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February 28, 2005
Increasing hassle of employing people
PLANS to extend maternity rights were condemned by business leaders last night who said that they could "cripple" hundreds of thousands of companies.
Tony Blair will announce today that millions of parents with school-age children could soon have the same right to part-time work as families with infants. The "right to request" flexible work would also be extended to 1.8 million women who look after sick or disabled relatives..... "The aim is to get [statutory maternity pay] right up to the full 12 months by the end of the next Parliament," she added.
Ms Hewitt noted that the Government had already doubled the length of statutory maternity pay from 13 weeks in 1997 to 26 weeks, while maternity leave has been extended from six months to a year.
As GODFREY BLOOM said (and was deliberately misunderstood and hounded):
Who loses out from this? Certainly small businesses lose something when they can't recruit the best person for the job. But the biggest single victim of the legislation is any woman of childbearing age who wants a job with a small business. She faces untold behind-the-scenes discrimination because businesses simply cannot afford to employ her.
Posted by The Englishman at 6:56 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Why the long face?
Telegraph | News | Horse owners face jail over passports
Thousands of horse, pony and donkey owners face fines or even jail from today because they have failed to obtain passports for their animals....
The Government has already extended the scheme's deadline twice: it was first due to come into force in January last year, before being put back to June 30. However, with only a small proportion of equines covered by that date, the deadline was extended again to today....Critics of the scheme say that the Government should have derogated from the EU law, as previous administrations have done, on the grounds that few British horses - about 7,000 a year - enter the food chain...The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said enforcement would be carried out in "a common sense and gradual way".
Note how people are starting to just ignore absurd laws and the Government caves in - but of course little Defra shits will pick out some easy targets to prosecute.
Posted by The Englishman at 6:42 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 26, 2005
Mrs Englishman and I went out for dinner last night - I was under strict instructions to behave. Previous Dinner parties have resulted in a certain coolness in the air the next morning - the one where I went out for a Rugby Club lunch and I hoped they wouldn't notice how drunk I was when we arrived. As Basil Fawlty said "I think I got away with it" - but apparently I told a most unsuitable joke... And then when we went to mix with some nice people, all went well until she said "when my horse goes toilet". To THE toilet you stupid woman, and bloody horses don't go "to toilet"; they stale. Learn the proper word... And then the one where I thought I had nothing wrong, and she didn't let on for a week the reason for the marital frostiness was that I went to sleep at the table for twenty minutes - I didn't fall into the pudding though... and the time I had an allergic reaction to the Kedgereee and it looked like they had had Bobby Sands in decorating the Bathroom ....
So best behaviour last night - bugger, I went to sleep on the sofa before the coffees - deep doodah yet again.
So I woke this morning with:
General feeling of malaise
Vision abnormalities
Taste abnormalities
Drooping eyelid (ptosis)
Loss of eye motion etc.
And it gets worse - the Englishettes are going down with Chicken Pox - routine vaccinations don't happen in the UK. And guess what? I have never bloody had Chicken Pox. So I'm feeling itches everywhere as I imagine I'm being invaded and reading articles such as MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Herpes zoster to see the symptoms (such as above)...
I'm doomed Captain Mainwaring, doomed I tell you - the red cross has been painted on the door and I am carrying a bell...
Posted by The Englishman at 8:14 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
February 25, 2005
A quiet scream of desperation
The local council over the last few years has spent a minimum of Ł205,000 on a fatuous Greenie initiative to mark local lanes as "Quiet Lanes" - they have employed professional PR, given away "fluffy" gifts etc. But now they have had to do a Quiet Lanes Review
And whoops -
"It can be seen that support for the scheme in the area has reduced sharply since implementation. This is a threat to the success and longevity of the scheme since support is essentially to encourage a change in user behaviour."
And also, as we all predicted, it hasn't made a blind bit of difference to anything - speeds have on average dropped, but then also have on non "Quiet Lanes".
The report has that quiet scream of desperation as a middle manager tries to present a failed project as a success and a reason for his job to continue...
And strangely the Council for once isn't going to continue supporting failure - they are scrapping the further expansion - Hurray!
Posted by The Englishman at 7:14 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
February 24, 2005
We have been gathering evidence and we may use it against you..
BBC NEWS | England | Cornwall | 'Darkie Day' filmed by officers
Police in Cornwall have confirmed they filmed an event in which locals black up their faces and dance through the streets of a Cornish town.
Police shot video of the most recent "Darkie Days" in Padstow and have submitted a file to the CPS.
Local district councillor Sarah Townrow said on Thursday Padstow residents were "fed up with being pushed around".
She warned Britain was becoming a "nanny state", adding: "Nobody has got any malice in them.
"I am sure there is no more trouble goes on at Darkie Day than at any other celebration in any town in the country.
"We just want to be left alone to enjoy it."
Strange people down in Cornwall - but then we have Darkies Lane in our Village named after an Indian couple who lived there over two hundred years ago - they appear to have just integrated into the village life and their genes are mixed in to the local gene pool. Amazing how they managed to do that without the aid of the Race Industry....
Posted by The Englishman at 11:28 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Quotes of the Day
We must put safety before liberty, says Blair
Liberty Quotes & Quotations compiled by GIGA
Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
- Benjamin Franklin
Give me liberty, or give me death.
- Patrick Henry, in a speech
Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined.
- Patrick Henry
Posted by The Englishman at 6:43 AM | Comments (13) | TrackBack
February 23, 2005
If you know who Mary Isabel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien is you won't need this:
Stage names - Wikipedia
Posted by The Englishman at 11:27 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Kim - please put all breakables out of reach before reading this.
BBC NEWS | England | Home-taught girl ordered to class
The parents of a County Durham girl have been prosecuted for not giving her a proper education at home.
They have also been ordered to return the unnamed child to school after a case was brought by Darlington Local Education Authority (LEA).
As the law stands parents are entitled to teach their children at home, but Julie Garnett of the LEA fears some children are not being taught properly.
She also warned more prosecutions would follow if similar cases were found.
A spokesman for Darlington council said: "If you are going to educate a child at home you have to prove to the LEA that you are actually doing that. ...
"There will certainly be more court cases in future as children have the right to an education."
Posted by The Englishman at 7:13 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
February 22, 2005
Last call for Pork Futures
An Englishman's Castle: Support the fight against Islamofascists and Global Warming Scaremongers - Part Two
The pork is coming back on Thursday in half pig packs - properly butchered and wrapped, no head or extremities - just oven ready pork I'm pricing it at Ł2 a kg as I haven't got a freezer to take it and Mrs Englishman doesn't want it in the house.
Are you interested in a half? - I could send it out by courier if needed at your risk and cost.
The Bacon will be along later after it has been cured.
Posted by The Englishman at 10:50 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Help request - especially from Texans
Regular readers might know that my wife tries to help a local charity (The Devizes Opportunity Center) to raise money.
This year there is an idea to hold a Chili Cookoff in the summer - but we are Limeys and have never been to one and don't have any idea how to hold one - any help really appreciated.
Posted by The Englishman at 10:41 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
I may be some time
Little man, what now? is a newish blog on the scene - seems fairly sound except they appear to like cats. Go and say Hi!
Posted by The Englishman at 3:08 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Sudan Food Crisis
Bleary eyed from an evening's range practice at the Pub I started to read about the growing Sudan food crisis; my pleasure at the public waking up to the African Tragedy was tempered when I noticed that it actually was "Sudan 1" which was the problem - a tiny amount of potentially carcinogenic colourant that has crept into Pot Noodles and other processed foods. It must have been a couple of months since we last had a food scare! At least it kept the "Vegans are harming their children" off the front page. So I turned to the token male cooker writer in The Times describing following a recipe with the phrase "Caressing Nigella's every passage with buttery fingers"; which put me in a better mood.
Posted by The Englishman at 9:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 21, 2005
Whoops I have just broken the Hunting Act - see you in chokey
Just went to get dressed (yes, I blog in my Pyjamas)and a mouse jumped out of the heap of festering pig feeding/dog walking clothes. So shut the doors and get the Jack Russles in - chaos but we ran him to ground behind the Ottoman and 'Pollo got him.
I thought that mouse hunting was exempt but rereading the Hunting Act 2004 I see it is only rats that I can hunt with the dogs, not mice. So shall I ring the police up and turn myself in?
Posted by The Englishman at 7:47 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
British Blogging a waste of time?
Tim Worstall
points out:
Europhobia is extremely gloomy, stating UK Blogging: Officially a pointless waste of everyone's time, and Martin Stabe provides a good set of reasons why (our press is already partisan, unlike the US) in British Blogs, a waste of time?
Probably in a political sense, but not for the reasons stated.
It is that Tony Blair etc. are barefaced liars, the media points this out, everyone knows it and no one seems to care. Ditto with the media, so what have bloggers got to expose?
As this article says:
Whatever ruses Blair has adopted have come all too naturally to him. At one point when the WMD issue was blowing up in the Prime Minister's face (if nonexistent weapons can be said to blow up), John Prescott, the deputy prime minister, confronted the unruly MPs from his party, telling them vehemently, "The Prime Minister does not lie."
But he does. Or, at least, he has repeatedly said things that were not the case, often enough to suggest that he has genuine difficulty with the concept of objective truth. Some of his lies are trivial. Politicians like to add color and glamour to their resumes, and Blair was simply doing that when he claimed that as a boy he had been a stowaway on a plane bound for the Bahamas (for which there was no independent evidence), and had watched Jackie Milburn playing soccer for Newcastle (he would have been too young). It was much more alarming when Blair told a television interviewer that he had voted to ban fox hunting. The point was not the rights and wrongs of that highly contentious and emotive issue; it was that at the time the Prime Minister? or rather, the Member for Sedgefield? had never voted in the Commons on the matter one way or another.
Posted by The Englishman at 7:10 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Sick Humour
BBC NEWS | Northern Ireland | We can't tolerate crime - Adams
Any republicans involved in criminality should be expelled from the movement, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has said.
"No republican worthy of the name can be involved in criminality of any kind," he told crowds of about 1,000 at an IRA memorial unveiling in Strabane.
Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness agreed with Gerry Adams that the current situation was very serious but his party would not tolerate any criminal links within its ranks.
Also in today, but carefully avoided on the BBC as far as I can see:
Telegraph | News
Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, the Sinn Fein leaders, were publicly named as members of the IRA's Army Council in an unprecedented move by the Irish government yesterday.
Posted by The Englishman at 7:00 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
February 19, 2005
Not Hunting
A bright clear morning so like thousands of others I went "Not Hunting" with the Tedworth Hunt. The meet was at Lady Rothschild's invitation at her house - Cake and Port for everyone.
"Bollocks to Blair" was the message everywhere - more pictures for those who missed it.
