Aid to Pakistan-Cardinal O'Brien

With some terrible world events in recent weeks it's taken, yet again, a Roman Catholic Cardinal to articulate the wishes of the majority.

Speaking at the launch of a report into the persecution of Christians throughout the world Cardinal O'Brien said:

"I urge (Foreign Secretary) William Hague to obtain guarantees from foreign governments before they are given aid.


"To increase aid to the Pakistan government when religious freedom is not upheld and those who speak up for religious freedom are gunned down is tantamount to an anti-Christian foreign policy.


"Pressure should now be put on the Government of Pakistan - and the governments of the Arab world as well - to ensure that religious freedom is upheld, the provision of aid must require a commitment to human rights."

If you listen to virtually any radio station that has a public phone-in, or speak to a reasonable cross section of the public, the would agree with the gist of what the Cardinal has said. Additionally there is growing anger at the fact that this government is still shipping millions in aid to India and China, when they are spending millions of their own money on nuclear weapons and, in the case of China, oppressing its own population.

Then we have the case of Afghanistan, where people converting to Christianity are sentenced to death by the state, a state we helped establish and have troops laying down their lives to defend.

But most of us gave up thinking our government was there to defend us, our beliefs and our way of life a long time ago.Thank goodness for people like Cardinal O'Brien
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Coverage of Cardinal O'Brien's speech from the Press Association.

Persecution of Christians in Afghanistan

I can't help wondering if we have actually achieved anything, despite the tragic loss of life, in Afghanistan. The constitution agreed in 2004 seemingly guarantees religious freedom, but persection of Christians seems as bad as it was under the Taliban. So I wonder what will happen when the UN troops finally depart?

Sayed Mussa converted to Christianity. He was sentenced to death as Sharia law apparently superceded the constitution. He has since been assaulted and raped by other inmates under the influence of the Taliban.

Once again it underlines the fact that foreigners will never tame Afghanistan. More importantly it shows that yet again, the supposed successes of Tony Blair and New Labour were nothing more than con tricks and sleight of hand.

Full Story From New York Times.

Tony Blair Cancels Book Launch!

I can just imagine Blair looking across the breakfast table and telling Cherie he's scared about his book launch party after those nasty people were horrible to him in Dublin.

After looking across the breakfast table at her ugly mug for all those years I'd have thought he could face anything. But no, Cherie looks at her very own cash cow and tells him not to worry, if it's a bit dangerous they'll cancel it.

Good job Cherie wasn't Sergeant Major B'Stard listening to Private Blair telling him why he would prefer not to have to go to Iraq or Afghanistan if Sergeant Major doesn't mind awfully.

Two faced, cowardly, hypocritical, war mongering, lying piece of shit!

I was considering advertising Blair's book for sale at £500, on the grounds that anybody stupid enough to buy it would be stupid enough to pay it. But I can't bring myself to buy a copy, even at 50% discount.

Sign the Petition to Support Our Soldiers

Like many I oppose our actions in Afghanistan and Iraq but applaud the professionalism and courage of our armed forces. What a contrast they are to our politicians. Please follow the link at the end of this post to sign the petition:

Early Day Motion [EDM 1053]
Rank and Pension of Soldiers Killed on Active Service

‘That this House, convinced that the courage and devotion to duty of members of the British Armed Forces who are killed while on active service for their country should be recognised and rewarded in every possible way, particularly by the pensions and help given to the families they leave behind , recommends that the Ministry of Defence’s rule providing that pensions on promotion are payable only after the role for the new rank has been held for a year should be revoked for those killed in the service of their country so that their families are paid the rate appropriate to the rank held at the time of death; and considers that the family of Sergeant Matthew Telford of Grimsby, promoted to the rank in June 2009 but killed by an assassin in Afghanistan in November of that year, along with Guardsman Jimmy Major of Cleethorpes and three other soldiers, should be paid the full pension appropriate to the rank he was proud to honour at the time of his death’.

Please click here to go to the petition.

Soldier Boy by Pete Reidy

I was doing some TV extra work this week and it's amazing the people you meet when you do that. This week it was musical people, Billy who plays drums in a band and Mel who was a professional singer before retiring a few years back. You really do meet some interesting and entertaining people doing that kind of work.

On Thursday I heard Billy talking to a fella who'd just written a song and put it on YouTube, so I checked his name and it was Pete Reidy, and the song was called Soldier Boy.

I was working on Friday too so stayed over in Manchester on Thursday night. Today I cranked up the old laptop and had to have a butchers. What a fantastic song, it really sums up the public mood of the time, God bless our troops they make us so proud but bring them home, we don't want the war. For me it is the best protest song I've heard in years, part protest song part tribute to the British forces.

I hope Pete doesn't mind me bunging it on here, I think it deserves as wide an airing as possible:



If you liked it here is Pete Reidy's website

Vacuous Apologies

It's a pathetic spineless government that apologises for events in history. I was brought up to apologise for things that were down to my actions, not other peoples' actions. That is just plain vacuous and designed to make the apologiser feel good, it is shallow and meaningless.

