Sunday 31 January 2010

Why do [stupid American] people vote against their own interests?

Right-wing politics has become a vehicle for channelling this popular anger against intellectual snobs. The result is that many of America's poorest citizens have a deep emotional attachment to a party that serves the interests of its richest.


LOL at angry Americans.

BBC News

Spurs complete Eidur Gudjohnsen loan capture

Loan capture?

Aaawww!
BBC Sport

John McFall to retire


John McFall, chairman of the Treasury Select Committee, said he would not be contesting the next general election. The 65-year-old said as he reached a "normal retirement age" it was time for him to move on after 23 years as an MP. [oh, sorry, wrong John McFall - Ed]


BBC News - 'Consumer champion' MP to stand down

Eurozone unemployment rate hits 10%

Highest EU unemployment rates:
Latvia - 22.8%
Spain - 19.5%
Estonia - 15.2%

Lowest:
Netherlands - 4.0%
Austria - 5.4%
Cyprus - 6.1% [WTF?! - Ed]



BBC News

Saturday 30 January 2010

126 MPs to stand down at next election

The list comprises 81 Labour MPs, Conservatives 36, Lib Dems 7 and Other (which rather unkindly includes Alex Salmond) 2.  This means out of Labour and Conservative, Labour has the greater fight on its hand and surely reduces the swing required by the Conservatives for an overall majority. 

The 1979 Conservative election victory was the result of a 5.3% point Lab-Con swing; in 1997, there was a Con-Lab swing of 10.2% points. With these two exceptions, swing between the two main parties at General Elections has not exceeded 5% points since 1950. For the Conservatives to win an overall majority requires a uniform national swing of 6.9%. This would be higher than any election since 1950, except 1997.

NOTE: The swing from Party A to Party B is the average of the percentage point fall in Party A’s share of the vote and the percentage point rise in Party B’s.  A 1% swing from one party to another involves adding 1% point of  votes to one party and subtracting 1% point of votes from the other.
UK Polling Report website
Parliament website

Sir Thomas Legg under fire

So far, nine of 70 MPs who appealed against the sums he ordered them to repay say they have been successful.



BBC News

Pete Waterman to pen UK Eurovision song

Oh god, please, no!
BBC "News"

ferry | u can dance | hell

The video of said collaboration.

Friday 29 January 2010

Gay scene needn't be macho

The Guardian's Omar Kholeif gets her knickers in a twist in Liverpool

So what's Blair up to today?
























































Goldsmith has a mindchange


















EDITORIAL | Friday 29th January 2010

The Tory leader's inner circle has once again been focussing on grabbing headlines at the expense of the facts.

The US president's State of the Union address did little to reassure Middle America about either his foreign or economic policies.

Harriet Harman offered a bizarre excuse for the sidelining of Tony Wright's worthwhile plans for improving Commons procedure.

Dr Andrew Wakefield should not take all the blame for this scare.

Every conceivable question has already been asked of Tony Blair. The Chilcot inquiry should focus on the process of government and aftermath of the war.

The cheque's in the post: £2m bonus for departing Crozier

ITV's new chief executive, Adam Crozier, could walk away from his old job at the head of Royal Mail with £2m in bonuses. The broadcaster appointed Crozier, who has no television experience and is the second highest-paid public sector worker, to the top role after a long and occasionally tortuous 10-month search. Crozier will be rewarded from a three-year bonus scheme based on efficiency targets at the postal operator, which has recently been hit by a series of national strikes over mounting workloads.













£2m bonus for departing Crozier | The Guardian

Thursday 28 January 2010

ITV's chairman emails his staff re Adam Crozier

"Dear Colleague,

Today we are announcing that Adam Crozier will join ITV as Chief Executive. Adam is a terrific leader who has a great track record in bringing transformational change to consumer businesses [LOL], as well as considerable experience of advertising, of regulated industries and new media. I am personally delighted he is joining us and am very confident he will bring new impetus and leadership to our programme of change [oh, i'm sure].