Gone away...
Posted by The Englishman at 2:30 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
February 18, 2005
After Lunch...
On Kim du Toit's site someone wonders about the wonderful report of what happened when the Greenies attacked the City Traders, and got more than they expected: They ask
but why was going in after lunch a bad idea?
My dear boy - in England some of still have a drink or two at lunch even on a working day. I know the last alcoholic drink during work in America was on 19th March 1987 but here we aren't all Puritans. And mix a few pints with some Cockney Barrow Boys, sprinkle with Aggro and the fun starts.
Wanders off whistling "Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner..."
Posted by The Englishman at 1:36 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Compelling - my arse
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Greenhouse gases 'do warm oceans'
"If you take this data and combine it with a decade of earlier results, the debate about whether or not there is a global warming signal here and now is over ż at least for rational people."
For once I can't complain of the BBC's use of "sneer" quotes.
Greenhouse gases 'do warm oceans'
They "DO"
By Paul Rincon
BBC News science reporter in Washington DC
Scientists say they have "compelling" evidence that ocean warming over the past 40 years can be linked to the industrial release of carbon dioxide.
Ah, it is only "compelling evidence" one paragraph in
US researchers compared the rise in ocean temperatures with predictions from climate models and found human activity was the most likely cause.
Oh and by the second paragrah it is only "likely"
...This model reproduced the observed temperature changes in the oceans with a statistical confidence of 95%, conclusive proof - say the researchers - that global warming is being caused by human activities.
Now we get to it - they have finally produced a computer model that fits one lot of observed data from the past - whoopyfuckingdo. Give me a hundredth of their budget and I bet I can produce a 95% confidence model that matchs the number of white vans driving past my office to the amount of rain - provided I can add a few extra "fudge factors". I'm off to read what other have to say.
Stotty and Brignell should provide a sniff of reality.
Posted by The Englishman at 6:41 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
A local Labour Councillor at work
Councillor Zoe Hopkins has a nice little blog - for some reason it showed up in my referrers, so it might be unfair to pick on her, but it is a fascinating insight into the world of a local Labour councillor:
It seems I'm having a high profile week, by my standards anyway. A photo of me and some of my colleagues from the Birmingham Women's Aid event was in the Birmingham Post last week...
I've also been writing a press release today as we are going to get 23 Police Community Support Officers...
I had a meeting this morning to discuss recommendations for the You Are Your City scrutiny review I've been working on. It's been a very interesting review, and the working atmosphere has been quite amiable for the most part. We even had a minor breakthrough in relations between the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties this morning when we joined forces in arguing against the use of a semi-colon in the phrase You Are Your City; Clean and Safe...
All typical meaningless fluffy Local Government stuff, but then the mask slips...
On another issue, I caught part of Tony Blair talking to the people on Channel Five tonight. I just heard the last question on climate change and Kyoto, because I was watching the Channel Four news where Margaret Beckett was talking about the same issue. She was quite vague - talking in terms of choices that people will need to make over the next 10-20 years in terms of changing lifestyles and consumption... I'm quite pessimistic about the whole issue, particularly with the U.S still refusing to sign up to Kyoto - how long will it be before making choices has to become active enforcement to try to address the problems of climate change?
"active enforcement" - now that is what it is all about in the end.
Posted by The Englishman at 6:22 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Silent - but not for long
For the horn of the hunter 's now silent,
On the banks of the Ellen no more,
No in Denton you'll hear its wild echo,
Clear sound o'er the dark Caldew's roar.
For forty long years have we known him,
A Cumberland yeoman of old,
And thrice forty years shall have perished,
Ere the fame of his deeds shall grow cold.
No broadcloth nor scarlet adorned him
Nor buckskin that rivals the snow.
But of plain Skiddaw gray was his garment,
And he wore it for work, not for show.
For the horn of the hunter 's now silent,
On the banks of the Ellen no more,
No in Denton you'll hear its wild echo,
Clear sound o'er the dark Caldew's roar.
When darkness at night draws her mantle,
And the coal round the fire bids us still,
Our children will say, "Father tell us
Some tales of the famous John Peel."
We'll tell them of Ranter and Royal,
Of Britain and Melody too,
How they put up our fox at Keswick
And chased him from scent to full view.
From Denton to Brighton to Skiddaw,
Through Isel, Bewaldeth, Whitefield,
We galloped like madmen together,
To follow the hounds of John Peel.
So long may we hunt with each other,
Till the hand of old age you can feel,
And men feel like sportsmen and brothers,
So remember the hounds of John Peel.
Posted by The Englishman at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 17, 2005
Made my evening
Pasty faced Labour MP is sent packing.
Some nulabour nark, "Dan Norris", thought it would be a good idea to go to the Home of Hunting for the television. - It made great viewing as he was pelted with cream and eggs as he was forced to run away - thank goodness he was wearing dark trousers as I could smell the fear over the ether!
"How dare this man come to our village," A local said. "He has just ruined the villagers' lives. Why come to Badminton, which has been the home of the Beaufort hounds since 1650, to gloat about what he and his fellow backbenchers have achieved? We have been treated in the most crass way imaginable."
She added: "I think he was asking for it."
Posted by The Englishman at 9:36 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Tim 1 Prescott 0
Tim Worstall has won! I meant to help earlier but imagine this is 1942 and so like some nations I am turning up late to the battle and will claim victory as mine!
What? - oh it is to associate a certain Mr John Leslie Prescott PC MP, with a certain indelicate phrase...
Fuckwit sorry if that offends but Prescott really is a Fuckwit.
Posted by The Englishman at 9:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
They are all after my money..
Tim Worstall and L'Ombre de l'Olivier are after my million pounds - hah! I say! It is mine and I have started to spend it already. Just as soon as I get through on the phone +1.303617393468 I will be rich!
Posted by The Englishman at 9:17 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
The Ruling Class
Smoking is a subversive act | Samizdata.net
An economy based on voluntary exchange is not inherently unstable and in need of programmes of demand management and a welfare state. People of different nationalities can live together without having to be bullied by law into pretending to love one another. We are not running out of natural resources, and our industrial pollutions do not threaten life on earth. There are no satanic child abusers. Sexual abuse of children is statistically insignificant. Smoking and drinking and consuming other drugs and fatty foods are at least less dangerous than is claimed, and there is no good reason to believe that passive smoking even exists. But whether a problem is real is far less important than whether the people can be brought to believe in its reality and in the need for solutions that justify income and status for the ruling class and its various client groups.
Posted by The Englishman at 10:18 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Abfall Macht Frei
Residents of Croydon, south London, have been told that the microchips being inserted into their new wheely bins may well be adapted so that the council can judge whether they are producing too much rubbish.
If the technology suggests that they are, errant residents may be visited by officials bearing advice on how they might "manage their rubbish more effectively".
Ve notice you have been buying Lard again, and these tomatoes are GM. Come vith us and we will re-educate you....
Posted by The Englishman at 9:04 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Potemkin Bollocks for the IOC
Members of the public gathered at Stonehenge to demonstrate that the whole country is in favour of hosting the Olympics...
Yes, Glorious Comrades a spontaneous outpouring of love and support from the Public (who just happen to have a huge professionally produced banner!)
How like in Dec 1939 when the order was sent out "COMRADES WILL REPORT IN THE RED SQUARE TOMORROW AT NINE O'CLOCK FOR A GREAT SPONTANEOUS DEMONSTRATION".
And this is from The Telegraph - who should have a sense of reality and they call it professional reporting.
A Pound to a Penny the "happy smiling" members of the public were bussed in by their employers - Local Government, or other tax-payer funded organisations. They seem to be following the example, of for instance, the front page of the newspaper Labor[Trud], Dec. 30, 1936. "The whole country exalts, laughs, and gleams with merriment/because children live joyfully/the country is marvellous for them/and each hour, whether study or leisure/has become unusually joyful/because, for us children/our great Stalin is our best friend."
Posted by The Englishman at 6:54 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Another surrender, another click of the ratchet
Telegraph | News | Britain urged to back European top prosecutor
Speaking at a seminar at the European Parliament in Brussels, Mr Brüner, a German former judge, hailed the EU constitution for "removing the walls" currently enforcing a strict separation between the union and national criminal justice systems.
During negotiations to draw up the treaty establishing a constitution, Britain tried in vain to block any mention of a pan-European public prosecutor, arguing that the task was best left to national prosecution services.
Finding themselves outnumbered, British negotiators surrendered that "red line",...
Posted by The Englishman at 6:22 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 16, 2005
Live and learn
The admirable Kim du Toit has been assembling some care packages for a couple of Marines in Iraq - amongst the many and weird items he is sending Tampax - to quote:
Tampax are literally lifesavers when it comes to treating bullet wounds. The little buggers are sterile, expand to plug the hole (as every woman knows), and cause the blood to coagulate inside the wound.
I read a letter from Marine Mom, wherein her son says that every Marine in his platoon now carries four Tampax tampons in their battlepack med kit.
Sanitary pads are also good for covering large-area wounds and staunching blood flow, so I included a box of Kotex as well.
Posted by The Englishman at 9:58 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
How fashionable are you?
The Baby Name Wizard's NameVoyager
To begin start typing in a name!
Posted by The Englishman at 8:12 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Please call +1.303617393468
I have tried to get through but all I get is a modem talking to me - and I have won Ł1 million and all I want to do is claim it. If you get through ask them to just send the cheque.
It is not often they leave their telephone number available....
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Posted by The Englishman at 5:59 PM | Comments (15) | TrackBack
Dead Tree Blog
All Consuming is a website that visits recently updated weblogs every hour, checking them for links to books on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Sense, and other book sites. Every book on this site has a list of all the weblogs that have mentioned it, and every weblog that has mentioned books in the past also has a page here listing which books it has mentioned.
The last thing I need is more books on my "to read" list - but this is fascinating - it utilises the dispersed knowledge filtering of Blogs to pick out some great Books...
Posted by The Englishman at 6:26 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Local Shooting News
BBC NEWS | England | Wiltshire | Protesters get Ł30k compensation
Ten animal rights protesters were awarded Ł30,000 compensation by police after officers were accused of falsely imprisoning them.
The campaigners claimed they were wrongfully arrested while demonstrating against a pheasant shoot at Wansdyke Farm, Ham, near Marlborough, Wiltshire.
They were arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm.
A Wiltshire police spokesman said the case was settled out of court and without any admission of liability.
The protesters' lawyer, Iftikhar Manzoor, said that on 27 October 2001 they stood next to the shooters, forcing them to stop.
He said this was a commonly-used method for halting a shoot because gun-handling guidelines say a shooter must 'break' the gun to make it safe, if approached.
