I had thought about creating a journal several times but discarded the idea, considering that I would hardly ever use it (I think that for too many people have far too much to say) but here it is anyway.
In addition to dated entries I shall add links to other items which would otherwise take up too much space on this page. Some of them will be links to articles on other sites. Those on this site will have a button by means of which you can return to this one.
What the U.S. is doing to our upper atmosphere (this site)
This is a bit old but it is an astonishing account of American irresponsibility. (this site)
Immigration An essay by Sir Andrew Green. (this site)
Friday 4th November 2011
I have just found, amongst my treasures, this letter, originally published on 23rd January 1997, in the Camberley News.
Ministers issuing edicts that all children must be taught to speak, read and write English properly forget that many post-1975 teachers are disadvantaged themselves having received little or no schooling except in ethnic plasticine modelling and anti-sexist paper pattern cutting.
Militant NUT members are still the enemy within and they make it clear that they disapprove of formal education, because, they believe, it is discriminatory, elitist, sexist, racist etc.
Their egalitarian dogma produces school leavers who are abject, miserable and helpless, moaning about rain forests, whales, cormorants and bats and made unemployable due to their laziness, ignorance and indiscipline.
It is these teachers, uneducated and perverse, influenced, bullied and cowed by the NUT, who bawl for yet more money to throw into the black hole of Chancellor Clarke’s deficit.
Thus they ensure that young people continue to leave their vandalised comprehensive schools equipped only for resentful dependency on the State as professional layabouts, beggars, criminals and single mothers.
(Signed by a Camberley resident)
What has since changed?
Sunday 30th May 2010
Here we go (yet) again.
Much reported recently has been the case of a maniac who murdered three women in West Yorkshire. Some of the media have identified them as prostitutes.
Why? What damned difference does it make? If they had been sellers of shoes, hamburger jerkers, secretaries or anything else, no mention would have been made of the fact.
Another well reported incident has been that of the resignation, 17 days after being appointed, of Chief Secretary of The Treasury, David Laws after it was revealed that he stole £40,000 of taxpayers' money.
In response to the letter of resignation, Cameron told Laws that he was a 'good and honourable man'. Has he taken it upon himself to re-write the dictionary? And Clegg is reported to have frantically tried to talk Laws out of resignation!
Tuesday 22nd December, 2009
The world and its granny will welcome a new decade on 1st January 2010.
Will you?
If so, you will, typically, be jumping the gun by a year.
Let me explain for you. It’s quite simple.
Let's suppose we are going to count a large quantity of things.
It doesn't matter what the "things" are.
They may be fossilised cow-pats, 1.37 litre tins of Polka Dot paint or little pieces of fluff which you have excavated from your navel.
But for our purposes it's probably better that you think of years, so that you don't get confused.
And we are going to count the things in units of ten (10). That's what decades are; sets, series or groups of ten.
Now; concentrate.
The first item of the first decade will be number 1.
The last item (the tenth) of the first decade will be number 10.
The first item of the second decade will be number 11.
The last (the tenth) item of the second decade will be numer 20.
The corresponding numbers for the following decade will be 21 and 30.
If you carefully inspect those numbers you should be able to see that the last digit of the first item of all decades is always 1 (one).
You should also be able to see that the last digit of the last item of all decades is always 0 (zero).
The same is also true for centuries and for millenia (more than one millenium). >
This year, 2009, is the ninth year of the present decade, NOT the tenth. It is not, therefore, the last year of this, or any other, decade.
Is that REALLY so hard to understand?>
Monday 3rd August , 2009
The B.B.C. reported today that some people "pleaded guilty to running the brothel at Newcastle Crown Court." I wonder, was that during court hours or later?
It went on to say that one of the people "admitted conspiracy to manage brothels for prostitution". What is newsworthy about that? Isn't that what brothels are for?
Wednesday 8th July , 2009
The B.B.C's News site informs us that "The UK government is set to announce its plans to reform the financial system to prevent future crises." I wonder why it thinks that will have any useful effect. It couldn't plan a drinking spree at a beer factory.
The item continues, "But the White Paper will leave many questions unanswered about the role of the key regulators. ... " Unanswered questions, eh? Astonishing. And it goes on " The Lib Dems say it is unlikely to go far enough." My God, the Lib Dems have got some smart people haven't they?
Tuesday 7th July , 2009
In Los Angeles today a media circus bemoaned the death of a freak who put St. Vitus's dance to noises which some people claim to be music.
Friday 23rd January, 2009
ITV today broadcast a programme regarding swearing on television. In their web site's blog, they asked.
Do you think there is too much swearing on TV?
Do you think levels of taste and decency are at an all time low? Or do you think there is now a culture of complaining about TV?
Do you think that the views of the silent majority who want to watch such programmes are ignored? and if you’ve ever complained to a broadcaster, do you feel that your views have been listened to?
I posted this response:
"Do you think there is too much swearing on TV?"
Yes I do, and I'm pleased that you call it swearing instead of "strong language".
"Do you think 'levels of' (sic) taste and decency are at an all time low?
Levels of? Liguistic diarrhoea.
Yes, taste and decency are at an all time low. And they will sink even lower.
It's yet another indication of the general decadence of a once great culture. They've come and gone, the Chinese, Egyptian and Roman to name just three.
There has been a continuous decline and erosion of standards (that's what decadence is) in our society for decades and we are indubitably on the slope towards cultural anarchy, if not worse.
With every successive generation we have seen responsibility evaporate even more.
People no longer know how to behave in public, in schools or even in their own homes.
People simply don't know, not only any different, but any better.
We've had our day in history.
"Do you think that the views of the silent majority who want to watch such programmes are ignored?"
I think the views of the people who care are being ignored, but I think the silent majority is largely made up of people who simply don't care.
" .... if you’ve ever complained to a broadcaster, do you feel that your views have been listened to?"
I have complained, more than once. The response has been corporate waffle.
It has been said that a country gets the government it deserves. I believe that a country also gets the media it deserves.
