New Year Resolution #1-The European Union Elections

It's that time of year when we start thinking about changing our ways as we leave the old year behind us. So here's my starter.

I was at a meeting a few years ago when Enoch Powell was asked how he thought people should vote in the upcoming EU elections, it was some time in the late '80s. His reply was: "I wouldn't soil my hands on a European ballot paper".

So my first resolution for 2014 is to boycott the European Union elections. Voting gives it some element of legitimacy and is a form of collaboration.

Happy Christmas To One And All

Police State Tightening Its Grip!

Golly! You can't show that.

It is now deemed racist to even discuss the gollywog that used to adorn the Robertson's jam label. Discuss it and you could find yourself dragged up before the Gestapo and shot. See this link for the full story.

Surely the people of this country must soon find the bottle to rise up against this crap. Let's hope for a popular uprising in the not too distant. Maybe if the powers that be took soap operas off our tellies it would get people rioting. Then again...

Worst GP Practices Named by Care Quality Commission

And they are:

Dr Harira Syed. Nye Bevan House, Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

Dr Michael John Florin. Norris Road Surgery, Sale, Greater Manchester.

Dr David Ian Andrew Smith, Dr. Yvonne Eleanor Mary Owen. The Wolds Practice, Tetford, Lincs.

Kingshurst Medical Practice, Birmingham.

Dr Arup Kumar RANA, Dr Nnaemeka Uchendu NJOKU. Northfield Surgery, Doncaster.

Dr Satish Patel, Newtown, Reading.

Dr Anantt Ramanlal Dayah, Dr Vandana Mannan. Long Street Surgery, Wigston, Leicestershire.

Dr Amar Hussain, Dr Mike Borowicz, Dr Penelope Miller,Dr Bernadine Sharma, Dr Susan Grant, Dr Sohrab Panday, Dr Richard Trounce. 63 Lincoln Road Surgery, Peterborough.

Dr Sheraz Hassan,Dr Graham David Butchart. King Street Surgery in Burton-on-Trent. 

They have been told to improve or be closed.

Updated-The Stop UKIP Tour at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester

Wooster-Farage

The other night my beloved came into the marital dorm mumbling something about UKIP and the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. I immediately thought the casting director must have been looking for Bertie Wooster and Nigel Farage had weedled his way into the auditions and landed the role. But no, it's a political satire called the 'Stop UKIP Tour'.

Now I'm no fan of UKIP, despite being desperate for the UK to leave the European Union. I think their MEPs have gone native, that they lack any credible policies, other than leaving the EU, and that Nigel Farage is an utter charlatan and one of the greatest egotists it has been my misfortune to know or even meet. But for a theatre that I love to be putting on a blatantly party political pile of drivel such as this in the run up to elections, albeit the phoney EU elections which I am boycotting anyway, I am saddened and appalled.

The following is taken from the Royal exchange website and is the reason I am labelling the show a party political pile of drivel:

Ahead of 2014’s European Elections, join Jonny & The Baptists to take on Nigel Farage’s ‘fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists’ – and help stop UKIP forever. 

I spent some years involved with UKIP and know that the party is not racist. Attack UKIP if you want, but base it on reality, bandying the word 'racist' around is baseless and intellectually idle. Like the word 'fascist' the left have ensured that the word 'racist' is virtually meaningless, both being used as baseless smears. Like any political party it has more than its fair share of 'fruitcakes' and 'loonies'. But have you met your average Labour or Tory activist? Even worse any Green or Lib Dem activists? Now they really are off the scale in battiness.

If you're wondering who is performing this work of satirical genius then it's Jonny and the Baptists, here are the details:

From the stars of Radio 4’s The Now Show, Infinite Monkey Cage and Sketchorama, Jonny Donahoe and Paddy Gerver's 2013 show was nominated for the New Act of the Year, Musical Comedy Award & Amused Moose Edinburgh Award.

Oh dear, that's not good is it? White middle class pinko liberals it would appear who probably regard anybody to the left of Tony Benn as a raging fascist and would likely attack a group calling themselves 'Mohamed and the Mullahs' as racist. But they're happy to use the name Jonny and the Baptists. Typical politically correct hypocrisy.

I don't care what a pair of satirical comedians get up to, it's their business. What appals me is that the Royal Exchange Theatre is putting on such a blatantly party political piece. While I would never dream of trying to have anything banned, I may have to consider withdrawing my support for the Royal Exchange Theatre.

*In the last day or two the Royal Exchange have changed the heading of this event on their 'What's On' page from 'The Stop UKIP Tour' to 'Jonny and the Baptists'. They have also added the following:

Jonny & the Baptists: The Stop UKIP tour is a musical comedy show centred on the European Elections in May 2014. Jonny & the Baptists aim to engage and amuse audiences with a range of topics, as they have done to national acclaim for several years. The show offers a satirical take on UKIP policies, while encouraging people towards voter engagement rather than apathy, whatever their views. One of the best things about the UK's creative industries is the breadth of ideas available to audiences at theatres, cinemas and galleries every day, and the show hopes to further encourage that conversation.

They also seem to have removed the comments section on their website, probably because of the adverse comments the show was attracting.

I Don't Understand

I understand political correctness, it is a sick way for the left to destroy our culture and heritage so that they can gradually take power rather than getting involved in revolution. I don't understand why people fall for it and end up loathing their heritage, culture, race and nationality. Political correctness leads to chronic self-loathing.

Just as an example take a look at the attitude of people towards Britons living abroad. They are mercilessly slagged off by the politically correct for living in British enclaves, flying the Union Flag and toasting the Queen with G&Ts at 6-00pm. They are mercilessly slagged off for not assimilating into the local culture.

Then look at the attitude of the politically correct to immigrants in this country. It's great that they preserve their own culture and heritage and it adds to the richness of life in this country to see whole swathes of our cities resembling foreign parts. Don't expect them to learn our language, we'll print leaflets and street signs in their own language. Hypocrisy?

What I really don't understand at the moment is the Pavlovian response to Nelson Mandela's death. Yes it's sad that somebody has died, but the North Korean style public outpouring of grief leaves me baffled. What exactly did Mandela do?

For starters he led the terrorist wing of the ANC. While he doesn't appear to have planted bombs himself he certainly gave the go ahead for others to do so. Does that make him a terrorist or a freedom fighter? Well, in my view quite clearly a terrorist as innocent people died as a consequence. Freedom fighters fight the state and its enforcers not innocent people. For that he went to prison.

He was released when the South African government realised that apartheid had to go. FW de Klerk released Mandela from prison but seems to receive no credit for that from anybody, especially the politically correct.

Mandela then went on to become president. Although he didn't turn the country into a typical African basket case, he certainly left it in a worse state economically and socially than it had been. The biggest positive was the lack of bloodletting against their previous oppressors by the black majority.

So what I don't understand is the frenzied hero worshipping of him. What exactly did he do that warrants his almost mythical status in the eyes of so many. In my view people have just been brainwashed and when asked what he actually did that warrants the hysteria they can't answer. The man who should be credited with ending apartheid is FW de Klerk. But he never will be.

I don't understand.

Annual Police Terror

Suspect left Berni Inn car park a minute ago.

