£16 million saved on Holyrood!

Apparently, as well as being pig ugly, the final bill for Holyrood will be 414 million pounds, but lucky us they have managed to save 16 million on the final total.

Not bad considering the initial estimates from this inept parliament were between 10 and 40 million pounds. So they have managed to save what it should have cost, what an achievement. Best of luck in governing this Country.

Here's a masterful understatement from the Presiding Officer George Reid:

"The Holyrood saga has been a long haul, it's been wearing, it has also been damaging, in my view, to Scottish self-confidence in our ability to run our own affairs. And that is why I use the word 'closure' today in its full double meaning."

Reading a little further it is revealed that

No-one responsible for the rise from the first estimate of between £10 million and £40 million to the eventual total lost their job.

If this had been anywhere in private industry the people responsible would have been sent on there way without thinking, but when you and I are paying nobody takes responsibility.


Just as a final note it's interesting to note that the total VAT payable to Mr Brown was in excess of the 40 million top estimate.

Holyrood seeks 'closure' over its £414 million fiasco

For Ovine Lovers (Aberdonians)

A website especially aimed at Aberdonians. Though, apparently, New Zealanders like their sheep more than Dons Supporters.

New Zealanders flock to AdultSheepFinder.com The Register

Warning after Scafell baby rescue

Amazing what people will do to try and kill themselves these days.

I have no problem with people climbing mountains, but when they put other people at risk you have to question what they were doing.

Mind you Scafell Pike is only a wee bit of a hill.

Warning after Scafell baby rescue

Are you being Monitored?

Apparently there were 439,000 requests made to monitor people’s telephone calls, e-mails and post by secret agencies and other authorised bodies in just over a year. Now if I can work this out this means that about 1 in 140 of the population has been monitored.

Agencies that can monitor the above include: MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, the signals intelligence centre in Cheltenham, as well as 52 police forces, 475 local authorities and 108 other organisations such as the Serious Fraud Office and the Financial Services Authority.

So look around you and wonder who is being monitored and why. You must know one of these people.

Privacy row as checks on phones and e-mails hit 439,000-News-UK-Crime-TimesOnline

MSPs' expenses soar by twice rate of inflation to £9.8m

I see the pigs trough that is Holyrood managed to increase expenses for MSP's by double the rate of inflation despite the following warning last year from Tom McCabe, the finance minister:

"We do not want to consume any more precious resources or employ any more staff than necessary. We will be looking at cutting duplication and bureaucracy to ensure we have more efficient and effective public services."

Obviously these words were taken to heart by our wonderfully useful MSP's.


The Scotsman - MSPs' expenses soar by twice rate of inflation to £9.8m

I did it my way - So bugger the rest of you

Worth a read, what initially comes through is that Tony believes he is right about everything and bugger the rest of you. More later.


Exclusive: Tony Blair's Exit Interview - Newsweek: International Editions - MSNBC.com

Blair announces Iraq Withdrawal to Media.

I see our "Glorious Leader" is announcing his plans for withdrawal from Iraq.

Tony Blair is expected to announce a timetable for the withdrawal of UK troops from Iraq.

The prime minister is due to make an announcement in the House of Commons on Wednesday in which he is expected clarify the details.

Mr Blair is expected to say hundreds of troops will return from Basra within weeks with more to follow later.

As usual the announcement is made first to the newspapers and media rather than to Parliament. Not surprising this as the "Glorious Leader" seldom wants to be associated with debates on Iraq in the House of Commons.

As usual the details are leaked to the press with no real substance and are probably aimed at quieting his back benchers after todays bad news in the Polls.

From what little details are available it looks like the promised withdrawal will be longer and slower than expected, though I'm sure this will be glossed over.

As my wife wrote on Political Betting

"Whatever decisions this government have taken over Iraq, it has been been for their own political agenda rather than the good of the Iraqi people or the British military"

"I have concerns about how much involvement the commanders on the ground in Iraq have had in the withdrawal details and media operation before this announcement was leaked."

"Before every newspaper in the UK has it on their frontpage, I hope that the MP’s sitting in the chamber remember that comment (A Downing Street spokesman said: “It is right that the prime minister should update Parliament first").when they read about before they troop into the HoC tomorrow!
Still never let it be said that Blair has ever shown any regard for the British soldiers and their families injured or killed, or parliament when he could not be bothered to even turn up for the last debate on Iraq. Watching the panarama programme last night I was struck by how little media coverage has been given/allowed or figures issued for the casualties in Iraq.

Obviously the "Glorious Leader" will be hoping that this announcement will be part of his legacy as Prime Minister, unfortunately nothing could be further from the truth, his legacy will be Iraq but it will be a hollow legacy.

His real legacy will be how he brought us into the war via a series of lies and half-truths, His legacy will be the hundreds of thousands of dead civilians because of a horrific lack of foresight, His legacy will be the thousands of dead soldiers and allied personnel and finally his legacy will be the grieving families of all the British Armed forces killed in Iraq.

Let us hope that this withdrawal is accomplished safely and that Iraq will be a more peaceful place.

Perhaps I am cynical but tomorrow may also bring other announcements that may not reflect well on the Blair government.

UPDATE 21-02-2007 12:48

Amazing as prophesied by my Wife and agreed by me news of further interviews in the "Cash for Honours" scandal is released this morning. Oh what fortuitous timing. This continues the unbelievable stench that now surrounds Mr Blair.

Let us only hope that withdrawal from Iraq has been properly discussed, correct strategies have been developed and politicians have not been forcing the pace.



BBC NEWS | UK | Blair 'to confirm Iraq timetable'

"Hilarious Hewitt"

So according to the slightly less than 'Hilarious Hewitt' the NHS will balance its books this year and should show a slight surplus.

