that people want to have fires put out and their loved ones saved from danger or death, we don't actually give a toss about the make up of those attending an emergency, just so long as they can do their job. If that means an all black female crew in a majority white area who cares. I'm just gateful that they have the bottle to join the service in the first place.

Bishops Bashing Labour

How refreshing that five Anglican bishops have attacked the governmnent for its lack of morality. It's just a shame that it took the shit hitting the fan for them to stand up and be counted, but better late than never.

The problem is that politicians now, more than ever, seem to exist merely to buy off the electorate at all costs, so few political parties have principle any more. Indeed even the parties outside the big three, who have extremely principled and honest members, appear to be led by professional politicians with few morals or principles. Let's hope that one side effect of the current shambles might be a cleansing of the political system.

Boxing Day

Sadly Mrs B and I didn't have the chance to join the 300,000 other hunt supporters yesterday, which we usually do on Boxing Day. The reason being that while Parliament wasted hundreds of hours 3 years ago debating and passing the loathed Hunting Act, our glorious political class was allowing the NHS to fester in a mire of bureaucratic incompetence, inefficiency and infection.

Instead of joining the local hunt yesterday we had to drive to Manchester to spend the day with Mrs B's parents. Her mother was in hospital last November and, although not very frail, was so badly treated by the nurses that she lived in fear of them. When she had to use the loo but despite ringing the bell could get no assistance, she tried to get their on her own and fell. It took nearly a week for them to diagnose a broken hip, and then only after Mrs B and her sister mithered and mithered. She is now having to live in one room and can't walk without a zimmer. Going out she has to be put in a wheelchair. So rather than the hunt we took Mr and Mrs Ford off to a nice pub in Chesire for an enjoyable Boxing Day meal in front of a roaring log fire. All in all a great Christmas with my parents joining us for Christmas Day.

More of the last year in the coming days. For now I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and have a peaceful New Year. Off now to watch some football and spend the evening at Nutter's gourmet evening near Rochdale, a true treat for anybody who likes decent food. The diet starts on Jan 1st! Oh no, off to my sister's on Jan 2 when we ill no doubt enjoy more superb food and plentiful drink, so the diet starts Jan 4th.

Pope Benedict and Gender

Thank God for the Pope who actually has the courage of his convictions. Interesting that in this article the BBC, as ever, only give reaction from the Pope's detractors such as a man called Vladimir Luxuria who now claims to be a woman. Interestingly Vladimir is now a 'woman' but is probably as feminine as the woman in the states who became a 'man' and then became pregnant.

Somebody suggests in the article that being critical of the blurring of 'genders' encourages people to go out and bash gays or transexuals, if that was the case we would never be critical of anyone or anything. By criticising the Pope are these people encouraging attacks on Roman Catholics?

I think it's time we had a proper debate about the dangers of the feminisation of society, but I would never dream of attacking people because of their sexuality, ultimately it is their choice and their decision, but I don't have to approve of or endorse it.

What I take serious exception to is the present situation where everybody is to be tolerated, unless you happen to be a Christian, then you are up for being attacked and ridiculed. How many times do you see gay men in a march dressed as nuns? Do they not think their behaviour is offensive? There have been continuous attacks on Christianity and other religions in recent years, not least by gay groups, so don't squeal when religious leaders begin to reassert their beliefs.

Scrooged!

Here are two news stories from the North West that prove Ebenezer Scrooge is alive and well, in the form of New Labour officialdom, ever increasingly resembling the old Soviet Union or the DDR.

This 72 year old milkman is in the shit for delivering cannabis to his customers to ease their aches and pains. Big deal!

This story is incredible. The Employment Minister, Tony McNulty, has ordered an investigation because staff at a Birkenhead job centre adapted a Christmas carol to take the mickey out of their clients. It seems that each verse ended with " and a scally in a hoodie". Nice to know the Employment Minister has bugger all else to do with his time than mither staff having a laugh.

Humbug!

Police Pantomime Clown

I know it's the pantomime season but the following quote from the senior officer investigating the Damian Green fiasco is actually quite disturbing, as pantomime clowns can sometimes be:

"The Tory machinery and their press friends are mobilised against this investigation," the Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner told reporters.

"I think it is a very spiteful act, possibly to intimidate me away from investigating Mr Green, and I feel it has put my family at risk."

He later withdrew claims that the Conservatives had acted in a "corrupt" way, and issued the full apology on Monday in a statement.

