The BBC and not the full story

The BBC excitedly report that:

"The top newspaper in the home state of Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has endorsed Democratic candidate Barack Obama for president.

Alaska's largest-circulation paper, the Anchorage Daily News, said state governor Mrs Palin was "too risky" to be one step away from the presidency.

In an editorial it says her nomination "captivated" Alaskans but that must not "overwhelm all other judgment".

The focus should be on John McCain, it said, calling him the "wrong choice"."

Is this really big news?

Well here is a list of newspapers' endorsements at the 2004 Presidential election and the Anchorage Daily News endorsed John Kerry (the Democrat candidate).

here is a list of newspapers' endorsements in the 2000 Presidential election and the Anchorage Daily News endorsed Al Gore (the Democrat candidate).


I can't find lists for 1996 or earlier but I think I can see a pattern emerging, I wonder why the BBC with its huge journalistic staff can't... No I think I know the answer to that.

Do the Credit Crunch

Antan Debt and his band "The Overdrafts" with "The Credit Crunch Song"

Buy gold? A rather scary scenario is predicted...

A lot of people have been buying gold as a protection against the coming economic storm. Is that wise? Here's a comment I found on the Telegraph article below, read it and think about it. Are the predictions made completely unbelievable? How sure are you that it won't come to this?

"It seems likely that gold and silver prices will decouple from the official spot price as this crisis unfolds. Gold is already becoming harder to obtain in small quantities and premium prices are being charged for coins and small quantities of bullion. There is a gradual black market forming in gold which can only accelerate as the pace of economic collapse accelerates. The deflationary cycle that is unfolding can only be usurped by hyperinflation as governments try to print their way out of fiscal armageddon. The entire global financial system is insolvent, has been for dedcades, but the confidence required to sustain fraud on such a huge scale is gone. The system is irretrievably broken.

The danger of private possession of gold and silver is clear. Faced with total state failure, the government will ban ownership of gold and silver. Anyone purchasing precious metals will leave an electronic paper trail. The authorities will come knocking on the doors of anyone suspected of seeking a safe haven in precious metals. They will do whatever is necessary to take that wealth from the people, torture and murder included.

The solution for the state, seeking self preservation, will be the seizure of all asset wealth from the people, savings, pensions, investments, property and of course, gold and silver. No exit mechanism will be tolerated for the people.

We are facing the biggest seizure of private property in human history and the imposition of a totalitarian martial law state as all assets are seized as surety against our respective national debts.

Grim days ahead I'm afraid. Our aspirations for freedom, liberty and independence from state control will be severely tested in the next few years.

Right now, I can't see the general population being capable of resisting the inevitiable destruction of private property rights and the seizure of all wealth by the state. The End Days are upon us."

Not my words (and certainly not my spelling) but could the scenarios described come true?

Financial meltdown

The Telegraph explains that:

"The financial crisis spreading like wildfire across the former Soviet bloc threatens to set off a second and more dangerous banking crisis in Western Europe, tipping the whole Continent into a fully-fledged economic slump.

Currency pegs are being tested to destruction on the fringes of Europe’s monetary union in a traumatic upheaval that recalls the collapse of the Exchange Rate Mechanism in 1992.

“This is the biggest currency crisis the world has ever seen,” said Neil Mellor, a strategist at Bank of New York Mellon.

Experts fear the mayhem may soon trigger a chain reaction within the eurozone itself. The risk is a surge in capital flight from Austria – the country, as it happens, that set off the global banking collapse of May 1931 when Credit-Anstalt went down – and from a string of Club Med countries that rely on foreign funding to cover huge current account deficits.

The latest data from the Bank for International Settlements shows that Western European banks hold almost all the exposure to the emerging market bubble, now busting with spectacular effect."

And if that doesn't scare you, then this from the same article should:

"The threat to Britain lies in emerging Asia, where banks have lent $329bn, almost as much as the Americans and Japanese combined. Whether you realise it or not, your pension fund is sunk in Vietnamese bonds and loans to Indian steel magnates. Didn’t they tell you?"

Don't believe what Gordon Brown, Alistair Darling and the rest of the New Labour fools are telling you, the economy is f***ed, the Country is f***ed, the EU is f***ed and we are all heading for a breakdown in civil order - don't say that I didn't warn you...

