Monteith and the Tory Party

Earlier this week I blogged, how, under the leadership of Annabel Goldie the Tories are now the only major party with a realistic cash plan for the Scottish Elections, according to Professor Midwinter.

Well I thought I'd just contrast that with how well the last cash plan shaped under Brian Monteith, who appears, to be as usual trying to put a spanner in the works. Under Mr Monteith's budget Professor Midwinter was scathing as he concluded

"The Conservatives’ budgetary arithmetic does not add up, with a shortfall in their planned savings of around £670 million.

"This DIY approach to public accounting is not good enough.

"The Conservatives need to master the basics of the financial system they aspire to manage. This is a poorly costed programme, which will be difficult to implement without further cuts in public spending, to compensate for the missing £856 million in the current calculations."

Contrast that with what Midwinter had to say about the current plan.

The Tories are the only party to give "modest, fully costed proposals", rather than making "fiscally irresponsible" assumptions. Despite being a vociferous critic of the fiscal policies of the Thatcher government, Prof Midwinter praises the party for setting realistic goals for efficiency savings and costing promises made on issues like crime and education.

He wrote: "This is quite simply the most transparent and realistic set of policy and financial proposals I have read in the lead-up to the current election and far superior to the creative accounting and rosy assumptions in the policy statements of the other major opposition party, the SNP."

So what is Monteith doing now.

According to Scottish Tory Boy, he is briefing, again, against his own party. Have a look here or here.

He also has tried to undermine the Tories at ContinuityIDS, both under his own name and a few others as required.

One wonders if he is not a tad upset about the fact that he got found out when he was cheating us on Taxi Fares after ratting on his leader as the Scotsman said at the time

"I doubt there will be anyone within the group shedding tears over this. We all knew Brian had an enormous taxi bill while he was attacking David over his taxi use and accounts, so perhaps he should have been a little more circumspect - but that's never been Brian's strong suit." - SOURCE WITHIN TORY PARTY

Scotsman.com News - Conservative Party - £850m 'black hole' in Tories' finance

Scottish Election leaflets - Part II

Part I is here.

Now onto the final 2 leaflets we have received. I had to retrieve the Conservative one from my kids who are quite excited about it as the candidate is also one of their teachers at School and we had previously met him when my wife (with some help from the kids) delivered leaflets for him in the 2001 General Election.

Fourth SNP - Dennis Robertson

Not the most inspiring leaflet which is cheaply printed A4 sheet with just one picture, though the re-cycle message on it may explain this.

Not sure if he means this but according to the leaflet he lives

with my wife Ann two, teenage daughters and guide dog Woody.

Yes, the punctuation is just a bit suspect! Either that he is just very Liberal minded!

Explains he knows constituency has diverse interests which he understands and would represent with equal enthusiasm.
On the back are a list of "Its Time" messages and explanations. Basically Nuclear-free Scotland, better future, axe council tax, safer Scotland, revitalise rural Scotland, Scotland to take the lead in Education, back small businesses, healthier Scotland.

Rest are instructions on how to vote, with another unfortunate spelling error, apparently your "Fist" vote (Regional) should be for Alex Salmond, probably for the reason that he will making a better "fist" of it as First Minister.

Not one single mention of Independence or a Referendum, very strange!

Fifth and Finally Conservative - Stewart Whyte.

Again an A4 sheet rather than a glossy, though much better printed than the SNP sheet. This leaflet is very similar to earlier mailshots by Stewart and has an "Election Special" mark.

Main article is about Crime saying Don't stand forIt. This is apparently one of his main motivations for standing. Says Tories will increase Police numbers and cut paperwork. They will also replace Human Rights act, condemns Lib Dems for their less Jail and more Community Service message.

Also asks for end of bias against NHS Grampian, Grampian Police and Aberdeenshire Council who receive 10% less funding than the poulation merits from the Scottish Executive

On the back mentions Education, Affordable Housing and NHS Dentistry (Whats that?).

Generally very locally aimed and much more explanation of issues relevant to the constituency.

The Conservatives have also sent me two bits of information about "No Voice" for the Regional Vote. These are very much aimed nationally for the list votes. Mention of fact that Scotland wants change and that the Lib-dems have only opposed Labour 8 times in 8 years (That's not a voice its and echo). Very professional looking.

So that's them all. Which is the best depends upon on how you look at them. The SNP and Labour ones are a bit of a joke both not very professional and basically looking like they realise they have no hope in the constituency and aren't going to spend much money here.

The Lib Dems is glossy and full of the candidate and pictures of him, but little real substance, This appears to be the Lib Dems all over.

The Conservative one is much more homey and squarely aimed at local issues.

I know which way I will be voting! Vote Stewart Whyte Conservative.

P.S. I'm still to see any of the MSP candidates in person round my village during the campaign and little sign of any advertising. Stewart Whyte did personally deliver leaflets round our area about 8 weeks ago but no hint of anybody else. Bruce Luffman our local Tory Councillor also hand delivered the leaflets for both local and MSP elections to the whole of our village as well as stopping for a chat with residents.

Frankie Boyle - Dysfunctional Comedian

Scotsman on Sunday Headline

"SNP win in polls but lose erection"

Honest that's the headline on this article. In fact the whole piece is about as intelligent as the article headline and has about as much to do with Politics as Tony Blair has to Honesty.

I believe Frankie Boyle, the author, is supposed to be some sort of comedian, looking at this it appears he may not yet have got out of short pants. His jokes are as old as Ming (gosh I haven't heard that one before) and short of either humour or irony.

What this is doing in the Politics section of a "Quality" Newspaper is beyond me, it is neither Politics or Political humour, it is just drivel.

Thank goodness there are, at least, some decent articles on the election available here

Scotland on Sunday - Politics - SNP win in polls but lose erection

Tories the only party with realistic cash plans

Yes you've guessed it the only party with realistic cash plans are the Scottish Tories.

According to Professor Arthur Midwinter who is visiting professor at the institute for Public Sector Accounting at Edinburgh University,

The Tories are the only party to give "modest, fully costed proposals", rather than making "fiscally irresponsible" assumptions. Despite being a vociferous critic of the fiscal policies of the Thatcher government, Prof Midwinter praises the party for setting realistic goals for efficiency savings and costing promises made on issues like crime and education.

He wrote: "This is quite simply the most transparent and realistic set of policy and financial proposals I have read in the lead-up to the current election and far superior to the creative accounting and rosy assumptions in the policy statements of the other major opposition party, the SNP."

He continues in similar vein

"The report is well written and lucid, and returns to traditional Tory concerns, such as families, decentralisation to local government and the primacy of law-and-order issues, with little right-wing rhetoric favouring pro-market approaches across the public sector.

"The Conservatives' return to the centre ground increases the prospects for influencing developments - even outwith a coalition."

He does have some criticisms and said

the Scottish Conservatives are wrong to cite low growth and increased local taxation, which have in fact improved. He also said their policy on mutualising Scottish Water, cutting council tax for pensioners and allocating hospital resources to follow patients must be redrawn.

Annabel Goldie, the party leader, pledged to stick to

"credible" plans to influence the next Scottish Parliament: "We know from the doorsteps that our policies are being well received and are in tune with the voters' concerns about the bread-and-butter issues."

