Quango-itis! A frightful disease

I've come to expect quango chiefs to behave like headless chickens when the chicken shit hits the fans. From hospital executives to the less well-known sinecures of government, these wallahs only take the credit for the good stuff and run a mile when things get sticky.

The DVLC is a prime example. Thousands of blank DVLA log books have been stolen. The police have been informed. Now it is expected that law-abiding car owners may be targets for criminal scams. However, instead of trying to uncover the appalling lack of duty, the DVLA chief executive Noel Shanahan suggests its everyone else's concern but his.

"When we discovered that these documents had been stolen, we actually went to the police because it is a criminal act. If it's a criminal act then clearly we can't be held responsible for that. Most importantly our website, at that time and now, has current information on it, on how to avoid being duped into buying a stolen vehicle."

Not exactly words of comfort. Mr.Shanahan says, "clearly we can't be held responsible" and this is the general mantra of these jobsworths. Well, he may not be totally responsible, but he must be the only man in the country who thinks he has no responsibility at all.

A shake-up is much needed in this country!

Tesco ban on shoppers in pyjamas

Tesco have a store in St. Mellons, Cardiff and the manager has spotted some inappropriately dressed customers in there. A sign has gone up saying, "Footwear must be worn at all times and no nightwear is permitted." Nightwear? I thought to myself who would go in there in nightwear? Apparently some do. Elaine Carmody is a Tesco customer and she says, "I think it's stupid really not being allowed in the supermarket with pyjamas on. It's not as if they're going to fall down or anything like that." Well, if I went in there Elaine mine might just do that. The elastic is a bit dodgy.

Anyway, why all the fuss. Tesco have a right to say who or what comes into a store of theirs. I'd like them to go a stage further and stop skimpily clad young women walking about. Some have the most ill-fitting garments on and it's very off-putting getting a glimpse of large breasts as you peruse the merchandise.

St. Mellons, eh?

Jack Straw and his illegal war

So now we get nearer to the truth. That Jack Straw took legal advice in a rather cavalier way. In fact, he was too cavalier. Accusing people of being "dogmatic" and saying that "international law was pretty vague". Actually, it's not, but New Labour has never been a great follower of legal niceties.

I'd say it sums up this weasel wordsmith to a tee. Jack Straw has never been a man of principal, rather a man keen to bend with the wind. Trouble for him is that he won't be able to bend with the hurricane I hope is going to come and blow the New Labour flotsam and jetsam away.

UK economy emerges from recession

We're out of recession, quip the economists. They were touting this last night. Actually, figures showed the economy had grown by a weaker-than-expected 0.1% in the last three months of 2009. Miniscule, I'd say, but at least it's going in the right direction.

Such a plus figure of tiny proportions needs working on. I have in mind Casanova knocking on the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street's door and asking if she wants to come out for a good time. She's only opened it a millimetre - giving him enough space to squint at her finery.

It's going to be hard work keeping up the strength to get the public finances in order. Oh, well!

Tolerance and intolerance

The BBC got quite agitated this morning over the report that the UK has turned all liberal and tolerant. Actually, I don't think we have. I think we have become more selfish and self-centred and sexuality is just a part of it all. Greed and not caring about others is hardly an outward sign of an inwardly spiritual nation. No, I think that tolerance is not the right word. It's more don't bother me and I won't bother you.

Now if you want a real dose of intolerance this is a prize example. A 16-year-old girl, who was raped in Bangladesh, has been given 101 lashes for conceiving during the assault. She was left to the mercy of mendacious village elders, high on a mixture of second-guessing Allah and keeping to tribal beliefs. The poor girl was horribly abused by a cabal of bearded wonders.

I highlight this because it is allowed to carry on. Bangladesh is seeking to enter the world now as a reformed and reconstructed nation. This kind of do-it-yourself Islam is very distressing. We hear all the time of moderate Muslims not agreeing to all this. Perhaps this girl's wretched experience might shock them into doing something at last.

Blair's lucrative deal with hedge fund that bet on bank failures

I've just spotted this from the Daily Mail. What a character Blair is turning out to be. Hope they are dusting off those lie detector machines. I suggest the Iraq inquiry gets at least a dozen buzzing away whilst he "Yeah, but, no's" his way through his testimony.

Blair will be paid hundreds of thousands of pounds by Lansdowne Partners, one of London's biggest, yet lowest-profile funds, to give them a speech. What on earth do they expect him to say that will make them sit up and think "Wow, that's a whole new take on the world's problems"?

Through a hedge backwards fund is more like it. It's getting more crazy by the day.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1245967/Blairs-lucrative-deal-hedge-fund-bet-bank-failures.html#ixzz0dff4Q03E

Better banking or what?

Most people want to live in a secure and settled country. Indecision and a financial threat to livelihoods is not welcomed. So it must be, in a democratic society, that those who control the purse strings don't get to toy with the people as if they are only there to slave away for the benefit of watching those purse strings tighten or slacken at whim.

Goldman Sachs have decided to limit bonuses of top executives to £1M this year. Very gracious of them. However, such magnanimity is dwarfed by the taxpayers' compulsory attendance at bailout time. It seems there is still no proper incentive by government to tackle this ongoing problem.

I would dread to think that we exist only to act as financial sponges for what would appear to be a support system for financial spongers. Can Goldman Sachs tell us exactly what good they currently are doing for society? I know that they are doing excellent work for themselves. But do they provide a worthwhile service to us all?

I don't think they do. How can it possibly be a good deal if banks can carry on as they please, only to grab us all by the nuts when they get it a bit wrong? We are the suckers, surely? It's rather like having a bad apple in the family, a type of Terry-Thomas character, who turns up on regular occasions with such lines as "I say, old boy, spot of bother on the finance front. Met this woman, you know. Terribly into...." and you feel obliged and the rest.

Well, I hope, come the general election (May 5th apparently) we voice our opinions by voting in strong representation that can confront all the "old boy" routines and put a stop to this Las Vegas culture in the banking industry.