ARCHBISHOP SENTAMU : OUR SAVIOUR !

It is fortunate for us that the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, is an expert on military matters and the safety of the realm.

 

Having failed to secure the Archbishopric of Canterbury, Sentamu seems to be looking to make a name for himself in other ways and has been heard on the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) criticising the government's plans to increase its reliance on reservists. Exactly what qualifications the Archbishop has for pronouncing on military matters is a question that may never be answered, but it must give great comfort to us all that this man of God is so knowledgeable and able to offer his advice which, presumably, comes straight from the Almighty.

 

I wonder if he can also explain to the Government how they should solve our economic problems. Perhaps he might be able to offer advice about the siting of airports in the south-east, the future of the NHS and the welfare system, and how to solve the problems of the European Union.

 

Wow ! How lucky we are to have such a man.

ROAD TOLLS : TAX BY ANY OTHER NAME.

It's reported today that the coalition government is to produce a new 'policy agenda' which will include proposals for funding new road building schemes through the imposition of tolls on motorists.

 

I doubt that  I am the only motorist who will find this approach unacceptable. Motorists already pay a vast amount in assorted taxes for the privilege of using existing roads and are generally 'hammered' at every opportunity. Car tax, the road fund licence, petrol duty, VAT, insurance premium tax are only part of the story; tolls on some roads and bridges, parking charges and vindictive and disproportionate fines and other penalties for a range of supposed traffic offences etc., etc., and now they want to charge us yet again to use roads for which we've already paid several times over.

 

I have no objection to the imposition of tolls *IF* it is as a replacement for existing charges and taxes, not as an addition. As currently stated, the proposed charges would be just another tax on top of the huge amounts that we already pay; the motorist is simply being used as a 'milch cow' for the government.

 

NO, NO, NO !

 

 

PLEBS, POLICE AND A WASTE OF MONEY.

At a time when our public services are supposed to be under enormous financial pressure, I've read with not a little incredulity that the Metropolitan Police Force has dedicated some 30 officers to investigating the issues surrounding whether or not the former Conservative party Chief Whip, Andrew Mitchell, called another policeman a 'pleb'.

 

Pardon me for clearly being out of touch with the world inhabited by those who understand the importance of such matters far better than do I, but I fail to see how an investigation into who said what to whom can possibly require such a committment of scarce resources. The only unusual element in this case is the fact that a politician was involved; if I had been the supposed offender I would, by now, have been dragged up before the local magistrates, pronounced guilty of something such as 'committing an offence likely to cause a breach of the peace' and sentenced. There would have been no police investigation and I would have been allowed no real opportunity to defend myself.

 

If there was ever an example of the difference between the ruling class and the rest of the plebs in our society, this is surely it.

USA's OBSESSION WITH GUNS, PT 2

Following the murderous rampage that led to the deaths of 20 children and half a dozen adults, the US is now in the throes of a lot of soul searching.

 

While many are suggesting that it really is time for the personal possession of at least some firearms, such as automatic assault weapons, to be restricted, others have actually suggested that the recent deaths could have been prevented if there was even greater gun ownership; indeed, it's been suggested that if teachers routinely had guns in their classrooms, such events would never happen again.

 

If anyone wanted proof that the USA is a very sick society, surely this is it. 

USA'S OBSESSION WITH GUNS

The horrific events in Connecticut on Friday make one wonder just what it will take to convince the US authorities to change their stance on the universal right to carry arms.

The USA is such a childlike nation is so many ways, wedded as it is to semi-mythical stories about its past and having the gung-ho mentality of the cowboys who never actually existed. That it has enshrined a right to own and use guns in its constitution and th; at powerful parts of its population resist any suggestion that this right should be curtailed tell us how how much they live in the past and refuse to acknowledge the realities of the modern world.

When the US Consitution was written, machine guns and automatic rifles didn't exist; a man with a gun could, possibly and with luck, shoot one or two others before he was shot. Today, one man with an automatic weapon can kill 20 or 30 before anyone even realises what's actually happening; in Norway not very long ago, Anders Breivik managed to kill 77 before being captured. It seems abundantly clear that the US Constitution has failed to keep up with the technological developments of the last 200 years and that the world's most powerful nation is, in this respect, as backward as Afghanistan and the poorest nations in Africa.

The madman who perpetrated Friday's horror will be villified quite rightly but so should be the US authorities and lobbies that allowed this situation, and previous ones, to happen by their refusal to bring their country into the modern world. Barack Obama and others will make headlines with pious speeches and demands for change but it is surely time that someone did more than simply pour forth meaningless and pointless rhetoric.