That is 50p of my Rates going to a good home then! - Ł3000 for a nice day out in the countryside, pissing off some posh people and being banged up for a few hours. Where do I apply to join in?
Posted by The Englishman at 6:20 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 15, 2005
To be sure - it wasn't meant
BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Irish fury over ambulance clamp
The Dublin Airport Authority has voiced regret after an ambulance waiting for a seriously injured patient was clamped by airport police.
Thank goodness when my old friend the Stasi Agent and his wife went to watch the Rugby they had no such problem. Getting into the taxi at the airport she went to put the seat back and cut her finger off. The young Lady paramedic first on the scene had to go round the corner to vomit so the fire brigade had to help out; but they got Mrs SA to the hospital and tidied up. Of course when he went to the match he had a spare seat and didn't think to ring and offer it to me.
Still apart from that, a great Dublin weekend was had by all.
Posted by The Englishman at 10:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Calling Chicken Little!
If you ever wonder where you tax money goes...
Wiltshire Wildlife Trust - Trust to set up climate friendly communities
The Wiltshire Wildlife Trust has received a grant worth Ł90,000 over three years from DEFRA's Environmental Action Fund that is designed to encourage community action on climate change.
With latest reports saying the world has little more than a decade to avert catastrophic climate change by ensuring that global temperatures do not rise by more than 2 degrees C, the urgency of such change is beyond doubt.
Contact Hannah Moser on (01380) 725670 if you wish to help set up a climate friendly community in your local area.
Hannah - expect a call...
Posted by The Englishman at 10:31 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Support the fight against Islamofascists and Global Warming Scaremongers
The Present Mrs Englishman went out walking today with the Girl and the Spare Girl and discovered my Brother and I loading up the pigs into a Transport Box - whoops, "Yes, Darling, they are going on Holiday"...
So I'm in deep Do-dos, and she doesn't yet realise they are coming back nicely wrapped in clingfilm in handy oven sized joints in a day or so..
Shit - I need help - please someone buy some of this excellent Happy Pork - reared outside with lots of TLC - they didn't even mind the Shoulder Slapping - Cheap - And you know none of our Raghead friends will be sharing it, and before I started this second bottle of really rather good Claret I thought of a reason why the Green Nazis wouldn't either, but I have forgotten it now..
The Previous Mrs Englishman has bought half a pig as has her father and her new man's best mate so it must be good..
Look: Tim Worstall wants your empty inkjet cartridges and what does he offer in return? No yummy mouth feel, no juicy grease running down your chin, no individually tattooed bits of meat for you delectation, no Yum yum at all. You know it makes sense.
And did I mention it is cheap?
Posted by The Englishman at 9:45 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Good News
The Heir has been fitted with a swanky new Titanium plate rather than the previous Vinegar and Brown paper contraption. All going well so far, so I'm slowly working my way through a bottle of decent Claret and then off to bed. Driving up and back to the local NHS hospital an hour away is taking up blogging time - apologies.
Posted by The Englishman at 9:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
A message to the IOC inspection Committee
BBC SPORT | Other Sport | Olympics 2012 | IOC inspectors arrive in London
The International Olympic Committee's evaluation commission is ready to begin its inspection of London's bid to host the Games in 2012.
SOD OFF - You and your drug-riddled money-laundering kiddy-fiddler tax-payer-funded extravaganza is as welcome as fart in a wetsuit - We don't want you, piss off to Paris.
Posted by The Englishman at 9:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
For St.George
The English Democrats Party will be standing candidates in the coming General Election and we are currently some 20 candidates short of the 88 candidates we need in order to get our party political broadcast in England both on radio and television. We are also currently short of funds. These and additional candidates will enable us to make contact with every English Patriot and give the current unfair treatment of England and her people, the public attention that it deserves.
If you want to help visit:
English Democrats Party::Sovereignty
Speaking up for England costs money. And the more money we can raise, the louder we can shout. Help us make a big noise.
Posted by The Englishman at 12:32 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Lottery discrimination
Nanny Knows Best points out how National Lottery feel that the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) is not adequately targeting its resources at those elements of society that are disadvantaged. In view of this, the National Lottery will not award the RNLI a lottery grant. As the RNLI point out, what are they meant to do before they respond to a distress call; go through an ethnic and socio economic monitoring questionnaire first? Then ignore those people who don't fit in with Nanny's targeted groups?
No, take a leaf out of the wonderful fishing policy we have which doesn't prevent the catching of the wrong type of fish - only bringing them ashore. So if they are white, middle class, drinkers, or whatever - thro them back.
A further Lottery titbit from the source at The Times:
When the money handed to charities which feature the name of a religion in their title is divided by each faith's number of adherents in Britain, Christian bodies received 18p per follower. Hindu groups were handed Ł1.79 per believer, Muslims Ł2.45, Sikhs Ł7.14, Jews Ł9.74 and Jains Ł23.40.
Posted by The Englishman at 7:47 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Local Waste
Neil Herron point out:
Calls for the scrapping of the South West Regional Assembly have been re-ignited after it was revealed it employs the second highest number of staff of any of England's assemblies and has cost Ł4.8 million in grants from taxpayers' cash. Local Government Minister Nick Raynsford, in response to a question from Totnes MP Anthony Steen, revealed the assembly employed 56 full-time staff by the end of March 2004. "This shows an enormous amount of money has been spent on something that has no statutory responsibility at all. They have this large, full-time staff for what is just a talking club."
I'll volunteer to help re-ignite the Assembly - couple of gallons of Unleaded and some Swan Vestas seem in order. Just because the people voted against them doesn't mean they are going to be scrapped...
Posted by The Englishman at 6:39 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 14, 2005
Are Parking Tickets illegal Part Two
I mentioned this back on Nov 2 -An Englishman's Castle: Are Parking tickets illegal? -
Telegraph | News | Christopher Booker's notebook leads with a long article about it. As ever worth reading.
He continues with a story that reveals again the true face of the "Privilegentsia" who run the EU:
"What the Government describes as "a small, technical and non-controversial" Bill now being nodded through Parliament will give the equivalent of diplomatic immunity to the employees of a range of "international organisations", mostly organs of the EU. The "privileges and immunities" it grants will be enjoyed not just by staff members of these bodies, but by all members of their families and "households".
(Bodies included run) from the European Railways Agency and the European Plant Variety Office to the European Monitoring Centre for Racism and Xenophobia, although the Foreign Office concedes that its list will have to be updated "as new bodies are added".
Make the rules for the poor bloody peasants but of course they don't apply to us! Bastards.
Posted by The Englishman at 7:07 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
February 13, 2005
A peaceful Pint
PUBS ...in Wiltshire are among the least likely to erupt into booze-fuelled violence than anywhere in the country, figures have revealed.
Or is it that they are the least likely to get the Police involved? A quiet word outside from The Good Colonel has stopped at least one "situation" ever getting physical without the need for anyone else getting involved. We are a peaceful sort as you will find out when you come to visit.
Posted by The Englishman at 7:50 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Local NHS news
BBC NEWS | England | Bristol | Woman dies after ambulance wait
A 43-year-old woman died after a three-hour wait for an ambulance, an inquest has been told.
Beverley Stillman's doctor called an ambulance to take the mother of two from her Warminster home to hospital in Bath for treatment for an abscess.
Despite a 999 call later, crews took three hours to turn up. Mrs Stillman arrived in hospital four hours after the original call, the inquest heard.
During the journey to hospital Mrs Stillman's heart stopped and she was declared dead 10 minutes after arriving at hospital.
If I dial 999 that is the service and hospital that will respond, eventually. I got a bit of a lecture once for rushing someone who was seriously injured into hospital in my car rather than wait for an ambulance - "Scoop and run" I think saved his life.
Posted by The Englishman at 7:42 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
February 12, 2005
Happy Darwin Day
Darwin Day Celebration - it is today!
Oh and Happy Birthday to The Spare.
"It is interesting to contemplate a tangled bank, clothed with many plants of many kinds, with birds singing on the bushes, with various insects flitting about, and with worms crawling through the damp earth, and to reflect that these elaborately constructed forms, so different from each other, and dependent upon each other in so complex a manner, have all been produced by laws acting around us. These laws, taken in the largest sense, being Growth with Reproduction; Inheritance which is almost implied by reproduction; Variability from the indirect and direct action of the conditions of life and from use and disuse: a Ratio of Increase so high as to lead to a Struggle for Life, and as a consequence to Natural Selection, entailing Divergence of Character and the Extinction of less-improved forms. Thus, from the war of nature, from famine and death, the most exalted object which we are capable of conceiving, namely, the production of the higher animals, directly follows. There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved" (Origin of Species)
Posted by The Englishman at 8:45 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
A Pox on the London Bid for the Olympic
Just driven home from London - Bloody A4/M4 out to Heathrow all clogged up as they put up the flags to make it a Potemkin Village to welcome the freehanders from the Olympic committee - as the French realise it is just a matter of how much is in the envelope in their roooms that swings it. And being a nice guy I let an ambulance out and it had written on the side "The NHS backs the London Bid" - hasn't the NHS got better things to spend its money on?
Posted by The Englishman at 12:50 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
February 11, 2005
What size shot needed
Luvvies Johnson Banks - ("When the British Council asked us to help show that Britain was no longer just warm beer and cricket, we presumed that all the old icons of Britain needed to be thrown out.
We first thought that this project (a worldwide poster campaign) should be all about the shiny 'new Britain', without any reference to Yorkshire pudding or Morris dancers.") have designed a lovely new Logo for President Tony of Europe's Reign - a flight of swans in a V formation.
Presumably that is a V sign to the people as in "fuck off you boring little earth bound peasants" or is it a V sign for Victory as in "I have got the money"? Whichever, I doubt it will be accompanied with the "Da Da Da Dum" and the roar of Merlins as it should be to remind Fritz of the last European Unpleasantness.
Anyway I will await Mr FM's learned advice as to what size shot is needed...
Posted by The Englishman at 7:06 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Not self-defence at work
BBC NEWS | England | Merseyside | Woman jailed for testicle attack
A woman who ripped off her ex-boyfriend's testicle with her bare hands has been sent to prison.
Amanda Monti, 24, flew into a rage when Geoffrey Jones, 37, rejected her advances at the end of a house party, Liverpool Crown Court heard.
She pulled off his left testicle and tried to swallow it, before spitting it out. A friend handed it back to Mr Jones saying: "That's yours."
Lovable Scousers, eh? Always up for a laugh! - Jesus, keep me safely away from any woman who can do that..
Posted by The Englishman at 6:44 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Self-defence at work
BBC NEWS | England | Somerset | Girl punches flasher and escapes
A teenage girl punched a flasher in the face so she could flee his lewd advances, police have said.
