Gordon Brown, his living crutch Mrs Brown, faux hard-man Ross Kemp, Ed 'Gonads' Balls and a cabal of Labour henchmen breezed into some crummy College in Leamington Spa this morning. There, resplendent in sober suit, winning smile and Caesar-Imperial purple tie, the Brownster waved the wave whilst Kemp tried his best to keep the adoring studenty hoards from touching the self-annointed Kirkcaldy one...
No sign of protest here, they're too busy trying to worship the son of the Manse. Young students cheered and whooped - a shoving throng tried their best to bypass the fat bouncer Kemp. The former Eastenders bad boy began to look a bit panicky and a tad sweaty on his baldy bonce as the collective Midlands massive tried to get near the great smirky one. Was it as bad as Helmand Province? Was Basra ever as pushy-shovey as this? Unfortunately, Kemp had forgotten his AK47, stun grenades and TV brother Grant Mitchell - so the only defence was Gordon's strategy of boring the arses off everyone..
"Hi, how's it going?"
"It's good to see you."
"It's great to be here"...
"Hi, how's it going?"
"It's good to see you."
"It's great to be here"... and so on....
No one screamed "Fascist bastard" or "Scottish one-eyed moron" or anything like that...No one said they would like to give Mrs B one, no one shouted out any knob jokes in the direction of Mr Balls - and definitely no one called Ross Kemp a 'Baldy-Headed Twat'...Which was all a bit disappointing really.....
Because when I was a student in the early seventies, no politician would have dared to saunter into our art college touting for votes. Because then, apart from Che, Jan Palach and Danny the Red, us young Turks were pretty much against everything and everyone - especially figures of authority, routinely dismissed as old fart fascists. The plod were piggies and our parents were contemptuously ignored - except when we wanted picking up from town at 3 in the morning, obviously...
Back to the Leamington Spa love-in.....
Gordon and Ross started a carefully choreographed Q and A with Jonny and Jennie Student. "Jobs, Education, Student Places, Health, Jobs, Jobs, Jobs and...... Tuition Fees" were the subjects of choice from Gordon.
Predictably, the student mass of Leamington Spa never asked why they as English students have to pay tuition fees whilst everyone else in Britain especially those in Scotland, don't. Predictably, they failed to spot the irony of Gordon's oft spewed phrase "Labour, the party of fairness." Predictably they never picked up on the fact that Gordon used the default 'Ooor Country' when talking about English Health, English Policing and English Education matters.... They just smiled blankly, their easily fobbed-off star-struck gobs reflected in the shiny billiard-ball bonce of Ross Kemp's head.
Education, education, education clearly ain't what it used to be...
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
VOTE NOW FOR JERUSALEM AS OUR ENGLISH ANTHEM AT THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES
After years of pushing, letter writing and email correspondence from many English patriots, it appears there may just be a little bit of light regarding a national anthem for England.
England's Commonwealth Games Committee Board of Trustees have acquiesced to public pressure and are actually asking us to vote on which anthem victorious English athletes should be upstanding to at the next Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. Appropriately, the vote opened on Friday - St George's Day, so get voting!
The press release spells it out - Commonwealth Games England announced today that they will let the nation decide which anthem is to be played at this year’s Commonwealth Games in Delhi by allowing the public to vote for the song of their choice.....
There are only 3 candidates - and only one that is England-specific - so it should be a no brainer.
Option 1: God Save the Queen. British anthem and hence really nothing to do with England..... Gordon Brown take note: England is not Britain. Apart from that, the tune is about as uninspiring as a tune can be.
Option 2: Land of Hope and Glory. British imperialistic Edwardian anthem which gloried in the ever-expanding British Empire (especially in Africa) during the country-collecting activities of the late Victorian and early Edwardian eras. Irrelevant to England as the 'Land of Hope and Glory' referred to is Britain. Erroneously used in the past as England's victory anthem at previous Commonwealth Games - in our view totally inappropriately. It really does need to change in favour of option 3.
Option 3: Jerusalem. This scores on all fronts. For a start, it actually mentions and is about England. Also, opinion polls have consistently shown it to be by far the nation's favourite choice for an English anthem. The words by William Blake are nothing to do with invading anyone, nor are they disparaging to any of our neighbours - they just embody what a vision of England could be.
Jerusalem really should be England's National Anthem. SO PLEASE DO VOTE FOR IT RIGHT NOW!!!!
If we can get Jerusalem to be accepted as England's Victory Anthem at Delhi in October then it is more likely to be taken up by organisations such as the FA, RFU and the ECB as England's pre-game anthem of choice...
Friday, April 23, 2010
Power2010 - my new best friends....
After a bit of an unsteady start, Director Pam Giddy and the crew from Power2010 just might be getting the hang of this here democracy malarky. That's the kind that listens to what the majority want rather than obeying the malign thought processes of the ruling elite.
At long last, Giddy looks as if she has shed the shackles of New Labour's bizarre idea of democracy - and Helena Kennedy's long shadow of remote controllery appears to have run out of batteries.
Power2010 have today published the findings of an ICM poll which concerns the very biggest of elephant-in-the-room subjects, namely..... “England should have its own parliament with similar powers to those of the Scottish Parliament”.
A full 68% of those asked were in favour of that statement, almost 7 out of every 10 people. Even using Gordon Brown's much thrown 1978 Amstrad Power Calculator, that's a clear and unequivocal majority.
Giddy says: “England was not mentioned once in the leaders’ debate and has not featured at all during this campaign so far. Yet we now know people want a fairer way of making decisions that affect England.
“It suddenly feels like we are on the cusp of seismic changes to the way our politics is done. But so long as the unfair system we have at the moment persists it can only play into the hands of undemocratic voices like the BNP. With all the talk of reform in the air politicians should not duck the English question, but use the opportunity of St George’s day to say where they stand".
So, in the face of a growing and unstoppable grassroots demand for a national legislature in England, what can the Establishment cronies do to rubbish this latest hammer blow to their cosy little club of vested interests and majority disenfranchisement?
Will New Labour poodle Prof' Robert Hazell from UCL's Constitutional Unit again tell us that there is no demand for an English Parliament?
Will Gordon Brown simply ignore us and continue with his strategy of burying England in favour of the ever-so-precious Union?
Will Lord Mandelson blame it on the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud?
Will David Cameron tell us that this poll proves that almost 70% of people in England are in fact 'sour little Englanders'?....
Will Nick Clegg tell us that it would be best all round if England were subsumed into the greater Euro region of Francania?...
Will Jack Straw tell us that the latest poll clearly shows that 7 out of 10 people in England are very violently aggressive and a bit too arrogant for their own good in wanting self-determination for their country?
Or will someone, anyone in the halls of power at Westminster come out of the closet of denial, declare it's a fair cop and that the reinstatement of England's Parliament is the only right and fair action to take.....
Don't bet on it.
One thing is as clear as Gordon's glassy eye. The agenda for devolution has now passed from the control of power crazed politicians and into the consciousness of the English public. The door to self-determination is now unlocked and swinging open. Change is now inevitable, as is an English Parliament. Gordon, Dave, Nick et al, you'd better get used to it - and quick.