So as usual we see the Tories coming out with simple sensible policies based upon sound finances. Professor Midwinters comments for the other parties are below

Condemned the SNP's plans as

"an uncosted wish-list with a £1.8 billion black hole at its heart".

He has also criticised the Labour Party for merely

"muddling through" rather than taking important decisions on the economy

and he accused the Lib Dems of

"confused political and economic theorising".

Tories 'only party with realistic cash plans'

Blair sends Cabinet into Scotland

Apparently Mr Blair in a final realisation that he is about to be kicked out in Scotland is sending the "Big Boys" into Scotland, thereby sidelining poor old Jack McConnell our humble First Minister.

According to the Times

Tony Blair has ordered his Cabinet colleagues to clear their diaries and spend time in Scotland over the last ten days of the election campaign in a desperate attempt to turn the tide on the Nationalists.

I should think Alex Salmond will be laughing all the way to Holyrood at this. I don't think Blair has quite cottoned onto the fact that Labour is dying in Scotland at the moment and sending up the Blair lackeys will just make it worse. The examples of Milliband and Gordon Brown being seen in Scotland should make quite a few more votes move away from Labour.

The Times goes on:

Downing Street says that Mr Blair wants to plant the message in voters’ minds that, while they may consider voting SNP because they “fancy a change”, that cannot be viewed as a safe vote because of the SNP’s independence aim.

This is again shows the lack of understanding of what is going on in Scotland. After 10 years of mis-government and the woeful Lab/Lib/Dem coalition at Holyrood, it is not that Scotland "fancies" a change, it is that Scotland demands a change from their current corrupt government.

Now I'm not saying vote SNP to get this change, but with our voting system, I am saying vote anything but Labour and their trough feeding lackeys the Lib Dems. It is time to send a message to Blair/Brown that they are no longer wanted in Scotland or indeed in the rest of the UK.



Blair sends Cabinet north in late challenge to SNP

Scottish Round Up

Well worth a good look at this week, and for the next few weeks, good links and some great entries to be seen this week. The Round up is being published three times a week for the next few weeks during the lead up to the Elections.

Find it here.

Scottish Election Leaflets - Part 1

Previously I blogged about the Labour Election Leaflet in my Constituency of West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine here.

Well now I have received the aforementioned liesleaflet from Labour and along with it the rest of the candidates literature.

A quick review of the leaflets seen so far seems like a good idea so that I know who to vote for.

First the BNP.

Well I haven't actually seen the leaflet as my kids tore it up and permanently filed it. Well done!
I have obviously had them trained well. They are only standing in the list for the North East of Scotland and should end up last after the independents.

Second Labour - James Noble.

What more can I say. Leaflet says very little, attacks Lib Dems Tax policy, Says Labour is brimming with ideas on how to take Scotland forward. Not much else. He has little/no biographical details and lives in Aberdeen rather than the constituency. Apparently, from other sites, he is 21 and works for the Scottish Parliament in Aberdeen. Website is http://waklabour.org.uk/ not sure if wakLabour is ironic? Looks like a no-hoper being given some experience.

Third Liberal Democrats - Mike Rumbles. Sitting MSP

Nice glossy document, no mention of mortgages! Says the Lib Dems have made the difference at Holyrood. Many quotes from papers. Main theme is straight from Lib Dem Manifesto, Greener Scotland, Safer Scotland, Local Health Care, Young People Matter, Bright Future etc. No costings on any of these. Apparently he has helped "thousands" of constituents in the constituency at regular advice surgeries, this maybe a slight exaggeration! Mentions he was member of Standards Committee , a bit ironic? Says it will be a straight forward fight between Lib Dems and Tories. Some Biographic details. Best looking leaflet so far.

More later on once I can find the rest, but my Kids have taken to reading them. Sad?

British Forces at War: An American Tribute

After the Battle: “Squaddie” from 5 Platoon, 2nd Battalion, “The Rifles” Battle Group.


Via Rogue Gunner the following article starts:

Basra, Iraq

The explosions from enemy rockets and mortar fire have been constant companions for the small contingent of Coalition forces based at the former Basra Palace, on the banks of Shatt al Arab River. In the past five months, more than a thousand bombs have been fired at this small base, all while these British combat troops, Romanian soldiers and a small contingent of Americans continue their attempts to stabilize Iraq. The nearby US Regional Embassy office also is frequently targeted.

A dramatic surge in IDF attacks (indirect fire: rockets and mortars) began here in September 2006, subsequent an increase in British troops. Locals cite Iranian influence behind the attacks, while British officers say this is the most IDF’d base in Iraq. The dozens of bombs that exploded on the base in the first five days of my embed with a British infantry platoon punctuated those claims.

Full article continues:

EU Constitution "Lite"

Angela Merkel is trying to push through a "lite" version of the trashed EU Constitution by weasel-wording the original version. She says in the letter leaked to the Times:

“Every effort will have to be made to restrict change to what is absolutely necessary to reach an overall agreement and to ensure ratification by all member states.”

She then posed a dozen key questions, including: “How do you assess the proposal made by some member states to use different terminology without changing the legal substance — for example with regard to the title of the treaty, the denomination of legal acts, and the union’s minister of foreign affairs.”

In the same way, she asks whether to “replace the full text of the Charter of Fundamental Rights by a short cross reference having the same legal value”. As proposed by Mr Blair, the replacement for the Constitution could be presented as a treaty that amends the Nice Treaty of 2001, she said, “with the necessary presentational changes resulting from the return to the classical method of treaty changes”.

Mr Blair was trumpeting on about this the day before here. He says in the interview with European newspapers and the Financial Times,

that the plan proposed by Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, will not be a “constitutional treaty” that alters the relationship between Europe and member states, thus avoiding a referendum. But he steers clear of saying how far the treaty will go in extending qualified majority voting and installing a permanent Council president.

So here we go again having failed to get this through the normal methods of democracy and having been thrown out in both France and Netherlands, a few changes will make it all right and nobody has to approve it let alone put it to a referendum

Let me quote from the inimitable SeanT on PoliticalBetting

Unbelievable. They are nakedly - brazenly - trying to bring back a Treaty already voted down in two states, and this time trying to avoid a referendum by minor cosmetic changes. Utterly disgraceful. If you believe in Europe - and many good, honest people do - you cannot want your project to proceed in this fashion: by deception of the people, by treachery, evasion and sleight of hand.

Just give us a vote. That’s all we want. Whoever wins, wins. But let us vote.

Blair is the most disgusting man in the history of modern British politics. May he rot in Hell, if Hell will have him.

I'd agree with SeanT all the way on this.


Merkel revives a slimline constitution

Court rejects scroats voting bid

At last some sense from the Judges up here in Scotland they have thrown out the demand by some scroats in Jail to be allowed to vote in Elections. I had blogged on this yesterday here.

Just what we needed more murderer's and robber's involved in Politics.


BBC NEWS | Court rejects inmates' voting bid

Campbell warning on independence

I see Menzies Campbell has sort of said that the Lib Dems should not go into coalition with the SNP, if the SNP wish to retain their insistence on Independence.

Now I can't quite see the SNP wishing to drop that particular point as it is their main campaigning point.

However, he also put in a few get out clauses which is fairly typical of the Lib Dems, who appear to be able to move the goalposts at the drop of a thumb.