But again as usual looking a little closer it is the usual lies, deception and creative accounting that is the face of this corrupt government and its leader Tony Blair.

Basically money has been held back centrally and training stopped or curtailed. In addition to this some NHS regions and trusts have just stopped doing work for the last weeks of the year to stop them running up larger deficits.

All this is doing is giving an appearance that the books are balanced, whilst in reality problems are being stored up for later. This is typical of the disintegrating government that we must now suffer.

As Andrew Lansley, Shadow Health Secretary, said:

"Labour are able to claim that the NHS will finish this year in surplus, but the surplus they have generated is a sham.

"There are more NHS organisations, saddled with worse deficits, than there were last year.

"Patricia Hewitt's skin is being saved only by savage cuts to centrally-held budgets, which will all need to be restored in the years to come."

Liberal Democrat spokesman Norman Lamb added.

"A lot of trusts were being forced to take very tough measures to get their finances back on track.

"The impact on patient care around the country could be very damaging."

More reading on this here.


Many NHS trusts face growing debt

Tree

Tree
Originally uploaded by fitaloon.

Taken during a walk round Loch Kinord.

Scottish Wolf

Wolf?
Originally uploaded by fitaloon.

Just a wee pic for a Sunday morning.

Maybe we will be seeing them in Scotland some time in the future.

Follyrood parliament building

I blogged a few times last year on the 450 million waste of money that is Folyrood, so I thought I would have a look at the Scotsman to see how it was all going just now.

Apart from the usual problems with windows, stairways, gates, roofs etc etc, all is wonderful. It now costs 73 million and rising of our money a year to get all the snouts fed here.

Anyway the Scotsman now has 74, yes 74 pages of articles on the Holyrood building and its problems.


Scotsman.com News - Holyrood parliament building

Honest it's for the Wains

I see Viagra will soon be available over the counter at your local pharmacy.

But it also looks like it will be doing a bit more of what it was originally designed to do, which was to reduce blood pressure and treat Angina.

One touching story of its recent use shows how it can save not only marriages but also lives.

And of course Boots wanted to wish you a Happy Valentines Day.

So next time you get some spam for Viagra maybe you'd better get some in!

Cool Britannia - RIP

Cool Britannia has finally rolled over and died- RIP. Now if only Mr Blair and his tired and knackered NuLabour party would just do the same.

I see Mr Gallagher from the Beatles tribute band Oasis has launched a scathing attack on Mr Blair. He said

people had thought Mr Blair "was going to be John F Kennedy", but he was now "saddled" with the Iraq war.

He went on to say

"When the Labour Party got in it was all about children and education and yet 10 years down the line there's people saying that kids are better off in Poland... I don't really think there's anything left to vote for. That's why people don't vote... why people would rather vote for celebrity talent shows than would vote for politics."

On the Tories and David Cameron he had the following to say

To say no comment is typical of him and his party copping out. They wait to see what Tony Blair says...and then they move in behind and switch it and change a little bit. It's like a song writer who's eternally ripping off someone else's song and just changing the odd line a little."

Which is a bit rich since most of his songs seem to be a ripoff of the Beatles.

It's interesting to note that By 1998 the Economist was commenting that "many people are already sick of the phrase," and by 2000 - after the fall of Britpop - it was being used mainly in a mocking or ironic way. Much the same then with Mr Blair and his party.


BBC NEWS | Politics | Oasis's Noel attacks Blair record

Nuclear review 'was misleading'

I see Mr Blair tried his usual trick of promising one thing and delivering another.

A judge ruled that the consultation process before the decision last year had been "misleading", "seriously flawed" and "procedurally unfair".

Having been found out our Mr Blair went on as usual and

said while the ruling would change the consultation process, "this won't affect the policy at all".

So basically he won't change his policy whatever the outcome. Now I wonder where he has done this before and what the consequences of that have been.

Initially Mr Blair had said that before any decision was taken to build more stations, there would have to be

"the fullest possibly public consultation and the publication of a further white paper setting out our proposals."

This is what the judge has found to be completely untrue.

Each of the major parties had a comment on the above

Green Party spokeswoman Sian Berry also said the Energy Review had merely been a "rubber-stamping exercise".
Shadow trade and industry secretary Alan Duncan described it as "an astonishing ruling" which showed up the government as "fundamentally deceitful."
Liberal Democrat environment spokesman Chris Huhne said: "The judgement really shows you can't perform a 180-degree U-turn on a matter as important as nuclear power without a proper public debate. It's a real slap in the face for the prime minister's sofa style of government."

P.S. I have no problem with the idea of Nuclear Power. It's the process that I am concerned with and the dictatorial way that Mr Blair tries to do Government.


BBC NEWS | Politics | Nuclear review 'was misleading'

All at sea: the anatomy of an MoD decision over new aircraft carriers

A damning report by the Defence Committee indicates that

THE Royal Navy could be left without working aircraft carriers because of continuing delays and doubts surrounding the MoD's management of the £3.6 billion project to buy new vessels

Apparently this has been going on for 9-10 years and the report continues as follows

The Ministry of Defence says it is waiting for "consolidation" in the maritime industry. Navy sources also fear the main gate decision now depends on the Comprehensive Spending Review in July. "Gordon Brown is keeping the navy dangling," one navy source said. The House of Commons defence committee warns of the "risk" that the carriers will be late, "leaving the Royal Navy without a carrier strike capability".

Perhaps we will just have to go and buy some from India instead.

