Desperation?

The BBC report that:

"Gordon Brown is ready to debate with David Cameron on TV not just during the general election campaign but before it, the BBC understands."

I wonder is that connected with the latest Ipsos Mori survey that puts the Conservatives on 36%, Labour on 24% and the Liberal Democrats on 25%.

Desperate times mean desperate measures; after all what has Gordon got left to lose?

Why Gordon Brown thinks Labour should be re-elected

Gordon Brown and his chums seem to think that the government that got us into this economic disaster should be the ones trusted to get us out of it. Why?

If Labour now claim that can cut spending and leave front-line services untouched, then are they not tacitly admitting they have been wasting money for the last twelve years, otherwise why was the waste not cut years ago, or even better not allowed to build up in the first place.

An anniversary missed

The news that Iran has test launched some more ballistic missiles and has at least one more nuclear enrichment plant than had previously admitted reminds me that today is the anniversary (in the Jewish calendar) of the Yom Kippur war.

In 1973 on Yom Kippur (6 October that year) the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, the day when all Jews are meant to fast and spend the day in solemn repentance, Egypt and Syria opened a coordinated surprise attack against Israel. Many Israeli soldiers had gone home for the holiday and Israel was more vulnerable than normal with much of its military on leave.The equivalent of the total forces of NATO in Europe were mobilized on Israel's borders. On the Golan Heights, approximately 180 Israeli tanks faced an onslaught of 1,400 Syrian tanks. Along the Suez Canal, 436 Israeli defenders were attacked by 80,000 Egyptians. The armies of Egypt and Syria were assisted by around 18,000 Iraqi soldiers and sundry Iraqi MIG jets. 3,000 Saudi troops assisted the Syrian defence and a small number of Kuwaiti soldiers participated. Libya had been funding the Egyptian armed forces for a few years prior to the attack, allegedly to the tune of $1 billion. Other North African countries responded to Arab and Soviet calls to aid the Egypt and Syria: Algeria sent three aircraft squadrons of fighters and bombers, an armoured brigade and 150 tanks, approximately 1,000-2,000 Tunisian soldiers were positioned in the Nile Delta, Sudan stationed 3,500 troops in southern Egypt, and Morocco sent three brigades to the front lines, including 2,500 men to Syria. In addition, Lebanese radar units were used by Syrian air defence forces and the Lebanon also allowed Palestinian terrorists to shell Israeli civilian settlements from its territory. Palestinians fought on the Southern Front with the Egyptians and Kuwaitis. Even the Jordanian armed forces participated albeit reluctantly in the war on Israel. It is belived that Pakistan and Cuba sent troops to join in the destruction of the Jewish state.

The United Nations kept very quiet when the Arabs armies, supported by the Soviet Union invaded Israel. In fact the UN kept quiet right until Israel turned the war around, pushed Syria and Egypt back and had isolated the Egyptian Third Army and were in a position to advance on Damascus. Then the UN called for a ceasefire.

You may find it interesting that October 6 is a national holiday in Egypt called Armed Forces Day, it is a national holiday in Syria as well. There is also a 6th October Bridge in Cairo and the cities 6th of October City and 10th of Ramadan City.

There is not a word about the anniversary of Yom Kippur war on the BBC news website, maybe they will commemorate it with some anti-Israel articles on 6 October.

State control it's what 'fascists' love

News this weekend:
a) Passengers from England landing in Scotland are being asked to show their passports 'as part of the fight against terrorism'
b) Two working mothers have been banned from looking after each other's toddlers because they are not registered childminders
c) Adults who look after friends’ children on a regular basis are being forced to register with Ofsted under new legislation. They must complete a criminal record check, learn first aid, take a childcare course and even follow Labour’s “nappy curriculum” for under-fives
d) A mother-of-two was threatened with arrest for theft and criminal damage after weeding out a dead flower from a council-owned border

State control it's what fascists love and this government are more akin to fascists than any UK government that have gone before.

Iran - Two completely unrelated stories

News that the Iranians have been building a secret nuclear reprocessing plant near the 'holy city' of Qom and that Iran has tested two short-range missiles and announced plans for a controversial long-range missile test are of course completely unconnected.

Gordon Brown's Andrew Marr interview on Sunday - the health bit

The above is the 'health question' extract.

This is what I blogged on Sunday and note that the video shows that Gordon Brown, despite his claim, did not answer the question about painkillers or "pills to help them get through".

The transcript of the interview can be found here. Here's the relevant part (my emphasis):

"ANDREW MARR:

If you were an American president, we would know all about your medical history. You were asked in the States about your eyesight, and I think the reason you were asked is because people were wondering whether that would be a reason for standing down at some point. Let me ask you about something else which everybody has been talking about out there in the Westminster village, which a lot of people in this country use prescription painkillers and pills to help them get through. Are you one of those people?

GORDON BROWN:

No. I think this is the sort of questioning that is …

ANDREW MARR:

It's a fair question, I think.