After the election when Labour has been properly buried the Lib Dems will do anything to try and stay in coalition, they won't worry too much about again being the whipping boys in any coalition, as long as they can get their snouts deeper into the Holyrood trough they will be happy.


BBC NEWS | Scotland | Campbell warning on independence

Blair’s Collie supports him in Scottish Elections at Beau Bo D’Or

This should raise a few smiles.

Beau Bo D'or has the following take on the likely SNP win in Scotland.


T

Blair’s Collie supports him in Scottish Elections at Beau Bo D’Or

Scroats in court fight for right to vote

I see those darling convicts are crying about the fact they are not allowed to vote.

As they have been convicted and sent to prison, they have no rights to the niceties of society which they have offended against.

Human rights my arse.

If you can't do the time don't do the crime.

The Scotsman - Scroats in court fight for right to vote

Whats killing 15-19 year olds around the world

What's the biggest killer of 15-19 year olds around the world?

Not AIDS, cancer or any other disease, its something much more simple.

According to The Lancet its Road Traffic Accidents.

Shocked me, I know that it's always hitting the headlines round this area but this is worldwide.

How much do we spend educating kids about this? I'll bet its a fraction of what we spend of Drugs and Sex education.

I drive about 25,000 miles a year and see the results of crashes too often and it's mainly youngsters in modified cars.

Education of the dangers of driving and in particular speed and drinking must be hard hitting to be effective, there is no point just saying don't do it, it must be graphic and preferably personal to a particular area/school.

Most schools round here have had a teenager die in a road accident in the past few years, pictures and stories about these accidents should be used to try and make kids understand what is going on. Show them the results and make them think.

Remember the car in the wrong hands is a lethal weapon, not just to yourself but especially to others.

Road safety here and here.

The Scotsman - ? is world's biggest killer of teenagers

Royal Marines Piss Take.

A quick piss take of the Marines, may not be the best of ideas as my Father-in-Law is an ex-marine and my Brother-in-law is still serving!

Thanks to the Rogue Gunner.

Deny the Holocaust at your peril

The Devils Kitchen is highlighting a new EEC Diktat that will soon probably be a new European Law. He quotes from the Times:

Laws that make denying or trivialising the Holocaust a criminal offence punishable by jail sentences will be introduced across the European Union, according to a proposal expecting to win backing from ministers Thursday.

Offenders will face up to three years in jail under the proposed legislation, which will also apply to inciting violence against ethnic, religious or national groups.

One further point worthy of special mention is the following:

Diplomats in Brussels voiced confidence on Tuesday that the controversial plan, which has been the subject of heated debate for six years, will be endorsed by member states. However, the Baltic countries and Poland are still holding out for an inclusion of “Stalinist crimes” alongside the Holocaust in the text – a move that is being resisted by the majority of other EU countries.

So the killing of 20 million people is obviously OK. What's next? Will we also have the denial that there is a Civil War in Iraq (650,00 dead and counting by the day) written into the law as well.

Have a read of what he has to say and a variety of other bloggers including Iain Dale

The Devil's Kitchen: Deny the Holocaust at your peril

Stockings for Leslie Grantham?

I see Leslie Grantham will be getting the stockings out again, but this time not to rob and murder a german taxi driver but to sell them on the Black Market as he appears in the stage version of "Dad's Army".

'Dad's Army' on the march again for theatre audiences - Independent Online Edition > Media

Labour Own Goals again

According to Curious Hamster over at A big stick and a Carrot those sleaze merchants at Labour are at it again but this time in my Constituency of West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine.

After being caught out with their "Ordinary Voters" in their Party Political Broadcast mentioned here they have made a similar error in the Election material for their Candidate James Noble.

Apparently their two "ordinary" voters are in fact Scottish Labour party local council candidates. No mention of this is made on the leaflet, which I have yet to receive/file permanently. Both stooges are presented in a way which suggests that they are local people (true) and unaffiliated supporters of Mr Noble (false).

Remember to vote Conservative.

Stuart Whyte should be your pick in West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine for the Scottish Parliament elections.

A Big Stick and a Small Carrot: Fools

Doubts raised over e-count system

I see Scotland maybe on the way to an interesting count for the May Elections, with the new Electronic Counting system in use for the first time on such a scale.

As this is the first large scale use of the system you would have thought the numpties on the Scottish Executive (Labour/Lib Dems) would have had enough sense to at least follow some of the calls of the Electoral Commission who asked for e-counting to be independently verified more than three years ago to boost voter confidence but nothing has been done.

Even the company that produces the system has welcomed the call.

DRS head of elections, Sonia Anderson, said: "As an organisation, we would be hugely in support of an independent accreditation programme if e-counting is to become in the longer term an adopted technology that returning officers have the freedom to use as opposed to manual counting."

However, Deputy Scottish Secretary David Cairns said the system had been thoroughly tested and a hand recount was still an option if things go wrong.

So there we are a fairly new voting system and a new Election Count method, should make the tighter results a bit more open to challenge like in Florida.

Remember Labour has a wonderful track record with IT systems!

P.S. DRS the people who supplied the system might just want to check their website because as far as I can see they are in breach of the Companies Act as every company should list its company registration number, VAT number, place of registration and registered office address on its website as a result of an update to the legislation of 1985.

You'd hope an IT company might get their Website correct!

BBC NEWS | Scotland | Doubts raised over e-count system

Vote 2007

On the trail of getting people out to vote and get more interested in Politics here are some sites that maybe of some use.

BBC Voting Site here.

BBC Scottish Election Site here.

Scotland Votes site here.

Scottish Politics site here maybe slightly leaning to the SNP!

Aberdeenshire Council's Election website here for a list of candidates in local/Holyrood elections.

And finally the most important here.

That's a good starter and try any number of the links on the blog for some more indivdual views.

BBC NEWS | Politics | Vote 2007

Chocolate the key to uncovering PC passwords

According to a train station survey of 300 office workers carried out in London, the disturbing statistic that 64 per cent of those surveyed would hand over their office computer passwords for a bar of chocolate "and a smile".

Good-looking, chocolate-bearing researchers apparently had to probe a bit harder with the IT professionals than random train platform suits in order to get passwords, but the questions were simple.

Researchers asked IT conference delegates if they knew what the most common password is and then asked them what their password was. Only 22 per cent of IT professionals revealed their "Open Sesame" at this point, compared to 40 per cent of non-techie commuters. If at first they refused to give their password, researchers would then ask if it was based on a child, pet, football team, etc, and then suggest potential passwords by guessing the name of their child or team. By using this social engineering technique, a further 42 per cent of IT professionals and 22 per cent of commuters inadvertently revealed their password.

Even after all the stories in the press and internet people are still amazingly lax about passwords and use them willy-nilly. They use simple to guess ones and don't change them. They use the same password for every account, be it for Bebo, or their Bank and then they wonder why their accounts are emptied.

If in any doubt follow the simple advice here. Don't forget don't use the same passwords for all types of accounts. Use a number of passwords and use them according to the type of system you are using.

For example for a simple logon to a newspaper or something simple with only some basic details at risk, use a fairly simple password and don't bother too much about it.
For a system that stores more useful information like addresses use another and change it at least yearly.
For E-mail accounts use another and change it every 90 days.

Finally for Banking or really personnel information use a good long password according to all the rules and change it often (at least every 90 days), don't use it for anything else and don't store it on your computer or anywhere else!

