Students' union in bizarre mental breakdown!

What is it with some students' unions. The one at the University of Manchester has gone into some kind of mental loopiness. They don't seem to know much and don't appear to have learnt much. For a start they don't know the difference between sex and gender. Of course gender is a hijacked word. No longer a grammatical term to distinguish between the male and female in the written language, it has become a word to mean any form of sexual proclivity on a scale of 1-100!
Not content with talking nonsense about "gender", they are also into the Humpty Dumpty world of making up words to suit themselves. "Transphobia"!!! Ever heard of it. Is it a phobia of going across something? No, it's a word they made up to have a go at the people they think are against trans-sexuals and trans-anything else. I imagine you could be transphobic on transport, transit systems, transatlantic flights, or maybe with transfatty acids. Transphobia could be catching.

These people are absurdly stupid. They have come up with "toilets with urinals" to say where "gents" go. The "ladies" simply go "toilets". Why stop there. Heavens, don't they know that TOILET is terribly non-U? It's LAVATORY!! But why should they care? They're on a mission for zealots.

Some years ago, on the BBC News Quiz, Willie Rushton said, (apparently overheard), "A vacancy for a gentlemen to clean the toilets at Victoria Station!?! Hardly a job for a gentleman!"

Times change, eh?

Ron Paul speaks out

More from Ron Paul on the bail-out bail-out!

Ron Paul's message beats Bush's - 228 to 205!

So George Bush's grand ideas of splashing money around have come to nought. The House voted it down. Ron Paul is right. This is nothing to do with "Free Enterprise" but rather the interventionist, special interest group, corporatist cabal that has created this mess.

This is Ron Paul's message from the floor of the House. I get the impression that his lone voice is not so lone anymore!

George Bush jokes - "If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier. Just so long as I was the victor" - But it isn't, thank goodness!

Where's all the "lost" money gone?

This is what I don't get. If I drop a penny in the street, I've lost that penny. Maybe on a temporary basis if I find it again. If someone else finds it, he or she is the proud possessor. It's only really lost if it falls into the sewers never to be seen again. The penny is only useful if used for a purchase or lent out with interest. Othewise it has no value.

All this talk about banks losing money is very mystifying. If they've lost it, who has got it now? Unless they burnt bundles of cash, somebody has the use of it now. When companies go bust, you can bet your bottom dollar that somebody has made use of money in ways that were not always appropriate. But unless it's down the drain it is somewhere.

So where is this $700 billion coming from and where is it going to? I know that as night follows day, some people are going to see some of this trickle through their bank accounts. It isn't all going down the drain, is it?

The only person to "lose" his money, and his jewels mainly, was King John in the Wash. The loss of his personal belongings affected his health and state of mind. It is said he succumbed to dysentery and died shortly afterwards. Well, he was justified in feeling his loss. But those who gamble on future profits may obtain money from others or find it slipping away from their hold. They know whether they have it or not.

The only other way to have money is to print it. Not a good idea for governments. There is talk of panic in the hedge funds over investors withdrawing their cash. John P. Rigas, the chief executive of Sciens Capital Management, is reported in the New York Times as saying,“It’s difficult with hedge funds because they are very fragile. By their nature they’re fragile instruments because investors can ask for their money.” So the hedge fund "loses" the money (use of) and the investor "gains" the money (use of again). We know where it is. Now unless the investor copies King John, he will put it somewhere. It will not be lost.

This is not about losing money. It is all about TRUST! "In God We Trust" is the official motto of the United States. The word trust is not to be bandied around lightly. Most of us now do not trust banks, politicians, or economic pundits. That is where we need to steady ourselves.

Trust is far more important than "losing" money.

Free enterprise is dead!

Yes, if the Congress votes to prop up dodgy-dealing bankers but not other business types. Free enterprise is over. Partially-supported (by dragooned taxpayers) enterprise is in. This means that those industries and/or companies that various governments deem so important from the state's point of view will be saved (executives included?) and those that are not will perish on the economic vine.

There are some good ideas for the future floating around. One is to tax bonus-gatherers at high rates and put the tax into a fund for safeguarding against such events as we see now. Whatever happens, the future will be different from the past.

If we take the Bradford & Bingley, they were probably quick to put defaulters into bankruptcy. How come the taxpayer can't put the B&B into bankruptcy? Sauce for the goose, but not the gander? We are told that bank failures will be bad for the economy. I'm now of the opinion that this is hogwash and is only propaganda by the bank owners. They have put themselves above the law, above economic norms and above the democratic system. In the UK, we are told that depositors will suffer. Well, they know or should know that £35,000 is ring-fenced. If they have their lifesavings in one bank, then they have only themselves to blame in the event of a bank failure.

Well run banks should not suffer failure, but those that took the Las Vegas route are falling like nine-pins. The way the American and British governments talk, it is as if ALL banks will disappear. That is surely absurd. Just like any other market, one bank will come in to mop up the business of the failed company.

The only asset the taxpayer is getting is a vast bundle of toxic loans. It is no wonder that many around the world are rightly questioning this bail-out. If these people are bailed out then they should be held accountable. I'm glad to see the FBI is investigating. Maybe we will find out what really went on.

Ed Balls in Nazi uniform shocker!

We all knew New Labour was sleazy. Perhaps their constant denigration of the Tories in 1997 was just a ruse to hide their own propensity for hypocrisy, petty sniping and financial greed through subterfuge. A long time ago, some wag said that the downfall of the Tories was sex and the downfall of Labour was money. The Liberals weren't mentioned, but history tells us it was both and some more!!

So Ed Balls, student boozer and amateur sexist, has some history that the Daily Mail has unearthed. I don't condemn him for student nonsense. We've all been there. What I do condemn is his new-found prissy politics which tends to condemn others, especially the Tories, when he, and his prissy wife, suggest that they alone have the moral high ground. The more this government is in power, the more it appears to be a moral low bog.

Ron Paul tackles Bernanke on "thin air credit"

Where does Ben Benanke get this $700 billion from? Ron Paul thinks he's creating credit out of thin air. Nobody has said where this money is coming from. George Bush calls the whole plan "a sucker", Henry Paulson gets down on bended knee to plead for the plan to go through Congress after a shouting match in the White House. However, nobody tells us where this money is coming from.

The Federal Reserve Act to which Benanke alludes and from which he derives his authority to create thin-air money, came about because 101 years ago there was what was called the Bankers' Panic. It nearly did for the USA what the bankers of today have almost done. So we have the Federal Reserve System. In that it is well named. They are highly reserved when it comes to explaining things. Benanke agrees that price-fixing is wrong, but he goes only that far.