Personally, I doubt that much will change. Once the bodies have been buried, with much wailing and gnashing of teeth, it won't be long before things get back to normal. Then we will simply wait for the next murderous rampage and the next round of tearful soul-searching.

CENSUS BRINGS TERRIFYING NEWS.

Yesterday's news of the latest statistics to be released from the 2011 census make terrifying reading.

 

A report from the Government's statistics bureau, the ONS, told us that the number of foreign born people in our population increased by more than 3 million between 2001 and 2011; at the time of the later census, we apparently had 7.5 million people living in England and Wales who were not born here, representing something like a 65% increase over the 10 years. The majority of these were immigrants from India, Pakistan and Poland.

 

My reason for saying that these figures are terrifying is the enormous effect that such rapid change in our population is having. For any country to try to absorb so many immigrants, few of whom have the English language or culture at the heart of their lives, is next to impossible. We now have cities, such as Leicester and London, in which indigenous British are no longer in a majority; these places have, in effect, become outposts of Warsaw, Delhi or Islamabad.

 

Given this news, we can now only wonder what the next census will bring, if the Government doesn't decide to cancel it. While it is certainly possible that the number of overseas-born people may not rise as rapidly over the coming years, the descendnats of those already here will undoubtedly increase. The effect on our society will be dramatic, possibly so dramatic as to cause stirrings of genuine ethnic conflict.

 

Already, the proportion of our population which describes itself as 'White British' has declined to only 80% of the total; another 10 years will almost certainly see this proportion fall to little more than 70%; the major towns and cities, which is where most immigrants head for, will become more and more 'no-go' zones for the 'White British'. While politicians such as Keith Vaz, an immigrant himself, appear to welcome these changes, what the general population will make of them as the truth dawns is anyones' guess.

 

Released separately is the news that the number of 'parental child abductions' has almost doubled over the last decade. While the BBC's news item on this story fails to mention anything about the ethnicity of the offenders in these cases, it seems likely that the majority involve familes from the Indian sub-continent. The numbers are not huge, rising from 270 in 2003/04 to over 500 so far in 2012, but they can hardly be read separately from the dramatic rise in immigrants that has occurred over the same period.

 

British society as most of those born here have known it for decades is going to hell in a hand-basket. At the same time, our economy and living standards are falling through the floor while our political leaders feed us platitudes. Without question, the best thing any young Brtain can do is get out while they still can, because this country isn't going to fit for them before very long. To paraphrase Sir John Betjeman :

Come friendly bombs and fall on Britain,

It won't be fit for us to live in.

 

 

IRISH RE-UNIFICATION IS THE ONLY ANSWER.

Over the years, many politicians have claimed to have resolved the centuries-long conflict in Ireland but none has yet succeeded. The recent rise in the number of acts of violence seems to demonstrate that resolution remains some distance away.

 

The origins of the conflict are shrouded in the mists of time though the violence of recent times seems to be based on religion and the opposing desires of different elements of the Irish population - those who wish to see an independent and united Ireland versus those who wish to remain a part of the United Kingdom.

 

While one has to suspect that the vast majority of the population have no strong views in either direction, both sides have their fanatics who will stop at nothing to achieve their stated objective. "Why ?" is anyone's guess. The murder and mayhem perpetrated on the people has been a shocking indictment of Irish society as a whole and the tribal behaviour of some seems little different from that seen in the most savage nations of the third world. The recent petrol bombing of a police car in Belfast is simply another appalling manifestation of this animalistic warfare.

 

There can be no doubt that the British did some terrible things to the Irish in the past, particularly to the Roman Catholics, but this was now long ago. The continued hatred of the British by the Catholics and the continued celebration of their actions by the Protestants are both well passed their 'sell-by-dates'. It is long passed time that both sides in this atrocious conflict put down their guns, bombs and cudgels once and for all, and learnt to live with each other in a civilized fashion. If they can't do this, my vote would be very strongly in favour of severing the link between Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom and letting them all get on with it.

 

For Britain, this situation is like having Afghanistan or Iraq on its doorstep; we neither want it nor need it. As Scotland prepares for its referendum on independence, it's time for Ireland to do the same, but all of Ireland, not just the north. Dividing a nation in the way that Ireland was divided in the 1920s hasn't worked and won't work. It's time to put things right.

BARROSO SHOOTS SALMOND DOWN IN FLAMES.

The President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, seems to have shot Alex Salmond's plans down in flames.

 

Salmond has maintained that if Scotland succedds in his ambition of becoming an independent state, it would remain within the European Union and negotiate the details of its position from there. Mr Barros has now made it very clear that his understanding of the legal position is that any new independent state would have to apply for membership and, presumably, complete the whole process before being admitted.

