Leave Us Alone!

I am getting tired of charities and medical bodies trying to boss us around and interfere in our lives. This time it's a food charity called Sustain, backed by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health

They are urging the government to slap a levy of 20p per litre on soft drinks. A levy is a euphemism for a tax. With the tax they squeeze out of us they want to buy fruit and veg for schools. Tell you what, you're a charity, raise the money yourselves and stop thieving off the rest of us, we pay too much tax already.

It's time a lot of these organisations that call themselves charities were reviewed. In many cases they should lose their charitable status as they are merely pseudo-political campaigning bodies. A decent government would carry out a wholesale review of charity law and the Charity Commission.

David Ward Lib Dem MP and Holocaust Memorial Day

Another twat MP. Thank you Bradford!

Well what an utter turd David Ward really is.

He accuses "the Jews" in Israel of "inflicting atrocities on Palestinians...on a daily basis".

According to him he was "trying to make clear that everybody needs to learn the lessons of the Holocaust".

The Lib Dems have "condemned his use of language".

Mealy mouthed shits Ward and his party aren't they? But what do we expect from Lib Dems?

Holocaust Memorial Day is 27 January!

It would be awful to think that Ward was merely ingratiating himself with the Muslim population of his constituency. Surely Lib Dems aren't such political whores?

David Cameron and that EU Speech

Having read the speech I can't help concluding that it was just  fluff and bull. In fact it was just fluff and bull, definitely.

I have debated membership of the EU over the years with Lib Dems and people from other parties, and Eurofanatics from the European Movement. Not once have I heard a really convincing argument for our continued membership.

The EU has kept the peace in Europe since 1945? No it hasn't, that was NATO, the Cold War and the threat of mutual annihilation.

We would lose trade if we left? No we wouldn't. EU countries would not refuse to sell us cars, wine and so on in a fit of pique if we left.

Europe is the sick man of the world. We need to rid ourselves of all the rules, regulation and bureaucracy that is stifling Europe and turning it into a stagnant mess. We need to be confident and look to the world, Brazil, China, India and other countries that are the economic future.

But enough, to Cameron's speech. Don't just take my word for what a load of waffle it was, read the full transcript here in the Spectator.

The New Puritanism

There has been something unpleasant happening in this country for a long time. Part of the problem is political correctness, which has oozed into our national life in a quite unpleasant way, but it has been allowed to happen because people haven't stood up and said enough is enough. We live in a culture where the worst crime you can commit is to cause offence.

There has been a fuss in the media the last couple of days because the BBC played a childrens TV show called Tweenies that featured a character based on Jimmy Savile. I have every sympathy for victims of paedophiles, indeed for any victim of a sex crime, but yesterday I heard a professional victim advocating all TV and radio recordings featuring Savile be destroyed. His premise was that programmes such as the Tweenies episode could upset victims of sexual abuse. He was abused and now runs a support group for victims.

I would argue that the man running the support group has reminded many more victims what happened to them by spending hours on the media attacking the BBC, many more people heard him than saw the Tweenies. So, by his logic, there should be no media coverage of sex crimes at all, just in case it upsets a victim.

As for destroying recordings of TV and radio shows including people later found guilty of sex offences where do we draw the line? We could wipe from the record whole chunks of our popular culture. Actors, footballers, singers and a great many people in other high profile jobs have been found guilty of sex offences. Do we, in the great tradition of Stalin, expunge the lot and pretend they never actually existed? Of course not, we would also lose examples of the work of the decent, talented many as well.

The Trouble With Political Parties

There's a bit of a kerfuffle in UKIP at the moment where there appears to be one of their regular purges going on. Those being chucked out in this current round of blood letting are those who have publicly backed the idea of 'gay marriage', which UKIP opposes.

I oppose 'gay marriage', although I believe that gay couples should have the same legal rights and protection as heterosexual couples. I oppose it on the grounds that marriage is between a man and a woman. I do  not believe that to be homophobic in any way, although the usual emotionally incontinent obsessives elsewhere on t'internet have called me, and others with similar views, homophobes.