The annual police terror has begun. Your employers will be sniffing you out for booze after lunch ready to sack you, and the TV ads will start showing children smeared with blood in the gutter butchered by a motorist who had a sherry two days previously with aunt Florrie.

Yes, it's Christmas!

Get mugged, burgled, stabbed or shot 11 months of the year and you get a crime number for your insurance claim, because of the cuts. But from now until Jan 1st (at least) the streets will be crawling with Filth, all on overtime, trying to catch you a tad over the limit at 8-30am crawling through the rush hour traffic when you are more likely to die of boredom than kill a small child.

It's Christmas!!!!!!!!

Breastfeeding and John McCririck

Age-a terrible thing!

Thankfully John McCririck has lost his case against being old. He's the odious old prat who gobbed off, while waving his arms around dressed as Sherlock Holmes, boring us all to death as a racing 'pundit'. How much was wasted on that age discrimination case?

Meanwhile the government's bottomless pit of money, ie our taxes, is to be used to bung mothers £200 for the arduous task of breastfeeding their offspring. Madness.

Austerity eh?

Latest Liverpool News

Scouse kid-start 'em young!

A police raid in Toxteth last night found a cache of 2000 semi-automatic weapons with 250,000 rounds of ammunition, 10 anti-tank missiles, 4 grenade launchers, 2 tons of heroin, £5m in forged banknotes and 25 trafficked Thai prostitutes all in a public building behind Toxteth Library.

Local residents were stunned. One commented: "We're all shocked. We never even knew we had a library".

Eurosceptic MEPs-What's the Point?

UKIP are making a big deal about their chances of 'winning' the European elections next year. What they mean by 'winning' is unclear as even if every MEP elected in the UK next year is UKIP it would make not one jot of difference to our membership of the EU.

As UKIP rightly point out MEPs have no power and little influence, here or in Europe. As UKIP rightly point out MEPs are costly, overpaid, given far too much in allowances and expenses and have virtually no value. Why then, is a party dedicated to leaving the whole corrupt sham, so desperate to get more of its candidates elected to the corrupt sham than any other party? It makes no sense.

UKIP's track record doesn't stand any kind of scrutiny. They have some of the worst attendance records in the EuroParl but still get paid a huge salary, expenses and allowances. Enjoying the gravy train? Surely not!

On matters of policy, other than the EU, they fight like ferrets in a sack. Since the last elections in 2009 they have lost 4 MEPs, David Campbell Bannerman, Marta Andreason, Mike Nattrass and Nikki Sinclaire. Bizarrely loose cannon (political euphemism for nutjob) Godfrey Bloom MEP lost the whip, remains a UKIP member but sits as an independent MEP. Previously two former UKIP MEPs went to clink for fraud.

In May they trumpeted about their best local election results ever. Since then numerous councillors have defected to other parties and others have been disciplined for dodgy comments on social media sites. In one authority a group of UKIP councillors have broken away to form a separate group to the official UKIP group. They can't get on with each other so the rest of us have no chance.

Today I have been on my old friend Nikki Sinclaire's blog. Nikki was treated shabbily by UKIP and is now an independent MEP in the West Midlands and has launched her We Demand A Referendum Party . But yet again the party intends to fight next year's Euro elections and, if they win any, will take up their seats. Why?

Nikki is currently banging on in her blog about councillors getting free meals before council meetings, not a common practice in my experience but is that really what costly MEPs should be spending their time campaigning about? What about the hugely generous expenses and allowances that MEPs receive, far more generous than rubber chicken and chips before the odd meeting? And is an MEP really paid all that cash to arrange collections outside supermarkets for foodbanks? I don't think so.

The problem is that Eurosceptics have been suckered into the very corrupt organisation that they claim to loathe. Getting elected to the EuroParl, with its dodgy PR system, is far easier than winning First Past the Post elections. Hence UKIP have MEPs but no MPs. Once suckered in they are seduced by their new found status and all the baubles that go with it. Once an MEP gets used to that thumping salary, generously supplemented by a huge array of expenses and allowances, they look at the real world and fear what a drop in cash and status they would face if they lost their seats. They go native.

It is my intention to abstain/spoil my ballot paper in the European elections next year. I have yet to hear a Eurosceptic MEP expose anything in the EU that hadn't or wouldn't have been exposed in the media anyway and, as much as anything, even having worked for an MEP, I just cannot see the point of Eurosceptic MEPs other than to make a few people quite wealthy.

Racism In Football

Russian football fans.

I'll be perfectly honest and admit straightaway that I find the constant whining from footballers and others about racism highly tedious and counter-productive. Of course that depends on what you regard as racism. Apartheid was quite obviously racism, as was the Nazis slaughtering of Jews, Slavs and others. The Ku Klux Klan are quite clearly racist as are groups such as the Black Panthers.

So why is a Manchester City player talking about a boycott of the World Cup in Russia by black players? Is it because of Russia's pretty dodgy human rights record? Is it in protest at what the Russians did in Chechnya? Maybe they're all Pussycat Dolls fans who object to their imprisonment? No, none of them. It seems that when Toure and City played in Moscow last night he heard something racist coming from the crowd. Bloody hell, get a grip! So you boycott the World Cup because of some imbecile making a monkey noise, which I assume it was unless Russian football fans speak extremely good English or Toure speaks fluent Russian.

I grew up in what I am fast coming to regard as 'the old days' when one of the phrases often heard was 'sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me'. It seems that even referring to somebody's skin colour or ethnicity these days is a greater crime than false imprisonment. Let's face it, when the manger of the England football team has to apologise for using the word monkey in front of black players something is seriously amiss.

I wonder if Toure and others will be as highly principled and boycott their clubs money spinning trips to China next summer in protest at the huge numbers of executions and the imprisonment of pro-democracy activists by the Chinese government? Don't hold your breath. But maybe if a pro-democracy activist made a monkey chant, precipitating a boycott, they could spin it in their favour. 

It seems, in these politically correct times, that you can carry out mass murder and curtail the freedoms of millions as long as they are the same race as you. But dare make a joke about Polish builders and you're in deep shit.

Political Correctness #1298

Political correctness just seems to rumble on and on, and every time it tightens its grip we lose a little more of our freedom.

This morning we had breakfast and watched a news channel on the goggle box. I nearly choked on my Weetabix when a child psychologist popped up singing the praises of some lunatic teacher who insists that all children in a class must be invited to a child's party or none. She (the psychologist) was banging on about 'social inclusion'. So the hated little shit nobody likes must be invited? I don't think so. What next, if we have a party we can no longer invite only neighbours we know and like but must invite the whole street? Absolute madness.

Then Adrian Chiles was forced to apologise on Twitter because some pillock was offended when he made a remark about not getting building work done on his house because of the number of Poles attending the game tomorrow night at Wembley. Are we such a nation of wet farts these days that a joke like that can cause offence? What about the old one about the Korean car sticker: A dog isn't just for Christmas, there should be enough for butties on Boxing Day too?

Ed Miliband v The Daily Mail

Nice t-shirt!

Oh what fun! Any sympathy for Miliband? None whatsoever. Get over it. Yes, the Mail on Sunday journalist who gatecrashed Miliband's uncle's memorial service was wrong and has rightly been disciplined. But why the furore over the Daily Mail claiming that Ralph Miliband hated Britain? Why should the Mail kow-tow to Miliband and change its culture? Freedom of the press means the press can say things we disagree with, things we loathe, things that offend us as long as they are legal, that is freedom of the press, freedom of speech.