If I were an American I'd be asking two questions. Where's this coming from? Will I, and all my fellow countrymen, being paying it off for years to come? The Archbishop of York was right about Alice in Wonderland stuff. Lewis Carroll's famous character, Humpty Dumpty said he made words mean what he wanted them to mean. Humpty Dumpty's devotees are hard at work with this bail-out!

Letterman lets McCain know a thing or two!

John McCain can't be thinking straight. He lets David Letterman down by cancelling at the last minute (or at least within the last hour!), but sidles up to Katie Couric, a chirpy "news" gatherer, and gives her his latest economic tips.

Dave's somewhat cheesed off! Watch this gem.

New Conservative website

I've been checking out the Conservative Party's new website. Can't seem to find my "local Conservatives" but maybe I clicked the wrong button. It comes across as very user friendly. The Conservative wall has a large number of people saying what they want, most of which is hard to disagree with.

Contrary to what the ridiculous Harriet Harman said about lack of policies, there are a whole host of them. On "Democracy" I would take issue with two points. Address the West Lothian question and give English MPs a decisive say on laws that affect only England does not address that question. It only goes to give another version of a two-tier House of Commons as we already have job-sharing MPs. Either no devolution or everybody gets it. This is one issue the Tories haven't grasped yet.

We are in favour of a substantially elected House of Lords would be totally disastrous. Stuffed with failed MPs, or bagmen, or "issues-driven" cronies of the PM of the day. Not one single elected "Lord" would be any better than the present composition. Plus they would be ratcheting up the democratic challenge! Another issue the Tories haven't grasped yet.

All in all, though, a good accessible website. I still can't find the "locals"!

Germany to be pre-eminent in world banking?

After German commandos come the German bankers. No such soft option for them! They can weather the financial storm. German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck has deemed the US banking crisis an "earthquake" that will cost the US its role as a superpower of the world financial system. He stressed that German banks can cope with losses.

It's all down to greed, lack of regulation and a "a blind drive for double-digit profits". Look out Wall Street, the Bundesbankers are coming! Reiterating Berlin's push for tighter regulation, Steinbrueck accused the US of blunders. "The cause of the crisis was the irresponsible exaggeration of the principle of a free, unrestrained market," he told the Bundestag. And from this morning's radio output, quite a few in the "Anglo-Saxon" market agree with him.

"New rules of the road" for the financial markets were needed, he said. I guess that means he has hopes for the European Union to take the baton from the stricken Wall Street wonders!

Mr. Micawber always thought "something would turn up" and American bankers seem to have spent the Bush years thinking the same thing. No wonder there was a shouting match in the White House last night!

German commandos storm KLM flight

In a daring assault on a KLM flight, German commandos have arrested two men on an aeroplane preparing to take off from Cologne airport. A Somali, 23, and a Somali-born German, 24, were suspected of planning attacks and were detained after several months of surveillance, police said.

This is a good result, all the better for catching them in the act. All the more evidence means all the more likelihood of a conviction.

Plus, with German efficiency, the plane was cleared for departure just over an hour later and has since landed in Amsterdam.

As they say in parts of London, "That's what I call a result!"

Ron Paul vindicated

Over much of the Republican primary contest, Ron Paul was sidelined and virtually ignored by the media that was busily sticking its head further into the sand. Sand blown in by the spivs and speculators, no doubt.

I came to see that Ron Paul spoke for people like me. Naturally conservative, but not hidebound. Libertarian to a degree, but not zealously so. I reckon there are plenty of people like that, not only in the US, but in the UK and beyond. Ron Paul gathered an army of supporters via the internet. But he failed to win the nomination.

His way has been rejected, or at least for the moment. Paulson's policies now prevail. But Ron Paul saw this coming. Bonnie Alba puts it well, when she says on the RenewAmerica site, "Ron Paul: the republic's financial prophet". In 2000 he said this -

"Although many claim the 1990s have been great economic years, Federal Reserve board action of the past decade has caused problems yet to manifest themselves. The inevitable correction will come as the new century begins and is likely to be quite serious.

The stage has been set. Rampant monetary growth has led to historic high asset inflation, massive speculation, over-capacity, malinvestment, excessive debt, negative savings rate, and a current account deficit of huge proportions. These conditions dictate a painful adjustment, something that would have never occurred under a gold standard. The special benefits of foreigners taking our inflated dollars for low-priced goods and then loaning them back to us will eventually end. The dollar must fall, interest rates must rise, price inflation will accelerate, the financial asset bubble will burst, and a dangerous downturn in the economy will follow."

Well, well, well! The bubble has burst. And a dangerous downturn has followed. What does the Bible say about prophets in their own lands? We were warned, OK!!

Paulson to bail out his mates!

On BBC News tonight it was suggested that this credit crunch cook-up is a way to keep the banks in place, make sure future investment could work for business, and above all raise confidence all round. That's one point of view. Another is that Secretary Paulson, a former CEO of Goldman Sachs, is just bailing out his mates who got the green-eyed monster syndrome.

This is a huge amount of money. Well, it's not real money, its computer money. It's going to be based on somebody, Paulson today, speaking for Uncle Sam's counting house and saying that every man woman and child in America, plus every tourist and casual visitor, is going to be paying in HIGHER TAXES for years to come.

When Hurricane Katrina struck the coast of Louisiana, George Bush just carried on with his own stuff. It took a second hurricane for him to get his act together somewhat. When the credit crunch first hit us about 14 months ago, Bush just said that "folks were hurting". It took a monumental collapse of well-known banking giants for him to blink at the sunshine!

Over the last year many have enriched themselves by duplicitous business dealings and a slyness that not even Lucifer could conjure up. Now we are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. Do we bail out these buggers and hope for the best or let them rot with the stink eventually overwhelming us all.

This is not about free enterprise or the making of profit or the soundness of monetary policies. There were no policies, there was no control, it was greed, gambling, and gutlessnes that has led us here.

I heard it said tonight that this is not an Enron, it's many Enron's. However, it's not much point going after these guys. Just let's make it cast-iron guaranteed that they never get anywhere near a whiff of other people's money again.

Harriet Harman - the kind of girl your father warned you of!

Harriet Harman has some cheek. She is the prim and proper daughter of radical upper class types, who has spent a lifetime cajoling others in the benefits of socialism, but failing to live up to her own words. She has been caught out with dodgy donations; she has, like other New Labour apparatchiks, weasled her way round the education system for her own children whilst espousing "local schools" for others.

Positioning herself as a feminist and Labour party survivor, she has a mean streak which is somewhat unpleasant. So it is not surprising that she accuses the Conservatives of "breathtaking arrogance", saying leader David Cameron was "not quite right". She goes on - "He's the kind of man your mother used to warn you about. He'll promise you the world. But if he ever got his wicked way with you - in the ballot box - you'd never hear from him again."