Don't forget all the other Online Guidelines and stop taking chocolate from passing blondes!


Chocolate the key to uncovering PC passwords | The Register

Simple Guide on how to Vote in Scotland

The attached "cartoons" should show you how to vote in Scotland in the forthcoming elections.

A written version is available here.

Whatever the instructions, just remember, a vote for Labour is a vote to continue destroying this great country of ours, a vote for the Lib Dems is the same as a vote for Labour, though open to offers from any parties who can help them get their snouts back into the trough.

If in doubt just vote Conservative, you know it makes sense!


Vote Scotland - Vote Scotland Walkthrough

Great Bowls of Fire

Must pop down to B&Q for a new toilet today then!

Free repairs to flammable toilets

Austin Mitchell on Blogs

Austin Mitchell has the following to say on Blogs (on his Blog!):-

Don`t join the chorus of praise for the Blogsphere as a new dimension of democracy which will liberate the people from dependence on old media.

Crap. Blogging is a forum for gossip, character assassination, sensation and expose. It is inherently anti-government and conservative because prejudice is easier to get over than serious explanation. Just like Talk Radio.

So the strongest practitioners are Republicans like Drudge or rank Tories like Ian Dale and Guido Fawkes, leaving this as the only voice of sense, semi-socialism, freedom, truth and justice.

What he means is that Blogs aren't working for Labour (Nu or Old), as they just can't work them out.

As has been seen many time they can't find the right level to pitch their Blogs at, and end up coming across as zealots and humourless dried up old sticks.

Austin Mitchell's WeBLOG :: Blogs

The Brown Bottom - How to lose 2 billion pounds

I wrote earlier on the Iraq Dossier problem that has been awaiting release of information under the Freedom of Information Laws. Now we have details of another fight with the Labour Government and in particular the Treasury to release information about the selling of Gold back in 1999 that has cost this country an estimated £2 Billion.

The article says

The Sunday Times has been battling the Treasury for 18 months to obtain documents revealing the advice it received on the sale of gold, writes Holly Watt.

Under freedom of information laws, the paper has asked for statistical information relating to the decision to sell gold; minutes of ministerial meetings; official correspondence and studies into the aftermath of the decision.

Before the 2005 election the Treasury rushed out comparable information about the Conservatives’ darkest economic hour, Black Wednesday, but it took it five months to turn down this request, although it is required by law to respond within 20 working days.

Among five exemptions it has claimed to block publication is that “such information relates to the location (past or present) of the UK’s gold holdings, which, if made known, could increase risks to security”. This information is on the Bank’s official website.

Seems that Labour don't like these laws now as they are exposing their soft underbelly as we see the lies and spin they have been using to deceive us during their 10 year reign.

According to the article we have a wonderful new name for the lowest gold price in 20 years, it's now referred to as the

"Brown Bottom".

No jokes about nappies now please!

Another Minister involved in this story was a rather more junior Patrica (best year so far)Hewitt who according to the Times in answer to a written parliamentary question placed by a Labour backbencher.

“Today we are announcing a restructuring of the UK’s reserve holdings to achieve a better balance in the portfolio by increasing the proportion held in currency. This will involve a programme of auctions of gold,” she said.

“The Treasury intends to sell 125 tons of gold, 3% of the total reserves, during 1999-2000, with the Bank of England conducting five auctions on the Treasury’s behalf. Auctions will be held every other month starting in July.”

The answer was later shown to be wholly misleading as the government actually planned to sell 400 tons before 2002, representing more than half the country’s gold.

Hewitt’s figure of 3% referred to “total reserves” which, apart from gold, included tens of billions that the government borrows on the international currency markets, rather than the gold reserves actually owned outright by Britain.

So as usual Patricia has been bending the figures to suit Labour's needs.

Just another example as to why no-one should vote Labour in the upcoming elections.

Goldfinger Brown’s £2 billion-News-Politics-TimesOnline

Labours Own Goal

I see Labour are up to their usual tricks when it comes to their spin. According to the Sunday Herald

A Character presented as a member of the public in a new Labour election broadcast due to be screened tomorrow night has been exposed as a former senior party apparatchik.

Murdo Mathison, until recently the deputy general secretary of Scottish Labour, is portrayed in the commercial as a typical Scot worried about the SNP's "tax bombshell".

His wife is also used as the other half of a couple anxious about the prospect of a Nationalist victory in May.

Just about what you would expect from New Labour. You cannot believe anything they say anymore. Time to vote them and their Lib Dumb cronies out of government in Scotland.

Hat Tip to MARCIA on Political Betting.

P.S. When reading the article try to ignore all the bad spelling and words run together, they seem to be a "feature" of the Sunday Herald.

Labours Own Goal (from Sunday Herald)

All Good Hope abandon ye who enter here

The supposed text at the entrance to Hell according to Dante's "Divine Comedy" is

"All hope abandon ye who enter here".

Maybe that is the new motto for the NHS, when we read stories like the the attached article reported succinctly in the Times today as follows:

Cleaners at an NHS hospital have been told to turn over dirty bed sheets rather than use clean linen. Good Hope Hospital in Birmingham advised its staff to “top and tail” used sheets to cut the £500,000 annual laundry bill.

Posters instructing staff that this procedure would save 0.275 pence for every sheet re-used were pinned on cupboards and doors leading to the A&E and maternity departments. A health worker said that new patients were being given the same sheets as the previous occupant.

A hospital spokesman denied the practice. He said the posters had been issued three years ago but had since been removed. John Baron, Tory shadow health minister, described it as a concern given that MRSA was such a problem in hospitals. Good Hope recorded 36 cases from April last year to January.

Now you might think that it is a bit too far on the scale of unbelievable cuts in New Labour's NHS, but I had a little story told to me by a close relation, who is an ex-nurse, of how some nurses she know's prepare if they have to go into an NHS hospital.

Apparently they pack two cases, one with the clothes and bits and pieces for their stay, and the other with cleaning equipment and sheets for their stay. Before they use the bed they will strip it, clean it and use their own sheets rather than put up with a dirty bed and the NHS supplied "clean" sheets.

Little wonder they do this when we hear stories like this. The full poem by Dante as translated by H.F Cary makes you wonder if he was thinking of the NHS when he wrote it back in the 1300's

Through me you pass into the city of woe:
Through me you pass into eternal pain:
Through me among the people lost for aye.

Justice the founder of my fabric mov'd:
To rear me was the task of power divine,
Supremest wisdom, and primeval love.

Before me things create were none, save things
Eternal, and eternal I endure.
All hope abandon ye who enter here.

Such characters in colour dim I mark'd
Over a portal's lofty arch inscrib'd:
Whereat I thus: Master, these words import.


Hospital ‘orders’ reuse of sheets-News-UK-Health-TimesOnline

Smoking Gun is Coming

Chris Ames author of the Iraq Dossier site has an article in Comment is Free section of the Guardian about the probable release of the first version or Williams version of the Iraq Dossier that has led to the death of 650,000 people in Iraq and the current civil war that exists there.

His contention is that this version has no mention of the infamous "45 minutes" claim that was apparently inserted later to "sex" up the document so that Blair could "legitimately" go to war.

Its release may be very embarrassing for many people in government and could be the final nail in Tony Blair's legacy.