Of course the lefties who are currently squealing like indignant piggies quite happily talk about Margaret Thatcher in the most vile terms, way beyond what is regarded as polite or civilised regardless of how much they offend her family. Indeed over the years many of us involved in politics, especially in the days of the militants in the early 80s, received vile treatment at the hands of lefties, including intimidation of family and friends when they couldn't intimidate us. So let's cut the crocodile tears.

Miliband whining on about how disgraceful it was to attack his father in such a way should maybe stop publicly citing his father as a great political influence on him when it suits. If you cite your father repeatedly to justify your views, then expect the microscope of the media to focus on your political influence (dad) eventually. When that influence turns out to be a Marxist, a philosophy that in practice slaughtered many millions more than fascism ever did, then I think we have a right to know.  Furthermore the very nature of Marxism is to destroy the liberal democratic system of government that we have in this country so I think criticism of Marxists is not only valid but a duty of those who value freedom.

Miliband denies that his father hated this country by citing his service in the Royal Navy during the war. I admire anybody who has served or is serving in the armed forces, but not all serve out of love for their country any more than those who fought in the International Brigades did so out of a love for Spain. I would suggest that Ralph Miliband, who came here as a refugee in 1940 fleeing the Nazis, was much more likely to have joined the forces to fight the Nazis than for love of a country he barely knew, and I do not criticise him for that, I am sure many men fought in the last war for the same reason rather than a sense of patriotic duty.

What is very telling in this episode is Miliband's cries for the Mail to change its culture, and his supporters  calling for action against the Daily Mail even resorting to vile accusations of anti-Semitism. The message being that press freedom is fine, as long as you are kind to Miliband and co and say nice things about them. Maybe they'll remember that next time they want to be crude and nasty about Cameron's wealthy family members or Osborne's in a much more personal and nasty manner. 

I'm not a Mail reader but get tired of those who blindly follow the trend of slagging off the Mail and its readers. I can only think that as they seem to loathe the paper so violently that they must read it on a pretty regular basis. Or are they just being prejudiced and bigoted? I don't know. But those who think The Grauniad is some bastion of virtue and morality maybe you should read this interesting article.

Racism and Homophobia-Two Sides of the Same Coin

Had a couple of weeks in France, which was very enjoyable and pleasantly free of politically correct bullshit. I'm not sure whether that's because the French are too sensible to fall for political correctness or whether the language barrier just insulated us from it, either way it was very refreshing.

But no sooner do we return to Blighty than the onslaught of self-indulgent bollocks from the militant gay and race lobbies smacks us in the chops like a swipe across the head from a fat, slimy, smelly piece of fish.

First we heard some very successful black businesswoman, who made a mint in the City of London, whining on about breaking down the racial barriers in the UK. Tripe, she probably whines on about that notice in some idiots window in Notting Hill in the 1950s warning off blacks, dogs and Irish. Militant racial equality obsessives actually do more harm to the cause of community relations than the BNP ever could. Most people don't give a toss about somebody's ethnicity but do get pissed off at the likes of Lee Jasper and Diane Abbott who seem obsessed with race.

Then there is the slightly more recent phenomenon of homophobia in football. Forgive me but bollocks! Stonewall are having hissy fits because so many football clubs are refusing to be dictated to by them and are refusing to wear rainbow coloured bootlaces. It seems wearing rainbow laces would stop all that homophobia in football. What a load of fatuous crap.

But they never tell us what this homophobia consists of, or the racism in football the politically correct bang on about ad nauseam. A player was found not guilty of racism this week we are told. But we are not told what he was supposed to have said. They never do give examples because I doubt they exist. And there are probably people being offensive all the time about something or other, maybe race, sexuality maybe weight, accent or whatever, for God's sake grow a backbone and get on with life.

I don't think most people in this country care about whether somebody is gay or heterosexual. I don't think most people in this country spend a great deal of time obsessing and talking about their sexuality. I think most people in this country are extremely tolerant. But when the militant gay lobby constantly bangs on about their sexuality, day after day, constantly and unremittingly, it does eventually get on the tits of most people in this country. Just get on with you life, sex and sexuality are actually a small part of a balanced, healthy life, not the be all and end all.

So I conclude that anti racism campaigners and gay rights campaigners are two sides of the same coin. While the majority of gays and minorities get on with life to varying degrees of happiness and success the militant minority bang on, and on, and on very often using their race or sexuality to excuse their own personal failings and inadequacies. 

Godfrey Bloom: Defending the Indefensible

Poor old Godders, he's gone and done it again. But let's look at what actually happened and ignore the media hype.

He was at a fringe meeting about 'Women In Politics' at the UKIP conference. In my day that itself would have been a politically correct no-no in UKIP. Anyway, Godfrey Bloom is the man who warned employers about employing women of child bearing age, and said that they should be cleaning behind the fridge. So what political genius invited Godders to a 'Women In Politics' meeting in the first place?

At the meeting a woman seems to have jokingly referred to his remark about not cleaning behind the fridge, cue titters and giggles from the attending girlies. Godders then referred to them, in a jokey way, as sluts. Cue more tittering and giggling from the girlies. Bang, the next sound is the smush of shit hitting fan. A bit vulgar yes, offensive if aimed at offending those present but it wasn't, it was bar room humour. There lies the nub of this particular very UKIP cock up, the contrived bar room culture cultivated by that man of the people, Nigel Farage.

For years Farage has cultivated an image, nothing more than that, of a good humoured 'one of us' who just enjoys a pint and a ciggie and whose love of the good old English pub is only surpassed by his loathing of the European Union. For many years next to him at the bar, ciggie and pint at the ready has been Godfrey Bloom. Drinking with them is the nearest you will get to time travel, I'd estimate when I was occasionally doing that with them a few years back it was like being around in the late 1950s.

Now then, in my opinion what Godfrey Bloom said was the kind of thing you might hear in pubs up and down the country every day of the week. Let's face it, that's the counter political culture that Farage has been very careful to cultivate. You can almost hear Farage shouting " you there, you at the end of the bar, join us at the UKIP bar and we'll lift the smoking ban. We're not your professional politicians, we're just like you". The only problem is that politics isn't a big pub and what you may say at 11-00pm on a Saturday night with your mates at last orders is not appropriate in many other situations, especially politics.

So, in Bloom's defence he was just behaving in a way that is the norm with Farage and others in UKIP, it's part of Farage's political culture that he has imposed on UKIP. Interestingly Bloom wasn't disciplined for his remarks about the fridge, child bearing or bongo bongo land. Indeed in 2004 when I questioned the action that would be taken about his fridge remarks I was told nothing as it had opened up a serious debate on the issue. So what has happened this time?

It seems to me that Farage has finally embraced the reality of the media and politics. He has moved into the age of spin and so, whereas in the past he would have defended Bloom with a remark about him being a colourful character and UKIP not bowing to political correctness, he has done what Cameron, Clegg and Miliband would do, attacked and disciplined him. Well if you don't want your MEPs using the language of the bar room don't encourage it in the first place.

