Another Israeli wall for the BBC to highlight

The BBC have as their second most important story Israel to constuct Egypt barrier with the lead-in of "Israel's government approves plans to build a barrier along its border with Egypt in a bid to keep out illegal migrants and militants."

There is an odd passage in the body of the story:

"In recent years, thousands of migrants have crossed into Israel via Egypt.

At least 17 migrants, mostly African, have been killed since May by Egyptian police, who say they are trying to stop people trafficking.

According to Israeli police estimates between 100-200 illegal immigrants cross into Israel from Egypt every week.

Eritrea is the most common country of origin for people trying to cross illegally from Egypt to Israel, followed by Ethiopia and Sudan. "

This is confusing, normally the BBC are so keen to tell us about the 'apartheid state' of Israel and how poorly non-Jews are treated. Yet here we have 100-200 illegal immigrants trying to get to live in Israel every week. What on earth do these people see in this most vile of countries?

The BBC then report that:

"Egyptian security sources said Israel had not informed them of its plans, but that they would not object so long as the barrier was built on Israeli soil."

Interesting...

Of course this being the BBC they have to remind us of the 'apartheid wall':

"Israel has also been building a controversial barrier in and around the occupied West Bank in recent years. It says it is needed to defend Israeli citizens from attacks by militants. Palestinians, however, consider it a land grab.

In 2004, the International Court of Justice in The Hague issued an advisory ruling that the barrier was illegal and should be removed."

Those evil Israelis.
Hod on what's this right at the end of the article:

"Egypt is meanwhile building an underground barrier along its border with Gaza to stem the smuggling of weapons through tunnels."

Just an underground barrier, so above ground is an open border? Of course not, the whole vorder is fenced but mentioning that might let people compare the two borders.

For details of other border walls that the BBC choose not to mention quite as often as the 'apartheid wall' you could take a look here.

Avatar's Neytiri exposed

Avatar's Neytiri exposed and an appearance by "7 of 9".


Thenks (?) to Political X-Ray for the hard work.

News from the home front

Two stories struck me this morning:

1) The Times reports that:

"Police have identified children as young as seven being groomed for terrorism, with some expressing a wish to become suicide bombers.

Up to 10 primary school pupils, aged between seven and 10, have been placed on a government outreach programme for individuals considered at risk of being radicalised and turning to violence.

Some have taken inspiration from jihadi websites or after viewing extremist material in Islamic bookshops.

One child was referred to the programme by his teacher after writing on a school book: “I want to be a suicide bomber.”

Other youngsters were identified by their parents after suddenly adopting traditional Muslim dress or espousing extremist views.

At least 228 people, mostly teenagers and young men aged 15-24, have been referred to the anti-terrorism Channel project after being singled out as “potentially vulnerable to violent extremism”."

It seems that Londonistan has become UKistan.


2) The Mail reports that:

"The Muslim extremist planning a march through Wootton Bassett runs a secret sharia court where he marries hundreds of couples – then tells them not to register their weddings.

Anjem Choudary tells them that registering their marriages is forbidden in Islam, as it would be recognition of British law.

...

He styles himself the judge of the UK Sharia Court and principal lecturer of the London School of Sharia and has claimed that he runs a network of Islamic courts in London, Luton, Birmingham, Derby and Leicester.

He claims that he has married more than 1,800 couples across Britain in less than ten years and conducted hundreds of divorces."

Life in the UK just gets better and better doesn't it?

Is this the smoking gun

The Times reports an interesting piece of news that really does deserve wide attention as it shows Gordon Brown for what he is, but no doubt the BBC will see fit to completely ignore. The Times reports that:

"Geoff Hoon, the former defence secretary behind last week’s attempted leadership coup, is set to inflict further damage on Gordon Brown with the disclosure that the prime minister vetoed the purchase of vital military helicopters.

Leaked ministerial letters reveal how, as chancellor, Brown repeatedly prevented Hoon from ordering life-saving battlefield equipment for Afghanistan and Iraq.

...

The leaked letters show Brown personally overturned earlier Treasury assurances that the Ministry of Defence would be free to spend extra cash on troop-carrying helicopters for Iraq and Afghanistan."

Now I have my doubts that Geoff Hoon is doing this for totally altruistic reasons, he does after all have to appear before the Chilcot whitewash inquiry very soon and could do with a good story to deflect attention.

Read the whole of The Times piece and wonder at quite how big a sh*t Gordon Brown was and his, how little he cared/cares for our armed forces, how pathetic his Labour colleagues were when they caved in to his bullying AND how the BBC manage to keep these stories away from their readers, viewers and listeners. The BBC's interest in Geoff Hoon seems to be limited to Geoff Hoon facing a no-confidence motion.

Simon Heffer can't hate Labour anymore

Simon Heffer says that "We can't actually hate Labour more". He's wrong, there's a lot of hatred of Labour and what they have done to this Country; if Simon Heffer doesn't hate them, I can introduce him to many still do.

"Mr Brown was not fit to be Prime Minister, had reduced No 10 to a shambles and was derided even by some of his closest Cabinet allies."

One line from The Mail on Sunday's extracts from former Labour General Secretary Peter Watt's new book. Here are some more extracts:

"* Mr Brown’s Cabinet ally Douglas Alexander said the PM’s inner circle wanted an early Election partly because even they didn’t like him – and they feared the British public would soon form the same view.
* The day Mr Brown called off the 2007 Election, denying he had ever intended to hold one, Labour chiefs had a fleet of limousines circling Parliament Square ready to take Ministers on the campaign trail, and had 1.5million leaflets ready to be posted.
* No10 is ‘completely dysfunctional’ under Mr Brown, who runs the country ‘by making it up as he goes along’.
* Sulking Mr Brown walked out of a Downing Street dinner party with US politicians because they sat down without his permission."

Do read the whole Mail piece and wonder at:
a) the stupidity and cowardice of the Labour politicians who failed to stand up to Gordon Brown and his accomplices
b) the way that a compliant media protected Gordon Brown from scrutiny and criticism, did none of them ever read Tom Bower's book?
c) the way the BBC will ignore or find a way to dismiss this story and concentrate on how Gordon Brown is single-handedly saving the country from shortages of gas and road grit...


PS: If

"The day Mr Brown called off the 2007 Election, denying he had ever intended to hold one, Labour chiefs had a fleet of limousines circling Parliament Square ready to take Ministers on the campaign trail, and had 1.5million leaflets ready to be posted."

then didn't Gordon Brown lie to us when he asured Andrew Marr that he had not been planning an election? Isn't that a big enough story for the BBC?

Windows 7 "God Mode"

I have just learnt of a fascinating supposedly previously undocumented Windows 7 feature - "God Mode". God mode lets one access all of Windows 7's control panels from within a single folder. To enter "God Mode," one need only create a new folder and then rename the folder to the following: GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

Try it but don't blame me if something goes wrong...

One month from no cuts to £57 billion cuts

"9 December 2009: Pre-Budget Report 2009 forecasts Public Sector Net Borrowing of £176 billion, and Public Sector Net Debt of £986 billion, in 2010-11.

10 December 2009: Alistair Darling puts in a bizarre performance on the Today programme, claiming that the PBR implies that departmental budgets would remain “pretty much flat.”

10 December 2009: The IFS works out that the PBR implies departmental budget cuts of around 19 percent over three years.

9 January 2010: In an interview with the Times, Alistair Darling admits that a tough spending review will see £57 billion worth of spending cuts and tax rises. He adds: "Many departments will have less money in the next few years." "

The above is from The Spectator Coffee House.
So in one month Alistair Darling has gone from saying that departmental budgets would remain "pretty much flat" to saying that departments will face £57 billion of cuts.

Now I think this is a pretty big story; surely it means that Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling were being less than truthful in the PBR and in subsequent interviews and speeches. Surely this is a major news story; not according to the BBC whose main headlines are "Togo pulls team out of Africa Cup", "Woodward in NI devolution warning" and "PM pledge on cold snap gas supply". Hidden way is a story entitled "Alistair Darling warns of tough spending cuts" which manages to not report the volte face by Alistair Darling but instead portrays the story as one of Alistair Darling's brave decision making

"The next spending review will be the toughest we have had for 20 years... to me, cutting the borrowing was never negotiable. Gordon accepts that, he knows that."

I found this part of the story interesting:

"Mr Darling said electors support his plan to balance the books.

"Most people know that public spending has doubled over the last 10 to 12 years, so we are coming off a much higher base, " he said.