Well, we heard from her alright. Her party has caused the Treasury pot to become empty, she has been over zealous in her determination to support all the anti-freedom measures of this government, such as ID cards, 42 days detention, surveillance of the individual and a cavalier attitude to international law. The inept handling of sensitive computer material, the lax approach to prison releases, the slapdash way the state of our hospitals is handled, and the general "briefing" in the press rather than confronting Parliament with the facts all add to the mayhem.

The Labour Party has a coterie of sleazy hangers-on, all supping at a table with "New Labour" ideas laid out on it, which the rest of us find unpalatable. All in all, Harriet Harman has brass neck - I'll give her that.

She is the kind of woman no Tory could really feel comfortable with. A whiff of hypocrisy, the scent of duplicity, but above all a cold fish attitude to those she disagrees with.

I'd hazard a guess that most fathers would warn their sons of her "charms"!!

Teething problems? I'm whiter than white!

Having a grin that shows off your pearly white gnashers is the thing that most Americans assume is the ultimate in dental sophistication. Although I'm not sure there's much "sophos" about it, though.

The BBC has got a nice little piece about the comparison between British teeth and American ones. These whitened teeth, sometimes looking like a clinical makeover, are highly prized by the movers and shakers of the entertainment industry. But others are excited by it all too. One dental makeover said, "The first thing I notice on people is their smile. I wanted a confidence boost - I was putting my hand over my mouth before, now I can smile. And the compliments have come flooding in. People haven't noticed my teeth, but say I look well." Pity about not noticing the teeth, but is it all really necessary.

Good dental health is not about fake teeth, but fine teeth. No human tooth comes whiter than white. Simon Cowell has been promoted as a perfect specimen of white teeth, but they just give me the impression he's become like a Madame Tussaud's character.

It amuses me about some Americans' desire for the perfect body. Does it matter? In a country that professes to hold Christian truths dear, what does such vanity tell us about those with white grinders behind the grins?

Cow causes motorway pile-up!

An escaped cow caused a five-car pile-up when it strayed on to a motorway in West Lothian. The poor cow died from her injuries. In cases like this one wonders what goes through the heads of the drivers. First, it seems they have to get to point B regardless. Second, they have no notion of stopping. As the first vehicle dodged the lost cow, it collided with another car - starting the five-car crash.

As this was at half past eleven at night, a stopped car, with warning lights flashing should be enough to, at least, encourage other motorists to slow down and stop.

The end result is one dead cow, five bashed cars and a few injured motorists.

When will people think about what they do? Sgt David Gray, of Lothian and Borders Police, said, "The people had a pretty lucky escape. Unfortunately the animal did not." It's a matter of too many lucky escapes and not enough common sense!

Experienced man looks a bit like a novice!

Ruth Kelly is leaving the Government to spend more time with her family. Usual remarks, but for her, probably true. She would want to, and why not.

As for the reasons other than this, well, they stand out a mile. She grins and offers profuse praise for the Prime Minister. He, in turn, burbles about, "There are no political issues between Ruth and me." Really? She is known to be unhappy with the direction of the government over recent months. Before the prime minister's conference speech on Tuesday, it was also known that a number of cabinet ministers had been considering resigning with her. She smiles sweetly and says she was surprised that the news came out today. Really? She says she spoke to "Gordon" months ago. So someone leaked their agreement about the timing of her departure? When would we have known, if not today?

If I were Gordon Brown, I'd be a bit miffed at her cockiness. However, it does tend to show that he is a bit of a novice in keeping his cabinet together. Blair would have shrugged it all off with a "well, yeah, er!" retort.

"I'm all in favour of apprenticeships, but let me tell you this is no time for a novice," says Brown, referring to David Cameron, but taken up by the press to mean Miliband. Gordon Brown had a lengthy time as Chancellor in which he kept telling everyone he'd served his "apprenticeship" and he wanted to be Prime Minister. His apprenticeship didn't mean he wasn't going to be a novice as PM.

In his conference speech, Gordon Brown mentioned this "new settlement for new times" every so often but we are waiting to hear what it will really be. He painted a rosy picture of New Labour's achievements, but the real problems are stored up due to excessive borrowing and running the public purse dry.

I think a novice might do things a bit better!

Top of the Pops

Gordon Brown and The Novices

Gordon Brown has staked his claim to be the only man to steer Britain through tough economic times saying, "This is no time for a novice."

No time for a ditherer, either!

Ron Paul endorses Chuck Baldwin

Ron Paul has come out and endorses Chuck Baldwin! Here is part of what he said.

"The Libertarian Party Candidate admonished me for “remaining neutral” in the presidential race and not stating whom I will vote for in November. It’s true; I have done exactly that due to my respect and friendship and support from both the Constitution and Libertarian Party members. I remain a lifetime member of the Libertarian Party and I’m a ten-term Republican Congressman. It is not against the law to participate in more then one political party. Chuck Baldwin has been a friend and was an active supporter in the presidential campaign.

I’ve thought about the unsolicited advice from the Libertarian Party candidate, and he has convinced me to reject my neutral stance in the November election. I’m supporting Chuck Baldwin, the Constitution Party candidate."

So now it's moving on time. Ron Paul Republicans either vote Republican, Constitution, Libertarian or just stay at home. They may just vote for Obama. But the vote is split whatever happens.

Read more here at Reason.com

Miliband's Heseltine Moment!

David Miliband is what my father would have called "a thruster" by which he meant someone to be wary of. Miliband is a bit loose with the tongue. Unlike the chirpy Hazel Blears, Miliband is more of the sidling up and conspiratorial grin type. If I were Gordon Brown I'd move him to be Leader of the House and get Hoon in, much as I detest Hoon for his duplicitous dealings over Iraq.

Miliband was overheard telling an aide, “I couldn’t have gone any further. It would have been a Heseltine moment.” He thinks!?! All the signs are there. He is being both disloyal and disingenuous. Miliband may be the bookies favourite, but I'd not lay any bets on him. If we are to get a possible new leader of the Labour Party, I'd plump for John Denham or Alan Johnson. The rest, well just look at the possibles from this set!

The Foreign Secretary said that he had toned down his Labour conference speech to avoid embarrassing Gordon Brown. Is that what he really thinks? He must think we were all born yesterday!

Birmingham City Council makes clowns cry!

With all the news of dodgy bankers, short sellers with long memories, and ineffectual watchdogs, you'd think that having a bit of fun was OK. In Birmingham there is going to be a circus with clowns. Part of their act involves using trumpets. This would be fun, I'd think. Not for Birmingham City Council's licensing regulators. When they heard about it, they nearly got the tent folded. RULES!!! REGULATIONS!!! REDTAPE!!!! They went into spoilsport mode and became very functionary indeed.