..The victim, who was wearing three rings, hit him and ran away.
..The girl told detectives his jeans were dirty.
Pity there wasn't a bit of 4x2 handy for her to smack the offending parts with.
Posted by The Englishman at 6:41 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Inhumanity of anti-smokers
BBC NEWS | Wales | BMA calls for hospitals smoke ban
The British Medical Association in Wales is calling for smoking to be banned in all hospital grounds.
Fair enough in the building - but in the grounds? A few years ago I was in a shocked state having driven an accident victim into hospital and the Nurses kept offering me a cigarette - even though I said I was a non-smoker. There are a lot of visitors and patients at hospitals who really benefit from a calming smoke. There poor bloody people who it no longer matters if they smoke, and denying them is plain cruel. And there is a small matter of freedom...
Posted by The Englishman at 6:36 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
February 10, 2005
Climate bollocks
In Times Online - Newspaper Edition Camilla Cavendish writes on Climate Change:
Armageddon isn't the only option
I'm afraid it made me spit my tea into my porage with sheer indignation - so many errors in so short a piece....
Our great corporations should see climate change as an opportunity, not a disaster.
No, Great Corporations are statist - look for the entrepaneurs to capitalise and solve
THE WARNINGS rain down about climate change, but we devote as much human ingenuity to making excuses as to finding solutions. The sceptics have lost the scientific battle: the world's climate scientists are now categoric that the Earth is warming, due in part to our burning of fossil fuels.
NO they are not
So the sceptics have shifted their attacks to economics..
We would be better off, they say, simply adapting to a warmer world and finding better uses for the money we might have spent on rescuing the environment.
Are you sure the environment needs rescuing? Managing change maybe
But whatever response we make to global warming will be a gamble — and the most foolish gamble of all would be to keep procrastinating until some number cruncher has modelled the Universe.
So it is better to do anything - even the wrong thing rather than wait for the facts?
If you think that climate change is the result of a series of accounting errors caused by our failure to price in the true costs of burning fossil fuels, you may feel doubtful about inviting a bunch of accountants to put a price on all the hurricanes, floods, failed crops, extinct species and displaced people expected to result from global warming during this century. Try to put a value on "Life, the Universe and Everything", and you will get an answer that is as meaningful as 42.
If you think that is what the cause of climate change is then there is no help for you, and what is the weather like on the world you live on?
Yet this is what is advocated by so-called "rationalists" reacting to what they believe is an anti-capitalist conspiracy. Björn Lomborg, the self-styled "sceptical environmentalist", has received enormous publicity for calculating that global warming will cause $5 trillion of damage, and would cost $4 trillion to avoid.
These are such vast sums of money, he argues, that we would be better off spending the cash instead on tackling problems such as HIV/Aids. Mr Lomborg and his ilk deserve credit for asking tough questions of activists who have too often chosen the facts to suit their arguments. And they are right to argue for the most cost-effective solutions, which will not necessarily be the one-size-fits-all Kyoto Protocol. But their use of cost-benefit analysis to rank climate change against other global challenges is too crude. What the world needs from economists are sophisticated hedging strategies, not glib publicity stunts.
And you wouldn't understand a sophisticated hedging strategy if it came up and bit you..
The first mistake the "rationalists" make is to assume that climate change is linear, not accelerating. But we simply do not know how the Earth will respond to increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide. Which is why most economists consider the cost of climate change to be much more uncertain than the costs of controlling it.
Most? - Who?
Climate scientists are much more ready to talk about the possibility of "runaway warming" — for example, if arctic temperatures rise so much that they release the methane trapped below the permafrost. If that were to happen, we'll be worrying not just about vanished polar bears but whole regions rendered unsuitable for food production and millions of famine refugees.
Climate Scientists are happy to talk of all sort of things...
The second mistake is to attempt to separate poverty from climate change, when the two are so intimately linked. Climate change will hit poor nations earliest and hardest: it is likely to become a major source of conflict between rich and poor. But when temperature rises are expected to alter monsoon patterns in Asia, reducing crop yields and creating millions of famine refugees, it makes little sense for Lomborg and his colleagues to baldly prioritise "hunger" over " climate".
Except hunger kills you in a week or so climate change doesn't
The third mistake is to assume that controlling climate change threatens capitalism. The terror of limiting fossil fuel consumption drives much sceptic fervour. But it is misplaced. Climate change is already expensive. Nine out of the 10 most costly insured weather catastrophes since 1970 have occurred in the past 15 years, as hurricanes and floods grow stronger. Swiss Re, the global re-insurer, has ordered its clients to devise strategies for handling global warming or risk losing their liability coverage.
It is the mindset of the climate change activists that is anti business. And the insurance stats are not very impressive are they?
And climate change represents a huge business opportunity. Toyota is three years ahead in the race to make green fuel cars, with its hybrid Prius. China is worried about the security of its oil supplies and would be a large enough market to give such cars the scale they need to succeed. Solar energy is growing as fast as did the mobile phone industry in the early 1990s, and every doubling in sales reduces costs by about 10 per cent. Some onshore wind power is now price-competitive with fossil fuels, though investors still worry about the newness of the technology.
Governments need to give the right market signals to encourage more investment in such technologies. This is not anti-capitalist, although it will pose difficulties for the oil industry, which cannot simply uproot its heavy investments in infrastructure. It is not anti-growth, because smart carbon taxes unlike dumb windfall levies can be offset by lower income tax. However, it will upset those who are wedded to the idea that they should drive, fly and heat their homes at the expense of the climate. Politicians fear them more than the oil companies.
Any response to climate change is a risk. But we took a bigger risk a long time ago. We have been performing a gigantic experiment on the Earth's climate ever since the Industrial Revolution. It is time for those on the Right to turn their minds to what they do best: stop griping about fuel duty and help transform a mind-blowing risk into a growth opportunity.
Oh please is that meant to be a serious argument?
Posted by The Englishman at 4:53 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
It begins at home
The Advertiser: The Cherie effect: New laws to protect charities [10feb05]
LAWS governing fund-raising for charitable groups will be amended so proceeds cannot be "seriously eroded" by administration, management or agents fees.
Administrative Services Minister Michael Wright announced the move last night,
...less than an hour before Cherie Blair, wife of British Prime Minister Tony, arrived at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre to address 450 people who paid $195 a head.
Cherie Blair has attracted controversy for the reported $60,000 fee she is being paid for last night's speech..The events have been organised by Sydney public relations consultant Max Markson, who told The Advertiser his fee for the Adelaide dinner was $20,000.
So, 450 people at $195 equals $87750 - - Letter Box Mouth's $60,000, minus Greasy Consultants's $20,000, minus say $15 for the food. Leaves $1000 for the charity. Maybe.
Posted by The Englishman at 9:26 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Bring on the Censors
Telegraph | News | Film watchdog lets James Bond carry on smoking
James Bond can carry on inhaling - whether from an elegant panatella or one of the Morland Specials that he used to produce from a gun-metal case - and the censors won't demand that Rick's Bar becomes smoke-free if Hollywood remakes Casablanca.
The British Board of Film Classification yesterday rejected calls from health groups to cut film scenes showing actors smoking. The board said such drastic action smacked of "the nanny state" and there was little public demand for the change.
Professor Gerard Hastings, director of cancer research at the UK's Centre for Tobacco Control, said: "If the BBFC doesn't accept its moral responsibility, it might as well pack up and go home."
With Michael Winterbottom's 9 Songs opening next week (a porn film that is "art"), and the producer of Tracy Emin's film saying "What is the problem with showing someone cutting their wrists realistically?", it is interesting that the Nannies demand censorship of someone having a quiet fag but that it is unacceptable to say that other dangerous behaviour - "rough sex with a stranger" "cutting your wrists" etc. - should be censored.
Posted by The Englishman at 6:43 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Get a life
BBC NEWS | England | Gloucestershire | Councillor sorry for pigeon mail
A councillor has said sorry after replying to a protester's email with the message "get a life, you moron" during a row about a pigeon cull.
Rob Sinfield, from Stroud District Council, was contacted by Paul Taylor from Bedford who was upset by a planned cull in the town.
I would have apologised as well - for being too bloody polite to the moron, a bit more invective was what was needed...
Posted by The Englishman at 6:01 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 9, 2005
A President of CNN speaks.
"a dreadful bunch of terrorists called the SAS, who were probably worse than the terrorists inside the Iranian embassy."
This is the view of Chris Cramer, president of CNN International in charge of its international news coverage, including everything we and the world see coming from such places as Iraq and Afghanistan.
Of course he was speaking of the Iranian Embassy siege where he was a hostage until he faked his way out after 28 hours, leaving his colleague behind. Luckily he didn't need those awful terrorist SAS scum to save his lillywhite arse otherwise they might start wondering why they bothered.
Still I'm sure his views haven't coloured CNN's view of the War on Terror. - Me, I think I will stick to blogs for news.
Posted by The Englishman at 7:29 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
More from The Sparky
Hi Tim here is a piece I wrote in April 2001, no letter's page or editor then would touch it with a barge pole because it too PC and tells truth. You have the perfect forum to air the grievances of the British Public. The worries and concerns the indigenous British and those who have settled here have not diminished since the election of 2001. The real debate on asylum and immigration, I feel could just be about to start!
I write direct to you enclosing my piece. I am working class born and bred from a North London borough, and I feel able to give a general perspective of working class people I meet on a daily basis. History shows the concerns of asylum has not gone away and are still with us 100 years later. Many of your readers may disagree, but I feel many more will identify with my observations. I have been a labour voter all my life but I do not see myself voting for them in the near future. I would also like to keep my address private so that I do not get hassle from rent a mob of left or right wing political persuasions.
Please put it on your site, thanks Steve
Only too happy to do so, Sir.
What's it all about ?