If the populace's cultural and moral sights are set low it should come as no surprise that this is echoed in the media.
G.B. R.I.P
Friday 12th December, 2008
Heard on the Beeb's Radio 4 yesterday ..... "it was like déjà vu all over again."
Tuesday 15th July, 2008
Jacqui Smith, a.k.a. Blunder Woman, the Home Secretary, is, according to Littlejohn in the "Mail", "... the kind of person who, as legend has it, would stumble across someone lying on the pavement - battered to within an inch of his life - and conclude: 'Whoever did this needs help.
Monday 7th July, 2008
Verbal diarrhoea
The aircraft carrying Barack Obama made a precautionary landing today because, said the pilot, "We detected a little bit of controllability issue in terms of our ability to control the aircraft in the pitch, which is the nose up and nose down mode."
Translation: " We had difficulty controlling pitch.
Tuesday 15th April, 2008
I was very pleased to hear that two B.A. (mis)managers lost their jobs as a result of the Terminal 5 débacle. It wouldn't, however, surprise me to learn that they nevertheless received a very handsome pay-off.
Why wasn't the idiot who, all those months ago, banned cabin staff from wearing crucifixes also fired?
Monday 11th February, 2008
It occurs to me that the Archbishop might learn a few truths if he toured the middle east and told them that they should adopt "aspects of British" law.
Tuesday 30th October, 2007
Seen on a dating site "..... but i also enjoy little romantic jesters"
Saturday 27th October, 2007
One of today's t.v.programme listings refers to a film "which questions whether the US has lost its moral way".
I question whether the US ever found it.
22nd October, 2007
I just read about A.P.'s disclosure that NASA refuses to reveal its findings on air safety. I'm sure that you will have heard of it. Or perhaps not.
NASA is undoubtedly more concerned about a financial rug being pulled from under its feet than it is with safety, just as it was over the O-ring atrocity which killed those astronauts on board Challenger. (The decision to ignore the warnings and advice from the engineers boils down to them commiting murder.)
It is running scared of the airlines' influence on government.
We need another incarnation of Ralph Nader to put another overdue cat amongst the criminal pigeons.
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A recent précis of the t.v. programme The Hotel Inspector said "Expert Ruth Watson visits a six-bedroom B&B whose owner is reluctant to share her home with guests."
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The B.B.C. news today reported the case of a woman guilty of cruelty to a cat being banned for life from keeping a pet.
Brilliant. How the hell will THAT one be enforced?
Tuesday 4th September, 2007
A few days ago a tooth started to give me trouble. It got worse. This morning, not having registered with a dentist since moving house, I called the N.H.S. dental emergency number for our area.
A few days ago a tooth started to give me trouble. It got worse. This morning, not yet having registered with a dentist since moving house, I called the N.H.S. dental emergency number for our area. They had no emergency appointments left and I was added to their waiting list for today in case there was a cancellation. At about 6:15 this afternoon they 'phoned and offered me an appointment at 8:15 this evening.
The dentist prescribed an antibiotic to combat an infection and said he would extract the offending tooth on Thursday. The practice, however, couldn't make the appointment. I must start calling the N.H.S. dental emergency number again tomorrow morning and ask them to make the appointment.
How absurd. How totally absurd. Yet another result of the country's stupid obsession with the "management" culture.
Saturday 11th August, 2007
Read the Express' article How the Government Has Declared War On The English People
Friday 10th August, 2007
Brown, before making his slippery shouldered and lying way into number 10, had already sold his soul to the Scottish devil, pledging "that in all our actions and deliberations their interests shall be paramount."
The details are quoted in this petition which I discovered too late to put a link to from here. And what do we expect Brown to do about it?
Sunday 29th July, 2007
Two more nails in Britain's coffin.
Two articles published today, one in the Express, the other in the Scotsman, are further indications of the crumbling Union.
Friday 27th July, 2007
Our teenagers are the worst behaved in Europe, said a report yesterday according to the Mail.
The report came from a 'think tank' closely linked to Labour.
A 'think tank' conjures up, at the very least, visions of incisive minds and specialist knowledge and, hopefully, experience. It appears that my visions are based on false assumptions. Did it really take a 'think tank' to discover that 'the collapse of family life is at least partly to blame'? Any reasonably aware citizen came to the same conclusion many years ago. Think tank indeed. Another parasitic expense.
The 'damning verdict' (very emotive isn't it?), from the Institute for Public Policy Research, was revealed as ministers (a.k.a. idiots) prepared to publish a blueprint (sic) aimed at keeping teenagers out of trouble. It is expected to include more cash for youth groups and other activities. Sheer idiocy.
But the institute says radical measure are needed. For God's sake, that pearl of wisdom has been bandied about for centuries - drastic ills need drastic remedies. Often heard but never heeded (or understood). It goes on to say that many disruptive youngsters will simply ignore out-of-school activities unless forced to attend. Again, those who don't need a 'think tank' to do their thinking for them could see that coming a mile away. Think tank indeed.
There are, typically, half-baked ideas on what should be done to improve matters. They are obviously blind to the fact that well before one's early teens the die is cast. Labour's hollow 'tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime' was seen by some of us at the time as nothing more than a hollow snappy attention getter/vote scrounger. They hadn't, and still haven't, a clue what to do.
The report adds to recent disturbing evidence that Britain is among the worst places to grow up in the developed world. Unicef claimed earlier this year that British children were among the unhappiest and unhealthiest in Europe. But, and this is so predictable, ministers (a.k.a. idiots) have disputed that report but acknowledge that more needs to be done to provide purposeful and constructive activities. They plan a 'sharper
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The Jewish World Review carried an interesting article, Iran, 2; Israel 0, by Caroline B. Glick today. My thoughts, which apply equally well to other conflicts, past present and future, and repeated below, were sent in response.
Apropos Iran vs Israel.
A most interesting and scholarly read, but then we have come to expect that of you.