Do I hear the cry of "deluded"

reports Gordon Brown's BBC Scotland interview and the readers let them know what they think. Does anyone apart from Sarah love Gordon?

Sterling's fall on Black Wednesday was exceeded by last week's fall not that the BBC will tell you that

Sterling suffered an appalling week on the foreign exchange markets last week, far worse than that which resulted from our ejection form the ERM on Black Wednesday in 1992. Sterling dropped over 10% last week compared with around 7.5% in 1992. In addition Sterling also fell by almost 4% in the week ending 4 October 2008 which makes the comparison even starker.

Of course the BBC will not make this comparison as they held Norman Lamont's fall from the ERM and Sterling's collapse to be the end of the Conservatives being able to boast about economic competence and they will not make that charge against Gordon Brown.


UPDATE: Between starting to write this post and publishing it Sterling has fallen another cent against the dollar... The UK economy is best placed to withstand the world economic recession?

Gordon Brown denies saying he ended "boom and bust"

Watch our ever more ridiculous Prime Minister defend his record at the start of this and marvel in the warmth of his reassuring genuine smile. The interview is from the BBC's Politics Show Scotland and so does concentrate a lot on the "Scottish" banks. Gordon Brown's face when dealing with the Peter Mandelson questions is worth looking at, he is so uncomfortable and unhappy and his attempts to look solemn when discussing the George Osborne question fail miserably as he starts to smirk. The end is a real Je ne regrette rien moment.

Nikkei down but Yen up?

The Nikkei is down over 6% over night on increased worries about the extent of the global recession/depression. Meanwhile the Yen carries on strengthening as a result of the end of the carry trade. The carry trade was the process whereby traders borrowed the Yen and used it to buy currencies with higher interest rates. As worldwide interest rates drop to Japanese like levels traders have been unwinding the carry trade, ie: using other currencies to buy Yen, which has boosted the Japanese currency.

The strength of the Yen is seen as a problem by the other leading economic powers but what can they do to force it down?

The sinister plans of Barack Obama

I think Orwellian covers his planned private army - the "civilian national security" organisation to be as well funded as the US Army and the Department of Peace and Non-Violence which will

"analyze existing policies, employ successful, field-tested programs, and develop new approaches for dealing with the implements of violence, including gun-related violence and the overwhelming presence of handguns."

and incorporate the creation of a Peace Academy which will

"(A) be modeled after the military service academies;
(B) provide a 4-year course of instruction in peace education, after which graduates will be required to serve 5 years in public service in programs dedicated to domestic or international nonviolent conflict resolution."

Also there will be an "Assistant Secretary for International Peace Activities" who shall

"(1) provide for the training and deployment of all Peace Academy graduates and other nonmilitary conflict prevention and peacemaking personnel;

(3) advocate the creation of a multinational nonviolent peace force."

I sense expense and CONTROL.

Why should the people have any rights, it's not as if the USA is a democracy?

Words all but fail me;

"A lawsuit filed by Democratic
attorney Philip Berg alleging that Sen. Barack Obama
is ineligible to be president was dismissed by a federal judge yesterday on grounds that Berg lacks standing to bring the lawsuit.

In a 34-page memorandum that accompanied the court order, the Hon. R. Barclay Surrick concludes that ordinary citizens can't sue to ensure that a presidential candidate actually meets the constitutional requirements of the office.

Surrick defers to Congress, saying that the legislature could determine "that citizens, voters, or party members should police the Constitution's eligibility requirements for the Presidency," but that it would take new laws to grant individual citizens that ability.

"Until that time," Surrick says, "voters do not have standing to bring the sort of challenge that Plaintiff attempts to bring."

Berg has maintained that uncertainty about how the U.S. does enforce the requirements of presidency may result in a constitutional crisis should an ineligible candidate win the office."

Whither Democracy?

Where was Barack Obama born?

World Net Daily reports further to the Philip J. Berg story I have covered previously that:

"The Pennsylvania Democrat who has sued Sen. Barack Obama
demanding he prove his American citizenship – and therefore qualification to run for president – has confirmed he has a recording of a telephone call from the senator's paternal grandmother confirming his birth in Kenya.

The issue of Obama's birthplace, which he states is Honolulu in 1961, has been raised enough times that his campaign website has posted an image purporting to be of his "Certification of Live Birth" from Hawaii
.