The Scotsman - All at sea: the anatomy of an MoD decision over new aircraft carriers

Thousands to police smoking ban

Up here in Scotland the smoking ban has been running for nearly a year now and with little or no requirement for this type of heavy-handed enforcement. Apparently

"In Scotland, there have been just 11 fixed penalty notices issued to premises in the last 10 months, with many councils having issued none at all."

The ban rolled in and people who smoked retired to the glorious outdoors making it both safer for us, the non-smokers, and getting the smokers outside for a decent breath of fresh air.

Most smokers now hanging about outside in their little shelters appear like lepers of the olden days but without the "Lepers Window" they used to have in places like churches.

More posts on smoking here

Thousands to police smoking ban

NHS Lets War Hero go Blind

Another story of how the NHS is failing us and the lottery that is now Health Care.

This is not an isolated story for this affliction as seen here on one of my favourites.

Currently it is even a lottery to get even fairly routine treatment done as the various NHS regions attempt to balance the books for the blessed Hewitt.

P.S. The photo above is not one of the planes Mr Reyre would have flown in (A Lancaster) but it is of a Canberra which my father piloted back in the 50's and 60's. More here.


NHS Lets War Hero go Blind

Jumping McNumpty - Police Petition

A while ago I blogged on the Home Office Minister Tony "Mcnumpty" McNulty and his "jump up and down" advice.

Anyway to cut along story short follow this link to see how this might look and then sign the Petition at No 10.

Little benefit for working single mothers

The Telegraph has the following to say on the benefits system in the UK.

Labour's tax and benefits system makes it more lucrative for single mothers to stay on state handouts than return to work, according to research from the world's chief economic and social authority.

In a major blow to Gordon Brown's reputation, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development indicated that Britain has the Western world's biggest benefits trap.

So basically you are better off on benefits rather than working. What incentive is this to anyone to get out and work?

George Osborne the shadow Chancellor had the following to say.

"Ten years ago Gordon Brown came into office promising to make work pay. Here is the proof that, a decade on, his whole approach has failed and we need a new alternative."

Little benefit for working single mothers

Valentines Gift's

A quick list of presents not to buy today. I'm sure that my wife enjoyed the replacement mop head that I bought her (honest!).

Amazon.com : Amazon Gift Central

It's Ned(dy) Cars

I'm sure my big bro', once nicknamed Ned or Neddy but now Noddy and a Plod will be commenting on this, but just to get in before him.

"Ms Andrews thought the car was an unmarked police vehicle and stopped," Martin Macari, the fiscal-depute, told Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday.

"The Alpha Romeo pulled up behind them. MacInnes, the driver, got out of the car and approached the driver side. She opened the window and spoke to him. He was holding a radio and spoke into it, requesting a vehicle check."

Police in an Alfa, I think not , we are not in Italy!

It goes on

The shaken teenager and her passengers decided the incident was strange. MacInnes looked young to be a police officer and Gray is very overweight.

My God whatever next an overweight Policeman!

It's Ned Cars

Cities vie for 'rudest folk' tag

Another survey, showing England is ruder than Scotland and even Wales. Scotland has 2 in the top 4 and Wales even manages 1 in the top 3. And the worst are of course England, with Liverpool and Birmingham coming last. Aberdeen of course showing well!

'POLITENESS INDEX'

1 Glasgow

2 Sheffield

3 Cardiff

4 Aberdeen

5 Leeds

6 London

7 Bristol

8 Newcastle

9 Birmingham

10 Liverpool

Cities vie for 'rudest folk' tag

Volunteers could staff 999 lines

Hello, is that 999, could I have an ambulance please?

Do you know what number that is I'm not sure, I'm new here and can't find the right button to press.

It's urgent help please.

You could ring NHS 24 , I've found their number.

dialtone

......


BBC NEWS Scotland Edinburgh and East Volunteers could staff 999 lines

Valentines Day - Romance after 17 Years

Seventeen years ago I celebrated my first Valentines Day with my Wife Chris. Being a man I can't remember what I gave her back in 1990, we may even have been apart as Chris then worked in Inverness and I worked in Aberdeen.

I'm sure it was something romantic, as it was our first Valentines day together, and a memory of roses being delivered to her work seems to come to mind.

Since then we have got married and had 3 children the oldest of whom is now 13, so romance tends to be in the background with the needs of everday life. So it's probably a good idea we have a day like today when we can celebrate in a simple way our love.

The romance is certainly a bit different these days as noted by the following E-Mail I received this afternoon from Chris.

Re Valentine gifts for boring old married couples!

Hi Ali,

Here is some links to a selection that look nice, one is quite expensive and my favourite but also a couple of cheaper options for a spare set.

Cheapest first.

http://www.johnlewis.com/Home+and+Garden/Bedroom/+Bed+Linen+/Duvet+Covers/791/2334/Product.aspx

http://www.johnlewis.com/Home+and+Garden/Bedroom/+Bed+Linen+/Duvet+Covers/791/7705/Product.aspx

I like the 2nd option best.

This is my favourite but might be too red?

http://www.johnlewis.com/Home+and+Garden/Bedroom/+Bed+Linen+/Duvet+Covers/791/6101/Product.aspx

Just need you to get some essentials like veggies for tea tomorrow and school snacks.

Love

Chrisx

Romance is still alive just in a different form!

P.S. I did buy the 2nd Option as the most expensive one was only available on the Internet. There were also some other more romantic gifts!

Cartoon Time

First a much needed new pill for our current lifestyles.



and Second a Vista cartoon just for you Apple fans out there.

Chancellor's World Cup fever fails to grip the Scots

I see turncoat Brown is again trying to ingratiate himself with our southern neighbours by supporting the English FA's possible bid for the 2018 World Cup. The man is a complete charlatan.

