Stuff to read elsewhere

A couple of things for your Friday delectation.

Firstly via comments over on Anna Raccoon there is the wonder that is Daed Parrot’s Sleaze-O-scope. A one stop shop for locating all the latest sleaze.

And utterly unrelated to that a rather jolly rant against recycling.

Of eggs and leisure craft

Just working back through a load of left open and forgotten browser windows and came across Iain Dales, second misguided piece about the EU banning a dozen eggs*

And was reminded of the following rant/observation made by a friend of mine:

“There seems to be an obsession with misreporting EU legislation and yet, the actual real-bad legislation never gets very much reported, if I was into conspiracy theory I’d say that it was deliberate so bad-shit could just be hidden in the lies and crap but that’s unfounded because the British government have actually been quite good about some of the bad EU law and fought it , and lost.

The British government did a really good campaign on trying to fight the tax-flattening on pleasure craft fuel which was forced on us by the EU. In the past, pleasure boats could use pink-diesel and not be taxed on it anything like as much. Forcing pleasure craft to use fully taxed diesel has pretty much destroyed Britain’s pleasure-craft industry for all but the rich now, which in turn will destroy the economy of a lot of places…

But was that reported? Not much… Nothing like as much as some bollocks about not being able to sell eggs by the dozen any more.

Sure, a bunch of Scottish islands and a whole bunch of people who make their living out of the canal boats will go bust, but that’s nothing compared to … Well, eggs.

As it happens, the Brits complied with the fuel thing but accidentally forgot to employ any inspectors to make sure people were listening and not filling with pink… there is of course the other problem that most boat tanks will have remnants of pink diesel dye in them anyway so it’s practically impossible to test.”

So whilst you’ll still be able to buy a dozen eggs from a ruddy cheeked farmers wife, chances are you won’t be on a relaxing canal boat holiday when you do so.

*But not yet it seems four candles

Liberty is what they say it is

This topic has already been covered incredibly well by other people so I’m actually going to just link to them, adding my voice to the many disappointed but not at all surprised voices responding to Mr Cleggs “shock” revelation that having asked the public for comment on what laws to repeal/amend he’s as much intention of listening as the last lot did with the “petitions to number 10”. Which is of course to say none at all – it would seem that the consultation is once more just a way to have some useful “quotes from the public” to wave around when they impose what ever they’ve already decided to impose on us – though not of course themselves as the most popular law to amend is the smoking ban which doesn’t apply in the palace of Westminster.

Anyway go and read the following for far better commentary.
Dick Puddlecote – Great repeal swindle
Taking Liberties – Your Freedom, His choice
and of course:
LegIron – Nick’s Nasties get a boost from their master

update: Snowolf’s – the one that was waiting is also a good read on the matter.