Nimrod crash puts No 10 on spot

This will be another problem that Gordon will have to face up to (Of course he might do a Macavity) this week. As usual with any story these days involving the Clunker it's not good news and will bring the Armed Forces sharply back into focus for this disastorous Labour Government.

As the Sunday Times says

GOVERNMENT culpability in risking servicemen’s lives will be thrust to centre stage this week by the inquiry into the causes of the RAF Nimrod explosion over Afghanistan that killed all 14 on board.

There is intense government concern over Tuesday’s RAF board of inquiry report, which is likely to raise new doubts over Gordon Brown’s support for the armed services. The aircraft, which dates from the 1960s, was flying only because its replacement was delayed until 2010 to save money and a number of warnings about the risks were ignored.

The aircraft had a history of fuel leaks in the bomb bay, caused by pressure spikes in the air-to-air refuelling system.

The inquiry believes that the catastrophic explosion, west of Kandahar, was brought about by fuel leaking into the bomb bay, where it was ignited by hot air from a fractured pipe. That led the No 7 fuel tank at the base of the starboard wing to explode.

“The lack of safety equipment is a direct result of a culture of poor risk management that is endemic among senior officers and MoD officials and is largely driven by lack of funding.”

The MoD and senior RAF officers ignored repeated warnings of fuel leaks and fires on board the aircraft.

Jimmy Jones, a former RAF engineering officer who worked on the Nimrod trials, said: “If the MoD had acted on BAE Systems’ recommendations, those 14 crew members would still be alive today.”

In November 2004 a hot air pipe in the bomb bay of a Nimrod fractured as the craft came in to land at RAF Kinloss, Morayshire, blasting hot air onto the No 7 tank. An inquiry into that incident found the hot air would have been at least 50C above the spontaneous ignition point of the Nimrod’s Avtur fuel, which had begun to boil in the tank.

Disaster was averted only because the aircraft was on its way back to base. In his report on the incident, the station commander at Kinloss warned of more “unexpected failures” due to the aircraft’s age.

XV230 was one of a small number of Nimrods used to feed crucial live video of the battlefield direct to commanders in Afghanistan.

Nimrod’s air-to-air refuelling system was fitted as a quick fix in the 1982 Falklands conflict.

In March 2006 a report by QinetiQ, the defence consultants, blamed the Nimrod’s age and the “intense” way in which the aircraft were flown for what it described as a “critical” structural problem. The warning was ignored – with fatal results.

I have blogged on this and other problems with the over 40 year old Nimrod on a number of other occasions, most recently last month, when a similar Nimrod almost had the same fate and yet still had not had safety updates fitted.

Clunker Brown keeps trying to tell us he is "Honouring the Covenant" but he never actually shows us how. Honour to him means dropping colleagues into the doo-doo and then turning his back on them in the vain hope the problem disappears.

Nimrod crash puts No 10 on spot - Times Online

Kebabgate - Times article - Secrets in his smile

A comprehensive review of a week in the "Kebabgate" scandal in the Sunday Times.

A point to note:

In the article Sigmund Sternberg is quoted as saying this about David Abrahams:

"I have come across him at various Labour party events. The last time I saw him was at the conference in Bournemouth. I knew him to say hello to. He’s very nice, very personable.”

He certainly had come across him as I revealed earlier this week as he sponsored him for membership of the London Rotary club.

This seems to be the general thought of everyone in an around the Labour Party, They didn't really know him and they certainly hadn't talked donations with him.

Secrets in his smile - Times Online

Kebabgate - Blame compliance for the donations scandal

Charles Moore in the Telegraph has the attached article which points at the multitude of rules and regulations causing the the problems that have led to "Kebabgate".

He argues that

Almost all the seriously corrupt things in politics happen when politicians misappropriate the money of the taxpayer, not when they scrabble desperately around for another cheque from Root/Abrahams.

This is certainly true to an extent but also the opposite is true as once a Politician has accepted a bribe or dodgy donation they then become vulnerable to almost any type of corruption because of the hold on them. This may then lead onto the taxpayer being defrauded but the original source was the "donation".

What I do like is his conclusion when he says

"So no, it is not reassuring that Gordon Brown is the son of the manse. His instinct, so disastrously displayed this week, is to perceive a moral defect and rush to distance himself from it as far and as fast as he possibly can, leaving colleagues in the lurch and dragging in a retired bishop to help save him. The phrase "holier than thou" could have been invented for him. This is pharisaism, not virtue."

Couldn't agree more, Gordon's sanctimoniousness nature is so apparent, as is his disdain for the general public which has become more apparent in recent months as he comes under sustained pressure from all angles.

Blame compliance for the donations scandal - Telegraph

Kebabgate - Labour launches inquiry into SECOND donor scandal | the Daily Mail

Has the Labour party got another dodgy donor ready to skewer?

According to the Mail

Mahmoud Khayami, a French citizen, has given a total of £830,000 in the past eight months, making him Labour's biggest individual backer after Lord Sainsbury.

The party said it would launch an investigation after The Mail on Sunday discovered that:

• Khayami made his first donation - of £500,000 - just 24 hours after becoming legally allowed to do so, by having his name added to the Electoral Roll.

• The tycoon - who runs a car dealership in California and has a villa in Cannes - had waited until the age of 77 before adding his name to the roll.

• Khayami is a close friend of Labour-supporting "fixer" Anthony Bailey, whose clients have included Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe regime, and whose own £500,000 donation was rejected by Labour because of fears it had come from foreign sources.

Khayami made his first donation on May 2 this year.

But The Mail on Sunday has discovered he only became a "permissible" donor on May 1, when he first appeared on the Electoral Register.

Had he made the payment 48 hours earlier both he and the Labour Party would have been committing a criminal offence.

Even though his name is on the register, he is permitted to vote only in local and European ballots, not general elections.

Commentators said that while he was thus technically qualified to make party donations, the fact he had done so meant Labour was 'sailing close to the wind' on donation rules.

Sailing close to the wind may just be an understatement!

Exclusive: Labour to launch an inquiry into SECOND donor scandal | the Daily Mail

Iain Dale makes a boo-boo - Clegg 56% Huhne 44%

Looks like Iain Dale made a Boo-Boo and inadvertently published an embargoed Poll for the Lib Dem leadership race on Blogger and then changed it back to being a draft. Now the details are there for all to see if you search Blogs in Google and type in "Clegg" or similar or just follow the link. Anyway its shows the following.

The poll of 678 Lib Dem members finds Nick Clegg ahead with 56% of the vote among all those naming a candidate. However, the results show that Chris Huhne (44%) is still able to beat the front-runner as half the membership (52%) has not ...

I should know I inadvertently did this on one of my blog entries this week and found it could still be seen on the blog search.

Hat tip to Will on Political Betting

Kebabgate - Grayling attacks Brown's Smokescreen

Gordon Brown made a speech this morning to Labours NEC as reported by the BBC here headlined "PM launches urgent funding review".

Apparently the Clunker called for consensus on the way forward and warned that he would not accept "one party deadlock". Apparently he reckons it's time to act.

