Archive for September, 2009
Plugging again
Came across this chap in the comments on Charlotte Gore.
Now I don’t live in Dagenham and Rainham, I looked at places there once when I was moving out of Southend, and I doubt if anyone that could vote for him reads this. But you never know, so if you are from that area or know someone who is go have a read of Gordon Kennedy’s site. He’s planning on standing as an independent in Dagenham and Rainham and from what he’s written seems like a someone who might well be worth a bit of support (could anyone be much worse than the current incumbents?).
According to his website:
“I am doing this because I am tired of shouting at my TV, and listening to the lies of politicians. All I have is a chance, a tiny chance that somewhere in Dagenham and Rainham the voters will not stay at home, but try to make a change.”
Which seems like a damn good motive to me, so go have a look at what he has to say and spread the word and maybe someone who can vote for him will hear about it.
P.S. I really like his suggestion about how the CPS should work:
“Justice should be blind, prepared cases should be considered in the first instance by the Crown Prosecution Service only by a reference number. I would like the judges free of political manipulation, and if the minimum penalties are too soft, then we should change the Law.“
Post of the day
I know another post of the day and little more than a week since the last one. However I don’t intend to make a habit of it, and this post by the ever excellent Charlotte Gore is well worth the read:
“They’ve created a hostile, malicious, suspicious country full of jealousy, envy, anger and hatred, winners and losers at each other’s throats because they know the only difference is that one’s got the Government on their side and the other’s got the Government actively working against them.“
Naming the seasons
So the Summer of rage[tm] is drawing to a close without all that much rage being in evidence. Anger, disgust and even outrage but none of the rage we were promised. so I’d just like to get in before the usual suspects do and suggest that we are about to move into:
The Autumn of anarchy
This may or may not be followed by a re-run of a winter of discontent, which I hope will be followed by the
The Spring of sedition
Remember you heard it here first.
Plugging friends again
so someone else I know has dipped their toes into the cold and murky waters of blogging, and are far more likely to do a better job of it than I have. An ex-journalist (though as he’s started blogging so soon I wonder how big an ex that is) and all round good chap, I commend A Compendium of Mallin Miscellany for your delectation.
Not much there yet but I suspect this is one to watch for a feet firmly on ground no tin foil in sight perspective.
Frank Field not far from this average voter
Amongst all the talk of what can or can’t be cut, there has been mention of cutting “unnecessary programmes“. Which I certainly haven’t been alone in wondering why we’re spending on anything unnecessary in the first place and why cutting back on waste isn’t just an on going process.
Still it’s ever so nice to see the ever erudite Frank Field asking the same thing.
I can’t believe I’m different from the average voter. If there are unnecessary programmes what the hell are we doing providing them?
(Go read the whole article, you know you want to, he also feels that there will have to be “mega cuts”).
And on a related topic it seems that our troughing MPs not only aren’t being quite so prompt to pay back money they owe as perhaps other people would be expected to (No surprise there I know), but also aren’t even terribly good at settling their tabs in the subsidised bars and restaurants within the palace. Which just makes me wonder why the fee’s office doesn’t take the same approach as most universities (who withhold your degree whilst you owe them money) and not allow MP’s with outstanding tabs to return after any of parliaments breaks. Or if that’s felt as being too harsh I’d almost settle for MP’s with money owed to the fee’s office (and by extension to their constituents and tax payers generally) being barred from standing for re-election.
News for photographers
This just in via FitWatch, the Met have updated their guidelines for stopping and searching terrorists photographers, to clarify that they can only see your photographs if they suspect you of being a terrorist and also that they have no right to delete digital photographs or destroy film. They actually state that twice, with regards to two different sections.
There is also a Home office circular giving clarification. The hesdline of which is:
Important: Section 43 does not prohibit the taking of photographs, film or digital images in a public place and members of the public and the press should not be prevented from doing so in exercise of the powers conferred by section 43.
A police officer can only stop and search a person they reasonably suspect to be a terrorist under this power.
Both the circular and the Met guidelines are quite short so do take the time to read them, then save a copy in case it changes/vanishes and then make sure to tell other people.
Update: The people over at “I’m a photographer not a terrorist” are putting together a rather dandy map of “authorised” areas.
Post of the day
Been a while since I posted one of these but Pavlov’s cat has a rather excellent article about the newest anti-smoking adverts and our fear of death.
(Stumbled upon via an excellent article from Leg Iron)
Perambulation again
As the season of mellow fruitfulness descends upon us once again, it returns to mind that this is a delightful time for a genteel stroll amongst the imposing architecture of London. With this in mind it seems that Old Holborn will once more be in town on the 5th November partaking of his with a perambulation to the palace of Westminster. Further it seems that once more he’d not be adverse to others of good company in suitable waling garb, joining him in this leisurely endeavour.
So do please feel free to turn up an enjoy the sights and sounds of our fair capital of an autumnal day. Who know you might even get to meet some of the most charming PCSOs and even real police though be warned they seem to get a might confused at groups of people following government advice and going out for some exercise.
bad, mad and buggering up the country?
Via Anna Racoon a rather thought provoking article from Not born yesterday. As quite a few other people have also done I shall just reproduce the first paragraph:
“The Prime Minister of Great Britain is a man too ill to be holding the Office.” This was the conclusion last week of a senior civil servant liaising regularly with Gordon Brown. For reasons which will become clear, the person involved will not go public with the evidence for this conclusion. The same applies to a high-ranking Treasury official who told us “In both a physical and mental sense, the Prime Minister is a very sick man, seriously disabled.” Three years ago, an Opposition MP told nby “He is on extremely heavy doses of cutting-edge anti-depressants, but so far they have made little difference”. And during the last fortnight, another high-ranking government source claimed “He is now on pills which restrict the foods he can eat and what he can drink. He is losing the sight of his good eye quite rapidly. It’s a mess, and nobody knows what to do”.
and suggest you go read the rest of it. If it’s true or not we may never know or at lest not in time, but there’s an awful lot of it that’s plausible. So have a read and see what you think.
UK terror threat status
- Severe 2010/01/25