Even in the short time I have been here I have seen enough to know that we have great broadcast, production and television talent [?]. The challenge for the Chief Executive is to help us bring our company together, build a changed organisation, encourage pace of delivery, attract new talent and bring out the best in our own people [he's fucked then].

I can tell you that Adam's appointment follows a very thorough search which included some very high calibre candidates [LMFAO]. There is no shortage of talented people who would like to join us on our journey of transformation [amd they are precisely where at this moment?].

Adam will join ITV after he completes his handover at the Royal Mail [good luck with that]. I hope however you will all have a chance to meet him before long. This brings to an end a long period of uncertainty for ITV and means we can now focus wholeheartedly on the challenge ahead.

In the meantime, we will continue to build on the platform for change established in the last 12 months under John Cresswell's very capable leadership [haha!]. John will continue as Interim Chief Executive until Adam arrives and I am very grateful to him for his professionalism, skill, and dedication.

You will find more details on Adam below. If you have any queries please do not hesitate to let me know.

Best regards"
Archie x

Sade's back!

soldier of love


Vermaelen has NOT broken his leg!

WOOP!
Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen has not fractured his leg but is doubtful for Sunday's Premier League match against Manchester United.
I guess that means another photo  :-)























BBC Sport

Vermaelen suffers suspected broken leg

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is sweating over the injury sustained by defender Thomas Vermaelen, with the Belgium captain having suffered a suspected broken leg.  The Arsenal defender was forced off after 35 minutes of the goalless draw with Aston Villa, being replaced by the recently returned Sol Campbell, making his first Premier League appearance since last May and his first in an Arsenal shirt since May 2006.  Wenger admitted that Vermaelen was set to have a scan on Thursday: "We will have to check the X-ray tomorrow morning because there is a fear - it's a nerve that is numb or it is fracture of his fibula - we hope not but we will have to check,".  Nicklas Bendtner and Sol Campbell today vowed to solve the injury crisis that threatens to wreck Arsene Wenger's plans for the Premier League title showdown with Manchester United on Sunday.























Meantime, Jack Wilshere was today expected to join Bolton on loan for the rest of the season. Wenger is keen for the teenager to gain Premier League experience and sought assurances from the club that the midfielder will play on a regular basis at the Reebok Stadium.



ITV appoints Adam Crozier as chief executive

So, after fucking up the Royal Mail and getting paid £1.4m per annum to do it, Adam Crozier slides into another cushy job.

Peter Mandelson interview exclusive: The James Bond of British politics sets sights on eliminating Tories

Oh, how we lolled.

BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons claims £60,000 in travel and accommodation expenses for living outside London

BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons receives a salary of £142,800 for a “three to four” day week as chairman of the BBC Trust.  But he also received £63,286 licence payers’ money in expenses – more than twice Britain’s average wage of £25,800.  Slimy bastard.

Tuesday 26 January 2010

The haute couture crime figures of the Conservatives

Give them some statistics and they'll fashion the crimes to suit themselves.
Click here to read Mark Easton's BBC blog.

Sunday 24 January 2010

Why has Gordon Brown shelved his pledge of free prescriptions for the chronically ill?


Gordon Brown is facing a backlash from charities representing up to 15 million people with long-term health conditions after it emerged a promise to give them all free prescriptions is likely to be shelved until after the general election.  The prime minister made the pledge to people with conditions such as asthma, heart disease, diabetes and depression in his speech at the Labour party conference in September 2008. Instead of implementing the change for all those patients, it is now expected to be included in the party's manifesto.

A coalition of 20 health charities fears that, with Labour behind in the opinion polls and the Tories giving no firm commitment to the plan, the promise will never be realised. Mikis Euripides, director of policy and public affairs for Asthma UK, which is leading the coalition, said: "If the Labour party decides to put something in the manifesto instead of acting now, that would be a complete failure on the part of the prime minister to keep a promise."  Mariam Kemple, policy and campaigns officer at Mind, a mental health charity, said: "We represent many millions of people and, if this does not happen, we will be up in arms."  The coalition, which also includes the British Heart Foundation, Diabetes UK, the Stroke Association and Rethink, is calling on its members to begin a campaign of direct action this week, writing to local MPs and the prime minister to demand the promise be fulfilled before the election.