Perhaps he's forgotten all the new rules, regulations and laws that Labour brought in to make donations more ethical and transparent which they seen to ignore and treat with such contempt, perhaps he's forgotten that it was his own parties intransigence that stopped the last talks on this matter when he refused to treat Union donations the same as any other donations.

Let's not get the truth out there but just blow a smokescreen to try and shift the focus from Labour, perhaps he has something a bit more to worry about?

Chris Grayling who appears to be the Conservatives spokesman on Kebabgate issued this statement on this matter

“This morning’s speech is a pretty opportunistic attempt by Gordon Brown to erect a smokescreen around events of the past two days. David Cameron wrote to him in October urging major reforms to party funding and a cap on donations, Gordon Brown refused because he didn’t want to give up on the multi-million pound financing from the trade unions. His decision to pick up the issue again today must be more than an attempt to divert attention away from party problems. The other real concern about this morning’s comments is that it looks like he’s trying to find ways of giving himself greater political advantage. He wants to cut campaigning by his opponents in marginal seats whilst continuing to use tax payers’ money to give his MPs a communication allowance to spend in those same marginal seats. It also looks as if he’s set on protecting big trade union donations whilst putting limits on everyone else."

That just about says it all.


ConservativeHome's ToryDiary: Grayling attacks Brown's attempts to switch attention from donations scandal

Kebabgate - The Wendy Apology

This is supposed to be an apology to us the punters who have to put up with this corrupt Labour Government. Wendy's ingracious apology and sneer of contempt show what she feels about the Scottish public.

A Wendy Apology

Kebabgate - Skewered Count

Labour is well on its way to being thoroughly cooked as it displays hereto unseen depths of complacency and flagrant disregard for the laws of this land which it introduced to make donations to Political Parties more ethical and transparent.

The skewered count in the ongoing Kebabgate is growing currently it stands as follows

1. Definitely well skewered is Paul Watt, the Labour General Secretary who fell on his own skewer to try and prevent further skewering of his seniors. I discussed him here. His fall from grace may be even greater once Knacker of the Yard has grilled him further.
2. Again definitely well skewered is Charlie Gordon, erstwhile former Scottish Labour Transport spokesman, He has again become sacrificial meat for the skewer after being thrown to the dogs by his masters. Again he is likely to be the subject to a severe roasting by the police.
3. Looking well done is Wendy Alexander who after helping with the skewering of her former friend Charlie Gordon is now browning nicely on the skewer as she gets nearer to a proper grilling.
4. Looking well done as well is Harriet Harman who is being skewered left, right and centre by anyone in the Labour Party, the Clunker has been fanning the flames and increasing the heat and she may shortly be well done. Donations to the Save the Harman fund required.
5. Looking well singed is Jon Mendlesohn, The Clunkers "ethical" Fundraiser and former partner in the LLM spin merchants business.

Others that are standing by quietly marinating before the grilling begins, include the Clunker himself, Matt Carter and perhaps his predecessor David Triesman, and perhaps Lord Levy himself. Others no doubt will be defrosting as we speak ready to join them in the pot.

Scottish Kebabgate - The Wendy House is collapsing

The Herald has some details of the problems facing Ms Alexander as her rapidly disintergrating Wendy House threatens to collapse.

As Murdo Fraser said

"The only defence Wendy Alexander and her team seem to have left is that they acted in good faith, but in total ignorance, of the law. When Wendy Alexander signed her letter to Mr Green, did she not think to query the Jersey address?

"Is it credible to suggest that that Scottish Labour leader, with a long track record of political experience, would have been totally unaware of the law on political donations. Her position is precarious and I wonder if they will resort to making the fall guy fall further, as Charlie Gordon is again heaped with the blame."

Yet again Labour are trying the incompetence defence, it just will not wash.

So another Labour Junior has fallen on his skewer to try and save his seniors, Will it work this time?

Hat Tip: Scottish Tory Boy for the letter.

Alexander Feels Heat After Letter To Tax Exile Is Revealed (from The Herald )

Wendy Alexander is not laughing

Kebabgate probably gets the first lump of meat on the skewer? And a large lump at that!

Guy Fawkes' blog of parliamentary plots, rumours and conspiracy: Exclusive : Wendy Alexander Thank You Note Proves:

Kebabgate (formerly Donorgate)

I've decided to call the new crisis within Labour "Kebabgate" as hopefully they will be well skewered by the Donors.

Texting the Urine

According to the Guardian

Getting caught short in the centre of London is no fun. Trying to persuade a sympathetic restaurant manager into letting you use his conveniences will often result in the short shrift: "Toilets are for paying customers only."

So a new text service, which promises to tell you where the nearest public toilet is in the City of Westminster, should be well received.

The council's authority covers 8.5 square miles and encompasses nearly every popular shopping and socialising district of the capital.

So whether you're drinking after work in Soho, or splashing the Christmas cash in Knightsbridge, a quick text message to 80097 with the word 'toilet' will prompt a quick-response text back with details of the nearest facilities and their opening times.

Now apparently, this will, according to the Westminster council make a

"substantial impact on reducing street urination".

Apparently 10,000 gallons of urine are at risk of ending up in the city's streets and alleyways through irresponsible and anti-social behaviour.

Now I can just see the drunks of Westminster texting the service at 1am in the morning just to spend a penny.

What more can I say apart from does it help young kids pee in the right direction as well. Mine can generally find the toilet but miss the bowl, if they could sort this problem out they might be on a winner.

SatLav service finds nearest public toilet | Technology | Guardian Unlimited

Money, Money, Money

No not a song title, just a thought on where all the trouble is coming from in the "Donorgate" scandal that is currently destroying the pitiful remains of the Labour party to many peoples amusement.

All the big problems for the Labour Party are now coming not from the general donations to the party from David Abrahams which are about 650k, but from the donations to the Deputy Leadership campaigns and the attempted donation to the Leadership Campaign fund which total about 10k.

Now I can understand that campaigning for the deputy leadership might cost a couple of bob, but the amounts spent between all the candidates seems to have very significant. Looking at the amount donated to each candidate we see the following rough totals.

Blears 69K, Benn 31K, Cruddas 70K, Hain 77k, Harman 46k, Johnson 53K.
These do not include borrowings of Harman (10K at a rate of 14.17%!) and "late" changes such as the 5K to Hain that he forgot to report from Jon Mendelsohn. This brings in a total of 361K.

Now this seems to be an awful lot of money for a fairly simple job, a few leaflets, a web site, and a couple of nice suits, but it seems to have caused some of the candidates a lot of problems and in particular Harriet Harman.

She has struggled to raise money and even had to take out a significant loan at what looks like a penalty rate and received over 30K of the money after the election had been completed, which is perhaps why she seems to have taken the money from David Abrahams via Janet Kidd without doing some simple checks.

And do try and explain to me how Clunker Brown managed to need 196k for his Leadership Campaign fund, there was no need for this money as no-one challenged him.

I assume that all the spare money from these campaigns is added to the general Labour coffers?