From the vantage point of age it has beome abundantly clear that most, if not all, alliances are born of selfish ends. If this nation is seen to help that nation, or that nation seen to help this, it is inevitably for self serving reasons. An ally is simply a servant of a benefactor's goals. Philanthropy has no place in politics.
Tolerance of differences, whether political, religious or moral is ultimately self defeating. Reducing matters to basics, to our genetically inherited survival kit, if something is different it is alien and is therefore a potential threat. The movement to homogenise the world's cultures is so unnatural that it beggars belief. Who really wants a mass of mediocrity anyway? Can you imagine homogenising the diversity of dog breeds, horses or cattle? Complete nonsense.
For much longer than the foreseeable future, for as long as it takes for our genetic evolution to catch up with our self imposed unnatural living in mass communities - the herd/tribe size is simply far too large, we shall unfortuantely have to rely in great measure on perfidious alliances until we can hopefully wean ourselves off them. Considering the wanton destruction of our own environment it is a matter of conjecture whether our species survives long enough to develop that far.
Sincerely,
David Michael Bridgen
Wednesday 27th June 2007
I received this by email. It was published today but I don't know where. It is a selection of questions asked of Gordon Brown.
Any chance of joining the euro under your premiership?
NIGEL VERNON, by email
I look forward to the advice of the next Chancellor!
Why bother with "Britishness"? We've done fine without it.
DAVID GARLAND, by email
I'm not sure I agree with you, David. I would argue it is Britishness, British institutions and British values which have brought about our greatest achievements, and which bind together our different regions and nations into one country. How would Britain have stood up to fascism in the Second World War if we hadn't been united as a nation around our shared identity and beliefs? So I don't think we do fine without it. I think we cannot survive and flourish without it.
Do you still want to see a Union flag in every garden? And do you fly one in your garden in Scotland?
JOHN BROWN (no relation), Glasgow
The question I asked some months ago was: what is the British equivalent of the ways in which American families celebrate their patriotism, with flags in the front yard and parties on 4 July and Thanksgiving. We do not necessarily need to follow suit in those ways, but I argued that we do need a debate about how we celebrate our Britishness, and whether we need to do more.
Do you think it's right that you can vote in Parliament on issues affecting English people but English MPs can't vote on issues affecting your own Scottish constituents?
BRIAN MACKENZIE, by email
I think a system where MPs from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were excluded from voting in the Commons would inevitably lead to the break-up of the Union so I will never support it.
Can there be too many Scottish people in a British cabinet?
NICK BAKER, by email
We are a United Kingdom cabinet.
How do you feel about the growing divisions between England and Scotland, such as in health treatments, higher education and long-term care for the elderly? Doesn't it make all this Britishness stuff rather absurd?
BEN JAY, Bath
Of course devolution means that different choices can be made on issues that are reserved to the Scottish Parliament. But I believe the values that unite us as British people are stronger than any policy differences between the regions and nations of the country.
Tuesday 26th June 2007
Even though it is to serve their own self interest I am neverthless delighted that the Yanks propose to carry out their own investigation into the BAE-Saudi bribes affair. Perhaps we shall at last see those who deserve it have their noses thoroughly rubbed in the crap. It's a great pity though that there's no one who has the testicular fortitude to do the same in Capitol Hill, which also kowtows to the Gods of commerce.
The Beeb reports:
"According to the Guardian, the Department of Justice became interested because BAE used the US banking system to transfer regular payments to accounts controlled by Prince Bandar at Riggs Bank in Washington.
As a result, prosecutors decided that BAE could be investigated under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
The report by the BBC and Guardian said the payments were discovered during a Serious Fraud Office (SFO) investigation, though that probe was halted in December 2006 on grounds of national security."
Ah, so the person or persons who received the bribes would pose a serious threat to us if their dirty washing is hung out it public?
It continues:
"Prince Bandar, who is the son of the Saudi defence minister, served for 20 years as US ambassador and is now head of the country's national security council, has "categorically" denied receiving any improper payments.
The SFO is still investigating BAE contracts in Africa, Eastern Europe and South America.
BBC business editor Robert Peston said that: "The Saudis will not be overjoyed that the Department of Justice is apparently taking up where the serious fraud office left off."
He added that the US probe is "a much bigger headache" for the UK government than for BAE, and it will be Gordon Brown's first big diplomatic dilemma as prime minister.
A company spokesman said that BAE was "committed to meeting the highest ethical standards in its dealings with others, and doesn't tolerate unethical behaviour or attempts to improperly influence decisions".
Yes, of course.
If you believe that you are probably daft enough to belive in "it's not winning which matters, it's playing the game." (Do they still push that drivel at our kids in school?) About as believable as porcine aerodynamics.
Saturday 19th May 2007
The Daily Mail today gave away another c.d. with its front page exhorting readers to "Learn Spanish in a week".
I wonder what genius thought that one up? Half (more? most?) of the country struggles hopelessly to speak English. How the hell is it going to learn a foreign language in a week?
Monday 9th April 2007
Whoops.
The local rag today reported that a man was accidentally hanged while he and his partner were engaged in a sex "game". He had a fascination with hanging and "their sex-games involved role-playing as one acted as hangman to the other".
His partner described how he had given her a knife to cut the noose if anything happened - but after he had kicked away the chair, she realised the knife was blunt.
(I wonder if she had the presence of mind to put something in the swear-box.)
Sunday 8th April 2007
I have just discovered this reader's letter, the heading of which is missing, which I cut from the Camberley News of 23rd January 1997.
Ministers issuing edicts that all children must be taught to speak, read and write English properly forget that many post-1975 teachers are disadvantaged themselves having received little or no schooling except in ethnic plasticine modelling and anti-sexist paper pattern cutting.
Militant NUT members are still the enemy within and they make it clear that they disapprove of formal education because, they believe, it is discriminatory, elitist, sexist, racist etc.
Their egalitarian dogma produces school leavers who are abject, miserable and helpless, moaning about rain forests, whales, cormorants and bats and made unemployable due to their laziness, ignorance and indiscipline.