But Philip J. Berg, a former deputy attorney general for Pennsylvania, told the Michael Savage talk radio program tonight that the document is forged and that he has a tape recording he will soon release.

"This has been a real sham he's pulled off for the last 20 months," Berg told Savage. "I'll release it [the tape] in a day or two, affidavits from her talking to a certain person. I heard the tape. She was speaking [to someone] here in the United States.""

This story just wont go away, I will see if that tape is available online...

Cheer up - Show them to me

Take a look here or here and feel better about the world...

Thanks to Rodney Carrington...


“Show Them To Me” list of Movie Clips

Phoebe Cates - FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH (1982)
Demi Moore – STRIPTEASE (1996)
Kelly Preston – MISCHIEF (1985)
Mary Louise Weller - ANIMAL HOUSE (1978)
Elizabeth Berkley – SHOWGIRLS (1995)
Natasha Henstridge - SPECIES (1995)
Madonna – BODY OF EVIDENCE (1993)
Betsy Russell – PRIVATE SCHOOL (1983)
Jennifer Connelly and Debra Cole – THE HOT SPOT (1990)
Amy Smart – ROAD TRIP (2000)
Angelina Jolie – GIA (1998)
Alyssa Milano – EMBRACE OF THE VAMPIRE (1994)
Kim Basinger – 9 ½ WEEKS (1986)
Jayne Mansfield - PROMISES! PROMISES! (1963)
Bo Derek – TARZAN, THE APE MAN (1981)
Heather Graham - BOOGIE NIGHTS (1997)
Colleen Madden – REVENGE OF THE NERDS (1984)
Nikki Schieler Ziering - AMERICAN WEDDING (2003)
Salma Hayek – ASK THE DUST (2006)
Cybill Shepherd – LAST PICTURE SHOW (1971)
Anne Hathaway - HAVOC (2005)
N. Zaim, I. Bozilovic, D. Baird & R. Sterling – WEDDING CRASHERS (2005)
Amanda Peet – THE WHOLE NINE YARDS (2000)
Pam Anderson – BARB WIRE (1995)
Chris Farley – SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (1990)
Charlize Theron – REINDEER GAMES (2000)
Lisa Donatz and Corinne Kingsbury - OLD SCHOOL (2003)
Denise Richards – WILD THINGS (1998)
Jaime Pressley – POISON IVY 3: THE NEW SEDUCTION (1997)
Joyce Hyser - JUST ONE OF THE GUYS (1985)
Halle Berry – SWORDFISH (2001)
Barbara Nedeljakova – HOSTEL (2005)
Molly Schade – EUROTRIP (2004)
Shannon Elizabeth - AMERICA PIE (1999)
Elle MacPherson and Kate Fischer – SIRENS (1994)
Candace Kroslak – AMERICAN PIE: THE NAKED MILE (2006)
Sharon Stone – BASIC INSTINCT (1992)

Alistair Darling and the Icelandic banks - how much did he know, and when?

The Mail reports that:

"Alistair Darling was alerted to the possibility of a meltdown of Icelandic banks 'weeks' before they collapsed, taking billions of pounds of British savers' cash invested in them.

A transcript of a private telephone conversation on October 7 between the Chancellor and an Icelandic government minister shows that Mr Darling had been 'very concerned' about the country's banks well before they failed.

In the transcript, published on the website of the Iceland Review magazine, Mr Darling accused Icelandic Trade Minister Bjorgvin Sigurdsson of misleading him 'a few months, weeks' earlier about the state of the Landsbanki, Kaupthing and Glitnir banks operating in the UK.

But damagingly for the Chancellor, the full record of the conversation shows that Mr Darling did not believe Mr Sigurdsson's reassurances at the time.

'We doubted what we were being told then and I am afraid we were right,' he said."

The Mail's report adds that:

"Vince Cable said the revelation was 'very disturbing' and called on the Chancellor to make a statement to the Commons tomorrow.

Mr Cable said: 'If it's true that the Government did know all about these problems and doubted Icelandic reassurances, this shifts the balance of responsibility. Mr Darling has to explain himself.'"

That is true, Alistair Darling must explain himself but what I want to know is did Alistair Darling inform Gordon Brown? If he didn't, why not and if he did why did Gordon Brown take no action then but invoke anti-terrorist legislation later?

Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross - ha, ha, ha

Read The Mail's article about Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross's evil hoax calls to Andrew Sachs and wonder why the BBC pay these foul mouthed "entertainers" the fortunes that they do, in our name.

"The BBC could face prosecution over obscene phone calls that Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand made to 78-year-old Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs.

The controversial presenters left a series of lewd messages on Mr Sachs’s answerphone claiming, in shockingly explicit language, that Brand had had sex with his granddaughter, Georgina."

The last line of the article sums up the attitude of these "entertainers":

"Brand’s spokesman said they had nothing to add to the BBC’s comments, while Jonathan Ross’s agent did not return calls."

Jonathan Ross can be funny and his film reviews are fairly watchable but he is not as funny nor as clever as he thinks he is, and he is certainly massively overpaid by the BBC. Russell Brand makes Jonathan Ross look talented.

Barack Obama and the Philip J. Berg case

I received a comment on my blog that I reproduce here along with my reply:

"Blogger smrstrauss said...

Let us suppose you were right and that Obama was not born in Hawaii.

He WAS born in Hawaii. I’ve seen pictures of his birth certificate (or maybe certificate of live birth, I forget which), and there is a confirming notice in the Hawaii Advertiser. But suppose on a wild chance that this was wrong.

Suppose that this fact were to be proven before the election. Would this help make McCain elected president? No. It would merely make Joe Biden the presidential candidate of the Democratic party.

Would Biden win just like Obama would? Sure.

Would he win even BIGGER than Obama would? Maybe. You can’t call him inexperienced or a terrorist or a friend of Ayers, nor would people who vote against Obama because of his race or alleged Arab ties or alleged Moslem religion vote against Biden.

Biden would get all the votes of Obama and maybe a few more.

Suppose it was proven after the election. Would that make McCain the president? No. If the Congress really bought the fact that Obama was not born in the USA, and that therefore Obama was not eligible to be president (which is a stretch because it is controlled by Democrats), then Biden would be president.

So, what is the point?

26 October 2008 01:23"

My reply:

"I have published your comment because it is typical of the muddled thinking and faulty logic that pervades so much of the blogosphere.

First of all my article was reporting the latest in the legal battle of Philip J. Berg not my own beliefs.

Second I have explained in both of my pieces about this legal claim that I consider it a "conspiracy theory" and ask my readers to add salt to the reading process.

Third if Barack Obama dropped out before the elction that would not necessarily make Joe Biden the new candidate, there are Democratic Party procedures that could mean a third person (probably Hillary Clinton) would be elected presidential candidate whilst Joe Biden stayed as VP candidate.

Fourth you say "Would Biden win just like Obama would? Sure.". I would dispute this, are you saying that Barack Obama has not made the difference in this election and that any Democratic candidate could win in his place. Because I would argue that Joe Biden would not even make the top 20 Democratic party candidates.

Fifth you go on to claim that "You can’t call him inexperienced or a terrorist or a friend of Ayers, nor would people who vote against Obama because of his race or alleged Arab ties or alleged Moslem religion vote against Biden." True but I na d many others could point out that Joe Biden is rather a joke along the lines of a John Prescott in the UK. Someone prone to making "misspeaks" and verbal gaffes; if you want I am sure you could find many from this election campaign - just because the MSM don't report them doesn't mean they haven't happened.

Sixth your point about after the election is true but as I claim that any election won by Obama could (if the claims were true) be frauldulent, would you be happy with the election result standing?


Finally, if Barack Obama has nothing to hide why has he not released the documents that have been requested of him?"

American election conspiracy theory - please add as much salt as you feel necessary (update)

Philip J. Berg is claiming victory in his court case against Barack Obama and the DNC by virtue of their

"failure to timely respond to Requests for Admissions". he thus claims that: "Obama is “NOT QUALIFIED” to be President and therefore Obama must immediately withdraw his candidacy for President and the DNC shall substitute a qualified candidate.... I filed Requests for Admissions on September 15, 2008 with a response by way of answer or objection that had to be served within thirty [30] days. No response to the Requests for Admissions was served by way of response or objection. Thus, all of the Admissions directed to Obama and the DNC are deemed “ADMITTED.” Therefore, Obama must immediately withdraw his candidacy for President."

