Fotherington Trouserblanket's way of the world

Russia, Weddings & The Snow

2010-12-02T07:45:00.000-08:00

I was watching a re-run of Spooks the other day and Harry was quoted as saying "if you need a feel good factor, organise a Royal Wedding".

And so Kate & William marry next year, cost to the tax payer £1bn, loss predicted by the CBI of having a bank holiday £7bn. Exactly what we need.

Russia have just been appointed the hosts of the 2018 world cup, just as wikileaks say Russia is run by the mafia and FIFA say most of Russian football fans are right wing thugs, allegedly.

Still my share portfolia has made a 10% gain today so i am off to Mayfair with Baxter to celebtrate.

If Private Eye publish my latest letter i will be made.
.

Free Speech for the Stupid

2010-11-10T05:02:00.000-08:00

I have been frequenting the HYS board at the BBC over the last few days and i am shocked by the staggering ignorance of many of the posters. I could understand if i had stumbled upon the letters page of The Daily Mail or some other out of touch tabloid. But no.

Even on the message board at the castle people are blaming immigrants on the woes of blighty, squatters for being alive, George Bush on not being dead etc..

When Bush / Blair decided to launch their crusade against Iraq there was alot of pro war sentiment on the forum, now its all "we shouldnt have gone to war". Well, too bloody late im afraid. I for one was always against this course of action and spoke up against it only to be chastened by what I thought were intelligent people.

Hopefully HYS does not represent society, hopefully it is people baiting others for fun, but if we take what they are saying seriously then boy i will be on the first boat out of here...

On another note Rolls Royce are scoring with the Chinese and losing face with various airlines. (My little flurry on their shares may have paid off)

And as for David "we really want your trade and will only mention HR as a token measure" Cameron's little jaunt to China, well it just goes to show who's really in charge of the world now.
.

The Death of British Industry

2010-11-08T05:13:00.000-08:00

As the UK becomes ever more obsessed by Strictly Come X Factor Dancing I have been pondering the yet to come fate of Rolls Royce. One of our best companies and one of the last companies in the UK to actually make anything.

I have flown the A380, a cumbersome machine but an enjoyable flight, only ruined by the time spent getting off and unloading the thing. But to have an engine explode is a frightful affair. It happened to me once in Laos flying Air America and i still bear the scars from that little affair.

If Airbus are right and there is a design fault or build fault in RR's engines then RR will be wrung out like BP were over that spill in the Caribbean. Already their shares are dipping..

Which leads me to think that this is truly the end for British manufacturing. Soon we will be owned by the Chinese as we cant pay off our debt and they can.

I spent a wonderful night in a Mayfair club at the weekend with Baxter and met some wonderful people including an ex computer hacker, a hedge fund manager, an ex stripper and a retired stock broker. If only life was as simple as drinking Vintage Moet.
.

Pants, Bombs, UPS and a new Enemy

2010-11-01T07:57:00.000-07:00

..and here we go again, not taking away the fact that blowing an airplane out of the sky is not a good thing to do, the media have whipped themselves into an absolute frenzy over the finding of a few (or maybe one) printer cartridges which may or may not have contained explosives being sent to Chicago Jews from a Yemeni student.

Following? Well the alleged student has links with "The Master Bombmaker" (so far so James Bond..) who is a friend of "Osama Bin Laden" who may or may not be dead. Oh, and our wonderful security didnt find it, we were allegedly tipped off by a "Saudi Arabian"

I have no idea what is going on but i do know that this weekend also saw two bombs being found in Ireland, planted by "dissidents", a bombing in Turkey and an awful lot of killing in Iraq and Afghanistan, lots of natural disasters and millions dieing from Malaria and bad sanitation.

On the positive side the pope is considering an apology for all the pedophile cover ups.

I gave up reading news papers along time ago, media frenzy is to blame. Obama should just come out with it and say "Yemen have been bad and the USA need another war but a positive one, unlike Afghanistan and 'Nam'.

A Yemeni student?? Please.

.

War, Winter and Damp

2010-10-27T02:55:00.001-07:00

Gorbachev has warned NATO that victory in Afghanistan is not possible. I tend to agree with the old boy on this one. We have been there 9+ years and have achieved very little, apart from killing a few tribal leaders, civilians, insurgents and increased the supply of Opium.

The USA should have read the history books before venturing into this neck of the woods. And what about Osama Bin Laden, why is nobody talking about him anymore? Do we believe the rumours that he died a few years ago or the rumours that say he doesn't actually exist?

Pointless - Public opinion no longer matters in this day and age. People in power will rough trod over all to achieve their objectives and throw the necessary spin so that the prols wont rise up.

The weather is getting me down, it is damp grey and miserable in the way that only the UK can be.

And the long predicted winter of discontent is on its way..
.

Greed

2010-10-23T08:46:00.001-07:00

For the last few months we have been told that Greed is bad and that we need to tighten our belts and be more frugal with our money.

So, how can one jumped up little oik have a hissy fit one day and then demand a £200,000 per week salary the next?

Two questions remain;

1 - Has Sir Alex lost his usual managerial acumen?
2 - Why hasn't Rooney been stoned to death or lynched at the very least?

On the one hand you have this media show and on the other Portsmouth FC are fighting liquidation.

I predict that the people of Manchester will rise up and say they have had it with Mr Rooney and his complete disregard for reality and the public and his total and utter bare faced greed.

If i were the spud face nipper i would go into hiding post haste.

PS - as for the re-opening of the whole David Kelly affair, well, I shall be coming on to that later...
.

Cuts, Riots, Apathy and being away

2010-10-21T02:50:00.000-07:00

Has it really been that long?

I have been in the Far East recently, a mixture of work (which due to HM's OSA I cannot divulge) and a bit of R&R.

I have only recently returned and this weather is causing me all sorts of problems. Spending time in 30 plus degrees then coming back to single figures can be a shock to the system to say the least.

I spent yesterday in the club watching that frightful Osbourne chappy mumbling on about this and that interspersed with conversations with Baxter and a fine 12yr old malt.

I am surprised today that the prols haven't taken to the streets like our friends across the water. Our Govt has made cuts and changed retirement ages considerably more than Zarcosy has.

The public sector are up in arms and waving their marxist flags in the air, still some say that this will give them a taste of what the private sector is like.

And why ring fence the NHS? There's a pit that seems to guzzle lots of money. Keep A&E as that is a wonderful service, but get rid of the back end bit which is where all the money is squandered, do away with NI contributions and make everyone go private, like the USA.

Politics is tiring, everyone has an opinion, we have a massive debt and are headed the way of becoming a 2nd rate country that everyone vaguely remembers. A bit like Liverpool FC. But without the Red Sox bail out.