So an election is finally on the horizon the baby kissing and media-appeasing season has come around again. All the major political parties about each other's policies will espouse many political points of views. They will boast and counter boast as well as rubbish each other. They will tell their audiences why they should have the right to govern Britain through their proposed mandates. They will say that their policies forward the interest of the British people. They will say anything to the British people that will allow them their privileged office. They are everything to everyone all of the time, the politician will say what ever you want to hear to get your vote, safely tucked up in office for another term your wants are history! Is there really such a thing as an honest politician? They will say anything but the truth! The public are wising up because if recent past elections are anything to go by apathetic turn outs just keep getting worse. Perhaps this has always been the way and the public was just more naive then. Today's the 21st century electorate is not so dumb, if we have to be hoodwinked by politicians, we want those who can actually pull rabbits out of a hat to or get their assistant to do a trick under the table to entertain us like tricky smarmy Clinton did. Now there is a real political conjurer! The politician has joined my mental list of dodgy people that I have great reservations about doing business with. You know the sort of people I mean, slimy estate agents, greedy solicitors, bodgie over-priced builders and mechanics. The sort of people you try to keep a barge pole's length from on a daily basis, but have to deal with when they've con their way into your life. However, once bitten by some of life's unscrupulous characters you never knowingly go back to them for more. You look for the professional perhaps recommended by a friend why can't we do this with politicians? It is because they have monopolies on our votes, there are only two parties if you include the Tories who were heading for a dictatorship after nearly two decades in office. There are other analogies one could make, Potty Councils! Could be about the holes in our roads, currently dodged by the motorists and other road users, No, that would be Pot- Holed councils, What about Pot-less councils could be because they have spent all the money in the kitty left over from the last lot! Potty councils could be the best adjective to describe all the issues currently facing the first election of twenty first century. To be fair to this lot are they really any worst than the last lot? It seems a strange way to measure success by those who were the least worst, instead of who best represented the electorate. This yardstick mentality is also now used to determine who our next national government will be. The 'Potty Council' analogy could equally apply to Potty London, Potty England and Potty Great Britain. For this is not my interpretation most indigenous people I have come across, think we have as a nation gone to pot!
There are many many more important issues facing this country than pot holes. Housing, Health, Environment, Education, and Transport are top of any political agenda, but linked to these are the complex issues of asylum and immigration. You cannot blame anyone in the world for wanting to come to Britain, whether they are real asylum seekers or economic migrants. It is a commendation to show that this country is still regarded as place of opportunity a place with humanity and heart. London in particular and few of our cities are very relevant. Not to be accused of the 'Pot' calling the 'Kettle black', I acknowledge that I descend from 19th century poverty stricken Irish immigrants. Most people reading this article living in the London area decedent from their earlier ancestors who came to London during the Industrial Revolution or earlier up until now. From the end of the 18th century the Irish continued to come here, their numbers increased substantial! ly around the middle of the 19th century. The Jews later followed as indeed like many other peoples came before and after the Industrial Revolution. Those who did not come from abroad came from all over Britain. Later during the second half of the 20th century came peoples from the Afro-Carrabean, and Asian former colonies. On top of these came those from countries that had no commonwealth ties, Turkey and Italy were two former adversaries of Britain in war during the 20th century. The most recent newcomers during the last 20 years are from a host of Islamic countries. The newcomers (past and present) whether economic migrants or political refugees fleeing from persecution or hunger, all have one thing in common, to improve the quality of their lives. A century and more ago the tall ships came into London. Many places in London were filthy rat infested slums with the regular rounds of epidemic disease such as TB Diphtheria Smallpox, Typhus and Typhoid. However, even if the slum areas were deemed a hell on earth by those (Middle classes) who never ventured there and mixed with the inhabitants, (who were later described as 'The Dangerous Class' by some), it was still a Sanctuary to those who came and made their lives there. The newcomers who made good quickly integrated into the English way of life, within a generation the lucky ones Shopkeepers, Business people, and the professionals along with skilled artisans in the main had moved on to more respectable areas and joined the established middle-class and respectable working clas! ses. The unlucky poor were left behind. The history of newcomers into this country have always been objectionable by the masses, they have never really been made welcome but subtly tolerated until assimilated. They were always perceived as a threat to the host nationals in more ways than one. From the French Hugonaults to Irish navvies and so-called Jewish sweat shops. The newcomers were in competition with the home skilled and manual labour markets. Early trade union movements were very concerned about foreign competition based here. Also their ways and cultures were alien to the host nationals, they were foreigners in their land that they had not conquered. Most antagonism was kept at bay between the newcomers and the host nationals by the physical separation from the host nationals, only the poor English labouring classes lived amongst the newcomers. The British government also showed tolerance, after all London was still growing and there was still an Empire and Capital markets to feed from the raw labour and ! skills the newcomers brought with them. The tendencies of strangers in a strange land made them congregate together in their own ghettos, they were insular there and others spoke their mother tongues.
There were also other concerns with the foreigner, regarding anarchy and crime that some brought with them. These culminated in many public and media outcries! From Fenian bomb plots in the 19th century to the early 20th century assassinations of British commanding officers shot in London for their part in keeping the British rule in Ireland and India. One of the most dramatic outcries was the 'Siege of Sidney Street in East London. This came about after the murder of three unarmed police officers on the Jewellers, Samuel Harris in Houndsditch a couple of weeks earlier on December 17th 1910. Russia and German anarchists were to blame, whether or not they were bona fide anarchist committing armed robberies and murder to fund their political causes or their own pockets cut little ice with the public or police. Once their names came out all Jews in London were under suspicion of being subversive criminal types. Not since the Murder's of Jack the Ripper 22 years earlier ha! d the Jews of London received such a public pillaring. When they were also among the chief suspects then, because a leather apron was found at the scene, similar to the type Jewish furriers were using in the Whitechaple area. One year earlier from the Houndsditch murders, was an incident at Tottenhan that became known as the 'Tottenham Outrage.' Again another armed robbery, that left in its wake 3 dead, a policeman, a ten year old boy and an old man. The public Hue and Cry that started in Chestnut Road, lasted over several miles east towards Walthamstow and right then towards Tower Hamlets. The chase consisted of commandeered cars, trams, horse & carts bycles and some even ran on foot. The armed fugitives were obviously trying to make it back from North London to the East End. Eventually one took his own life when cornered and the other was shot by the police. In all three incidents, the perpetrators of the crimes were East European Jews. It was criticised in the press at the time that the fire power of the murdering robbers was far superior to that of the police. The police when they eventually had a weapon at the scenes, were old fashion and cumbersome revolvers at a weight of around five! pounds. In the robber's armoury were automatic mausers that could hold ten bullets in a magazine and it was capable of firing 80 rounds in one minute including loading the magazines into its holder. They also weight only two and a half pounds. It was further noted at this times that the British criminal classes did not murder Bobbies (in the main) and only the lowest of the lowest did not go quietly and resist an arrest. The majority accepted a fair cop if caught red handed in their crimes. With these offences came very real concerns, in the Houndsditch incident it was publically commented on that a City of London policemen had not been killed on duty in living memory and now there was three at once. (Five had be shot at the time, two were wounded) The press went to war against the multitude of foreigners living in the Capital and questioned the whole issue concerning asylum! It was a fact that most Jewish people living in the east end were law abiding but the media questioned the wisdom of importing criminal types from abroad when the police had enough to contend with British born ones. Churchill the home secretary at the time did not want to withdraw the 'Right of Asylum'. He acknowledged that the majority of the country's alien population, mainly Jewish, were peaceful, hardworking and lived by the law of the land. The persons they wished to deal with was the unassimilated alien.
On the subject of asylum Churchill stated "The man whom we have in mind in this provision is the man of whom we know nothing and who knew nothing of us or our institutions and peaceful life, who comes from a country where murder and violence are common, where every policeman is regarded as a foe, where every institution is regarded as tyranny and where to carry on a career of plunder and rapine like a fierce wild animal may be deemed to a romantic or even respectable profession". How relevant is this quotation nearly a century later? (All this was in 1910 the fear of foreigner has not gone to ground when we are still discussing asylum in 2001) However a self imposed system of integration existed then, as the newcomer made good they moved elsewhere. This usually took a little time and money. This time helped the newcomers assimilate into the British way of life And so the cycle goes on, history is repeating itself however there is one thing vastly different from that of one hundred years ago or more, that is space there is not enough of it! Britain has the most densely populated ratio of people to land in the western world. It is about 2 people to every acre, the consequences of this lack of space is felt very heavily in the quality of life of the poor in Britain. One aspect of it is habitation, Tower Blocks and Children do not add to the quality of life that those MPs in power could ever envisage for themselves. Overcrowded estates will be another consequence and we will return to the slums of the 19th and the earlier 20th century. We are so overcrowded and lacking space that it nothing to sell off a school field to private developers today and will disappear without too much of a hue and cry. Unless all the parties hold proper debates on these issues, more apathy will set in amongst voters and there may well be an increase in support for extreme parties and their policies, from both the left and right wings of the political spectrum. This will be because the issues of an over crowded society are not being addressed by the state. There is no debate heads are in the sand or should I say pot holes. In this country we have the resources and expertise to build infrastructures and basis for commerce abroad. We should help these countries build their economies but always offer shelter to those at risk, if we do not address these old long established fears we are kidding ourselves about a rosy future. A fair balanced society would be a genuine key to unlocking many of the fears from the indigenous British people of being overrun and swallowed up by alien cultures. How do we achieve this? Not by having so-called positive discrimination polices pushed on us by the advocates of political correctness. Everyone should start on a level playing field, when you start having these policies, they in turn became a form of bias. Many problems exist amongst white indigenous working class youth. Education is one area they are not attending colleges of further education or universities in the same numbers as Indians and the Afro-Carrabean youngsters are, (Look in any London College they are not there!) They are lagging behind ended up in dead end jobs just like their great grand fathers of a century ago if they were lucky! White working class kids are not targeted for extra funding. Also in social housing many working class whites feel alienated. They see foreigners from their tower blo! ck windows (if they are lucky) getting better housing. They do not feel it is fair, that they the grandchildren of the war generation getting worse housing or non at all, than those who have no previous connection with this country.
My own uncle a survivor of the D Day landings recently said to me that we have become a nation of too many tribes. (Only around half a dozen men from his landing craft that took them to hell on the beaches of Normandy made it back after the war.) Two or three days moored up on the south coast and bobbing about in a Landing craft before seeing action was not the best way to keep soldiers fighting fit for a forthcoming battle. Men were being sick and had to do their ones and two other the side. He recently left his tower block in North London to take refuge near his daughter's home in the Essex. Half his new neighbours in the tower block could not even return his greeting "Good Morning" even if they wanted to. A land fit for heroes indeed! The issues here are not racist though, no one can argue against the contributions of those from abroad. Look in any London hospital and see the foreign contribution to our health service, looking after the needs of the indigenous. No one looks at the colour of skin or the accent of benign hands that help them on the road to recovery. The question in most peoples minds who live here in London is not race but numbers. The standard of living will never rise for those at the bottom while we have a non existing numbers policy. The aim should be to increase the standard of living for all working class people either from abroad or home who live here at this present time. However, as long as there is a pool of unemployed or low pay workers (same thing) poverty will be impossible to eradicate. If we can take away this cheap pool then there may be a chance. The ideal situation would be a reverse of the employment status quo! Let's have a pool of company directors who constantly required labour, skilled or non skilled. Then working conditions and pay for the working classes may rise. Only good companies will survive, the sweat shop mentality will be banished forever. If a company cannot offer an above subsistence wage they have no argument for being in business the same applies for national services industries and their work-forces. If all this sounds too idealistic for economists and those who abhorred the news of the intended minimum wage rise, let them try life from their selfish side to the other side of the fence they would soon change their tune. The minimum wage, what a joke, it should be at least Ł200 per week with no taxable stoppages and a credit for the national insurance contributions. Overpopulation is bad for those at the bottom of society, the irony of it all is that the capitalist and the communist are allies to this end! Both seek relaxed entry into this country one through the idealism of a no border/frontier world, the other as a means to feed and work its labour markets in the pursuit of profit. Until there is a real concerted effort to end poverty overcrowding in our cities will continue to push up the crime rate. The low paid or no pay will increase the ranks of the criminal classes who will make the most of their markets (Mugging, Drug pushing and Burglary to say nothing of the wanton violence that accompanies these crimes.) They will look for new markets into the leafy suburbs and beyond. There will be resistance to succumb to a non entity lifestyle by some of those from abroad as well as the host nationals. They are unwilling to repeat a life that their forefathers undertook as cheap second class labour and all that goes with it!