P.S. Note that here in Scotland it only costs £950 to cause Leadership woes.

Follow the Money

As I said earlier follow the money and then you will find the Smoking Gun.

According to the Telegraph

"Gordon Brown has ordered an investigation into the finances of the property developer who gave Labour illegal donations of more than £670,000."

"Fears are growing within the party that David Abrahams, who hid his identity by using four intermediaries, may himself have been a conduit for another mystery benefactor, after senior Labour figures questioned his personal wealth."

According to the usual rule of thumb a donor of over £500K is likely to have a fortune of over £50million.

The Telegraph continues

Mr Abrahams is described by friends as a “secretive” person who spends little money on himself but likes to rub shoulders with the great and the good at political and charity events. Last year he was pictured shaking hands with the then Israeli ambassador, Zvi Heifetz, who was questioned then cleared over money-laundering allegations. Mr Heifetz was recently appointed as an adviser to Mr Blair in his role as Middle East peace envoy. Yesterday, a Downing Street source said Labour “had not seen any evidence” to suggest the money was not Mr Abrahams’s. He added: “It would be very serious if it were the case. No one is aware of any such arrangement. It will be part of the inquiry.”

It just keeps getting murkier.

David Abrahams and Sigmund Sternberg

Last night I e-mailed Guido with the above photo discovered via a simple query in Google (David Abrahams Sigmund Sternberg). What more is there to come if even Google can help you out.

I see Sir Sigmund Sternberg sponsored David Abrahams to the Rotary Club in London. Page 7 of the Pdf file has the photo and details.

Sigmund is of course a leading Labour donor and active in fundraising for the Labour Party.

Sigmund is also a donor to Gordon Brown's leadership campaign fund and Hilary Benn’s deputy Leadership fund.

Seems strange that such a leading donor to Labour would sponsor Mr Abrahams to the Rotary Club but wouldn’t have introduced him to his friends in the Labour Party.

Yesterday on PoliticalBetting.com I said "Follow the Money". Today I read that John Burton, Tony Blair’s former party agent in the North East, where the scandal is centered, questioned how Mr Abrahams could afford the donations.

“I never thought he had that sort of money,”.

Of course once we get up to this sort of level, what's next!

Time for Yates of the Yard to investigate.

Captain John McDermid RIP

STOP ALL THE CLOCKS, BY WH AUDEN

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,

Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,

Silence the pianos and with muffled drum,

Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead,

Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead,

Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,

Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,

My working week and my Sunday rest,

My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song,

I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one,

Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,

Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.

For nothing now can ever come to any good.

Today was the funeral of Capt. John McDermid.

My thoughts today are with Gill and her sons.

RIP

The official funeral notice was as follows:

Today Monday 26th November 2007 - The funeral service for Captain John McDermid took place at Inverness Cathedral and afterwards John was laid to rest with full military honours at Kilvean Cemetery.

John was killed in action in Southern Afghanistan on Wednesday 14th November 2007.

The service was attended by many friends and colleagues who knew John and also those who just wished to pay their final respects, we would like to extend our heart felt sympathies to Gill and the children at this extremely sad time.

Gill identified the charity "HELP FOR HEROES" rather than sending wreaths, in memory of John.

You can donate to the fund via the link in the sidebar.

Also see here


Chief praises soldier's bravery

Who Else Knew?

If, as reported on the BBC, the donations have been going on for four years, and Peter Watt has only been General Secretary of the Labour Party for under two years, then who else knew about the donations funnelled from David Abrahams's.

The previous General Secretary of the Labour Party was Matt Carter who, according to the always correct Wikipedia, organised the legal aspects of loans from individuals to the Labour Party that were central to the Cash for Honours political scandal. Did he know anything about the set-up or was he ignorant of the deal?

Update I. BBC reporting a further 200k of donations found through Mr Abraham's solicitor.

Update II. Lib Dem Voice reports that Peter Watt must have known the rules.

Update III. Comments on Guido indicate the matter is now going to the Police.

Update IV. Now it seems Harriet Harman trousered 5K from Mr Abraham via a similar arrangement. Hilary Benn received 5K direct from Mr Abrahams

Labour Blames another Junior Worker

I see that Gordon Brown's Labour party are again blaming an Office Junior for another disaster that has befallen them. Where do they get these patsies from.

Listening to the various Labour Ministers being rolled out to blame it on the junior I was just cringing.

Jon Snow made a good point speaking to Jack Straw when he asked how come if no-one else knew of David Abrahams's donations, why was he given a ringside seat at Tony Blair's departure.

How they can expect us to believe the story that he didn't realise it was just slightly shady to third party the money is beyond belief.

This stinks, something is rotting in the corpse of the Labour Party.

BBC NEWS | Politics | Labour boss quits over donations

Independent thoughts on Gordon

The Independent has gone to Town on Gordon as follows.

Government in Crisis (I): Victory to the traffickers

Government in Crisis (II): PM and Darling hit by triple whammy

Government in Crisis (III): Defence Secretary’s £1bn plea rebuffed

English FA - Ultimate Humiliation

So there you are having done the decent thing and sacked your Leader after some disappointing results and you get the ultimate humiliation of being told by the current Labour Government that
you need to get your house in order.

Apparently the Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe has decided the Football Association needs advice on picking a new coach. He thinks the FA is wasting money and needs to take a good hard look at itself.

I can only raise my eyebrows at the sheer hypocrisy of this. Labour has wasted billions in the last ten years and should not have the right to tell anyone how to run their business. At least the FA have got rid of their leader who was under performing, I don't see the Labour Party doing this.

Minister attacks FA contracts for flops | Football - Times Online

Officers quit army in record numbers

This article just says it all, as Gordon Brown bleats on about how he is doing the best for the Armed Services and they are getting more money than ever.

It looks like the Officers in his Armed Forces are voting with their feet and leaving the services by the bucket load. Already in the first six months of this year 1,300 officers left which is double the rate of the previous year.

One officer, who put in his 12-months’ notice last month, said the reason most were leaving was that the army felt

“undermanned, undervalued and underfunded”.

“We are overstretched and quite clearly underfunded,” said 31-year-old Captain Will Richards. “It’s not a lack of job satisfaction – that still exists – but the incentive to stay in is no longer there. The forces no longer get the public appreciation and recognition, or the funding, they used to.”

Last night I blogged that due to the shortage of troops many are being denied the 24-month gap between frontline operations promised by the Ministry of Defence over the past four years. This is just another nail in the lie that are Armed Forces are properly funded and equipped.

Officers quit army in record numbers - Times Online

We should Hang Our Heads in Shame...

We should Hang Our Heads in Shame today that this could happen in our once Great Country.

Soldiers who suffered appalling injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan were verbally abused as they swam in a public swimming pool.

During a weekly rehabilitation class at a council leisure centre, 15 servicemen – including several who have lost limbs or suffered severe burns – were heckled and jeered by members of the public.

One woman was so incensed that the troops were using the pool at Leatherhead Leisure Centre in Surrey that she told them they did not deserve to be there.

Unfortunately this is only what can be expected when we have leaders of our Nation who have contempt for the Armed Forces.