So why not register your ire here...
You'd be mad (or a Poodle Prof') not to....
At long last, Giddy looks as if she has shed the shackles of New Labour's bizarre idea of democracy - and Helena Kennedy's long shadow of remote controllery appears to have run out of batteries.
Power2010 have today published the findings of an ICM poll which concerns the very biggest of elephant-in-the-room subjects, namely..... “England should have its own parliament with similar powers to those of the Scottish Parliament”.
A full 68% of those asked were in favour of that statement, almost 7 out of every 10 people. Even using Gordon Brown's much thrown 1978 Amstrad Power Calculator, that's a clear and unequivocal majority.
Giddy says: “England was not mentioned once in the leaders’ debate and has not featured at all during this campaign so far. Yet we now know people want a fairer way of making decisions that affect England.
“It suddenly feels like we are on the cusp of seismic changes to the way our politics is done. But so long as the unfair system we have at the moment persists it can only play into the hands of undemocratic voices like the BNP. With all the talk of reform in the air politicians should not duck the English question, but use the opportunity of St George’s day to say where they stand".
So, in the face of a growing and unstoppable grassroots demand for a national legislature in England, what can the Establishment cronies do to rubbish this latest hammer blow to their cosy little club of vested interests and majority disenfranchisement?
Will New Labour poodle Prof' Robert Hazell from UCL's Constitutional Unit again tell us that there is no demand for an English Parliament?
Will Gordon Brown simply ignore us and continue with his strategy of burying England in favour of the ever-so-precious Union?
Will Lord Mandelson blame it on the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud?
Will David Cameron tell us that this poll proves that almost 70% of people in England are in fact 'sour little Englanders'?....
Will Nick Clegg tell us that it would be best all round if England were subsumed into the greater Euro region of Francania?...
Will Jack Straw tell us that the latest poll clearly shows that 7 out of 10 people in England are very violently aggressive and a bit too arrogant for their own good in wanting self-determination for their country?
Or will someone, anyone in the halls of power at Westminster come out of the closet of denial, declare it's a fair cop and that the reinstatement of England's Parliament is the only right and fair action to take.....
Don't bet on it.
One thing is as clear as Gordon's glassy eye. The agenda for devolution has now passed from the control of power crazed politicians and into the consciousness of the English public. The door to self-determination is now unlocked and swinging open. Change is now inevitable, as is an English Parliament. Gordon, Dave, Nick et al, you'd better get used to it - and quick.
So why not register your ire here...
You'd be mad (or a Poodle Prof') not to....
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Gordon Brown - LIAR
GORDON BROWN - LYING BASTARD.
Andy Burnham, the Secretary of State for ENGLISH health will be rolling out an initiative today concerning the care of elderly people. As per usual, Andy will try to give a UK Brit feel to the policy - even though it is 100% relative to England alone.
And while we are talking about 'as per usuals' - Gordon Brown, his pathological liar of a boss has got in early for a bit of glory grabbing. This is his piece on the Number 10 website about the proposed announcement. True to form, as with all Health initiatives, Liar Brown gives the impression that the policy will be UK wide
'I’m proud to say that in Britain we don’t just look out for ourselves, we also look after each other. It’s part of the soul of our nation, underpinned by our core values of fairness and responsibility.
And today we face a challenge no other generation has had to confront.
First, from a rapidly ageing population rightly demanding greater dignity, self-respect and support when they are frail and need care most.
And from those with disabilities rightly demanding care that enables them to learn, to work and to contribute to society.
Our current care and support system is no longer adequate for these challenges we see ahead. It cannot meet all our needs, nor match our aspirations. And if left unchanged, it would not cope with the extra demand in years to come.
Our answer is bold, ambitious reform to create a system firmly rooted in the proudest traditions of our national health service: personal care, there for you when you need it.
So today Andy Burnham, our health minister, is setting out the route to a national care service that will benefit every family in the country.
Alongside our decisions to re-link earnings with the state pension in 2012 this will mean a much better deal for our older people - for those to whom we owe so much.
Reform will come in three stages; each affordable, each fairer and each offering more protection to your homes and your savings.
We will start with a radical overhaul of care in the home - helping more of our old people cope longer at home and protecting those of you with the greatest needs from charges and fees for care in your own homes.
Then we will build up the care service, so that people who have been in care homes for more than two years will get their care for free, while also removing the postcode lottery of provision that exists today.
And then these reforms will pave the way towards the introduction of a comprehensive national care service available to all - whoever you are, wherever you live, whatever your circumstances.
Our plans will realise for the first time a vision of personalised care; providing not just physical support but also peace of mind.
These are tough decisions to take in times of economic restraint. But with a rapidly ageing society the costs of inaction are far greater than the costs of reform.
And this is an issue about the future of Britain and the future of our society from which we must not hide. In the national interest we will seek consensus on the right way forward.
So today sees a new chapter opening in the proud history of our public services – founded, as ever, on our enduring belief in fairness and responsibility.'
Sunday, March 28, 2010
'If'.......
One of my favourite films ever is 'If' starring Malcolm McDowell and directed by the great Lindsay Anderson. They've been showing it again on one of the digital channels - and it gave me a chance to rediscover a great piece of music used in the film....
When I first saw it at the flicks in the late sixties, I was knocked out by this track - and (pre Google) spent bloody years trying to find it... Which I eventually did.
Thankfully, YouTube makes it a lot easier...
When I first saw it at the flicks in the late sixties, I was knocked out by this track - and (pre Google) spent bloody years trying to find it... Which I eventually did.
Thankfully, YouTube makes it a lot easier...
Friday, March 26, 2010
QuestionTime for dullards, n'er do wells, liars and conniving snake oil salesmen..
Last night, BBC's QuestionTime (along with Dumbleby and his thick-as-a-brick panel) broadcast from Glasgow, Scotland. The audience was really pumped - so worried about all kinds of domestic stuff which might get clobbered in these 'no more boom and bust' times. High on the list of concerns was the great domestic triumphvirate of Health, Education and Policing.
Would 'Health' be 'OK' in these belt-tightening times? Slaphead coffee addict (and Harry Potter character) Liam Byrne confirmed that Health would indeed be 'OK' - but that real savings of over 3 billion would have to be made in the 'NHS' by telling the staff not to take so many sickies, turning used disposable paper undies inside out and giving them to another day-patient... and top & tailing patients 2 to a bed (just as long as they don't have any foot fungus infections, obviously)....
Conservative shadow minister for communities Baroness Warsi, put her oar in as did the hysterical (but not in a funny way) Liberal Democrat communities spokesman Julia Goldsworthy MP.
Uber media honcho Sir Martin Sorrell gave his considered perspective while flashing his ever-so-big and expensive timepiece to camera.
And so it continued. Education and Policing got the same treatment. Concern and worry eminated from all corners as everyone craved reassurance and clarification......
So it was all the more surprising then that the man who had most control over these issues in Scotland was also sitting there on the panel. Scottish government boss Alex Salmond and his cabinet have direct responsibility for the devolved portfolios of Health, Education and Policing in Scotland. But it was like no one was admitting it - especially Salmond. Last night on QuestionTime, presumably for the purposes of deception and spin aimed at us saps south of Carlisle, Health, Education and Policing were once again reclaimed back into the UK fold...