Stewart Maxwell MSP, the Scottish National Party's culture spokesman, said:

"Good luck to England, but I suspect that Gordon Brown's support for the bid is more about politics than sport, and his desire to ingratiate himself with the English electorate in his desperation to get into No 10."

Opinions in England were apparently all for going for the bid whilst most in Scotland appeared not to care. However the following is typical of this mealy-mouthed creature as the Chancellor appears intent on demonstrating how much he identifies with English voters.

"I have been around the world, I have been in Asia, America and Europe, and I think there is great support for England having it 50 years after we won the World Cup in 1966," Mr Brown said yesterday.

I assume Mr Brown has now become English. Good luck to them.

P.S. Note to the F.A. watch out for the VAT.

P.P.S. By the way Scotland are of course the real World champions as evidenced here. And will of course be the current holders of the Cup on the 24th March of this year when they beat Georgia almost 40 years to the day since they last held the Cup after beating the English at Wembley.

Chancellor's World Cup fever fails to grip the Scots

"He is Scum and should be treated as Scum"

Not my words but borrowed again from Big Bro? who borrowed them from a murdered child's mother in respect of a Paedophile who, as reported in the local evening paper.

"Has now joined the queue of money-grabbing cons hoping to cash in on the fact they have to slop out."

See my previous post on similar case.

MS India bids for worst corporate anthem title

Always worth a listen to are these wonderful songs. What makes a company think they should do this. They are so appallingly bad and so kitsch. Anyway have a listen to this one about Microsoft Vista from Microsoft in India.

Update 22:30: Apparently My Bro prefers this classic Offering from Microsoft in India.

Here are the lyrics (apparently)

I thought I would take the opportunity of adding the lyrics to the rap section of this truly moving song (note, these are by no means perfectly accurate):

Oh boy I don't know where to begin

So much feature don't know how to fit 'em in

Get ready for the wow! experience

I showed them once, I felt the crowd delirious

Ohhh!

Step through the Window, take a trip with me

I'll turn your world on it's head with my 'flip-3d'

I'll make sure to the best websites I go

Windows Vista can be ? all in one go

So much data

Still I search quickly

Safe with Win Defender security

Visual, hot-to-trot?, it's sure pretty

I've got my laptop, I take my world with me!

Search is incredible!

SOFTWARE IS RELIABLE!!!

Style's irrestistable!

Yeah!

Enter Windows Media Center

Music, Radio, Video, whatever!

Guaranteed more fun for your pleasure

Let's just say you're entertained forever!

One thing you just can't ignore

Zooms your performance for sure

And when you feel the need for more speed,

You can even boost that through the USB!

Windows Vista with it's sleek design

Even if you're a real good friend of mine

Don't even try askin me to lend you mine

'Cos you only get the 'wow!' when it's genuine

100%

100%

100%

MS India bids for worst corporate anthem title | The Register

Revealed: MSPs' dubious claims

As usual we find those pretend politicians at the Scottish Parliament are trying to dig their snouts even deeper into the trough of our money.

Greg Gibbs, campaign director of the Taxpayers' Alliance, said he was astounded that MSPs were trying to get away with such frivolous and dubious claims.

He said:

"This is a classic case of MSPs not treating taxpayers' money as our money. As far as they see it, it is their money."

Also have a look here for even more stories.

Scotsman.com News - Scotland - Revealed: MSPs' dubious claims

Miliband - You are not worthy

Why did the BBC concentrate so much on Miliband's gaffe late on in Question Time. Miliband said

"I predict that when I come back on this programme in six months or a year’s time, people will be saying ‘wouldn’t it be great to have that Blair back because we can’t stand that Gordon Brown’."

Perhaps it is worthy of noting that the description of Miliband by Question Time included the following

Once described by Blair as the "Wayne Rooney of the Cabinet".

Having watched the first 20-30 mins of it on BBC1, I was cringing as all the panellists stormed into Miliband and his answers, he was the pathetic, fawning, autocratic, arrogant, sneering spinning and just plain lying puppet of this Government.

I then popped onto Political Betting to have a look at the take on what was happening and noticed the details of the BBC "News" of Miliband's gaffe. I thought I must have missed it during his cringing performance, maybe I had just shut it out amongst his vapid and crass comments, then I realised it hadn't been shown yet!

When I read the full details I thought of how true the statement would be, and for all the right reasons, GB will be an unworthy PM, ducking and diving from the hard issues of Government.

Paul Linford, a Labour blogger and former lobby journalist, commenting on the gaffe had the following to say.

Miliband tried to explain it away by saying he was merely making the point that people always complain about the sitting Prime Minister, but the Brownites will view the comment as, at best, inept and, at worst, indicative of the mindset in the "Blair Bunker."
I don't think Gordon will forget this, and it may well take him a fairly long time to forgive. I may have to revise my predictions as to the make up of Brown's future Cabinet.

A gaffe it was , badly phrased and badly thought out, by a typically inept NuLab front man but it was the earlier parts of the programme that showed for real that Miliband is not worthy of being in the cabinet or parliament, far less a contender for the leadership of a major political party in the UK.

Watch the full Question Time here.

Equality from Discrimination - But not Us of Course.

Dizzy via the Independent and an article by Dominic Lawson points out that after all the ho-ha going in Parliament about the Catholic Church and Abortion and how no-one could possibly be exempt from Discrimination that the following ARE exempt:-

This is the full text of the Equality Act 2006. Section (52) titled "Public Authorities" says the following

(1) It is unlawful for a public authority exercising a function to do any act which constitutes discrimination.