The members of public who did this should be publicly named and shamed.

Wounded Iraq veterans driven out of public pool when told they might scare children | the Daily Mail

Rent-a-Jock

Apparently its not just "Two Jobs Des" who is trying to do two things at once. Due to the shortage of troops many are being denied the 24-month gap between frontline operations promised by the Ministry of Defence over the past four years.

The Herald reports

That one battalion, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, was given just one-third of the recommended time off between six-month stints of duty in the Balkans and Iraq.

advertisement

The unit is also the worst-manned of the five regular battalions in the new Royal Regiment of Scotland (RRS) with a shortfall of 97 trained men and a backlog of experienced soldiers who have already applied to leave the Army early.

The Black Watch, now 3rd Battalion, RRS, had only 12 months - half the time for rest and recuperation deemed necessary under the MoD's "harmony guidelines" - between two punishing tours of duty in Iraq in which it lost nine dead.

Before the King's Own Scottish Borderers and the Royal Scots amalgamated into 1st Battalion, RRS last year, the component battalions had 16 months and 18 months respectively between deployments in Iraq and Northern Ireland.

One officer who spoke to The Herald said the real situation is much worse because sub-units - 30-man platoons or 100-man rifle companies - are often re-assigned during what is supposed to be their down-time and "bolted on" to other battalions to bring them up to fighting strength for operations.

Under MoD rules, this does not show up as a unit deployment for the soldiers involved. To register as a tour, a battalion has to send a headquarters and at least two company-sized groups.

Anything less than that does not appear in official statistics as a breach of harmony guidelines.

The report then goes onto to make the point that the troop shortages are causing the problem by explaining the "Rent-a-Jock" System as follows

The officer, a veteran of Iraq, said: "Every battalion in the Army is an average of 70 soldiers short of complement. That means robbing Peter to pay Paul when it comes to fielding a unit in combat in the necessary numbers.

"It's known as the Rent-a-Jock' system. A prime example was the KOSB having to provide a reinforced company for six months on a rolling programme at a time to garrison the Falklands while the battalion was supposed to be in peacetime barracks and undergoing normal training in the UK.

"It has become a regular occurrence in this overstretched Army to haul guys away from well-deserved time with their families to bulk out another under-strength regiment which needs the bodies.

"It's little wonder that soldiers are voting with their feet and leaving. There are just too few men available."

Shortages Force Scots Troops Back Into Battle Too Soon (from The Herald )

Laugh at Gordon Time

Apparently The Clunker is giving away copies of his book "Courage" to kids in Uganda. Apparently all the press are laughing at him.

What can we say about this tragicomic figure. Please, Please think what you are doing to this country.

Guy Fawkes' blog of parliamentary plots, rumours and conspiracy: Bottler Gives Remaindered "Courage" Book to African Kids

Priority NHS treatment promised to war veterans ?

According to the Guardian

Health Secretary Johnson is expected to write to GP's across the country instructing them to extend priority treatment to all 4 million existing veterans. Those with injuries received as a result of their service will be able to bypass hospital waiting lists, get priority access to specialist care and become eligible for free prescriptions.

Whilst I applaud this idea, it will do nothing without the backing of funding to allow the priority treatment and still retain reasonable treatment levels for the rest of the General Public. Perhaps the £1.8 billion the NHS is in "surplus" could be used to help with this.


Priority NHS treatment promised to war veterans | Society | The Guardian

Old Buffers forced into Active Service

The BBC (other internet news sites are available) reports that Five former defence chiefs spoke during a Lords debate, during which there were calls to improve levels of military funding.

The most revealing statement was the fact that

"Gordon Brown was a most unsympathetic chancellor of the exchequer as far as defence was concerned - and the only senior Cabinet minister who avoided coming to the Ministry of Defence to be briefed by our staff on our problems."

So the man in control of the purse strings didn't care enough for the people who are risking their lives for him and his corrupt Government to even come and see the people running the Armed Services. The man is a complete disgrace. We can only hope he is beginning to see the writing on the wall and resigns in the near future.

Lord Boyce didn't hold back in his criticism

"The smoke and mirrors work of the government and, in particular the Treasury, actually means the core defence programme has had no effective budget rise at all.
If we were actually to cut to the truth, we would find it was actually negative - especially if one subtracts the £550 million to be spent on the slum accommodation that should have been replaced years ago.
And this negative budget is why, if you go to the MoD today, you will find blood on the floor as the defence programme is slashed."

Admiral Lord Boyce added that the decision to give one person - Des Browne - the jobs of both defence and Scottish secretary was an

"insult"

at a time of war and followed up with

"It is seen as an insult by our sailors, our soldiers and our airmen on the front line. And I know because I have reason to speak to them a lot. And it is certainly a demonstration of the disinterest and some might say contempt that the prime minister and his government has for our armed forces. And it shows an appalling lack of judgement at a time when our people are being killed and they are being maimed."

Another former defence chief, General Lord Guthrie, said Mr Brown had been

"unsympathetic"

to the military, following up Lord Guthrie said:

"In my experience... he [Gordon Brown] was a most unsympathetic chancellor of the exchequer as far as defence was concerned - and the only senior Cabinet minister who avoided coming to the Ministry of Defence to be briefed by our staff on our problems. And I think really that he must take much of the blame for the very serious situation we find the services in today.""

As I have been saying this Government and especially Gordon Brown have nothing but contempt for our Armed Forces yet expect them to fight and die for this country. This is the Labour Government's biggest disgrace and makes the loss of personal data by HMCR look like a petty mistake.

P.S. This post was inspired by a "Champagne" Socialist Roger of Political Betting who had this to say on the "Old Buffers"

I was encouraged by seeing those three buffers (who used to run the armed forces) in the House of Lords criticizing Brown personally for not giving them enough money. It reminded me what I dislike about the establishment in this country and I was left asking myself how these three could run a cake shop let alone the armed forces.

My reply to him is here


BBC NEWS | Politics | Brown 'shows contempt for forces'

Scotland Dies Laughing

The Daily Mash's take on the football last night is here

Most would have been dead within minutes

TRIBUTES are being paid to Scotland this morning after the entire country laughed itself to death.

The alarm was first raised at around 10pm last night as thousands of phone calls and text messages went unanswered.

Small groups of volunteers from Berwick-Upon-Tweed and Carlisle ventured north just after midnight only to find houses full of dead people gathered around still blaring television sets.

By dawn, as RAF helicopters flew over deserted city streets, it was clear that the whole country had suffered a catastrophic abdominal rupture.

Wayne Hayes, a special constable from Northumberland, said: "We went into one house in Dunbar and found three men sitting on the sofa with huge smiles on their faces, still holding cans of 70 shilling. They seemed to be at peace."

He added: "In a house near Edinburgh we found a man face down on the living room floor with his trousers and pants round his knees.

"It seems he may have been showing his bare buttocks to the television when he keeled over."

Roy Hobbs, a civil engineer from Northampton, said: "I got a call from my friend Ian in Stirling at about 9.50pm.