Im off to see Finbar, my old hedge-fund / investment banker friend later, Im sure he'll have a lot to say on whats going on. He's also consulting with one of the top UK companies on how to move more tax liabilities off shore, cant disclose for obvious reasons. If HMRC got their arse in gear that would be an £8bn gain.

Perhaps trading in Opium again is the answer, its worked before.
.

A weekend

2010-07-25T02:11:00.000-07:00

I have been advised by my lawyer friend not to post anything about the alleged Russian Spy Scandal, needless to say I have alot of opinions on it and for once i will keep them to myself.

I was right about the Spanish winning the Tour De France though, even though he won after being a little un sporting on the mountains, but then again such is life.

I am still recovering from a party at Baxters house on Friday, it finished when the sun rose and the fireworks and company were delightful.I was talking to a wonderous lady about about the pleasures of life. Admitedly she doesnt like golf or jazz for that matter but i do love the company of the fairer sex.
.

Spain, Football and Guns

2010-07-05T05:30:00.000-07:00

Well, its been a while. Needless to say I have been busy and have had no access to a PC and thats all I can say about the affair. Apart from those who know me will know.

And so I return to disappointing South American football and Spain who along side wimbledon will be winning the football and the tour de france. Its a shame their country will be bankrupt by the end of the year.

Summer has finally arrived as have the hordes of undressed, over tattoed, sunburnt and generally irksome prols. Obviously they cant afford their two weeks in spain this year due to being unemployed and have therefore infested the shores of blighty instead.

And another lunatic takes on the British countryside with a grudge and a gun.

As for the Budget well, when are we going to realise that we cant have something for nothing. Slash welfare, the bloated NHS and the parts of the public sector that drain our coffers. There. Said.

I am sick and tired of hearing the bleatings of the unemployed, welfare hungry and the left. We are here because people spent money they did not have. Simple.

Thats why our national debt is increasing £10,000 per second.

And as for BP, well, one only has to mention Bopal and the hypocrisy of the USA government.

Im off to see a show with Baxter tonight, havent seen the cad in a while.
.

Iceland & Elections

2010-04-19T03:49:00.001-07:00

One day we bring down the Icelandic banks and the next they halt European air travel and bring a massive reduction to climate change. Ironic.

The election has gone all "X-Factor" and the LibDems have never had so much free advertising, Nick and Gordon loved it, Dave just looked uncomfortable.

My beloved SAAB has had lots of money spent on it to get it through its annual raincheck.

HMRC are sending me cheques then six months later asking for them back.

My bank is hassling me as my credit card was used to buy a one way flight to Syria. Yes I have been there, many years ago, but i can assure you i would buy a return. Believe me you would want one.

Modern Life is intolerably rubbish. If it wasn't for golf and my sojourns to various clubs with the likes of Baxter and my latest filly (a tad older this one, experience is truly everything but nothing excites like the fountain of youth...) I would be kicking this mortal coil.
.

Elect the Dead

2010-04-08T03:01:00.001-07:00

And to think we have a whole month of this.

As usual the papers and TV are whipping us into an election frenzy.

Let battle commence......

I for one am completely sick of the whole affair already. I want neither Brown / Cameron or Clegg or their associated cohorts to run this country.

And lets get one thing clear. The Economy is screwed. It will be screwed if Labour carry on, or whether the tories, lib dems, greens or the BNP are in charge. We are in debt and we as the population will have to clear this debt. Whether it is in the form of a raise in NI, fuel duty or a cider tax one way or another we will have to pay.

Ive lived through the misery of the 60's and 70's, the rise and fall of the 80's and 90's and the gluttony of the 2000's and believe you me, it really doesn't matter who is at the helm if the ship is sinking.

I will be (or trying to be) ignoring the media for the next month.

I have forayed recently again into the world of Have your Say which depresses and amuses me in equal measure, everyone is an expert on everything and nothing. The election issues will no doubt spark debates on stealth taxes, immigration, unemployment, the NHS, new drugs, social problems, chavs, asbos, the world cup.. you name it.

I was however cheered by seeing Man Utd lose last night and the bitter reflections of Sir Alex.
.

Politics

2010-03-23T06:10:00.000-07:00

Now I am back to my usual cheery self and the horrors of my little sojourn to France have diminished and are a distant and dull memory (I wish the aches were but I have been told to expect them to be around for a while yet) i can return to my usual tirade of berating the british public for being stupid.

Perhaps stupid is too harsh a word but I am getting fed up with everyone blaming everything on the Government and Gordon Brown. Sure they aren't doing the best job in the world, but name me one government that has?

Everything is now a "Stealth Tax" (and what actually is a 'stealth tax', is it another tabloid construct and if it was stealthy then surely we wouldn't know about it) and the problems of the individual are blamed on the facts that we don't lock up pedophiles, don't kill serial killers, pay too much TV license, a new drug craze is abound, we are taxed too much, mrs miggins pies are flatulent, cheryl celeb is unhappy as her hubby is doing the rounds with another bint, and it goes on and on and on and gives me a headache.

Lest it be known that everyone is an expert now, everyone knows everything and everyone has an opinion on everything.

And opinions are just that, opinions.

No one can think anymore beyond the knee jerk reaction-ism caused by the tabloids (and now the broadsheets) Everyone is completely desensitised to the suffering of the extreme poor, the needy, those that live on a dollar a day and those that dont have access to water or those that are living in war zones.

As long as they dont have to pay another tax (and why should everything be free??)they can celebrate the cult of celebrity and the church of consumerism then everything will be alright.

Wake up and smell the concrete.
.

Car crashes and all politicians are mad

2010-03-19T08:25:00.001-07:00

Well. I have to say its been a frightfully long time since I have written. Its a long story, but the abridged version goes something like this.

Baxter and I have been in the south of France, a mixture of Golf and skiing with the usual distractions en route (mostly filleys and French wine). After one frightful day both because of the weather and a damned irritable spell brought on by the filleys and french wine we managed to snowplough our car into a tree.

Needless to say this wasn't very good for my constitution and neither was the week or so I spent in that abomination of a French hospital. Nothing serious, a mild concussion, cuts, bruising that sort of thing.

The car is a write off and Baxter and myself are now in wranglings with the car hire company as to what constitutes an Insurance Excess, 2,000 Euro's apparently, as clause 123.56.9 sub paragraph 3.

I was laid up in hospital being attended to by the most brash and it has to be said down right ugly french nurse (with bad breath to boot) i have ever had the misforune of casting my eyes upon.

Obviously I have private health care and this was the best they had to offer. I did indeed ask to be airlifted home but my requests were rebuffed.

Baxter was kept in over night. I was kept in for four. The food was abominable and the smells wretched. If Baxter hadnt arranged for a couple of fillies to visit me on my last two eves I would have escaped.