It then says,

(3) The prohibition in subsection (1) shall not apply to-

• (a) the House of Commons,
• (b) the House of Lords,
• (c) the authorities of either House of Parliament,
• (d) the Security Service,
• (e) the Secret Intelligence Service,
• (f) the Government Communications Headquarters, or
• (g) a part of the armed forces of the Crown which is, in accordance with a requirement of the Secretary of State, assisting the Government Communications Headquarters.

Dominic Lawson then goes on to say.

When I inquired about these exemptions I was told by a government official that, at least in respect of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, they were made "on grounds of national security". The official wasn't immediately able to explain why the Houses of Parliament were exempt. The point is, however, that if this law, as Falconer states, "applies to everybody" then "everybody" cannot mean "everybody except us and the spooks". It is also not clear, to me at least, why it is perfectly proper for national security to be used as a reason for special treatment, but outrageous for religious conscience to be put forward as an argument.

So there we are nobody is above the Law apart from Spooks and Westminster of course.

Perhaps this explains why Tony and his cronies don't feel they have done anything wrong in the "Cash for Honours" saga. Maybe they feel all laws only apply to "The Proles".

Remember

• WAR IS PEACE
• FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
• IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

Microshaft Vista

"You should go to Vista."

"So you like Vista?"

"Not really, no. I run a Vista simulator."

"Virtual Server?" the Boss asks.

"Nah, I just turned on all the flashy crap in XP, changed the background image, took some memory out of my box and clocked down the CPU. Then broke Media player. Works like a charm."

Extract from BOFH

Psychic Museum closes due to Unforeseen Circumstances

On a lighter note

York Psychic Museum has shut due to unforeseen circumstances, the York Press reports. Astrologer Jonathan Cainer, who opened the museum in 2003, admitted that he'd been welcoming just 100 people a week through the doors, and had accordingly decided to temporarily hang up his crystal ball. Cainer reckons he'll be back in business by 2008, but cautioned: "If you are asking me for predictions when exactly it will open up again, then it is hard to say. Although I'm in the prediction business, I don't believe you can make predictions about things you are close to."

Psychic museum closes due to unforeseen circumstances

Convict takes Executive to court over 'embarrassing' telephone warning

Apparently a convicted criminal is taking the Executive to court over the message played before phone calls are accepted on outgoing calls.
The message is as follows

"This call originates from a Scottish prison. It will be logged and may be recorded and/or monitored. If you do not wish to accept this call, please hang up."

You have to feel sorry for the poor guy whose only crime, this time, involved holding a knife at the throat of a shop manageress and is serving a minor sentence of 21 years at the moment.

Not only is he being allowed to take this to court but You and I are paying for it.

After a lengthy battle to secure thousands of pounds in legal aid, Stewart Potter, 43, has taken a case to the Court of Session in Edinburgh, claiming the phone message "is an ... embarrassing reminder to his family" that he is calling from prison.

He has served previous sentences of four, six and eight years and was given a nine-year term in 2001 for armed robbery.

In 2002, he stood trial for another robbery, committed just before the nine-year sentence had been imposed.

In that case, he threatened the manageress of a Glasgow off- licence with a knife, then ordered her and a customer into a toilet. He fled with £292 but was arrested after police used CS gas spray to disarm him.

He was jailed for 12 years, to begin at the end of the nine-year sentence.

Convict takes Executive to court over 'embarrassing' telephone warning

Aviemore - Where politics is left out in the cold

As a long time visitor to Aviemore, my wife came from there, I thought this might interest herself. I love the area that Aviemore is in , but the village/town that it has become is not so great now for the residents. Much of the new money has been to provide expensive facilities purely for the guests with little regard for the growing number of residents. A good quote from the article is as follows.

There should be more stuff for the kids. They are being left on their own to get on with things and that is not good enough. There is a lot for tourists but nothing for the people who live here most of the time

Maybe it's just because it's growing so fast but to my mind the place has lost it's soul and character.

Where politics is left out in the cold

Council tax rise lowest so far - just as elections draw near

Amazing isn't it just as elections come up Council Taxes are going to up up by the least in the past 4 years. Am I being cynical? I think not.

Another article here takes up the same story.

The Scotsman - Council tax rise lowest so far - just as elections draw near

Smart?

What Is Intelligence, Anyway?
Isaac Asimov

What is intelligence, anyway? When I was in the army, I received the kind of aptitude test that all soldiers took and, against a normal of 100, scored 160. No one at the base had ever seen a figure like that, and for two hours they made a big fuss over me. (It didn't mean anything. The next day I was still a buck private with KP - kitchen police - as my highest duty.)

All my life I've been registering scores like that, so that I have the complacent feeling that I'm highly intelligent, and I expect other people to think so too. Actually, though, don't such scores simply mean that I am very good at answering the type of academic questions that are considered worthy of answers by people who make up the intelligence tests - people with intellectual bents similar to mine?

For instance, I had an auto-repair man once, who, on these intelligence tests, could not possibly have scored more than 80, by my estimate. I always took it for granted that I was far more intelligent than he was. Yet, when anything went wrong with my car I hastened to him with it, watched him anxiously as he explored its vitals, and listened to his pronouncements as though they were divine oracles - and he always fixed my car.

Well, then, suppose my auto-repair man devised questions for an intelligence test. Or suppose a carpenter did, or a farmer, or, indeed, almost anyone but an academician. By every one of those tests, I'd prove myself a moron, and I'd be a moron, too. In a world where I could not use my academic training and my verbal talents but had to do something intricate or hard, working with my hands, I would do poorly. My intelligence, then, is not absolute but is a function of the society I live in and of the fact that a small subsection of that society has managed to foist itself on the rest as an arbiter of such matters.