Jacqui Kennedy, Birmingham City Council's director of regulatory services, has said, "Under the Licensing Act 2003 elements of the programme proposed by Zippos (the circus in question) would fall into the category of regulated entertainment. On that basis such events would require either a licence under the Licensing Act 2003, or a Temporary Event Notice under the same legislation. Birmingham City Council do not condone unlicensed events."

She won't be going to the circus! All this is correct, but this law is another one that hasn't been thought out properly. It is supposed to -

1. Prevent crime and disorder. 2. Promote public safety. 3. Refrain from being a public nuisance. 4. Protect children from harm.

None of these is in any way reason for Ms Kennedy to ban the clowns from playing their trumpets. Most of these laws are round-about ways for councils to make MORE MONEY and not for the betterment of society. The real point here is that the circus would have to get a licence to play the trumpets. COST enters the fray.

Let's be honest about these things. Let's not dress up laws so that they make a mockery of common sense. Ms Kennedy has only succeded in making the clowns cry and showing up Birmingham City Council as a jobsworth outfit.

Lehman Brothers' New York staff to keep $2.5bn bonuses!

What a life! These people get to keep their trough cash after they ran the bank into the proverbial manure! WOW! And where was most of this money? Sitting in an account in London. The crafty crooks shunted it across the Atlantic so they can get it ringfenced.

I'd ringfence them, in a stockade, and let the creditors at them and their bonus bundle. But I'm wishful-thinking. Those that control the "system" have other ideas.

Hazel Blears armed with shears?

Hazel Blears has been talking a lot to Dominic Lawson. He's very good at listening. And then writing down all he's heard! Hazel is spot on at talking. She's like a human canary that just loves to sing. However, a lot of what she says is just waffle that is very easy to agree with but very easy to feel baffled about.

She says, "I personally am one of the few cabinet ministers who come from a very working-class background – a traditional Salford two-up, two-down terrace house. Mum and Dad left school at 14; and I know that the old stateist system didn't work for the people I come from." So New Labour does? She doesn't seem bothered about an alternative to the stateist system, but I agree it doesn't work.

She says, of David Cameron, "Some of the polling I've seen recently says that Cameron is likeable, and that's the most often-used word about him – but also inexperienced." She implies that inexperience is not a good thing, but Blair was inexperienced. How does she think she got her experience?

Dominic Lawson says that "Hazel Blears is one of those rare politicians who find it almost physically impossible to dissemble. Perhaps this is why she is able to remain so cheerful at such a difficult time: unlike some of her colleagues she is not burdened by the constant strain of denial. Telling it like it is makes life so much easier." She does tell it, but I'm not so sure it is like it is but her perception of it. Also, by just telling us stuff wihout giving us any idea of what could be possible politically, we have a rare bird indeed!

Men with sexist views 'earn more'

Another study, another supposition. This time it is suggested that men who grow up thinking women should stay at home could end up well ahead in the salary stakes. They may be labelled "old-fashioned" - but they are the winners.

Do we need a study to tell us this. Just idle conversation down the pub or over the dinner table would confirm this! Dr Magdalena Zawisza, a psychologist from Winchester University, said that there were a number of theories which might explain the difference between a new-man's wealth and that of a fuddy-duddy.

She said, "It could be that more traditionally-minded men are interested in power, both in terms of access to resources - money in this case - and also in terms of a woman who is submissive. Another theory suggests that employers are more likely to promote men who are the sole earner in preference to those who do not - they recognise that they need more support for their families, because they are the breadwinner."

These aren't theories. They are just how it is. Her second "theory" is self evidently a fact, however much we may disagree with its outcome. Maybe we should have a study into time-wasting initiatives by professorial types.

Chocolate makes you fat - no it doesn't. Cycling is bad for you - no it isn't. And so on! Haven't they got better things to do?

Obama outspends McCain!

What was I saying about the Palin effect? Just as I'm doing my morning swoop of the news, I come across the campaign contribution figures for August. They show Obama got a financial boost after Palin joined the Republican ticket. Barack Obama received a minor fundraising bump after he named Joe Biden as his running mate but raked in huge sums after Republican rival John McCain picked Sarah Palin to be his vice presidential nominee. Does that tell you something? There is talk that McCain may be having second thoughts.

If the vice-president slot is anything to go by, then Joe Biden (who has a few cleaned up skeletons removed from his cupboard) is ahead of Sarah Palin (who has some skeletons, plus a witchhunter, yet to be sanitised and removed from her cupboard) in the media tit-for-tat stakes.

This report from the LA Times is interesting. I get the impression the Republicans are slightly rattled. They should have picked Ron Paul, but hey, that was then and now is now. On this sort of contribution ration, Obama will win if money talks!

Stonehenge an early ER!

According to scientists, Stonehenge was erected around 2300 BC and was some kind of open air ER, without a George Clooney character. Most "operating" there would have been bonesetters and cough mixture peddlers. If that was the case, the wild and windy Wiltshire countryside would have echoed to the sound of screams and yells. Sounds very macabre.

An excavation inside the henge by Profs Tim Darvill and Geoff Wainwright has revealed, as they think, a kind of "healing Lourdes". Some have argued that it is an ancestor worship temple. Others think it is some kind of sun clock. Whatever it is, it is old and of infinite interest to those who what it to be something.

A BBC Timewatch special is broadcast on BBC Two at 2005 BST on Saturday 27 September. Maybe worth watching.

Palin is 'failin'!

I'm hoping I'm not becoming obsessed with Sarah Palin, but everywhere you look concerning the US Presidential election, her name pops up. It's a bit like shooting ducks at the fairground.

I was looking around for a take on Obama and found an interesting article by Wayne Brown of the Nation News from Barbados. Wayne thinks Sarah Palin is 'failin' and he paints a fairly accurate picture.

When she was picked by McCain the whole world went "Sarah who?" and then they started reading up on her. Having done that, they've made an opinion. She has galvanised Democrats into standing firm and she will probably not attract the independents. But the big question is, as Wayne puts it, will she cause Republicans of a less conservative viewpoint to peel off?

He says, "It's a fair guess that even moderate Republicans will increasingly develop immunity to her charms as they get a better look at the 'replacement president' John McCain is offering them." Replacement President? Now that's the crucial issue in the whole campaign. Americans do have to ask the question "Do I want her as president?" Unlike previous contests this is a bit more of an obvious conundrum.

I live in a brand? Yes, Brandtown in Brandshire!

Where do you live? In a town or village or large city? If it's a large city you'd be mistaken if you didn't think it was a "brand". According to those who claim to run things, Birmingham is a brand. Those of us who want to see Warwickshire restored to glory rather than as a truncated toy of the commercial world are going to need our wits about us.