This counter-culture is so deep rooted in UKIP that it is inevitable that soon there will be yet another episode to further undermine their credibility. Indeed, over the years it seems that every time UKIP takes a step forward within weeks they will have shot themselves in the foot and limped three steps backwards. It has often seemed so frequent that many people wonder if there is a dark reason for it continuing.

David Morris MP and Syria

I've been a little busy lately, so am catching up with some of the local news. Back in June 2010 I made the mistake of voting Tory, really just to get Gordon Brown and the Labour Party idiots out. Sadly we ended up with this mongrel government of social democrats masquerading as Conservatives and Liberals. Neither party is what their names suggest.

But the local news was truly disturbing. Our local MP, for Morecambe and Lunesdale, is Tory chinless wonder David Morris. Now then, after Morris grovelled to Cameron by refusing to vote for an EU referendum when it was debated in Parliament I had already decided not to vote for him when the next election comes around. But now he's gone even further in showing his complete lack of fitness for political office.

The man has managed to rack up more expenses in one year than he received in salary. This link will take you to his expenses totals for the last three years on his website. But for 2012/13 he managed to claim nearly £76,000, almost £23,000 of which went on travel. He claims to always buy the cheapest return ticket when he travels from London to his constituency. Assuming he comes back three weekends each month, and let's say that he does that every month then each journey costs nearly £640. Is he flying home in the sodding space shuttle?

Nobody is claiming that he has done anything against the rules, he points out that the relevant authorities have checked and approved all his claims. Well smoking is perfectly legal but many of us choose not to smoke. Likewise many of us have been in jobs where we could have claimed huge expenses but felt morally obliged to keep them down. Somehow he manages to cost, in expenses alone, around £210 every single day of the year including Christmas Day and Bank Holidays. I bet I could sort him accomodation in London, home and office, and travel to his constituency on a weekly basis for a fraction of that. Yet another reason not to vote for him next time around.

Then there is Syria. Looks like Cameron and Obama are just Bush and Blair Mk II doesn't it? How would we react if it kicked off in Northern Ireland again and Iran and Iraq decided to bomb the crap out of London and/or Belfast in support of the rebels (IRA)? Not quite like for like that comparison I know but it makes the point.

If there is a vote on attacking Syria in the House of Commons I'll be checking how Mr Morris votes.

So with there being no credible parties in next year's European elections, and none looking likely to appear before 2015, it looks like abstention and spoilt ballot papers next year and the one after.

Labour Party Morons #33,001-Chris Bryant MP

Strangely the Labour Party had an open door immigration policy but now their nitwit MP Chris Bryant is apparently attacking employers for giving said migrants jobs. Or is he? Bryant is now taking a position that most Labour morons would call 'racist' if anybody else took it.

Here is the moron completely cocking up an interview on BBC Radio4:

Libertarianism

I'm often asked what libertarianism is. Never one to waste time prattling on when something's already been said, or being a lazy sod, I thought I'd post some links to sites that offer a libertarian perspective on things. So here goes:

The UK Libertarian

Independent Libertarian Network

Libertarian Alliance

Racial Hysteria

Hysteria about race seems to bubble just below the surface in the UK after years of politically correct brain washing. Lefties and pinko-do-gooders love nothing more than a self righteous rant at some  perceived act of racism, it makes them feel better about their sad and pointless existences.

So, well done the Home Office, you've sent them into truly hysterical paroxysms  of rage with your stupid 'illegal immigrants piss off or get nicked' van trundling around London. Even pillock-in-chief of UKIP, Nigel Farage has condemned it.

Whoever has been involved in dreaming up this stupid, meaningless stunt should be sacked and never again employed in any public sector capacity. Our taxes are being wasted funding these idiots and their stupid schemes. A stupid scheme is what this is, it is not racism. But of course the loonies have gone into overdrive.

Diane Abbot, always one for a spot of moral outrage and senseless hyperbole, claims the wording is the same as 'Pakis go home'. Goes to show that even going to a posh public school doesn't guarantee you will be able to comprehend basic English. No Diane, nowhere on that van does it say 'Pakis go home'.

Then a lunatic from a refugee support group popped up on the radio claiming it could trigger race riots.  Quite how she couldn't explain but eh, never let rationality temper a bout of politically correct moral outrage.

One loony on the radio even claimed that this is how the Nazis treated the Jews in Germany. Now that is certifiably mad and grossly insulting to the millions of Jews exterminated by the Nazis and their relatives left behind. Faced with a van telling you to go home before you're found and sent out of the country is, I'm pretty sure, a much better option than being sent to Auschwitz in a cattle truck. I certainly know which option I'd take.

Racism and ant-racism, two sides of the same coin.

Sajjad Karim MEP

Sajjad Karim is Conservartive MEP for North West England. If, like me, you want to see the UK independent of the EU superstate he likens you to the Taliban. The man is plainly mad, he calls me Taliban I call him money grubbing hypocritical scum.

 

He also doesn't understand that if a majority of people hold a particular viewpoint then the majority view prevails. It may be one sided, but that's democracy.

 

Karim was elected an MEP in 2004 as a Liberal Democrat. As he knew he would likely not be re-elected in 2009 he jumped ship and became a Tory. Below is the press release issued yesterday by this shining example of freedom loving democracy:

 

 

 

Coronation Street Race Row

For some time, probably years now, the writing on Coronation Street has been deteriorating. Sad I know, but I do actually watch that particular soap opera. Or I did until the latest storyline broke on Friday, but enough is enough, I am no longer watching it.

If you don't know Corrie is set in the fictional Manchester suburb of Weatherfield. Unlike other soaps it has rarely hit the big social issues of the day and has been popular for its dry, northern humour and irony. It was no-nonsense gritty working class drama that didn't take itself too seriously. Or it used to be like that.

In the last episode last week one character (Paul) turned to the other while playing darts in the pub and laughingly said: "Play the white man". That was it, it all kicked off. A black character (Lloyd) heard the phrase being uttered and became extremely angry, there was a huge row with the white character accused of racism. For the rest of the episode, like some kind of TV soap style Stalinist show trial, virtually every character popped up to condemn the evil racism that had caused such deep offence in the pub.

My problem with this is on several levels. Paul, the character who uttered the evil words, had previously shown absolutely no hint of racism or any other 'ism'. It came completely out of the politically correct blue. It was as if the writers had been sat around bored and decided it would be good for ratings to confront the issue of racism. It was clumsy to say the least and smacked of a writer being on a hobby horse.

On another level many people I know have used the phrase "play the white man", including me. Now I'm not going to self-flagellate and profess to have black friends so I'm not racist etc. etc., all I can say is read my blog and see if you detect anything that could be (mis)construed as racism. Maybe now I will think twice about using the phrase, just in case it does cause offence, but using the phrase hardly merits the user being treated like the reincarnation of Eugene Terreblanche. A jokey put down by the black character would have probably made the point much more effectively. But crying racism and going into Twitter style moral outrage belittles the victims of true racism and is highly patronising to most of us.

I am pissed off with politically correct bullshit. I am pissed off with patronising politically correct morons lecturing the rest of us about the evils of 'isms', 'isms' that usually exist in the patronising minds of the politically correct who are so feeble minded they desperately want to take offence on behalf of other people, people who rarely see anything to offend.