"I have now reflected on the comments I made yesterday at a difficult time for me and my family. I wish to make clear that it was not my intention to make any allegations, and retract my comments," he said.

But this is the copper responsible for anti-terrorism at Scotland Yard, which is really worrying. No wonder we get the odd alert that there will be an atrocity then nothing happens, he probably bottles it whenever he sees somebody with a tan and a rucksack on CCTV in Oxford Street. Nowhere near as cool as Bodie and Doyle is he? There again he probably joined the Met on a fast track after completing his Ph.D. in Equality and Diversity Awareness.

Boris Was Right!

What a fantastic weekend. Caught up with my old mate Steve in Sheffield on Friday for a cracking pre-Christmas Chicken Madras, not far from Hillsbrough which is one of my favourite football grounds.

On Saturday I went to Bury to watch FC United beat the Scousers from Marine FC. If you don't know then Marine are based in Crosby, described as the 'posh' bit of Liverpool. That really means it's the part of Livrpool where the real Scousers go to burgle and rob off wealthier people than themselves.

Which reminded me how right Boris Johnson was when he savaged Liverpool a few years back, and how cowardly and hypocritical he was to grovel and apologise because the Scousers whinged. People from outside Manchester often ask why Mancunians dislike Scousers with such intensity. It's basically because they rob, steal, murder and maim each other then wallow in self-pity and victimhood and blame the rest of the world. Even when one of them is found guilty of attempting to murder a Bulgarian waiter Scousers organise a campaign and manage to turn him into the victim.

Mancunians on the other hand just enjoy a good party and having a good time. Of course the government puritans have now announced that Manchester has the highest level of drink related illness in the country, they always have to look for a negative! No, we just party harder than anywhere else. I'd rather die of cirrhosis in Manchester than an overdose of dodgy coacaine in Liverpool or a stabbing by a 10 year old Scouser on a mountain bike he'd pinched.

So what got me onto this train of thought? Apart from FCUM beating Marine it was going to see James at Manchester Central last night. We went for a Turkish meal before one of the best concerts I've been to, other than Morrissey, for years. The restaurants were packed with people going on to see James or to the Arena to see Elton John, typifying Manchester on a Saturday night. I couldn't help thinking that while Manchester was partying Liverpool would have been full of people buying cocaine from ice-cream vans and stabbing each other. Shame on you Boris.

Which reminds me of the old joke. What do Scouse girls use for protection during sex? A bus shelter.

And finally. Did you know that Sheffield, like Rome, is built on seven hills?

The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo

I have had pops at, and sometimes defended Jon Gaunt,the former TalkSport presenter who is now ex-presenter after offending the PC thought police. This time I am thanking him.

It must be nearly two years now since I heard him singing the praises of Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander books. He droned on about them so much that I had to go out and try one. Within weeks I had read the lot and am eternally grateful to Jon Gaunt for the introduction.

Previously I could take or leave crime books but I am now hooked, especially on Scandinavian crime writers. They really do fill their books with the darkness of Scandinavian winters and the characters, especially the central characters, are never the stylised perfect human beings of much crime fiction, but are flawed and human in a strangely refreshing, not to say reassuring way.

From Mankell I have gone on to try Ake Edwardson, who is another superb Swedish writer, but have now struck gold again as I did with Mankell. If you are wondering what to get somebody for Christmas then look no further than Jo Nesbo and his Harry Hole books.

Harry is a detective in Oslo and is an even more fragile being than Wallander. The book I am reading now, 'The Redbreast', is one I can't put down and is a fascinating mix of crime, political thriller and historical novel with the themes intertwined.

I'm on a long train journey tomorrow and can't wait to have four hours just sat devouring my Nesbo book. And if you do buy it and don't like it, or he/she doesn't like it, you can blame me!

Archbishop In Commonsense Shock!

I rarely agree with Dr Rowan Williams but, for once, he talks sense.

Yes the recession is making people stop and contemplate their lifestyles. For far too many the shopping malls, especially monsters like the Trafford Centre, have become the new cathedrals and as long as they got their hands on cash, or credit, they continued to worship at them.

Now the shit has hit the fan the lesson has been learned surely? No, it hasn't. The government is now playing the greedy shopper extraordinaire and borrowing masses more money so people and businesses can continue behaving in the exact same way that got us in the shit in the first place. Pity the generations to come who will have to pick up the tab, because the government is merely buying off today's nitwits who will probably now vote for them, regardless of the consequences, on June 4th 2009 when I am convinced the general election will be held.