It is these teachers, uneducated and perverse, influenced, bullied and cowed by the NUT, who bawl for yet more money to throw into the black hole of Chancellor Clarke's deficit.
Thus they ensure that young people continue to leave their vandalsied comprehensive schools equipped only for resentful dependency (sic) on the State as professional layabouts, beggars, criminals and single mothers.
Wednesday 4th April, 2007
Iran today released the 15 British sailors they had been holding since 23rd March.
Brilliant.
Iran 1, Britain nil.
Sunday 1st April, 2007
The following article was published a few years ago in the Daily Telegraph. I recently discovered a copy which I made at the time. It is reproduced here with the permission of its author, Lincoln Allison, whose web site is http://www.lincolnthinks.co.uk/index.htm
Suppose a dark-eyed, vivacious Argentinian woman were to ask: “What do I have to do to get a first?” If you have read too many novels about universities, you might infer that this was an offer of what are quaintly called favours. More promisingly (from the point of view of most English academics), it might suggest that papa’s chequebook be called into play.
But, in my experience, the question invariably has an entirely different presupposition, that there must be some form or technique or instruction that can be imparted to ensure success. Lying behind that assumption is an even more important one, that we are all equal and that everybody can do anything that anybody else can do.
Thus, in response to the question “What do I have to do to get a first?”, I mutter “Get a new brain”, but only to myself, bottling out of the opportunity to tell the inquirer that he or she lacks ability. It is, anyway, deeply educationally incorrect to tell people they are not able. The need to inculcate self-belief is built into modern educational theory.
The difficulty is compounded if the student, or a relative, is paying enormous fees to study at your institution. Even at a primary school, there is enormous pressure to tell the parents of stupid children that their offspring are going to do well with a little more application or some additional teaching.
As the school inspectors noted this week, it is no longer possible to write the kind of frank and derogatory report that in the past inspired many people to self-awareness or self-improvement. “Darren is a dim psychopath and I am prepared to bet he ends up in jail” becomes “Darren has begun to cope with his behavioural problems, and has shown ability in the percussion aspects of music.”
In its democratic political form, this attitude creates meaningless qualifications (because most people must be able to get them) and universities whose degrees have no market value (because anybody can get into them.)
Ideology is in conflict with common sense and the evidence. Common sense tells us the elitist, “reactionary” sociology of Vilfredo Pareto is true: it sees human abilities distributed in a pyramid shape, with few people possessing the highest level, and the numbers increasing as the level falls.
If we were to modify this picture, it would be to say that the pyramid bulges, that there are more mediocre than absolutely hopeless people. This is beyond dispute in sport and almost beyond dispute in mathematics.
The ideology that conflicts with our common sense cannot fairly be identified as “left-wing”. The humanist religion of the Enlightenment, which tells us that we all have a right to everything, is as much part of the make-up of modern conservatism, certainly in its American or Majorite forms, as it is part of any alternative; think of the “ classless society”.
When the triers are in charge, they inevitably rig the system to undermine or even penalise the effects of ability. Timed, unseen examinations are an accurate and honest reflection of ability, so they must be abolished in favour of systems of essays and dissertations that allow everybody to be dragged to the same standard.
The obvious truth that good teaching is a question of personality must be denied, and good teaching must be defined as slavish adherence to prescribed methods: use of the overhead projector, lots of handouts, pupils assembled in the latest shape, attendance on courses of fashionable dogma.
In academic research, we must take no account of genius or originality and the conditions that might allow them to flourish, but must create factory conditions in which everybody must be allowed, encouraged or even compelled to pretend that they have something to say.
It is not just that everybody now must be a success; they must be an intellectual success. Thirty years ago, most professionals did not go to university; many of them were clever people, but they did not have the particular social or intellectual interests to go to university. There were clever people who were not intellectual, and clever and intellectual people who preferred the “university of life” to formal qualifications. There were also apprenticeships for people with a more technical ability.
Now, as in America, anyone with the ability must go through higher education. Most of our greatest men, including Shakespeare, Dickens, Churchill and Brunel, were not “university men”. It is still the case that we have a monarch, a prime minister and many leading industrialists who lack “higher” educational qualifications, though it seems certain that, within 20 years, we shall have followed the Americans and the Europeans and eradicated the openness of our society in this respect.
The ultimate consequence of combining a dogma of equal ability with an excessive faith in formal education is an enormous amount of human unhappiness. Many people have to slave away for many years at intellectual tasks for which they are unsuited and which make them unhappy.
The level of stress is increased by expectations that everybody must succeed: in a university, all the academics must become professors, all the undergraduates must get at least upper-second degrees. In industry, everybody must go on courses to improve themselves.
The “ need to get a 2:1”, incidentally, is not just part of the culture: in a market in which there are far too many graduates, employers simply cross out the names of applicants with lower qualifications, despite a resounding lack of evidence of any correlation between educational and job success. Thus, in a society that ought to be more “ at ease with itself” (to use another Majorism), there seems to be more stress than ever.
I have told the story of the sad and final triumph of some of the dottier ideas of the 18th century over empirical evidence and common sense. “Conservatism”, such as it is now, has provided no protection against them; indeed, progressive educational ideas such as higher education for all and mixed-ability teaching have positively thrived since 1979. Thus, we are dealing with ideological forces too powerful to oppose except by long-term guerrilla warfare, by exposing their assumptions and modifying their excesses.
By the way, what do I have to do to write as well as Shakespeare?
Saturday 24th March, 2007
The Last Brown Budget; England deserves better
This has been a devastating week for the New Labour Government and the Chancellor Gordon Brown. On Monday, the former head of the Civil Service, Lord Turnbull, in an interview with a national newspaper laid bare the bullying behaviour and the power mad character of the Chancellor. Lord Turnbull described how Gordon Brown had forced the Treasury to take power from the other great departments of state and that the Treasury refused to allow sensible discussion of priorities for spending by the departments of English Health, English Education and the English Home Office.