However, I do believe that political parties should allow some leeway on issues of conscience such as this, and that UKIP have over-reacted, as they usually do. Why Cameron is so obsessed with this issue, which few other people in the country feel is of vital national importance, we can only guess. So I do not understand why any political party should force members out over the issue.

What it really shows is how dehumanising political parties have become. Yes there is a need for discipline, but there should also be room for debate and dissent, within reason. On any matter of conscience individual members should be free to take up their own position, especially on issues such as this, capital punishment, abortion, euthanasia and similar. The public are sick of hearing party spokesmen just parrot the party line, they want real human beings who can think for themselves. Sadly when independent thinkers surface in a political party they are all too often hounded out.

Lance Armstrong

I've never had many heroes, plenty of people I admire but few I'd call heroes. Lance Armstrong was one, a man who beat cancer then went on to win the toughest sporting event in the world. To see him fall from grace makes me sad rather than angry. What makes me angry are the people jumping on the 'let's crucify Armstrong the drug cheat' bandwagon.

In recent years I've lost count of the number of cycling books I've read, especially books about Le Tour, I recommend some of those on the current bandwagon read a few before they continue pontificating. I suggest especially Tyler Hamilton's autobiography The Secret Race, David Millar's autobiography Racing Through the Dark and David Walsh's The Seven Deadly Sins. Walsh is the journalist who initially, way back when Armstrong won his first tour, tried to expose his cheating, Millar served a ban for drug use as did Hamilton, a long time colleague of Armstrong's.

Armstrong has now admitted doping and has stated that he will have to spend the rest of his life apologising. It seems that his confession, and in all likelihood having to return millions in prize money, sponsorship and money received from successful past libel victories, not least against The Times, is not enough for the mob. The mob seems to want blood and won't be happy until Armstrong is dangling from a tree in Texas.

Yes he has now admitted using performance enhancing drugs. But most of the peleton throughout the nineties and up until recently were using performance enhancing drugs. That doesn't make it right, but many riders, such as Millar and many others, were eventually seduced into using drugs as they knew they could not achieve what they were worthy of otherwise. They saw rider after rider with less talent leaving them behind because they were not using drugs. Eventually they gave into temptation and many cyclists have faced bans at best, death at worst from using illegal substances.

Armstrong, as in everything in his life, was just the most clever, maybe the most cunning at doing what was almost institutional in professional cycling. Yes he was a bully in attempting to cover his tracks and his treatment of Betsy Andreu, wife of former teammate Frankie, and others was unforgivable. But few sporting champions are known for being soft and cuddly. They are invariably single minded, ruthless and have one interest, winning. This often translates into arrogance, bullying and a lack of consideration for others.

Sadly numerous Tour winners have been stripped of their titles after failing drug tests, not just Armstrong. In most years a new winner could not have been handed the title as so many behind the winner were eventually found guilty of using performance enhancing drugs too. Many previous winners, not stripped of their titles, admitted in later years using banned substances. Armstrong wasn't the first and it is unlikely he will be the last.

Armstrong has finally admitted his offences and could now face financial ruin and possibly even prison for previously swearing under oath that he had never used performance enhancing drugs. He must now cooperate with the authorities, rather than the pathetic Oprah Winfrey, and finally spill the beans on everything, going back to his career before he had cancer.

We must also remember that except for the dogged determination of USADA Armstrong would never have been outed and lost his Tour and Olympic titles in the first place. If he'd been from a country other than the USA he would probably still be feted as one of the greatest athletes we've ever seen, a seven times Tour de France winner. The US authorities must be congratulated for that, just as the UCI role in doping, especially Armstrong's should be independently investigated.

David Cameron-Unprincipled Coward

Clueless!