Where I do take issue with Dr Williams is on the role of the Church of England in the last few decades. He can squeal now but where was the CofE when they could have stood up and said "enough is enough" and given a moral lead in many areas of life that would have helped save us from the nation's current plight?

Oh, that's right, they were trying to be cooler and trendier than anybody else in the establishment. There are no men of real principle in Parliament and it seems there are few in the christian churches either, until they can react in a way that doesn't rock the boat because it's what everybody is thinking anyway. It's people prepared to go against the tide when necessary that we need now, not the gems at stating the obvious when it's too late.

Rod Liddle And Trendy Vicars

There really is a 1970s feel creeping into 21 century Britain, inevitable I suppose with a Labour government with prehistoric principles. But there's a trendy vicar in Dorset, yes they do still exist, who went to Bethlehem and came over all pro-Palestinian, to the extent that he has banned "O Little Town of Bethlehem" from his church this Christmas. Very 1970s. Personally I take the Ayn Rand view on Israel as expressed here by Edwin A. Locke.

Then there's the prat headmaster in Nottinghamshire who withdrew his children from a carol festival because it was 'too religious'. Forgive me but isn't Christmas a religious festival? Read all about them in this cracking article by Rod Liddle.

I've always thought that the pinko liberals have caused as much racial hassle in this country as the far-right by, amongst other things, seeing all kinds of imaginary offence on behalf of ethnic minorities. This was brought into sharp focus for me yesterday when, hanging around outside a shop waiting for Mrs B., I got talking to a Muslim fellow. After a pleasant chat about ice hockey, I had my woolly Manchester Phoenix hat on much to Mrs B.'s embarrassment, he headed away with a real hearty and sincere "Have a very happy Christmas". He obviously doesn't find Christmas offensive.

More Ice Hockey Fights

This post is specifically for Mark Wadsworth, whose blog you really should visit.

Mark was sceptical about a hockey fight I posted a few days ago. He wondered whether it had been staged. I hope the film, set to music by Guns 'n' Roses below, will convince him that there are very real,very ugly but quite spontaneous fights regularly in ice hockey.

YouTube Hockey Fight

Or you might prefer this compilation.

And the girls at games seem to love the fights at least as much, if not more, than the fellas do. It's not a game for fairies!

Congestion? Use Vicks!

Congratulations to the commonsense people of the former Greater Manchester on telling the politicians to stick the congestion charge up their exhaust pipes. Is this the start of the fightback against the nanny state?

Strange but when the people are actually asked they tend to throw out the 'brilliant' ideas of the politicos. Remember the referendum in the North East nearly 5 years ago? Prescott wanted elected regional assemblies but the people shouted NO.

In Manchester and surrounding boroughs the vote was around 4:1 against. It's perhaps time that the politicians realised that we are their masters not the other way round.

Finally, if the charge had come in, and they may still sneak it in as the EU does when people vote against it's ideas, what would have happened if everybody used public transport and nobody paid the congestion charge? Just a thought.

Ice Hockey

Aggression is one of the great aspects of ice hockey, but it can sometimes boil over into this kind of thing.

What a fight,perhaps politicians should decide issues like this. Anyway, if you like your sport fast and furious, with the odd bout of hand-to-hand combat, then get down to your nearest ice hockey club. It's great entertainment.

Tyranny Of The Masses

I was unfortunate enough to hear Health Secretary Alan Johnson on the radio about an hour ago. What a mealy mouthed bastard, and I used to think he was one of the less bad of the undead in the House of Commons.

He was justifying forcing shopkeepers to hide fags under the counter. He thinks that non-smokers are so weak and feeble that the sight of a packet of fags makes them start smoking, especially kids. Utter crap! I pass casinos on a regular basis but would rather rip my eyes out than go in one. I see mucky mags in newsagents but don't buy them. I see booze on shop counters but am not an alcoholic. I see vegetarian food in shops and restaurants but would rather starve to death. And on, and on, and on, and.......

I gave up fags some time ago but have no problem with people smoking in my company, indeed I would regard it as rude and inhospitable to force visitors to my house who smoke outside for a quick fag. It'll soon be easier to buy pot than perfectly legal tobacco. So why don't the govenment just ban it? Because it needs the cash from the ludicrously high tax on tobacco.

But what really riled me was Johnson using the old bollocks justification that "in a survey 80%of the population agreed with us". In that case if 80% of the population think all MPs should be shot can I please fire the gun? No, I thought not. My point being that just because a majority want it doesn't make it right, take the hanging debate over the years for example.