"He was already laughing when I answered the phone, but after about 25 minutes of the most vigorous and uncontrollable hilarity, everything suddenly went very quiet."

Moving tributes are already being placed along the Scotland-England border with many mourners opting to leave a simple bag of chips or a deep fried bunch of flowers.

The Daily Mash - SCOTLAND DIES LAUGHING

Ministers 'ignored data security warnings'

Please read the whole of this article in the Telegraph. It is just goes from bad to worse. The article currently has 3 pages. How many more will it need?

Some points from the article

• HMRC has had 2,111 data protection breaches in the past year, according to the Tories. Customs refused to disclose details of what these were
• A government review of security in 2003 identified “serious risks” of information going astray and recommended data should be encrypted.
• The chairman of HMRC who resigned over the fiasco is still on full salary and will receive a full pension package.
• Mr Darling has repeatedly pinned the blame for the missing CDs on a “junior official” at the HMRC who put them in the post. Yet the staff member was following procedures laid down in March by senior HMRC managers when a similar request for data was made by the National Audit Office.
• Mr Darling also told parliament that he delayed announcing the loss of the CDs for 10 days after being told about it on November 10 because banks wanted more time to prepare anti-fraud measures.
• The British Banking Association said: “The BBA did not ask for more time and none of our members asked for more time.”
• The Association of Payment Clearing Services, which manages the movement of money between banks, said: “We found out on Friday and were given until Monday to sort it out. There was no request for a delay.”
• An almost identical breach of security involving CDs happened in September 2005, when the names, addresses, dates of birth and bank details of UBS customers were lost in the post after being posted by HMRC.
• Richard Thomas, the information commissioner, said he had repeatedly warned the Government that its data protection procedures were not up to scratch. He said: “I have been pressing the Government to give my office the power to audit and inspect organisations that process people’s personal information without first having to get their consent.”
• In July this year Mr Thomas warned that data protection breaches in Government departments were "frankly horrifying”. Turning to the latest breach, he said: “It is a shocking case. I am at a loss to find out what happened in this situation. This goes beyond legal compliance. Any aggregated system for collecting information must be proof against criminals, it must be proof against idiots, it must be proof against those who don’t follow the ordinary rules of procedure.”

What more can I add.

Ministers 'ignored data security warnings' - Telegraph

HMCR Junior Official Found

I hear they’ve found the “junior” official from HMCR, he was found at Wembley playing in goal for England. Claimed he had got lost in the post.

Another quote from last night from a text message on the BBC. This time from Watson in Aberdeen.

“Without doubt, the defining image of McClaren’s short reign. With their backs against the wall, England need blood, sweat and tears, and yet McClaren stood there helpless, umbrella aloft, not even prepared to get his hair wet! What would Churchill say?”

Next step Home Internationals?

Two die in Iraq Puma helicopter crash

The BBC reports today on the death of two more members of the Armed Forces in Iraq.

We also hear of further stories about the suitability of the equipment being used in Iraq and the age of the equipment. According to the BBC

The US military issued a statement on Tuesday saying two people had been killed and 12 injured when a coalition helicopter crashed near Salman Pak, on the outskirts of the Iraqi capital.

But a spokesman for the UK defence ministry said he could not confirm whether this was the same incident but the details did appear to match.

Defence chiefs said their thoughts were "with the families" of all involved.

The deaths on Tuesday take the total number of UK troops killed in operations in Iraq since the 2003 invasion to 173.

Puma Helicopters have been involved in a number of incidents in service

December 1979: Two RAF pilots and one crewman killed in Mtoko, Zimbabwe, after their Puma hit phone wires.

August 1991:Two killed when a British military Puma crashed in southern France.

November 1992 - Four killed when a Puma and a Gazelle helicopter collided in Northern Ireland.

February 1997 - RAF Puma pilot died after his helicopter crashed near the Bavarian village of Urspring during a training exercise.

April 2001: Two RAF pilots killed when a Puma crashed near Kosovo's border with Macedonia.

March 2002: Seven hurt after an RAF Puma made a forced landing in south Armagh, Northern Ireland.

July 2004: RAF co-pilot killed when a Puma crashed as it came in to land in Basra, southern Iraq.

April 2007: Two British servicemen killed in a collision between two Pumas near Baghdad.

And then in August 2007 3 servicemen killed near Catterick as a Puma crashed.

Which brings us to PMQ's today when the following question was asked

Mr. Paul Keetch (Hereford) (LD): The Prime Minister rightly paid tribute to the servicemen killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. The two men killed in Iraq were possibly in a Puma helicopter that was older than some of the personnel it was carrying. When will the Chinook helicopters ordered by the previous Conservative Government for use by our special forces be delivered for use by our special forces?

The Prime Minister: I do not think, despite the tragedy yesterday, that anybody should jump to any conclusions about what has happened. A full investigation should and will take place. I want to pay tribute to the courage, dedication and service of the men who have died.

As for equipment, we have ordered more helicopters; more helicopters are there on the ground; and we have the biggest defence programme of capital investment over the next 10 years of any Government at any time.

You just have to admire the gall of the Prime Minister as he ignores the question (that means no the Chinook's are not in service) and rolls out some Tractor Production statistics instead of answering the question.

Our Armed Forces deserve so much better than this. The Puma is a 40 year old design and all RAF Pumas are at least 20 years old.


BBC NEWS | UK | Two dead in Iraq helicopter crash

Who knows what else is out there?

It appears from this report in the Guardian that it was a junior civil servant who made the cock-up and sent the data to the National Audit Office. Apparently

"This individual should not have been involved. It was none of their business. They should have forwarded it on to someone else - another group of civil servants at a more senior level."

"The HMRC office is a huge office with 200 people and there is a nominated team that send items between us and other departments. The individual in question had nothing to do with that team and the it was completely outside their job remit."... ...

And on it goes about how they shouldn't have done this and etc and etc.

This is just not the point. No official should have the capability to do this in HMRC without having gone through a whole range of audited steps. No official, however high in the organisation, should have the ability to do this on a whim at any time. It is a complete breakdown of Security and not just a case of "not following procedures".

It is not just a case of a silly person doing something silly it is about an organisation that is criminally incompetent.

The only saving grace is that we know about this incident.

What about the untraced copies of data that could have taken by, it seems, any member of this organisation and have already been supplied to those who could profit from this data. Who can tell what is out there if it was only procedures that are supposed to stop this type of data extraction.

Civil servant who made the 'colossal error' | Special Reports | Guardian Unlimited Politics

Parachuting in the Sun

I rather liked the advert in the top right corner for Customs and Excise as they bailed out of a plane as Darling will surely have to do from the Government if this scandal gets any worse. Strike three cannot be long.

Its juxtaposition with the article on the loss of 25 million records by HMCR is striking.

Broken Spine

After todays news that the Government via the HMRC has managed to lose 25 million peoples personnel and banking data how safe do you feel about having your health details held on a National Database.

According to the Guardian

Nearly two-thirds of family doctors are poised to boycott the government's scheme to put the medical records of 50 million NHS patients on a national electronic database, a Guardian poll reveals today.

