Expenses – my arse!

I don’t care how much the politicians try to bullshit their way out of their expenses quagmire; billing the taxpayer £22,948 by dossing on your sister’s floor occasionally is corrupt. It might not be unlawful, but it is corrupt in the rotten sense of the word. Tony McNulty keeps claiming it’s not against ‘the rules’ but it should be. No prizes for guessing who wrote those rules. The only people that appear incapable of grasping the fact that it is corrupt are the politicians themselves.
It says a lot about Britain in general and politics in particular that Gordon Brown has turned a blind eye to this sort of behaviour for years. But spend ten quid on a porn flick and all hell breaks loose.
Pathetic!

Jesus Christ!!!

Look at what those right wing nutters are up to now.

Tabloid frenzy over Jacqui Smith porn movies

He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

Good luck to the brothers Grim this weekend

I should have been doing this with my brothers at the weekend.
But unfortunately my childminding plans have been sabotaged. I reckon it was a deliberate plot so that my younger fitter brother could be slotted into my place. They’ll regret not having the benefit of my experience, and miss those gentle words of encouragement I’d utter on the way round. :)
Have fun and make sure you win. I’ll be there in spirit.

Fred the shred

I thought at the time that Sir Fred was extremely lucky that he was living in the 21st century, in a relatively laid back country. In another time or another place Sir Fred’s lifelong pension would have been terminated at the nearest lamppost with a length of piano wire.
It looks like some of the people that have got the hump with Sir Fred have finally taken the law into their own hands.
It shouldn’t be too difficult a case for the police to solve; there can’t be more than twenty or thirty million suspects.

Facebook spooks

Any future government that decides it wants to crack down further on the freedom of British citizens will not need to pass any new draconian laws. New Labour is already putting all the tools in place that a totalitarian government would need. Step by incremental step.
Also see here.

The Emperor’s new clothes

A fine piece of Irish political satire. I hope no one is tempted to do the same for Gordon Brown. I’m not sure the NHS could cope with the sudden onslaught of nausea.

British Nazi Party

I see the usual bunch of racists and insane right wingers are defending the BNP’s abuse of an image of Winston Churchill at Curly’s corner shop blog. Churchill was wrong on many, many issues. But the one thing he was 100% correct about was refusing to back down to Nazi bullies.

If the BNP are looking for a nostalgic image to put on their leaflets the one above would be more appropriate.

A nation mourns

Well I suppose it finally had to happen. I’ve followed the reports of her hospital admissions in the media, as well as the lavish praise and thanks she bestows on the care staff. But we all knew she couldn’t live forever. Ruby Hartley has died. The Gazette paid tribute yesterday to its very own poet-in-residence. I will publish a link to the obituary as soon as they put it in their online edition. Ruby has donated her body to the Freeman Hospital.

Update: Gazette tribute.

Base 3

My body greeted the first day of spring by attempting to go into hibernation. I must have needed that sleep pretty badly. I dragged myself up and went out to the pool for a swim this morning. The fly in the ointment was arriving at 9 when the pool didn’t open until 11.
Change of plan; I had a tee-shirt and pair of shorts with me so went to the gym instead. I prefer my exercise alfresco so wasn’t particularly enjoying sitting on an exercise bike for half an hour when I spotted an old school friend I hadn’t seen for years. He’d made the mistake of turning up too early as well. He used to be a rugby player, a prop forward, so had never been petite. Middle age had made him even bigger. He told me that he’d taken up exercise in January for health reasons. It was obviously hard work for him but at least he was doing something positive.
As you get older it’s weird bumping into people you remember from childhood. It’s difficult to explain exactly what I mean but it doesn’t look quite right seeing an ‘old codger’ version of someone you knew at primary school.

Killer

Unfortunately Michael is right. We now need divine intervention to avoid relegation. Divine in the Thor, Odin or Brian Kilkline sense of the word.
But who is the leader of ‘killer’ Kilkline’s calibre in the present Newcastle squad. Someone who will lead by example and ensure every player gives 100% until the final whistle of the season. No names are springing to mind.
People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.

FedEx

I must re-read the Highway Code. I can’t remember seeing the bit that says FedEx drivers are allowed to ignore the double yellow lines on Dean Road, and totally obstruct the pavement for pedestrians. No doubt the council tax payer will pick up the bill for any broken paving stones.

Bottoms up

I don’t think I’m going to make many friends with this post but here goes… I agree with Liam Donaldson’s proposals on alcohol pricing. There, I’ve said it now, that wasn’t too difficult.

I don’t think anyone can accuse me of being puritanical on drug regulation; my idea of a good time is drinking bier on the banks of the Rhien or distillery hopping in Scotland. And I’m not one of these right wing reactionaries that try to claim that the present generation of teenagers invented underage drinking.

My support for the proposals has certainly been influenced by the number of premature deaths I have witnessed from alcoholic liver disease. Death from this disease is protracted and unpleasant. Quentin Tarantino movies will never appear blood thirsty again after you’ve witnessed a heavy drinker’s veins burst in their oesophagus. But this isn’t the real reason why I support the proposals; I support them because they would work.

It’s highly unlikely that the proposals will be adopted. The Conservatives have clearly abandoned any hope of tackling alcoholic liver disease and Labour are too spineless to do anything about it.

Listening to the alcohol industry lobbyists on the radio over the weekend, it is quite clear that they don’t offer any alternative that would bring about the same health improvements.

The proposals aren’t perfect; they are not a cure all for everyone with a drink problem. But the improvements in public health that they would bring greatly outweigh any negatives.

I’m exhausted… and I ache all over. I’ve got my training back on track this week and managed to increase both the volume and the intensity. It was hard work though and I’m now looking forward to my easy week. I’ll need to be a lot fitter in 4 months time but I’m slowly getting there.
Apologies to anyone who attempted to have a conversation with me this week, I’m aware that I’ve been half-asleep at times. Hopefully that will improve as I get fitter… but don’t hold your breath.

Hudson Street, Tyne Dock

Tyne Dock doesn’t look much like this now but this is a great photo that appeared in the Gazette of Hudson Street, taken about 100 years ago. I’ll have to ask my mother if my grandmother’s house is in the photo.

Today’s vote

I don’t go in for online votes but I do have a morbid curiosity to see what the result of the Gazette’s ‘Were parents wrong to complain about disabled TV presenter Cerrie Burnell scaring children?’ vote.
I agree with the Daily Mash take on this one.

Swiss F1 champ picks up award

Lewis Hamilton collects his gong for services to tax evasion.

Tibet – an alternative view

I’ve little doubt that the Dalai Lama is accurate when he states that “Tibetans in Tibet live in constant fear and the Chinese authorities remain constantly suspicious of them.”
I wouldn’t wish those conditions on any human. But what is rarely mentioned in any debate about Tibet is that life wasn’t exactly a bed of roses before the Chinese invasion.
Tibet wasn’t a thriving democracy; the people lived under a feudal system, totally subservient to a Tibetan military and theocratic elite.
Yes, I support self determination, but don’t be fooled into believing the Tibetan people were free before the Chinese invasion.

The Sunday Run

My run yesterday was short but brutal. The sort of run that gets you out of breath but produces a lot of endorphins in the process. I bumped into Bob while I was out who tried to persuade me to enter a ‘half’ in May and something a lot more brutal in September.
I will give it some thought.

Minister told an “unacceptable lie”

The government just can’t resist telling the public big fat porkies. But people in some surprising positions are now willing to speak out.

He’s lucky the Rottweilers weren’t hungry

Never a dull moment when you live in Tyne Dock.

Al Pieda

Watch Mandy getting a facial.

Big bro

I wonder how many of the captains of industry at the helms of the 40 or so companies that have acted unlawfully and shafted our civil liberties, have donated money to political parties, or paid consultants to lobby government on their behalf. Just a thought!

My swimming career is on hold

It looks like I’m going to have to make alternative arrangements to improve my swimming. The pool is closed at Temple Park due to the boiler breaking down.
A new swimming pool for South Tyneside is long overdue; preferably a 50 metre pool built on a major bus route and close to a metro station. Not asking for much am I?

Base 2

I’m now in the second phase of my triathlon training and my endurance should be soaring by now. It isn’t! The dose of flu I had in December really took it out of me and even now I’m still not at pre-flu fitness levels. I am getting stronger and fitter with every session though and that’s what counts.
After weeks of making up excuses and putting it off I went for my first swim of the year in the murky waters of Temple Park. That twenty minute session confirmed what I already knew; I’m crap at swimming. I have to be able to swim a mile in open water by the summer, with no sides to hang onto after every length, so I better get cracking.
Running is so much more enjoyable than trailing along to the public baths. Just drag your kit on and a few minutes later you’re running along inspired by the vista of the Bede industrial estate. Honest! I have the ability to switch off when I’m running and let my mind roam pretty much where it wants. When I’m swimming my mind is concentrating on not drowning.

Old King Coal

If you want a bit of a snigger, check out the ‘clean coal’ video Rossinisbird has posted on his site.

Canaries in the Mine

These birds are just one more creature facing extinction as a result of global overheating.
Obviously there’s still the same old right wing fundamentalist fringe that will do everything they can to prevent action on climate change. But I’ve no doubt they’ll also be the first people to cry “Why didn’t the government do something to prevent this” as the extremes of global overheating kick in.

You only need to look at the present economic crisis to see how these right wing buffoons react. They are the very same people who argued for deregulation and leaving the economy to the mercy of market forces. Now they moan ‘Why didn’t the government regulate the banking system properly.’