There is some assinine think-tank called the Centre for Cities, which is an offshoot of the Institute of Public Policy Research. A certain Hannah Brown, of this think-tank, wrote a report in which she thinks the old West Midland "County" could be "rebranded" as Greater Birmingham. She says, “If you are trying to attract a global investor in Chicago or Shanghai, the chances of them knowing the ins and outs of the West Midlands, or the difference between Solihull and Dudley, are probably low. So you need an easy-to-understand brand. This could be Greater Birmingham. It could be something else, but a single identity is more likely to be successful. It does seem that in the West Midlands conurbation, there are a lot of cities which would be more successful if they clubbed together more than they do.”

Hannah, my dear, if any investor in Chicago or Shanghai was so dim as to not be able to find out where Solihull or Dudley was, they wouldn't be worth the effort! Anyway, what business is it of theirs to influence and force the hand of our politicians? They can look at Google Maps like the rest of us!

The trouble is that most of these characters are lamentably out of touch. Sandwell Council leader, Coun Bill Thomas, has said he favoured the name change for marketing purposes – as long as the Black Country boroughs retained their individual identities. "In terms of the name, we need to look at Manchester where they have successfully sold the concept of a Greater Manchester,” he said. “We need to bury our parochialism and work for the greater good of the region - and ‘Greater Birmingham’ would be recognised internationally.”

Speak for yourself Bill! It is not being parochial to want your local identity. He is prepared to have his identity preserved but appears not to want it for others. That is why many of us want our counties back and a stop to this horrendous hacking about of local areas. The Great Grocer started it and it seems he has left behind a number of devotees! Well, it's about time we moved them aside.

A well-coiled Miliband ready to spring

It seems Gordon Brown is doing his best to curry favour with the delegates at the Labour Party conference. After a summer of a little discontent, he is trying to re-establish his authority. Labour MPs are relatively cheered and Brown is getting a "bounce" in the opinion polls. Apparently some members of the British public think he is handling this present financial crisis well. Well enough to know spivs when he sees them. My only complaint on this subject is that he isn't doing much to contain them. OK, the short selling system has been defused, but the guys involved in all this are really Del Boys with computers. I know it sounds a bit snobby, but one of the problems with the Thatcher years was letting those that were used to market stall trading move into the computerised world of banking unchecked.

So Brown gets a little bit of peace coming his way. Doesn't stop those seeking to replace him from moving the chairs in the Cabinet Room. David Miliband is seen as an obvious choice by the media. But I think he will not have voter appeal at this time. However, he will be a contender, and he is like a jack-in-the-box currently. My hunch is that Alan Johnson will come through. He is a man who can sup with all kinds and still seem like one of them. He would give Labour back its working class inheritance whilst giving it the veneer of New Labour modernisation. But, unlike Miliband, is he ready to spring?

Palin's electoral success due to witchhunter's prayer!

The forthcoming US Presidential election is not only vitally important to Americans but to the rest of the world too. Sorry thing is that I don't get a vote. However, I get a say through this blog! Because it is important to me. After all, the spivs and speculators of the sub-prime fiasco have helped destroy one British bank and almost toppled a second, not to mention other businesses going bust by the day.

So I am a bit concerned about who may end up in the White House. If Sarah Palin does, will she bring her witchhunter clerical friend with her as spiritual advisor? For me, it's getting more bizarre but maybe that's what it's all about.

Her friend is Thomas Muthee, a pastor in the pentecostal church Palin attends. She claims this cleric, who founded his ministry with a witchhunt against a Kenyan woman who he accused of causing car accidents through demonic spells, prayed so hard she won the Governorship of Alaska! She says, “As I was mayor and Pastor Muthee was here and he was praying over me, and you know how he speaks and he’s so bold. And he was praying “Lord make a way, Lord make a way. And I’m thinking, this guy’s really bold, he doesn’t even know what I’m going to do, he doesn’t know what my plans are. And he’s praying not “oh Lord if it be your will may she become governor,” no, he just prayed for it. He said “Lord make a way and let her do this next step. And that’s exactly what happened.” Wow! And she became Governor!

What next? Appears God is getting ready to intervene - He's invading Alaska! It's all too much for me.

Sarah Palin's Alaskan Armageddon

Todd Palin seals his lips!

The husband of John McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, has refused to give evidence in the "Troopergate" investigation of his wife's alleged abuse of power as governor of Alaska. Troopergate is the name given to this alleged scandal over accusations that Sarah Palin sacked the state's public safety commissioner because he refused to fire her former brother-in-law, a state trooper. I don't think I'd like to get on the wrong side of this woman. Unlike the easily-pleased gathering at the Republican Convention, I sense she may be a little like fluff around cold steel. I hope I'm wrong, because if not, and she gets elected, John McCain is in for a hard time!

Meanwhile, as the investigation gathers slight speed, state senators have claimed that unco-operative witnesses are effectively sidetracking the probe until after US election day. Perish the thought!

Todd Palin was among 13 people subpoenaed by the Alaska legislature. Are the others so tightlipped? Come on Sarah, own up, tell us what happened and let this all die down.

Bankrowling Labour!

JK Rowling has given £1 million to the Labour Party. She must be the only person in the world at this time propping up a failing organisation, other than those using other peoples' money! Rather primly, she says that New Labour has done an awful lot of good for underprivileged children. That's a little at odds with what certain charities say. However, no doubt it makes her feel good.

In some ways this is a redistribution of wealth. Children pay large sums for her Harry Potter books and she gives some back, supposedly for children. I suspect a large slice of her cash will go to pay off Labour debts!

This is a bit more of a publicity stunt and political statement than it is sound financial thinking. If she wants to help children then give it to them straight!

Bin Laden versus The Credit Crunchers

Yesterday it was put to be that the Credit Crunchers of the Sub-Prime Mortgage Fiasco had done considerably more damage to the world economy than Osama Bin Laden and his Ferral Fighters.

The Credit Crunchers have several banks to their score. Northern Rock, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, HBOS, Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac. They nearly got the AIG conglomeration, but Uncle Sam's Bag Carrier saw that one off. Which means that most Americans won't see their taxes come down anytime soon!

The Ferral Fighters have caused the full-blown Iraq debacle, Guantanamo Bay Incarceration Center, the Patriot Act, the World Trade Center and Pentagon outrages, and the London Bombings to occur.

The Credit Crunchers have almost destroyed the "system" by greed and subterfuge, causing untold misery for those with lost homes, businesses, jobs and inner well-being. However, they have not killed anybody as far as I know.