"We are not talking about a situation where we have already cut to the bone." "

So when Gordon Brown said that Tory cuts would threaten services, was he wrong? Will he be questioned about this by the BBC ever? Will Nick Robinson do an in depth report on his blog? Will Jeremy Paxman ask the tough questions? I think we know the answers to those questions...

Public spending cuts - reality bites

Standard & Poors recently warned that unless the next Government (of whatever party) adopts more ambitious plans to cut the UK budget deficit then it will remove Britain’s AAA status. Slightly more recently PIMCO, the world’s biggest bond house, publicly declared that it is selling some of its stock of UK government debt, gilts, and predicted that there was a 80pc chance that Britain has its top-notch rating downgraded soon. So it was a shock when Alistair Darling presented his/Gordon Brown's Pre Budget Report with spending hardly lower than previously indicated, do Labour really have so little idea of the true state of the economy?

Today I read in The Times that reality may have finally caught up with Gordon Brown as:

"Alistair Darling has warned that Britain faces its toughest spending cuts for 20 years if Labour continues in office.

The Chancellor, indicating a dramatic shift in his party’s election strategy, tells The Times today that severe spending restraints are “non-negotiable” if he is to bring down the £178 billion budget deficit. "

...

“The next spending review will be the toughest we have had for 20 years . . . to me, cutting the borrowing was never negotiable. Gordon accepts that, he knows that.” "

Of course this being a Labour government they still cannot bring themselves to be entirely honest with the public (my emphasis):

"Officials made plain that the Comprehensive Spending Review to which Mr Darling referred would happen after the election, although he indicated that more details would be spelt out then."

So does this mean Gordon Brown will have to row back on his diving line of "Tory Cuts" versus "Labour investment"? And if he does will the BBC take him to task for it? I think we all know the answers to those questions...

Meanwhile I learn that Neil Woodford the head of investment at Invesco Perpetual has this week said that there was a "high probability" of Britain losing its AAA credit rating. Any such loss of rating would most likely send the pound plunging and probably send Britain into a debt spiral - as the Treasury would be forced to pay greater interest rates on its debt, which in turn would push the deficit still higher, etc. etc. etc..


In the meantime I will be buying more gold, and reducing my exposure to Sterling.

What's the biger threat Climate Change or Islamic Jihadi Terrorism?

Barack Obama has something else completely wrong.


Thanks to Theo Spark for the spot.

Who's in charge of the UK?

This is not an anti-EU posting or even a rant about Peter Mandelson. This time it's a bit closer to home for Gordon Brown. Last week Downing Street let it be known that a failure by Iceland to repay loans could negatively affect Iceland's bid to join the EU.
In fact the Prime Minister's spokesman is reported to have said:

'The Government expects the loan to be repaid. We expect Iceland to live up to its legal obligations and repay the money.'

So it was a surprise to learn that Iceland's foreign minister said yesterday:

'I have spoken to Foreign Secretary Miliband and I have his permission to state officially that this will not affect the EU application.'

So who's in charge today Gordon Brown or David Miliband? Which of these two will be in charge next week, next month or after the election? Will Harriet Harman have anything to say?

I think the key word in this BBC Wind Farm puff piece is "could"

The BBC delusionally report that (my emphasis):

"Successful bids for nine new offshore wind farm zone licences within UK waters have been announced.

A consortium including Npower and Norway's Statkraft won the licence for the biggest zone, in Dogger Bank, which could produce nine gigawatts of energy.

Turbines in the nine zones could generate up to 32 gigawatts of power, a quarter of the UK's electricity needs."

Maybe a good journalist should ask how much electricity these new wind farms would be generating on days such as today with hardly any wind; on a day when power is really needed. However this is the eco-BBC so they just rehash the publicity puff and feel the warm glow of the righteous.

For a dose of reality take a look at my post from yesterday showing how effective wind power is at present...

Something from Harriet Harman's equality obsessed past

"In June 2009, Sir Michael Scholar, head of the UK Statistics Authority, wrote to Harman to warn her that different headline figures used by the ONS and Government Equalities Office with regards to pay differentiation between men and women might undermine public trust in official statistics. The GEO's headline figure was 23%, which was based on median hourly earnings of all employees, not the 12.8%, based on median hourly earnings of full-time employees only, used by the ONS. Scholar wrote: "It is the Statistics Authority’s view that use of the 23% on its own, without qualification, risks giving a misleading quantification of the gender pay gap". The Equalities Office rejected his criticism, saying: 'With women representing over three-quarters of the part-time workforce, we believe this figure gives the fullest picture of the country's gender pay gap.'"

Per Wikipedia.

Harriet Harman escapes driving ban

The Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman has been fined £350 (as well as ordered to pay £75 costs and the new victim surcharge of £15) and given three points on her driving licence after pleading guilty to driving without due care and attention. Oddly the second charge of driving while using a mobile phone was withdrawn. Why was the charge dropped? Was it because drivers convicted of using a mobile phone whilst driving receive an automatic three-points penalty and a maximum fine of £1,000? With the six points previously on her licence Harriet Harman, plus the three for driving without due care and atention, she would have been disqualified from driving. I note that witnesses at the scene of the incident claimed that Harriet Harman was using her mobile telephone. I am of course sure there is a perfectly innocent explanation for what happened in court today.

Predicting the climate

The 'warmists' are always very certain that they know what the climate will be doing in five, ten, twenty, fifty years and they find ready pushers of their line in the BBC and other left-wing media. So it was with great interest that I read that:

"According to Dr David Viner, a senior research scientist at the climatic research unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia,within a few years winter snowfall will become "a very rare and exciting event".

"Children just aren't going to know what snow is," he said.

...

David Parker, at the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research in Berkshire, says ultimately, British children could have only virtual experience of snow. Via the internet, they might wonder at polar scenes - or eventually "feel" virtual cold."

The above are extracts from an Independent news piece from March 2000.

Now 'warmists' would point to this line as 'proof' of the rightness of their position:

"Heavy snow will return occasionally, says Dr Viner, but when it does we will be unprepared. "We're really going to get caught out. Snow will probably cause chaos in 20 years time," he said."

But if you think about it that is a great line, if there is no snow then that's because of global warming an if there is snow that causes problems then that's because of global warming too... To the 'warmist' every climatic change, every weather event is proof of climate change; this is not science it's a f**king replacement for religion.



As an aside, I wonder if "Dr David Viner, a senior research scientist at the climatic research unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia" has any interesting emails in the recent ClimateGate collection...

I wonder what Matt Frei would make of this?

I wonder what the BBC's Matt Free would deduce from this Daily Mail report that:

"An airline passenger has been forced off a Detroit-bound plane and arrested after shouting 'I want to kill all the Jews'.

Miami police said in a statement today that 43-year-old Mansor Mohammad Asad, of Toledo, Ohio, faces several charges including disorderly conduct.

Police say the Northwest Airlines flight was taxiing at Miami International Airport yesterday, but was turned around after Asad became abusive.

Witnesses told authorities he was loud, disruptive and claimed to be Palestinian. They believed he was sometimes speaking Arabic."

Why would someone speaking Arabic and claiming to be a Palestinian want to "kill all the Jews"? Might this Islamic tradition attributed to Muhammad give us a clue:

"The Hour [of Resurrection] will not take place until the Muslims fight the Jews, and kill them. And the Jews will hide behind the rock and tree, and the rock and tree will say: oh Muslim, oh servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him!"

Then why was he in the Labour government for so long?

The Mirror, a paper I hardly ever even glance at, has a piece loyally attacking Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt. In the article Geoff Hoon is described as

"A serial blunderer and failed schemer

In the playground of politics, Geoff Hoon has a reputation for being a of a dunce.

His career is so littered with blunders even his friends call him "Buff" Hoon."

Whilst Patricia Hewitt is denounced thus:

"Former Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt is nicknamed "Nanny" because of the hectoring tone she takes with colleagues and voters.

Her ministerial career depended on Tony Blair and died the day he left No10.

She started on the hard left of Labour but moved so far right she was one of Blair's last supporters.

A feminist, she suggested men can't be trusted with children. As Trade Secretary in 2005 she was found guilty of sex discrimination for handing a job to a woman over a stronger male candidate. Ms Hewitt, also the Equality minister, never apologised.

As Health Secretary she was pilloried in 2006 for claiming the NHS had enjoyed its "best ever year" despite thousands of job cuts. She announced she was leaving the Commons after the expenses scandal."

It struck me that what does it it say about Tony Blair and Gordon Brown that they kept "A serial blunderer and failed schemer... a dunce" in high offices of state for a decade. I did try and search The Mirror for their denunciations of Geoff Hoon's unsuitability for office from past years but their search function seems to be SNAFU.