Post Office forgets what it does!

The new flagship Post Office in Exeter costing £225 million has forgotten one minor thing, yes you can't post letters there at the moment. Not unexpected as the Post Office is closing rural offices all over the place so Exeter in far flung Devon shouldn't be forgotten.

Apparently they do hope to get some soon, once planning permission comes through, and if they can manage to post it somewhere!

Light blogging at the moment due to Kids Holidays, and the current heat wave, its the balmy 70's here.

Macavity Browne

I see our esteemed Defence Secretary Des Browne has been taking lessons from his bosses Blair and Brown and failed to appear for a Radio 2 interview with Jeremy Vine after specifically asking to come on the show this lunchtime. At 12:10 about 1 hour before the interview he was still due on but between then and 1 pm he pulled out, much to Jeremy's displeasure and judging by some the comments to the ire of the general public who were not best pleased. Instead a TV interview was released with the BBC's Vicky Young at the helm. No in-depth digging and basically a feed for Mr Browne to have his say rather than be questioned.

In the interview he basically says it was all everyone else's decision and he just had a "note" passed to him on the telephone about it. So it was only after he got to work on Monday that he changed his mind (more likely had it changed from him) and stopped the selling of stories.

Apart from making Britain, it's Armed Forces and our whole dealings with the Middle East look ridiculous then he has done little harm to us as a nation that hasn't already been done by Blair and Brown.

A resigning issue then you ask? When has a Labour Government Minister resigned when they have screwed up. Better to pass the buck and slope the old shoulders and hang onto screw us again later.

We can only hope that Scotland gives them a severe bloody nose in the May Elections and that both Blair and Brown along with Labour disappear back to the opposition benches as soon as possible.

P.S the photo is of Kali Mountford PPS for Des Browne, I googled for an image of Des Browne and the third one was this. I assumed it was Des in Drag at first!

Where to have your Piles done - NHS Choices

Patricia (Best Year so Far) Hewitt has released details of the scheme to allow "Patient Choice for All"

This appears to be some sort of "super" website that will (it's not available just yet!) allow us the customer to choose when and where we get our piles done. Now for me the choice is either Private or NHS in Aberdeen, my piles will be too inflamed from sitting on them to get to any other Hospital. (Not that I have piles of course).

Patricia then waxes on lyrically about the benefits of "Choice":

We are determined to put patients at the heart of the NHS and making sure patients can access and share information about health services is a crucial part of that. Patients will soon be able to choose, with the click of a button, where they want to have their treatment. Our new choice website will allow the public and clinicians to access a range of information through one super site that will act as a gateway to navigate NHS services.

"Patient choice is about people being in control. Patients needing a hospital appointment should have the right to pick and choose their time, date and place. To make this happen, we need to invest in facilities to help patients take control. Using public libraries and the internet is an ideal way to support patients, families and carers with information."

Actually we used to have this sort of ability many years ago prior to the current Labour Administration, We went to the Doctor and he had the ability to find or more likely know the best treatment, the best person to find out more or the best local Hospital for your need and sorted out the details. Unfortunately Labour then took this ability away when it stopped GP fundholding.

What Patricia has announced here is a dumbed down version of this whereby we "the customer" can now do this all by ourselves thanks to that wonderful internet thing. Just pop down to your local library explain to the old dear there about your piles and she'll help you find your best local hospital to have them sorted out. Just hope she's not too deaf when you try and explain your requirements. Dr Crippen has more on this here.

The Telegraph has more on this here with the last words being from a British Medical Association spokesman who said:

"They are spending an awful lot of money on things like new websites when patients would rather the resources were used to make sure their local hospital was of a good standard, clean and offers the right quality of care."

And remember NHS IT costs are so very reasonable.

GNN - Government News Network: "NHS Choices"

Blair - Kiss of Death

I wonder if Mr McConnell really wanted all this help from Blair. I suspect he couldn't say no but would have liked to.

Mr Blair dismissed accusations that he was seen as a liability to the Scottish Labour campaign. He said 10 years in government meant it was inevitable that he would become a controversial figure, but that he was able to look back on Labour's achievements with real pride.


BBC NEWS | Scotland | Blair backs McConnell's campaign

Hitchhiker's guide to Mugabe's Zimbabwe

This is an interesting and thought provoking article looking at the state of Zimbabwe and how it is completely failing it's people.

It is worth remembering that literally one generation ago, this country was the bread basket of Africa. Today life expectancy at birth in Zimbabwe has declined from 60 to 37 since 1990, while the infant mortality rate has climbed from 53 to 81 deaths per 1,000 live births in the same period. 5.5 million Zimbabweans currently live with the HIV virus.

Rhodesia may not have been a paradise on earth for the majority of the people but what Mugabe has done to this country is beyond belief.

I'll highlight one paragraph from the article that show the pure stupidity of what is going on in Zimbabwe.

At night Harare exists in a confusing half-light. Many of the "robots", or traffic lights, have stopped working. The bulbs and aluminium parts, like the streetlights, have been looted and sold for scrap. The confusion is added to by the closure of the main avenue leading north out of the city. From 6pm until 6am, it is sealed off to stop traffic from disturbing the presidential residence.

Hitchhiker's guide to a failing state

It's all Bush's Fault

According to The Independent it was all the American's fault that the 15 sailors and marines were abducted by the Iranians.

Whilst I'm sure that Iran was not particularly happy about this attempt, more from the embarrassment it would have caused, I think it probably pails into insignificance compared to all the other actions being taken against Iran on the Global stage.

I would suggest the reason is a little bit more due to the corruption that is rife in Iran and smuggling of goods/arms etc.


The botched US raid that led to the hostage crisis

The Brown Defence

Previously we had the Elf Defence now we have the Brown Defence.

I have avoided comment on the Brown Pension story so far as I am still in a final pay scheme run by my company and as such am not directly affected by the problem, however now despite Mr Brown's best attempts at defusing the situation by managing to disappear at tough times, I will.

From what I now see in all the papers this story will run and run as it will affect so many people so hard in the future. It also shows up a number of the facets of Mr Brown's character that show he is unlikely ever to become Prime Minister.

Reading through the Independent article it becomes clear that Gordon Brown pushed through this little plan by himself against the advice of many people. He obviously thought of it as a neat little way of getting some extra money that would not affect people at that moment in time. However his little plan has now begun to fully unravel as we begin to understand all the affects, not just the closing of Final Pay Pensions.

This wonderful article on the BBC site will of course explain it all. Or maybe not. As far as I can see the defence for his destruction of pensions was that it was... necessary so that we could have the winter fuel allowance, the pensions credit and the planned relinking of the state pension to earnings. These are all add-ons to the state pension and would not be needed if he had not meddled with pensions. The only other defence is that it was... er.. neccesary and it was... right and it was... difficult.

So there we are Brown makes necessary and difficult decisions so he must be a good Prime Minister.

Special adviser warned Brown's raid on pensions was 'crackers' - Independent Online Edition > UK Politics

MicroShaft

If Dizzy and Guido can change their blog addresses then I can too.

A new facility in Blogger lets you use your own domain name to publish to (If you have bought the domain name of course). I had a spare domain that was sitting doing nothing and thought it would be good to put it to some use.

The old address will still work fine as well.