This savage attack by Lord Turnbull on the personal character of Gordon Brown was soon endorsed by other senior civil servants and there are now very serious questions whether the Chancellor has the maturity and emotional intelligence, and whether he shows sufficient transparency and honesty in his day-to-day behaviours, to take on the daunting duties of being the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
We turn our attention to Thursday’s budget speech by the Chancellor. It gives the English Democrats no pleasure when we conclude that both the policy decisions on tax announced by the Chancellor and his misleading presentation of them in his Budget speech, show how totally unfitted he is to be our Prime Minster and that New Labour is now betraying the interests of the ordinary people of England.
If the Chancellor had been true to the ideals of Clement Atlee and Nye Bevan of the real Labour Party he would have looked after the ordinary people. Instead he hit the less well off hard in their pockets by abolishing the 10% income tax band and gave an undeserved tax cut (from 6 April 2008) via the reduction in the basic rate from 22% to 20% in a complex package of tax changes which benefited the wealthy the most.
For the tenth year in a row, the Chancellor has again refused to levy any income tax on the millionaires who, while they live in our country and happily take all it has to offer, claim to have a tax domicile abroad. People like Lakshimi Mittal, who recently gave £2 million to New Labour, has once again escaped a massive UK income tax bill as a result of the Chancellor’s continued failure to impose tax on foreign domiciled multi–millionaires!
To complete the dismal picture of the Chancellor’s real budget measures, business in England and Wales was badly hit by the Chancellor’s decision to raise corporation tax on small businesses and the abolition of capital allowances for agricultural buildings and industrial building such as factories. Instead the Chancellor took the huge amounts of extra tax payable by small business and farming and manufacturing and used it to subsidise a cut in the tax rate of 2% for the very profitable banks and hedge funds in the City of London.
The English Democrats look upon the political elites that run our country and despair at their lack of care for the ordinary and hardworking people of England. The three main parties of the political elite, of New Labour, Tories and Liberal Democrats, are indistinguishable in their dislike of the home nations of England, in their high taxing and careless use of taxpayers’ money, and in their high-handed and uncaring attitudes and policies. The English Democrats call on the people of England to turn to the citizen politicians and common sense policies of the English Democrats.
Andrew ConstantineTreasurer
Wednesday 19th July, 2006
This is a letter, written today, which I shall put in the mail tomorrow.
20th July, 2006
Tesco Customer Service Centre
Baird Avenue
Dryburgh Industrial Estate
DUNDEE
DD1 1YP
Dear Sirs,
In your letter dated July 06 (sic) you hoped “that the service you received from us met your expectations.”
Yes indeed, it was exactly what I expected – corporate waffle which did nothing whatsoever to address the matter about which I made my complaint.
A little later you said “Your help will assist us to continue to give the high standards of service you expect from us ….. “
That is nothing less than fantasy. I have never shared your illusions about the quality of your service.
Sincerely,
David M. Bridgen
Sunday 16th July, 2006
A correspondent recently made me aware of Andy Rooney. (Google for him, as I did.)
I've found and read more of Andy Rooney. Everything he says makes complete sense.
He has the good fortune to have air time allocated to him and therefore to have a platform from which to reach the gormless millions of his peers. And the misfortune that his wisdom goes in one ear of the gormless mass and effortlessly exits the other having had no lasting effect. If, indeed, it had any effect in the first place.
There are, and have been, other clear thinkers. But such clarity is so alien to our fellow citizens, government and businesses alike, that it is ignored, with the inevitable consequence that the thinker is marginalised.
I believe that there are people still alive today who vaguely remember a nation called Great Britain. A title which this country will never deserve again. A succession of incompetent and corrupt governments and businesses has destroyed everything which contributed to that greatness.
R.I.P.G.B.
Sunday 28th May, 2006
My attention has recently been drawn to an article in The Wall Street Journal on 19th May, " Debunking the Debunkers" by Joseph Loconte.
It is criticism of the da Vinci Code.
It mentions:
the furor over this latest challenge to orthodox belief
Conspiracy theories
theories about massive cover-ups presented in fanciful works such as "The Da Vinci Code"
It is none of the above.
It also suggests that the essay is ... good advice to moviegoers this week-for the skeptics as well as the faithful.
But, since none of the above is true, there is no need for scepticism.
I responded to the acquaintance who sent the essay to me with the following, which I have also now forwarded to Joseph Loconte, the author.
Loconte, and indeed many others, seems to be confused.
Mention is made of "the furor over this latest challenge to orthodox belief" and "theories about massive cover-ups presented in fanciful works such as "The Da Vinci Code".
The da Vinci code is not a challenge to anything, nor is it a cover-up. And it was never meant to be.
It is a novel. It is fiction. Brown has never presented it as anything else.
The "challenges" and "cover-ups" are the results of two things; hasty, uninformed and ill-considered conclusions drawn by the media and others who typically lack objectivity, and deliberate lies and misdirection by the pimps who stand to financially gain.
The earlier books, by Baigent, Leigh and Lincoln, "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail", and its sequel "The Messianic Legacy", although sometimes listed as non-fiction, were no different.
I read both of them soon after each was published. It quickly became apparent to me (about 3 or 4 chapters) that the Blood and Grail had no more foundation than a house of cards.
Each chapter would conclude with conjecture and hypotheses. A house of cards. That's all very well. The trouble is, each subsequent chapter would use previous hypotheses as the basis on which to build further ones. A monumental edifice of cards.
I am by no means a scholar or an intellectual but it was obvious by the middle of the book that it was a flight of fancy.
The Legacy was, if that is possible, even more ludicrous.
And some years later they were both exposed as being exactly what they are.
Fiction.
What I can't understand is how so many people, some of them academics, were taken in so easily.
It was blatantly clear to me that there was no substance in either of them.
In conclusion, "the Church" has nothing whatsoever to fear from any or all of these three novels. What it should fear is idiots.
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The media reports that a couple with the names of Bad Prat and Jolly Angeline celebrated the birth of a brat..