Mr Berg then lists the admissions that have been admitted:

"OBAMA - Admitted:

1. I was born in Kenya.2. I am a Kenya “natural born” citizen.

3. My foreign birth was registered in the State of Hawaii.4. My father, Barrack Hussein Obama, Sr. admitted Paternity of me.

5. My mother gave birth to me in Mombosa, Kenya.6. My mother’s maiden name is Stanley Ann Dunham a/k/a Ann Dunham.

7. The COLB [Certification of Live Birth] posted on the website “Fightthesmears.com” is a forgery.

8. I was adopted by a Foreign Citizen.

9. I was adopted by Lolo Soetoro, M.A. a citizen of Indonesia.10. I was not born in Hawaii.

11. I was not born at the Queens Medical Center in Hawaii.12. I was not born at Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women and Children in Hawaii.

13. I was not born in a Hospital in Hawaii.14. I am a citizen of Indonesia.

15. I never took the “Oath of Allegiance” to regain my U.S. Citizenship status.16. I am not a “natural born” United States citizen.

17. My date of birth is August 4, 1961.18. I traveled to Pakistan in 1981 with my Pakistan friends.

19. In 1981, I went to Indonesia on my way to Pakistan.20. Pakistan was a no travel zone in 1981 for American Citizens.

21. In 1981, Pakistan was not allowing American Citizens to enter their country.22. I traveled on my Indonesian Passport to Pakistan.

23. I renewed my Indonesian Passport on my way to Pakistan.24. My senior campaign staff is aware I am not a “natural born” United States Citizen.

25. I am proud of my Kenya Heritage.26. My relatives have requested changes to the portion of my birth certificate that identifies my first name.

27. My relatives have requested changes to the portion of my birth certificate that identifies my last name.28. My relatives have requested changes to the portion of my birth certificate that identifies my place of birth.

29. I requested changes to the portion of my birth certificate that identifies my first name.30. I requested changes to the portion of my birth certificate that identifies my last name.

31. I requested changes to the portion of my birth certificate that identifies my place of birth.32. The document identified as my Indonesian School record from Fransiskus Assisi School in Jakarta, Indonesia is genuine.

33. I went to a Judge in Hawaii to have my name changed.34. I went to a Senator and/or Congressman or other public official in Hawaii to have my name changed.

35. I had a passport issued to me from the Government of Indonesia.36. The United States Constitution does not allow for a Person to hold the office of President of the United States unless that person is a “natural born” United States citizen.

37. I am ineligible pursuant to the United States Constitution to serve as President and/or Vice President of the United States.38. I never renounced my citizenship as it relates to my citizenship to the country of Indonesia.

39. I never renounced my citizenship as it relates to my citizenship to the country of Kenya.40. I am an Attorney who specializes in Constitutional Law.

41. Kenya was a part of the British Colonies at the time of my birth.42. Kenya did not become its own Republic until 1963.

43. I am not a “Naturalized” United States Citizen.44. I obtained $200 Million dollars in campaign funds by fraudulent means.

45. I cannot produce a “vault” (original) long version of a birth certificate showing my birth in Hawaii.46. My “vault” (original) long version birth certificate shows my birth in Kenya.

47. The only times I was to a Hospital in Hawaii was for check-ups or medical treatments for illnesses.48. Queens Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii does not have any record of my mother, Stanley Ann Dunham (Obama) giving birth to me.

49. Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women and Children in Honolulu, Hawaii does not have any record of my mother, Stanley Ann Dunham (Obama) giving birth to me.50. I was born in the Coast Province Hospital in Mombasa, Kenya.

51. I represented on my State Bar application in Illinois that I never used any other name other than Barack Hussein Obama.52. I went by the name Barry Soetoro in Indonesia.

53. My Indonesian school records are under the name of Barry Soetoro.54. I took an Oath to uphold the United States Constitution when admitted to the State Bar of Illinois to practice Law.

55. I took an Oath to uphold the United States Constitution when I was Sworn into my United States Senate Office.56. I hold dual citizenship with at least one other Country besides the United States of America.

DNC - Admitted:

1. The DNC nominated Barrack Hussein Obama as the Democratic Nominee for President.2. The DNC has not vetted Barrack Hussein Obama.

3. The DNC did not have a background check performed on Barrack Hussein Obama.4.The DNC did not verify Barrack Hussein Obama’s eligibility to serve as President of the United States.