McConnell's admission over referendum

I see Mr McConnell has now not ruled out a future Referendum on Independence for Scotland. It appears that under certain circumstances he thinks it might be possible.

Amazing what the thought of a slaughter at the coming elections does to a Politician.

It was only back in November 2006 that he said the following during a TV interview on the BBC's Sunday AM programme,

People north of the Border would "think twice" about independence given the option in a referendum. He also argued that holding any referendum on independence would be the wrong move for Scotland because it would create economic uncertainty.

The Scotsman - McConnell's admission over referendum

Snout in the Trough Alert - Mike Rumbles

I see my esteemed Lib Dem MSP Mike Rumbles has been using the vagaries of the publicly funded Edinburgh accommodation allowance (EAA), which helps MSPs to buy property in Edinburgh, to race up the property ladder purchasing three flats in eight years. He is the first MSP to achieve three Mortgages in this particular trough.

Not bad that and according to the Scotsman:

Mr Rumbles sold two properties and reinvested in larger ones with help from the public fund, eventually making a £40,000 profit. He now owns a £300,000 flat in an exclusive district of the capital, and claimed about £10,000 a year to help pay off his mortgage.

They go on to report

Yesterday, Mr Rumbles defended his use of the allowance.

He said: "I have bought three flats in Edinburgh. I made a loss on the sale of the first flat. And on the sale of the second flat I paid a capital-gains tax of 40 per cent.

So now he's complaining he had to pay Capital Gains Tax on money he got from us the taxpayers, what a bloody cheek.

One can only hope that he will soon be joining the ranks of the unemployed, rather than the underemployed at Holyrood.

This is not the first time some of the Lib Dems have been found out for using this particular trough

The Scotsman - Taxpayer subsidies help Lib Dem to buy three flats in capital

Speyside

Speyside
Originally uploaded by fitaloon.

Back on family duty for the rest of the weekend

Prof Alan Crockard's letter of resignation

The MMC/MTAS debacle of Junior Doctor's Training in the UK looks to have seen its first senior Resignation, Professor Alan Crockard has apparently resigned from his position as National Director for Modernising Medical Careers. Confirmation of the resignation or reporting of it in the mainstream media appears to be thin on the ground and even the Telegraph does not actually have a report on it , just the letter. Various Blogs by Health Professionals have the story from early this morning.

UPDATE: Telegraph appears to confirm story here:

Alan Crockard is an eminent neurosurgeon, and has been the national director of the Department of Health's programme, Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) and its online application service, the Medical Training and Application Service (MTAS), since 2004.

One paragraph from the letter is very interesting:

From my point of view, this project has lacked clear leadership from the top for a very long time. Moving to the last few weeks, I have become increasingly concerned that the well intentioned attempts to keep the recruitment and selection process running have been accompanied by mixed messages to the most important people in the whole process - the young doctor applicants.

I assume that this is a dig at Patricia Hewitt. We can only hope that she has got the idea and will follow Alan Crockard's example. This is however unlikely bearing in mind Labour's normal mode of operation of promotion on failure.

It was earlier reported today that he was being reported to the GMC by Lindsay Cooke, who founded Mums4Medics - a family support group for people caught up in the jobs fiasco, who wrote to the GMC naming Prof Crockard as he was

"ultimately responsible" for the MMC and its implementation.

"I respectfully ask the GMC to examine the conduct of Prof Crockard in this matter and, if it is found wanting, to consider disciplinary action,"

Full text of resignation is as follows.

Dear Liam,( Sir Liam Donaldson chief Medical Officer at the NHS)

I wish to resign from my position as National Director for Modernising Medical Careers with immediate effect. I am increasingly aware that I have responsibility but less and less authority.

I care deeply about medical education and training. In 2003 I moved from the College of Surgeons where I was Director of Education to join the MMC team. At the College we developed a competency based curriculum. These ideas rolled over into MMC where the team put together the Foundation Programme which was launched in 2005.

It also involved coordination of the stakeholders in curriculum development, training the trainers and carrying out numerous road shows to set the scene for consultants and trainees. It is now considered successful and fit for purpose.

In addition the doctors completing the Foundation Programme this year seem as if they will match well into the new Specialty Training Programmes. As a prelude to new Specialty Training, MMC worked closely with PMETB and all the stakeholders to facilitate the new competency based curricula and set the scene for such a radical change in training.

Manifestly, specialty training is an order of magnitude more complex than Foundation, but it became obvious that the MMC team's expertise was less used in planning of specialty rollout. MTAS was developed and procured by DH outside my influence.

An email (12 October 2005) to our team made it abundantly clear that "Debbie (Mellor) has been tasked with delivering a recruitment system to recruit junior doctor posts specifically FP's and ST's .......I am not clear how far you should (or want) to be involved in this. We don't want to tread on any toes, but equally we need to be clear about what level of autonomy this Programme has".

The MMC programme has been the subject of an OGC Gateway Review in September 2006 (DH331), they concluded "that the programme has made significant progress since the OGC health check in August 2005".

The report overall was supportive of MMC, but there was one serious red risk. This was to "identify a clear break point for the MTAS project beyond which the contingency arrangements should be activated". It also commented on the unclear leadership between DCMO and two senior responsible officers.

From my point of view, this project has lacked clear leadership from the top for a very long time. Moving to the last few weeks, I have become increasingly concerned that the well intentioned attempts to keep the recruitment and selection process running have been accompanied by mixed messages to the most important people in the whole process - the young doctor applicants.

I realise that the service must continue to allow patients to be treated and I know little of the law, but it seems to me basically unfair to advertise the possibility of four interviews and then suggest that these might not be honoured.

Equally devastating would be the suggestion of some stakeholders, that the completed interviews be discarded and the process be rerun.

I accept that in many areas and in many specialties, this round of recruitment and selection has been acceptable. But the overriding message coming back from the profession is that it has lost confidence in the current recruitment system.

With my very best wishes.

Alan

Prof Alan Crockard's letter of resignation

US military tests ground-penetrating Monster Bomb

Now I wonder where they might want to use that?

Full details on the MOP bomb here.

The Mop Bomb a proposal by the US Air Force to develop a massive, precision-guided, 30,000 lb (13,600 kg) 'bunker buster' bomb. This is substantially larger than the deepest penetrating bunker buster presently available, the 5000 lb (2,270 kg) GBU-28.

The earliest types of these bombs were designed by Barnes-Wallis (of Dambuster fame). The two most famous versions of which were Tallboy and Grand Slam.


Ground Penetrating Monster Bomb

Fortuitous Warship deal to secure Scots jobs

Amazing just a few short weeks before elections in Scotland this news "pops" out.

Now, as I blogged some weeks ago, they have been arguing about this for some 9-10 years now.

It does seem a bit fortuitous that the announcement is going to happen in the next week. Call me cynical!

Warship deal to secure Scots jobs

Beckett attacked on farm payments

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee called the handling of the new Single Payments Scheme an

"embarrassing failure".

accoding to the BBC. They then went on to complain Mrs Beckett and senior officials had not been held

"personally accountable"

for delays.

In other words they should have been sacked. Their actions could cost us the Taxpayer up to £500 million so this is no minor oversight. This does not include the costs, stress and misery to the farmers because of the delays on payments. The MPs' report said:

"A culture where ministers and senior officials can preside over failure of this magnitude and not be held personally accountable creates a serious risk of further failures in public service delivery."

