Month: December 2010

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Government of the people, by the people – yeah, right…

Public to choose policies as coalition gets the X Factor, bellows the Guardian, getting all excited over the fact that the leader of the Commons, Sir George Young, who really should know better, has indicated he wants to press ahead with government by public approbation in the New Year.

In effect that means the government float ideas, the public (yikes!), votes, and the popular items become bills. I wrote this post just over a year ago, when the idea was first mooted by – god help us all – Simon Cowell! It looks no better now. (I had thought the idea was so mind-numbingly stupid, and potentially dangerous, it would sink without trace.)

So, how wonderful is that – the government is totally abrogating Continue reading →

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Old Bloke’s Snowy Odyssey…

So, a 72-year-old Moroccan bloke drives to Gatwick Airport, drops off his wife, and sets off home. In the snow.

He gets lost for 4 days, as the Guardian reports.

Irretrievably lost, having left his mobe (and essential diabetes meds), at home, he trundles up and down the M4 for 4 days, stopping for coffee, presumably food too, and fuel, though neither are mentioned, before returning to his grand tour of the motorway and a selection Continue reading →

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Flu “surge”…

First, a brief note about the lack of a seasonal message this year – I was just too ill. Profoundly depressed too and, between the two, not a little surprised to still be here.That’s why this post is a little delayed – it was so badly written I’ve just had to rewrite the entire thing. It’s not particularly time-sensitive, though.

Right, on with the show:-

Flu surge alarms doctors as virus hits children shrieks the Guardian, and doubtless other media too. What does that mean in reality? 27 deaths.

OK, if you, or a loved one, are one of the 27 it’s still too many, but it sure as hell isn’t any cause for media hysteria. People die from flu (well, more often than not from Continue reading →

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Flu crisis looming? Really?

Pulse magazine said, on Friday:-

The GPC has warned of a looming flu ‘crisis’ and claimed Government cutbacks in marketing have led to a dangerously low uptake of the seasonal flu vaccine among patients.

In response to which, a commenter observed:-

“…the patient’s major concern was the swine flu content. There should have been a national advertising campaign.”

Seriously? A doctor thinks Continue reading →

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The Metropolitan police – thugs in uniform…

A few nuggets from today’s Guardian:-

“The Independent Police Complaints Commission said it was investigating the claim that Alfie Meadows, a 20-year-old student, suffered serious head injuries after being hit on the head with a police truncheon.”

No doubt we can expect Meadows to be shortly charged with Continue reading →

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Government lies, and the role of Twitter…

Don’t believe government lies about welfare being unaffordable, which we all know is bullshit anyway (if we can afford a totally unwinnable war in Afghanistan, or give £7bn in loans to Ireland, and waste something like £15million on a doomed World Cup bid, we can sure as hell support our own disabled citizens), read Continue reading →