So David Cameron has bottled out of his long awaited speech on our relationship with the European Union. No surprise as he is the most unprincipled, spineless and cowardly Prime Minister we've ever had to suffer. He makes Blair look like a man of substance. OK, that's going a bit far but you get my drift.

So he hides behind the crisis in Algeria. What is he planning to do, pull his trollies on over his trousers a la Superman, fly under his own steam to the desert and single-handedly free the hostages?  With a ludicrously high number of government departments, ministers, junior ministers, advisers and bureaucrats don't tell me that, in this modern age of communication, Cameron couldn't delegate and still make his much trumpeted speech. No, the man is a charlatan and the Tories should bin him immediately.

The truth is that Cameron is scared witless of the EU and is terrified that it will be his downfall, which it must be if he continues to lie and hide his real beliefs on our relationship with the EU in order to pull the wool over the eyes of the electorate. The man is beneath contempt.

Human Rights? Don't Make Me Laugh!

They're a bit like the word 'fascist' I suppose, the words 'human rights', the more they are bandied about the more they lose any kind of significance or meaning. Question the wisdom of uncontrolled immigration from the EU and you'll be labelled a fascist by some swivel eyed pinko liberal loon. Dare to mention the Daily Mail and aforementioned swivel eyed loon will label it fascist. The Mail is not my paper of choice but come on, fascist?

Then we have the ludicrous obsession with human rights. There's a good argument against the tyranny of the majority, after all, if 51% support the slaughter of the first born in every household does democracy say that it should happen? Of course not, democracy is tempered by morality, which tells us it is wrong to slaughter the first born. But for decades now our system, including our system of morals, has been undermined. Militant atheism is one of the most virulent tools being used against our system and human rights are being used as a very effective weapon. What the modern obsession with human rights has given us is the tyranny of the minorities.

One example of the tyranny of the minorities was the forced closure of Catholic adoption agencies for refusing to place children with gay couples. These agencies did magnificent work for children and parents for many, many years but because of our Catholic beliefs the state closed them down by declaring it illegal to refuse gay couples the chance to adopt. The rights of gay people obviously override the rights of Christians in this country.

So what happened to diversity? What happened to the much trumpeted concept of people from all cultures, beliefs and religions happily living side by side? Great idea, unless you're a Christian. Then increasingly you are left on the outside of this wonderful world of diversity and tolerance. Surely, with any number of adoption agencies catering for gay couples, there is room for agencies who object on grounds of conscience? Couldn't gay couples just find an agency that would help them adopt? What next, close down Catholic churches unless they cater for Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and so on?

This week we have had the results from the European Court of Human Rights. Again, in two of the four cases the rights of Christians were trampled on in order to support the rights of gay people. Surely on grounds of conscience, and in the interests of diversity and freedom of choice, people should be allowed to decline to marry gay couples or to provide them sex counselling? As with adoption there are any number of counsellors and registrars who would have no objection to counselling gays or presiding over civil ceremonies for gay people so their refusal on grounds of conscience is not depriving gays of their rights. But these people have now lost their basic right to work because of their beliefs and consciences.

Increasingly 'human rights' are being used to oppress the majority. The more those two words are bandied around the more oppressed the citizens of the UK become. The police state is tightening its grip on an almost daily basis.

Christian Oppression Continues in the UK

European judges have ruled in favour of Nadia Eweida who took her case to the European Court of Human Rights after BA made her stop wearing a necklace with a cross. Judges ruled that the rights of three other Christians had not been violated.

The other cases involved nurse Shirley Chaplin whose employer also stopped her wearing necklaces with a cross, Gary McFarlane - a marriage counsellor fired after saying he might object to giving sex therapy advice to gay couples - and registrar Lillian Ladele, who was disciplined after she refused to conduct same-sex civil partnership ceremonies.

In a typical piece of cowardice the British government backed this oppression of Christians. A sad sign of the times in modern Britain. It seems that freedom of speech and conscience exist as long as you follow the prevailing politically correct orthodoxy. Otherwise all the talk about diversity and equality is just more bullshit.