But in reality, the discussion on Health, Education and Policing was totally irrelevent to the invited Scottish audience - no one said a word about the cuts being referred only applying to the English NHS. No one admitted that massive 'savings' are going to hit the English Education System and English Policing...
And then the discussion moved to Stephen Byers and his gang of political prostitutes. The audience mused why had trust in politicians fallen to an all time low?......
Why indeed.
Would 'Health' be 'OK' in these belt-tightening times? Slaphead coffee addict (and Harry Potter character) Liam Byrne confirmed that Health would indeed be 'OK' - but that real savings of over 3 billion would have to be made in the 'NHS' by telling the staff not to take so many sickies, turning used disposable paper undies inside out and giving them to another day-patient... and top & tailing patients 2 to a bed (just as long as they don't have any foot fungus infections, obviously)....
Conservative shadow minister for communities Baroness Warsi, put her oar in as did the hysterical (but not in a funny way) Liberal Democrat communities spokesman Julia Goldsworthy MP.
Uber media honcho Sir Martin Sorrell gave his considered perspective while flashing his ever-so-big and expensive timepiece to camera.
And so it continued. Education and Policing got the same treatment. Concern and worry eminated from all corners as everyone craved reassurance and clarification......
So it was all the more surprising then that the man who had most control over these issues in Scotland was also sitting there on the panel. Scottish government boss Alex Salmond and his cabinet have direct responsibility for the devolved portfolios of Health, Education and Policing in Scotland. But it was like no one was admitting it - especially Salmond. Last night on QuestionTime, presumably for the purposes of deception and spin aimed at us saps south of Carlisle, Health, Education and Policing were once again reclaimed back into the UK fold...
But in reality, the discussion on Health, Education and Policing was totally irrelevent to the invited Scottish audience - no one said a word about the cuts being referred only applying to the English NHS. No one admitted that massive 'savings' are going to hit the English Education System and English Policing...
And then the discussion moved to Stephen Byers and his gang of political prostitutes. The audience mused why had trust in politicians fallen to an all time low?......
Why indeed.
Friday, February 19, 2010
The Seven Ages of..... England.
Last Sunday, I watched the third in the series of David Dimbleby's BBC series 'The Seven Ages of Britain'.And to be truthful, I am still waiting to see it..... The 'Britain' part of the show, that is.
Because so far, it's been the three ages of England all the way. And a butchers at the BBC's blurb per iplayer edition attempts to reinforce that old habit of the Corporation in trying to Britify everything that is English....
1/7. Britain's story through art and treasure, from the Roman invasion to the Norman Conquest...
Yeah, well actually apart from a cursory reference to the Roman influence in Scotland and Wales, the opening episode of the series concentrated on the treasures of England. It's definitely England's story told through some amazing objects including the head of Emperor Hadrian found in the river Thames, the Mildenhall Treasure found in Suffolk, the World's oldest surviving bible written and illustrated in Northumbria and the fantastic Royal treasure of King Raedwald at Sutton Hoo.... in East Anglia... (that's in England you know!)
Then Dave cuts to the Ashmolean in Oxford, dons his white gloves and starts to excitedly fondle the Alfred Jewel (which possibly hadn't been fondled since Alfred's Queen had a go some 1,200 years ago). It was dug up in the 17th century from an Oxfordshire field...in England. Finally we're over to Bayeaux, France to have a look at the Tapestry - needlework completed by English Saxon women of Suffolk and Essex some dozen years after the Conquest.... (If the Elgin Marbles ever get given back, I think we should have the Tapestry repatriated)...
2/7. Britain's art from the murder of Thomas Becket in 1170 to the death of Richard II in 1400. Wrong BBC! It's more England stuff and in particular, English art. Dave is seen swooning beneath the magnificent hammer beam roof in Westminster Hall, the Mappa Mundi in Hereford Cathedral, a crown from the Crown Jewels of Richard II as well as the King's very own travelling altar piece..... amongst other English stuff...
3/7. Spanning from Henry VIII's accession in 1509 to Shakespeare's Henry VIII 100 years later. You've guessed it! More English art. The amazing Drake Jewel had Dave slavering - and the best miniature portrait painter ever, Englishman Edward Hilliard was given suitable emanence.... Admittedly, there was a bit of a feature about court painter Hans Holbein - but I thought he was a German rather than hailing from the Rhondda or the Gorbals...
The next programme is all about the English Civil War. So that'll mean yet more stuff from England then?
The Drake Jewel.
Thursday, February 04, 2010
The Parliament Oak.... What if...
On the Countrytracks programme last Sunday, (5 minute report, then and now 44:26 in) there was a feature on the Parliament Oak. Situated just outside Sherwood Forest, the tree, at over 1,200 years old, is an ancient and still alive noble oak - and has had an illustrious and specifically English history. It once spanned 8 metres, but now, as with most old oaks, the centre of the tree has gone leaving a few old knarly but still impressive stumps.
A few years ago, the tree was in danger of collapse and the surrounding site was being used as a giant fly-tip. Thankfully, the Woodland Trust have skipped all the rubbish, cleared away the brambles, stabilised the tree, provided information panels and car parking for visitors - and now its future is looking a lot more optimistic.
For hundreds of years, the tree been used as a meeting place. King John conducted a parliament underneath its boughs, as did Edward 1st on his way up to Scotland for a bit of hammering.. But looking at the tree five years ago, you'd hardly know of its importance in England's democratic process, neglected, abused, ignored - a sort of metaphor for our existing non-national democratic process?
That's the history - what about the 'what if?'..
So what if, someone proclaimed a reconvening of the English Parliament under these self same boughs, tomorrow, next week or next month?
What if an elected body - a coalition English Cabinet in waiting was formed - and a manifesto published with outline policies specifically for the benefit and well-being of the people of England?
What if, during that spontaneous English Parliament, it was proclaimed that we, the people of England demanded our God given right for national democratic self determination?
What if that English coalition cabinet applied for international recognition - and asked to join the United Nations?
What if all the media was invited, press releases were prepared and it was widely publicised - so that people in England at last began to wake up?
What if?.....
The Parliament Oak is easy to find and easy to get to, just off the B6035....
Monday, February 01, 2010
Nige calls it a day, (but will he take his desk with him when he goes?)....
Sex mad lothario and Scottish MP Nigel Griffiths is standing down at the general election. He told party members in his Edinburgh South constituency last night that he would not be standing for re-election and would instead take up a job with an "international educational institution".
Well, he had to go didn't he? Griffiths was caught bang to rights, in flagrante delicto with a nice young brunette lady amongst the staplers, tippex and post-it noted detritus of his Westminster desk..
So when he goes, who is going to inherit his government issue ash effect laminated desk - the one with the signed portrait of Gordon Brown and a couple of sweaty naked bum prints on?.....
Nige will not be sadly missed by anyone, least of all by his constituents, who probably didn't even know he was there in the first place. He didn't do much for them - but like virtually every other MP with a Scottish constituency, he claims credit for stuff which falls within the juristiction of his MSP counterpart.