Meanwhile, 172 MPs have signed an early day motion urging the prime minister to implement the policy. They say they fear "the recession has made it harder for large numbers of people with long-term conditions to pay for their prescriptions and that many are going without vital medicines". They claim "the government has identified savings from the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme of around £550m per year from 2010, which will be more than sufficient to cover the £250m-£350m cost".

Both groups have expressed concern that a major review of prescription charges by Professor Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians, has not been published by ministers. The report, which is expected to call for charges to be dropped for millions, was supposed to come out before Christmas.  Party sources point out that Brown promised first to abolish charges for cancer patients, which happened in April 2009. The pledge for those with long-term conditions was for a later date – and only when savings had been made by shifting to cheaper generic drugs. They insist that Labour will show its commitment to those suffering long-term conditions with plans to allocate every such patient a named GP, health-worker or nurse, who would provide them with a tailored care plan. A spokesman for the Department of Health said the government remained committed to its pledge and added: "We will set out our plans for improved support for patients with long-term and chronic conditions in the coming weeks, including our plans to abolish prescription charges."
THE GUARDIAN

ON THE OTHER HAND, THE QUESTION IS MERELY A DISTRACTION.  MAKING THE LIST OF EXEMPTIONS WILL NOT MAKE IT FAIRER. 

ALL PRESCRIPTION CHARGES MUST BE DROPPED.

Friday 8 January 2010

Britain under snow and ice as temperatures hit lowest level for 15 years

As schools and colleges remained closed, it emerged that thousands of pupils who aimed to sit exams next week will be forced to wait until June, disrupting their plans for the rest of the academic year.  The Met Office has issued an ice alert for the whole country.



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Peter and Iris Robinson face questions following BBC documentary

A Democratic Unionist Party spokesman said last night: "Following allegations made about Peter Robinson in the BBC's Spotlight programme on Thursday 7th January 2010, Mr Robinson will be consulting his legal team on Friday."
GUARDIAN















"Ha, ha, ha!", they laughed ... last year.

Jonathan Ross to quit the BBC

Who cares?  Not me; nor the Telegraph, which takes a decidedly frosty view of the whole thing:

Ross was hired because he was seen as edgy and possessed an appeal to young people, who do not necessarily pay the licence fee. Too many of those who did pay it never warmed to him and were appalled by his often vulgar humour.

Fair point ... ta ra.

TIMES

Thursday 7 January 2010















TELEGRAPH

INDEPENDENT


TIMES

GUARDIAN

William and Harry by Nicky Philipps

National Portrait Gallery, London from today for six months.


Warrant out for horse sex accused

Joseph Squires, 66, of Overpark Avenue, is charged with buggery of a donkey between February and April 1999 and buggery with a horse in March 2004.















Mind you, have you seen the size of its ... oh, never mind.

Readers are reminded that pictures do not necessarily correspond with adjoining stories.

Wednesday 6 January 2010


GOFOURTH

So who's for and who's against?

Further to Pat and Geoff's 'stitch n bitch' evening at Starbucks last night, who's sticking up for Gordon Brown and who's stabbing their Leader in the back thereby damaging the chances of Labour winning the forthcoming general election? 






















Fucking idiots.

What the fuck are they playing at?!

Patricia Hewitt and Geoff Hoon have written to Labour MPs saying the party was "deeply divided" and the issue must be sorted out "once and for all".   Well done, dickheads.

Moira Stuart returns to the BBC

The BBC today confirmed that Moira Stuart is to read the news on the Chris Evans BBC Radio 2 breakfast show  :-) 

Unfortunately I won't be listening to the Chris Evans BBC Radio 2 breakfast show as I think he's a twat  :-(

Tuesday 5 January 2010

The Tories are frustrating, but Labour is unelectable

The election should be a walkover. At their best, the Tories have the radical policies, and to a certain extent the team, to rescue Britain from its current Labour-inflicted quandary. Yet the party remains tentative, fearful of its own shadow.