 

Why anyone would want to be a member of the EU is a mystery to me; the club is a socialist monolith which is in danger of collapsing at any moment. Nonetheless, continued membership is one of the central planks of Salmond's push for an independent Scotland.

 

He's already claimed that separating from the United Kingdom would affect neither the position of the Queen as Head of State, nor Scotland's use of sterling as their currency, both of which may be somewhat problematic. This latest rebuff, coming as it does from one of the most socialist individuals in the EU, must surely put his plans under extreme stress. Wonder what he''ll do now ? ! 

HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE : CAMERON'S DEATH KNELL ?

David Cameron is reported today to want churches in England and Wales to be allowed to conduct marriages between homosexuals and lesbians. Somewhat magnanimously, it is also reported that he will not force religious organisations to carry out such ceremonies.

 

Exactly why this exceedingly stupid man is so keen on the nonsensical idea that marriage should apply to people of the same sex is beyond me. I have no religious beliefs but it is quite clear to me that marriage is an ancient institution that applies only to a man and a woman; the notion that a man should actually marry another man or a woman another woman is utterly ridiculous. That Cameron should be in favour of such lunacy taking place in religious institutions leaves me totally bewildered.

 

If homosexuals and lesbians wish to enter into formal living arrangements, that's for them to decide; it is then for the state to determine the extent to which such relationships should be treated on a par with heterosexual unions. It is most certainly not for the state to be telling or even suggesting to religious organisations that they should countenance this lunacy under their own rooves..

 

Cameron's doggedness in pursuit of this madness serves only to make him less and less acceptable to traditional Conservative voters and to make the success of his party at the next General Election less and less likely. Given the appalling economic state in which our nation has found itself and the inept performance of the coalition government, the electoral fortunes of the Conservatives were always going to be problematic at best; with Cameron heading off down such insane left-wing paths as this latest venture, it seems likely that they will fare very badly indeed in both the European elections of 2014 and the General Election in 2015.

 

If Cameron survives until 2015, one can only hope that electoral disaster will be followed by the appointment of a new leader who more closely reflects traditional Conservative values. Until that time, we have to expect a rapidly rising level of support for UKIP, being the only real alternative.

AUTUMN STATEMENT : MORE DRIVEL DUE FROM OSBORNE.

Today, George Osborne, the 'Boy Wonder', will deliver his 'Autumn Statement in which he will no doubt tell us another pack of half-truths and lies about the economic plight that faces us. It is most unlikely that he will have the nerve to tell us the truth as that would almost certainly get him the sack.

 

Interestingly, a discussion on 'Newsnight' last night raised this exact point. Basically, while our politicians are focused on how to win the next election, the economy has longer time scales in mind; as long as this dichotomy exists, economic difficulties will persist, at least for much longer than they might. Until our politicians are prepared to share the truth with the electorate and take the action that is necessary for prolonged recovery regardless of electoral advantage, we will continue to be in a mess.

 

Very few political figures have ever been willing to be honest. The current crop are not only no exception to this rule but are probably some of the worst we have ever had in this respect; they are true successors to the duplicitous era of Blair, Brown and the rest who largely helped to create the mess we are now in. If Osborne had any guts, he'd be taking an axe to Government spending in a way that would send shockwaves around the world; instead he's about to set up yet another QUANGO, one to oversee the extraction of natural gas from shale deposits. Wasn't this a government that siad it would reduce the number of such bodies ?

 

Our economic situation is dire and it's going to get a lot worse. We all know this and yet the government is continuing to pretend things will get better without them doing a great deal about it. They spout grand plans but are actually terrified of making the real changes that are needed for fear of electoral catastrophe. Great leaders do what's necessary regardless of personal advantage - that's why this lot aren't great, aren't even good. They're pathetic and it's time the people got up off their backsides and let them know.

HYPOCRIT HODGE HOUNDS HMRC.

Margaret Hodge who is, I understand, chairman of the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, is making a lot of fuss these days about companies which are avoiding paying much tax.

 

Ms Hodge, who would probably object to my use of the term 'chairman' and would prefer the imbecilic 'chairperson', is one of those left-wingers who have been coming out of the woodwork ever since Labour were put out of office in 2010. Notwithstanding that she and others were members of the Labour government, they're suddenly coming forward to complain bitterly about various things which they did nothing about while in power.

 

In the case of Ms Hodge, it is tax avoidance, a perfectly legal measure adopted by very many people and companies in various ways. Indeed, the government even helps people to avoid paying tax through the mechanism of pension contributions and ISAs among other things. When it comes to companies, many find ways of moving their profits around so as to avoid, quite legally, the payment of taxes in particular countries such as the UK. This is not tax evasion which is illegal, it is a perfectly legitimate business practice.

