Rantenstein Unbound, or "Thank You, Alpesh"?

Alpesh Patel guested on the newspaper review this morning on BBC World Service before BBC1 kicked back into life with BBC breakfast....

Simple core message from Alpesh - things ain't changed much in the Middle East since Lwrence of Arabia.

Using democracy and the lack of it as the club with which to beat the papers into submission, he repeatedly attacked the political systems around the world which prefer to let the West act in their own back yard rather than stand up themselves, and further argued that fighting over oil supplies isn't such a bad thing, as international trade and security go hand in hand.

At least that's what I think he said...

The BBC presenters seemed taken aback, but I actually have to be in Alpesh's camp on this one.

Whether I agree with him or not his opinion was clear and unequivocal, and refreshing because of that.

Now, bring on tonight's Keiser Report on Russian Today...

Got a Pension? Spend it before you are 40

So now the government are thinking of letting people have access to their pensions by the time they are in their mid-30's.

So we are now dismantling the concept of pensions all together.

So how does his make sense?

Well, it seems independent bodies reckon its nice people can have access to their money that they put away.

Doesn't this expose fundamental flaws in the UK pension system, and make you wonder just why this lateral option is being considered.

I imagine this now means your pension earnings can be spent and provide more tax way ahead of schedule.

Now, is this private pensions only - what about the government pension scheme we are all entitled to: yes the one that is already woefully short of money...

I wonder if this is the start of the abolition of that, which we have all already contributed billions of pounds towards.

Reminds me of the Millenium Dome, built by the tax payer, left to rot by the government until they could sell it for what £5, or £1, I forget, and now making large profits, while the government has agreed the taxpayer should continue to pay for the upkeep....

Wonder when the banks are going to pay us all back with interest?

So now the pundits are talking more shit

Well,
The 2 leaders got together and welcomed the country to the new alliance.

And what did the pundits do?
Well, the most of them who were on the spot gave their 'expert' view - "trouble ahead, DC was excited and welcoming, while NC was reserved, severe and guarded".  then they got the body langoes in, who tried to cook up some more conspiracy sauce by reading NC as subliminally en garde.
I can't believe journalists can be so crap at their job.

Why not read it another way...
The Liberal Democrats are the minority partner, with voters who really didn't want to vote for conservative policies (so we are told by the same journoes I don't trust, but let's use their own novella to break down their latest theory).  So for public's sake, would it make sense for their leader to appear to be guarding the interests of those who aren't tory sympathisers?  Yes?  Remember, we have the party members and organisation who have all approved the move.

The Conservatives for their part really need the majority to form a government, and also have their own party grumblers who would rather see Francis Urquhart wearing the crown than David Cameron, so shouldn't it make sense that a successful coalition in government with a (Centre Left??) party would strengthen reform of the tories away from the peasant, er pheasant, baggers who regard cemeteries as prime real estate giveaways to business allies, and arms deals as inheritance for their children?
And let's not forget that nice excited David does have scary Michael Howard back in cabinet.

Its funny, no matter how often the journoes call it wrong, they still want to be tabloid king makers and keep writing the script until finally they make us believe their storyline.  Could it really have ben the same journalists 'ramping up' bigot-gate, who then Mills and Booned Gordon Brown's farewell scene as he resigned?

I can't help feeling that journalism in this country is more interested in keeping us all badly informed and stupid, than anything else.

When is a bigot a baddie-boo? When a journo is a piggie-wig

Gordon Goofed!! And called a much to say local lady a bigot in private, thinking the microphone was off.

The media have danced on this like its the bacchanale of lesbos with no tomorrow in the summer of 1968 after an lsd/viagra cocktail accidentally got into all the water, er no, these are journoes, alcohol supply...

COME ON!! Let's stop being patronised.

If you listen to the poor man, he wasn't rabid, he didn't call the woman a 'northern bitch', or witch for that matter, or even a bastard like John Major did, he called her a bigot.


And what is a bigot?  Someone with entrenched prejudiced ideas that won't be moved by reason, nothing worse.
Is this bad language to use? No.
Was it complementary? No.
Was he right? I don't know, I don't think so judging by what I heard.
Was it said in private? Yes.
Was it said by someone under pressure of a tight schedule, judging the encounter a mistake, and putting it in the light of it should never have happened, when he is fighting for his job, and his beliefs, and disagreed with the person? Yes.
Is it understandable, have we ever done anything like that?  don't you fucking lie and say no, because then I know you will have done worse.

The journoes with their cynical mockery and band wagon jumping king making pride most certainly will have done much worse.

I am not defending Labour, or joining sides, or being contrary.  I just think the baying crowd need to pipe down and stop their hypocrisy.

Any way, now, I beleive the good lady socialist is about to make a lot of money from the gaffe, so maybe thanks are in order...

The News of the World and Satan

Oh dear!

Was that headline sensational?

No, then maybe I was 300 years too late...

... but if that kind of attitude is all in the past and from a bygone age of superstition and manipulation of the many by the few, then why is News of the World playing the Satan game today?

I don't mean demonising an 'overpaid, oversexed, not that nice' professional football player, which I guess in itself has something of the Spanish inquisition about it.

I do mean why they and the rest of their brethren press engage in destructive news foraging to find ways of exposing private instances of misdemeanour and raising the issue to the level of a national trial by opinion.

Do I care what John Terry has been up to? No, but...

Actually, yes I do, because it is such a farcical affair of no consequence, so what is the reason for it being the natio-anal headline? Aren't we being encouraged to believe in nothing and one the 1 second hail a group of highly paid individuals as national heroes, just so we can be told they are evildoers and hedonists the next? If it is low rent media fodder, why aren't the big natioanl dailies and news sources ridiculing the whole madness?

The BBC and ITV, and all media outlets have played their part in this... Please if you read this comment on what national news media has graced themselves by leaving this alone.

Remember Why MPs are Wankers?

Well, now that is all done, lets consider just whether the draughty building was a metaphor for the general financial management of Westminster Affairs, MPs' expenses, and the vulnerability of public money to political use. I have nmothing more to say on that, as it all spoke for itself.

These people ended abusing a system without even realising they were doing it - that's how far the nations policy barons are without guide or proper rule.

FiveFWD - Soapbox race video from The Gadget Show

Nice item from the Gadget Show Team on how to build a Gravity (or Soap Box) racer

FiveFWD - Soapbox race video from The Gadget Show

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