It also strikes me that people who have claimed that Patricia Hewitt was acting as an outrider for Harriet Harman may have a point after all "in 2005 she was found guilty of sex discrimination for handing a job to a woman over a stronger male candidate. Ms Hewitt, also the Equality minister, never apologised." I wonder how Harriet reacted to this?

Coincidence or something else?

The news gleefully reported by the BBC that "Cameron aide Steve Hilton arrested at station in 2008" has emerged at a rather opportune moment for the BBC/Labour alliance. Just as Gordon Brown manages to face down a rebellion (although I have my doubts as to the reality of the rebellion) suddenly a negative story about one of David Cameron's closest advisers is made public... how convenient.

Do I detect the hand of Alastair Campbell or some Labour attack dog? I wonder how many more of such revelations about senior (and not so senior) Tories are stored up ready for deployment as and when deemed necessary. I have long predicted that the coming general election campaign will be brutal and vicious; you ain't seen nothing yet!

Can you spot what Matt Frei cannot?

Matt Frei manages to write a whole article asking of (my emphasis)"The Virginia Five, currently imprisoned in Pakistan, the Nigerian "underpants bomber" whose name everyone - including President Obama - is stumbling over; the Jordanian doctor who turned out to be a double agent with a suicide vest in a CIA compound in Afghanistan; what do they all have in common apart from a profound hatred of America and its allies?"
Take a read of one of the BBC's top journalists musings and you will see that he seems to have completely missed one factor; Islam. Oddly Matt Frei seems to think that people who are linked to the Islamic Jihadi organisation Al Qaeda and to sundry radical Islamic clerics are in no way motivated by their understanding of Islam.


Thanks to Biased-BBC for the spot.

More EU aggrandisement

The BBC proudly report that:

"A German/UK consortium has been asked to supply the first operational spacecraft for Europe's Galileo satellite-navigation system.

OHB System and Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) will build 14 satellites in a contract valued at 566m euros ($811m; £510m).

The contract was announced by the European Commission in Brussels.

Galileo is intended as an EU version of the US Global Positioning System (GPS), but with significant improvements.

Its more advanced technology should give users quicker, more reliable fixes, and enable them to locate their positions with an error of one metre compared with the current GPS error of several metres. "

So when you are driving how many times has your Sat Nav's 'innacuracy' caused you a problem and had you wishing for a more accurate version?

In May 2007 I blogged that:

"in 1999 the EU started planning a rival system. The original plan was for this system to cost £0.7bn and be privately funded and run; the latest estimate is £2.7bn and costs will no doubt rise again. This is surely not a problem as this is a privately funded project? Well it was to be privately funded, however now the EU have realised that there is no real market for a charged for untested competitor to compete with a free to the end user working system "

Hidden at the end of that BBC piece is this news nugget:

"The venture came very close to being abandoned in 2007 when the public-private development-and-business model set up to build and run the system collapsed.

To keep Galileo alive, EU member-states had to agree to fund the entire project from the public purse. What should have cost European taxpayers no more than 1.8bn euros will now probably cost them in excess of 5bn euros. "

So in 1999 the budget was £0.7bn of private money, in 2007 it reached £2.7bn of public money and now it's £5bn and the project is not finished yet.

So at a time when the EU's economies are screwed we are wasting money on a vanity project.

The effectiveness of wind power

The BBC report that:

"Demand for gas in the UK is set to hit a new record on Thursday as people attempt to keep their homes warm through the severely cold weather.

The National Grid estimates usage will reach 455.3 million cubic metres. The current record is 449 million cubic metres, set on 7 January 2003.

The National Grid has issued its second gas balancing alert in three days, asking suppliers to provide more gas.

Some factories have been told their gas supplies will be reduced."

Thankfully in the near future we will have many more wind farms to produce power for us. The various warehouse wind turbines that I pass on most days seem to have been pretty stationary during this cold spell and that is usually the way with very cold weather in this Country it isn't accompanied by wind but calm.

Take a look at Logica's BM Reports site and you will discover that whilst the temperature over the last month has fallen from 12 degrees Celsius to 0 degrees Celsius, the wind forecast has dropped by over 90% over the last three days alone. Meanwhile the same report shows that over the last 24 hours power generation in the UK was as follows: 42.9% Oil, 39.2% Gas, 16.3% Nuclear which makes a total of 98.4%. Don't worry, wind power doesn't even make up all of the remaining 1.6%, in fact it only makes up 0.3%. I wonder if the BBC will mention this problem with wind power when they next evangelise about the wonders of alternative energy sources? I think not.

The Met Office's chief given a well-deserved grilling by Andrew Neil

This is one of the people who ask us to believe that they know that world temperatures are going to rise but can't make accurate long range forecasts. Do you find his performance convincing?

Labour's scorched earth and false promises policy

I know that I have blogged before about Labour's seeming willingness to destroy as much as possible of the UK economy and to make as many impossible promises to the UK population so as to be able to attack an incoming Conservative government for not keeping them. However I read a comment on Iain Dales's blog this morning that I thought summed this up rather well. It's a fantasy piece by Bill Quango MP about the orders that David Cameroon will find had been given by Gordon Brown in his last days in Number 10:

"We cannot give any comfort to our enemies. You have failed to stop the Tory advance. You have failed me. The English are not worthy of my genius. We will leave nothing but scorched earth when we withdraw, without paying the slightest regard to the future needs of the population. I therefore order:
70 new bridges are built across the major and minor rivers, starting tomorrow. I want every airport to be granted funds for an additional runway and terminal. The high speed Glasgow London train link must be begun now, along with the Cardiff – Blackpool and Taunton to Hull lines.
The M25 must be immediately widened to 12 lanes. All schools are to have a ’social training centre storey added to the structure. All hospitals must take on full time 10 year contract staff in order to see all patients within 5 minutes. I demand a 1,000 years stockpile of salt at every county council.
Order another 5 aircraft aircraft carriers and step up PFI contracts for any remaining government buildings. Increase the DVLA to cover bicycles and childrens scooters and OAP mobility carts. Hire staff accordingly.
Unemployment must be reduced to zero by May. Just give people jobs anywhere and anything.
Release all asylum seekers with 10 year visas. Accept all immigration applications. Empty the prisons.
Council Tax is now reduced to £1 a household.

The people failed me. The cabinet failed me. I will not fail. I will destroy the finances of this country until the ‘Browns from Brazil’ are ready to return in around 18 years time."

Scarily true to life?

A contrast in coverage

Sky are reporting David Miliband's actions yesterday thus:

"Questions over Gordon Brown's leadership look set to continue after the Foreign Secretary's appeared to offer only muted support for the Prime Minister.

David Miliband was among the last Cabinet members to come forward to back Mr Brown after two senior MPs called for a secret vote on his future.

...

Hours after the story emerged, Mr Miliband released a statement.

"I am working closely with the Prime Minister on foreign policy issues and support the re-election campaign for a Labour Government that he is leading," he said.

Sky's political correspondent Glen Oglaza described it as a "terse statement... hardly an unequivocal ringing endorsement."

Mr Miliband later appeared to avoid endorsing Mr Brown on camera and said he was busy focusing on his ministerial duties."

Meanwhile Pravda the BBC see nothing but total loyalty as they have no special mention of David Miliband just this list of the loyal and disloyal with David Miliband summed up thus:

"A friend of the foreign secretary told the BBC that Mr Miliband "thinks that this is going nowhere". In a later statement, Mr Miliband said he was "working closely" with Mr Brown and supported the "re-election campaign he is leading"."

thinks that this is going nowhere", but hoped it would? That's hardly a ringing endorsement of Gordon Brown and if the BBC think that a Labour minister saying he supports the re-election campaign is newsworthy then maybe the Labour government is in more trouble than even I thought.

So as the Labour/BBC alliance desperately try to hold the Gordon Brown is in charge and that this is just a minor difficulty with only Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt involved (albeit acknowledging that they had support outside the cabinet from Charles Clarke, Frank Field, Barry Sheerman & Fiona MacTaggart), it is up to Sky to inform us of the probable cowardice of at two Labour ministers:

"claims by Labour MP Eric Joyce that two current Ministers had promised to resign but backed out at the last minute.

"Of course the couple who'd pledged to act - Geoff and Pat aren't daft - bottled," Mr Joyce wrote on his blog.

"Their (the two Ministers) weakness was ridiculous - as are they. A lot of people know who they are, including Gordon.""