So after the crass apology for slavery, despite many black Africans still buying and selling each other, Gordon Brown has now apologised, on whose behalf I do not know, to all the children shipped out to Australia some time between the 1930s and the 1960s. I hope he didn't apologise on my behalf because it wasn't anything to do with me.

I wonder how many years it will take him and Blair to apologise to our servicemen and others over Iraq and Afghanistan. I wouldn't hold your breath, that would mean accepting respoonsibility too, something else New Labour isn't good at.

Afghanistan and Iraq

Five more soldiers have died in Helmand, Afghanistan. The conflict there is unjust and we should mourn all deaths in Afghanistan, and Iraq, especially the British servicemen.

While our government is happy to hand the power that we loan it to Brussels, they must realise that neither we, the Iraqis nor the Afghans want them over there exercising power by means of an illegal war.

It's time that we brought the troops home and left others to manage their countries as they see fit, not as we would want them to. After all, look at the mess politicians have made of government over here.

And if the politicians of the three big parties claim we are there to make us safe from terrorism, ask them this simple question: "Why are you increasingly legislating against our freedoms and liberties in the name of counter-terrorism".

Wimp Nation

At the theatre in Manchester last night, we were greeted with the notice that you see on the left. It really made me despair at what a nation of wet, drippy, wimps we have really become.

No doubt if they hadn't put the warnings up some bloodsucker, in about 6 months time, would have sued the theatre claiming it was that unexpected bang at the play that brought on his eventual heart attack.

As far as the smoking goes, some quisling, grass, snitch whatever you want to call them, would have phoned the police hotline to tip them off about what they thought was illegal smoking. That or some over-dramatic tart in the tenth row would have started exaggeratedly coughing and spluttering as if choking to death as soon as a fag was lit. Said tart would then have sent a dry cleaning bill to the theatre claiming her clothes reeked of second-hand tobacco when she got home, and she'd even had to wash the curtains too!

And to think there are soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq living in crap, seeing terrible things and suffering terribly themselves, many coming home in their coffins. Is that really the kind of thing they are fighting for?

Fighting Politicians

Now if our politicians showed this kind of passion, they might, just might, garner a little respect from the electorate.



In fact it would be a much better way of settling international disputes. Blair could have saved thousands of lives by just contacting Sadam Hussein and asking him to send his 50 hardest politicians to, let's say Geneva. Blair sends his hardest 50 and they settle it that way. Don't tell me that is less civilised than British squaddies having to give their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The only problem we would have is finding 50 politicians with any bottle. You wouldn't immediately think "oh, I'll send Lady Mandy of Mandelson" would you? On second thoughts.....

Afghanistan and the European Union

This article in The Times says it all about our presence in Afghanistan. Despite thousands of troops the election was a fraud. So what happens when our troops leave? Nothing at all will have changed is the answer.

Afghanistan isn't worth a single British life and the British politicians who sent them in should be put on trial, Tony Blair first up. Notice his kids haven't joined up, which at least the Saxe Coburg Gothas do.

But which type of democracy are we trying to impose on Afghanistan, the British type or the European Union type. It strikes me that the Afghans are nearer the EU type-if you don't like the result, just have another vote.

Afghanistan Election-EU Approves

The EU observers have noted that the election in Afghanistan was mostly OK, although in some areas there was intimidation, in some areas people were unable to vote etc., etc. However the result will stand.

It seems that the EU only demands that polls be re-run where there is absolutely no evidence of any wrongdoing whatsoever, such as Ireland.

This Sick Labour Government

If there is one story that epitomises the vile nature of this Government then it is surely this one. They go rampaging into foreign countries when they feel like it, sending our soldiers to death, many because they are poorly equipped, then treat the injured like pariahs.

The Government is launching an appeal over two soldiers who won massive increases in compensation paid for injuries.

Light Dragoon Anthony Duncan, who now walks with crutches after being shot while on patrol in Iraq, was originally awarded £9,250 which was increased to £46,000 by an appeal tribunal.

Royal Marine Matthew McWilliams fractured his thigh in a military exercise and was awarded £8,250, increased to £28,750 on appeal.

The High Court upheld the higher awards, ruling that the Ministry of Defence argument that there should be a distinction between the original injury and later complications was "absurd".

Now the MoD is taking the case to the Court of Appeal, where lawyers are expected to claim the pair should be compensated only for the initial injuries and not subsequent health problems.

It is being heard as the death toll in Afghanistan continues to rise, with a British soldier becoming the 20th to die this month.

Since the start of operations in 2001, 189 British service personnel have been killed.

And to think, over 6,000 people in Norwich North still voted for the Labour Party. Makes you wonder.

Afghanistan, Iraq And War Criminals

Blair, Brown and others deserve putting on trial once the disasters of Afghanistan and Iraq are over and our troops are home. Here is the full litany of how they not only invaded foreign sovereign states but did it, and carry on, while putting our troops in unneccessary added danger by underfunding and under supplying them.