The Ferral Fighters have killed many but have yet to destroy our inner well-being and have caused considerably less destruction to the "system".

So who has done more damage? I think the jury is out on this one!

Ron Paul saw it coming!

Ron Paul saw it coming over six years ago. This is what he told Congress. You wonder what red meat they've been eating. Ostrich by any chance?

He told them that if Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were not underwritten by the federal government investors would demand the institutions held to higher management and accounting practices.

"Ironically, by transferring the risk of a widespread mortgage default, the government increases the likelihood of a painful crash in the housing market," Paul predicted. "This is because the special privileges granted to Fannie and Freddie have distorted the housing market by allowing them to attract capital they could not attract under pure market conditions. As a result, capital is diverted from its most productive use into housing. This reduces the efficacy of the entire market and thus reduces the standard of living of all Americans."

THAT WAS FIVE YEARS AGO! Deaf buggers, aren't they?

Congress is oblivious to it all says Ron Paul

Listen to this! Ron Paul outlines what's wrong with the present situation. Makes a whole load of sense, I think. No wonder those morons want him sidelined!

Ron Paul on the Global Financial Crisis 9/18/08

Park attendants ordered to interrogate adults spotted without children

This is another case of political incorrectness gone mad. In the "We are watching you" council of Telford (Tory run no less!) David Ottley, the recreation manager said in a letter to a member of the public over the issue of stopping and interrogating anyone who is not accompanied by children, "Our town park staff approach adults that are not associated with any children in the park and request the reason for them being there. In particular, this applies to those areas where children or more vulnerable groups gather."

So somebody walking alone during their lunch break in the park is being watched by these snoopers. Sounds like a nice place to go to, I'm sure!

Alitalia cancels flights and may soon be flightless!

The long drawn out death throws of Alitalia is somewhat baffling. At least Lehman Brothers were put out of their agony quickly. The airline confirmed that a number of flights have been cancelled, but denied it had run out of aviation fuel. So something else has caused this?

They are a peculiar lot these CEOs of large businesses. It seems its all talk and no walk! Who in their right mind would supply Alitalia with any fuel unless it was cash up front?

Pass the smelling salts? No, I think a humane injection will be better!

Watchdog warns over Lib Dems' phone poll plan

Nick Clegg is said to be facing embarrassment after the Information Commissioner expressed "concern" over plans to bombard 250,000 voters with automated phone calls featuring a recording of the Liberal Democrat leader. According to the watchdog, "The Privacy and Electronic Communication Regulations forbid the use of automated unsolicited direct marketing calls to any individual who has not previously given their consent to receive such calls."

Has anybody told those guys from the US offering holidays in Florida or some such? I get them quite frequently and I've not said yes! I bet someone tipped off the Commissioner. I wonder who it was?

Frenzied attack in Somerfield store

If you ever wondered what the security guards are capable of in your local supermarket then take comfort from the brave guy at the Somerfield store in Anchor Springs, Littlehampton. A 20-year-old woman customer was seriously injured when a man went beserk and just stabbed her. The security guard restrained the attacker until the police arrived at the scene. Well done, that man!

The victim, who had multiple wounds, was transferred to Southampton for specialist treatment overnight after receiving emergency surgery at Worthing Hospital. What a disturbing account! Anyone who does this must be mentally unstable. Therein lies the problem. As a society we do not do enough to treat such people. This innocent young woman is the victim of such a malaise.

Recently it was reported that mentally ill people can often find themselves in a police cell rather than a hospital bed. It's cart before the horse stuff, with the horse getting to push a three-wheeled cart!

I wonder if, after enquiries are made, that the attacker has been through "the system". It's this system that let's us down, time and again.

HBOS confirms Lloyds merger talks

The BBC was right, they are in "advanced talks" to see if they can merge the two businesses. Both the Treasury and Financial Services Authority (FSA) say a deal will ease concerns about the health of the UK banking sector. Maybe. But it would be nice to see a few rogues hung out to dry!

I'm beginning to think that come the US Presidential Election, where the Bush propensity for nationalisation will be an issue, and the forthcoming UK General Election, where the Brown propensity for dithering and dodgy financial administration will be an issue, the voters should TAKE CONTROL!!!

What was that about "We the people"?

HBOS and Lloyds TSB in merger talks!

It is not an unexpected thing. HBOS shares went down yesterday like a lead balloon. Lloyds TSB has entered the fray to seek the possibility of linking up to become the UK's largest retail bank. Good news for depositors if it comes off. Good news for the economy, I suppose. But it is even better news, if that is the right sentiment, for those that many suspect have been the cause of HBOS' sudden share plunge.

I hope the FSA takes a good look at some of the razor-sharp minds behind this. We need to be guarded against those whose greed is of such anti-social proportions that they know no bounds!

Whining Winemakers!

Last night I watched "Dispatches: What's in Your Wine?" on Channel 4. What indeed.! It seems that the wine industry is allowed to get away with stuffing anything up to fifty additives and "flavourings" into wine. There was a ghastly expose into the murky world of champagne making. The top brands blithely said it was OK to drink their expensive stuff even with pesticide residue floating up with the bubbles. It was all legal and passed by the EU bureaucrats. What these prize plonkers don't get is that they are no better that Arthur Daley and Del Boy together. Surely they would want to sell a product that is made exclusively from grapes and not from a cocktail of pesticides, E numbers, bags of added sugar, and grown on a rubbish dump of rusting razor blades and the dubious contents of Paris dustbins!

The big question was - why don't you label your ingredients? The answer is that their bogus business would be held up to ridicule if the labels were giving such information. A suave gent from the Wine and Spirits Federation made some disingenuous remarks about wine coming from different vineyards so it would be impossible to give the proper information. Basically, he didn't care. He had a pretty poor response. If food manufacturers can say their produce is from more than one country, why not his lot?

Oh, and the champagne producers said they had reduced added sugar. It would seem they had used masses of it previously. Added sugar in £100 champagne bottles? Are we being conned or not?

The programme is on 7 days repeat. Do watch it. We should all be demanding proper wine, not a confection, as Malcom Gluck so rightly called it.

LibDems no longer so passionate over Euro!

In a surprising turn of events, or turn of policy, the Lib Dems have made a significant break with their commitment to the European single currency. They no longer see it as a priority. Well, I'm blowed!

In an interview with the The Independent on Sunday, Chris Huhne said, "The truth is, within the British debate, it's completely off the radar and there is simply no point in regarding it as a runner worth investing political time in." Mr Huhne also told the IoS that Nick Clegg would not become a household name until after the next election, saying the leader needed to "go through an election to become a real figure in the front rooms of the country". But I bet he'll be talked about in the front rooms of Tory and UKIP activists!