Now this is doctors who won''t put your details onto the system so they must not trust it for some reason otherwise they would happily put your details onto the database as it would be tremendously useful.

In a poll for the Guardian three-quarters of family doctors said medical records would become less secure when they are put on a database that will eventually be used by NHS and social services staff throughout England. Half thought the records would be vulnerable to hackers and unauthorised access by officials outside the NHS. A quarter feared bribery or blackmail of people with access to the records and 21% suspected that social services staff would not adhere to the confidentiality rules. I am unsure if there was a tick mark for all the data being given away to all and sundry by junior staff.

The poll of more than 1,000 doctors was conducted by Medix, a healthcare online research organisation previously used by the Department of Health to test medical opinion. It found GPs are increasingly concerned about the department's plan to automatically upload the records of everyone who does not register an objection.

I would venture to suggest that after today the polling figures amongst Doctors would be even worse.

Also in the the Guardian's Comment is Free, Ann Robinson says a second opinion is required on The Spine and it's use. Don't forget you will have to actively register an objection to having your details put on The Spine by replying to a letter telling you of the the changes.

Afters todays inept showing by the Government I would prefer not to have to give my details to them at all. I wonder if we could refuse to give details to HMRC as we believe they are in breach of the Data Protection Act and as such should not be allowed to store confidential data.

Just in case you wondered the total cost of the Spine system for the NHS is currently running at about £12.4 billion.

Family doctors to shun national database of patients' records | Society | The Guardian

MOD and its ‘Co-operation’ in Inquests

Please read the blog entry by Beau Bo D'or and see the image.

MOD and its ‘Co-operation’ in Inquests at Beau Bo D’Or

Major Operational Problem?

What more can go wrong for this Government?

"Intriguing news. Alastair Darling is to make a second and unexpected statement to the Commons this afternoon. It is not about Northern Rock but is, I'm told, about a 'major operational problem' at Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs. One rumour (and it is, I stress, no more than a rumour) has it that it is about 'data loss'."

Update: More discussion on this here

According to the BBC

Confidential details of 15 million child benefit recipients are on a computer disc lost by HM Revenue and Customs, the BBC understands.The chairman of revenue and customs, Paul Gray, has resigned.

Update 2: According to Darling all Child Benefit names have been "lost" includes parents/children and basically all the details you would need to raid an account or set up a new account. This is a disaster waiting to occur and apparently this is the second time it has happened.

PC gone Mad

I see the Met Police are taking Political Correctness to the nth degree. A uniformed Mascot of one of Blunkett's Bobbies (PCSO'S) was criticised by one of the force's sergeants for failing to represent the capital's communities.

He said the figure, white with blue eyes and blond hair, risks leaving Asian and women officers "isolated".

According to the Telegraph

senior officers said they would invest £15,000 in the design and production of three new characters.

In a written response to the London Assembly, Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, said staff from the force's diversity unit were brought in to help create the costumes.

So what started out as a simple and effective idea which was popular in schools has been turned into an issue which could damage the public image of the Police

Met to create politically correct mascots - Telegraph

Coroner could call MoD minister

I see the defence secretary may be called to give evidence at the inquest into an RAF plane crash in Iraq which killed 10 UK servicemen. One problem with this is that the Defence Secretary in question is unlikely to be:-

• The current one who is likely to go before the inquest starts.
• May not even be from the same party judging by the time inquests are taking to start.

As I have mentioned before the fact that the RAF's Hercules were not (and maybe still all aren't) fitted with explosive suppressant foam (ESF) is a disgrace and was a disaster waiting to happen.

BBC NEWS | UK | Coroner could call MoD minister

Hack Journalist links autism to mothers drinking

Yet another scare story about Alcohol and trying to link it to Autism this time.

This time the Editor has allowed the following headline in the Scotland on Sunday

Expert links autism to mothers drinking

Some hack in the Scotland on Sunday then says

MODERATE drinking during pregnancy could be the hidden cause of thousands of serious childhood disorders including autism, Scotland's leading authority on alcohol and health warned last night.

If we read the article a bit closer we find that apparently

Dr Maggie Watts, vice chairman on alcohol for the Scottish Association of Alcohol and Drug Action Teams, fears that even low levels of drinking could be related to a range of behavioural problems in young children, the cause of which has previously been a mystery. Watts, who is also a consultant in public health medicine at NHS Ayrshire and Arran, warned that up to one in 100 Scots children - as many as 9,000 - could be suffering from Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) with symptoms including behavioural and memory difficulties. But she said many could be misdiagnosed as suffering from autism and other neurodevelopmental problems because doctors do not ask mothers about their pregnancy drinking habits when making their diagnosis.

So the hack somehow manages to conclude that these cases are linked to Autism when Dr Watts says specifically that they have been misdiagnosed. How a decent editor has allowed this through and into print is beyond my brain power.

Read the article carefully and you will see that it is not Autism we are talking about but Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) which has nothing to do with Autism. The headline just tries to link Alcohol and Autism together.

As a parent of an autistic spectrum child this type of hack journalism and appalling editorship is to be despised. Next time please try and find out what you are talking about before writing this sort of utter tosh.

Uodate: Of course what is moderate drinking, and also please read this story by the Devils Kitchen which will make you think a little before believing the next "Health Warning"

Please don't get me wrong I do not think drinking alcohol in pregnancy is a good idea, I just think responsible reporting is a good idea and what we deserve from our papers.

Scotsman.com News - Expert links autism to mothers drinking

Four Ouches

Ouch! , Ouch! , Ouch! and Ouch! again.

The Brown bubble has definitely burst!

Gordon Brown the master ventriloquist - Times Online

Wendy sheds another Aide

Yet again one of Wendy Alexander's aides has had to quit. She really seems to pick them. With stories like this and this, another piece of what looks like misjudgment, will no doubt cast more shadows over Labours ever darkening days in Scotland.

The Mail has the following story

A Labour Party official has quit his post after apparently directing a four-letter insult at a senior politician during a glitzy awards ceremony.

Matthew Marr is said to have uttered the insult about Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond as the SNP leader was named Scotland's Politician of the Year.

It is also believed that he became involved in an argument with a female Member of the Scottish Parliament and was abusive to a cloakroom supervisor during Thursday's event at the Prestonfield House hotel in Edinburgh.

Mr Marr, spokesman for Scottish Labour leader Wendy Alexander, had been in his post for just two months.

Labour is obviously still smarting after its reign of power ended in Scotland.

Labour aide quits 'over four letter' slur | the Daily Mail

Our forces can't carry on like this

	General Dannatt describes his report as an accurate and vivid picture of Army life

Read the attached article.

This is an absolute disgrace and it is not as if there have been no warning to the Government or the MOD. Combined with this story it is no wonder that recruitment is struggling and our service personnel are leaving the forces at an alarming rate.

When will this government understand that you cannot keep underfunding its Armed Services and then demand that they fight on ever more fronts with ever decreasing resources. This is a national disgrace and yet we have a part-time Defence Minister who appears disinterested with the plight of our armed services. We also have a leadership that is disintegrating into chaos and is more committed to trying to get itself liked rather than governing this country.