Consider my auto-repair man, again. He had a habit of telling me jokes whenever he saw me. One time he raised his head from under the automobile hood to say: "Doc, a deaf-and-mute guy went into a hardware store to ask for some nails. He put two fingers together on the counter and made hammering motions with the other hand. The clerk brought him a hammer. He shook his head and pointed to the two fingers he was hammering. The clerk brought him nails. He picked out the sizes he wanted, and left. Well, doc, the next guy who came in was a blind man. He wanted scissors. How do you suppose he asked for them?"

Indulgently, I lifted by right hand and made scissoring motions with my first two fingers. Whereupon my auto-repair man laughed raucously and said, "Why, you dumb jerk, He used his voice and asked for them." Then he said smugly, "I've been trying that on all my customers today." "Did you catch many?" I asked. "Quite a few," he said, "but I knew for sure I'd catch you." "Why is that?" I asked. "Because you're so goddamned educated, doc, I knew you couldn't be very smart."

And I have an uneasy feeling he had something there.

Liverpool Stealers

New badge for

Liverpool Football Club

is now available after their takeover.

Free Parking in Aberdeen - Maybe?

We can only hope this does get to a strike!

Parking patrollers in Aberdeen are threatening to strike after talks between union officials and the council broke down.At a meeting last night, patrollers voiced their anger claiming Aberdeen City Council...

Knitted breasts help new mothers

What more can/dare I say.
BBC NEWS | England | Merseyside | Knitted breasts help new mothers

NAO attacks UK.gov £13.3bn savings claim

Joined up Government! Just about what you would expect from Labour.
Love the point where they say they can save 105 million but have already spent 106 million on Consultants!

For example, only four of ten central government departments had subtracted the cost of finding cost savings from the actual savings claimed. The Public and Commercial Services Union, which has fought job cuts across the public sector, noted that HM Revenue and Customs had found it could save £105 million with job cuts after it spent £106 million on consultants. The NAO urges government auditors and the like ought to challenge departments' claims more vehemently to avoid being fobbed off.

NAO attacks UK.gov £13.3bn savings claim | The Register

Dirty work at the Green Crossroads - Maybe?

An interesting blog article but can it be believed? On both sides of the Global Warming are big Money and Countries. One quote below says that some of the figures are well out.

Figures in the final draft of the UN’s fourth five-year report on climate change show that the previous report, in 2001, had overestimated the human influence on the climate since the Industrial Revolution by at least one-third. Also, the UN, in its 2007 report, has more than halved its high-end best estimate of the rise in sea level by 2100 from 3 feet to just 17 inches. It suggests that the rate of sea-level rise is up from 2mm/yr to 3mm/year – no more than one foot in a century. UN scientists faced several problems their computer models had not predicted. Globally, temperature is not rising at all, and sea level is not rising anything like as fast as had been forecast. Concentrations of methane in the air are actually falling…

Another view of the report is taken from some comments on the PB.Com website from Colm

While most of the article can be dismissed as selective quoting and spin (I’ll back that up in a longer post if necessary), the quote from the appendix about changing scientific content is disturbing. However, it is for the opposite reason that Monckton/Phillips contend.

The IPCC have decided to try to keep everyone on board, including governments with a vested interest in down-playing climate change (oil-rich nations and the USA). It’s harder to argue that any government has a strong vested interest in talking up climate change. By its nature it’s already a conservative report (in order to keep almost the entire scientific community on board) and this only increases that effect. The USA more or less has power of veto on statements it particularly dislikes.

Is it worth changing scientific content in this way (even if the changes are generally more of emphasis rather than factual) to be a truly global report? I can see the argument, but as a scientist, I would say definitely not. There’s no excuse for the spin Monckton/Phillips have put on it though.

So there it is Global Warming - As clear as Mud.



Melanie Phillips’s Diary » Dirty work at the green crossroads

Ruaridh says "hi I'm 10 now"

Ruaridh says "hi I'm 10 now"
Originally uploaded by fitaloon.

Ruaridh was ten today and celebrated by having the day off school as it snowed overnight. What better present for a ten year old!

Big shake-up for maternity care

Dr Crippen has a few modest words to say on the following article.

Living in a rural area any dumbing down of the current facilities is not what we would like. Getting to the nearest large Maternity Hospital today would have taken over an hour in a car and more in an ambulance with the snow/ice on the roads. Our second son , Malcolm, arrived about 30 minutes after my wife said its time to go. Luckily we lived only 5 minutes from the hospital.

BBC NEWS | Health | Big shake-up for maternity care

Young drivers 'still ignoring speed limits despite carnage'

I worry as my eldest gets closer to the age he can drive what will happen, will he be a safe driver or will he feel the "Need for Speed". At least when I was young the cars where slower (if not so safe).



The Scotsman - Young drivers 'still ignoring speed limits despite carnage'

Science lab demonstration to highlight danger of smoking banned in schools

Only we could manage to ban this and then to accept the ban. If this was anywhere else we would just ignore the ban when it was applied stupidly. Common sense dictates that this would be a good idea so why go along with it.
The Scotsman - Science lab demonstration to highlight danger of smoking banned in schools

Tartan Lobby Fodder?

Labour MPs vote more, but opponents say they are merely "tartan lobby fodder", used to shore up the government.

MPs' work rates leave lots of unanswered questions

The Scotsman - BNP to get £670,000 from taxpayers to fund campaign

Giving these scum any money is bad enough but when they are exploiting loopholes in the law it is a disgrace.
Lets do what we can to ensure they don't do this again by sending them homewards with the minimum of votes. Vote anybody but BNP, please.

The Scotsman - BNP to get £670,000 from taxpayers to fund campaign

Experts' plan to cut heart deaths

All well and good in this article but look at the following from NHSBLOGDOC.