I wonder if this is a way of getting on board soft eurosceptics? Maybe. It goes to show that the next election will be a very odd affair indeed.

Ron Paul Hosts Third Party Press Conference

Terrorist Watch in Warwickshire

Our local paper, the Solihull Times, reports that the police have visited people in Hampton-in Arden to explain how members of the public could help the authorities prevent terrorist-related incidents. If there's anyone willing, they register with the Community Engagement Register, detailing all their personal information. Then they go out looking for, with their "eyes and ears", "cars parked up, people hanging about, disturbed earth in fields, things put as possible markers".

The two police officers who came to the village were from the Manpads Neighbour Policing Team at Birmingham Airport. They seem to think that somebody may want to take a potshot at planes from a field with a rocket launcher. I see their reasoning, but it's all a bit far-fetched. This just tells me that I need to question their thinking.

I cannot imagine for one minute any Al Queda operative "hanging about" Hampton let alone plodding around a wet field. It is so bizarre. A suicide attack on the airport -YES. This sort of caper -NO!

All that will happen is that visitors to the village will get to know that snoopers exist. I doubt very much if anyone from an ethnic minority will go within a mile of the place. It's 1984 stuff and not very much to do with security or sanity!

Alitalia Aligoing Next?

The airline business is in a parlous state. OK some niche players are doing well as are some niche services, but the bulk of the plane movements are not. Some are in dire straights. Alitalia is top of this pile. It hasn't helped by the fact that this airline is saddled with a union mentality that includes afternoon naps and wanton strike action. The Italian Government is keen to keep the flagship carrier, but it is like a flying Northern Rock. The EU is watching out for "state subsidies". I would suggest that it is best that the airline does a Swissair or Sabena.

The BBC says Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi wants to keep the airline in Italian ownership with scooter manufacturer Piaggio the latest firm to be linked with a possible rescue deal. Does that tell us something? Italians make more out of scooters than airline flights!

The truth is, the airline business is on a financial knife-edge and to a great extent we have all encouraged them. Cheap flights? Umm?

Ron Paul decides it's "a plague on both your houses"!

Ron Paul has decided that neither McCain or Obama are going to cut the mustard when it comes to changing things. Instead, he endorsed the presidential candidates for all (somewhat reasonable in size) third parties. He asked all his supporters, and Americans in general, to vote for one of these candidates, not for the leaders of either political party.

After he read the statement, Paul went on to talk about the two major political parties and the current political debate in the United States, and the two-party system in general. “I’ve come to the conclusion,” Paul said, “that presidential elections turn out to be a charade more than anything else. The endless discussion that goes on for ever… and all the talk about things that are unimportant… it just goes on and on and you just think about all this talk on television pretending there is this great difference… and really, when you look at it, there is no difference - because they do not address this subjects. We have other candidates … that disagree with the other candidates and… the important thing here is ‘who is the majority?’”

“There is no doubt in my mind,” he went on to say, “that the majority is on our side. We represent the majority of the American people. 60% of the American people are unhappy with their choice.”

I get the impression that McCain and Obama together will be lucky to get 40% of the America people to vote for them. It is a great pity that for many in the US democracy passes them by. Much the same as in the UK. Anybody ask us if we wanted acres abolished?

Life and death matters for Palin

I'm currently a bit fixated with Sarah Palin. Not in any morally dubious way. Rather that she is seen as espousing "values". Having just read up on her she appears to be the traditional "quite contrary" Christian evangelical with conservative opinions.

She is "pro-life", which means she is against abortion but for the killing of certain prisoners. She is "pro-gun", which means she is against gun control but for the keeping of personal arsenals. She is "pro-oil and natural gas resource development" which means she is for oil exploration and against endangered species protection.

Matthew Wright on the Wright Stuff said, "I like her. She shoots animals", giving a cheeky grin to the camera. That's the odd thing about Christian fundamentalists. They seem to have guns and God and life and love and sex and sin all a bit mixed up. Shooting animals and electrocuting wrongdoers sits quite easily with a selective view of the sanctity of life.

I still have difficulties with the Republican ticket. It seems odd that a self-professed Creationist would want to let Alaska fall into the hands of those that might dispoil that very Creation she believes in. I've got more thinking to do!

Summer?

The rain in Spain stays mainly........................in ENGLAND!!!!!

What a summer we're having!

Sarah Palin takes the Scottish Nationalist line!

So living in Alaska gives you some form of political independence? Sarah Palin is sounding ever so much like Alex Salmond used to do. He's now First Minister in a devolved Scottish Parliament making sure he's not far from Scotland's oil. Palin thinks the oil under the ground and the seas around Alaska is for her to control. "It's Alaskan oil!", she purrs. She would like to "sell" Alaskan oil to the US. She claims that Alaska struck a deal 50 years ago (on entry into the Union) with the Federal Government to exploit the resources of Alaska. If Alaska can't do that, will she think it best to go it alone?

She now has a stark choice. It's either going to be Alaskan oil or American oil. It can't be both. As VP will she have to eat her words? This little offering is on the Glenn Beck show (before she got the VP ticket place) and she seems to be on good form (she comes in at 4.18 on the clock!). On Iraq, she says "We're fighting, in some sense, over energy supplies". Well, she said it!

Watch this space, I say!

XL goes X!

Another airline and travel company goes bust today. The XL Leisure Group is no longer, at least in the UK. The French connection is going strong as is the German. Anyone to blame? As the news sinks in, I don't think the chairman Phil Wyatt is particularly. He may have made a few errors of judgement over exterior forces, but he appears to be a man who tried to get his business back from the brink. I think the main culprits are the dodgy dealers in oil as a commodity, the CAA for being "not fit for purpose" as a regulator, and the general lacklustre approach of the Governor of the Bank of England to the spivs and speculators who he seems to be oblivious to. Mr.Wyatt can't battle against these people on his own, but I bet the stranded holidaymakers have him in their sights rather than the real creators of their misery!

As we went off for my family trip to France from Birmingham Airport, we were expecting our Air France plane to be just that, an Air France plane. Instead there was a brand new multi-coloured Baboo plane waiting. Baboo? Nobody knew who they were. It was a leased plane! No problems, but in these days of trouble and strife, it is probably best to check out things as best we can. So much that we don't know goes on. "Commercially sensitive" means "We aren't telling you!"

A man who is stranded on a Greek island said he read in the financial press that XL were stopping a route from the Caribbean. Don't worry, he was told by his tour operator, your holiday is OK. Perhaps we need a better organisation to look after the travelling public. One that combines the work of the CAA, ABTA, and the bank guarantees (on credit card payments but not debit cards!).There should be an end to the instant collapse, with all the rancour that causes, not to mention unnecessary additional costs. One man's disaster is another's benefit, but that is a crude measure. Let's have it all done in a more civilised way in future!