General Sir Richard Dannatt has warned, in the Sunday Telegraph, that years of Government under-funding and overstretch have left troops feeling

devalued, angry and suffering from Iraq fatigue

He also says in a top-level report that the present level of operations is "unsustainable", the Army is "under-manned" and increasing numbers of troops are "disillusioned" with service life, states that the "military covenant is clearly out of kilter", and the chain of command needs to improve standards of pay, accommodation and medical care.

The report also ays that operations on the two fronts of Iraq and Afghanistan are putting soldiers and their families under "great pressure", and that the long-term impact of operations is "damaging" and is "mortgaging the goodwill of our people". In terms of "overstretch", the report says, "the tank of goodwill now runs on vapour; many experienced staff are talking of leaving".

The report adds:

• Delays to military inquests are a disgrace

• Military housing estates are unsafe and being overrun by immigrant families

• Poor food quality is creating a "pot-noodle and sandwich" culture among junior soldiers

• Work-life balance is an increasing concern

• Soldiers are "going sick" to get out of the Army

• Leave is often cancelled or constrained because of operational overstretch

• Harmony guidelines - the time between operational tours - are becoming meaningless

• The Army is no longer fun

• Fitness in the Army is tailing off and more soldiers are medically downgraded

Last week, Lt Col Stuart Tootal, 42, who commanded the Parachute Regiment in Afghanistan, resigned from the Army over the "shoddy" treatment of injured troops. In a letter to defence chiefs, he was reported to have criticised levels of pay, a lack of training equipment and the appalling housing - all issues raised in Gen Dannatt's report.

Our forces can't carry on like this, says General Sir Richard Dannatt - Telegraph

A Time of Sadness

Today is a very sad day for my family and in particular for one of my nephews and his family.

Yesterday as reported by the media the 255th soldier was killed in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. This brings the total of personnel killed in the the current conflicts up to the same total as the Falklands War.

It also brings the conflicts so much closer to home as the soldier killed was part of our extended family.

Captain John McDermid had only recently been posted to Afghanistan, was not known personally to me, but he was the step-father to my nephew, husband to Gill and father of two more boys.

It is with deep regret that the Ministry of Defence must confirm the death of Captain John McDermid of The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland yesterday, Wednesday 14 November 2007, in southern Afghanistan.

Captain McDermid, who was serving with 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, was leading a joint UK and Afghan National Army patrol to the south of the district centre of Sangin in Helmand Province, during which he was also mentoring an Afghan National Army officer in the leadership and infantry skills that platoon commanders need.

At approximately 1130 hours local time an Improvised Explosive Device detonated, which sadly resulted in the death of Captain McDermid and serious injury to the Afghan interpreter who was accompanying him.

Captain John McDermid

Captain John McDermid, aged 43 and born in Glasgow joined 1st Battalion The Royal Highland Fusiliers in 1983 and served 21 years as a soldier and 3 years as an officer. In a distinguished career, he served in Berlin, Canada, Kenya, Cyprus and Belize, conducting two tours in Bosnia as part of the UNPROFOR mission and one in Kosovo as part of the NATO deployment. He completed four Northern Ireland tours and a further tour in Iraq cemented his standing as a hugely experienced, skilled, knowledgeable and capable soldier.

His quality was identified early on and he rose quickly through the ranks. As a first-rate Senior Non-Commissioned Officer, he was selected to instruct officers at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where he excelled. On return to the Battalion he served as Company Quarter Master Sergeant, Company Sergeant Major and Regimental Quarter Master Sergeant before promotion to Warrant Officer 1st Class as Regimental Sergeant Major of The Royal Highland Fusiliers in 2002. His performance there was typically outstanding.

He was commissioned in June 2004 and, initially, led the Regimental Recruiting Team based in Glasgow. His energetic and engaging approach overhauled recruitment. His subsequent appointment was as Unit Welfare Officer where he oversaw the move of the Battalion (now The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland) from Cyprus to Glencorse Barracks, Edinburgh.

Captain McDermid was posted to a staff appointment at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in early 2007. Always a field soldier, he volunteered for operational service in Afghanistan. In September 2007, he was attached to 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment as a member of the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team, tasked with training the Afghan National Army. As a mentor, he was responsible for developing the leadership and infantry skills of platoon or company commanders.

Captain McDermid leaves behind his wife Gill, and three children.

Captain McDermid's family said:

"John's family and friends are devastated by this loss. John was such an important part of their lives and his death has left a void that can never be filled. Every one who knew John knew how loving, dedicated, strong, hilarious and truly wonderful he was. Although very much a family man, John's sense of duty and responsibility were never overlooked."

Captain McDermid's family appreciate the overwhelming support they have received from both the Army and friends alike. They would like to be given the time to grieve privately at this difficult time.

Lieutenant Colonel Paul Harkness MBE, Commanding Officer of The Royal Highland Fusiliers, The 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, said:

"Captain John McDermid represented everything that is special about both the Army and The Royal Highland Fusiliers. From Fusilier to Regimental Sergeant Major, his 21 years service as a soldier was notable for its professionalism, commitment and loyalty. His exceptional qualities led to him being commissioned into the Regiment that he loved and into which he had devoted so much of his time and energy. Since his commissioning in 2004 he had continued to serve with the Battalion in both Cyprus and Scotland, where his exceptional talents remained evident amongst the Regimental family.

"Captain John McDermid was a friend and mentor to everyone. He loved the Army and everything that it represented. It came as no surprise to those who knew him that he had volunteered to go to Afghanistan as soldiering was in his blood. Held in the highest regard by all ranks, he occupied a unique place in everyone's hearts and minds. His death will leave a gap in all our lives that will never be filled. Today we have lost a friend and colleague, but his memory will live on within the Battalion and amongst those fortunate enough to have known him. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, now and always."

Lieutenant Colonel Simon Downey MBE, Commanding Officer 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment said:

"Captain John McDermid was an exceptional soldier, officer and man. Deeply able, hugely energetic, and an accomplished, compassionate and encouraging leader, he rose rapidly through the ranks from private soldier to captain, excelling at every stage. Attached to 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment as a member of the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team, he made an immediate and thoroughly positive impact. Good natured, good company but with an inner steel, he was a very popular and key member of the mentoring team.

"Whether it was training the Afghans or commanding on operations, he was always at the forefront – seeking the best, encouraging and re-assuring those around him and leading by example. His command in Sangin was simply inspirational. Captain John McDermid's loss is a heavy blow to us all. We have lost, in John, a good comrade and an outstanding officer. He will be sorely missed, but we take great strength from his friendship, his example and his determination to make a difference for the people of Afghanistan. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family – his wife Gill and his three children."

Major Barrie Terry, 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, Officer Commanding Combat Support Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team said:

"Captain John McDermid was a first rate officer. He was a charismatic leader, who had vast experience and a real flair for command. He was a loving husband to Gill and father to his children. Typically, he volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan and join the Combat Support Operational Mentoring Liaison Team. A highly qualified Late Entry Commissioned Officer and exceptional instructor; he was ideally placed to mentor the Afghan National Army and prepare the less experienced members of his mentoring team.