Also have a look at The Scotsman and some of the comments.

Is this driven by a want for profit or is it a good thing. As he says Statins are big business. Very big business.

I saw five patients today who are on statins, and they all had questions about safety, and memory loss and the "new statin" that has turned out to be dangerous. I worry about this more and more. I ask myself, how much do I REALLY know about the efficacy and safety of these drugs? I am merely the victim of the latest reseach paper.

Pfizer’s next big drug for heart disease (torcetrapib which was slated to replace Lipitor) has bombed in trials, causing sufficient deaths that the trials have been ended early and development has been stopped. This is obviously dreadful news for Pfizer, and I assume that the stock will be well done on Monday. But that’s how the pharma business is supposed to work—big bets on new blockbusters may not pan out, but others will do so. (Matthew Holt)

Statins are big business. Very big business.

An academic colleague in the Southern Hemisphere sends me regular updates on the dangers of statins. He draws my attention to this:

Frank Cooper - author of "Cholesterol and the French Paradox".

France is a nation of 62,000,000 people who have been eating foods high in saturated fats and cholesterol for a long time, and yet they enjoy very low levels of heart disease. Frank will explain how the French eat 3 times as much fat and cholesterol as Americans yet have 1/3 the deaths from heart attacks. (Source)

Popular medicine, maybe. But can someone explain it to me? Then I can explain it to my patients.

BBC NEWS | Scotland | Experts' plan to cut heart deaths

Can we have a reality check on the boundaries story?

The aptly named Colin Brown has a story in the unIndependent that purports to show how "unfair" the boundary changes, that are coming in, are on Labour. It mangles the facts to say that because Labour will lose some seats, it is unfair.

In reality the Boundary Commission have still not managed to sort this out properly despite having six years to do so. Also note that despite having had the recommendations for more than four months Labour has done nothing with them yet. The process to make the changes law could take over three months, so perhaps they are keeping them in abeyance, in case of a snap General Election caused by some of their recent scandals.

This is a typical Labour "spin" to try and gain sympathy and blame those nasty Tories.

New Labour "Whiter than White".

politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Can we have a reality check on the boundaries story?

Jump Up and Down to Distract criminals, says minister

Beyond belief! What is this country coming to.
Tony McNumpty , Home office minister had the following to say.

Jeremy Vine: You see something happening in the street. Do you step in?

Tony McNulty: I think the general line must be to get in touch with the authorities straight and make sure that if things are as bad as you paint the police will be there as quickly as they can.

Jeremy: You see a young man looking aggressive, shouting at an old woman, what do you do? You retreat and ring the police?

Tony McNulty: I think you should in the first instance. It may well be the simply shouting at them, blowing your horn or whatever else deters them and they go away.

Jeremy: He's now hitting her and the police haven't come, what do you do then?

Tony McNulty: The same the same, you must always ...

Jeremy: Still wait?

Tony McNulty: Get back to the police, try some distractive activities whatever else.

Jeremy: What jump up and down?

Tony McNulty: But I would say you know sometimes that that may well work.

My idea is that if you see McNumpty you jump up and down on his head.

A few chosen thoughts from some Police Bloggers on this

a) PC Bloggs
b) Noddy and Mr Plod

Hat tip to Noddy

BBC NEWS | Programmes | Panorama | Distract criminals, says minister

Watergate taunts rile Blair as calls to quit grow

And more references to Nixon. What a damning legacy he will leave.

The Scotsman - UK - Watergate taunts rile Blair as calls to quit grow

Blair loses his grip on government and reality

More Tricky Dicky references as the Mad One gets closer and closer to an inelegant departure from Downing Street.

I must admit my feeling is that the meeting with the police last week was more a case of a warning to Mr Blair that they had the evidence of a cover-up and that he should just do the decent thing as soon as possible.

Hopefully this will be soon so that we can get some sort of functioning Government in place. We are quickly becoming a laughing stock.

Blair loses his grip on government and reality | Dt Leaders | Opinion | Telegraph

Aberdeenshire Council charged with fly-tipping.

So that wonderful council that empties my bins occasionally has been charged with fly tipping. Oh just so ironic!

Aberdeenshire Council has been charged with fly-tipping materials i

MEMO: Those who stuck with Tony made money

This is a link to the Political Betting blog which I like to poke about with but seldom comment on (though my Wife does).

I just loved the following comment on Tony Blair, maybe slightly over the top but with Britain becoming a laughing stock due to his antics probably justified.

Rubbish. Blair is a political magician, no doubt, but his failings far outweigh his merits. The main achievement of this Labour government has been economic stability and continual growth - for that they must be properly credited. But Brown is the one who should get the credit. Why? Because Blair, given half the chance, and convinced of his own messianic destiny, would have taken us into the euro - and consigned us to the high unemployment and low growth of the eurozone over the last decade.

Apart from that, Blair, as a pathological liar, has traduced and poisoned the British political system with his mendacity. He cannot open his mouth without telling a fib, his mother tongue is falsity, his speech is pure dissembling, his vocabulary is that of a used car salesman on coca leaves.

Because of his aversion to the truth, he is also responsible for infecting the British political bloodstream with Peter Mandelson and Alistair Campbell, two odious and manipulative bullies, a pair of the nastiest men ever to work in Westminster. With his own lies and his employment of other liars (like Mandelson and Campbell) Blair has reduced voter confidence in politics to catastrophically low levels.

Because Blair lied about Iraq, the biggest issue of the decade, it will be hard for any other government ever to win the people’s trust on an issue as grave as going to war. This is incalculably damaging for our country.