I suspect in a real working class Manchester pub the conversation would have gone something like:

Paul: "Play the white man".
Lloyd: "What do you mean you cheeky bastard?"
Paul: "What? I wasn't talking to you"
Lloyd: "Play the white man? As if you lot are better than us?"
Paul: "Oh shit yea, I didn't think of it like that, sorry mate, just a turn of phrase. Fancy a pint?"
Lloyd: "Cheers yea, pint of bitter please mate. Fancy a game of darts?"

That's why I will never watch Coronation Street again. While I still have the freedom I choose not to be brainwashed by the box in the corner.

Lee Rigby RIP

L'Enclume and Andy Murray

How good to see a British winner of Wimbledon, especially after that bloody miserable Scot blew it last year. That should get any swivel eyed lunatic Nazional Scotialists reading frothing into their porridge. But calm down, it was a joke!

Seriously I've had such a great weekend I even cheered Andy Murray when I got to watch the final game yesterday. He still didn't get massively animated though did he? Anyway, enough.

We've had a couple of days in Cartmel celebrating my beloved's significant birthday. If you like your food and drink Cartmel is heaven on earth. If you are into your gee gees too it has what must be the most picturesque racecourse in the country. For history buffs there is also the wonderful twelfth century Cartmel Priory.

We started in the priory then meandered over to say hello to Peter at Unsworth's Yard brewery and enjoyed a pint of Crusader Gold. What a pint!

Next up the cheese shop, also in Unsworth's Yard. We selected a couple of damn fine local chesses, a tub of olives and a packet of locally produced crackers. We then selected some decent wine at David's wineshop (Peter's brother) and had an impromptu picnic sat in the sunshine. David's wineshop is also well worth a visit, but don't just take my word for it read this article in Lancashire Life.

Then last night it was the wonderful L'Enclume a four hour plus feast of the finest food and wine. L'Enclume really is one for the old bucket list. We last visited nearly two years ago and thought it couldn't improve. Believe me, it has! And to prove it they now have two Michelin Stars. It's not cheap, but it is worth every penny.

We topped the night off with a luxurious room in L'Enclume House and were treated to a delicious Lakeland breakfast this morning in Rogan & Co.

Sometimes getting home is just a little disappointing.

Greater Manchester PCC-Another Publicly Funded Parasite

Tony Lloyd, not Shirley Williams

Last November the electorate showed what they think of our rulers' wonderful idea of Police and Crime Commissioners by not bothering to turn out to vote for them. That huge rejection was seen as a ringing  endorsement by our idiotic Prime Minister. That made him officially the biggest prat in the country.

But now, step forward Pillock Cynic and Clown  Police and Crime Commissioner for Greater Manchester, former labour MP Tony Lloyd. Within eight months of garnering a pitiful percentage of the votes of the austerity hit electorate, he has decided he is so important that he needs a deputy on £55,000 a year.

In these austere times it's funny how our rulers always manage to find extra cash to splash while the rest of the country, living in the real world, have to tighten our belts.

If those holding public office in this country want our respect they'd better start bloody well earning it!

Western Civilisation RIP

Largely thanks to political correctness I am convinced that we are moving into the final death throes of our civilisation. Maybe, when you look around at Britain in 2013, it will be a relief to some extent, maybe something better will rise from the ashes.

At home political correctness has created such an atmosphere of self-loathing that any expression of patriotism is seen by many as extreme right-wing at best, evil xenophobia/racism at worst. Likewise if you dare to be critical of foreign states and people unless it's the USA, in which case it's open season. A current fine example is daring to criticise Nelson Mandela rather than slobbering and cooing at the sound of his name, that will have you attacked as an obvious Nazi/White Supremacist.

Our government ousted Sadam in Iraq, admittedly a right bastard, but have left behind a murdering cauldron of hatred and death largely fuelled by hatred of the West. All over the Middle East our government seems intent on supporting terrorist gangs of Islamist nutters who want to take over one country after another and install hate filled, lunatic regimes that loathe us.

A squaddie is murdered in Woolwich by Islamist nutters but large swathes of the press tried to draw some moral equivalence between the killers and demonstrators who took to the streets to condemn the killers.

Now then, here's a question:

Somebody was refused entry to the UK this week for  making a statement. Was it the person who uttered:

‘It [Islam] is a religion and a belief system that mandates warfare against unbelievers for the purpose for establishing a societal model that is absolutely incompatible with Western society. Because of media and general government unwillingness to face the sources of Islamic terrorism these things remain largely unknown.’

Or was it the person who stated:

‘Devotion to Jihad for the sake of Allah, and the desire to shed blood, to smash skulls and to sever limbs for the sake of Allah and in defense of His religion, is, undoubtedly, an honor for the believer.’

As if you need a clue, here is what British MP Keith Vaz said to justify the ban:

‘The UK should never become a stage for inflammatory speakers who promote hate.’

If you really need to check the answer then visit Douglas Murray's Blog in The Spectator.

Increasingly the political class appear to hate us, increasingly I see voting as a form of collaboration.

Scottish Independence

A right bunch of arseholes!

I have just caught up on the BBC's Question Time from last night. I have concluded that the SNP are a bunch of detestable bigots fuelled by hatred of the English.

I am unaware of any Scottish people being attacked, verbally or physically, in England. But that claim was made on last night's programme, along with other lies about England and the English.

I am aware of numerous cases of English people being attacked in Scotland and in one case the boy was beaten to death. I am unaware of similar in England, although I do remember Scottish football fans ransacking Manchester before a recent football final.

When I visited Scotland a few years ago I was warned that I could have problems with local people if I left my Cross of St George on the back of my car. Friends have been told similar when visiting Scotland.

Maybe I'll make a donation to the SNP to help their breakaway from the United Kingdom.

Political Correctness? National Self-Loathing More Like!

There are idiots then there are the politically correct, far worse than the most idiotic of idiots. I haven't been blogging much in the last twelve months because I've been working hard, and doing very long hours, building a new business.

Now I know that will be a surprise to John Bercow, who thinks that Eastern Europeans are the ones who work hard and the English are lazy, slovenly bastards, but it happens to be true. Ironic really that a man who makes a very substantial living sitting on a throne shouting 'order, order' and living in palatial state apartments in the Palace of Westminster should be so arrogant as to slag off those of us in the real world but eh, he's got little man syndrome I suspect, reinforced by a gobby wife who towers above him just to emphasise his diminutive stature.

Then the news today has been full of crap from the new Children's Laureate, Malorie Blackman, banging on about how white parents don't buy books with black people on the cover. How she knows that I'm not sure, unless she's done a survey of several million people. But I suspect she's just making as offensively sweeping a generalisation as the BNP and their ilk are wont to do. Bear in mind this is a woman who writes books, for children, about whites being in a minority in this country and being oppressed and victimised by the black majority. She also claims to have felt 'invisible' growing up because she read books that didn't have black people in them. Didn't put her off becoming a successful writer though did it? I wonder if in her parallel universe there would be a white Children's Laureate?