I wonder if these two cowardly ministers are on the BBC's list of "Those Yet to Comment", being John Denham, Yvette Cooper (must be fun in the Balls' household if this is true), Peter Hain and Jim Murphy or if one or more has since declared for Gordon Brown... There are rumours that Patricia Hewitt is an outrider for Harriet Harman's ambitions and listening yesterday to Patricia Hewitt's condescending tones I was reminded of a slightly less unpleasant Harriet Harman.

BBC 5Live limber up for the general election update

The new 5Live line-up starts on Monday 11 January and there is an even more left-leaning line-up than ever before.

06:00–09:00 - 5 live Breakfast - All the main news with Nicky Campbell and Shelagh Fogarty. I think we can tell all we need to know about Nicky Campbell for his description of Paul Staines/Guido Fawkes as a 'fascist'. Campbell introduced Paul Staines as a 'Right-wing political blogger' so Paul Staines countered with the comment that 'It's nice to be on the Left-wing BBC this morning'. Nicky Campbell decided that it was appropriate to respond 'It's nice to have a Fascist on, Good morning!' before he tried to calm the situation by adding 'just joking'. I believe that Nicky Campbell later apologised for his remarks but I think the original comment speaks volumes for his political leanings.

09:00–10:00 - 5 live Breakfast Phone-in - Nicky Campbell takes your calls on the day's big story. More of the very expensively privately educated Nicky Campbell.

10:00–12:00 - Victoria Derbyshire - Original stories from across the UK, news, sport, and exclusive interviews. The vile VD keeps a show to inflict her irritating "nnnh" noise and inept interviewing on the populace.

12:00–14:00
Gabby Logan - News from around the UK with Gabby Logan. Including sport, politics, and money news.I wonder if Gaby Logan will interview mainly left of centre figures on this show as she seemed to her on her weekend show.

14:00–16:00 - Richard Bacon - News, sport, entertainment, and big guests. Plus your emails, texts and tweets. Richard Bacon's bias is well documented on Biased-BBC, here's a few links that may be of interest - anti-Sarah Palin tweets, Obama fanboy and more Obama fan boy

16:00–19:00 - 5 live Drive - The latest news, sport and travel updates with Peter Allen and Anita Anand. More from the crusty Peter "We've always got time for Kevin Maguire" Allen


Here's an extract from another Biased-BBC article that seems pertinent:

"In a column from last November titled "BBC must end its smug comedy consensus" the Guardian's Martin Kelner said he was helping produce some pilots of a talkshow for Radio Five Live; he explained that he was keen to avoid the "cosy broadly leftwing" consensus found on shows such as Richard Bacon and Gabby Logan. I was reminded of this when, flicking through the stations this morning, I heard Mrs Logan chatting with her studio guests - Mark Steel, the old school leftie comedian, and Mark Thomas, the old school leftie comedian."

The description 'leftie' hardly does justice to the political leanings of Mark Steele, a man who I discussed over two years ago:

"Mark Steele is a regular BBC commentator on Radio 5 Live where his political affiliations have never been mentioned (so far as I am aware), despite his being invited to discuss politics on a semi-regular basis. Simone Clarke was denigrated by the media for being a supporter of the BNP a party whose views many would find no more repugnant than those of the SWP."

The loyalists are on the attack

Geraldine Smith has called Geoff Hoon and Patricia "Cowards and betrayers".

John Mann has described Geoff Hoon & Patricia Hewitt as "pompous idiots", he said that Geoff Hoon wanted to get on the EU "gravy train" and something along the lines that that Patricia Hewitt had been working in the public sector using the contacts she'd made in government; the Sky interviewer tried to get him to row back on this but Mr Mann declined. He also used the epithet "pathetic" to describe Hoon and Hewitt.

Ed Balls finally on Sky News pushing the getting on with doing the job and pushing the dividing lines between Labour and Conservatives.

Ed Balls enters Number 10

Sky News are reporting that a very "gloomy" and "grim" Ed Balls has just entered Number 10 Downing Street. "They've had a very close bond for some time". Ed Balls on the inside, where's Peter Mandelson?

Interesting aside, Sky report that Ed Balls has a Jaguar as his ministerial car; why?

The UK financial meltdown

I think my view that the UK economy is on the edge of an abyss is well known but here is some more evidence to mull over.

1. The Telegraph reports that:

"The Treasury Select Committee will join the growing list of economists and analysts telling ministers to give more clarity about the public finances.

Without more detailed plans to reassure the financial markets who lend to the Treasury, the cost of paying interest on the Government's debts could jump, the MPs will say.

The Labour-majority committee will today publish a study of the Treasury’s pre-Budget report, which drew criticism in December for not giving enough detail about how the Government will bring the budget back under control.

The committee’s report will put Gordon Brown under greater pressure to outline future cuts in public spending at the Budget in March, just weeks before a likely general election.

That could clash with Labour’s election strategy. The Prime Minister is resisting pressure to admit that spending will have to be cut to curb the deficit, which will hit £178 billion this year. "

When even the Labour dominated Treasury Select Committee thinks that the Labour government is not giving enough information about how the unprecedented deficit is to be tackled, you know that time is running out for Gordon Brown.


2. Alex Masterley has made a welcome return from his Christmas break with a post disecting

"the government's spending outturn, which came in at £617.9 billion, and the Oxford Economics report which said that UK GDP per capita is lower now than it was in 2005."

Here's Alex Masterley's conclusion:

"The best solution is to cut spending back to mid-2000 levels, suffer the pain and rebuild the economy on a more realistic basis.

Let us hope that the media start to bite on this."

Not now they won't as they have the diversion of a leadership challenge.


3. The Telegraph reports that

"Fears that Britain may be heading for its first sovereign debt crisis since the 1970s hit a new intensity after Pimco, the world's biggest bond house, declared that it is starting to sell off its holdings of gilts. "

This is a story that needs to be more widely reported but I suppose it is considered too tricky for the masses to understand and the BBC would never report anything as downbeat for Labour as this.


4. Whilst the BBC talk up the economy at every opportunity, I read that:

" U.K. consumer confidence fell in December by the most in more than a year as expectations for the economy deteriorated, Nationwide Building Society said.

The index of consumer sentiment declined five points from the previous month to 69, the biggest drop since November 2008, the customer-owned lender said in an e-mailed statement today. A measure of consumers’ economic expectations in the next six months fell eight points to 101. "

The UK economy is really in deep s**t.

All collapsing around his ears?

The heat is being turned up on the dreadful Gordon Brown; Geoff Hoon (Gordon Brown's first Chief Whip) and Patricia Hewitt are contacting all Labour MPs by email (and letter) and therefore the media, calling for a secret ballot of Labour MPs to resolve the issue of Gordon Brown's leadership "once and for all". All the predictable arguments are being made by supporters and opponents of Gordon Brown and the Number 10 spin machine and attack dogs are on manoeuvres.

Meanwhile Charles Clarke and Frank Field are publicly supporting the call for a secret ballot whilst Geraldine Smith is attacking the calls and Kevin Maguire is doing his usual act of defending Labour, attacking the Tories and Geoff Hoon & Patricia Hewitt and of course ignoring the destabilising of Tony Blair that Gordon Brown indulged in for well over five years.

Here's the text of the email/letter:

"Dear Colleague,

As we move towards a General Election it remains the case that the Parliamentary Labour Party is deeply divided over the question of the leadership. Many colleagues have expressed their frustration at the way in which this question is affecting our political performance. We have therefore come to the conclusion that the only way to resolve this issue would be to allow every member to express their view in a secret ballot.

This could be done quickly and with minimum disruption to the work of MPs and the Government. Whatever the outcome the whole of the party could then go forward, knowing that this matter had been sorted out once and for all.

Strong supporters of the Prime Minister should have no difficulty in backing this approach. There is a risk otherwise that the persistent background briefing and grumbling could continue up to and possibly through the election campaign, affecting our ability to concentrate all of our energies on getting our real message across.

Equally those who want change, should they lose such a vote, would be expected by the majority of the PLP to devote all of their efforts to winning the election. The implications of such a vote would be clear – everyone would be bound to support the result.

This is a clear opportunity to finally lay this matter to rest. The continued speculation and uncertainty is allowing our opponents to portray us as dispirited and disunited. It is damaging our ability to set out our strong case to the electorate. It is giving our political opponents an easy target.

In what will inevitably be a difficult and demanding election campaign, we must have a determined and united parliamentary party. It is our job to lead the fight against our political opponents. We can only do that if we resolve these distractions. We hope that you will support this proposal.