Furthermore, Blair is a dangerously vain and insecure man who hides his failings and self doubts with a carapace of charm - like all charlatans. All that matters to Blair is his own image. This is why he is so desperately clinging on to power, in the futile hopes that his legacy will not turn out to be, yes, the charred corpses in Iraq.

He will fail, of course. When they finally drive a stake through Blair’s career, people will remember him only for this, for Iraq, and the lies he told to take us there.

Blair is a bowel movement of a man. A voided bladder making pitiful noises.

Posted by SeanT. I leave you to find out who he is!

politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » MEMO: Those who stuck with Tony made money

NHS 24:Choose your own adventure

I was going to blog on the story referred to in the attached piece about a lady who is going to sue NHS 24 up here in Aberdeenshire, but thought I would wait until the excellent Dr Crippen did a piece on it ( I was sure he would!). However he pointed to this article.

I know what I would do in an emergency, especially out here in the sticks, and it wouldn't be waiting around for a nurse to speak to me over the phone, if I was seriously worried. I have tried it and the wait whilst they refer to their protocol and more experienced people is very trying.


Pathologists Anonymous: Choose your own adventure

Tricky Dicky revisited

A while back I posted about Tricky Dicky Now it all looks to be coming closer to being true.

Again it is, apparently, the cover-up that is doing for the accused rather than the actual deeds. Pop along to some of the following to see the latest.

The Scotsman
The Independent
Iain Dale
Guido

Malnutrition in hospitals: an overview

It's a national scandal: Its not new its been heavily researched for more than 5 years.

* Six out of 10 older people are at risk of becoming malnourished, or their situation getting worse, in hospital.
* Up to 14% of older people aged over 65 years in the UK are malnourished.
* Four out of 10 older people admitted to hospital are malnourished on arrival.
* Patients over the age of 80 admitted to hospital have a five times higher prevalence of malnutrition than those under the age of 50.
* Up to 50% of older people in general hospitals have mental health needs.
* Patients who are malnourished stay in hospital for a longer time, require more medications, and are more likely to suffer from infections.
* The toll of malnutrition on health and health care costs is estimated to exceed £7.3 billion per year (much more than obesity). Over half of this cost is expended on people aged 65 years and above.

Malnutrition in hospitals: an overview

Blair Cowardice - Britain's Shame

As usual Mr Blair shows his contempt and utter cowardice by not attending the Commons for an Iraq Debate. In fact the last time he attended was to declare War.

This is Blair's utter contempt for this country and his utter cowardice.

My wife's words are as follows.

"Tony Blair has no honour left, and to avoid leading the debate while troops are there and in Afghanistan is DISGUSTING!
But then, what is worse is the fact that he can't even tell us what he is going to do because it is probably part of Gordon Brown's 100 day decree's from upon high.
Our soldiers are out there undermanned, under equipped and the treasury won't even cough up for decent armoured vehicles to keep them safe.
Demanding a withdrawal by a pre arranged date which the Libdems seem to have pulled out of the sky, smacks of opportunism and a lack of thought about the soldiers there or the people of Iraq. But still they would have thought about the headline!
So Labour in limbo for political gain and surprise surprise the Libdems doing the same!"

In case Mr Blair has forgotten or has something more important to do here is a list of those who have been heroes for Britain, but will never have the opportunity to debate on Iraq with anyone again.

British Deaths in Iraq


BBC NEWS | Politics | Blair urged to lead Iraq debate

Chairboys vs those Russians

Tonight sees the Carling Cup Semi-Final second leg for Wycombe vs Chelsea.

Wycombe are now managed by ex-Celtic and Scotland player Paul Lambert so a good Scottish connection here.


For a real bit of history follow the link below. I was one of the 12,000 who crammed into Loakes Park to see this game.

And of course who can forget the old geeza who used to appear near the end of the games selling the sporting paper. the cry of 'alf times!, 'alf times! was the more amazing as the guy would still have his rolly-up attached to his upper lip as he continued shouting his wares.

Chairboys on the Net - Wycombe Wanderers vs Middlesborough

Civil Service Staff commute is classed as work

What can you say.

Only a Civil Servant could dream this up and only after the oh so useful Scottish Parliament had decided a department should move (which Marginal is next on the list?).

But don't worry these rules will be changed after five years! I wonder what other little sweeteners they have managed to get as well.

I suggest a new relocation of the Scottish Parliament to the nearest bin. Unfortunately these are all full due to the crap that comes from this Lab/Lib waste of money.

Pop along to the website of the Department at Transport Scotland but don't go to the Traffic Scotland website when the weather is bad as it always stops working/responding just when it is needed.


BBC NEWS | Scotland | Staff commute is classed as work

Biased BBC at it again

I see the BBC (Biased Broadcasting Corporation) are at it again. Amazing that Mr Puttnam who is in line for another Labour Quango job as Chairman of the new BBC Trust has been so outspoken on this. I bet his possible future underlings won't want to get on his bad side.
The image at the side shows where they rate the story. Has anyone at the BBC looked at the Broadsheets today to see what the leading stories are?

Unbelievable!

Iain Dale's Diary: BBC Buries Cash for Peerages News

Honours police arrest Blair aide

I previously noted in my blog that the whole cash for honours affair was beginning to look like the Tricky Dicky affair. Well now with the arrest and bail of Miss Turner this is beginning to look more and more true. What price a tearful Blair appearing on our screens to announce his resignation in the not too distant future.

According to Political Betting it may not be too long now.

Also it is well to note that Guido reports that the Attorney General is also being investigated. A little reading between the lines on this seems to indicate that someone has been leaning on the man. Wonder who that might be?

BBC NEWS | Politics | Honours police arrest Blair aide