5. The DNC admits Barrack Hussein Obama was born in Kenya.6. The DNC admits Barrack Hussein Obama is not a “natural born” United States citizen.

7. The DNC admits Barrack Hussein Obama was not born in Hawaii.

8. The DNC admits they have not inquired into Barrack Hussein Obama’s citizenship status.

9. The DNC admits they have a duty to properly vette the Democratic Nominee for President.10.The DNC admits Lolo Soetoro, M.A., an Indonesian citizen adopted Barrack Hussein Obama.

11. The DNC admits the Credentials Committee has been aware of this lawsuit since August 22, 2008 as the lawsuit was faxed to our Washington D.C. Office on August 22, 2008.
12. The DNC admits their Credentials Committee failed to verify and/or inquire into the credentials of Barack Hussein Obama to serve as the President of the United States.

13. The DNC admits their Credential Committee’s Report failed to address the issues of Barack Hussein Obama’s ineligibility to serve as President of the United States.14.The DNC admits Howard Dean, Chair Person has and had knowledge Barack Hussein Obama was born in Kenya and ineligible to serve as the President of the United States.

15. The DNC admits Plaintiff and all Democratic citizens of the United States have been personally injured as a result of not having a qualified Democratic Presidential Nominee to cast their votes upon.16. The DNC admits Plaintiff and all citizens of the United States have a Constitutional Right to vote for the President of the United States and to have two (2) qualified candidates of which to choose from.

17. The DNC admits Plaintiff and all citizens of the United States have a Constitutional right to have a properly vetted Democratic Presidential Nominee of which to cast their vote.18. The DNC admits an FBI background check is not performed on the Presidential or Vice Presidential Candidates.

19. The DNC admits the United States Constitution does not allow for a Person to hold the office of President of the United States unless that person is a “natural born” United States citizen.20. The DNC admits they collected donations on behalf of Barack Hussein Obama for his Presidential campaign.

21. The DNC admits Plaintiff and Democratic citizens donated money based on false representations that Barack Hussein Obama was qualified to serve as the President of the United States.22. The DNC admits if Barack Hussein Obama is elected as President and allowed to serve as President of the United States in violation of our Constitution, it will create a Constitutional crisis.

23. The DNC admits Barack Hussein Obama took an Oath to uphold the United States Constitution.24. The DNC admits allowing a person who is not a “natural born” citizen to serve as President of the United States violates Plaintiff’s rights to due process of law in violation of the United States Constitution.

25. The DNC admits allowing a person who is not a “natural born” citizen to serve as President of the United States violates Plaintiff’s rights to Equal Protection of the laws in violation of the United States Constitution.26. The DNC admits the function of the DNC is to secure a Democratic Presidential Candidate who will protect Democratic citizen’s interests, fight for their equal opportunities and fight for justice for all Americans.

27. The DNC admits the Democratic National Committee has been promoting Barack Hussein Obama’s Presidential election knowing he was ineligible to serve as President of the United States."

I do love a good conspiracy theory and this is a good one... Is salt required or is there more than a kernel of truth to these claims?

What should the Conservatives do about the BBC?

The BBC have crossed a line with their coverage of the "Storm over Corfu". The pathetic justifications being offered by such as Steve Mawhinney are attracting appropriate derision.

The Conservatives must realise that the BBC will do anything to ensure a Labour victory at the next election and plan their campaign accordingly. Maybe every time a Conservative spokesman appears on a BBC "news" programme they could ask the questioner why the BBC is "institutionally biased" against the Conservative party - constant repetition might get the message across to the general public.

Steve Mawhinney the editor of BBC Political News and the Mandelson affair

Poor Steve Mawhinney has tried to justify the BBC's appalingly biased coverage of the Mandelson/Osborne/Deripaska story and the comments in response are mostly a joy to read. The BBC have been well and truly caught out exhibiting blatant bias in their coverage of this story and I hope they will be made to pay for their crime.

Read Steve Mawhinney's justification of the BBC's reporting of the "Storm over Corfu" and the responses here.

"Britain is, in many ways, becoming the new Iceland. So the fall in the pound will have some time to run yet."

A must read piece by the excellent, and worryingly young, Fraser Nelson at The Spectator, read it, start worrying and plan your escape from the UK.

A Mandelson update

The Telegraph has a good update on the latest Mandelson stories. I really wish I had put money on him leaving office within a year...