I have not felt this helpless since my foray into (and subsequent capture in) Syria many years ago, which is another (and yet unprintable due to HM's OSA) story.
.
.

Have your say

2010-02-25T04:11:00.000-08:00

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/profile/?userid=14354176

I see the I.T. boys at The Castle now have nothing better to do than change the Have Your Say forum, still at least my name doesn't exceed the 16 letter allowance that was enforced previously upon me.

And it still doesn't stop the same inane comments being published.
.

big brother is watching you

2010-02-24T07:21:00.000-08:00

Like most people, I read Orwells 1984 at Eton, I re-read it in my early twenties and I have just read it again for the third time.

Damned good foresight if you ask me. For we are now living in an Orwellian prediction. I am filmed by god knows how many cameras each day, I am told I am being filmed when I travel, shop, walk, eat and everything else I do.

Whenever I hear "CCTV is being used for your safety" I hear "Big Brother is Watching You" instead

All wars are good and interchangeable, enemies become friends become enemies, the media is feeding us trivia to placate the masses and we are constantly being told to be vigilante and to beware of terrorists.

Some days I feel that we are in the society that Kafka, Orwell & Huxley predicted.

And why is nobody protesting? And why does nobody care? And really, do we want to know that Cheryl celeb is changing her name?

I am in Oxford, the animal rights activists will be out today, being filmed by the police and the security guards...

Time for a drink, Im meeting Baxter at one of the union clubs later.
.

Stupidity and ignorance

2010-02-15T10:28:00.000-08:00

I am more irritable than usual. If people arent being stupid, they are trying to sell me things I dont want, telling me about things I do not care about, opinionating about topics I have no interest in, sharing remedies I already know, telling me whats in my best Interest, walking in front of me, driving like they have no care for anyone or generally annoying me in some way shape or form.

How did society get so pre occupied and messed up? On the whole I like people, I like talking, socialising, sharing Ideas and having fun. I especially enjoy the company of women. However, when people get together they become dumb.

How on the one hand do we create people like Enstein, Shakespeare and Bach yet on the other create people like Jordan, Cheryl Cole and Tabloid journalists?

Its enough to drive one to distraction.

Tonight I am in town, Baxter, Finbar and I are going to the Theatre. It had better be a good play.
.

Football

2010-02-10T05:11:00.000-08:00

As Portsmouth FC find themselves in court with a hefty tax bill and large debts (as well as being sued by former players) one is left quizzing where it all went wrong.

A club of over 100 years has now succumbed to the disease that is festering within the whole premiere league. That of Greed.

The death of football came about when satellite TV bought all the TV rights and then players became celebrities and demanded astronomical salaries. Games are now scheduled to coincide with the requests of Asian Gambling syndicates who have more interest in football than we do.

Manchester Utd are reported to have debts of over £700m. No business can survive like this. (Unless your a bank and can get 'subsidised' by the government)

I empathise with the portsmouth fans but as football goes I couldnt care less.
.

Cars

2010-02-05T00:55:00.001-08:00

Baxter certainly knows how to entertain, my head is a little addled from our session down the club and i am in a nostalgic mood.

Take cars for instance - I don't care for cars nowadays, living in town there is no need, however during my days as a bodyguard i enjoyed the pleasure of many (Aston Martins & Maseratis being my favourites) and in the forces i enjoyed the pleasure of driving all manner of battle wagons

I have been on advanced driving courses, evasive and aggresive driving courses and enjoyed many a weekend drifting and hand brake turning many a car on the track (that Clarkson fellow would be proud)

I even had the mispleasure of rolling a rather nice Audi in a chase with some paparazzi who were intent on photographing the celeb i was driving around. Who she was I have no recollection, apart from her pins were to die for.
.

Whiskey

2010-02-04T04:44:00.001-08:00

And today I will be intoxicating myself with a number of drops of the golden fluid, and all at Baxters expense!

We will be holed up in another one of his private drinking clubs, somewhere near Marylebone. And an afternoon I am very much looking forward to. The topics of conversation will be limited to golf, whisky, Baxters latest christmas cake filly, guitars and jazz. (incidentally Baxters latest filly has moved back home after a hissy fit about not being able to have full access to Baxters credit cards, If it were me she would have gone a long time ago, but then Baxter has always been more tolerant)

And today I have no interest in car recalls, football clubs being sold for the 4th time, bints getting married, or mps expenses. Or even that infernal message board at the castle.

Hat tip to old blighty as they say.
.

Guitars

2010-02-01T03:10:00.001-08:00

Today I am ignoring the BBC, Have Your Say, Politics, Golf, Fillys, Murray v Federer, Taiwan, Blair and everything else that makes me irritable to write about my one of my favourite things; Guitars

I have played since I was at Eton, i have studied music to some degree and have used music to escape a number of times throughout my time (especially in the forces and my time as a body guard)

I am forever amazed at the possibilities one can achieve from a guitar from the sublime jazz of Joe Pass and Al Di Meola to the blues/rock of Hendrix and Page and even to some of those 1980's speed freaks like Van Halen and that Vai chappy

I prefer playing something a little more sedate nowadays, more chords and melody than soloing. The fillys love it too, being good with my hands apparently sends them wild.

I was learning a little piece by Handel last night, Gavotte, I venture into the classics rarely on the guitar, too rigid a formula, but i do like to hear a well played piece (give me Paganini anyday)

Milo, my nephew prefers some of this "down tuned" stuff and teaching him chords with more than one number in is a challenge to say the least. (a G13b9 chord will always sound good after Dmin9 but try explaining that in the context of modern rock, although Milo does appear to be drawn to the realms of diminished chords, the locrian mode and altered scales)

Please note that tomorrow I will be back on track...

.

Tony Blair and The War

2010-01-29T05:36:00.001-08:00

Well, needless to say that I dont have a cat in hells chance of having anything published on the BBC Have Your Say forum on this one.

Mr Blair is being "interviewed" at the Chilcot Inquiry as anyone knows. The BBC are taking the step of a live feed on their website and good on them.

However, dont be fooled (like the rest of the public) that this will actually achieve anything. Take my word for it that Wars are planned long before Joe Public has anything to do with it. The problem with this one is that Blair hung his hat on the WMD and 9/11 thing, both of which have been proven to be incorrect. There were no WMD's and the links between 9/11 and Iraq are tenuous to say the least.

Its his conviction that irks me; "I felt it was the right thing to do", now, the public like to have things done in their interest and not one persons interest, even if he is the PM. Now tell me, if this conviction was used to remove Saddam and have a regime change, where was this conviction when say Papa Doc was running things in Haiti and Mugabe in Zimbabwe ?

He is a Liar, he is a politician, lying is what they do best. For whoever's (and there many) vested interests this war was waged in believe me Mr B will not be held accountable.

Now, if George Bush was in front of Chilcot that would be worth watching.
.

Cold

2010-01-25T13:34:00.001-08:00

Despite being in my autumnal years I can still cut it on the slopes. I have been in the alps again with Baxter. We hired a small villa in a remote French town with a couple of filly's, a crate of wine and a small collection of jazz.

It has to be said it was a tad chilly but I can ski with the best of them and can even give these young snowboarders a run for their money, what with their baggy clothes and urban and weed induced attitudes.

We spent a damn fine week and ignored the goings on in the world. I have now returned to infernal traffic problems, a leaking boiler and a tabloid frenzy.

We are soon running into an election and I always feel irritable around this time of the year.

Still, we will be out of the recession tomorrow and we can focus on the better things in life.

Chin up.
.

Have Your Say becomes the voice of the far right

2010-01-12T05:34:00.000-08:00

Lets face it, it was bound to happen sooner or later. once everyone has returned to the daily grind of life and the snow retreats to whence it came then people start attacking immigration and scarily, Islam, as a source for all their woes.

The Govt has outlawed Islam4UK, what that actually means is left unclear, but anyway, their march is banned. Oh yes everyone cries, they shouldn't be here, they are stealing our jobs, children, pets, our tax money, welfare, selling crack infested Pitt bulls to pedophiles.

I had always thought that this knee jerk reaction to the pointlessness people feel in their lives was the bastion of the tabloids. Clearly not, it has now entered the vestibules of The BBC HYS.

And of course reasoned argument will never be seen, it will be one headline after another with little or no substantiation.

England is a racist country. Or rather England has a racist and sinister underbelly.

And to think i have seen duty in the middle and far east, for the likes of this diatribe;

Absolutely right to ban this lot. Look, freedom is not free, and there are limits even to freedom of speech. When you have a bunch of benefit-scrounging, British-hating wasters screaming for death to "the West" (although they seem happy to live here and take money other people worked for) and all the freedoms that generations of Britons have fought for - that is beyond the pail. These people are traitors and should be dealt with by the courts as such.

Peter P, Barnsley, United Kingdom

Im sorry Peter, but its time you spend some time in the library reading about the following;

1 - Freedom
2 - Welfare
3 - Taxation
4 - War
5 - Islam
6 - People

Until then, and only then, comment on what you now clearly know bugger all about.

I would however like to thank Val for restoring my faith in human nature, but thats Devon for you, very relaxing;

What a lot of little englanders! No organisation should be banned. Tha leads to the slippery slope to ward book burning and censorship. All major religions are peaceful, if you go back to original concepts. There are Christian extremist who preach doom and disaster as well as muslim extremists but most people of all faiths and none are able to distinguish between people and concepts. Most people want to live peacfully together.

Val, Devon
.

2010 and snow

2010-01-03T09:40:00.000-08:00

2010 was a damned fine book by that Arthur C Clarke fellow. I am hoping that 2010 the year will be a damn fine year too, although the way I am feeling now it appears that things are transpiring against me.

I dropped a jar of organic pasta sauce in waitrose today which smashed on the floor much to my horror. I was then told by some spotty oik that it was quite common for the jars to jump off the shelves for no apparant reason and that I shouldnt worry.

I am glad the silly season is nearing its end, I have had far too many nights out, drunk far too much wine, brandy and the like and have eaten copious amounts of rather rich and exotic food.

Needless to say my new filly is testing my stamina too.

I am off for a jaunt of skiing next week to my favourite resort in france, where all the celebs go.

Mountain air should do me some good.
.

Ice and Snow

2009-12-23T05:11:00.000-08:00

I have taken the wise decision to hole up at Baxters club for a few days and endure the hospitality of the fine bar staff and catering persons.

We have eaten finely, kept warm and polished off a good few bottles of the golden stuff.

We have been entertained by the music of Joe Pass, Al Di Meola, Bach, Wagner and last night during a particular rowdy session with some like minded people here (and some fine looking fillys on the staff) we gave it some with Ride of the Valkyries sounding out.

Needless to say heads are fragile today and i shall be having a quiet day and will be on to HYS to see whats going on.

As for leaving, well, why would one want to when company is so good and the outside is so cold (reminds me of an extended stay in northern Siberia, but that as they say is a another story)
.

Killing in who's name? 2

2009-12-21T07:25:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking about this and discussing this issue with Milo (my nephew in case you have forgotten)

It brings forth a multitude of questions;

- Why is a christmas number one so important
- What is pop music but a manufactured trend which goes back to the beatles
- Simon Cowell is only continuing the legacy of the the pop moguls before him
- RATM were on a major label in 1992 and were seen as slightly manufactured in their day
- X Factor is the destroyer of real talent and the moulder of pop stars
- Why does it over shadow world events like Copenhagen
- Why do people struggle to organise themselves against real enemies like famine, war, injustice
- why am i writing about it

Baxter phoned earlier, wants to meet me in the club in mayfair with a bottle of 12 yr old Jura he wants a hand with.

Cant argue with that.
.

Killing in who's name?

2009-12-21T07:08:00.000-08:00

Milo tells me that the public has spoken and that Rage Against The Machine are the new christmas number one. Everyone on Facespace got together and bought the single and hence the new nobody that won X-Idol wont be a christmas number one.

What i would like to know is why there is a Have Your Say special on this and why a protest song against the Los Angeles Police should be appropriate for christmas?

Strange times indeed, we have an inch of snow and the UK comes to a complete standstill and not for the first time. (Milo was stuck in paris with four fillys thanks to Eurotrains but I didn't hear him complain)

I was in the Himalayas once and was holed up in some flea ridden pisspot of a village for three weeks because eight foot of snow fell in two days. We survived on yaks milk, honey bee brandy and an assortment of unknown dried meats and rice. And not one North Face coat in sight.

People don't know when things are harsh and when things are just a little uncomfortable.
.

"Have Your Say" experts (sic)

2009-12-15T05:22:00.000-08:00

As we all know, everyone is an expert, my award today for tabloid journalism and not really knowing what he is talking about goes to Steve. The question is how to further fund the Afghan War.

So we have money to bail out banks so that RBS can try to pay £6billion in bonuses to its staff. But we don't have the money to pay for staff and equipment in the middle of a war. Interesting that the hole in the defence budget announced by the NAO this morning is also £6billion. Shows who the government really values.. and it isnt' the young people who put their lives on the line. The sooner we get a chance to deliver a verdict on them the better.

Steve, Northwich

.

More irritated than usual

2009-12-15T05:11:00.000-08:00

I have swine flu. Serves me right for being in Mexico. I have suffered all manner of things in my life but none so pathetic and infuriating as flu.

I have been shot at, beaten, tortured had dysentery, malaria, giardia, operations been emotionally blackmailed, married, divorced have dealt with addictions of one sort or another yet none have ever given me that complete sense of hopelessness as Influenza.

Damn it. If ever a disease was invented by a woman this would be it.

Have Your Say and The Castle are irritating more than ever, people writing as though they are total experts on everything.

Still, on the bright side, Ive met a damn fine filly who's tending to my hot toddy requirements on a nightly basis.

A few more days and ill be right as rain, which is probably just as good as I have a few xmas parties to attend to; the regiment, the service, that other lot, some hedgies, old etonians and then there's the family too.

Now where did i put that bottle.
.

Golf, Sun & Sea

2009-12-07T06:58:00.000-08:00

Well, whilst the rest of you were enjoying the rain and the squabbling that passes as politics nowadays, Baxter and I were having a jolly old time in Yucatan, Mexico.

For a third world nation of drug traffickers i cannot fault the Mexicans hospitality, food, cerveza, golf courses, ancient ruins or chicas.

They do however, have a lot to be desired for dress sense, music and whiskey but these minor issues are far outweighed by the above (apart from the malts that is, that alcoholic cactus juice they palm off is rancid at the best of times.)

We hired a grand old vehicle and drove the route from Mexico City (a damned polluted hell hole if ever i have been to one, the worst being Kabul, but there I did have irate tribesmen shooting at me)to Cancun, as everyone knows as "Las Vegas by the sea"

We stayed at some quality Hyatts en route and enjoyed large amounts of the local cuisine and firewaters whilst being entertained by the locals.

Not once did i wonder about Browns dilemma, Camerons future, the battle between Murdoch and the Castle, inane comments on Have Your Say or the stupidity of large sections of the British Public.

In a word, bliss.

Instead I worried about decreasing my handicap, dysentery ,mosquitoes, bandits and women of a wanton nature!
.

Holiday

2009-12-02T02:30:00.001-08:00

I have just returned from a glorious week playing golf and endearing myself to the locals of Mexico. Baxter called me to say pack my clubs, shorts and sunglasses we are off to Central America.

Needless to say I jumped at the chance but unfortunately had no access to what is called "wi-fi" or "roaming" so I will have to update my blog in retrospect (and when I haven't been poleaxed by the local firewater)

As for the golf, Baxter and I left the score at evens, a rather amicable turn out after the thrashing I had on the first day.

Hasta Luego (as they say)
.

China V USA

2009-11-17T05:26:00.000-08:00

I wasn't going to Blog today - my previous rant has sated my needs and Im in the midst of packing for my annual retreat, however, I have been drawn to the HYS site, again, and have been reading some of the comments with regards to Obama's little sojourn to the far east. Some of the comments I have to say are quite thought out and reasonable.

A vast difference form the usual political (sic) diatribe that is written there.

However, my award for the most paranoid person on HYS this week goes to this posting;

"I don't trust Obama, and I definitely don't trust China. No good will come of this.

Mike "

Mike obviously has a good grip on politics and the world as a whole. I suggest he either goes out more or reads more.

Now where did i put my passport..

.

Time on a train

2009-11-15T05:30:00.001-08:00

Not so long ago, businessmen and business women had to deal with business without the medium of computers, lap tops, blackberrys and mobile phones. Now, this wasn’t so long ago, not as long as say the last time the countries of the world decided to go to war on an unprecedented scale and kill millions of young people and old people and generally anyone who was in the way of a bullet, bomb or nuclear device.

I sit on a train as I write this, surrounded by other people who, like me, are tapping incessantly onto a keyboard of varying sizes and staring at a screen of varying sizes or holding conversations with microphones of varying devices. Some people are divulging the opinions of the broadsheets and tabloids as facts, and not as the opinions of the journalists, editors, lobbyists or covert agencies that have control over the media. Some people fulfill the stereotype of what they read, the immaculately dressed elderly pinstrip reading the FT, the polyester suited middle manager reading the Times, the under educated reading the Sun.

Some people are reading books, some people are reading the latest best seller, some are reading crime thrillers (although these in my opinion are mere soap operas of books and don’t fall into the realms of literature.)

Anyway, where was I? Electronic gadgets doing business. How did we manage without instant communication? Did people do less work and less moving about? Were people confined to the office environment more instead of a hub?

I am on a train, it is nearing 10AM and there are a lot of business people on here. Clearly they are not working 9 to 5, clearly they are going somewhere or coming from somewhere. Is it, as I believe, that we can now escape the environs of the office with the perception to others that we are actually working when in fact we are a nation of skivers, only going back to an office when we in fact have to do proper work, like writing letters or reports.

It has to be said that Trains in the UK are generally improving (one only has to go back to the early 1980's and the appalling way British Rail use to act), if they weren’t so expensive. Only Business accounts can deal with the cost of train travel. People commute to London from far flung places on a daily basis spending hundreds of pounds on tickets each month, having to deal with the dignity of being packed in like cattle, for 3-4 hrs per day. Trying to be individuals in the herd. People go longer distances to work now, people don’t work in the towns they live in, or if they do its very rare. We are a nation of people on the move, as can be witnessed by our addiction to the motor car.

These iPods amaze me. I am told that any generic MP3 player can play music, usually cheaper and better quality. But the ipod is more of a brand, you are not buying a music player, you are buying a brand, your white head phones show that you are a member of the ipod club. By owning an ipod you are declaring that you are computer literate, have access to music on the go, have access to a lot of music, are hip and generally part of the club.

When training the Forces I travelled on a train for a couple of years, it was the only way of getting to where I wanted to go, I didn’t drive and buses would take too long. I would sit listening to my walkman and tapes and be the only person on the train doing so. It felt almost rebellious and a true escape. I now believe the opposite, ipod users don’t know how to communicate and are hiding from the fact that they have lost the basic inability to communicate and have forgotten the social niceties.

And face it, most modern music is overproduced, over marketed, sanitised rubbish. When has anyone sung anything truly from the soul since Ian Curtis lamented how he wanted to kill himself and Johnny Cash sang about the death of his true love. Computer games have sound tracks written by computers that sounds like the drivel around today.

And why do people feel the need to drink tea and coffee on a train?

Tea costs around 4p a teabag. Add hot water and people will pay £1.50. Taking into account the cost of hot water that is a huge mark up. But not quite a mark up as the biggest con to hit the consumer for quite a while. That of bottled water.

Spending time in places where they don’t have clean water, like the outback of say Tanzania and boiling water isn’t practical and Iodine sterilisation is making you feel ill and if you chance upon some stagnant water it would give you some unpronounceable and incurable illnesses I can understand why you would want to buy pure water in a bottle. Living in the centre of London I do not.

And since when has tap water been evil? We have fantastically clean water. We do not need to buy it because it comes from a spring in Buxton. Its like selling sand to the Saudis. We are buying a brand, a lifestyle an image. To me it says gullible, herd mentality. We would buy nothing if another people were buying nothing.

It’s a marketers / advertisers dream and we all know how evil they are.
.

Never post a blog afetr a tipple

2009-11-12T14:16:00.000-08:00

Note to self: Never publish a blog when one has spent the day drinking fine malts and chewing the fat with ex-hedge fund managers.

I mean, one only has to look at the incorrect use of grammer, punctuation, tense and capitalisation.

My old school master would be turning in his grave.
.

And what would I do if I won £45million

2009-11-11T09:25:00.001-08:00

Apart from getting handwriting lessons and / or a typewriter (or a PA for that matter)
.

Brown and Cars

2009-11-10T14:00:00.000-08:00

I am in a frightful mood this evening, I have been driving around the home counties for one reason and another for the last two days and have come across all manner of accidents, breakdowns, spillages, fires and moronic driving like its the end of the world.

On one occassion It took 2 1/2 hrs to travel 5 miles, It would have been easier to walk had it not been so cold and wet. The transport system in this country is a joke. If anyone wanted to bring the UK to a total standstill they would jacknive lorries on all of the major trunkroads (M1, M25, M5, M27, you get my point), traffic would come to a complete stop as would the country.

And yesterday when it finally did get moving I had an altercation with a frightful chap driving a Ford Mondeo, lucky I took note of his number plate as I do have friends in high places and this oik will be losing his licence one way or another.

It looks like GB is in for a bit of a rubbing too from those dispicable chaps at The Sun, I had to write into HYS to have my views known. That poor Janes Lady, fancy being that open to exploitation. My sympathies are with her for her loss, but I say.

Im off to Oxford again tomorrow, meeting the Prof who has a few problems with some builders and a box of cubans he needs to share. I think his latest Christmas Cake is wearing him out and he needs some male company. Not in that way I hasten to add.

.

Remember the Fallen

2009-11-08T04:43:00.000-08:00

* 60,000,000–72,000,000 - World War II (1939–1945)
* 20,000,000 - World War I (1914–1918)
* 20,000,000 - Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945)
* 5,000,000–9,000,000 - Russian Civil War and Foreign Intervention (1917–1921)
* 3,800,000 - 5,400,000 - Second Congo War (1998–2007)
* 2,500,000–3,500,000 - Korean War (1950–1953)
* 2,300,000–3,800,000 - Vietnam War (entire war 1945–1975)
o 300,000–1,300,000 - First Indochina War (1945–1954)
o 100,000–300,000 - Vietnamese Civil War (1954–1960)
o 1,750,000–2,100,000 - American phase (1960–1973)
o 170,000 - Final phase (1973–1975)
o 175,000–1,150,000 - Secret War (1962–1975)
* 300,000–3,000,000[91] - Bangladesh Liberation War (1971)
* 1,500,000–2,000,000 - Afghan Civil War (1979-)
o 1,000,000–1,500,000 Soviet intervention (1979–1989)
* 1,300,000–6,100,000 - Chinese Civil War (1928–1949)
* 1,000,000 - Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988)
* 1,000,000 - Second Sudanese Civil War (1983–2005)
* 1,000,000 - Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970)
* 900,000–1,000,000 - Mozambique Civil War (1976–1993)
* 800,000 - 1,000,000 - Rwandan Civil War (1990-1994)
* 800,000 - Congo Civil War (1991–1997)
* 570,000 - Eritrean War of Independence (1961-1991)
* 550,000 - Somali Civil War (1988- )
* 500,000 - 1,000,000 - Spanish Civil War (1936–1939)
* 500,000 - Angolan Civil War (1975–2002)
* 500,000 - Ugandan Civil War (1979–1986)
* 300,000 - First Burundi Civil War (1972)
* 300,000 - Darfur conflict (2003-)
* 230,000–1,400,000 - Ethiopian Civil War (1974–1991)
* 220,000 - Liberian Civil War (1989 - )
* 200,000 - Sierra Leone Civil War (1991–2000)
* 200,000 - Algerian Civil War (1991-
* 200,000 - Guatemalan Civil War (1960–1996)
* 150,000 - Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990)
* 150,000 - North Yemen Civil War (1962–1970)
* 125,000 - Eritrean-Ethiopian War (1998–2000)
* 103,359+ - 1,136,920+ - Invasion and Occupation of Iraq (2003-Present)
* 100,000 - 400,000 - Western New Guinea (1984 - )
* 100,000 - 200,000 - Indonesian invasion of East Timor (1975-1978)
* 100,000 - Persian Gulf War (1991)
* 100,000–1,000,000 - Algerian War of Independence (1954–1962)
* 97,207 - Bosnian War (1992-1995
* 75,000 - El Salvador Civil War (1980–1992)
* 69,000 - Internal conflict in Peru (1980- )
* 60,000 - Sri Lanka/Tamil conflict (1983-2009)
* 60,000 - Nicaraguan Rebellion (1972-91)
* 50,000 - 200,000 - First Chechen War (1994–1996)
* 50,000 - 100,000 - Tajikistan Civil War (1992–1997)
* 45,000 - Greek Civil War (1945-1949)
* 41,000–100,000 - Kashmiri insurgency (1989- )
* 30,000 - Turkey/PKK conflict (1984- )
* 30,000 - Sino-Vietnamese War (1979)
* ~28,000 - 1982 Lebanon War (1982)
* 25,000 - Second Chechen War (1999 - present)[106]
* 23,384 - Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 (December 1971)
* 23,000 - Nagorno-Karabakh War (1988-1994)
* 20,000 - 49,600 U.S. Invasion of Afghanistan (2001–2002)
* 14,000+ - Six-Day War (1967)
* 15,000–20,000 - Croatian War of Independence (1991–1995)
* 11,053 - Malayan Emergency (1948-1960)
* 11,000 - Spanish-American War (1898)
* 7,264–10,000 - Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 (August-September 1965)
* 7,000 - Kosovo War (1996–1999)
* 5,000 - Turkish invasion of Cyprus (1974)
* 4,588 - Sino-Indian War (1962)
* 4,000 - Waziristan War (2004-2006)
* 3,000 - Civil war in Côte d'Ivoire (2002-2007)
* 2,604–7,000 - Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 (October 1947-December 1948)
* 2,000 - Football War (1969)
* 1,975–4,500+ - violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (2000 -)
* 1,724 - War of Lapland (1945)
* 1,500 - Romanian Revolution (December 1989)
* ~1,500 - 2006 Lebanon War
* 1,000 - Zapatista uprising in Chiapas (1994)
* 907 - Falklands War (1982)
* 62 - Slovenian Independence War (1991)

Hedge Funds

2009-11-07T11:41:00.000-08:00

Whilst at his club Baxter introduced me to an old dear friend of his who has just retired from the hedge fund industry and has just gone through a divorce to boot, delightful chap, name of Finbar something or other. We spoke late into the evening about all manner of things, but mostly about the state of the country, the economy and the population. His company took a bit of a battering with the whole "sub-prime" fiasco but like most hedgies I have met weathered the storm and came out making a damn fine profit.

I myself have never trusted banks, I have invested in various things over the years, antiques, wines, art, property, land and such forth so I have never had the joy of dealing with banks to the level that most of the prols do. And i for one am very thankful for this.

I have been reliably informed that we should have let HBOS and Northern Rock fail instead of propping them up with tax payers billions and to this end do empathise with peoples outrage, they should have gone the way of Lehman.

But, thats my knowledge of money. And it is true what they say it is the root of all evil. And declaring war in the name of god. But best not talk about that one.
.

Afternoon in London

2009-11-05T06:23:00.000-08:00

I have to say that its always a pleasure to be back in the big city after a night out elsewhere. The professor was exceptional company last night and on royal top form. For obvious reasons i cannot declare his identity but "Prof Lee" will suffice. Like my esteemed colleague Baxter, Prof Lee also has a taste what we call the christmas cake filly, and he was proud to show off his latest. A very pretty little thing from the far east. She is studying Russian Philosophy.

The Professor is also an ardent commentator on politics and the media and was keen to hear about the blogging exploits of yours truly. Our last discussion of the evening, or should I say our last sensible discussion of the evening was about the absurdity of the daily mail and patriotism.

Dont get me wrong, Im all for singing about and defending the rights of old blighty, but when oiks like Nick Griffin are let lose all manner of things can ensue. Lest us not forget we are a nation of warmongers living off the riches of the slave and opium trade. Thats our empire and our legacy.

(it should also be noted that during my long and illustrious career in HM Forces I kept these opinions to myself, one of my tours in Afghanistan in the early 90's was for the protection of the local 'crop' from pillaging tribes, I have and will always defend our country but lets be under no pretensions as to how we got here)

At the moment I am currently sitting in a very genteel hotel bar in Fitzrovia sipping tea and watching the media types and pop stars strolling past, and will shortly be meeting Baxter and then off for a jolly good flutter at a private club he knows. Life doesn't get much better than this.

.

Morning in Oxford

2009-11-05T00:37:00.000-08:00

A shoddy nights sleep last night, compounded by the irritations of having to sleep in a poor quality room at the Randolph.

However, the professor and I had a splendid evening in the Eagle & Child imbibing a number of high quality malts and being entertained by a number of his very attractive and intelligent students. Today I am having a slow breakfast, updating this blog and watching cyclists go by, particularly fetching are the young filly's with their vintage bicycles with baskets on the front carrying their books. Reminds me of summers long ago in the south of france.

I digress, its easy to get distracted in a town full of so many beautiful women, the only city comparable on this front is Tel Aviv, but slightly more dangerous. Something about women with machine guns.
.

Europe - HYS

2009-11-04T07:53:00.000-08:00

Nothing like mentioning the Lisbon Treaty to get the blood boiling of all the jingoistic tabloids and pseudo patriots. I will not be entering into any such discussions other than to say its a little late for pulling out. So my award for stupidity and for not understanding politics goes to the following post on BBC's HYS;

No refurendum = No vote for Cameron
Simple.

Alex, England

Im out in Oxford tonight, invite from an old professor friend, dreadful golfer but what he doesnt know about whisky isnt worth knowing, he has a splendid pad in town and I for one am looking forward to meeting some of his 'students'
.

HYS - What are they talking about??

2009-11-02T05:12:00.000-08:00

I have taken it upon myself to start naming "Have Your Say" posters and posting an example of their comments here, this so that you can understand my feelings towards the inanity of the HYS board and people's comments in general. I will then have a monthly vote for the most stupid. Today's gem on whether T Blair should become EU president is this;

"When I read details of front runners, 2/3 eclipsed Blair, for different reasons

When I read the world's most famous advance intelligence, aka Man's Maker's Manual, aka endtime Bible prophecy, Daniel 7's 'terrible 4th beast' is the EU revived Roman Empire, forecast 3 times there to crush, trample & devour victims - till the Ancient of Days crushes it

It is prophesied there as 'partly strong, partly brittle & will not last'

Meanwhile, it spawns the Antichrist Beast of Revelation 13 & 17

Ian "Mr Versatile", Liverpool"

Now if anyone would care to enlighten me on what on earth this chap is ranting about please let me know!
.

HYS - Drug Advise

2009-11-02T04:56:00.000-08:00

My my, Have Your Say is having a field day with the resignation / sackings over scientific advise to MP's and true to form The Castle has buried any interrogation or discussion on the Nimrod Inquiry. Not that HYS has any political sway or anything.

Being "in the know" I am an avid fan of Spooks which is returning this week. A most accurate portrayal of our secret services if ever there was one. The link? Well they once did a story about advisers and another about media manipulation. Watch them and seek out the parallels

Ok, so the book "The Big Breach" was a novelty when it came out but it didn't exactly set the fires burning.."i was sacked,but i cant talk about it, i was on a mission which i also cant talk about..." - my point? Media has vested interests and decides what the proletariat should be interested in. I mean how many more weeks does the Katie / Peter thing have to be in the press?

With regards to the drug advisers, they are having Warhols 5 minutes and will be forgotten about next week. Mark my words.

On a brighter note, Baxters new filly wants to move in with him, ha ha! Having a christmas cake is one thing but having her "live in" well, unless its the house maid this sort of thing will only end in tears, the court and emptying bank accounts.

Pre Nup anyone?
.

Another one bites the dust.

2009-11-01T09:23:00.001-08:00

As I enter the dark teatime of the soul and stare out across my land to see the wind tossing branches of trees about and the rain lashing against my windows, I feel a warmth within from a fine vintage malt I have just quaffed and I am settled by the crackling of an open fire but I feel at odds again with the government. And more specifically their inability to take or listen to any advice.

As Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs member Marion Walker decides to do the long walk in protest, Alan Johnson MP is given yet another headache.

Now, dear old Alan has set his stall out on the fact that the scientific fraternity are opinionating against government policy and hence undermining the government. To keep a stable government dissent must be dealt with quickly. However, when government policy is proven wrong by the scientific fraternity what can one do, to U Turn would be catastrophic for Alan Johnson etal, therefore he has to stand by his decision, even if it is wrong.

I am sure it has ruined his weekend to boot.
.

The Sacking of Professor David Nutt

2009-10-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

Well, lets well and truly bury the Nimrod fiasco with another incredulous fiasco like the sacking of the governments drug advisor because Alan Johnson doesnt like his advice on drugs

Im afraid public opinion is against you on this one Alan and sometimes as an MP its best to keep your mouth shut.

On the other hand its not the first time Govt's dont listen to their advisors, look at that poor Kelly fellow.
.

Nimrods and Cannabis

2009-10-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

I see 'they' are trying to down play the damning Nimrod report written by the esteemed Charles Haddon-Cave QC by re-igniting (sic) the cannabis classification debate.

The facts here are simple, H-C's damning inquiry concluded "in my view, XV230 was lost because of a systemic breach of the military covenant brought about by significant failures on the part of all those involved." and also lets not forget the gem of a quote "Its production is a story of incompetence, complacency and cynicism. The best opportunity to prevent the accident to XV230 was tragically lost,"

He said the MOD were Lamentable. I am unsure of his full brief and what strings were pulling his verdict but I can hazard a guess at the arms dealers / the MOD / lobbyists and the PM, however, for once a cover up it wasnt. In light of the current wars we are fighting I am unsure as to what spin can be put on this.

The publics perception is that the military cant afford guns and planes hence our troops are being killed by inadequate equipment, rather than being killed by the IED's planted by the local militia who hate the west and the UK / USA especially for killing their comrades and family members. So to release this report awakens my quizzical interest.

HC-QC has made a few enemies but has had his retribution for alleged deeds of old, well thats what I think.

So, lets bury it along side the old debate about whether a bit of 'kif' will send you ga-ga and whether Jacqui Smith knows what the hell she is talking about.

I am sure the Nimrod case will be mentioned when BAE take the docks for alleged (sic) bribery. I for one will be in court for that one, as a voyeur obviously.

On a brighter note Cuff and I had a fabulous evening quaffing a few malts and enjoying the finer pleasures of cuba's tobacco industry. He really is a damned fine fellow.
.

Before I was irritated and opinionated

2009-10-28T06:57:00.000-07:00

A long time ago I was happy, I had finished my last tour in the Army (in some god forsaken ex-communist despotic cess pool of a nuclear power country) and was looking forward to a string of liaisons with young fillys who go for the military type, writing my memoirs and discovering the finest whisky known to man (Tyrconnell single cask is the closest I have come by so far, for the record) when I was offered a job from some ex-SAS type that I knew from the school days.

It was as a security / body guard for the rich and famous, A listers, B listers, Z listers, Hedge Fund Managers, Porn Stars, MP's you name it and so for a period of 8 or so years I shaved my head, wore black suits and Aramani sun glasses. (I am trained in a number of martial arts and have also trained and fought in armed combat with some of the most dangerous and psychotic people one can imagine.) This was a happy time for me as I knew my place and the general goings on in the world past me by.

And this was also before the period when the world started becoming a little wobbly after the shenanigans with those tower blocks in NY and the start of endless wars in countries we shouldn't be in. (I must be getting soft in my twilight years or that pasting Baxter gave me yesterday has made me remorseful)

It is only now however, and with a fair modicum of hindsight that I see the media and politicians for what they really are along with the stupidity of people posting inane babble on message boards like HYS.

Must dash, another chum is shouting me for drinks, I should never refuse an old duffer like Cuff by any means.
.

Is the ban on MP mortgage claims enough? (Have Your Say)

2009-10-28T06:27:00.000-07:00

Well, never in a million years will my tirade on this subject be published at the Castle. Especially as i am feeling doubly put out after yesterday when Baxter slipped in a birdy on the ninth which left me quite out of pocket on a particularly rare bottle of Oban at the club. Still, on the bright side Baxter's latest christmas cake was most put out by our drinking habits and left in quite a stink for an "early night", ha ha! Serves him right!

Anyway, to the matter in hand, in my opinion MP's are only doing what the rest of us cant and that is milk expenses for all they are worth! If your are told you can claim your second (or tenth) mortgage you are jolly well going to, regardless of what the proletariat think. Employ your wife? Absolutely, as long as she is claimable too.

I know far too many MP's to comment personally except to say that the words Ivory Tower could be battered around. They are only bending the rules that are in place and as such the welfare-ites bend the rules that are in place for them (who incidentally are usually the first to whinge about wasting tax payers money, make them work for dole, that will sort them out)

So whats my point? Im not sure except to say the Media will not let this one lie so if you are going to claim for your eastern european wife / cleaner / duck house, make sure no one knows about it.

.

Have Your Say (revisited)

2009-10-27T04:34:00.000-07:00

As the BBC's Have your Say goes from one banal question to another, it leads me to wonder who actually reads the HYS board?

To summarise the HYS board;

1 - The BBC will ask a topical question.
2 - Someone holding a view from one end of the spectrum will totally agree with the point in hand.
3 - Someone with a view from the other end of the spectrum will totally disagree
4 - Someone will then post something completely missing the point
5 - Someone will try to post something humorous (with witty name to boot)
6 - Someone will blame the current / previous / future government for the issue at hand
7 - Someone will blame religion / democracy (or lack of it) / immigration on the point at hand
8 - Someone will quote someone else's post and criticise spelling / content

This assumes that the BBC will actually post your point of view and not "moderate" (censor) it

Some topics generate thousands of posts (Nick 'oik' Griffins appearance on Lions Den) whilst others will be swept aside (Lolita the Otters appearance in the new Winnie the Pooh books)

I see that even Private Eye is doing a parody of the message boards. Ian Hislop is a damn fine chap and has obviously frequented the Have your Say board for inspiration.

As I wait in the lounge with 'wi-fi' and 'elderberry' at hand typing this, Baxter has arrived in his latest Jag with his latest christmas cake filly under his arm. (A damn fine looker with legs to die for if I may say so.)

Anyway, must off, we have a wager on the 9th hole and this evenings tab will be riding on it!
.

Warren Buffet or Nick Griffin

2009-10-27T01:42:00.000-07:00

Having the displeasure of meeting both of these jumped up little oiks I am at a loss as to who is the worse, although I have been told that public opinion currently detests financial gurus above right-wing sociopaths

Have Your Say

2009-10-27T01:24:00.000-07:00

I am irritable due to the needless and provocative censorship of the BBC's Have Your Say Forum and my endless battles with the moderators. I have taken matters into my own hands, and with the help of my young nephew, Milo, I have entered what people are calling the 'blogosphere'. I will endeavour to post considered and reasonable responses to the issues of the day, or any day for that matter or whatever is frustrating me at any particular point. It is early in the morning and i am due for a quick round with Baxter and then we will be polishing off a fine bottle of Jura at his favourite club in mayfair. A fine day indeed. As for those rascals that have been crashing puma's well, sympathys to all involved but really.
.