Then in the Torygraph Tanya Aldred is banging on about how disgusting it is that there will not be a female cricket commentator when the Ashes are played this summer. Big bloody deal. Personally I find female commentators on football, cricket and rugby shrill and off putting and am glad it will be an all male commentary team. I also don't like the idea of male midwives, not that I've ever needed one, and actually feel much more comfortable seeing a female GP rather than a male GP. If that makes me guilty of any 'isms' then shame, but I don't give a shit.

Of course the real reason for political correctness is to cow us all into submission. When whites loathe themselves, men loathe themselves, the able bodied, the heterosexuals and other 'traditional' groups loathe themselves and they all loathe christians the job will have been done. We'll be mere cogs in the wheel of a powerful and controlling police state, bullied and pushed about because we hate ourselves and are too afraid to fight back .

Not far to go.

UKIP-Nutjob Alert

When I first heard Tories proclaiming that a vote for UKIP would let Miliband and Labour in I wondered if that was the best they could do. But UKIP do have a habit of proving that they are truly on the lunatic fringe. Well, look at Nigel Farage for starters. Somebody who tries so hard to be 'a character' only proves himself to be a completely mad, egocentric, attention seeking berk.

Now UKIP councillors in Norfolk have proved that this problem is apparent throughout the party. The nutters UKIP councillors on Norfolk County Council have gone into alliance with Labour, the Greens and the Lib Dems and a Labour leader has been installed. The Tories are the largest group on Norfolk County Council.

Forgive me but I am not aware that supporting that motley crew of statist misfits is very libertarian, which UKIP claim to be. Did the people of Norfolk who voted UKIP really expect to find their county council led by a Labour councillor because of the support of UKIP councillors? I doubt it.

Furthermore, on Twitter I saw a UKIP member asked what the party's position was on the legalisation of marijuana. The UKIP member replied that the party would hold a referendum to find out what the populace wanted. Oh right, so would they hold a referendum to find out if 51% of the population wanted murder legalised? What a cop out to avoid answering a question on a controversial issue. Again, if UKIP was truly a libertarian party it would support the legalisation of marijuana, and be honest about that.

Like wanting out of the EU but wallowing on the gravy train, UKIP are just proving themselves to be the most cynical of the political parties rather than an alternative. Making the right noises to attract protest votes on a range of issues, but offering nothing of any substance. Their policy of massively increasing state expenditure, but cutting taxes, would bankrupt the country faster than you could say Gordon Brown. They aren't bright and I would warn anybody to look beneath the surface if you think these nutjobs are a credible alternative to the LibLabCon.

Woolwich-Proving The World Has Gone Mad!

I wasn't going to say much about the brutal murder of a squaddie yesterday in Woolwich by a couple of barbarians, and I still won't. But I will make a couple of observations on the reaction to events.

It seems that many people can only condemn the murderers if they also condemn the 150 or so demonstrators who turned up in Woolwich last night.

Leading on from that people seem to be drawing parallels between the EDL and islamic nutters. I know little about the EDL but am not aware that they have killed thousands of people throughout the world in assorted terrorist attacks.

For saying what I have just said above about the EDL I am likely to be attacked for being at best an EDL supporter, at worst a raging fascist/racist/xenophobe/islamophobe.

I've seen one idiot's response on the internet that effectively said that we shouldn't condemn muslims because last night he had a good muslim in a takeaway cook his nan bread just how he likes it, slightly burnt around the edges. Muslims should also be excused anything because said muslim even offered to cook him another if it was too burnt. That makes it alright then.

One nutjob on the internet has already claimed that Cameron organised last night's murder so he could react like a strong man and shore up his plummeting poll ratings.

I saw a screen shot (I think that's what it's called) of the EDF Energy Twitter account. They had to constantly deny that they were demonstrating in Woolwich last night and that it was in fact the EDL.

I also saw an internet forum where EDL supporters were demanding that the Brighton Pavilion be demolished and be rebuilt in Saudi Arabia. I suppose from a certain angle, just about at dusk, if you squint a little and use your imagination it does look a tiny bit like a mosque.

But don't despair. David Cameron's in charge and he's chaired a Cobra meeting this morning. We'll be OK.

Don't Blame UKIP-Blame Cameron!

The Tory Party is in denial, and UKIP is their convenient scapegoat. But let's be perfectly blunt, the reason they are heading for defeat is David Cameron. The man is a totally unprincipled, clueless, uncharismatic chancer who has blown his opportunity. So the Tories blame Farage, a totally unprincipled, clueless chancer who at least has a little charisma, but ultimately is a con man who will be exposed by the glare of publicity heading his way.

Cameron and the Tories claim that they must occupy the centre ground. But all that seems to mean is 'let's piss everybody off, not just the wet pinko liberals'. Ultimately it means trying to be all things to all men and it just doesn't work. Tory activists who try to defend this government increasingly sound like occupants of a certain Berlin bunker in April 1945, or Comical Ali as US troops marched into Baghdad. 'Swivel eyed loons' maybe?

What the Tory Party leadership has done, is what the party has been doing for decades, it has driven solid hard working supporters into the arms of a party whose leadership, not just its membership, consists primarily of swivel eyed loons. Attacking and vilifying defectors from your own party is hardly going to tempt them back. What the Tory Party needs to do is to stop being so arrogant and aloof and look at the real reasons, reasons far deeper than the mere existence of loonies like Farage and UKIP.

It is evident to most people that the desire to be free of the shackles of the EU, and the need to control immigration, are two positions that are based on common sense. A majority in this country clearly have deep concerns about these issues, they therefore represent the centre ground. The more Cameron and company cling to their nice cosy idea of their own peculier centre ground then the more activists and volunteer branch officers will walk away. Cameron seems happier pissing off his party activists than pissing off the political elite in London's trendy bars and tearooms.

You only have to look at the set of daydreams that UKIP call policies to see that apart from leaving the EU, they still have no credible philosophy or practical policies. Indeed, it makes a dedicated anti-EU campaigner like me wonder if membership of the EU would actually be preferable to an independent Britain under UKIP rule. Their policies are every bit as barking mad as those of the EU, Farage and his MEPs have learnt well during their time on the gravy train.

With two years to go there may just be a chance of the Tories changing and taking a common sense approach but that would mean ditching Dave. Even then it would be a tall order, but at least there would be the chance to install a leader who could use common sense and start rebuilding after the defeat in 2015 that looks increasingly inevitable.

Let's face it, Cameron couldn't win the 2010 general election when Brown was the loathed, ridiculed and generally despised successor to Blair. What chance against Miliband in 2015 when you have driven a sizeable proportion of your natural supporters out of the party?  Sitting on the sidelines, playing nicely with Clegg and Cable while blaming UKIP is patently absurd and lazy. It's Dave stupid!

Graduate Social Workers-Oh Shit!

I nearly choked on my Weetabix this morning when I read about graduates being fast tracked into social work here. What a waste of a degree that. Three years studying to end up screwing up peoples' lives as a social worker.

Now, if this government wasn't such a wet, pinko gang of misfits they could help reduce the deficit by abolishing social workers, not fast tracking bloody graduates into becoming mithering do gooders.

Then they could abolish swathes of degree courses, starting with the ones that are so useless you are only fit to go into social work when you graduate.

George Galloway MP

Just in case you ever start taking the sick bastard seriously, above is a reminder. He's the one on the left, naturally.