 

Ms Hodge and others have now decided that this is not acceptable, that is, using the law to one's advantage is wrong. A while ago, David Cameron went so far as to claim that tax avoidance is immoral and this now seems to be the cry from many of our politicians. That their position is ridiculous seems to pass them by.

 

Government creates the laws by which we live and successive governments have created a vast jungle of laws to cover anything and everything that they believe they can control, including taxation. As a direct consequence of their huge enthusiasm for this pastime, they have made our legal system so complex that few if any know all of it or can understand it. This applies as much to the laws on taxation as to everything else.

 

What we now have is a system that has so many facets there are a plethora of opportunities for smart tax accountants and lawyers to exploit in favour of their clients. Politicians don't like this and are thrashing around trying to find people to blame, other than themselves of course, and suggesting that perfectly legal financial arrangements are somehow immoral and anti-social. This is so hypocritical as to be almost impossible to believe. One of the principal targets seems to be the HMRC which is being accused of not doing enough to tackle tax avoidance - pardon me, but what can they possibly do to prevent perfectly legal actions ?

 

For decades if not centuries, our politicians have used every possible means to turn the system to their advantage; they've even enjoyed special arrangements regarding their expenses, pensions and other matters principally aimed at enriching themselves. How they can now have the temerity to complain about others doing the same within a legal framework that they have created is laughable, especially when one remembers that the people making the loudest complaints are those who served for 13 years in a Labour government which did nothing about the matter.

 

Is it any wonder that politicians have so little credibility with most of the population ?

THE PRESS MUST BE FREE BUT RESPONSIBLE.

David Cameron's failure to embrace the Leveson Report with any enthusiasm demonstrates just how much our political classes run in fear of the press. In turn, this clearly shows that it is long passed time that the media had its wings clipped.

 

This is not to say that I'm in favour of the government taking control of the press but it is clear that the current 'self-regulation' has failed miserably; any replacement self-regulatory arrangement is likely to be every bit as useless and impotent. that What is needed is a framework established by law which guarantees the freedom of the press while also making sure that it behaves in an acceptably civilized fashion. There is no reason at all why there should not be a wholly independent body in place of the discredited 'Press Council' and which can properly respond to complaints from those whom the press abuses. Such a body could be set up, chiared by a retired judge and with, perhaps, 2 representatives from the media and 2 from the public; the Press would, of course, foot the bill as they do now, but they would have far less ability to sweep things under the carpet.

 

There can be no doubt that some elements of the media are out of control and feel themselves to be beyond the reach of the law. The 'phone hacking scandal was merely the tip of a very nasty iceberg, the submerged parts of which include all of the grubby bits of journalism - the manufactured stories for pure sensationalist value, long range pictures of well known people living their lives, every type of intrusion into peoples' privacy for the purpose of making money alone. Most of these activities, all of which have usually been justified on the basis of 'the public interest', have been the mark of a dysfunctional press reacting to the salacious appetites of an uneducated and ignorant public.

 

It is time for a change.

ED BALLS REALLY DOES TALK BALLS !

Listening to Ed Balls, shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, on the 'Andrew Marr Show' this morning, was like listening to a broken record.

 

Whingeing on about George Osborne's 'failed' plan for fiscal recovery, Balls did little but spout the usual socialist claptrap: a 'bankers' bonus tax', 'creating jobs', 'millionaires tax cuts' and so on. The one thing that Balls never mentions is his own gross culpability for much of the mess in which we now found ourselves.

 

The last Labour government, of which Balls was, eventually, a major part, laid the foundation for a large chunk of the current crisis through its policies of high taxation and uncontrolled state spending. Let us not forget that it was Gordon Brown who changed the taxation status of pension funds, depriving many people of vast amounts of money in their old age. It was Gordon Brown who introduced the system of tax credits which now makes it completely pointless for many people to work the basic hours required in order to claim them; It was the Labour government which introduced the minimum wage resulting in small companies often being forced to pay uneconomic wages to lazy and inefficient staff. They did all this and much more while raising every tax within sight, always excepting income tax which they cynically used to signal a supposedly tax-friendly approach towards the poor oppressed population.

 

For Balls to be complaining that the coalition government has 'failed' to restore balance to the economy after not much more than 2 years in office is an insult to the intelligence; for him to demand a restoration of the catastrophic 'tax and spend' policy of his disastrous government shows an almost unbelievable arrogance and ability to ignore reality. Why anyone would listen to him seriously or, worse still, ever vote for his bunch of failed hypocrites again, I have no idea.