GORDON BROWN:

… is all too often entering the lexicon of British politics. I have had very serious problems with my eye. I lost my eyesight playing rugby. I had three major operations and they could not save my sight. I then had exactly the same thing happen to my second eye. I had the same retinal detachment, I had the same fear therefore that I would lose the sight in that eye, and I had to get a very big operation to deal with that. And every year of course I have to check, as I did only a few days ago, that my eyesight is good and there has been absolutely no deterioration in my eyesight and I think people should be absolutely clear that although …

ANDREW MARR:

(over) What about my other question?

GORDON BROWN:

I answered your other question. Although I have problems with my eyes and it has been very difficult over the years, I think people understand that you can do a job and you can work hard. And I think it would be a terrible, terrible indictment of our political system if you thought that because someone had this medical issue, they couldn't do the job. So, Andrew, I think these questions, these questions - of course you might be right to ask them, but I think when people ask questions about these things, particularly about my eyesight, I feel that I have done everything to show people that I can do the job even with the handicap that I've had as a result of a rugby injury. "

Gordon Brown quite clearly did not answer Andrew Marr's other question and so the Prime Minister of the UK quite clearly lied.

Was Gordon Brown that swift to take revenge

Barely hours after Peter Mandelson said he would be willing to serve under a Conservative government for the good of the Country, I read that

"Business Secretary Lord Mandelson was initially refused entry to the Labour Party conference in Brighton because of a problem with his security pass.

A security guard called a police sergeant to verify his credentials, BBC political correspondent Laura Kuenssberg said.

Lord Mandelson had to wait 10 minutes at the conference's security entrance before he was allowed to enter. "

That'll teach him to upset Gordon.

The new 'Chuckle Brothers'?

Gordon Brown and Peter Mandelson seem to be looking forward to alternative careers in stand-up comedy. Just this weekend we have had Gordon Brown semi-pre-announcing that he will introduce a bill to commit all future governments to reduce the UK debt; that's really rather amusing since he's the moron who constructed an economic boom on the foundations of public and private debt. We also learned that Peter Mandelson would be willing to put his unique talents and “experience at the disposal of the country” should the Conservatives win the general election.

Has, ha, ha, ha; well it would be funny were it not for the fact that these two have another eight months to ruin the UK even more than they already have.

Letter of the week

"SIR, For the benefit of his party conference next week and for the rest of us, could Gordon Brown complete the following sentence: "I claimed £36 per month for a Sky Sports package that was wholly, necessarily and exclusively incurred for the performance of my parliamentary duties because..."
David Saunders
Sidmouth, Devon"

From Saturdays Telegraph

Odd Google searches (and others)

I have ceased to be surprised to see that every day at least two people come to my blog having searched for "Felicity Kendal nipple" or similar since that Good Life scene is quite well known and she is still thought of as a bit of a babe by men of a certain age. However I was a little surprised to see that someone came to my site having googled "felicity kendal porn". First because I doubt that she has ever done "porn" (The Camomile Lawn is not porn) and second because I have never associated Felicity with porn before. This blog still came second in the list of results.

Someone also found their way to my blog having searched on Virgin for "does germany have a trade descriptions act ". Again I have never blogged about this subject but there I am at position 7 because of a joke involving the phrase "Trade Descriptions Act" and my showing of the Monty Python Greece 1 : Germany 0 Philosophers football video. Odd thing searching the internet!

Rewriting history BBC style - Gordon Brown on the Andrew Marr show

The BBC report that:

"Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said that there has been "absolutely no deterioration'" in his eyesight.

He discussed his "handicap", which resulted from a childhood rugby accident, with Andrew Marr in Brighton prior to the Labour Party conference. "

Is that all that Andrew Marr asked about in that segment of the interview? Watch the interview here and you will see what Andrew Marr actually asked. He brought up the eyesight question and then said

"Let me ask you about something else...A lot of people in this country use prescription painkillers and pills to help them get through, are you one of those people?"

Gordon Brown decides to talk about his eyesight but not a mention of painkillers or anti-depressants. Andrew Marr says "What about my other question?" And Gordon Brown replies "I answered you're other question" Really, did you, when?


Do watch the whole interview and you will see a very determined Gordon Brown try and bluster his way through the interview. Note the fake smiles (when he remembers), the sweaty forehead, the fake sincerity, the dodgy statistics, the usual evasive answers and the confusion in the eyes that Andrew Marr is daring to ask difficult questions. The sweat really starts to pour when the interview moves onto Gadaffi, Libya and al-Megrahi. Now watch Gordon Brown's face when Andrew Marr starts to ask the questions about his health, juddering jaw, puzzlement and disbelief for a start but also a sort of fear that the question asked might be too specific to wriggle out of. Of course this was Andrew Marr and the questions were vague enough and not pushed hard enough to give Gordon Brown enough wriggle room.

News related bloopers

"Keep fucking that chicken" - I presume he meant plucking, but is there even an expression "keep plucking that chicken"? Maybe Ernie Anastos could explain


Here's some more news related bloopers to cheer up a dismal Thursday


"Nice melons"



"Tourettes Weather Man?"



"Tourettes News Anchor"



"The wromg video, but rather apt"



"Oops and onto the Web"



Couldn't see that coming...