9/11 Seven Years On!

Time really does fly. I remember so vividly being glued to the television, watching those pictures of the World Trade Center disaster. It was a grievous attack on innocent people. In the intervening years, I have often thought about that building. Not only had I been it it, having been lucky enough to have been in the restaurant at the top, but I can see an image of it every day. We have an "arty" photo of it at home, taken from below, looking up to the skies above.

Today the commemorations take place. People have remembered. I would like to think we have moved on and all become better people. The "War on Terror" continues and on this day, General Petraeus tells the BBC that recent security gains are "not irreversible" and that the US still faces a "long struggle". Whilst Petraeus should be applauded for his efforts, I still think the Bush administration has been partly to blame for the length of this struggle. If Dubya had bothered to think a bit about how Guantanamo Bay, extraordinary renditions, the use of the secret services against the citizen, and general rabble-rousing rhetoric have had a detrimental effect on the stability of the whole Middle East, he might be leaving office next January with a bit more to his credit.

Those that died in the 9/11 tragedies were the target of hateful men. If such emotions, feelings and sentiments are to be turned around, we need an approach that will engender respect rather than revenge from both sides. It is going to be slow progress, I fear!

Jesse Ventura on the Palin problem!

So much said in a week about Sarah Palin! Now Jesse Ventura, former Governor of Minnesota, weighs in with his ten cents worth of comment. In some ways he's got a point. He says she is too inexperienced. She probably is. He says, "Now here she is, after not even having been there for two years, she’s now going to be the VP!? I mean, realistically, John McCain could drop dead a week into office. She would then be the top person in the world. Is she prepared for that? I don’t believe so, having been a governor. After not even serving two years as governor, I was not prepared to be president."

If John McCain did die in office and Sarah Palin took over, would she be a disaster? My guess is that she would not be so ineffective or ill-prepared. She'd run the show fairly competently. She strikes me as a no-nonsense woman, who is very focused on firm advice and getting the job done. From the TV interviews given by "ordinary Alaskans" they seem to agree. However, she knows precious little about Washington ways. If McCain did go before he had given her the lowdown on pork barrels and sleaze bags, she may not get the difference quite measured up. In that sense, Jesse has a point.

And I think Jesse is too hard on himself. He knows the wicked ways of life and how to confront them. He took on the Minnesota establishment and won. As a pro-wrestler he must have seen some lobbying of the wrestling kind. He'd have made quite a formidable president, if a bit unconventional.

If Sarah Palin ever gets to sit behind the desk in the Oval Office any time soon, it will be because the American people thought the prospect an OK one. It's up to them whether they think she's experienced or otherwise!

Jack Straw's fish out of water feeling!

Jack Straw is the kind of politician who is rendered speechless in front of unadulterated truth. With him, it causes something similar to that of a fish that has been rudely hurled onto the beach by a freak wave. No freak waves this week, but on Tuesday morning I heard Straw on the Today Programme in conversation with "a prisoner". Evan Davis asked the inmate what was generally the problem. The prisoner, a lucid and straightforward guy, said he thought his crime, drug smuggling, was caused by two factors. His greed and the ever-increasing poppy harvest in Afghanistan, giving him the ability to make money. Davis asked Straw what he thought. Time for the fish impression!

The prisoner was right. He admits to being greedy, and sort of suggests that he should be helped. We have anger management courses, sessions for smokers and drinkers, and of course drug addicts. Why not for greedy people too? Possibly if these were offered to a variety of people, we might cut crime.

My anger at the greedy finance guys who used the so-called sub-prime market to enrich themselves could be assuaged by such courses. Greed management - sounds good! These sub-prime cowboys were greedy, preying on ignorant people who were taken in by the blandishments. There is a fine dividing line between the two kinds of greed!

With regard to Afghanistan, we are fighting the wrong enemy. Tribal warlords who may or may not know where Osama Bin Laden's cave is are no great enemy to the West. Their vast poppy harvest is, and all the business emanating from it. Jack Straw has no clue how to deal with this. My cynical side suggests that tackling the problem may cause a whole raft of agencies to collapse, ending with the demise of the sniffer dogs. Who wants to be put out of well-paid employment? Keep the poppies growing, keep the soldiers dying, keep "the War on Terror" going.

Isn't there a better way? If the prisoner is so clear on this, I'd give him a period to try it out. After all, he could be better than the fish impersonator!

Credit crunchers get the debit touch

It is beginning to look like some of the credit crunchers are being rounded up and asked to explain themselves in court. Not before time, I say. It seems most bank executives are living in a parrallel universe, devoid of any conscience regarding their scams and schemes. Two former Credit Suisse bankers have been charged with fraud for allegedly deceiving clients over the value of debt tied to sub-prime mortgages. I can't believe these deceptions were only known from one side only. Maybe they were, but far more has be known than is now being publicly declared.

I feel the only way to get out of this sub-prime mess is to get the boards of ALL banks in front of those who should have been monitoring them and ask the age old question "What did you know and when did you know it?" Because until we get a spilling of the beans, this will rumble on for ever!

Sarah Palin's spot of bother!

I must confess I had never heard of Sarah Palin before last weekend. Now she's the talk of everywhere and everybody. My take on this is that she appears to be a fairly normal woman who entered politics to "do some good" and got a taste for it. Now she's Governor of Alaska. Good on those lumberjacks and fist-wielding fishermen for thinking she's OK!

So what's all the fuss? It's just because the liberal-minded, but greedy, media are having forty fits for not seeing that McCain was going to pick her! They also don't like it that she is a bible-based clean-as-a-whistle Christian. Not my cup of tea, but then I reckon she's got a bit of savvy. She'll not go all out on some Tammy Faye Bakker tears and simpering session, trying to curry favour with Americans in the lower 48. Just because she's who she is and says what she believes does not disallow her from keeping to her beliefs. Her daughter is pregnant. It is a family matter. Barack Obama is right to defend his opponent's privacy on this.

Let her be criticised or championed for what she has done or not done politically. Personally I think this says more about her critics than it does about her. The only thing I'd say in a rather cheeky manner is that she named her children Track, Willow, Piper, and Bristol. Makes them sound a bit like a quartet of small planes in Sarah Ferguson's Budgie the Little Helicopter!

I'm back

Back to my blog and thinking that when away I could be commenting on this, that and the other. Mainly I just forgot things. But you hear bits of news that get you thinking. A plot to assassinate Gordon Brown? Alastair Darling talking to a crofter? Or was he in a croft talking to himself? It was all too much! Being abroad, it's better to leave the news to when you get home, and then it's not always easy to keep abreast of it all. Anyway, I'm back!