Yours fraternally,

Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt"

I wonder if we are now witnessing the death of this Labour government as whenever they get some positive news it is overshadowed by another piece of negative news.

Seems somehow appropriate

News that there are "fears that it (the Labour party) could emerge from the campaign bankrupt" seems somewhat appropriate as they have all but bankrupted the UK during their 12 years of misrule.

Something struck me in the above Times report

"... others who chose not to convert loans into donations, including Rod Aldridge, the former head of Capita, and Richard Caring, the owner of The Ivy restaurant, are still owed money. "

I thought that in order for these sums to be categorised as loans they had to be for a defined period and at a commercial rate of interest; am I wrong?

The future of air travel? Do you see the potential problem?

As a result of the underwear bomber's attempt to murder a couple of hundred people, new restrictions have been implemented on many flights, these include the turning off of the inflight map & closing the plane blinds for the last hour of the flight and the banning of using the toilets, accessing the overhead lockers or even having anything on your lap for the same period of the flight. So once again the 99.999% of law abiding, civilised travllers are being penalised because of the actions (or potential actions) of Jihadis.

I have heard people suggest that as well as body scanners in airports that all passengers may have to fly in paper jumpsuits and that hand luggage will be banned completely. I would not be too quick to laugh at these ideas, our governments like having total control over the general population and they just might see if they could implement such controls. The scariest suggestion I have seen is this from The Washington Times, apparently:

"The Department of Homeland Security two years ago considered the use of "safety bracelets" that can deliver a debilitating shock similar to that of a Taser for controlling prisoners during transport.

The inventor of the magnetically secured wristbands — Per Hahne of Toronto — has proposed that his electro-muscular disruption (EMD) devices be fitted on all airline passengers as a safeguard against terrorist attacks."

That should make a flight relaxing, having to wear a Taser type bracelet. So whocontrols the bracelets and where from? What if an 'evil doer' managed to gain control of the Taser bracelet control panel, they could kill everyone on board in under a minute. Might a disgruntled air-steward be able to take revenge in this way?

The answer to Islamic Jihadi terrorism is intelligence lead action, such as suggested suggested yesterday, not inconveniencing any further the good passengers. Somehow I think that the powers-that-be would rather the totalitarian approach though.

Google's home page - 4 January 2010

A nice tribute to Isaac Newton on his birthday at Google today; a gravity affected apple...

I approve.

An alternative approach to airline security

Before we go down the route of full body scanners and even longer check-in times maybe the rest of the world should look at Israel's security procedures. Here is an interesting article from the Star (a Canadian news source) that offers what maybe a better and less intrusive approach. The Israeli approach is intelligence lead and targeted:

"Israelis, unlike Canadians and Americans, don't take s--- from anybody. When the security agency in Israel (the ISA) started to tighten security and we had to wait in line for – not for hours – but 30 or 40 minutes, all hell broke loose here. We said, `We're not going to do this. You're going to find a way that will take care of security without touching the efficiency of the airport.'"

Despite facing dozens of potential threats each day, the security set-up at Israel's largest hub, Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport, has not been breached since 2002, when a passenger mistakenly carried a handgun onto a flight. How do they manage that?

The first layer of actual security that greets travellers at Ben Gurion is a roadside check. All drivers are stopped and asked two questions: How are you? Where are you coming from?

"Two benign questions. The questions aren't important. The way people act when they answer them is," Sela said.

Once you've parked your car or gotten off your bus, you pass through the second and third security perimeters.

Armed guards outside the terminal observe passengers as they move toward the doors, again looking for odd behaviour. At Ben Gurion's half-dozen entrances, another layer of security is watching. At this point, some travellers will be randomly taken aside, and their person and their luggage run through a magnometer.

"This is to see that you don't have heavy metals on you or something that looks suspicious," said Sela.

You are now in the terminal. As you approach your airline check-in desk, a trained interviewer takes your passport and ticket. They ask a series of questions: Who packed your luggage? Has it left your side?

"The whole time, they are looking into your eyes – which is very embarrassing. But this is one of the ways they figure out if you are suspicious or not. It takes 20, 25 seconds," said Sela.

Lines are staggered. People are not allowed to bunch up into inviting targets for a bomber who has gotten this far.

At the check-in desk, your luggage is scanned immediately in a purpose-built area. Sela plays devil's advocate – what if you have escaped the attention of the first four layers of security, and now try to pass a bag with a bomb in it?

"I once put this question to Jacques Duchesneau (the former head of the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority): say there is a bag with Play-Doh in it and two pens stuck in the Play-Doh. That is `Bombs 101' to a screener. I asked Duchesneau, `What would you do?' And he said, `Evacuate the terminal.' And I said, `Oh. My. God.'

"Take (Toronto's) Pearson (airport). Do you know how many people are in the terminal at all times? Many thousands. Let's say I'm (doing an evacuation) without panic – which will never happen. But let's say this is the case. How long will it take? Nobody thought about it. I said, `Two days.'"

A screener at Ben Gurion has a pair of better options.

First, the screening area is surrounded by contoured, blast-proof glass that can contain the detonation of up to 100 kilos of plastic explosive. Only the few dozen people within the screening area need be removed, and only to a point a few metres away.

Second, all the screening areas contain `bomb boxes.' If a screener spots a suspect bag, he/she is trained to pick it up and place it in the box, which is blast proof. A bomb squad arrives shortly and wheels the box away for further investigation.

"This is a very small, simple example of how we can simply stop a problem that would cripple one of your airports," Sela said.

Five security layers down: you now finally arrive at the only one which Ben Gurion airport shares with Pearson – the body and hand-luggage check.

"But here it is done completely, absolutely 180 degrees differently than it is done in North America," Sela said.

"First, it's fast – there's almost no line. That's because they're not looking for liquids, they're not looking at your shoes. They're not looking for everything they look for in North America. They just look at you," said Sela. "Even today with the heightened security in North America, they will check your items to death. But they will never look at you, at how you behave. They will never look into your eyes ... and that's how you figure out the bad guys from the good guys."

The goal at Ben Gurion is to move fliers from the parking lot to the airport lounge in 25 minutes tops.

And then there's intelligence. In Israel, Sela said, a coordinated intelligence gathering operation produces a constantly evolving series of threat analyses and vulnerability studies.

"There is absolutely no intelligence and threat analysis done in Canada or the United States," Sela said. "Absolutely none."

But even without the intelligence, Sela maintains, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab – who allegedly tried to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on Christmas Day – would not have gotten past Ben Gurion's behavioural profilers.

So. Eight years after 9/11, why are we still so reactive?

Sela first blames our leaders, and then ourselves.

"You can easily do what we do. You don't have to replace anything. You have to add just a little bit – technology, training," Sela said. "But you have to completely change the way you go about doing airport security. And that is something that the bureaucrats have a problem with. They are very well enclosed in their own concept."

And rather than fear, he suggests outrage would be a far more powerful spur to provoking that change.

"Do you know why Israelis are so calm? We have brutal terror attacks on our civilians and still, life in Israel is pretty good. The reason is that people trust their defence forces, their police, their response teams and the security agencies. They know they're doing a good job. You can't say the same thing about Americans and Canadians. They don't trust anybody," Sela said. "But they say, `So far, so good.' Then if something happens, all hell breaks loose and you've spent eight hours in an airport. Which is ridiculous. Not justifiable.""

Some good ideas there but somehow I don't think the UK and US governments are ready to change their approach. Scaring and inconveniencing the populace as other benefits for totalitarian governments...

Celebrity Big Brother oddity

I don't watch Big Brother any more and Celebrity Big Brother leaves me cold but I am ashamed to admit that I like to watch the 'celebrities' go into the House, just to see if I recognise any of them. Quite a string of the past it, the never were, the never will be and the who? Apart from Vinnie Jones & Stephanie Beacham I don't think I'd have recognised any of the others without being told who they were. Basshunter I remembered from Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Heid Fleiss's face I remembered from the papers way back when I was told who they were. Dane Bowers I have heard of but wouldn't recognise from the porn tape. Stephen Baldwin I feel I should recognise but he seems to have changed somewhat since The Usual Suspects. Alex & Katia, sorry but I don't follow the celebrity gossip mags. Lady Sovereign and Sisco have thankfully not impacted on my musical radar and Page 3 girls pas me by.

The only interesting thing last night and I don't know if it was set-up to generate publicity was the exchange between ex-Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss and Stephen Baldwin: Heidi Fleiss greeted Stephen Baldwin with "I've seen you before." to which he replied "It's been a long time.".... interesting, but only for a few minutes.