On his website, Griffiths loves to big himself up. Throughout his site, Nige is portrayed as a sort of McRambo man of action for his constituents. It’s photos, photos, photos of Nigel as he gets to grips with the great issues concerning the folk on his patch. Got a problem? Call for Nige – if nothing else, he’ll give you a signed photo of himself to stick on your mantelpiece....
Nigel’s news section on his website is a joy to behold. Within are a series of photo opportunities in which Nigel manages to get himself associated with Al Gore (green issues), Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese Opposition leader(human rights issues), a couple of survivors from Nagasaki(nuclear arms race issues) and film star Jackie Chan. But as far as I know, none of these people actually live in his constituency of Edinburgh South..
My appraisal of this vacuous pillock can be found here
Nigel Griffiths with a couple of honeys...
Well, he had to go didn't he? Griffiths was caught bang to rights, in flagrante delicto with a nice young brunette lady amongst the staplers, tippex and post-it noted detritus of his Westminster desk..
So when he goes, who is going to inherit his government issue ash effect laminated desk - the one with the signed portrait of Gordon Brown and a couple of sweaty naked bum prints on?.....
Nige will not be sadly missed by anyone, least of all by his constituents, who probably didn't even know he was there in the first place. He didn't do much for them - but like virtually every other MP with a Scottish constituency, he claims credit for stuff which falls within the juristiction of his MSP counterpart.
On his website, Griffiths loves to big himself up. Throughout his site, Nige is portrayed as a sort of McRambo man of action for his constituents. It’s photos, photos, photos of Nigel as he gets to grips with the great issues concerning the folk on his patch. Got a problem? Call for Nige – if nothing else, he’ll give you a signed photo of himself to stick on your mantelpiece....
Nigel’s news section on his website is a joy to behold. Within are a series of photo opportunities in which Nigel manages to get himself associated with Al Gore (green issues), Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese Opposition leader(human rights issues), a couple of survivors from Nagasaki(nuclear arms race issues) and film star Jackie Chan. But as far as I know, none of these people actually live in his constituency of Edinburgh South..
My appraisal of this vacuous pillock can be found here
Nigel Griffiths with a couple of honeys...
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Team Kernow disqualified?
Campaign Kernow (formally the Cornwall Commonwealth Games Association) has been told that it has no hope and Bob Hope of fielding a team in any Commonwealth Games gig in the future. That said, campaigners are hoping that Cornwall can be represented at the Games in Glasgow in 2014.
They are considering submitting a judicial review against the Commonwealth Games Federation. Games organisers called it a "frivolous" act and said they would oppose any legal action.
Graham Hart, CK head honcho, campaign leader, Cornish musician, sportsman and renowned Cornish campaigner (his words, not mine) says, "It is a sad day indeed when the so-called “ Friendly Games “ has forced us to take this action but we will not be denied our birthright, go away or take no for an answer. We are now at the point of taking what we hope will be the final step for acceptance into the Federation."
From the opening lines of the campaign website, Campaign Kernow is clearly a bit of divine cause for Mr Hart - "In October 2002, I was given the vision of taking a Cornish team to the Commonwealth Games. By December 2003 I had put together a quality executive committee, which include international and professional sportsman to form the CCGA. Exactly one year later we applied for membership of the CGF, who refused us ‘ out of hand ’. Since then further researches have strengthened our claim to bring us to where we are now."
Monday, January 25, 2010
Kirsty Winstanley - an English victim of an unequal union
Every now and then, you come across a story which sort of sums up this unequal union of equals and the appalling price that citizens in England are expected pay for New Labour's Grand Plan. When, because you are English, you just don't seem to qualify for stuff that is routine everywhere else in Britain.
Today, supporters of the late young mother Kirsty Winstanley, have been lobbying at Westminster to try and get cerival cancer screening down to the same age levels as the rest of the UK.
This from Sky.com -
"Kirsty Winstanley, 23, from St Helens, died ten months after being diagnosed with the disease.
She had been too young to be screened in England. If she had lived anywhere else in Britain, she would have qualified.
Kirsty had called for the cervical cancer screening age in England to be lowered to 20, in line with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Currently, women in England are not invited for the test until they reach 25.
Kirsty's brother Ian Atherton said: "She felt bitter that she didn't have the chance to save her own life.
"If the Government hadn't raised the screening age from 20 to 25 in 2003, she could have had the opportunity to have the smear test, and could have caught it. She would have had two years from 20 to 22 to catch this disease, and actually be able to survive."
Friday, January 15, 2010
Dear Peter.......
To Peter Hain, Secretary of State for Wales
Mr Hain, whilst watching BBC's Questiontime on 14th January, I noticed that in reply to a question from the audience (34 minutes in), about David Miliband and his loyalty message, you said, (and I quote directly from BBC iPlayer), "And actually, when it comes down to it, my constituents say to me... They're not interested in all this nonsense and all this media Westminster bubble stuff,what they're interested in is who's going to take this country forward so that jobs are protected, so that schools are protected, so that the health service continues to be invested in and continues to perform....."
Well, that surprises me somewhat. I mean, seeing that Health and Education are now devolved issues, are the good people of Neath in Wales really that bothered about the English education system and the English health service? Surely, they will be thinking of their own health and education issues when they can actually vote for them - in the elections to the Welsh Assembly?
But maybe they are confused? If they are indeed raising such subjects to you, maybe you should be correcting them - and telling them that Welsh health and education has nothing to do with you. But as Secretary of State for Wales, you can vote on English Health and Education issues but not Welsh ones - and that all enquiries should be addressed to the Welsh AM for Neath?
As you are the Secretary of Wales - and so are presumably defacto aware of the devolution settlement, I am somewhat surprised that you should have made such an elementary error. I would be grateful if you could reply to this and let me know if what you said was, indeed a slip of the tongue - or an attempt to continue to confuse the people of England as to who is responsible for what..
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Q & A with Nick Clegg.... (via some geezer called Duggie Dowell)..
Questions sent, September 21st:During yesterday's conference speech by Nick Clegg he talked about abandoning your no tuition fee policy because of hard financial times...
HOWEVER, he talked very generally about where the policy would impact. For example, he talked about the need to act responsibly for the sake of the British people etc...
Am I right in thinking that he was only talking about tutition fees in England? (As I understand it, education is entirely devolved, apart from in England, obviously).
So if it is only about England that he is talking why did he never once mention England by name?
As the LibDems were supposed to be the party of honesty - how can Clegg do exactly the same as Brown and Cameron when talking about devolved issues - ie give the impression that he is talking about a British-wide policy when in actual fact he is only referring to policy in England
Also, I notice you have official Scottish LibDems and Welsh LibDems websites and organisations - but where are the English LibDems?
Two questions - I would appreciate an honest and unspun reply to both.
Answer received November 25th: Many thanks for your email to Nick Clegg MP. Nick has asked me to contact you on his behalf and I apologise for the delay in responding. I hope you will understand that, due to the sheer volume of correspondence that Nick has been receiving, it can take some time for us to reply.