I Smell Political Bullshit!

Prize for the most fatuous political bullshit of the year so far has to go to George Osborne for the following statement on why he, a multimillionaire, is happy to give up child benefit:

"I'm giving up my child benefit from today so that my children-and yours-aren't saddled with our debts forever". 

Job done then. But bloody hell, how much has he been getting in child benefit?

In a further bout of political bullshit induced nausea I got a phone call today from an ex-UKIP member asking me if I had the details of their regional office so he could rejoin. Interestingly he managed to get my new mobile number but couldn't find the number of UKIP's regional office. Says it all really.

Anyway he wanted to rejoin because they are doing so well at the moment. Stop the bandwagon, I want to clamber aboard. When I asked him how he'd come to this conclusion he told me how they were on 16% in a current opinion poll. I see, job done then, they've cracked it. Wonder what went on at the last election then when polls put them on double figures but they could barely muster around 4% in the election? Oh aye, an opinion poll is meaningless crap whereas elections actually see people get elected. Big difference.

My prediction for the next two years? The Tory media will continue to 'big up' UKIP and their threat to the Tories so that said Tories will return to the Tory fold for fear of handing the next election to Miliband and co.

If that fails there will be a series of exposes of Farage's sordid personal life involving allegations of excessive drink and Eastern European ladies of a very generous nature to Western European gents with big fat expense accounts. At least one other UKIP MEP will be caught claiming huge expenses for not turning up and another one will make an admission about unmentionable sex with an animal in a former colony when he was a callow youth.  

Not forgetting the home front a UKIP local election candidate will hit the news by advocating the chemical castration of homosexuals and the beheading of anybody caught wearing a burka.

Seems pretty much like business as usual then.

The Falkland Islanders Reply To Argentina

Following is a response from the Falkland Islands to the President of Argentina's continued belligerent colonialist threats to the freedom and self-determination of the Islands:

 

FALKLAND ISLANDS
Falkland Islands Government Reaction to Open Letter from President Fernandez de Kirchner

It is disappointing that today the Government of Argentina is once again ignoring the rights and wishes of the Falkland Islands people. The open letter sent by President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner to David Cameron is not only historically inaccurate, but fails to mention the most significant aspect of our recent history – the attempt by the Argentine Government to take away our home by military force when they invaded thirty years ago. The people of the Falkland Islands, who for nine generations have lived and worked these lands, would like to take the opportunity to clarify some points raised by President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

The Falkland Islands had no indigenous population prior to their settlement by our ancestors – the Islands were unoccupied. Argentina claims the Falkland Islands form part of the province of Tierra del Fuego – an area that was not claimed as a part of the Republic of Argentina until after two generations of Falkland Islanders had been born and raised in our Islands.

There is no truth to Argentine claims that a civilian population was expelled by Britain in 1833. The people who were returned to Argentina were an illegal Argentine military garrison, who had arrived three months earlier. The civilian population in the Islands, who had sought permission from Britain to live there, were invited to stay. All but two of them, with their partners, did so.

We are not an implanted population. Our community has been formed through voluntary immigration and settlement over the course of nearly two hundred years. We are a diverse society, with people from around the world having made the Islands their home.

The UN Charter enshrines the right of all people to determine their own future, a principle known as self-determination. It is in exercising this right that we have chosen to retain our links with the UK. It is this fundamental right that is being ignored by the Argentine Government, who are denying our right to exist as a people, and denying our right to live in our home.

As a modern, self-governing Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom, we enjoy a relationship based on the shared ideals of democracy, freedom and self-reliance. We are not a colony of the United Kingdom; we are a British Overseas Territory by choice, which is something entirely different. We are not governed by Britain: we are entirely self-governing, except for defence and foreign affairs. We democratically elect our Legislative Assembly Members; they are chosen by the people of the Falkland Islands to represent them and to determine and administer our own policies and legislation. In March we will be holding a referendum on our political status, so that as a people we can make our views heard in a clear, democratic and incontestable way.