So let's see what's happened instead of sacking the idiots responsible for this. Oh yes that nice Mrs Beckett has towed her caravan across to the Foreign Office and been promoted to Foreign Secretary where she is now even deeper in the mire and dragging us with her.

Labour "government" at its' best.

P.S. After writing this I thought I'd just pop over and see what Wat Tyler had to say on this at Burning our Money He certainly has done some work on this subject and I'll point you here for more info. The final sad touch though was the P.S. at the end of the first article:

PS Let's hope somebody more competent than the horse lady is working on extracting our marines from Iran. If it's left to her, they'll still be there this time next year. Maybe we could swap her for them.

God but that's so true.


BBC NEWS | Politics | Beckett attacked on farm payments

SNP ready to plant their banner in Labour’s heartland

An interesting article in the Times that kind of backs up my opinion of what is happening in Scotland at the moment. It is not that Scotland wants the SNP and Independence, its just that we don't want Labour and in particular Blair and Brown. I must admit if anybody asks me I just say vote anyone but Labour and hopefully not Lib Dem as they have been the lackeys for Labour in Scotland, especially the arrogant, brainless and unprincipled Nicol Stepen. The quote below rings true in that Mr Blair is now as unpopular as Maggie was and look what that did to the Conservatives.

I suspect the SNP will do well in the local elections but that final Independence Vote will evade them again. Hopefully the Tories will then begin to benefit again and Labour will slowly decline to the current Tory levels. I can but dream...

This is, primarily, a stinging rebuff to Mr Blair, who has succeeded in winning for himself a level of unpopularity that has not been witnessed north of the Border since Margaret Thatcher introduced the poll tax; in this case it is Iraq that has been the aggravating factor. For Mr Brown, too, the poll is grim news, because it suggests that he may take over as Prime Minister just as his homeland is turning its back on a decade of steady if unspectacular economic growth under his chancellorship.

SNP ready to plant their banner in Labour’s heartland

Computer therapy access 'for all'

According to the BBC our esteemed Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt said:

"On 1 April, we will reach the first milestone in our drive to provide choice - namely quicker access to computer-based self-help services to stop mild mental health problems becoming worse.

"Clinical evidence confirms that counselling and therapy are just as effective as medication in helping to treat most cases of depression."

Now what she knows about clinical evidence could be written on the back of a stamp. In fact what she knows about anything could be written in a large font on the back of stamp.

I thought for a moment this was a joke for April 1 just being released a bit earlier by error as is normal by Patricia (Best year so far) Hewitt. This is not so much about choice as about cost and lack of resources. I have no doubt that the computer therapy may be a somewhat useful tool in the box but it is no replacement for face to face therapy. A few others have much the same opinion and they should know better than me.

Paul Farmer, chief executive of Mind, said computerised CBT was an important addition to the range of treatment options available for people who suffer from mild depression or anxiety.

But he added:

"This method of delivery will not suit everyone.

"Some people will prefer face-to-face contact and this electronic therapy must not be a replacement for CBT."

Dr Richard Vautrey, GP negotiator for the British Medical Association, said it was helpful to have a range of options for treating depression and computerised CBT had proven to be useful in some areas of the country.

But he added:

"Many patients still struggle to get an appointment with a therapist and it is key that it doesn't replace the pressure to invest in trained therapists."

Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of the mental health charity Sane, said:

"Evidence from several hundred thousand of our callers shows that of those reporting depression or anxiety, while 83% are being treated with medication, only 2% are receiving cognitive behavioural therapy.

"While we applaud the secretary of state's announcement, we urge her to match it with a funding commitment to ensure that CBT can be a real choice, as she intends, for everyone who could benefit."

So whilst, it my be of some use, it is really just another case of Patricia trying to dumb down the NHS as usual. Medicine by Protocol, Medicine by numbers, Medicine by the untrained.

BBC NEWS | Health | Computer therapy access 'for all'

BBC fights to suppress allegations of bias against Israel

According to the Independent

"the BBC was in court yesterday fighting over the public's right to know. But the Corporation was not battling to bring information into the open. Instead it has paid an estimated £200,000 in legal fees to keep the report secret.

The Corporation is trying to persuade the High Court to overrule a decision by the Information Tribunal that an internal report into the BBC's Middle East coverage should be made public."

So what looks like a report that perhaps critisices the BBC is as far as we know at the moment not to see the light of day. Not only that but about 1800 people's TV licence fee is being used to stop us from seeing the report. What a complete waste of our money.



BBC fights to suppress internal report into allegations of bias against Israel

Sleaze watchdog says Blair 'failed to live up to promises'

Sir Alistair Graham has been forced to step down from his job as chairman of the "Sleaze Watchdog" after disagreements with the Labour Sleaze chief Tony Blair.

Launching his final report as chairman, Sir Alistair said Mr Blair should never have promised to be "purer than pure" unless he was going to "follow through" with action.

Mr Blair is keen to escape the cloud hanging over him because of the police inquiry into loans for peerages allegations when he steps down at the end of June.

He is also still under public scrutiny for his role in the Iraq Dossier that helped take us into the invasion of Iraq.

This was also the subject of a question at PMQ's today when Conservative MP Stuart Jackson asked about parliamentary standards commissioner Sir Alistair Graham, who said Mr Blair had damaged trust in politics, asking if Mr Blair was "qualified" to advise his successor on drawing up a new ministerial code.

Mr Blair said: "I completely disagree with Sir Alistair Graham. He is entitled to his opinion and I am entitled to mine".

So again Mr Blair rides roughshod over anyone who dares argue with him and believes himself above criticism.

Sleaze watchdog says Blair 'failed to live up to promises' - Independent Online Edition > UK Politics

Sunset at Tarland

Sunset
Originally uploaded by fitaloonson.

My son Cameron took this last night about 40 yards from our house. It was also selected to go onto the Scotland in the Gloaming Blog.

Stupid Thief stole police officer's bag

Some scroats are just not really up to their line of business, as so ably displayed by Fraser Cheyne . Apparently Fraser

A thief, who had just evaded jail, was later caught stealing a police worker's handbag in Aberdeen.Fraser Cheyne, 21, admitted stealing the bag just hours after being placed on probation for a previous theft. Cheyne took it from a Grampian Police employee on a Christmas night out with colleagues but was caught.

Time for a rethink of occupation, perhaps being a Labour Cabinet Minister might suit him, most of them have been promoted beyond their abilities.

BBC NEWS Scotland North East/N Isles Thief stole police officer's bag

Angry Scots fishermen lose out in German swap deal

From this story I can only conclude that the government has already decided that Scotland is a lost cause or that the just don't care anymore and can't be bothered to look at the consequences of their actions. I suspect it's a combination of both.

SCOTLAND'S most powerful fish producers' organisation accused the UK government yesterday of "breathtaking arrogance" over the controversial decision to swap almost £2 million of the North Sea's lucrative prawn catch to prevent trawlermen in the south of England being driven out of business.

The deal, brokered last week by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and backed by Ross Finnie, Scotland's environment minister, has resulted in German prawn fishermen receiving 375 tonnes of the UK's share of the North Sea langoustine catch in return for 150 tonnes of sole which will be used to aid 160 English boats operating in the southern North Sea.