Liberal Democrats recognise that the advent of devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland poses difficult questions for the governance of England within the Union. Solutions, however, are in many ways equally problematic. The ‘English votes for English laws’ solution is extremely complicated – partially because the Speaker would have to decide whether issues were England only; England and Wales; Great Britain; England, Wales and Northern Ireland; or UK-wide. Given the fact that changes in spending on English services which would be devolved in the rest of the UK directly affect the devolved administration’s budgets, this is by no means a simple question. More fundamentally, in situations where English MPs had a majority of one political colour and the House of Commons as a whole another, it would mean that the government’s writ would not run over most of its legislative programme. An English Parliament would address some of these points, and we would not necessarily rule it out. However, it does beg the question of why we should wish to create a new level of government covering nearly 85% of the population. This might be a logical response, but it does not meaningfully move power closer to the people, which is the ultimate point of devolution. Furthermore, given the different levels of powers allocated to the different devolved assemblies, inconsistencies would still remain. We believe this question should be a matter for our proposed Constitutional Convention.
Our own party structure has always had a high degree of autonomy for regional and local parties, before and after devolution. We believe issues should be decided at the most appropriate level close to our constituents. I hope you’ll understand that, due to the nature of the current devolution settlement, it can be a little difficult to avoid moving from a devolved issue (e.g. education) to a UK-wide one (e.g. taxation policy) at the moment – but Nick certainly didn’t intend to cause confusion and I do apologise if you were irritated by it.
Finally, with respect to finance – as the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and Northern Ireland have devolved bloc grants, I hope you’ll understand that Nick can’t generally lay down Lib Dem policy on matters like tuition fees in Scotland. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that the level of bloc grant in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is automatically linked to total ‘English’ spending, so reductions in spending south of the border will translate into an equivalent reduction in the devolved nations.
Thank you once again for emailing. Once again, I’m very sorry for the delay in replying to you.
Best wishes,
Douglas Dowell
Office of Nick Clegg MP
HOWEVER, he talked very generally about where the policy would impact. For example, he talked about the need to act responsibly for the sake of the British people etc...
Am I right in thinking that he was only talking about tutition fees in England? (As I understand it, education is entirely devolved, apart from in England, obviously).
So if it is only about England that he is talking why did he never once mention England by name?
As the LibDems were supposed to be the party of honesty - how can Clegg do exactly the same as Brown and Cameron when talking about devolved issues - ie give the impression that he is talking about a British-wide policy when in actual fact he is only referring to policy in England
Also, I notice you have official Scottish LibDems and Welsh LibDems websites and organisations - but where are the English LibDems?
Two questions - I would appreciate an honest and unspun reply to both.
Answer received November 25th: Many thanks for your email to Nick Clegg MP. Nick has asked me to contact you on his behalf and I apologise for the delay in responding. I hope you will understand that, due to the sheer volume of correspondence that Nick has been receiving, it can take some time for us to reply.
Liberal Democrats recognise that the advent of devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland poses difficult questions for the governance of England within the Union. Solutions, however, are in many ways equally problematic. The ‘English votes for English laws’ solution is extremely complicated – partially because the Speaker would have to decide whether issues were England only; England and Wales; Great Britain; England, Wales and Northern Ireland; or UK-wide. Given the fact that changes in spending on English services which would be devolved in the rest of the UK directly affect the devolved administration’s budgets, this is by no means a simple question. More fundamentally, in situations where English MPs had a majority of one political colour and the House of Commons as a whole another, it would mean that the government’s writ would not run over most of its legislative programme. An English Parliament would address some of these points, and we would not necessarily rule it out. However, it does beg the question of why we should wish to create a new level of government covering nearly 85% of the population. This might be a logical response, but it does not meaningfully move power closer to the people, which is the ultimate point of devolution. Furthermore, given the different levels of powers allocated to the different devolved assemblies, inconsistencies would still remain. We believe this question should be a matter for our proposed Constitutional Convention.
Our own party structure has always had a high degree of autonomy for regional and local parties, before and after devolution. We believe issues should be decided at the most appropriate level close to our constituents. I hope you’ll understand that, due to the nature of the current devolution settlement, it can be a little difficult to avoid moving from a devolved issue (e.g. education) to a UK-wide one (e.g. taxation policy) at the moment – but Nick certainly didn’t intend to cause confusion and I do apologise if you were irritated by it.
Finally, with respect to finance – as the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and Northern Ireland have devolved bloc grants, I hope you’ll understand that Nick can’t generally lay down Lib Dem policy on matters like tuition fees in Scotland. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that the level of bloc grant in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is automatically linked to total ‘English’ spending, so reductions in spending south of the border will translate into an equivalent reduction in the devolved nations.
Thank you once again for emailing. Once again, I’m very sorry for the delay in replying to you.
Best wishes,
Douglas Dowell
Office of Nick Clegg MP
Friday, August 14, 2009
Cross-dresser goes cross-country.... and gets cross!
On Wednesday, I almost took out one of the nation's favourite comedians.
Eddie Izzard, currently pounding the roads of Britain almost went the way of countless insects, a few birds and a cyclist (it was his fault, honest!) in disappearing under my bonnet. Thankfully, this time, I avoided adding to my bonnet fodder count by managing not to mount the pavement and flattening him.
Eddie Izzard, here in Nowheresville, West Lancashire, doing his bit for Comic Relief? I mean, what are the chances? At first I thought he was alone in a loneliness of the long distance runner kind of way ('cept for the flag of St George strapped to his arm). But then I noticed the S Type Jag', the 4x4 with countless bikes strapped to the back, the weird motorised trap thing being ridden by a few hippie types....
We went back to get the Nikon.
By the time we found him again, he was a few miles up the road and into countryside. I reckon a certain amount of rules interpretation had been explored by Team Izzard - Had the back seat of that Jag' suddenly become all sweaty?
But even though he was in the country, Eddie was hardly alone. A camera crew had suddenly materialised - which along with the team meant there was a bit of a bottleneck on one of the most dangerous stretches of the A59 - one of the most dangerous roads in the country. Still, there's a celeb at work so who cares?
We drove past a mile or two to turn round and drive back up towards the Izzard show. Camera primed, foot on the accelerator Eddie had broken away from the group and was running in a walking kind of way towards us. He looked a tad grumpy and no mistake....
I'm multi-tasking. One hand on the wheel, one hand holding the Nikon, we're doing about 40 mph as we draw near...
I try to get his attention.
"Hey, Eddie baby, I love ya!"
"Piss off" said Eddie...
Must be a showbizz greeting thing.
Mean, moody, magnificent. Eddie against the West Lancashire skyline.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Craven ignorance?
TO: BBC Complaints Dept:
Countryfile - BBC 1, 26/7/09.
John Craven's report about Mink and the need to eradicate it.
25:10 into the programme, Craven said this -
"It's not just Alex who believes we should control foreign species to preserve our natural heritage, the English Government's wildlife advisory agency thinks so too"...
Sorry, did John Craven just say 'English Government'?
Clearly, all those years dressed in absurd wooly jumpers whilst anchoring 'John Craven's Newsround' has done nothing to hone his grasp of political reality.
For his and the BBC's benefit, England has no English Government. To be honest, England is hardly recognised as a country by anyone - least of all, the BBC!