The Honourable Dick Sawle

Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Falkland Islands

Stwffio'r Cymru

Sometimes I'm just not in the mood for radio phone-ins, today being a case in point.

I feel like crap with a bug that kicked off around a week ago and just goes on and on. But we have to eat so I had to shop, which was a brief but painful foray into the local supermarket. Then I had to take three bags of crap to the tip so we don't end up with plague as well. That's where it all went seriously tits up. I was out of the house for no more than forty minutes but every minute felt like being tortured for an hour.

So when I got to the tip and found a huge queue I wasn't happy. You see, they were manoeuvering a truck to take away a recycling bin and 'elf 'n' safety says the public might die if they move their cars while that is happening. Bloody nanny state!

But even worse I had to listen to some intellectual pigmy on BBC Radio 2 banging on about how the Welsh language should get more subsidies. Bollocks you turd! According to the latest census figures, despite billions in subsidies over the last thirty years or so, the Welsh language is in decline. The intellectual pigmy turned out to be a Plaid Cymru MP for some ridiculously unpronouncably named constituency which probably has more sheep than voters.

So, said Welsh nationalist wants our hard earned taxes to subsidise some group of ageing new age types in a squat in Snowdonia to produce meaningless pseudo rock songs in Welsh about the environment and mother earth to an audience of about ten billy goats. Meanwhile we all tighten our belts and see services cut, quite rightly too, because we're sinking under Labour's legacy of debt and irresponsibility. But oh no, not for the Celtic subsidy junkies, 80% of whose GDP comes from Westminster subsidies in the first place. That is, from you and me.

Of course a living language wouldn't need state subsidies. Is Welsh a living language? Here are a few Welsh words, see if you can work out the English and you can decide if it's alive or dead:

Ambiwlans
Parc
Troli
Lotri
Mwslim
Tacsi

There, if you get those words right you probably know as much Welsh as 98% of the population of Wales. I will  now contact the Welsh Office to collect my subsidy for promoting the Welsh language.

If you haven't worked out the title of this blog it involves doing to the Welsh what you did to your turkey before cooking it for Christmas.

Happy Christmas

A light shall shine upon us this day: for our Lord is born to us; and He shall be called Wonderful, God, the Prince of peace, the Father of the world to come, of Whose kingdom there shall be no end.

A child is born to us.

And to us a Son is given.

Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord our God, that we who rejoice in celebrating the birthday of our Lord Jesus Christ may deserve by holiness of life to attain unto fellowship with Him. Who liveth and reigneth forever and ever. Amen.

The BBC Christmas Session

The BBC soaks up vast amounts of our hard earned cash, so it's only right that they occasionally produce something worth watching. Last year they made The Christmas Session featuring Bellowhead, The Unthanks, Lisa Knapp and others.

I recommend putting it on your viewing list this Christmas, let's face it, now they're no longer showing Laurel and Hardy films at Christmas there's not a lot else worth watching.

The BBC Christmas Session.

Sign of the Times

Last time I was in Manchester (last weekend) I bumped into somebody I used to know. He's in his fifties now and I can't remember the last time he had a job, he still hasn't got one.

I saw him last about twelve months ago when he proceeded to slag off the government, expressing his anger quite forcefully and regretting having voted Conservative. When I asked him what the problem was it was that the DSS had sent him for a medical as he'd been on disability/invalidity benefit, at least that's what I think it was, and they were checking he was still medically unfit for work. His anger was induced by the fact that they had found him perfectly fit and able to work.

This time I saw him I asked how he was getting on. He smiled and told me how was now being treated for mental health problems. He's still on benefits. I'm not sure but I swear he winked as he told me.

Nice to know how our hard earned taxes are being spent isn't it? Then nutty lefties rant about us, and businesses, not paying enough tax. Stuff 'em!