Who the hell cares?
Thursday 11th May, 2006
From the Daily Express today.
A gang of gun-toting Afghan asylum-seekers won the right to live in Britain yesterday despite hijacking a passeneger plane to fly here. (In Februray, 2000)
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Inlcuded in the report is the following.
After the gang was released from jail, taxpayers were forced to pay £150,000 per year to feed and house them and their families.
All nine - plus 26 family members - lived in two £250,000 houses, provided rent-free in Hounslow, west London. All household bills were paid for by the Government's National Asylum Support Service.
In addition, they were provided with free lessons in English and computer skills (sic).
Other costs include £5 million for the two criminal trials, a £2.5 million police bill for the four-day stand-off at Stansted and a further £2 million for the long-running legal battle.
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And this from the paper's Opinion page.
Until we scrap this Act Britain will be the loser
States such as Libya and Syria have rightly been shunned down the years because of their willingness to tolerate and give succour to terrorists within their borders.
It is shocking to confront the grim reality that, after yesterday's High Court decision in favour of a group of Afghan hijackers, Britain finds itself reduced to such sullied ranks.
Using the European Convention on Human Rights as cover, Mr Justice Sullivan made a ruling which many will regard as tantamount to a judicial coup against Parliament.
He ruled that ministers acted unlawfully in trying to deport nine Afghans who hijacked a Boeing 727 at gunpoint and forced it to fly to Stansted.
What a soft face the British judicial system has presented to these hijackers. They have already had their convictions quashed on appeal after arguing they were acting under duress and now they must be given leave to remain here until Afghanistan is judged safe enough for them to return to.
Britain's out-of-touch judges are increasingly using the Human Rights Act as a means of asserting their will over the elected representatives of the British people.
The appallng message will now go out around the world that hijacking pays off if you can get the pilot to touch down in Britain. Housing, benefits and legal aid will follow rather than jail and deportation.
The banner of "human rights" for wrongdoers, as interpreted by the judiciary, was also behind the early release of Anthony Rice, the depraved rapist who went on to murder Naomi Bryant.
Until the Human Rights Act is scrapped, the only winners will be evil people looking to shield themselves from the consequences of their actions and a few highly paid human rights lawyers - one of whom lives in 10 Downing Street.
The only losers will be the British people.
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The paper has another article about the freeing of Anthony Rice, referred to above. Its headline is:
Maniac freed to kill because his "human rights" were more important than ours
Thursday 4th May, 2006
The media today said that Moussaoui had been "spared" the death sentence.
He wanted to be a martyr.
What they should have said is that he was denied it.
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This evening I attended a presentation by Uri Geller in the Camberley Theatre. Astonishing.
Monday 10th April, 2006
The B.B.C's News section of their web site reports today that "About $15bn (£8.5bn) in overseas aid for education in Africa and Asia is set to be announced by UK Chancellor Gordon Brown on a visit to Mozambique."
While some will no doubt say God bess him for looking after them, I say God damn him for not looking after his own country first.
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President Bush says that reports claiming he is planning nuclear attacks on Iran are speculation. Well, yes, of course they are.
All that means, though, is that the reports haven't been confirmed.
Thursday 6th April, 2006
The media announced today that bird flu has arrived in this country. On the Beeb's web site they say that "Experts said that its arrival 'was only a matter of time.'" The experts are keen to point out that it would have to mutate in order to be able to pass from human to human. What they neglect to say is that it will be 'only a matter of time' before that happens too.
One of the experts said that they are going to "prohibit the gathering of birds." Can you believe that? I wonder how they imagine that will be accomplished. Local bobby, "Move along there please"?
Friday 24th March, 2006
The Mail, yesterday, prublished this letter:
'OUTSOURCING' - why stop at banks and building societies?
Lets' send all our jailbirds to Albanian prisons, all asylum seekers to Greenland for processing, while those with ASBOS could be sent to Russia, where they have a way with delinquents.
The yobs would quickly learn to cherish the society they currently abuse. A win-win situation, I think, except, perhaps, for the legal profession.
DAVID TAYLOR,
Stourport on Severn,
Worcs.
Brilliant, Mr. Taylor. We can dream.
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The Express, today, published this letter:
Carry out experiments on human trash - not animals.
Jo Tanner maintains the idea that experiments on animals is the right way for the progression of cures for human ailments. What she fails to realise is that not all medications tested on animals are a suitable treatment for humans (Letters, March 23). The recent events where several humans almost died following medical experiments are evidence of this.
I would like to suggest an alternative. Why not carry out these important experiments on murderers,those who con pensioners out of their life savings or yobs who go around vandalising other people's property? These sort of people should be denied their human rights. Experiment on them and not our best friends.
Joanne Dawson,
Todmorden, W Yorks
Another brilliant idea Ms. Dawson.
Tuesday 14th March, 2006
US space agency Nasa has postponed its next space shuttle mission until July at the earliest because of a faulty fuel tank sensor (singular).
Shuttle programme manager Wayne Hale said.
"It was prudent to change these sensors (plural) out (sic)."
I must (reasonably) presume that it is also possible to change things "in". I wonder what the difference is. And I further wonder if it would not have been sufficient to simply change them.
Strange language isn't it? But then, so is English sometimes.
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Radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza and other inmates at Belmarsh prison have refused to eat their lunch in a protest at the jail's high security wing.
Good. I hope he starves to death.
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British targets in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have come under attack. In view of today's grotesque use of nouns as verbs I am surprised that they didn't report the protesters "targeting British targets."
Tuesday 7th March, 2006
I drove from Camberley to Birmingham and back today. There was quite heavy rain for most of the journey, both ways, with consequent vast clouds of spray. Visibility was at times very poor yet there were many of my fellow motoring citizens, some of them in light grey or similarly coloured vehicles, some of them "professionals", who hadn't switched their lights on. I don't know what to call them. Certainly not stupid. If they were twice as intelligent they would only just qualify for that description.