Around 30 years ago Prince Phillip said that Britons were headed for a leisure age. I can't see evidence of it, but he may have had a point I think this was around the time of PM Heath's 3 day week. Perhaps this is the real way forward to achieving a decent quality of life for the masses, employers who can offer a living wage for working say half a week. Profits would be less but what a society! Time the under appreciated commodity has only in recent times played second fiddle to money, if only but I think we are light years away from that one. No we are firmly stuck with a backward notion of time the working class sold their time and souls at the birth of the industrial revolution and the capitalist in return gave us that fine cliché 'time is money' and we have been stuck with it ever since. The family or singular cottage industries where products could be produce over a day or two and the profits at market could sustain and support the worker for a ! week or more for his labour were surpassed and corrupted along the way. Is it time to rethink the concept of work and all its means? I was thinking only the other week perhaps I could try the good life on a small holdings in France or Ireland. Then I lapsed out of my dream anyway farmers have enough to contend with the real foot and mouth scenario. I think this piece if published I will have accusations of me putting my own foot in my mouth! Many working class people feel that New Labour is rubbish, they only want everyone in work to pay for foreign humanitarian causes. Our own Pensioners with their 75 pence rise and the minimum wage of less than five pounds is a joke. (compare this to the salary of our MPs of around Ł1000 per week with the minimum wage, it's scandalous) The old dare not venture out on to the streets at night because of the anarchy of street crime, they the generation that saved us from Germany wonder why they did! Many views espoused at street level would be more at home with the national socialist party, the party and regime their grandparents fought against. The Labour party that came into being to further the political social and economic advancement of the working classes (of Britain), has been hijacked by the left wing middle-class intellectuals. The indigenous white working classes do not have representation from their own class. (One fat pompous oaf hardly counts.) Can anyone wonde! r why apathy is setting in amongst the white labour voters of this class. Those who have not moved are stuck in environments that are alien to their earlier lives. The police are under funded and too demoralised to do an efficient job of protecting the public from crime. The safeguards of the past do not apply now, (physical separation from the newcomers). The East end, little Russia in Tottenham, the Rookies (Irish in Holborn) and numerous other alien stomping grounds. No one wants anyone to live in a ghetto today but there should be a government college on citizenship, anyone can walk off a boat plane or train and hey presto they are British! Today there is no transitional period where newcomers can integrate and learn the ways of the Romans (when in Rome) over a period of time. It's a case of tough if your new neighbour's habits and cultures are in your face and upsetting you.
Aliens are plonked down by councils and housing association and private land lords alike. It's a case of hard luck if you don't like a whole host of their upsetting ways. Constant foreign music bashing your eardrums, the food smells, unhygienic and antisocial habits, cooking outside and adjacent to the rear of your property! Not keeping their environments clean and tidy, new neighbours can't speak English it's all just tough. Your British representatives in Parliament no longer have the interest of indigenous population at heart. Many feel British culture is committing suicide. Amongst the worst affected by the set up of a Hybrid society are the white working classes and their sub classes who are being left behind in housing, education, and well-paid employment. Old class antagonisms are being replaced by those of race, the bogey word for all politicians and their politically correct theorists and advocators. Nationalism and English culture are dirty words to the left, while the right want no part of multiculturalism. All is clouded by who we are where are we going. Do we want a monarch? Do we need one? What is our culture? Should we create a new on? Do we need any cultures should we break them all down? From the overcrowded cities comes a new phenomenon 'White Flight'! In previous history the middle classes have always kept one step a head of the hordes of working classes and its offshoots the underclass. (The Lumpenproleteriat are still alive and well and always have been the bottom of the heap but they survive somehow.) Today is different, is White Flight a race thing? Many whites of all classes are moving out of the cities with the exceptions of the new cliquey stockades with their financial moats to keep out the und! esirables and the poor of all races. Cities and large towns in Britain have always been a mixture of indigenous classes with a sprinkling different races now the opposite is becoming the norm. Why is there no debate on this change of demography? The world bank recently withdraw its offer to fund 60,000 Chinese farmers in the greater Tibet region, why? The reason given it would upset the demography of the Tibetans in that area because of the new political autonomy that would eventually come with the influx of these farmers. Words such as cultural genocide were banded about! These same concerns are no where to be seen in our own backyard. We have much larger influx of foreigners coming into Britain each year, the same anxiousness about British culture under threat does not seem to apply! Why are the whites of all classes moving out of the cities? Is it crime, Racial bias, Job location, cleaner environments or are there other reasons, or a combination of them all? The melting pot theory will not work if the host tribe keeps setting up new reservations! If these problems are not addressed we could be heading for trouble in the future. Look at the conflicts in the Balk! ans and Russia where the populace is nowhere as diverse as ours in make up. There is some irony in the politics those who champion the 21st century newcomers many are enterprising, they got here did they not. A few will become little capitalists and no doubt in time will become supporters of that traditional party, 'The Tories.' No one wants to debate the future of Britain, because of another fine old tradition the bearer of bad tidings always got the chop. The messenger is always to blame!
Posted by The Englishman at 2:42 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Yum Yum - Pork and Bacon for sale
I have a litter of GOS/Lop pigs off to the slaughter house next week and am arranging for some of them to go onto Sandridge Farm to be turned into Bacon etc.
I'm in the middle of Wiltshire near Devizes, if anyone fancies a side of pork or bacon, which will be all packaged up nicely, then give me a shout.
The piggies have been running around outside all the time so should be tasty.
Price will be basically what I would have earnt from selling them on the hook plus the butchery costs.
Posted by The Englishman at 10:15 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
In the immortal words of The Sweet:
And there's something in the air
of which we all will be aware
But they don't care, no, no, no, no... so
Come join the revolution, get yourself a constitution
Come join the revolution now
And recognise your age it's a teenage rampage
Charles Kennedy, the party leader, unveiled a five-point plan to protect civil liberties by giving Britain a written constitution limiting the Prime Minister's ability to act without Parliamentary approval.
The party sought to woo Tory voters concerned about civil liberties by re-affirming that it would vote against Labour's Identity Cards Bill tomorrow. The Tories are now expected to abstain.
Mr Kennedy also opposed plans to let ministers place British terror suspects under house arrest. His party was the "voice of reason" in contrast to the "ever-increasing knee-jerk" attacks on people's rights from Labour and the Tories.
A Labour spokesman said a written constitution would involve new legislation and was "constitutionally illiterate" because by tradition no parliament could bind a future one.
Sorry, run that one past me again - "a written constitution would be constitutionally illiterate". Without going into the argument if we need a written UK one or whether or not we already have one - isn't there a whisper in the air that Tony wants to sign us up to a European one?
Posted by The Englishman at 7:28 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Lib Dems speak sense...
Telegraph | News | Lib Dems attack 'Labour mountain of 1,000 new regulations'
"Labour has created a mountain of new rules and regulations and wasted a colossal amount of MPs' time and taxpayers' money in the process," said Mr Oaten. "Problems are not always solved by legislation."
At this rate I will have to break out the scratchy jumper and sandals and join them as the effective voice of opposition.
Posted by The Englishman at 7:19 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Doing his duty
England Expects - new blog from Brussels - one to keep an eye on.
Posted by The Englishman at 7:15 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 8, 2005
Essential Reading
I was sent this book by the Institute of Economic Affairs (Click link to read about and buy book) before Xmas. It is taking a long time to read because by the time I have finished two pages I'm fuming at the stupidity and waste and have to go outside.. This really is an essential read.
The Welfare State We're In
James Bartholomew
Britain would be better off without the welfare state
'The welfare state has caused tens of thousands of people to live deprived and even depraved lives, and has undermined the very decency and kindness which first inspired it.' James Bartholomew
Marshalling an extraordinary range of evidence and calling a kaleidoscopic cast of witnesses from Catharine of Aragon to Vinnie Jones, James Bartholomew summons into the dock each of the sacred cows of the welfare state and subjects them to searching cross-examination:
* Do welfare benefits cause unemployment?
* Does the NHS do what was promised?
* Has state education given better chances to the less well-off?
* What caused the failure of council housing?
* Does 'broken parenting' matter?
* Is a poor state pension better than none?
And he begins his summing up with the key question, if the welfare state is so bad, why don't we get rid of it?
This book will infuriate many and be applauded by as many again. But no one who reads it will ever view the welfare state in the same light as before.
Posted by The Englishman at 7:29 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Read all about it.
This mornings reading has been NationMaster.com - Where Stats Come Alive!
NationMaster.com, a massive central data source and a handy way to graphically compare nations. NationMaster is a vast compilation of data from such sources as the CIA World Factbook, United Nations, World Health Organization, World Bank, World Resources Institute, UNESCO, UNICEF and OECD. Using the form above, you can generate maps and graphs on all kinds of statistics with ease.
Fascinating site - and of course I had to look up England - I note some of it is based on the Wikipedia entry on England. If you don't know the Wiki you should get to know it. And anyone can edit it. If you feel this is not quite right follow the link and suggest changes...
Although there are calls for some for an English Parliament, there appears to be little popular support for independence of England from the UK - perhaps due to its dominance in the Union. Those groups that do campaign for such a thing tend to be right-wing organisations with very little popular support.
The current Labour government favoured the establishment of regional administration, claiming that England was too large to be governed as a sub-state entity. A referendum on this issue in North East England on 4 November 2004 decisively rejected the proposal.