Andrew Mitchell and Class War

I always had doubts about the sacking of Andrew Mitchell and it looks increasingly like he has been the victim of a conspiracy. Even if he had used the word 'pleb' big deal! If everybody who lost his temper at work was sacked the dole queues would be even bigger than they are now. The hysteria around name calling, be it 'pleb', 'black bastard' or whatever shows just how infantilised we have become as a society. Grow up and get on with it.

But with Andrew Mitchell it looks increasingly like the actions of the police involved came down to politics and sheer spitefulness. The Police Association are becoming ever more hysterical about the cuts, which in my opinion are nowhere enough, and they seem to be increasingly obsessed with political correctness rather than good old fashioned policing. Public trust in the police is at an all time low which should worry everybody. But I suppose it is inevitable as so many years of Labour in power has corrupted and weakened just about every British institution. It is increasingly like living in a banana republic, and Cameron hasn't got the balls to do what is needed-shrink the state and cut taxes.

The backdrop to all this is a nasty vindictiveness towards people seen as from a class above, or seen as a having a bit more money than most, stoked up as ever by the hate filled hypocrites in the Labour Party. It seems that we have to treat everybody with dignity and respect, even convicts, but God help you if you are seen as successful or wealthy, then it's open season in the most hateful and unpleasant manner. So Cameron is from a wealthy background and went to a public school. A similar background to Blair then. If people want to knock him, as I frequently do, then do it for sound political reasons, not because you're an envious, bitter and hate filled socialist who begrudges success.

How long before the morons from UK Uncut start attacking individuals who earn more than minimum wage because they're bored of whining about Starbucks?

Gay Marriage

It seems that Cameron's social democrat government is determined to alienate as many people in the country as possible. Lately we've had the fiasco of the PCC elections which 80% of the population couldn't be mithered getting involved with.

Now they are determined, despite a total lack of interest from the populace at large be they gay or straight, to redefine marriage. Yet things that do concern the public, such as the EU, are completely ignored. I suppose as this government has no mandate they have no reason to worry what the electorate want or believe.

On the question of 'gay marriage' there is a wonderful article by Brendan O'Neill in Spiked Online. A must read I would say.

David Morris MP, Morecambe and Lunesdale

David Morris and his researcher.

David Morris is a snivelling little shit who must lose his seat at the next election.

The Bruges Group have done a study of MPs and how they have voted since 2010 on selling our country to Brussels. Here is the full list.

The little turd who currently pretends to represent me scored a derisory -72%. One term only for you little fella.

Little To Blog About

I suppose it was inevitable when the grey man himself became Prime Minister and then Geek of the Century was elected Labour Leader that things would become mind numbingly dull.

That's largely why I'm finding it difficult to blog much at the moment. No big characters, no big ideas and all the political nutters seem to be obsessed with how much tax coffee shops have paid or should pay in tax. Big deal, the less tax we pay the better, then the state may stop bombing foreign countries then spending billions on foreign aid.

In short, I'm bored.

Annual Police Terror

The Annual Police Terror is upon us. From now until New Year there will suddenly be police on most of our roads in numbers we all thought the cuts had made impossible. God help you if you've necked a quick glass of port at the office Christmas Party.

No doubt there will be morbid TV ads of angelic children explaining how daddy was cruelly taken from them by a nasty man who'd had a pint of Hobgoblin before driving home. There'll be a sobbing walk-on actor telling us all, voice shaking, how he wiped out a family of six while driving after eating a packet of wine gums.

Yesterday there was a disgusting phone-in on BBC Radio2 with people proudly telling us how they'd grassed up loved ones to the police. One woman proudly told us how she'd grassed up her mother-in-law who had been on the sherry before driving home. The poor woman was nicked, dragged off to the station and released without charge. She was innocent and her son is now, thankfully, divorced. The Stasi would be proud of modern Britain.

Merry Christmas.