Monday 6th March, 2006
A member of our "government," Tessa Jowell, is still wriggling from accusations of underhanded financial.conduct. No doubt a web of deceit and lies is again being woven in order to protect the guilty.
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I have only today noticed a report in the Daily Mail dated Monday 27th February 2006 of a couple with 12 children who refuse to draw some benefits, and be better off, which they could claim if they both gave up work. As a matter of principle. A couple in a million. They deserve medals.
Thursday 2nd March, 2006
In correspondence, published today, between Lord Irvine and H.R.H. Prince Charles, Irvine says "My view is that rights and responsibilities march hand in hand and I find it difficult to conceive of a society that is at the same time both more conscious of individual rights but less concious of individual responsibility."
Charles' comments, written on the letter, are "He may find it more difficult to conceive of but it is becoming a society that is less conscious of individual responsibilty!"
It sounds to me that Irvine is totally blind to what is really happening in society, or is simply lying to protect his position on human "rights."
Certainly "rights" and responsibilities should "march" hand in hand, the latter being the price of the former, but it is abundantly clear that this simply is not the case in modern society.
Charles, you say that "it is becoming a society that is less conscious of individual responsibilty." Wrong. It became one many years ago. Today it is just getting worse.
Friday 24th February, 2006
A 33 year old man, Paul O'Neil, has been given a so-called "life" sentence, and told that he must serve at least 22 years (what a stupid system), for the murder of his 3 month old son.
And I, as a tax-payer, will have to help to pay for his (one of society's surplus and useless members) welfare. He should be put down.
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Ken Livingstone has become another victim of the thought police. Stick to your guns Mr. Livingstone.
Wednesday 22nd February, 2006
The Daily Mail reports today that a 26 year old man without a driving licence, in a stolen car, killed a three year old girl, Levi Bleasdale, in a hit and run "accident." He was jailed for 12 weeks and will be freed "automatically" after 6 weeks.
A 28 year old alcoholic, drug addicted thief who had broken into a church and stole fund-raising pin badges, which he intended to sell to fund his habits, also stole a teddy bear from the scene of the "accident" which killed Levi. For the theft of the bear he was jailed for 4 months.
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H.R.H. Prince Charles has attracted criticism over activity associated with matters which concern him. The media, the world, and its granny are all chewing the fat about it and much is being made of "the constitutional tradition that the monarchy remains politically neutral."
In this day and age of increasing abrogation of responsibilities, of incompetent and corrupt government and management, of doing whatever one likes and bugger everyone else, why the hell shouldn't he express his views? He makes much more sense than the aforementioned incompetents in "government" and "management." Good for you Charles, you have my support.
Who most certainly doesn't have my support is Mark Bolland, Charles' ex deputy "private" secretary. He should have his tongue ripped out.
And the Bishop of Durham, the Right Reverend Tom Wright has interesting, and worrying, observations about "thought policing."
Thursday 19th January, 2006
Our national press yesterday reported that "Prison staff have been rebuked by the Government's jails watchdog for calling rapists and murderers 'cons'.
Her Majesty's Inspector of Prisons, Anne Owers, said inmates were upset because the remark showed lack of 'respect'.
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It might be educational if we had a national competition between Government and British "management" to find out which was the most idiotic.
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It's obvious that the country can't survive much longer like this. I wonder just how long it will be before it degenerates into total anarchy/civil war.
Friday 30th December, 2005
In the Times today:
General Sir Mike (sic) Jackson, the Chief of the General Staff, has told senior officers that trials next year of soldiers over alleged mistreatment of Iraqis will be painful for the Service. He said in a confidential briefing: "The Army will do everything to provide practical and moral support to [the soldiers] and their families."
Not a single damned word about practical, moral or any other support for the victims.
Another one who should lose his job immediately.
Saturday 24th December, 2005
A woman who 'phoned in to Classic FM's "Lunchtime Requests" programme today asked for a certain piece of music to be played and said that she was doing so "on behalf of 4 month old ..... who would like to hear it."
Stupid woman.
From the Oxford English Reference dictionary:
affectation n. 1 an assumed or contrived manner of behaviour. esp. in order to impress. 2 (foll. by of ) a studied display. 3 pretence.
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The Daily Mail reported today that a criminal who had previously been jailed for drug dealing, recently caught in possession of a machine pistol, three handguns and 100 rounds of ammunition and facing a possible "life" term for firearms and drugs offences, is to be "allowed his freedom before he is jailed."
The judge, Recorder Eldred Tabachnik QC, has that to answer for. He responded to those angered by his decision saying "I do what I think is right ..."
By what yardstick is that sort of thinking "right?"
What the hell goes on between these people's ears?
I wonder what derisible sentence will be handed down.
If I could "do what I think is right" Tabachnik would lose his job immediately.
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From where did the Yanks, in their indefatigable obsession with debasing everything and reducing it to its lowest common denominator, get the name Chris Cringle?
Monday 5th December, 2005
The B. B.C. has, on its web site, a section entitled "Have Your Say," in which visitors may leave their comments. One of the questions posed was something like "Do you think the government is right to send aid to foreign countries?"
It should come as no surprise, assuming that you have read earlier entries in this Journal, that my answer was, in essence, "No."
Or, expanding a little, I said that charity begins at home, and as long as the N.H.S. is inadequately funded, as long as it is impossible to register with an N.H.S. dentist, as long as the Police forces are inadequately manned, as long as pensions don't keep abreast of inflation, and as long as innumerable other administrative iniquities exist, then NO. The government is wrong in squandering my taxes on foreigners.
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Hot on the heels of Condoleeza Rice's latest session of lies to the media, the Beeb's "Have Your Say" section is now asking " Do you agree with US terror policies?
I didn't know they had any.
Oh ....... perhaps they mean "US policies to defend themselves against terror." But why "policies," plural?
The case for torture, in exceptional circumstances, has been argued convincingly. It is the circumstances which the world should be getting excited about, not torture per se.