"Baroness 'did not see passport'"

The BBC report that:

"The former housekeeper to Attorney General Baroness Scotland has claimed the peer never asked to see her passport before giving her a job.

Speaking exclusively to the Mail on Sunday, Loloahi Tapui, an illegal immigrant from Tonga, claimed she was given work after a 10-minute interview. "

Now that is odd as Baroness Scotland has been claiming that she did see the passport but forgot to take photocopies. So who do we believe the illegal housekeeper or a Labour Minister? No contest is it...

Loloahi Tapui says she is willing to take a lie detector test to prove she is telling the truth, is Baroness Scotland willing to do the same?

Do I smell the fragrant smells of burning underwear and hastily applied whitewash?

"Ministers back PM pre-conference"

The BBC report that "Ministers back PM pre-conference" but the facts are not as impressive as the headline. Which Ministers have the BBC found that are prepared to back Gordon Brown?

"Schools Secretary Ed Balls said the prime minister's "authentic" approach would find favour with voters.

The Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said Mr Brown was "the right leader".

International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said Mr Brown had "nothing to fear" from a TV debate between the party leaders."

So the only Ministers prepared to back Gordon Brown in public seem to be his closest ally Ed Balls, one of the few ministers who those who know of him detest as much as Gordon Brown and Peter Mandelson, the living piece of slime that is Ed Miliband and Gordon Brown's general election campaign manager Douglas Alexander - impressive?

What is even more impressive is this

"Meanwhile, ex-deputy PM John Prescott has accused Labour MPs of defeatism."

Could it get any worse for Gordon Brown? I think it probably will despite the best endeavours of his supporters of the BBC.

Barack Obama has a "photo face"

Barack Obama's amazingly consistent smile from Eric Spiegelman on Vimeo.

One result of "change"

"We're in a position where you have to say who is going to step down so someone else can have power."

So white people, regardless of how good they may be, must "step down so" "more people of colour, gays" and "other people" "can have power." And thereby "change the problem" of whites running the show.

Ready for "change"? Mark Lloyd, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)'s Chief Diversity Officer, a.k.a. the Diversity Czar, quite clearly is.

Double charging?

I hear that the Royal Mail is set to introduce "The Timed Delivery Service" which will ensure that post will be delivered within a 15 minute time-slot six days a week. This will cost businesses, for it is they this is aimed at, £262.50 a month. My advice to businesses would be to arrange to collect your post from the sorting office, I believe they do not charge for this and that there is less chance of post going astray.

Of course I am so old that I remember the days when I could almost set my watch by the the postman's deliveries to my parents' house. Mind you in those days there were two deliveries a day, Saturday and Sunday collections and post rarely went astray. Seems like another world...

Why "double charging"? Well the Royal Mail will now be charging the sender of the post to send it and the receiver to receive it...

Peter Mandelson and Oleg Deripaska

Peter Oborne is interested... see "Deeply disturbing questions over Mandy's oligarch" the second item in the column.

"It is almost now a year since the connection between Mandelson, then EU trade commissioner, and Deripaska first became public knowledge.

I found the details shocking then, and I still find them shocking today. Many profoundly important questions remain unanswered, such as: Why is Deripaska denied a visa in the U.S? Why did Mandelson accept hospitality from such a figure, especially since Deripaska is an aluminium tycoon with a keen interest in breaking down trade barriers with Europe.

Why did Mandelson lie - saying that he had made only a fleeting visit to Deripaska's yacht when, in fact, he stayed several days?

If any readers can cast any light on all this, I would be keenly interested."

A special "No shit, Sherlock" award

A special "No shit, Sherlock" award goes to one of the UK's least intelligent politicians ever to hold high office, John Prescott. He has at least worked out that Harriet Harman has a problem and so opined

"I suppose, if I was being honest about it, I think too much of the emphasis has been on female rights, which I have supported all my life, and we're not getting other messages across"

"No shit, Sherlock

Explosives hidden "inside" his body

I read this BBC report with a sense of 'where on earth did he hide the explosives' but all became clear at the end, I think!

"Security and intelligence experts are deeply worried by a new development in suicide bombing, the BBC has learned.

It has emerged that an al-Qaeda bomber who died last month while trying to blow up a Saudi prince in Jeddah had hidden the explosives inside his body.

...

Experts say it could have implications for airport security, rendering traditional metal detectors "useless".


...

Peter Neuman of Kings College London says the case will be studied intensively, and that there are "tremendous implications for airport security with the potential of making it even more complicated to get on to your plane".

"If it really is true that the metal detectors couldn't detect this person's hidden explosive device, that would mean that the metal detectors as they currently exist in airports are pretty much useless," he said.

The bomber was a Saudi al-Qaeda fugitive who said he wanted to give himself up to the prince in person.

The prince took him at his word and gave him safe passage to his palace.

But there, once he got next to his target, the bomb inside him was detonated.

Miraculously the prince survived with minor injuries, but footage emerging this week shows a sizeable crater in the concrete floor and the bomber's body blown in half.

It is believed the force of the blast went downwards which is why only the bomber died"

How long before we all have to 'bend over' for an 'internal examination' before clearing security at airports?