I shall not be watching Celebrity Big Brother again this year.

The sixty-sixth weekly "No shit, Sherlock" award

After a break for Christmas and the New Year the "No shit, Sherlock" award returns and it's a classic. This week's award goes to the BBC for reporting that:

"computer software faults may have caused the 1994 Chinook helicopter crash on the Mull of Kintyre"

I read this in 'Computing' and 'Private Eye' in the late 1990's and since.

So for just learning that "computer software faults may have caused the 1994 Chinook helicopter crash on the Mull of Kintyre", the BBC win this week's "No shit, Sherlock" award.

Pop Quiz time

What pop video has the group's lead singer wearing just a swimming costume and a black jacket?


Answer here...

Does that mean that I can stop looking for it?

I read that:

"Researchers at King’s College London claim there is no evidence for the existence of the G-spot – supposedly a cluster of internal nerve endings – beyond a woman’s imagination.

“Women may argue that having a G-spot is due to diet or exercise, but in fact it is virtually impossible to find real traits,” said Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology, who coauthored the research.

“This is by far the biggest study ever carried out and it shows fairly conclusively that the idea of a G-spot is subjective.” "

Shame, it was fun looking...

Will full body scanners be enough?

Gordon Brown and other behind the times politicians are calling for full body scanners but how will they deal with this sort of bomber?

"Suicide bomber Abdullah Hassan Tali al-Asiri had set out to kill Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef of Saudi Arabia. His plan was deviously clever, to say the least.

First he informed the prince that he had turned his back on terrorism, and proceeded to set up a meeting with Prince Nayef, who just happens to be the head of the security service in Saudi Arabia.

After clearing the security checks and getting into Nayef’s office, Al-Asiri pulled the old switcheroo, and detonated explosives he had smuggled in…hidden inside his butt.

Needless to say Al-Asiri was blown to bits, however, Prince Nayef was lucky enough to escape with only minor injuries. Experts believe that Nayef was only slightly injured because Al-Asiri’s body absorbed most of the explosion."

Proper passenger profiling and the full searching of those identified as potential threats may be the only solution if flying is to be considered safe in the future.

Beeb Bias Craig holds Andrew Marr to account and marks his card for next week

Beeb Bias Craig analyses Andrew Marr's interview of Gordon Brown:

"Today's 0.8 figure for Brown shows that it was a somewhat softer interview this time than it was last time (the interview with the eye-sight question!). Indeed, 15 of those 25 interruptions came in just 10 minutes, as the topic turned to the economy - leaving only 10 interruptions for the remaining 20 minutes (and 3 of those were used on 'the playing fields of Eton', where Marr got the chance to say that Cameron was a 'Tory toff' and repeat that there are too many old Etonians at the top of the Tory party!!). This is not unusual when Marr interviews a senior Labour politician. Brown, therefore, got plenty of time to talk, without much interruption, for a large part of the interview, while only facing a few minutes of concentrated fire. He also got a lot of time to project himself as an international statesman. If Cameron becomes prime minister, what will he do about Yemen, or Somalia, or Afghanistan? Will Marr ask him about this next week? Or will he not give Cameron the chance to pose as an international-statesman-in-waiting, and stick to questioning him almost exclusively on domestic issues instead (cuts, cuts, cuts, Eton, cuts)? "

And then warns Andrew Marr for next week's interview with David Cameron:

"We'll see next week what happens to David Cameron this time round & whether or not this will provide further proof of pro-Labour bias on Marr's part - a bias previously displayed most keenly prior to the June 2009 elections and during the party conferences seasons i.e. when it most matters. We're now at the beginning of the year of the general election, so it matters again.
*
Over to you then Andrew Marr! I will be watching (and counting) next Sunday. Behave yourself, score an I.C. somewhere around 0.8 & you'll prove me wrong!!! "

Beeb Bias Craig is only six months old (the blog not the man) and is already one of my must read blogs. The blogs analysis quantifies some of the bias that many of us knew was there but couldn't prove. More power to you Beeb Bias Craig, keep it up.

Are the Royal Navy's hands tied off Somalia?

Subrosa thinks they are:

"Suspected Somali pirates captured by the Royal Navy are being given fuel, food and water and sent on their way. In three cases they were released even though hostages had been found on board their vessels.

This information was revealed on Tuesday by Defence Minister Baroness Taylor who said there had been four instances in the last year when heavily armed gangs, operating off Somalia, had been given supplies on humanitarian grounds. None of the 66 suspects captured by the Navy in the last year has been taken into custody.

The publisher of Warship World magazine, Mike Critchley, said: "I feel pretty sorry for Navy officers these days who have to phone a lawyer in London before they are allowed to do anything.

"In the old days the captain would have been told to just go and sort it out.

"I am sure that word will soon get around the pirate community that even if you run out of fuel 200 miles off shore a large grey vessel will come and help you on your way."

Former Tory chairman Lord Tebbit, who has tabled a series of Parliamentary questions on the issue, said ministers had indicated privately that suspected pirates were not being arrested because of fears they might claim asylum in the UK. He also stated the Navy appeared to be hamstrung by the 'morass of human rights laws and political correctness'."

Is there any more that this Labour government can do to emasculate our armed forces? Why are this Labour government so scared of our armed forces acting like an armed force rather than armed social workers?

Sunday morning catchup

A few pieces from the news that need covering but I have not got the time to do full justice to:

1. The Times reports that:

"Public sector workers earn 7% more on average than their peers in the private sector — a pay gulf that has more than doubled since the recession began.

Official figures show that staff employed by the state are enjoying bigger pay rises, working fewer hours and receiving pensions worth up to three times as much as those in the private sector.

Civil servants, National Health Service staff, council officials and other public sector workers have enjoyed a “golden age” under Labour, according to an investigation by The Sunday Times.

The analysis was validated by Straight Statistics, a group that campaigns for the accurate reporting of official data.

Since Labour came to power in 1997, the number of public sector workers has increased by 914,000 to more than 6m, just over a fifth of the workforce.

Figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that average annual earnings of public sector workers rose to £22,405 last year — compared with £20,988 paid to the average private sector worker. "

Still think the Conservatives can the general election with the size of Labour party vote that the Labour government have created?


2. The Mail reports that:

"Harriet Harman will become the public face of Labour's general election campaign as the party looks to shore up its core support.

The deputy leader will host daily televised media briefings and tour television studios.

Senior strategists believe that Miss Harman will strengthen Labour's appeal to women and middle England voters who are turned off by Gordon Brown."

Who are these senior strategists? DO they really believe that Harriet Harman appeals to middle England voters? Repels more like.


3. The Telegraph reports that:

"hundreds of UK companies selling anything from hair loss treatments to electronics have mysteriously registered to buy and sell carbon permits in the Scandinavian nation (Denmark) – mostly in the last 18 months.

...

While many are bound to be genuine individual private traders playing the carbon markets, investigators are examining the possibility that some of these unknown UK-based companies have used the system to commit "carousel" fraud linked to VAT. "

Anyone surprised?


4. THe Telegraph reports that:

"Relatives of those who died in the Lockerbie bombing are launching a new legal bid to force the Government to hold a public inquiry.

UK Families Flight 103, the relatives' campaign group, will use human rights laws in a bid to uncover the truth about the terrorist attack, which claimed 270 lives in December 1988.

The group has hired Gareth Peirce, the prominent human rights solicitor better known for her work representing terror suspects, to devise a legal strategy to secure the inquiry for which families have long campaigned.

...

The development comes after Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, rejected the group's latest demands for an independent review of the bombing. He informed them of his decision in a letter, dated Christmas Eve, which was received by the relatives last week.

In the letter, Mr Brown said: "All of the matters which you have raised in support of the case for an inquiry are points which were raised at the original trial or the appeal in Scotland, and I do not see that it would be in the public interest to air them again at an inquiry.""

Gordon Brown will not allow a public enquiry because he has probably been informed who the real perpetrators were - Syria and why the blame was laid on a Libyan. Hopefully an incoming Conservative would be more willing to let the truth emerge.


5. The Telegraph report that:

"A Somali axeman who tried to murder the Danish cartoon artist responsible for controversial drawings of the Prophet Mohammed had links to al-Qaeda, police said. "

I am so surprised...


6. Times of India reports that:

"In a serious security lapse that revived concerns about counter-terrorism security measures, a stowaway on an Air India flight hid in the plane's toilet to fly to India. The lapse occurred on a special Haj flight operated by AI on the Medina-Jaipur sector on Friday, with 273 passengers on board"

I can't say that I am surprised, I have flown on internal Indian airlines and they are not hugely organised flights.