"Deployed to Sangin, John was energetic in taking forward operations against the Taliban. Characteristically, he was always at the forefront of everything his team did, leading by example. A professional and committed soldier, he had already achieved so much, as a Colour Sergeant Instructor at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, the Regimental Sergeant Major of 1st Battalion The Royal Highland Fusiliers, and he had a bright future ahead of him.

"With his quick sense of humour and a warm but no-nonsense approach, he was extremely popular; he will be very much missed by all who knew him. The British Army has lost an able and devoted servant. My thoughts are with his family as they cope with this tragic and devastating news."

His close friend, Captain Ekbahadur ‘Ek' Gurung, of 36 Engineer Regiment, Combat Support Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team, said:

"He was a Scot who was professional and committed to his job. He was absolutely dedicated to his family and children. His pictures and stories reflected his love for his family. His knowledge of the infantry role and tactics was first class and this knowledge has been responsible for the safety of the whole Combat Support Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team. We will miss the compassion that he showed to every one regardless of rank."

Captain John ‘Dud' Southam, Combat Support Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team, Queens Royal Lancers said:

"I first met Captain John McDermid just prior to the deployment and was immediately struck by his warmth and good humour and with his ability to make friends very quickly. During the deployment it became very clear that his professionalism and drive were immense and that he was an inspiration to all who worked with him. The fact that even after almost 25 years of service he continued to set standards for others to follow speaks volumes for the kind of soldier he was. Sadly, John ultimately lost his life doing the one job he had always excelled at: being an exceptional soldier who knew only one way, that of leading from the front.

"The loss of Captain John McDermid I know will leave a large hole in people's lives across the Army, but our thoughts are with his family. Their loss is immeasurably more than ours can ever be. Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this difficult time."

Captain James Manchip, Combat Support Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team, 26 Regiment Royal Artillery said

"Captain John McDermid was a softly spoken and very likeable character. He was a consummate professional and took a keen interest in his soldiers well being. He always led from the front and would do everything he expected his soldiers to do, often putting himself in harms way ahead of his soldiers. All found him approachable and easy to talk to. He always showed a genuine interest in other people's lives and in getting to know them. He will be much missed."

Sergeant Whelan, Combat Support Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team, 26 Regiment Royal Artillery said:

"Foremost we knew him as a strong soldier who enjoyed commanding us. He believed what we were doing in Afghanistan was right and gave up his desk job to be here. He spoke a lot about his family and was most proud last week that his son was in a military cadet parade in his kit and couldn't wait to see the photos. He had a strong bond with his men and with the Afghan National Army, who like us, are heartbroken at the events."

Defence Secretary, Des Browne said:

"Captain McDermid's death is terribly sad, and at this difficult time my thoughts are with his friends and family. An enormously capable and clearly popular officer, I am sure he will be sadly missed by all who knew him. We owe Captain McDermid a debt of gratitude, both for the important work he volunteered to do in Afghanistan and for his many years of service in The Royal Highland Fusiliers."

My sympathies go out today to John and Gill's families, you are all in our thoughts today.

Our thoughts are also with all members of the armed services and their families who are serving or are about to serve in areas of conflict around the world. May you return safely.

Expectant mothers to get £190 to spend on Fruit

Expectant mothers are to be given £190 to spend on fruit and vegetables to help ensure their child is born healthy.

The handout, which will be paid from April 2009, was originally announced in September - when it was said it would be worth £120. I didn't realise that Food prices had gone up that quickly.

Unfortunately this will be paid direct to the expectant mother after her 25th week of pregnancy when it will be of no use to the health of the mother.

In this age of welfare I can just see the average Kylie or Sharon popping down the green grocer for a pound of apples or a half-dozen of oranges. More likely it will be to the local Asda for some Booze and Fags. The new motto will be "A fruit grant a day keeps the shakes away"

So, as per normal, those of us who can afford to have kids will be subsidising those who can't. Meanwhile the government keeps giving them more money for fags and booze if they do. It is the usual "Joined Up Government".

Don't worry this will only cost about £100m of our money. Money that would be much better spent on improving maternity units which are currently desperately short of money.

Expectant mothers to get £190 fruit money sparks 'gimmick' row | the Daily Mail

Brown's New Conviction Politics

A new definition of Conviction Politics is emerging as Gordon Brown brings out the 'Clunking Fist' variety of Conviction Politics. This involves Ministers changing their Convictions within 1-2 hours after a quick fisting from Gordon. As the Guardian says

The government was plunged into disarray today over its proposed terror laws as security minister Lord West retracted his statement that he was not "totally convinced" about the need to extend detention of terror suspects for more than 28 days without charge.

The security minister "clarified" his remarks following a pre-planned meeting with Gordon Brown.

In a statement released less than two hours after his comments on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, the minister said he was "convinced that we need to legislate now so that we have the necessary powers when we need them".

Brown just cannot stand having anyone disagreeing with him.

Minister backtracks over detention limit | Special Reports | Guardian Unlimited Politics

Alcohol 'shouldn't be sold like tattie scones'

I see Kenny MacAskill can't tell the difference between lingerie and wine, a barbecue and beer or tattie scones and vodka. In case he hasn't noticed you actually have to be at least eighteen to buy alcohol and you can't buy it at certain times so it is already more than just slightly different to the rest of the produce.

Perhaps he would prefer if alcohol was only available from licensed shops as in Norway, of course they have no alcohol problems!

If Kenny wants to stop people drinking then he should start applying the laws he already has properly to ensure Pub's /Supermarkets/shops sell responsibly rather than bothering with the fine details.

He would be better off making sure the corner shops stopped selling to underage drinkers rather than this sort of tactic.

Scotsman.com News - Politics - Alcohol 'shouldn't be sold like tattie scones'

Tartan Army launch chart assault

Combine Aviemore, 50,000 of the Tartan Army, The Scotland Football Team, Runrig and Children in Need and what do you get - A potential No 1.

Loch Lomond (The Hampden Remix) is now available, as they say, from all good record stores, iTunes and a variety of other sources.

Let's also hope it helps Scotland win against Italy on Saturday.

Now I remember when Runrig were a Ceilidh band and later when I did a bit of flyposting for them round Aberdeen on a number of occasions.

Tartan Army launch chart assault - Strathspey and Badenoch Herald

Misleading Information

Jacqui Smith denies a cover-up saying

My approach was that the responsible thing to do was to establish the full nature and scale of the problem and take appropriate action to deal with it, rather than immediately to put incomplete and potentially misleading information in to the public domain

My arse, "responsible", Labour wouldn't know what that was if it was shoved down their throats with a security guard attached to it to ensure they choked.

She hoped that it would not be found out whilst doing as little as possible. It was only in October that they started properly trying to sort this out. Unlucky for her she has been caught out like other recent Labour Ministers who have tried to stop embarrassing information leaking out.