Yesterday Was Europe Day!

Here's how Europeans marked the European Union and its flag:

 

 

Jimmy Savile, Stuart Hall and Barbara Hewson

Barbara Hewson has been pilloried this week for an article she wrote for Spiked Online.

The gist of her well reasoned argument was that accusations of relatively mild sexual misbehaviour by stars years ago, stars who are now elderly, are being used in a wave of puritanical vengeance by police forces and pressure groups.

She quite reasonably argues that certain investigations in this climate of moral outrage go against the most fundamental principles of our judicial system. The complainant automatically becomes the victim and the presumption of innocence, in cases of alleged paedophilia and other cases of sexual assault, is being abandoned.

The point she makes that caused wild headlines and huge media interest was at the very end when she suggested lowering the age of consent to 13. I recommend reading the article in full and have provided a link below.

The full article can be read here.

Libertarian v Fabian

If a Libertarian doesn’t like guns, he doesn’t buy one.
If a Fabian doesn’t like guns, he wants all guns outlawed.

If a Libertarian is a vegetarian, he doesn’t eat meat.
If a Fabian is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone.

If a Libertarian sees a foreign threat, he thinks about how to defeat his enemy.
A Fabian wonders how to surrender gracefully and still look good.

If a Libertarian is homosexual, he quietly leads his life.
If a Fabian is homosexual, he demands legislated respect.

If a black person is Libertarian, they see themselves as independently successful.
Their Fabian counterparts see themselves as victims in need of government protection.

If a Libertarian is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation.
A Fabian demands someone take care of him.

If a Libertarian doesn’t like a TV programme, he changes channels.
Fabians demand that those they don’t like be shut down.

If a Libertarian is an atheist, he doesn’t go to church.
A Fabian non-believer wants any mention of God and religion silenced. (Unless it’s a foreign religion, of course!)

If a Libertarian decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it.
A Fabian demands that the rest of us pay for his.

If a Libertarian slips and falls over, he gets up, laughs and is embarrassed.
If a Fabian slips and falls, he grabs his neck, moans like he’s in labour and then sues.

If a Libertarian reads this, he’ll forward it so his friends can have a good laugh.
A Fabian will delete it because he’s “offended”.

The Centre Ground. What is it?

Modern politicians are grey, bland nonentities. That's not a mind blowing statement, it's actually pretty much a given. The pitiful mess that was the election of Police and Crime Commissioners last year, and the poor turnout at last week's county council elections, wonderfully underline that point. People no longer trust our politicians, and the more disliked they become the more they cry about staying 'on the centre ground'. But what is this sacred 'centre ground'?

The centre ground seems to be a political euphemism for doing very little that anybody could actually disagree with. It is the ultimate in political correctness, don't upset, offend or disagree with anybody. Those on the centre ground are basing their political careers on not rocking the boat by having a firm belief that somebody else may oppose. European Union? We know it's not working so we'll renegotiate. Immigration? We can't do anything about that because of the EU, but we'll pass some minor tinkering legislation that sounds good. Sick of murderers and other serious criminals being released early, often to reoffend? We'll clamp down on criminals, we'll take their tellies off them. And so it goes on. It pisses everybody off.

Increasingly when I see Clegg and Cameron, looking like bland genetically modified versions of Blair, I feel like throwing a heavy object at the telly. They are patronising zombies with about as much passion as a pair of beached jellyfish. If they represent the centre ground it's time we rocked the boat and dumped them overboard.

I have never known a time when politicos despaired quite so much about the mainstream parties in England. I don't include the Lib Dems in that, they have never really been more than political whores prepared top sell their grannies to get a town councillor elected, they epitomise the centre ground, so they don't count. By mainstream I mean Labour and Conservative. Few socialists I'm acquainted with regard the Labour Party as a party they can actively support. Few conservatives I know regard the Conservative Party as a party they can actively support.

John Major garnered 13m votes in 1992, then the Tory Party moved to the centre ground. In 2010, despite being up against a generally loathed and ridiculed Gordon Brown, Cameron's Tory Party could barely muster 10m votes. Welcome to the centre ground Dave. You stay there while the rest of the country looks for something else. Problem is, while you sit on the centre ground the ever growing vacuum you create will be filled by some potentially very dangerous opportunists.   

The Problem with Protest Votes

More and more people seem to be becoming ever more disillusioned with political parties. They seem to trust politicians less and less which is hardly surprising looking at the ever increasing number of broken promises and scandals such as the expenses farago and the Chris Huhne fiasco. But is a protest vote the answer or is abstention the better option? Personally I prefer spoiling the ballot paper, at least you show that you have bothered to turn up and spoilt ballot papers are counted. Not turning up could be seen as not caring or being just too lazy.

In the run up to the elections tomorrow I have seriously pondered abstention but have been told, by several people, that I have a duty to vote, that people fought wars for my right to vote. No they didn't. They fought to protect our national interest, to defend us from invaders and yes, to save our democracy. But that democracy includes the right to vote, it does not mean I have to vote. True democracy means that you have choice. I have the right to stand for election, but choose not to. I have the right do lots of things but choose not too. It is not democratic to merely go into a polling booth and vote for a person or party you do not support just because it is the lesser of several evils, especially because you are forced to or expected to. If I have no candidate I feel able to vote for why vote just for the sake of it?

If we choose not to vote for a mainstream candidate why vote for a fringe/protest candidate we don't know or necessarily agree with? The risk of electing a nutter is far too great. This last fortnight we have seen a stream of nutty candidates exposed, mainly UKIP candidates, but the leader of the Green Party was on the BBC last week and struck me as being seriously unhinged. Indeed I have seen Green Party and UKIP activists at close quarters and the prospect of either running my city or county council is quite terrifying. I prefer not to even contemplate either party actually forming a government.

The problem with minor parties is that they tend to attract either single interest eccentrics, or serious obsessives. Numerous fringe candidates have been exposed this last fortnight and been disowned by their party, mostly too late to be removed  from ballot papers, meaning there is a danger that a disowned fruitcake could still be elected. But if a handful of fruitcakes have been exposed standing for fringe parties, out of several thousand candidates in total, how many loonies have not been outed and could be elected? UKIP have accepted they have not vetted their candidates. Is potentially inflicting a loony on the electorate a sensible form of protest? Is it even true democracy? I don't think so.

Unless you have spent a relatively short amount of time doing a little research I would suggest a protest vote is far more dangerous than abstention or spoiling your ballot paper. Then again, if you can't be bothered spending a few hours researching the people who may spend the next five years representing you, then maybe you get what you deserve.

Gun Control




One law for individuals, another for the state

Another UKIP Scandal

Crampton and UKIP leader Farage

Only this morning I posted about the pitiful election leaflet we have received from our UKIP candidate. I was only out for a few hours but when I came back I heared of yet another reason, far more serious, for not voting UKIP on May 2nd.

One of their candidates in Sussex, Anna-Marie Crampton, has been told to stand down in the election, although her name will still be on the ballot paper, for alleged anti-Semitic remarks regarding the Holocaust. It seems she has also urged people to read 'The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion', a pretty vile hoax written around 1900 by Russian anti-Semites to justify their anti-Semitism. The story is covered in the Jewish Chronicle Online.