Stick to your guns Mr. Bush. And by the way, check your dictionary for the meaning of "rendition."
(Why doesn't Rice get her teeth sorted out? I'm sure she can afford it.)
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B.B.C. World Service also broadcasts a programme "World Have your Say" which today fielded the question " Is democracy right for everyone?"
No it isn't.
I spent fours years living and working in Chile. It was during the last year that Pinochet asked the country to vote in favour, or against, his staying in power. After he lost the vote, but before relinquishing his leadership, I was traveling on the underground system in Santiago one day and overheard part of a conversation between two well-heeled women.
I don't remember now what the conversation was about but I do remember one comment - "In a few weeks' time we'll have democracy; we'll be able to do what we want then."
Which demonstrates a fundamental, serious and dangerous misunderstanding of what democracy is all about.
No, democracy is not right for everyone.
A newly "liberated" dictatorship needs to be weaned onto democracy if it is to be successful.
The Yanks coined the phrase "no such thing as a free lunch."
Everything has its price. Everything.
That of democracy is responsibility.
I alluded, in an earlier entry, to Stella Rimington's somewhat belated realisation that "civil liberties may have to be eroded ..."
May have to be?
Don't be so damned silly, woman. It's fast becoming essential.
Look around you. Take a good hard look. I don't believe the case for democracy in this country can be argued with conviction today.
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The Daily Mail reports today that "More than two-thirds of companies have banned Christmas decorations from the office because of fears that they will offend people from minority faiths, according to a report."
Well mister, if the way we celebrate Christmas offends you then go to where you belong.
No, I didn't say to where you were born.
I don't care where you were born, or what passport/s you hold. Go to where you belong.
Friday 11th November, 2005
It was reported today that "A woman successfully argued in court that she should not wear an electronic ankle tag because it would look bad with a skirt."
Also reported was that the government is to allow nurses and chemists to prescribe medicines.
And the government says that it wants doctors' surgeries to open in the evenings and at weekends in addition to the present arrangement.
How the hell does it propose financing this? It can't run the N.H.S. now, without incurring more burden on it. And it keeps sending our money to help foreigners.
If I had been only twice as competent at my job as this government is at theirs I would have been summarily fired.
Monday 7th November, 2005
Rather old but worth mentioning. A colleague told me of overhearing a young girl shouting at her progeny "Don't speak to me like that you little bastard."
A typical example of modern British motherhood, womanhood and femininity.
No my dear, don't write to tell me you're different. I know there's still a small percentage out there. You're one of an almost extinct breed.
And what do you think modern brats' offspring will be like?
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You may like him or not but one thing that President Bush must be commended for is doing what he believes is best for his country, and bugger the rest of us.
What he is doing, insofar as the security of the U.S.A. is concerned, may or may not be "right", but he believes it is and he's going for it and he doesn't care what the rest of the world thinks. Good for him.
I wish our government thought like that instead of faffing and farting ineffectually through the corridors of power.
Sunday 6th November, 2005
I just read, on the internet, this comment by a woman. "I am married and have a nice son of about 17 years."
Monday 24th October, 2005
Plans, by the Institute for Public Policy Research, which will give neighbours the power to punish anti-social behaviour are due to be revealed tomorrow.
I can't wait.
Neither, apparently, could Norman Brennan, director of the Victims of Crime Trust. He is alleged to have said "If anyone thinks community courts will have any effect whatsoever in combating crime and antisocial behaviour they are living in cloud cuckoo land."
No one could have put it better.
One thing is certain. If the government can't or won't (there is no other possible reason) satisfactorily combat crime and anti-social behaviour the public will eventually wake up to the fact that it can and will. It may take a long time, perhaps a few generations rather than a few years, but I'm convinced it will happen. Once it begins it will accelerate rapidly and we will have the makings of a civil war.
I can't advocate vigilante action. Heaven forbid, that would be against the law. But I hope, I really do hope, that it happens sooner rather than later.
Tuesday 18th October, 2005
I 'phoned our doctor's surgery today asking for an appointment for my wife and I to have the annual flu jabs which we have been receiving for a few years.
They're running out so 'can I call back at the beginning of November.'
Yeah. If the country can't organise the "ordinary" flu jabs what hope does it have with the Bird flu ones?
And I was just reading that Roche has announced that it won't relinquish its patent on Tamiflu "the only available drug that is effective in treating people infected with bird flu. The drug is already in limited supply."
Hmmm. A bit of collusion between the pharmaceutical companies and governments and we could have a very crafty way of population control.
Monday 17th October, 2005
Speaking about the spread of Bird flu the Health Secretary, Patricia Hewitt, has announced that "Britain is as prepared as it can be for a possible pandemic."
I wonder how many people believe that.
Britain is as prepared as it ever will be sounds far more likely. And, of course, totally inadequate.
One of the biggest problems with our (most?) government/s is that many (most?) of the holders of key positions are non-specialist people trying, so inadequately, to do specialist jobs. Just cronies of the incumbent at number 10.
Wednesday 12th October, 2005
I am compassionate, but .....
At the same time as we are being told that Britain has sent £10,000,000 to Pakistan to help after their earthquake we are also being told of a mother and her very ill baby who were kept waiting in a British hospital's accident and emergency department for 10 hours.
The baby died before anyone attended to them.
Doesn't Blair know that the N.H.S is almost on its knees? One wonders what he really does know.
How dare he squander our (my) money like that in the face of the disgraceful state of our own country.
Rule Britannia.
Wednesday 5th October, 2005
It was recently announced that the Metropolitan Police Commissioner called for a public debate on the shoot-to-kill policy.
Why?
Does the public want a safer country or not? (I don't believe that the public in general knows what the hell it does want.)
If it means a safer country for me they can kill as many people as they like
H.M.G. take note: Get on with it quickly please.
And not long before that ... "The head of security service MI5 has warned civil liberties may have to be eroded to protect British citizens ... "
I wonder how long it took her to work that one out. It became an obvious necessity to me many years ago.