Mr MacRae,the secretary of the Scottish White Fish Producers' Association whose organisation represents most Scottish prawn boats, said:

"You have to ask if the government has lost the plot completely."

A spokesman for DEFRA said:

"Without urgent action, 160 fishing boats stood to directly lose their livelihoods and go out of business because the restrictions were giving them such problems. We had move very quickly.

"Due to the urgency of the situation, there wasn't the time to consult the industry as we would normally do."

So that's the real reason, they had to move quickly, and didn't really think it all through, marvelous reasoning! Unfortunately this is joined up government under Labour.

The Scotsman - Angry Scots fishermen lose out in German swap deal

British backtrack on Iraq death toll

The Independent reports that British government officials have backed the methods used by scientists who concluded that more than 600,000 Iraqis have been killed since the invasion, the BBC reported yesterday.

The Government publicly rejected the findings, published in The Lancet in October. But the BBC said documents obtained under freedom of information legislation showed advisers concluded that the much-criticised study had used sound methods.

The researchers, reflecting the inherent uncertainties in such extrapolations, said they were 95 per cent certain that the real number of deaths lay somewhere between 392,979 and 942,636.

The conclusion, based on interviews and not a body count, was disputed by some experts, and rejected by the US and British governments. But the chief scientific adviser to the Ministry of Defence, Roy Anderson, described the methods used in the study as "robust" and "close to best practice". Another official said it was "a tried and tested way of measuring mortality in conflict zones".

So the government after trashing the report with no reason, apart from it was not what they wanted reported, have been advised by their top officials that the death toll is more than likely correct.

This is a shocking figure and will forever be the legacy of Bush and Blair who have dragged us into this conflict with no thought to the likely outcome.

British backtrack on Iraq death toll - Independent Online Edition > Middle East

Old Bird Flys again?

Baroness Thatcher visited Bruntingthorpe Airfield near Leicester on Friday to see the progress of the restoration of the Vulcan bomber XH558.

Engineers are in a race against time to restore the Avro Vulcan B Mk II for a flypast over London in June to commemorate the South Atlantic conflict.

Lady Thatcher also met crew members who took part in the Black Buck missions to bomb Port Stanley at the start of the war.

Barry Macefield, an air electronics officer on the second Black Buck mission, said: "I feel very privileged to have met her. It's not often when you are sent into war that you can meet the person who did it.

"I was surprised how well she looked. She had a firm handshake."

David Thomas, former flight commander of 44 Squadron, said:

"To me, Margaret Thatcher is just a brilliant icon and everything it is to be British.
"But for that iron will, where would we have been in the Falklands War? She stuck her neck out and she won."

Remind me next time you see Mr Blair or Brown visiting with some of the Servicemen and women they have sent into war.

Oh and by the way have a look at how the Biased BBC ended their reporting on this event. No mention of the meeting with the crews or anything like that. Why do we have to contribute to their Labour supporting views.

But the British government decided it would fight to reclaim them and Mrs Thatcher dismissed advice from defence officials who feared the islands could not be re-taken. She ordered a task force to be assembled to fight a war 8,000 miles away from the British Isles. The war claimed the lives of 255 Britons and 655 Argentines.

Sky News: Iron Lady Faces Her Past

Woman DriverSatnav plunges £96k Merc into river

According to that well known journal "The Leicester Mercury" a Woman DriverSatNav system plunged a car into a river. The driver a 28-year-old woman - apparently on her way to a Christening on 3 March - ignored signposts indicating the track was unsuitable for motor vehicles and gamely ploughed into the watercourse. Unfortunately, the river was "swollen after heavy rain in recent floods" and quickly overcame the Merc, "gushing through the car" and sweeping it 200 metres downstream "bouncing from one river bank to the other, as the woman frantically tried to smash the windows with her feet".

No further comment is required.

Satnav plunges £96k Merc into river | The Register

NHS cuts 'hit antenatal classes'

Why I should think NHS Cuts should be news anymore I'm not sure. The relentless cutbacks and dumbing down of the NHS continues from Cradle to Grave and even before and after each of them.

Now it's Antenatal classes that are being cutback.

Hospitals in parts of England and Wales are reducing or even axing services for pregnant women because of the NHS's financial problems forced on them by Patricia Hewitt.

According to the BBC, the National Childbirth Trust and Royal College of Midwives, told them that Antenatal classes and breastfeeding tuition are being affected.

Apparently a Department of Health spokesman said trusts should meet standards laid down by the NSF, and echoed by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

"The soon-to-be-published maternity strategy will set out how we will achieve services that provide real choice and support for women in all settings, from antenatal care through to the early child years."

So that will be another strategy/protocol to follow which has plenty of paper but no action or money behind it.


BBC NEWS | Health | NHS cuts 'hit antenatal classes'

Police told Blair would resign if cautioned

According to the Telegraph:

"Make no mistake, Scotland Yard was informed that Mr Blair would resign as Prime Minister if he was interviewed under caution," said a source. "They were placed in a very difficult position indeed."

Just imagine if I said I was to resign my post at work to the police rather than be interviewed under caution. I would rightly be laughed out the door and told to go and resign. So we now have two levels of justice. One for the rest of us and one for those in government.

Just some more of the hypocrisy that this Labour Party uses to hang on in government.


Police told Blair would resign if cautioned

Dumbing down of the Ambulance Service

Across at Random Acts of Reality we have the story of the latest dumbing down of the NHS. This time it's the turn of the Ambulance Service and as usual it is being sneaked in below the radar, not only of Joe Public, but even of the employees. As Tom Reynolds says.

With the whole dumbing down of healthcare under this government, this hasn't come as a huge surprise, what has come as a surprise is that no-one is protesting it. It's a stupid, stupid idea and I'm dreading working with an ECA; it's nothing against the people who will be doing the job, but they won't have the training to provide the care that has traditionally been part of the ambulance service.

It's the sort of thing that will have me leaving this job that I love so much.

I picked this up from Dr Crippen who said in his article:

This, of course, is Hewitt dumbing down the service to save a few pence. Her mind works like that. Most of the patients who see GPs only have minor illness, so why not get a nurse to do their job? Most of the patients consultants see have predictable and easily treatable problems, so why not get a GP (with a “special interest” of course) to do the job? Most of the calls the ambulance service get, even the 999 calls, are breathtakingly trivial. So driving skills, even white van driving skills, will do nicely, thank you. Who needs a paramedic?

Most of medicine, like any other job, is humdrum. But when there is a serious problem, a really serious problem, you need trained personnel. You need experience.

If the paramedics are replaced by white van drivers, the really seriously ill patients will not get to hospital.

Perhaps it does not matter any more. You might as well die in the in the hands of the ambulance quacktitioner on your way to hospital as die a few hours later in the hands of the hospital-at-night quacktitioner.

Soon the NHS will be populated by the likes of Blue Peter's John "I'll have a go" Noakes and we will just be one big accidenttraining exercise for the NHS as they skill up. Remind me not to get ill/have an accident/get pregnant(?) again.


Random Acts Of Reality :: Changes, And Not For The Best... (Or - Reynolds May Lose His Job Again)

Scotland win World Championship (Unofficial)

As I mentioned back in February Scotland have won back the World Championship. Even if they lose on Wednesday they will still remain the team who have retained it the longest and have had the most Matches as Champions. What more need I say.

Unofficial Football World Championships - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia