Ill...

Those of you out there who take the trouble to read my ravings & rantings will have noticed that for some time I haven't posted anything.
Its true. But I have mitigating circumstances: I am ill.... Well, its a dose of 'flu, & I feel like shite. Think I caught it on the plane flying back from Belfast the other week following the funeral of Kate's mom who sadly passed away. Paracetamol and the odd glass of Jameson's Irish whiskey help keep my spirits up & the symptoms under control, but I don't feel too much like posting at the mo', so I'll keep things to a minimum for now.
I'll be back ASAP!.

The Bradford West By -Election & George Galloway MP.

GEORGE GALLOWAY

 

George Galloway is the Respect Party MP for Bradford West. He has also been the MP for Bethnal Green and Bow and before that Glasgow Kelvin and Glasgow Hillhead. George is the Nominating Officer for the Respect Party and founder of the Viva Palestina convoys.

For some historical reason or another Political elections in the UK are (for as long as I can remember ) held on a Thursday. Heaven alone knows why, & hopefully someone out there who takes the time to read my rantings will tell me why.
Anyway. Last Thursday there was a 'By-Election' in Bradford West seat. The seat of Bradford West is in Yorkshire. The seat was viewed as a 'safe' Labour seat prior to the election however.....
The Labour Party lost the seat...& how!!! Wow! They lost it to the 'Respect Party'. The 'Respect Party was formed in 1994, it is a left wing party that states that it opposes war, privatisation and unemployment. It is opposes the Fascist right wing English Defence League & stands on a platform of democracy, peace & justice.
 One the main figures in the party is the ex Labour member of Parliament George Galloway. He is a larger than life fella with firm Socialist beliefs. A Scot, he calls a 'spade a spade' and I have to admit, I like the guy.

He stood as 'Respect' candidate in Bradford West & won! he beat the Labour candidate by 10,000 votes! Th Tories came third with the (now totally discredited) Liberal-Democrats actually losing their deposit!
Brilliant!!
He has gone on record as saying that the election heralded  "A Bradford Spring". Now,I don't know about that, but I warmly welcome the return of George Galloway to the House of Commons.

A supplement to my post in the petrol shortage in the UK

It had to happen. Due in part to the ill thought out advice given out by Francis (I'm a middle class ejjitt) Maud & the other ejjitts in the Tory Party.
"Store petrol in Jerry cans...." he told the British public, "store them in your garage or shed/outhouse" he said.
So a dutiful lady in York (North Yorkshire) did just that. Only..... she was decanting petrol from a jerry can via a kitchen jug into another container for her daughter's car...when the vapour ignited and she suffered 60% burns to her body.
And you know.... it looks now that there'll be no petrol shortage until after the Easter holidays. Even then its not certain that there'll actually be a strike.

The worlds gone mad.

And sadly my 97 year old mother in law is dying in the Mater Hospital in Belfast. May her end by peaceful, painless & may God welcome her into eternal life with a smile & a hug.

The petrol shortage in the UK

The guys who deliver the petrol to the garages here in the UK have voted to go on strike. They haven't said when they'll go on strike, but the general mood is that it'll be over the Easter period.
I have no issue with the lads striking. They're striking over the conditions in which they work and not for more pay, and even if they were.....well more power to them. power to the people!!

Anyhow. How about this for twatish advice from the British Government: Francis Maud-the Chairman of the Conservative Party no less came out yesterday & advised the public to store petrol (gas) in 20 litre Jerry cans in their sheds, garages &/or outhouses. Brilliant. Point 1: Its apparently illegal to store more than 5 litres of petrol, & a Jerry can holds....20 litres.Secondly, the local thugs & pyromaniacs would have a field day with cans of petrol lying about. Imagine it. However the Fire brigade Union came out & told him to withdraw the advice. Of course, he denied he said it. That advice coming from the leaders of the country. Scary stuff....
Then Cameron comes out today & says that the public motorists should top up their petrol tanks when they need to, or at least when their tanks are half full.
The effect of these two pieces of advice were to cause mass hysteria on garage forecourts. People panic brought petrol, some garages sold out of petrol, arguments ensued between motorists who were topping up & general mayhem was the order of the day.
Cameron et al haven't got a damn clue. hey are so out of touch with the people of this country its beyond belief.

However in their defence ......When that middle class prat Francis Maud spoke of sheds & outhouses I reckon that he believed that EVERYONE in the country has sheds, garages & outhouses like he & the other members of the Government have.....the size of the average British house at least 1 acre away from their main dwellingg place.
 God knows Mr Maud you are so out of touch.

I won't be panic buying. I'll use me bike or else use the bus.

Earl Scruggs: 6th January 1924 to 28th March 2012

Today I heard of the death of Earl Scruggs aged 88years.
For me, Earl Scruggs changed the face of American country music, with his distinctive style of banjo playing of using three fingers to pick the strings he coaxed the instrument to produce syncopated melodies.

Along with Lester Flatt and the Foggy Mountain Boys, their music is Bluegrass.

Rest in Peace Earl.

The latest Cameron tax

Today saw the Cameron coalition Government unveil their latest tax upon the poor bedraggled citizens of this island kingdom.
I refer to Cameron and his Cruella De Ville look alike Home Secretary Theresa May announce that they will level at least a 40pence per unit of alcohol charge on alcoholic drinks. This in practice will mean for example that a bottle of red wine costing £2.99p will cost now £3.76p.

Cameron & Cruella May believe and claim that this levy will reduce binge drinking, reduce alcohol related crime and at the same time reduce alcohol related illness and death.
Now, whilst I agree in  part with what's proposed I question the motive's behind the action.
Due to cuts in public services imposed by Cameron & his catamite sidekick Clegg,police forces across the UK have made police officers redundant-my own city, Birmingham has recently announced that it is seriously considering hiring private police offices to patrol our streets!! (how this is saving money Christ alone knows!!!).Anyhow, so....if alcohol related crime is reduced then....because of the reduced police numbers things will balance out...right?? Hmm...
Also, Cameron et al have cut the numbers of, & have mad nurses redundant across the UK. Therefore there are fewer nurses to care for the sick & the elderly. But...with fewer cases of alcohol related illness then we'll have more nurses freed up to nurse the hard pressed NHS...right?? Hmm...
Call my a cynic but.... I don't trust that bastard Cameron, in fact, I don't trust any politician, especially a Conservative & Liberal  who has sold his soul.

Furthermore; Once again the vast majority of sensible people who enjoy a drink after a hard weeks work, who don't get pissed & get arrested in the city centre on a Saturday night, who don't binge drink have to suffer for the mindless psychopathic minority. God knows, I come across enough people in my line of work who drink themselves into a stupor sometimes for the hell of it & expect the mental health services to detox them. Others though are ill. They use alcohol as a self medicating tool to hide a deeper pain & illness.
There has got to be a better, more effective way of reducing binge drinking without hitting the majority.

Once again I believe its a further example of Cameron's crowd of yahoo's fucking up our country.
What's the next tax he'll levy on us??? A tax on books, CD's, sex.....watch this space.....

Cameron &  Cruella De Ville aka-Theresa May
The villains of the piece!.

The tragedy in Toulouse

The murder yesterday of 4 souls in Toulouse (France) was awful. God help the twisted soul of the person who perpetuated the crime. Worse still is that the killer may have actually filmed the killings as they were commuted.
Life, these days seems to be cheap, people and governments & inddividuals appear to place little value on an individuals life, & seem prepared to take life as a matter of course. Whether that life be in Afghanistan, small town America, Norway or most recently, Toulouse. The \Government of Israel appear also to be contemplating an attack upon the people & nation of Iran. And the killers (would be or otherwise) can put up legitimate reasons why the killings took or should be authorised.

The small value on life is I believe, influence by many factors. Parents, peers, religious leaders and heads of state to name but a few.
I am particularly disturbed by comment made recently by the French Interior Minister M.Claude Gueant, who said recently that ".....there are some civilisations who are of little value..." I wonder what & who he was referring too? Whoever it was/is it is very disturbing.. This from the man who is currently heading the investigation into the killings in Toulouse!! Worrying!! Who will he scapegoat I wonder?

I love France. I admire the passion of the French, the no nonsense & pragmatic approach to life that they have.  I applaud the heart of the French people who today held a minutes silence in all schools across France in memory of those killed yesterday.
However, I have no time for President Nicolas Sarkozy. France will be an even better place when it returns a Socialist to the Presidential Office.

Meanwhile.Let us value ALL life, in every form it exist in.Lets pray for those who lost their lives to tragedy murder, & pray that one day men might respect each others differences. Lets give thanks for life, even down to thanking the herbs that grow in your garden when you pluck some of them for your meal. They are life too you know. ( My neighbour smiles at me for doing this-but then I've seen him dressing up as a garden gnome in his back garden!  he is a street entertainer so I suppose that mitigates his behaviour I suppose!!) But... there you go....

Live and Let Live people.