7. The Tap is running a series of worrying articles on the true level of the UK's debt. I challenge you to read these articles and not become profoundly depressed for the economic future of the UK.

Those 'experts' at the Met Office

I note that in February those climate change experts at the Met Office reported that despite the 2008/09 winter being "expected to be the coldest UK winter since 1995/96, according to provisional Met Office figures... the trend to milder and wetter winters is expected to continue, with snow and frost becoming less of a feature in the future." Apparently the "Natural variability of climate means that the UK will continue to see spells of colder weather at times. Although, if it had not been for the general warming already observed in global temperatures, this winter may well have been even colder."

This is the same Met Office who confidently predicted a "barbecue summer" for a summer that saw heavy rainfall and the wettest July for almost 100 years.

This is the same Met Office whose October long range forecast was for a mild winter.
Oddly Met Office figures to be released on Monday are expected to show that the UK is experiencing the coldest winter for up to 25 years.

This is the same Met Office that is proud to inform the world of the following "credentials":

"* World-class knowledge and experience to guide you through all the science.
* Practical experience of helping our customers manage the impacts of the weather and climate change.
* Significant contributor to the global understanding of climate change, from one day to 100 years ahead.
* Key science contributor to the UKCP09.
* We make substantial contributions to the Nobel Prize winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
* We help inform government policy."

Isn't it odd how the Met Office are so certain of what the world's future climate will be like but can't even predict the weather two months ahead of time...

It's not the viewing porn that concerns me as much as the breaches of privacy

The Mail are concerned that:

"Hundreds of police workers have faced disciplinary action for looking at internet pornography and social networking sites, figures show.

More than 400 officers and support staff have been sacked or given warnings after being caught looking at inappropriate material online."

Naughty, naughty officers; but I am more concerned that

"Officers have also been dismissed for using police databases to check out people’s backgrounds for personal reasons."

Anyone still believe that your data would be safe in the National Identity Register?

Islam4UK - delightful people

I see that:

"Islam4UK – which calls itself a "platform" for extremist movement al-Muhajiroun – plans to parade through the Wiltshire town in the coming weeks.

The group's website says the event is being held "not in memory of the occupying and merciless British military" but of the Muslims its says have been "murdered in the name of democracy and freedom".

Leader Anjem Choudary said the protest, involving 500 people, would be peaceful one, with "symbolic coffins" being carried to honour Muslim victims of the conflict. He said he also planned to write to the parents of dead UK soldiers with his version of "the reality of what they died for". "

Delightful, absolutely delightful.

Ex-mayor and councillor Chris Wannell is reported as saying that:

"If this man has any decency about him he will not hold a march through Wootton Bassett."

Can you see the problem with that comment?

Yet another Labour stealth tax

I see that this Labour government are introducing yet another stealth tax and this time it's a stealth tax on a transgression tax. This delightful Labour government are to levy a charge of £15 on all motorists fined for minor offences under a government scheme to "compensate victims of crime". This stealth tax is justified by our delightful Labour government on the grounds that the offences that could be targeted "are not victimless crimes".

Let's be honest, what we have here is a 25% levy on already exorbitant transgression taxes. This is a levy being charged because the fools that make up this Labour government have blown all of our money on pish and piffle. Of course this being a Labour government the money is not even really going to the "victims of crime" but to victim support agencies; presumably these 'agencies' are happily staffed by Labour supporting and voting types. Hey Labour gotta shore up the vote in time for the election.

Might concentrating on closer to home be a better idea?

The BBC loyally report that:

"Gordon Brown has called a summit in London to discuss radicalisation in Yemen, after the alleged failed bomb attack on a US plane over Detroit."

Radicalisation in Yemen! What about radicalisation in UK mosques and universities? Oh hold on that wasn't the case re Farouk Abdulmutallab because:

"A former close friend of Mr Abdulmutallab told the BBC he believes he was radicalised after leaving the country in 2008.

Qasim Rafiq knew the suspect for three years at University College London, and preceded him as president of its Islamic Society.

He says Mr Abdulmutallab had shown no signs of violent extremism while living in the UK. "

So the BBC are happy to take the word of this unnamed friend and ignore the other evidence that he was 'radicalised' much earlier in Lome, Togo for example. And I'm sure you can find more...

Gavin & Stacey - last episode

Spot from Mrs NotaSheep - why has Nessa got a camenbert cheese on top of her head?


Comparing the end of the last ever Gavin and Stacey with the end of the David Tennant Doctor; way less histrionics and almost as moving.

Dr Who - The End of Time (part 2)

100,000 miles above the Earth then why did the Earth look so big, that's half way to the moon?

The vivocci spacecraft seems somewhat Red Dwarf Starbug like.

White point star?

The weeping angels of old!

Why did The Master disappear with the Time Lords?

Wilf knocks four times... Is he 'The Watcher'?

Is this Baker into Davison again?

Mickey has grown a beard and married Martha?

More Star Wars references in the bar scene, could George Lucas sue?

Jessica Stephenson as magnificent as ever... Rose to come?

This ending is up there with Return of the King (Lord of The Rings - episode 3) for a ridiculously over extended ending.

If Rose had already met The Doctor then how come she didn't remember in 'Rose'?

From my comments section a definite OOPS:
"SHAWN: Q: If Rose had already met The Doctor then how come she didn't remember in 'Rose'?

A: Ask Christopher Eccleston
Blogger Not a sheep said...: Oops; in my defence I have tried very hard to forget Christopher Ecclestone had ever been The Doctor."

Ood Sigma!

Russel T. Davies at his most sentimental...

"I don't want to go" - Moving moment

"Still not Ginger" - good back-referencing line

Why is the regeneration the same as the last one + The Masters, I used to enjoy the differences in the regenerations - the best still being Tom Baker to Peter Davison

So that's a changed Tardis and a nutty "Patrck Troughton'esque" Doctor to come in a few months


Timothy Dalton is/was Rassilon

You can see the trailer for the next series of Doctor Who here and note that the Weeping Angels seem to be coming back; Blink 2?

BBC 5Live limber up for the general election

BBC 5Live are soon to make some changes to their daytime lineup for this general election year and so on weekdays from a Monday in the near future we will be able to 'enjoy' as wsell as from 06:00–09:00 5 live Breakfast with the impeccable left of centre Nicky Campbell and sidekick Shelagh Fogarty. Followed by the same liberal lover Nicky Campbell as he "takes your calls on the day's big story", sure to be advantageous to Labour. This will be followed from 10:00–13:00 by the ever vile VD (Victoria Derbyshire) with "Original stories from across the UK, news, sport, and exclusive interviews" mostly from a left of centre standpoint. As if this line-up wasn't bad enough soon we will have to listen to Gaby 'only left-wing guests' Logan and Simon 'Labour luvvie' Mayo's replacement none other than Richard 'cocaine' Bacon who makes Simon Mayo seem like a balanced presenter.

The Islamisation of Europe

Today marks the start of the next phase of the Islamisation of Europe. The 1st Jan 2010 marks the start of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, a pact that could prove to be disastrous and suicidal for Europe. According to The Washington Times:

"The goal of the Euro-Mediterranean cooperation is to create a new Greater European Union encompassing both Europe and North Africa, with the Mediterranean Sea becoming a domestic Eurabian sea. The goal is to establish a "comprehensive political partnership," including a "free trade area and economic integration"; "considerably more money for the partners" (that is, more European money flowing into North Africa); and "cultural partnership" - that is, importation of Islamic culture into post-Christian Europe."

Have you heard anything about the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership? Of course not, because we do not live in a democracy any more; we are ruled by an unelected, unwanted Prime Minister in the UK and above him an unelected, unmandated EU elite. We have been sold down the river and like it or not we have a choice: within 20 years to live under Islamic rule in Europe, leave Europe completely or fight back, which will you choose?

So is my article based on reality or scaremongering? Let me know what you think...

Here's to 2010 (part 2)

Further to my earlier post, here's a few more.

Ten other predictions for 2010:
1. An Islamic jihadist attack will succeed and hundreds will die but still 'the West' will not acknowledge the reality of the threat
2. Iran will test a nuclear device and the UN will still pretend that they pose no threat to Israel or anyone else
3. The Man Made Climate Change religion will increase its hold on the western world's politics and the 'warmists' will make holding 'deniers' views even more difficult
4. Microsoft will release Office 2010 to replace Office 2007 but most businesses will still stick with Office 2003
5. Nigel Farage will beat John Bercow to take his Buckingham seat
6. Matt Smith's portrayal of The Doctor will not match up to David Tennant's
7. The Big Brother team will engineer a 'controversy' for the final series, I won't care
8. England will not win the World Cup
9. Andy Murray will not win the Wimbledon title
10. NotaSheep will continue to blog


Happy New Year...