The problem with UKIP is that despite an army of staff, funded by their MEPs, they don't seem to use those resources to vet their candidates. Or maybe they just hope the more 'eccentric' ones will be able to survive a campaign without coming out with something embarrassing at best, utterly damning at worst.

Part of the problem is that the amount of coverage a party gets during an election campaign, such as the number of election broadcasts they are allocated, depends on the number of candidates they have. So pressure is put on branches to find candidates, at all costs, so an occasional nutter slips through the net. But it's hard to blame it on that when the photograph of a shamed candidate with her party leader is all over the internet.

UKIP is riddled with people who believe in conspiracy theories, especially Common Purpose and the New World Order. The problem is that people like Anna-Marie Crampton are exposed every now and then, as are other 'eccentrics' in UKIP, but what if the one that flies under the radar gets elected?

More on this story from The Brighton Argus.

UKIP-County Council Elections May 2nd

Nigel Farage-serious politician?

This week I had a UKIP election leaflet popped through the letterbox. I've now had Tory, Labour and UKIP election material. Comparing the three it is quite obvious why people who claim to be voting UKIP to pollsters don't actually vote for them when the real election comes around. To say the UKIP leaflet is amateurish would be an understatement. It is like a fourth formers first effort in the school mock election.

For a start it is only A5, and one side of that is blank. What a waste of space. But I suppose as the party has gone native squandering EU funds like that is now par for the course. But here is the start of the message from the candidate:

"I have decided to stand in this election for UKIP as I am sick of Conservative, Lib Dem and Labour local politicians taking me and my vote for granted and offering nothing in return, preferring to follow orders from their masters in Westminster."

Oh the irony. UKIP's masters sit in the EU parliament, including leader Nigel Farage whose grip on the party makes Stalin's grip on the USSR look tenuous. The party exists merely to keep their MEPs and their staff on the gravy train, hence the lack of serious effort in these UK elections. Just compare their literature this year with the standard they will produce for next year's gravy train elections. But the next paragraph on the leaflet goes on:

"If elected I will never follow a party line to the detriment of our area. I promise to represent your views and will always put our community first."

Well then, tell that to Nikki Sinclaire MEP. Nikki refused to sit with the UKIP group in the EU parliament because of the assorted homophobes, racists and other nutjobs in the group from various EU countries. Nikki was promptly expelled from the party and now sits as an independent MEP for the West Midlands. More on Nikki's treatment by UKIP here.

He then continues:

"Common sense solutions for a Britain independent, free and fair."

There is no explanation as to what the candidate or UKIP's idea of 'commonsense' is or what they mean by 'fair' or 'free'. Just empty rhetoric that means absolutely nothing. But there's more. The leaflet goes on:

"UKIP is a patriotic party that believes in putting people first. To shore up the collapsing Euro and (I think that should be 'the' rather than 'and') EU is now seeking to pull away the props of our national economy-control over taxation and spending.

Only UKIP will give the power to the British people to regain self-government."

Interesting to look at a few of the words in this little offering, or rather a few of the words not in this little offering.

Although the head of the leaflet carries the sentence 'County Council Election' the name of the county isn't mentioned once. It is actually Lancashire County Council.

County Hall is in Preston. This isn't mentioned once but Westminster pops up. As does the Euro and the EU.

Mention is made of the EU taking control from Westminster over taxation and spending. Not once has a service provided by Lancashire County Council been mentioned, let alone a UKIP policy at that level.

Any party that can produce an election leaflet that fails to mention one single policy, that fails to mention one single service that the county council provides and fails to even mention the name of the authority for which the candidate is standing, deserves a sound thrashing on May 2nd.

Happy St George's Day

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountain green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England's pleasant pastures seen?
And did the countenance divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among those dark satanic mills?

Bring me my bow of burning gold!
Bring me my arrows of desire!
Bring me my spear! O clouds, unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire!
I will not cease from mental fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant land.

If You're a Scouser, Look Away Now!

They teach them young in Liverpool

I've been especially busy recently earning a crust, to pay the taxes that keep our bloated welfare state afloat, so I was shocked yesterday to hear that there had been a purge of people I'm acquainted with on Twitter.

Firstly freedom of speech means freedom of speech. There is a hackneyed old phrase that says; 'freedom of speech does not mean the right to shout fire in a packed cinema'. Fair enough, there are logical limits. But causing offence is an integral element of free speech. If I read something that I find offensive I have the freedom to continue reading or to stop reading. That is my right. Why should the writer, who offends me, be stopped from writing? But that is what is happening in our ever encroaching authoritarian, police state. Plod can't come out to deal with a burglary, but offend some oversensitive pillock and Knacker of the Yard will feel your collar faster than you can say.....well, something offensive.

It seems to me that social media is more like attending a football match than attending a heavy duty political debate or debating society. There is a great deal of macho posturing and outdoing of allies as well as opponents. We don't behave at a football match the way we do in the office, and people don't behave on Twitter and Facebook, in the main, the way they would on the hustings in an election campaign. I am speaking here of politicos using social media. Rather than reasoned debate aimed at converting opponents it is much more about trying to grind down opponents and boost your allies. If you don't like people on the right calling people on the left 'leftards', or even worse, then don't read them. If you don't like lefties throwing the word 'fascist' at anubody who disagrees with them, then don't read them. If you do, and engage them, expect it to get bloody but don't cry.

This week several heavyweights of the no nonsense, largely libertarian area of the internet have been purged. They have done nothing terrible. They haven't incited people to riot or to blow something up. They have offended somebody. For causing offence they have been banned from Twitter. In the case of Old Holborn his blog has also been taken down, whether by him voluntarily, or by the authorities forcibly I am unsure. But this link gives a good appraisal of Old Holborn's blog.

So what has Old Holborn done? It seems that he has upset Scousers and their questioned their famed victim status. From what I have found on the censored internet he questioned the accepted view of the Hillsborough disaster and the murder of Jamie Bulger. Old Holborn is hard hitting and controversial. As far as I am aware he put forward perfectly reasoned arguments that you may or may not agree with which, when I was at school, was what free speech was all about. Old Holborn, as far as I'm aware, has been writing on the internet for a few years and has survived. Until now.

Old Holborn may have caused offence but what happened to him says it all about modern Britain. His real identity, and that of his wife and children, were published on the internet as was his address. His mobile number was published and he has received numerous death threats. Threats have also been made against his employer.

But he chose the wrong target this time. He chose Scousers, and one of them complained to the police that he was upset.  You see the problem is that Scousers think they are so hard and tough, but offend one and it cries like a big baby. So the Old Bill felt Old Holborn's collar, for expressing a personal opinion. Old Holborn has been nicked and banished to some kind of internet Siberia.

Other people on Twitter have been banned after lynch mobs of lefties have hounded them after 'being offended'. I'm not aware of anybody on the libertarian right having anybody banned for being offended, although I have seen some appalling abuse fired at people by lefties. Libertarians believe in free speech. But that's for another blog post.

If you sit in your armchair watching TV, never uttering an opinion or taking sides in a debate then you'll be fine. But if you think that one day you might just, possibly, maybe want to say something that another person may not agree with then you should be very worried, you may find yourself nicked.