Brown and his minnions are now scurrying around claiming that the action in Afghanistan is making the UK a safer place. Oh really?

Over the last 30 years many of us felt much more in danger from the IRA than we have felt in the last few years from Al Qaeda. In the past I've been very close to several bomb attacks by the IRA as have family members, including the Manchester bomb, the '96 one as well as the two in the 1970s, and the Canary Wharf bomb. I was sat on a train at Charing Cross when the London Bridge bomb went off and was in London when the Bishopgate bomb was detonated by the IRA.

I don't remember the British government threatening to invade the Irish Republic or the USA, who arguably gave much more support to Irish republican terrorists than Afghanistan has to Al Qaeda. And Sinn Fein/IRA are now power-sharing!

It would be nice to one day see a great Soviet or Nuremberg style show trial with the current batch of war criminals, and those retired, getting their comeuppence.

Now that's off my chest I'll go and start Richard North's book Ministry of Defeat, reviewed here.

Iraq And Afghanistan-Time To Leave

We should never have gone into either Iraq or Afghanistan. If my country had been invaded as those two countries were, I too would now be joining forces with people I may despise normally to fight the invader. Sadly our troops are being killed for an unjust war and the government should be got rid of for that reason, regardless of what they have done to the economy.

If the 'war on terror' is used to justify invading Afghanistan then what about any number of other countries that could be invaded on that pretext?

In additon to invading countries being morally wrong, Afghanistan is such an alien and complex society that 'victory', whatever that may be, is highly unlikely.

Here is an excellent article about Afghanistan by Matthew Parris.

Red Fridays-Support Our Troops

I despise our government. I opposed the aggression against Iraq and Afghanistan, but that was our government. Our troops are the best in the world and deserve the support of us all. Blame the government not the troops.

I just received the following by email. Please copy and paste and spread it as widely as you can:

RED FRIDAYS

Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing Red every Friday.

The reason?

Englishmen and women who support our troops used to be called the 'silent majority'.

We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for Country and home in record breaking numbers.

We are not organized, boisterous or over-bearing.

We get no liberal media coverage on TV, to reflect our message or our opinions.

Many English people, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of Britain supports our troops.

Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that every Briton who supports our men and women afar will wear something red.

By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make Great Britain on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football team

If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family, It will not be long before Britain is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once 'silent' majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on.

The first thing a soldier says when asked 'What can we do to make things better for you?' is...'We need your support and your prayers'...

Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example; and wear something red every Friday.

IF YOU AGREE -- THEN SEND THIS ON

IF YOU COULD NOT CARE LESS THEN HIT THE DELETE BUTTON.

IT IS YOUR CHOICE.

THEIR BLOOD RUNS RED---- SO WEAR RED! ---

Is The Mayor Mad?

No, not Boris Johnson, we all know he's mad.

This is the mayor of Kiev, Leonid Chernovetsky. I first heard about him this morning when I read that he had recorded a CD of songs because only God had a better voice. In selfless fashion the millions of dollars a day he expects from sales will help bail Kiev out of a financial hole.

But now killjoy MPs have demanded a psychiatric report after a series of eccentric initiatives. Chernovetsky recently issued a call for all OAPs to be tempted into state care with a diet of caviar and pineapple.But killjoys in the Ukrainian parliament have called for medical tests after fears for his mental condition.

He has also approved plans for a giant sculpture of a flying cow and a public monument to street lights. He has refused to comment on the MPs demands and has instead gone on holiday.

But Kiev residents have demanded he return home and undergo medical examinations immediately. One resident said: "Anyone who thinks old people are going to just move out of their homes they have lived in for decades because someone offers them a bit of exotic fruit and caviar is obviously completely bonkers. He needs testing."

Personally I think it's a shame, after all he hasn't started bombing countries he doesn't like. Now that is madness.

Breaking News

It seems that Gordon Brown has just landed in Iraq, Barack Obama in Afghanistan. Some opportunity there for changing the course of world history!

Military Uniforms

There was a sad inevitability about the news that military personnel are being advised not to wear uniform off base for fear of abuse or attack. There are several reasons for this, a situation which is abhorrent to most reasonable people.

Firstly our government has frequently sent our forces into areas where most people in the UK believe we should not be. The government has used the armed forces to try and garner popular support. Even as the news about RAF Wittering broke Gordon Brown was talking about getting military personnel to wear uniforms off base to try and increase support for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Thanks to the contempt in which most of us hold the political class, and the corrosive influence of political correctness, respect for our institutions is disappearing and, sadly, that includes our armed forces in some quarters. If the governing class will not listen, and people feel powerless, then the populace will direct their contempt, wrongly in my opinion, at that which they can see and reach. In the case of Afghanistan and Iraq that means the armed forces.

Finally, when you have a sizeable proportion of the population that does not accept our liberal democratic system, values, beliefs and culture, then you have an inbuilt enemy that holds that which we admire and respect in contempt. Internal conflict then becomes inevitable.

No matter how much we disagree with the government's war obsession, our service personnel deserve respect and much better treatment from the public and, more importantly, from this government.