"Specifically designed for women..."

The manufacturers did realise, didn't they?


Amazingly some US chat show hosts think this is funny:
Jimmy Kimmel


Ellen Degeneres & Queen Latifah



And someone has made a parody, was that really necessary; "over your chest, with no need to clean up afterwards..."

Daily Mail idiocy

This Daily Mail article on celebrities New Year Caribbean holiday plans is the usual envy raising article and an excuse to show pretty women in bikinis, and none the worse for that BUT then I saw this

"Celebrities staying at other islands in the Caribbean, including Barbados, have been reportedly offered private jets to ferry them to St Barts to welcome in 2010."

Private jets landing on St Barts? Really? Here's some video of small propeller powered planes landing at SBH, fancy landing a small jet?

Here's an experienced pilot getting it wrong in a slow landing propeller powered plane...

crash SBH from Mo Po on Vimeo.

Here's to 2010

The blogosphere seems almost full of predictions for 2010, including Iain Dale's ten predictions for what will happen and Letter From a Tory's 10 things that won't happen. So who am I to miss out?

Five political predictions for 2010:
1. Gordon Brown will continue to try and create spurious and contrived dividing lines with the Conservatives, the BBC will assist by pushing the dividing lines
2. The election will be held on May 6 (along with the local elections) because Labour cannot afford to run two campaigns and this way they will maximise their vote in the council elections
3. The pre-election leader's debates will produce a surprise win (in the view of opinion polls) for Gordon Brown
4. The pre-election leader's debates will produce an increase in support for the Lib Dems
5. Labour win the general election, postal votes being a key factor, and the protests about vote-rigging are dismissed as "losers' sour grapes"

Five economic predictions for 2010:
1. With a Labour victory at the general election (see above) the UK's credit rating will drop from AAA and the resultant rise in interest rates will produce the second half of the 'W shaped' recession
2. The re-election of a Labour government will mean that the exodus of bankers and other financial institutions to more financially friendly locations
3. The ever larger hole in the Treasury's tax receipts will mean that the higher rate of income tax rises to 60% and VAT to 20%
4. The Pound will reach parity with the Euro and the price for IMF and EU assistance for the "sick man of Europe" will be joining the Euro. Being at parity will make this an easier sell for Gordon Brown and Peter Mandelson
5. Having dropped to around USD 1,100 at the end of 2009; gold will rise ever higher, reaching USD 1500 by the end of the 2010

Five BBC related predictions for 2010:
1. The BBC will become ever more blatantly biased in favour of the Labour party, the Conservatives won't realise how serious a problem this is
2. The tone of the BBC's leader's debate will be clearly pro-Labour, the Conservatives won't realise how serious a problem this is
3. The BBC will minimise their coverage of the postal voting scandal (see above), the Conservatives will finally realise how serious this BBC bias is but it will be too late
4. The BBC will continue to push for the withdrawal of British armed forces from Afghanistan
5. The BBC will continue to vilify Israel at every opportunity and revel in the coming further military attacks on Israel


More to follow...

The underwear bomber is no laughing matter

I have heard several people joking about the underwear bomber as though 80 grammes of PETN explosive in his underpants would cause him injury but not be serious for the plane. Well here's video of 50 grammes of PETN exploding...
Imagine that going off in an aeroplane; not so amusing now is it?


Thanks to Riehl World View for the video spot.

The BBC shamelessley set 'the narrative'

I find that I can only listen to 5 or 10 minutes of the BBC Today programme before the bias drives me to the off button. So this morning's 08:00 news should not have surprised me. Three articles set the pro-Labour 'narrative' nicely: first news that some UK manufacturing companies were bringing manufacturing back to the UK positive economic news), second a report that Gordon Brown was to deliver an upbeat New Years message (to contrast with Conservative pessimism/realism) and third that papers released under the 30 years rule showed how Margaret Thatcher wanted deeper cuts than her economic team (shamelessly linked to predictions about an incoming Conservative government).

Five minutes of radio that sum up the pro-Labour approach that the BBC Today programme takes and will increasingly push as a general election approaches. Five minutes, and an attitude, that the Conservative leadership need to address urgently, leaving it until after an election might be too long; the BBC need to be tackled about their blatant bias now.

More odd google searches

Czech Google - Nigella porn - This blog is number 6

United Arab Emirates Google - www.oral sex in israil - This blog is number 3 and who was this person in the UAE? And shouldn't they be able to spell Israel?

Google.com - Alan greenspan wearing fur hat - An odd thing tp search for and this blog at number 6 - "23 Jan 2008 ... a military cap or, in colder climates, a Russian-style fur hat or Ushanka). ... This way of wearing the keffiyeh in turn became a symbol of Arafat as a person and .... Has Alan Johnson just boobed? 4 hours ago ..... Alan Dershowitz (1); Alan Duncan (2); Alan Greenspan (2); Alan Johnson (27) ..."


It's a weird world.


Meanwhile here's some real Nigella porn from someone with way too much time on their hands...

Something odd re Farouk Abdulmutallab

A CNN report that Farouk Abdulmutallab may not even have had a passport and was placed on the Detroit bound plane by a well-dressed Indian man at Amsterdam airport.

It seems that the one part of the explosives were sewn into Farouk Abdulmutallab's underpants
So I presume we can look forward to having to be be imaged by full body imagers at airports and consequently even slower crawls through security. I also presume that it will be decided that no profiling will be allowed so 70 year old Nuns will be scanned as well as 20 year old bearded Muslims.

I am sorry to have to report yet again that we are at war. We may not want to accept that we are at war but war has been declared on us again and again. Islamic jihadists have declared war on the West and as part of that war they have blown up planes, trains & buses, they have blown up holidaymakers in Bali & commuters in London & Madrid, they have blown up soldiers and civilians all over the Middle East and Afghanistan, they have executed civilians in Somalia, the Middle East and elsewhere. When will the West realise that this is a war, a long war and that we need to act accordingly?

Has Graham Swann bowled too well for his own good

Graham Swann's three wickets (so far) in South Africa's second innings take him to 52 test wickets for the year; I believe that he is the first England spinner to achieve this landmark. Unfortunately it looks as though he will be stranded on 452 runs and so not make the 500 runs and 50 wickets double that looked a possibility a day or so ago.

In 2009 Graham Swann has averaged 45.2 with the bat and 28.25 with the ball; is he England's all-rounder? By comparison Stuart Broad has (so far) taken 46 test wickets in 2009 at an average of 28.43 and has a batting average of 25.35.

Shame and scandal in Indian politics

It seems that a member of the ruling Congress Party and the senior representative in Andhra Pradesh state, N D Tiwari, 86, has had to quit after a television channel aired the compromising footage showing him in bed with three young women. Iqra News reports that:

"Governor ND Tiwari was caught red handed while involving in sexual acts in Raj Bhavan by hiring brothels. ABN Andhra Jyothy Channel has given this exclusive report today much to the astonishment of entire citizens of AP. The photographs taken from spy cameras are shown on channel with censor cuts. The girls were brought from various corners of the country and place them as workers in Raj Bhavan initially. But eventually they will be taken to the bed room of Tiwari. This 85 year old Governor makes those girls aged between 17 and 25 do all nasty things right from massages to ‘BJ’s. This stunning fact has reached people today. Governor’s OSD is also involved in these forcible sexual acts."

Here's some video of the Indian news coverage...

I found a lovely phrase on Indian blog that I think deserves repetition: "Reportedly, many websites have also posted N.D. Tiwari scandal picture, which is grabbing many eyeballs."

It is of important to remember that:

"At the same time, the veteran Congress politician has denied the allegations of his involvement in any sex video clip and has also termed the sting operation as an attempt to malign his image and jeopardize his party. Reportedly, a lawsuit has been filed against the news channel for supposedly defaming the Governor, after hidden cameras caught N.D. Tiwari in a compromising position with three women."

The cheapest ever Pop Video?

Sparks on TV AM in 1985 to promote their new single "Change". Incredibly the interview comes complete with Ron Mael speaking!



As I Can't find the original on YouTube, here's the 1997 remixed version of "Change" from the excellent "Plagiarism" album...