The fascist bastard really angered me!!

Immigration And Training

The Institute for Public Policy Research, that 'progressive' think tank, is yet again singing the virtues of mass immigration and decrying opponents as xenphobes. You really know the lefties have lost the argument when they can't talk rationally about immigration without throwing abuse like xenophobe or racist at people who diagree with them.

In this article by the IPPRs resident immigration/race obsessive Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah he is so fanatical in his obsession with immigration that even Frank Field and Tory porker Nicholas Soames are attacked for questioning the wisdom of unlimited immigration. They are hardly Hitler and Goebbels now are they?

Also in the news today the IPPR are claiming that at least 40,000 new immigrants per year are going to be needed if things such as the Olympic facilities for 2012 are going to be completed on time. What utter bollocks when we have unemployment soaring upwards. Why don't we train properly the people here now to fill any gaps in certain trades but, more importantly, why is the 'progressive' IPPR talking in this way when hundreds, if not thousands, are being laid off every week in the construction industry?

When the left rattle on about us needing immigration to fill the skills gap I agree, as long as every existing citizen who could fill the gap is doing. When the left talk about needing migration to pay pensions because of an ageing population I wonder where they find young migrants who don't age. When the left argue that we need migrants to pay forthe NHS (and I don't see 40,000 per year making a huge contribution) I wonder where they find migrants who will never use the resources of the NHS themselves, merely contribute. Finally, I have yet to find a serious academic study, other than one to justify a 'progressive' political agenda, that shows immigration making a net contribution to the host country's economy.

As long as the self-proclaimed 'progressives' continue spouting this nonsense there will be a reaction to it leading to an unfortunate growth in support for the far-right. It is the 'progressive' left's obsession with race and immigration that sees the far-right making advances, without them the far-right would be starved of publicity and irresponsible talk of unlimited mass migration worries people of all races who live in this country, sometimes driving decent non-racists misguidedly into the arms of the far-right.

Personally I support an open door policy on immigration. But if migrants can't legally make their way in this country, they receive absolutely no state benefits whatsoever and, if they try to make their way illegaly, they are immediately deported.

One last thing on the question of training to fill skills gaps. The government is now urging universities to help middle-class people who have lost their jobs, by encouraging them to complete masters degrees for example. Well forgive me but why not re-train them to be brickies, sparks and carpenters? And the City whizz kids who got us into this mess? Well they could re-train to become lavatory attendants, especialy in Salvation Army hostels.

General Election Talk

Over recent weeks there has been much speculation about a general election being called to coincide with the Euro elections on June 4th next year. It got to such a pitch a couple of weeks ago that Gordon denied it and Mandy said he had mentioned June 4th just to wind up a few media types.

So if Gordy and Mandy deny it, it is most probably true. But remember, I blogged about the possibility here on October 20!

Slaggin' Off Them Tories!

I'm not one of those UKIP members who is really a closet Tory, I think the Conservative Party is just as useless as the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats. So I was pleased when Mrs B blogged yesterday and walloped Cameron's poncy programme.

I won't repeat it but instead recommend you visit Julie Beaman's Blog and read it yourself.

She really should blog more.

Emotional Incontinence

On breakfast news this morning I saw the emotional cripples from X Factor. I was watching because I had heard that the new Geraldine (aka Peter Kay)video of his/her Christmas song was going to be shown. As it happens I missed it.

Now, forgive me but I thought show business was a pretty tough business, from what I saw of the misfits in X Factor, albeit about 30 seconds of it, they will spend the rest of their lives in the Priory if they have a hit single. There were so many tears, from the men and the women, I really feared the flow of moisture would get into the electrics and blow up the studio.

Perhaps they should see a psychologist before they are allowed onto a reality TV show. Mind you, stopping the emotional cripples and nitwits would probably spoil the sado-masochistic appeal of the genre.

Elf and Safety for Santa

The Nanny State doesn't even have a breather for Christmas with this news from the Sun via Ananova.

Once, when working from home, my employer informed me that I was going to be visited by a health and safety wallah to check my workstation conformed to requirements. My workstation was a desk, computer, chair and phone in the spare bedroom. They got short shrift as I refused to allow an unecessary bureaucrat into my home.

There flowed an exchange of emails the gist being, on my side, that if I couldn't set up a desk and chair properly I really shouldn't be in the job. They quoted pseudo-legal jargon to which I said that they could then get me a proper office outside my home, with all the associated costs, and they could inspect to their heart's content.