Some criticised the English regional proposals for not decentralising enough, saying that they amounted not to devolution, but to little more than local government reorganisation, with no real power being removed from central government. The English regions would not even have had the limited powers of the Welsh Assembly, much less the tax varying and legislative powers of the Scottish Parliament. Rather, power was simply re-allocated within the region, with little new resource allocation and no real prospects of Assemblies being able to change the pattern of regional aid. Responsibility for regional transport was added to the proposals late in the process. This was perhaps crucial in the North East, where resentment at the Barnett Formula, which delivers greater regional aid to adjacent Scotland, was a significant impetus for the North East devolution campaign.
Some eurosceptics believe that the establishment of English regions as administrative entities is designed to undermine the concept of English nationhood and more easily fit England into a European federal model.
Posted by The Englishman at 6:49 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 7, 2005
I'm ready ..
The post brought my Ketchum Hog Shoulder Slapper and a big 500ml of Tattoo ink. The spikes are over half an inch long. All I am going to do now is change the letters to CHAV and have it "to hand" by the back door - the first scumbag through will get it sharply applied to the forehead...
And here is a picture of my equipment with the slap - with six letters, the inking pad and the large tin of ink - being a traditionalist I went for the wooden handled one rather than the fancy "tactical" stainless steel...
Posted by The Englishman at 10:12 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
February 6, 2005
Book to buy.
I mentioned this short book:
WHY THE D'ESTAING CONSTITUTION IS THE ANTITHESIS OF DEMOCRACY. by Kenn d'Oudney
Which is fascinating, and worth reading. - as an update I have been informed that if you e-mail email@example.com the Publisher will reply with 'How to Order'details.
Posted by The Englishman at 8:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
A sparky speaks
Had a comment on this post - An Englishman's Castle: We are all criminals now. - which is worth a post of its own. A voice from the skilled working class...
You will cry in disbelief! You will laugh at the irony! They are
more chaotic than all the Carry On and Norman Wisdom films put together! They will affect your lives in the most unimaginable ways!
Many know him as Big Ed Tony and his gang from the west-side. To the rest of us the are simply known as "The Fockers"!
'Coming into your home any time after the next election!'
Hi Tony you privileged 'Arshole' when is Great British Public going to kick you and the New Labour arseholes out of office?
I hated the Tories when they were in government, they wanted to wipe out the working classes. (Myself and many sparks in the country voted you in 1997.) however, you lot are 10 times worse, the so-called 'New Labour' want to wipe out the English. You are killing off the indigenous, through culture and history and mass immigration into the UK, now you are smashing the skilled working classes. You seem to have forgot, that it was the working classes that gave us the Labour Party, you are a Cookcoo and you may be sussed very soon!
Independent electricians might as well join the rest of those indigenous who have fled from this small island! Funny how 'White Flight is not an issue up for discussion! Did our parents and grandparents fight the Nazis in vain to let in this new fascist scum? I am electrician of thirty years experience and served a JIB journeyman time served indentured City& Guilds apprenticeship. What was my five years apprenticeship and twenty-five years on the tools for? So you tossers can tell me that I am now not competent!
Why should I have to join a trade association and pay several hundred pounds annually for the privilege to work, or put up my prices for the privilege of some twat (spouting building regs) from the council and checking my work?
PS when are you going to bring in the permits that allows one to Crap!
Two pages to follow
Page 1
To The Big DIY Stores Wickes, B&Q , Homebase etc.
Please pass this letter to your Managing or Chief Executives Directors.
On behalf of qualified electricians and competent DIY'ers in the UK I would like to inform you of a new Nanny State ruling that will affect your electrical market turn-over and perhaps wipe it out altogether!!!!
Regarding the new rules for domestic wiring around the home confirms to one and all that we have truly arrived at the predictions of George Orwell's Big Brother.
It is F—cking unbelievable that I am now about to be criminalized by new working practices in the field of electrical installations! Since January 1st 2005 anyone not complying with the government's new edit on domestic installation leaves themselves open to prosecution.
The new rules about electrical installations state that the local authority's building department must be notified and a completion certificate issued by them! Up until now all competent electricians who were fully trained could issue a BS 7671 certificate when they had completed an electrical installation.
In reality it now means that an independent professional electrician will have to take a back-seat where his expertise is concern. It means that any wiring in the kitchen, bathroom or outside will have to be passed new state laws. This is bull-shit for the independent electrician he will now have to join a so-called charity quango like the NICEIC (National Inspection Council for the Electrical Installation Contracting) who will be rubbing the little sweaty hand together like Rumblestilkskins. Why should qualified indentured apprenticed J.I.B (Joint Industry Board) electricians have to prove their competence on a yearly basis to those who will make big bucks out of these new rules?
Some points:
Who is going to pay the several hundred pounds that it costs to belong to these so-called trade associations? The costs will be passed on to the public! Even if you want to remain independent, (what electrician with 10, 20 or 30 years plus experience wants sign up to this?) you can submit this new certificate and have a body from the planning office say your work is ok, but at what cost?
Example a double socket installed into your kitchen could costs between Ł100 and Ł200. But now if an independent electrician wanted to opt out of any trade associations, a certificate from the building-planning department will be charged for the above job, another Ł75 to Ł150 quid. Also what about the knock on effect to the big stores like Wicks and B&Q etc?
Page 2
OK it was quite tragic that the MPs daughter was electrocuted. (This is a recent story from September 2004) Yes, stop cowboys we all agree but if some body is competent, you can check their qualifications and get references from them. What is happening is an infringement of our civil liberties. What the hell is this government doing? Stopping competent DIY-ers and independent electricians it's not on, a voluntary code of practice should have been sought.
Why not check everyone out for competence: Doctors, Dentists, Mechanics, Radio presenters, journalists anyone whose health or well-being could be effected by someone's actions. It is a pity MPs are not yet been mugged regularly or been hit in a car by an uninsured asylum seeker or even had a soldier son in Iraq. How quick would these problems have tyrannical measures taken against them before you could say Jack Robinson!! But our MPs know best in our new Nanny state!!!!
(Sorry I can't give you my full details because I think I will be breaking this new law!!! I hope your companies can put pressure on and change this new ruling so that qualified electricians who are independent or those that do part-time private work can carry on buying your products and are not force out of the domestic electrical installation by the this ruling. The big electrical companies will then have a monopoly and they will not but your product anyway. Time is short this undemocratic law (we the electricians were not consulted on something that will effect out existence!) came in to force on January 1st 2005
I think only 250 companies were contacted who have a vested interest in this change were contacted for their input. Some where in the region on 200,000 electricians were not!!!!!!!!
Skilled and Competent Electricians in the UK are about to loose their autonomy in overseeing their own work! If it works well for the Americans and we seem to always folllow them. (After all, the over the top 'Political Correct' culture came from the USA) Why are is the Labour Government, putting into place something that would be more at home under a communist regime?
Thanks for nothing, Steve
Posted by The Englishman at 8:29 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Cyclists - bad for the environment
BBC NEWS | UK | Cycling 'needs more investment'
an extra Ł70m is needed to meet government targets on reducing congestion and enhancing air quality.
The average commuting journey is 8 miles # the average cyclist burns about 50 calories per mile # So there and back an extra 800 calories.
Where does that energy come from - food - more food transport, more packaging etc. More energy waste. So they consume more fossil fuels than Mr FM in his bloated plutocrat car. And then some of them shower - the many who don't can't talk about "improving air quality" -using more fuel. In fact a brolly through the spokes is the best thing you can do to improve the environment....
Oh, and did I mention they smell?
Posted by The Englishman at 8:17 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
February 4, 2005
Contextual information on Affordable Housing
Thank goodness for Adam Smith Institute Blog - When will they ever learn? and also Hayek's View of New Urbanism
I was asked to respond to a "Rural Housing Enabler" who wanted... here's my reply (with vast lifted parts from the above)
Dear Madam
I note you wish to meet to "work out the contextual information" for the "Housing Needs Survey for Affordable Housing".
It may help if I quickly set out my views which I think provide the missing "contextual information".
You are no doubt familiar with Hayek, and I would stress the best preparation you can do is to reread him.
As Friedrick Hayek said: "If we wish to preserve a free society, it is essential that we recognise that the desirability of a particular object is not sufficient justification for the use of coercion."
And this is the problem with the approach to planning that is being advocated: "a set of policies aimed at managing development with an eye for greater population density, thus encouraging more public transport, and fewer cars. To this end, they recommend that local governments pass strict land use controls, including urban growth boundaries, zoning laws restricting the construction of single-family homes...Under their philosophy, they're doing society a favour by enforcing a better way of living. In their view, we should be thanking them for saving us from ourselves.
Therein lies the problem with the planners. They don't trust people making their own choices with their own money. They want to make the decisions for us on how and where we should live our lives, and no matter how pure their motivations may be, their methods are simply atrocious. Only I know what's best for me. They only know what's best for themselves.
Ultimately, it comes down to this simple principle: I don't want to be forced to eat chocolate if I happen to prefer vanilla. And neither should you."
And more specifically "Affordable Housing" sounds familiar because we once called it Council Housing. When Lady Thatcher took office 35 percent of homes in Britain were state-owned and occupied at subsidised rents. Those lucky enough to qualify acquired the right to live there, a right they could pass on to dependents and heirs.
It froze labour mobility because someone moving out would forfeit their subsidised dwelling and go to the bottom of the housing list in the new area. Waiting lists were often over a decade long. The council homes had to be built cheaply, and were often poor quality. Indeed, they still blight many inner city areas even today. Together with rent controls, subsidised state rents destroyed the private rental market.
Lady Thatcher cut the Gordian knot by allowing tenants the right to buy at discounted prices, trading one benefit for another. It was politically astute and successful. As home-owners their outlook on taxation and the economy changed. Most of them began to maintain and improve what was now their property.
Mr Prescott is addressing the wrong problem with the wrong policy. The problem is not lack of affordable housing for those on low incomes, it is a shortfall in the supply of housing. We live longer, with more of us in single households. Yet the supply is constrained by planning (zoning) laws and 'banana' attitudes to the environment. (Bananas want to Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone). Not surprisingly, prices shoot up.
State-owned subsidised rents are not the answer. We've been there, seen that, learned the lesson. At least some of us did.
I hope that provides a little bit of help for you in setting out your survey.
Posted by The Englishman at 5:51 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Friday Afternoon fun
The Pornolizer - pornolize.com is very non-work safe (unless you are Mr NBC) translator of websites - I couldn't resist viewing www.number-10.gov.uk through it - it all reads so much better - and everytime you refresh it gets better!
Here is Tony's Biography as seen through it on one visit (very rude word alert!)
The "Omar Pussy" Prime Minister "Dripper Dick" Tony Charles "Dirk Diggler" Lynton Blair
1997 - Present
born: 6 May 1953
"Education is the best economic policy there is."