And if we did have an 'English Government', don't you think we would only be voting in people to rule us who actually represented English people in English constituencies!?? (Last time I looked on a map, Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath was a constituency most definitely in Scotland).
So, PERRRRLLLEASE do not insult me and 50 million other English people by telling us we have an English Government when we quite clearly do not. You are supposed to speak the truth unto nations - not pedal myths!
Just remember, England is the only country in the WHOLE OF EUROPE without any national representation - and that is a shameful indictment on the craven power-mad baggage currently loafing around in Westminster..... And we went to war in Iraq so we could give them democracy!!
'Double standards', don't ya just love them????
Please reply as soon as possible - and send Craven (along with all the other BBC journalists) on a crash course in politics.
Yours,
Countryfile - BBC 1, 26/7/09.
John Craven's report about Mink and the need to eradicate it.
25:10 into the programme, Craven said this -
"It's not just Alex who believes we should control foreign species to preserve our natural heritage, the English Government's wildlife advisory agency thinks so too"...
Sorry, did John Craven just say 'English Government'?
Clearly, all those years dressed in absurd wooly jumpers whilst anchoring 'John Craven's Newsround' has done nothing to hone his grasp of political reality.
For his and the BBC's benefit, England has no English Government. To be honest, England is hardly recognised as a country by anyone - least of all, the BBC!
And if we did have an 'English Government', don't you think we would only be voting in people to rule us who actually represented English people in English constituencies!?? (Last time I looked on a map, Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath was a constituency most definitely in Scotland).
So, PERRRRLLLEASE do not insult me and 50 million other English people by telling us we have an English Government when we quite clearly do not. You are supposed to speak the truth unto nations - not pedal myths!
Just remember, England is the only country in the WHOLE OF EUROPE without any national representation - and that is a shameful indictment on the craven power-mad baggage currently loafing around in Westminster..... And we went to war in Iraq so we could give them democracy!!
'Double standards', don't ya just love them????
Please reply as soon as possible - and send Craven (along with all the other BBC journalists) on a crash course in politics.
Yours,
Monday, July 13, 2009
Kim Cattrall, me - and a Bobby Ewing stepping-out-of-the-shower moment...
You know when something so weird happens in your life, you just cannot take it in. Something, if written in a soap opera you would think it so outrageously improbable - even for Dynasty or Dallas?..
It happened to me, my sisters and my Mum just 8 weeks ago.
It started, just like any Agatha Christie novel does with an advert placed in the personal column of a newspaper - the Liverpool Echo in early May to be precise. It asked whether anyone knew the wherebouts of a man last seen in the Toxteth area of Liverpool in the mid 1930's. His name was George Baugh. His surname is quite unusual - and significantly, it also happens to be my Mum's maiden name. What's more, she had an eldest brother who she called 'Georgie' - and as a young teenager, she was the last person in her family to see him storm out of his father's home and disappear down the road forever in the mid 1930's....
Our family are now living all over the place - and none of us actually saw the advert - but my youngest sister has been building our family tree for the past 20 years and has many times tried to find our missing Uncle Georgie without any success. One of her friends in Liverpool saw the advert and contacted my sister to ask whether it could be my long lost Uncle....
We reckoned that more than likely it was. But there was only one way to find out - ring the number on the advert.
We already knew a bit about Uncle Georgie. He was the eldest of 7 kids, was a bit of a tearaway and had been running away from home since his early teens. He had got married at an early age, and had three daughters to Marian, his wife. After he ran away for the last time, (leaving his wife and kids behind) we know he had tried to get into America but was refused entry. He spent a few months banged up in Ellis Island chokey before being shoved onto a boat home... That was over 70 years ago... since then, nothing until now.
We rang the number. It was a researcher from the BBC. They were producing a new episode of 'Who Do You Think You Are?' and they thought Uncle Georgie, my Mum and us kids were all related to their celebrity subject.
"So who is it then?"
They wouldn't tell us. The only thing they did confirm was that the subject of the episode was very, very famous...
Please God, don't let it be Derek Hatton or Jimmy Tarbuck or Cherie Blair or Les Dennis or Cilla Black or especially Keith Chegwin..... But maybe they're not a scouser? The awful thought comes into my mind that Jimmy Krankie is a long lost relly....
We ruminate. Then we cogitate. Our brains have never been so racked. Who the hell is it?
To be honest, I didn't care who it is - just as long as we feel honoured to call them one of our relatives. Footy genius, Stevie Gerrard would be good. We could have a kickabout in our back garden - and I could show him how fab my demon left foot is. Jimmy Page would be better, because if nothing else, I might at last get to actually see Led Zepp' live - possibly in my front room with a wall of Marshall speakers, a four pack, a bottle of Jack Daniels and a couple of cigarette lighters (for the Stairway to Heaven number)... Then maybe I could dig out my Son's classic Gibson Les Paul Studio electric guitar and me and Jimbo could have a bit of a sesh, jammin' the night away..... Sweet.
It wasn't either of them. Nor thankfully was it Degsy, Cherie or Cilla.
All they would tell us was that the subject was internationally famous, born in Liverpool but now lives in the states.
Blimey. Gobsmacking. We are related to someone internationally famous who now lives in the states!..
They ring us back. They want to come round and screen-test my old Mum with a view to interviewing her on camera for the programme. Not only that, if all goes well then the celeb will drop in to do a face to face with her!..
It's all going too fast. We're having difficulty getting our collective heads around this one... and they still won't tell us who it is!
All I can say is 'Thank God for Google'...
We type in Mum's maiden name and start working through all the famous people we can think of who were born in Liverpool. We are forensic in our search.
And then we find it. We find it but we cannot believe it. It ain't really registering.
Us, the Ordinary-Nobody family from Liverpool really are related to someone who has already been to the White House as a guest of President Obama. Someone who is instantly recognisable right around the globe....
It really is sort of getting to be like a plot from Dallas or Dynasty - improbable, not to say impossible! But it appeared to be true!
Amazingly, our relation is Kim Cattrall.
Although dying to blab to anyone we meet, we don't crack on to anyone (well, hardly anyone) - especially my Mum. The programme makers want it to be as natural experience as possible when she meets the people from the Beeb.
The researchers come round. They are impressed with my old girl. She's 87 years old but is still dealing from a full pack (including the jokers). Her recall of her long lost brother is undiminished by a 70-odd year gap. They tell my Mum that they would like to come round with a camera crew and the subject of the programme to do a few scenes. My Mum agrees.
Finally, I tell my kids that they could be related to someone famous. They press me, I capitulate and tell them who it is. Three nanoseconds later, my 25 year old son had shoved it straight onto his FaceBook page.
So much for discretion.
The big day comes - Spring Bank Holiday Monday to be precise and by now, my Mum has been told who it is. She invites us kids to her house to meet our newly discovered relation. Knowing that my Mum's house is a tad on the bijou side - and that around 20 people are likely to be tramping around inside, I reluctantly decide to decline the offer - in the hope that I might meet Kim in less fraught surroundings at a later date.
Three cars turn up the little street in Sheffield where my Mum now lives. Out steps the Director, two researchers, camera crew & sound man, make-up lady, minder and Kim Cattrall... Already in the house are my three sisters, a nephew, a niece, my Mum's younger sister and her daughter.
They are there for a couple of hours filming before they depart. Now is the time to take stock. Basically, my Mum is Kim's Great Aunt - her brother was Kim's Grandfather. That makes me her mother's cousin and my kids are Kim's second cousins.
We've kept a collective embargo on the information while the rest of the programme was being made. The reason being that there is one hell of a story to come out regarding my Uncle Georgie - alot of it is very very painful and upsetting to those concerned. We didn't feel it was our job to publicise the story - especially as we have only just found out about it all. It is really amazing - but not in a positive way. And to be honest, we were all very shocked when we heard what my uncle Georgie had been up to. After he left his wife - he laid low for a few years then remarried. In short, Georgie was a bigamist.
For my Mum it's closure. She was pretty much the last person to see her eldest brother as he did his last runner all those years ago and has always wondered what had happened to him. Well now she knows - where he settled and when he died. Last Saturday I met Kim's Auntie - she's another cousin of mine; and is Georgie's third child. She was really nice, as was her husband. They had loads of photos of their niece - including one with her and Leonard Nimoy playing a couple of Vulcans in a Star Trek movie.
We've heard that the programme is due to air on August 12th. My Mum is getting a private showing beforehand because some of the stuff the programme uncovers is a bit painful....
The process has been surreal, the story has been shocking and painful for all concerned - but I have to say how thrilled we all are to have discovered a new arm of our family - and yes, we do feel honoured to have Kim as one of our relatives.
Well, that's the story - I wrote this piece a few weeks ago and have been wondering when to whack it up on the blog. Well, I reckon now is the right time as the new series of Who Do You Think You Are? is about to start and a piece about Kim's story was featured in Saturday's Daily Mail magazine..
Amazing
It happened to me, my sisters and my Mum just 8 weeks ago.
It started, just like any Agatha Christie novel does with an advert placed in the personal column of a newspaper - the Liverpool Echo in early May to be precise. It asked whether anyone knew the wherebouts of a man last seen in the Toxteth area of Liverpool in the mid 1930's. His name was George Baugh. His surname is quite unusual - and significantly, it also happens to be my Mum's maiden name. What's more, she had an eldest brother who she called 'Georgie' - and as a young teenager, she was the last person in her family to see him storm out of his father's home and disappear down the road forever in the mid 1930's....
Our family are now living all over the place - and none of us actually saw the advert - but my youngest sister has been building our family tree for the past 20 years and has many times tried to find our missing Uncle Georgie without any success. One of her friends in Liverpool saw the advert and contacted my sister to ask whether it could be my long lost Uncle....
We reckoned that more than likely it was. But there was only one way to find out - ring the number on the advert.
We already knew a bit about Uncle Georgie. He was the eldest of 7 kids, was a bit of a tearaway and had been running away from home since his early teens. He had got married at an early age, and had three daughters to Marian, his wife. After he ran away for the last time, (leaving his wife and kids behind) we know he had tried to get into America but was refused entry. He spent a few months banged up in Ellis Island chokey before being shoved onto a boat home... That was over 70 years ago... since then, nothing until now.
We rang the number. It was a researcher from the BBC. They were producing a new episode of 'Who Do You Think You Are?' and they thought Uncle Georgie, my Mum and us kids were all related to their celebrity subject.
"So who is it then?"
They wouldn't tell us. The only thing they did confirm was that the subject of the episode was very, very famous...
Please God, don't let it be Derek Hatton or Jimmy Tarbuck or Cherie Blair or Les Dennis or Cilla Black or especially Keith Chegwin..... But maybe they're not a scouser? The awful thought comes into my mind that Jimmy Krankie is a long lost relly....
We ruminate. Then we cogitate. Our brains have never been so racked. Who the hell is it?
To be honest, I didn't care who it is - just as long as we feel honoured to call them one of our relatives. Footy genius, Stevie Gerrard would be good. We could have a kickabout in our back garden - and I could show him how fab my demon left foot is. Jimmy Page would be better, because if nothing else, I might at last get to actually see Led Zepp' live - possibly in my front room with a wall of Marshall speakers, a four pack, a bottle of Jack Daniels and a couple of cigarette lighters (for the Stairway to Heaven number)... Then maybe I could dig out my Son's classic Gibson Les Paul Studio electric guitar and me and Jimbo could have a bit of a sesh, jammin' the night away..... Sweet.
It wasn't either of them. Nor thankfully was it Degsy, Cherie or Cilla.
All they would tell us was that the subject was internationally famous, born in Liverpool but now lives in the states.
Blimey. Gobsmacking. We are related to someone internationally famous who now lives in the states!..
They ring us back. They want to come round and screen-test my old Mum with a view to interviewing her on camera for the programme. Not only that, if all goes well then the celeb will drop in to do a face to face with her!..
It's all going too fast. We're having difficulty getting our collective heads around this one... and they still won't tell us who it is!
All I can say is 'Thank God for Google'...
We type in Mum's maiden name and start working through all the famous people we can think of who were born in Liverpool. We are forensic in our search.
And then we find it. We find it but we cannot believe it. It ain't really registering.
Us, the Ordinary-Nobody family from Liverpool really are related to someone who has already been to the White House as a guest of President Obama. Someone who is instantly recognisable right around the globe....
It really is sort of getting to be like a plot from Dallas or Dynasty - improbable, not to say impossible! But it appeared to be true!
Amazingly, our relation is Kim Cattrall.
Although dying to blab to anyone we meet, we don't crack on to anyone (well, hardly anyone) - especially my Mum. The programme makers want it to be as natural experience as possible when she meets the people from the Beeb.
The researchers come round. They are impressed with my old girl. She's 87 years old but is still dealing from a full pack (including the jokers). Her recall of her long lost brother is undiminished by a 70-odd year gap. They tell my Mum that they would like to come round with a camera crew and the subject of the programme to do a few scenes. My Mum agrees.
Finally, I tell my kids that they could be related to someone famous. They press me, I capitulate and tell them who it is. Three nanoseconds later, my 25 year old son had shoved it straight onto his FaceBook page.
So much for discretion.
The big day comes - Spring Bank Holiday Monday to be precise and by now, my Mum has been told who it is. She invites us kids to her house to meet our newly discovered relation. Knowing that my Mum's house is a tad on the bijou side - and that around 20 people are likely to be tramping around inside, I reluctantly decide to decline the offer - in the hope that I might meet Kim in less fraught surroundings at a later date.
Three cars turn up the little street in Sheffield where my Mum now lives. Out steps the Director, two researchers, camera crew & sound man, make-up lady, minder and Kim Cattrall... Already in the house are my three sisters, a nephew, a niece, my Mum's younger sister and her daughter.
They are there for a couple of hours filming before they depart. Now is the time to take stock. Basically, my Mum is Kim's Great Aunt - her brother was Kim's Grandfather. That makes me her mother's cousin and my kids are Kim's second cousins.
We've kept a collective embargo on the information while the rest of the programme was being made. The reason being that there is one hell of a story to come out regarding my Uncle Georgie - alot of it is very very painful and upsetting to those concerned. We didn't feel it was our job to publicise the story - especially as we have only just found out about it all. It is really amazing - but not in a positive way. And to be honest, we were all very shocked when we heard what my uncle Georgie had been up to. After he left his wife - he laid low for a few years then remarried. In short, Georgie was a bigamist.
For my Mum it's closure. She was pretty much the last person to see her eldest brother as he did his last runner all those years ago and has always wondered what had happened to him. Well now she knows - where he settled and when he died. Last Saturday I met Kim's Auntie - she's another cousin of mine; and is Georgie's third child. She was really nice, as was her husband. They had loads of photos of their niece - including one with her and Leonard Nimoy playing a couple of Vulcans in a Star Trek movie.
We've heard that the programme is due to air on August 12th. My Mum is getting a private showing beforehand because some of the stuff the programme uncovers is a bit painful....
The process has been surreal, the story has been shocking and painful for all concerned - but I have to say how thrilled we all are to have discovered a new arm of our family - and yes, we do feel honoured to have Kim as one of our relatives.
Well, that's the story - I wrote this piece a few weeks ago and have been wondering when to whack it up on the blog. Well, I reckon now is the right time as the new series of Who Do You Think You Are? is about to start and a piece about Kim's story was featured in Saturday's Daily Mail magazine..
Amazing
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Co op - good with food (but not with geography)...
Co op's latest BBQ advert - now reinforced with added flaggage - (Scottish and Unionist of course)...
Why not complain?
The Co-operative Group
Customer Relations
Freepost MR9473
Manchester
M4 8BA
Email: customer.relations@co-op.co.uk
Phone: 0800 0686 727
Why not complain?
The Co-operative Group
Customer Relations
Freepost MR9473
Manchester
M4 8BA
Email: customer.relations@co-op.co.uk
Phone: 0800 0686 727
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Just as if....
In tribute to the imminent disclosure of over a million MP receipts, West Lancashire poet Tom McDonald, inspired by Kipling's best known poem has penned the following tome....
Just as if...
If you can keep your houses when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
About your freebies of which there’s quite a few
If you can bait and not be tired of baiting,
When you tell the voters that you’d never tell them lies
If you are hated and care not of the hating,
When you’re up to no good and think that it’s wise
If you can scheme for light-bulbs and cracked plaster,
If rising damp in the swimming pool is to blame,
You could tell your bankers of this dire disaster,
Because you know that you and they are just the same.
If you don’t know the truth of what you’ve spoken,
With your twisted way of rigging complex rules
When you see the things we gave our lives to broken,
As we stoop and build ‘em up with worn out tools.
If you can make one heap of what you’re claiming,
And compare it with the hoard of Jonathon Ross,
And brood and start again at what you’re aiming,
And never breathe a word unto your boss.
If you can stake your claim for heating up the lawn,
And the contents from a horse’s steaming stall
Get paid for nappies, bath plugs, and for steamy porn,
While chandeliers swing gaily in the hall.
If you can talk with crowds and feign your virtue,
Or walk with kings nor lose the commons touch,
If neither friends nor Jeremy Paxman can hurt you,
And if some men count with, you but not too much.
If one’s denied as middleclass in classy mags.
And they say that person is not what he seems
Then how is it that he owns two brand new jags
And the place he lives has brand new Tudor beams.
If you would like your fortune to continue,
To serve your turn and keep you as a toff,
Don’t tell Joe Public what they think is in you,
Even though you’d tell these peasants to sod off!
If you can talk on telly for one minute,
About the rules and what you never hid,
Then yours is the oyster and the pearl that’s in it,
And what’s more, you’ll be an MP, our kid....
Tom McDonald, West Lancashire.
Just as if...
If you can keep your houses when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
About your freebies of which there’s quite a few
If you can bait and not be tired of baiting,
When you tell the voters that you’d never tell them lies
If you are hated and care not of the hating,
When you’re up to no good and think that it’s wise
If you can scheme for light-bulbs and cracked plaster,
If rising damp in the swimming pool is to blame,
You could tell your bankers of this dire disaster,
Because you know that you and they are just the same.
If you don’t know the truth of what you’ve spoken,
With your twisted way of rigging complex rules
When you see the things we gave our lives to broken,
As we stoop and build ‘em up with worn out tools.
If you can make one heap of what you’re claiming,
And compare it with the hoard of Jonathon Ross,
And brood and start again at what you’re aiming,
And never breathe a word unto your boss.
If you can stake your claim for heating up the lawn,
And the contents from a horse’s steaming stall
Get paid for nappies, bath plugs, and for steamy porn,
While chandeliers swing gaily in the hall.
If you can talk with crowds and feign your virtue,
Or walk with kings nor lose the commons touch,
If neither friends nor Jeremy Paxman can hurt you,
And if some men count with, you but not too much.
If one’s denied as middleclass in classy mags.
And they say that person is not what he seems
Then how is it that he owns two brand new jags
And the place he lives has brand new Tudor beams.
If you would like your fortune to continue,
To serve your turn and keep you as a toff,
Don’t tell Joe Public what they think is in you,
Even though you’d tell these peasants to sod off!
If you can talk on telly for one minute,
About the rules and what you never hid,
Then yours is the oyster and the pearl that’s in it,
And what’s more, you’ll be an MP, our kid....
Tom McDonald, West Lancashire.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
The default English First Minister says "It's oooor country!"..
..."This, the launch day of the 2018 World Cup bid. It's a great day for football, it's a great day for our country"....
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Quakes in the Lakes....
This morning there was an earthquake measuring 3.2 on the Richter Scale. It was centred around Ulveston, South Lakes, Cumbria..... That isn't that far from Sellafield's family of expanding nuclear power stations and also the proposed underground nuclear waste dump at Copeland.
Although only small, this quake shows that there is seismic activity in the area around the Lake District - last month for instance, they had another quake measuring 2.8.
Do you think we should we be building nuclear stations and storing nuclear waste anywhere near what is becoming a potential problem area? After all, the projected danger time for the most radioactive waste to be stored is around 100,000 years - that's 25 times the age of Stonehenge - and quite a bit longer than a 5 year parliamentary term...
Still, in their various cabinet guises, the Miliband boys have assured us that everything is A-OK and there's nowt to worry about....... So that's alright then?
Geology extra! - The most stable rocks in the UK are in the Cairngorms, Scotland. They are also amongst the oldest in the world, vying for longevity with the Laurentian Shield rock formation in Canada.
Politics, eh. Don't you just love it!
Although only small, this quake shows that there is seismic activity in the area around the Lake District - last month for instance, they had another quake measuring 2.8.
Do you think we should we be building nuclear stations and storing nuclear waste anywhere near what is becoming a potential problem area? After all, the projected danger time for the most radioactive waste to be stored is around 100,000 years - that's 25 times the age of Stonehenge - and quite a bit longer than a 5 year parliamentary term...
Still, in their various cabinet guises, the Miliband boys have assured us that everything is A-OK and there's nowt to worry about....... So that's alright then?
Geology extra! - The most stable rocks in the UK are in the Cairngorms, Scotland. They are also amongst the oldest in the world, vying for longevity with the Laurentian Shield rock formation in Canada.
Politics, eh. Don't you just love it!
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