I ended up signing a disclaimer, stating that I wouldn't sue them if I crippled myself because my chair hadn't been checked by 'an expert'.

Police State

As Labour cram the committee looking into Damian Green's disgraceful arrest with stooges, our glorious constabulary turn their attention to rickshaw drivers in the West End of London.

I suppose most people lie awake wondering about the safety of rickshaw passengers, it's good to know that this is now the worst crime happening in London.

Personally I like these rules.

What A Bitch!

Question: Which of these two is Jacqui Smith and which is an ugly bitch?
Answer: The one on the left is Jacqui Smith and she's the ugly bitch too.

If you don't believe me read this. And if I don't blog tomorrow please start a 'Free The Carnforth One' campaign because Smith's Stasi will have dragged me off to penal servitude in the early hours.

Sportsmen Bottling It!

The Bombay murders were shocking but why do our sportsmen, usually cricketers, bottle it whenever something like this happens and rush back home then threaten to never return? Like this.

Throughout my lifetime appalling atrocities have been carried out by Irish republicans in the United Kingdom, and latterly Islamic nutters, and as far as I know not one foreign sporting team has legged it home or refused to come and play here, including foreign teams playing in Belfast in the 70s and 80s.

A fine example is the 1996 European Football Championship held here. The Manchester bomb went of in the middle of it, thankfuly nobody was murdered, but there was no panic reaction about what could have happened or might happen next. What happened to that 'the murdering bastards won't beat us' attitude?

Pansy of the year award for 2008, until a bigger bunch of pansies surface in the next 28 days, goes to the England cricket team and the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Michael Moore-Prat!

Yesterday I gratuitously abused Michael Moore. Today I thought, let's have a look at what the fat prat is up to these days and he never disappoints. Below is an example of his pathetic sycophancy from the excellent website Moorewatch.com

"Who among us is not at a loss for words? Tears pour out. Tears of joy. Tears of relief. A stunning, whopping landslide of hope in a time of deep despair.

In a nation that was founded on genocide and then built on the backs of slaves, it was an unexpected moment, shocking in its simplicity: Barack Obama, a good man, a black man, said he would bring change to Washington, and the majority of the country liked that idea. The racists were present throughout the campaign and in the voting booth. But they are no longer the majority, and we will see their flame of hate fizzle out in our lifetime".

What a complete and utter prat. And people buy his books and watch his films!
Excuse me while I vomit.

Teletext Letters

Teletext letters can be useful as a quick barometer of public opinion, but occasionally maddening when the loonies get a look-in. The letter reproduced below is a splendid example of good, old-fashioned, Lancastrian commonsense.Oh that R.W. of Preston were a politician.

A world without blame
It's not surprising that Haringey Social Services are taken aback by all the public and media criticism of their efforts, when they have followed all the government guidelines to run a perfect bureaucracy.

Where on earth does child welfare come into it? Most of Westminster operates on the same principle - just tick all the boxes and you'll be OK. Everyone is in charge, but no-one is responsible.
R W, Preston, Lancashire

Sarko's A Prat Too

It seems that Sarkozy is as big a prat as any politician over here judging by this Voodoo story.

At least Segolene Royal, like Sarah Palin, showed she has a sense of humour.

And if you're wondering about the piccie of Michael Moore, well he's a prat too. I just like gratuitously insulting him.

Politicians and Principle

The Bombay murders were truly horrific not to say extremely cowardly. But one thing that demonstrates the stark difference between public life in India and the UK is this story.

It seems that people in public life in India actually take responsibility. In the UK, as far as I'm aware, nobody in public life took responsbility for the London bombings, the Manchester bombings in 1996, or the shooting of an innocent Brazilian at Stockwell. In fact the last resignation, on a point of principle, that I can think of was John Profumo.

Even complete stinkers like Blunkett and Mandelson hold out until sacked, then quickly make a comeback when Blair/Brown think the public aren't looking.

Time to think about moving to India I think.

EU and Democracy

If you are in any doubt about the totalitarian nature of the EU then please read the following from ITV Teletext news, especially noting the last line:

UK 'closer to joining euro'

The UK is closer to joining the euro than ever before, says EC President Jose Manuel Barroso.

He said some British politicians are considering signing up to the currency in a bid to beat the effects of the global economic crisis.

"We are now closer than ever before," he said, while admitting the majority of UK people are still opposed to the idea of joining the single currency.