The cuntlicking son of a aardvarking barrister and lecturer, Tony "Bite Me" Blair was born in Edinburgh, but spent most of his childhood in Durham. At the age of 14 he returned to Edinburgh to finish his education at Smoochs "Muffminer" College. He studied law at Oxford, and went on to become a charvering barrister himself.
After standing unsuccessfully for the Labour "Nobgoblin" Party in a by-election, Blair went on to win the motherfucking seat of Sedgefield in the fingering 1983 General "Omar Pussy" Election, aged 30.
Tony "Bumbanger" Blair made a speedy rise through the deep throating browns, being muff sniffed first to the shadow Treasury front bench in 1984. He subsequently fistfucked as a trade and industry spokesman, before being elected to the Shadow "Muffmuncher" Cabinet in 1988 where he was made Shadow "Hard-on" Secretary of State for Energy. In 1989 he fingered to the employment brief.
After the 1992 election Labour's new leader, John "Bust-a-Cunt" Smith, shafted Blair to Shadow "Butplug" Home Secretary. It was in this post that Blair made plows his pledge that Labour would be tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime.
John "Saggysack" Smith died suddenly and unexpectedly in 1994, and in the screwing subsequent leadership contest Tony "Mount" Blair won a fistfucking large majority of his party's support.
Blair immediately launched his campaign for the fucking modernisation of the Labour "Omar Pussy" Party, screwed to complete the unclefucking shift further fucks the political centre which he saw as essential for victory. The browning debate over Clause 4 of the party's constitution was farted the muff sniffing crucial test of whether its fingers would commit to Blair's project. He cuntlicked the commitment to public ownership, and at aardvarks time coined the licking term New "Asshole" Labour.
The sucking Labour "Motherfucker" Party won the 1997 General "Dirk Diggler" Election by a landslide, after 18 charvers in Opposition. At the age of 43 , Tony "Nobgoblin" Blair became the youngest Prime "Mouth-full-o'-cock" Minister since Lord "Assrush" Liverpool in 1812.
The asslicking government began to implement a gamahucheing far-ing programme of constitutional change, putting the muff sniffing question of devolution to referendums in Scotland and Aardvarks.
An elected post of Mayor of London was blowed at the head of a blowing new capital-wide authority, and all but 92 hereditary fingers were removed from the sex fighting House of Lords in the first stage of its reform. The thrusting government has also entered an investment programme of Ł42 billion in its priority licks of health and education.
Tony "Cuntcleaner" Blair was re-elected with another landslide majority in the jerking 2001 General "Anal" Election.
He is married to the thrusting barrister Cherie "Up the Arse" Booth QC, and they have four children. Their youngest, Leo, was the fomping first child born to a charvering serving Prime "Give it to me" Minister in over 150 plows.
Posted by The Englishman at 4:52 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
February 3, 2005
So would I..
Officially, I think it's a really bad idea to put people like that out on the streets with no diversity training but, as a resident, I know I would feel safer if I knew former IDF soldiers were patrolling the streets where I lived.
Posted by The Englishman at 9:18 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Not Pro Bono
SOCIALIZED MEDICINE writes:
Bono, U2's lead singer, is one of the leaders of the campaign to supply the third world with drugs by dismantling the intellectual property rights of pharmaceutical companies. So is this his position on IPRs generally? Not at all. Bono is also one of the leaders of the campaign to strengthen the IPRs of (you've guessed it) musicians. Today, most European countries protect copyrights on sound recordings for no more than 50 years. The U2 members think that they should be allowed to "retain their copyright for at least as long as they live, and to pass it to their heirs, just like any other asset that they own." Yes, it's very easy to say that property if theft when you're talking about other people's properties.
Someone might say that there is a big difference between music and life-saving drugs. I agree. Gifted musicians would probably continue to create music even if they didn't make much money on it. But I don't think that anyone would continue to pour hundreds of millions of dollars into research for new drugs if they had no way of financing that investment through sales.
He forgot to mention that Bono and the rest of U2 are Irish Artists and so are exempt from Income Tax at home - it makes it even easier to spend other peoples tax money when you don't contribute...
Posted by The Englishman at 7:24 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Welsh pull a sickie
It had passed me by until the CEP pointed it out but we are further subsidising the Taffies - Prescription charges in the UK: - devolution, don't get caught out!
In Wales the level of charge is Ł5 as of 1 October 2004 and everybody under 25 gets free prescriptions.
(In England) The charge for each item is Ł6.40 Young people aged 16-25 are only entitled to free prescriptions if they qualify for some reason other than simply their age..
The current phrase is "Postcode Lottery" for Healthcare - here is an example of discrimination that I haven't heard my MP complain about.
Posted by The Englishman at 7:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
England - what England?
The CEP point out that Kinnock's lovely lovely British Council is saying "Screw you England!".
Please visit to support them.
Posted by The Englishman at 7:03 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Guardian keeps up in Iraq
Thursday 3rd Morning: Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Insurgents say they are holding US soldier
A militant group in Iraq claimed last night to have kidnapped an American soldier and threatened to kill him if Iraqi prisoners were not released within 72 hours.
The group posted on the internet what appeared to be a photograph of a soldier sitting in front of a black banner with a gun pointed at his head....
The US military said yesterday that no American soldiers had been reported missing in Iraq. "No units have reported anyone missing," said Staff Sergeant Nick Minecci in Baghdad.
Thank God the blogosphere (ie) discovered the missing man's identity a couple of days ago....
GI Joe!
Drudge first reported the story at February 01, 2005 19:56:02 GMT...
Posted by The Englishman at 6:35 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 2, 2005
Sadly Missed
BBC NEWS | England | London | Comedian's body found in Thames
Hardee founded the Greatest Show On Legs balloon dance troupe and used his genitals to do an impression of Charles De Gaulle.
Posted by The Englishman at 11:15 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Oh no what have I downloaded now...
WikidPad - wiki notebook/outliner for windows
wikidPad is a real-time wiki
wikidPad is not a web server, or application server, or groupware solution. wikidPad is a standalone notepad like application, albeit notepad on steroids. wikidPad is like an IDE for your thoughts.
Seems like a great idea now - what will I think in the morning?
Posted by The Englishman at 11:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Where am I?
UKBlogger map
Oh, there I am...
Posted by The Englishman at 11:10 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Date for the Diary
Sort of via Mr FM I found this usefull reminder and link to the map etc of the Waterloo Cup meet.
It has been brought forward to beat the ban - it will be held on 14 February, 15 February, and 16 February.
An historic day out - I would like to go but the Heir is due to be under the knife those days...
More details...
The Waterloo Cup is the Blue Riband of coursing. Run at Altcar in Lancashire since 1836, it is the ultimate test of a greyhound. Sixty four of the best coursing greyhounds in Britain and Eire will contest the historic prize. This year's meeting will be held on 14 February, 15 February, and 16 February.
The first brace of runners will be put into slips at 9.30am each day. Spectators are advised to arrive by 8.30am to be in good time for the start.
Coursing meetings last for as long as necessary to run out each day's programme. As a rough guide expect the first day to be the longest, (until 4.00pm approx,) and the third day to be the shortest, (until 2.00pm approx.) Refreshments are available on the ground.
Entry from Ł15 each person, car parking free.
How to get there.
Monday, 14 February "The Withins"
Take M62 and then M57. At the end of M57 follow A565 towards Formby and Southport. On the Formby by-pass turn right at traffic lights on to B5195 (at Tesco Superstore) and follow the road through Great Altcar. The turning to the field is on the right on the far side of the village.
Tuesday, 15 February "Lydiate"
Take M62 and then M57. At the end of the M57 follow A59 and then A5147 towards Scarisbrick and Southport. In Lydiate village take second left and follow to where the old Lydiate Station and railway line stood. The coursing field is beyond the old line.
Wednesday, 16 February "The Withins" again.
If you need overnight accommodation, most people stay in nearby Southport where there are any number of hotels and B&Bs. For advice, 'phone the Southport Tourist Office on 01704 533333.
The call over of the card, with bookmakers in attendance to offer long-odds on all runners, will take place at the Prince Of Wales Hotel, Lord Street, Southport at 7.00pm on Sunday, 13 February.
Posted by The Englishman at 12:50 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
The place to do business
A year ago: An Englishman's Castle: Euro shakedown.
Nissan has warned that its Sunderland plant could lose production of one of its most important cars if the UK continues to stay outside the euro.
The Wearside facility currently makes the company's mid-sized Almera model, but Nissan says it may now produce the forthcoming replacement in France. ...
Nissan's threat to move production of the Almera replacement to France may mean the government steps in with a financial package.
This happened two years ago when it came up with some Ł40m to keep the Micra supermini model at the Sunderland plant.
Telegraph | Money | Nissan invests Ł223m to build new car in Britain
The British car industry received a double boost yesterday with the news that Nissan is investing Ł223m in its Sunderland factory to build a new model, while in Oxford BMW is teeing up a multi-million pound investment at its Mini plant.
The latest expansion of the UK car industry, coupled with a further Ł50m announced by Toyota last year, will push up total annual production to 1.65m vehicles a year.
Nissan said that it would build a family sports utility vehicle at its Tyne and Wear factory with the help of a Ł5m regional assistance grant.
The additional public money means the Government will have ploughed Ł179m into the plant...
So being in the euro ain't that important anymore???
Posted by The Englishman at 8:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 1, 2005
Sleep safely in bed tonight
The long awaited guidance document on what you can do when an intruder is caught.
It goes to show it wasn't the law that needed changing but that the Police and CPS needed to be forced to make a public display of priorities.
So print off a copy and wrap it round a baseball bat...
Posted by The Englishman at 10:17 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Swords into Ploughshares
DefendAmerica News - Troops Assist Iraqi Farming Associations
The decision was made for the military to buy seed through commander's emergency response program funds. "Self-production of food in this country is important."
The commander's emergency response program is a program set up by the military to take care of humanitarian needs for the local populaces - needs that will make a quick and lasting impact on the community.
"That is why the division started purchasing this quantity of wheat and barley seed," Haney said. "Now the farmers can start raising crops once again for local sale and support the food needs of Baghdad."
Now who could complain about that? Helping the farmers get back on their feet - and with the extensive work of repair on thhe irrigation system it can return to being the breadbasket of the Middle East...
Sorry I forgot - it is all an evil American plot to make the farmers have higher yields and then there will be profits and reliability of food supply and chemicals and GM foods and did I mention profits? and they won't be in touch with their inner soil...
The Ecologist - HOT TOPIC
In short, what America has done is not restructure Iraq's agriculture, but dismantle it. The people whose forefathers first mastered the domestication of wheat will now have to pay for the privilege of growing it for someone else. And with that the world's oldest farming heritage will become just another subsidiary link in the vast American supply chain.
Posted by The Englishman at 9:07 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack