Conservative Mind

Quote of the Day 12.6.2008: David Davis - The Only Honest, Princpled Man Left In British Politics

2008-06-12T16:29:00.004+01:00

"The name of my constituency is Haltemprice and Howden. The word Haltemprice is derived from the motto of a medieval priory, and in Old French it means "Noble Endeavour".

I had always viewed membership of this House as a noble endeavour, not least because we and our forebears have for centuries fiercely defended the fundamental freedoms of our citizens. Or we did, up until yesterday.Up until yesterday, I took the view that what we did in the House of Commons representing our constituents was a noble endeavour because with centuries or forebears we defended the freedoms of the British people. Well we did up until yesterday.

This Sunday is the anniversary of Magna Carta—the document that guarantees that most fundamental of British freedoms—Habeus Corpus.

The right not to be imprisoned by the state without charge or reason. Yesterday this house decided to allow the state to lock up potentially innocent British citizens for up to six weeks without charge.

Now the counter terrorism bill will in all probability be rejected by the House of Lords very firmly. After all, what should they be there for if not to defend Magna Carta.

But because the impetus behind this is essentially political - not security - the government will be tempted to use the Parliament Act to over-rule the Lords. It has no democratic mandate to do this since 42 days was not in its manifesto.

Its legal basis is uncertain to say the least. But purely for political reasons, this government's going to do that. And because the generic security arguments relied on will never go away—technology, development and complexity and so on, we'll next see 56 days, 70 days, 90 days.

But in truth, 42 days is just one—perhaps the most salient example—of the insidious, surreptitious and relentless erosion of fundamental British freedoms.

And we will have shortly, the most intrusive identity card system in the world.

A CCTV camera for every 14 citiziens, a DNA database bigger than any dictatorship has, with 1000s of innocent children and a million innocent citizens on it.

We have witnessed an assault on jury trials—that balwark against bad law and its arbitrary use by the state. Short cuts with our justice system that make our system neither firm not fair.

And the creation of a database state opening up our private lives to the prying eyes of official snoopers and exposing our personal data to careless civil servants and criminal hackers.

The state has security powers to clamp down on peaceful protest and so-called hate laws that stifle legitimate debate - while those who incite violence get off Scot free.

This cannot go on, it must be stopped. And for that reason, I feel that today it's incumbent on me to take a stand.

I will be resigning my membership of the House and I intend to force a by-election in Haltemprice and Howden.

Now I'll not fight it on the government's general record—there's no point repeating Crewe and Nantwich. I won't fight it on my personal record. I am just a piece in this great chess game.

I will fight it, I will argue this by-election, against the slow strangulation of fundamental British freedoms by this government.

Now, that may mean I've made my last speech to the House—it's possible. And of course that would be a matter of deep regret to me. But at least my electorate, and the nation as a whole, would have had the opportunity to debate and consider one of the most fundamental issues of our day—the ever-intrusive power of the state into our lives, the loss of privacy, the loss of freedom and the steady attrition undermining the rule of law.And if they do send me back here it will be with a single, simple message: that the monstrosity of a law that we passed yesterday will not stand."

This must already be one of the greatest speech ever made. It certainly a historic one; a speech that may change the course of British history for the better. Mr. Davis is the heir to Churchill; may he be successful on his quest for liberty.

I Am An Evil Super GENIUS!!!: Chavs' Army

2008-05-15T15:05:00.002+01:00

Earlier today, I saw an advertisement from the BBC requesting people to submit their ideas for the new series of one of my favourite Radio Four shows, Dave Gorman's Genius. Never one to pass up a golden opportunity for self-advancement like this, I submitted this politically incorrect but brilliant Genius idea:

Sending chavs abroad to fight our wars.

My Genius idea is to send Britain's chavs abroad to fight in Iraq, Afghanistan and other trouble-spots. This would kill three birds with one stone as not only would it cut crime at home, but the chavs and Al-Qaeda would also wipe-out each other on the desert battlefields.

My Genius idea would save taxpayers billions as chavs wouldn't need uniforms (they're already instantly recognisable by their hooded tops, Burberry and fake bling), high-tech weaponry (as most chavs already carry their own guns, knives, baseball bats and broken beer bottles) or training (as they spend hundreds of hours playing Grand Theft Auto IV and Halo 3 on their X-Box 360s and kill each other for real on the streets).

We could even sell our chavs' services to foreign powers such the United States in their quest to invade Iran, Syria and North Korea in order to bring in some extra revenue for the government.

In conclusion, chavs are cheap, expendable cannon fodder. They would obey orders without question because chavs are either drunk, high on drugs, stupid or all three. It would cut crime at home while simultaneously providing our enemies with an inexhaustible supply of violent, fearless and beer-soaked infidels from council-housing estates to eliminate during their martyrdom missions. The only costs that would be incurred by my Genius idea would be transportation and the government subsiding free beer for chavs to consume at recruitment events across Britain’s council-housing estates.

Quote of the Day 7.5.2008:

2008-05-07T16:01:00.002+01:00

"We have no oil and gas. We don't have high tech. Our centres of development, are far, far behind others. We will never be an extraordinary tourist attraction. Poland is quite a mediocre country in some regards. The only natural resource that we have, and with which we can compete, is freedom." - Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of Poland

Forget Grand Theft Auto IV....

2008-04-29T12:32:00.002+01:00

....I'd rather play this!!

I Hate Everything About You Tel: A Terry Kelly "Tribute"

2008-04-15T13:11:00.001+01:00

Yesterday, I taught myself to make basic music videos and a now present my production - a "tribute" to my favourite punching-bag blogger, the imfamous Terry Kelly to the sound of "I Hate Everything About You" by Three Days Grace.

I hope you all enjoy yourselves.

Poll shows voters don't trust Brown on economy

2008-04-14T13:05:00.001+01:00

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown is less trusted than any other major western European leader in being able to steer his country through the global financial crisis, a Financial Times poll showed on Monday.

It was the latest blow to Brown's reputation for economic competence as the housing market faces a sharp downturn amid the international turbulence.

Concern over the impact of the credit crunch is growing and mortgage lenders called on the Bank of England on Friday to increase efforts to ease the impact, warning home loans could halve from last year's levels.

In the Financial Times/Harris poll, 68 percent of Britons said they were "not confident at all" in the ability of the government to steer the country safely through tough times.

In contrast, voter confidence in their government's abilities to ride out the financial crisis was 52 percent in Germany, 51 percent in the United States, 50 percent in France, 43 percent in Italy and 36 percent in Spain.

"Gordon Brown has forfeited his trump card," the Financial Times concluded. "The mantle of economic competence, the ruling Labour Party's most potent electoral weapon, is up for grabs."

Asked if the poll's findings worried Brown, the prime minister's spokesman said: "These are difficult times for the global economy. It is entirely understandable that people are concerned about their well-being."

Brown believes Britain is well-placed to withstand the turmoil. "We were the fastest-growing economy in the G7 last year and the IMF is forecasting for us to be the fastest-growing economy this year," the spokesman said.

A Sunday Times poll showed that Brown, widely admired for steering Britain through a period of uninterrupted growth in his decade as Chancellor, suffered the biggest drop in personal ratings since polls were first taken in the 1930s.

The YouGov poll in the paper showed the resurgent Conservatives on 44 percent with Labour on 28 percent and the centrist Liberal Democrats on 17 percent.

But the biggest blow was delivered in the soundings on Brown's personal ratings -- they have fallen from plus 48 last August to minus 37.

"The collapse is the most dramatic of any modern-day prime minister, worse even than Neville Chamberlain who in 1940 dropped from plus 21 to minus 27 after Hitler's invasion of Norway," the paper said.

The Conservatives pounced on Brown's woes. Shadow Chancellor George Osborne said: "Brown rested his claim to economic competence on three pillars -- stability, prudence and productivity. Those three pillars lie broken."

Brown, who took over from Tony Blair in June last year, does not have to call a national election until 2010 so time is on his side if the global economy recovers.

The leader is holding a breakfast meeting with leading executives and bankers from London's financial district on Tuesday before flying off to the United States where the global downturn is bound to dominate discussions.

He is to meet Wall Street bankers in New York on Wednesday and President Bush in Washington on Thursday.

Kick Ed Balls In The Balls

2008-04-11T15:46:00.002+01:00

It's great fun (even if you have to play as Randy Jack Straw)!!

P.S.: I still prefer a game of Street Fighter Alpha 3.

Quote of the Day 11.4.2008: Windbag Blows About Hot Air

2008-04-11T14:10:00.003+01:00

"There are two types of people who advocate socialism, there are people like me who are working toward that end and there are those who talk about it." - Cllr Terry Kelly

A strangely ironic comment to make considering that when he himself isn't to busy just talking about socialism (complete with libellous abuse), El Clowncillor Tel is busy snapping up former council houses and shares in Transco.

Venezuela axes "The Simpsons" as bad for kids

2008-04-09T16:49:00.002+01:00

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela has forced U.S. cartoon "The Simpsons" off its airwaves, calling the show a potentially bad influence on children, and filled its morning slot with reruns of the beach-and-bikini show "Baywatch."

"The Simpsons" satirical take on a dysfunctional American family had been shown, dubbed into Spanish, on the Televen network at an 11 am slot.

"Today I believe they started broadcasting something else," said a spokesman at Venezuela's broadcasting regulator Conatel. "They were infringing many things in the television and radio social responsibility law."

Conatel said it started proceedings against the morning airing of the show after complaints from viewers.

Televen has replaced the long-running and popular cartoon with "Baywatch Hawaii," late seasons of the "Baywatch" series that made actress Pamela Anderson a household name.

20th Century Fox Television, which owns "The Simpsons" and is part of News Corp, said it was not immediately able to comment on the decision to pull "The Simpsons." The long-running show was once criticized by former U.S. President George H. W. Bush but is now a major U.S. cultural reference.

Many Venezuelan television stations fill their schedules with reruns of old U.S. series and Latin American soap-operas.

What a load BS from Hugo Chavez's Fifth Reich. Besides, I would consider Baywatch to be a far worse and an inferior show than the misadventures of Homer and family.

Quote of the Day 9.4.2008: Terry Insults "God"

2008-04-09T10:45:00.002+01:00

"CHARLATAN HESTON" - Cllr Terry Kelly

How long did it take the fat fucker (or his daughter) to come up with that?!? Perhaps he resents the conservative Mr. Heston for getting up off his backside and doing something to help Dr. Martin Luther King and the cringing black children with their struggle for greater equality and civil rights.

Quote of the Day 7.6.2008

2008-04-07T17:02:00.001+01:00

"Fear is good. Fear is what keeps us alive. Fear is nature’s survival mechanism. A little fear instilled into children will prepare them for the realities of life in the real world. The real world is a big bad place and there are people out there who want to do bad things to us—so a little healthy fear keeps us on our toes. A world where we have no fear is a world where we are wrapped in cotton wool and, cosseted by a loving, caring, controlling state, we suffocate to death." - Longrider

Olympic Torch Relay Cut Short

2008-04-07T16:57:00.002+01:00

The Olympic torch relay in Paris has been cut short after chaotic protests by anti-China demonstrators.

The flame had already been extinguished four times by security forces after repeated clashes with pro-Tibet and human rights campaigners.

The city's mayor also cancelled a ceremony to mark the torch's passing as officials draped a Tibetan flag over the city hall's facade.

Mayor Bertrand Delanoe announced the cancellation after Green party members of the city council flew the flag.

Thousands of police sent on to the streets to protect the torch relay as it made its way around the city were unable to prevent demonstrators hijacking the event.

The torch had to be repeatedly extinguished amid safety fears caused by the demonstrations and several activists were arrested.

Two campaigners brandishing a Tibetan flag were arrested for trying to bar the torch's path.

And two members of media rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) - which disrupted the lighting of the flame in Athens - were held for trying to vault over the security cordon protecting the torch.

A member of the French Greens party had earlier been restrained by police when trying to grab the torch from the first of 80 torch bearers, former world 400m hurdles champion Stephane Diagana.

Several hundred demonstrators waving banners gathered on the Trocadero esplanade, just the other side of the river Seine from the Eiffel Tower, where the relay started.

Three RSF members climbed up the steel tower and unfurled a 13ft flag showing the five Olympic rings turned into handcuffs.

They then handcuffed themselves to the structure more than 200ft in the air.

Sky News Europe correspondent Greg Milam said extinguishing the flame was significant because the torch was supposed to be kept alight on its journey around the world.

"It's supposed to symbolise peace between nations," he said.

"It's clearly a massive blow to the organisers - the demonstrations along the route have had the desired effect."

Similarly chaotic scenes were seen when the Olympic flame was carried through London.

One demonstrator tried to snatch the torch from former Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq, while another attempted to put out the flame with a fire extinguisher.

By the time double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes lit a cauldron at the O2 Arena, some 37 arrests had been made.

International Olympic Committee chief Jacques Rogge has expressed concern at the demonstrations but said there was no momentum for a boycott of the Beijing Games.

Tibet's capital, Lhasa, was hit last month by Buddhist monks' protests against Chinese rule.

The demonstrations, which saw many people killed, sparked widespread media attention across the world.

HA! Serve the Chinese commie bastards right!!!

Quote of the Day 5.4.2008

2008-04-05T11:09:00.003+01:00

"I believe that 21st century adults do not worry about private sexual matters as long as they are legal and harmless." - FIA President Max Mosley

Mosley makes a fair point. While his actions were certainly immoral and caused emotional distress to his wife and family, they do not warrant any legal sanctions.

Miliband Is Still A Hypocritical Cunt

2008-04-03T14:58:00.003+01:00

Why is it that while in the House of Commons yesterday, David "Batshit" Miliband demands that Robert Mugabe respects the will of the Zimbabwean electorate, yet he and his boss won't respect the will of the British people and put the Treaty of Libson to a public vote?!?

Surely, what's good for Zimbabwe is also good for Britain?

April Fools' Day

2008-04-01T15:10:00.003+01:00

'Nuff said!

Gene Hunt

2008-03-28T15:04:00.003Z

The excellent speech that Philip Glenister's character gave to Lord Scarman about the future state of policing in the BBC's Ashes To Ashes sums up everything that is wrong with the fascist New Labour regime that is doing it's very best to turn this country into a future North Korea. Adolf Blair and McStalin both promised to be tough on crime and tough on the causes of crimes and they lied. They've robbed money from the middle-classes to fund the degenerate lifestyles of violent drug-addicted criminals, yobs and chav scum and they robbed the money of the wealth-creators to line their own pockets and entrench utter cunts like Harriet Harman, Antonia Bance and Terry Kelly in power.

We, the oppressed masses should lock every MP and peer of the realm up in the Palace of Westminster, release canisters of Zyklon B into the building, and once each and everyone of those fuckers have died, start the political process again from scratch.

Quotes of the Day 27.3.2008

2008-03-27T16:01:00.002Z

"LEGIS CANTIO CONTRA INEPTOS CRITICOS. (Incantation of the law against inept critics)" - Michel De Notredame

"In Terryworld, however, the benefits truck would drive into Feegie each day distributing parcels of banknotes indiscriminately." - Anon (but I suspect that it is FIDO The Dog)

LEGIS CANTIO CONTRA INEPTOS CRITICOS

2008-03-27T15:25:00.004Z

It looks like someone didn't appreciate my little rant against the attention-seeking media whore in a local rag and wrote in to complain.

It was fascinating to read Sir C4's scatter-gun and ill-informed diatribe against MP Adam Price, Plaid, the European Union, Cuba and Carmarthenshire Council (Carmarthen Journal, March 12).

I trust his BA (Hons.) thesis was better researched and better presented.

Those of us who wish to be citizens of an independent Wales want our own membership of the EU and our own seat at the United Nations.

In this, we follow the pattern set by the Republic of Ireland as one of the most successful and prosperous nations in Europe, yet still independent, because they have embraced the realities of the 21st Century. None of this is anti-English; I am an Englishman who chooses to live and work in this country.

I wonder if Sir C4' has even visited Cuba, toured the country and met the people as I have.

Yes, there is a concentration camp on the island, where people are incarcerated without charge, without trial, and without access to lawyers, and are subject to the torture that is officially sanctioned by Washington. It is the American base at Guantanamo Bay.

If Sir C4' is reluctant to go to Cuba, he could visit Florida where five Cuban citizens, Rene Gonzalez, Antonio Guerrero, Gerardo Hernandez, Fernando Gonzalez and Ramon Labinino, have been imprisoned in Miami for the past nine years, following a travesty of a trial, which had little to do with justice but a lot to do with US politics.

I would be happy to furnish Sir C4', or anyone else, with full details of the plight of the Miami Five, and anything else that may open closed minds.

Philip D Whitehead
Foelgastell
Cross Hands

Oh dear, I've hurt the feelings of a poor little left-wing hippy. Here is my retort:

I would like to thank Mr. Philip Whitehead for his reply (Journal, March 26) to my previous letter (Journal, March 12). I feel honoured and privileged that he took the time to defend the indefensible.

Does any rational person actually believe that the Irish Republic (or Britain for that matter) is at present a truly independent country within the European Union when it has been the openly stated goal of the EU in all it’s guises over the past fifty-one years to bring about a ever-closer economic, military and political union all the continent’s nations? The EU is the fulfilment of Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler’s shared dream of a sinister European Super-state; an Orwellian nightmare that if it is allowed to usurp our time-honoured traditions of liberty and justice, will reduce our human rights and living standards to those of Cuba (or worse still, North Korea).

I am well aware of the harm Guantanamo Bay does to its inmates and America’s reputation as the self-proclaimed leader of the Free World. I’m also sure that Mr. Whitehead would agree with me that American sanctions against Cuba (as well as Iraq and North Korea among others) have been counter-productive, as the political leadership have exploited them to further entrench their power at the expense of the people whilst simultaneously making America the scapegoats for the hardships of the citizenry.

However, despite these serious injustices and the plight of the Miami Five, the crimes against humanity committed by the Castro clan, Ernesto "Che" Guevara and their cronies cannot be overlooked or excused. Cuba viciously represses dissent against the regime, tortures and executes its people (particular minority groups such as homosexuals and until the mid-1990s, Christians) and exported mass-murder and terrorism to Central and South America, Africa and the rest of the Caribbean during the Cold War. I’m also sure that despite the rights or wrongs of what has happened to the Miami Five, they have been treated far better than poor Normando Hernández González and the fifty-eight other journalists imprisoned in Cuba.

It’s for that reason that I wouldn’t want to visit Cuba or any other third-world socialist hellhole like Venezuela, Zimbabwe and China (though I must confess a certain perverse curiosity to pay a visit to the Stalinist museum / death camp known as North Korea). Yet I can understand how hard it is for apologists like Mr. Whitehead to remove their rose-tinted spectacles (circa 1960s) and realise that all the socialist dogma they consumed with their mothers’ milk was a fatal conceit for billions of people during the last century and still is for over a billion souls to this day. He and his ilk have my pity, the organ grinders of tyranny will have to eat the metaphorically lead of my trusty scatter-gun.

P.S.: LEGIS CANTIO CONTRA INEPTOS CRITICOS.
(Incantation of the law against inept critics.)

Brilliant, don't you agree?!? Only a women's reserve team goalkeeper for Romford Hockey Club could get the better of "Mr. Marmite".

Aliens - The Liberal Version

2008-03-27T06:40:00.001Z

LOL! I'm sure this would George Galloway and Polly Toynbee's favourite movie.

Happy Easter

2008-03-21T13:13:00.003Z

I don't mean to preach, but over two thousand years ago, the greatest human being to walk the face of the Earth willingly sacrificed his own mortal life to save ALL of us from just punishment in the next life because of our wrong thoughts and actions. His death for our salvation is, was and forever will be the greatest gift given to anyone in the history of humankind.

If you are passing by a church or know of Christian-related group in your neighbourhood, please go and join it and give thanks for Jesus Christ's gifts of forgiveness and life after death. Thank You.

Kurt Angle Dislikes Black People And Jesus

2008-03-17T14:29:00.001Z

LOL!

The Diary Of The Olympic Hero

2008-03-17T14:25:00.001Z

Another great Kurt Angle music video and another great track by Breaking Benjamin. This one is called "The Diary Of Jane".

Quote of the Day 14.3.2008

2008-03-14T14:10:00.001Z

"What business is it of yours what I do, read, buy, see, say, think, who I fuck, what I take into my body—as long as I do not harm another human being on this planet?" - Bill Hicks

YEAH!!!

2008-03-13T16:18:00.002Z

Jeremy Padawer, Vice President of Marketing at Jakks Pacific has just announced on his blog at Jeremy.com that the legendary former professional wrestler Bill Goldberg has been signed for the Jakks Pacific World Wrestling Entertainment Classic Superstars line of action figures.

Quote of the Day 13.3.2008

2008-03-13T10:43:00.003Z

"These puritanical New Labour bastards would tax you taking a shit if they thought they could get away with it..." - FIDO The Dog on this year's Budget

It's True! It's Damn True!

Terminator : The Sarah Connor Chronicles

2008-03-12T22:48:00.001Z

I saw the first three episodes on Saturday and I'm already hooked on it. It's the best television series since Star Trek: Deep Space Nine finished.

The song is "Already Over" by Red.

Roars Of Silence Heard In Rose Hill, Oxfordshire

2008-03-12T15:09:00.003Z

Despite the scandal of the Home Secretary Jacqui "Smith" Spliff attempting to deport gays and lesbians back to certain arrest, torture and execution in Islamofascist Iran, there is been no word of condemnation against Spliff's actions by the supposedly lesbian Labour Councillor for Rose Hill, Oxfordshire, Antonia Bance.

Could it be that little Miss Bance just doesn't give a damn about LGBT rights? Is she in fact a faux-lesbian?!? Or is it that Antonia cares more about "Working Towards The Führer" than standing up her princples (if she has any, other than the pursuit of absolute power for her tribe). I bet that if it was a Tory or Liberal Democrat Home Secretary that was deporting homosexuals to Iran, we would have had day after day of blog posts from Miss Bance expressing her righteous indignation at the "baby-eating homophobes".

This sort of hypocrisy is a typical play from the Gospel According To St. Terry Kelly. There are two morals to draw from Miss Bance's deafening silence:

1) It's okay to deport homosexuals back to their deaths in Iran and Cuba, so long as it is done by the Labour party.

2) If you're a gay or lesbian fighting against deportation back to a country that will kill you because of your sexual orientation, don't count on any support from Antonia Bance.

Quote of the Day 11.3.2008: More BS From Terry

2008-03-10T14:46:00.002Z

"Rupert [Murdoch] obviously sees me as a threat to society." - Cllr Terry Kelly

ROFLMAO!! Get over yourself Tel!!!

Jacqui "Smith" Spliff - A Jew-Hating Racist As Well As A Homophobe

2008-03-08T12:19:00.004Z

Not content with deporting gays and lesbians back to certain arrest, torture and execution in Islamofascist Iran, our ex-druggie of a Home Secretary has also decided to ban the deputy leader of the Jewish Likud Party from entering Britain.

I hope she gets knocked down by a bus, the bus reserves back over her, then it drives forwards over her crushed corpse again.

Israel Is Evil (According To Terry Kelly)

2008-03-08T11:42:00.004Z

I sometimes wonder if the infamous Cllr Terry Kelly lives on the same planet as the rest of us. Take this question I asked him for example:

"Are you aware that Israel is the only true democray in the Middle East, surrounded by half-a-dozen Arab and Islamic dictatorships that would love nothing more than finish what Hitler started (not that they would admit to there being a holocaust in the first place)?

Under those circumstances, Israel has every right to defend itself against such aggression."

However, the self-appointed champion of the Palestinian people sees it differently:

"I can’t see anything or anyone in the Middle East that comes anywhere near the crimes committed by Israel."

This remark though has me questioning his sanity:

"They are not a good advert for democracy, they are the cause of the problem ."

And Cuba is?!?

Terry's Insults

2008-03-08T10:53:00.003Z

"He would laugh at a burning orphanage" [about RfS]

"Right-wing vermin" [about me]

"A squalid wee fantasist" [about me]

"A squalid low-life character" [about me]

"You are either a lazy incompetent or a liar."

"You are a non person"

"What a miserable excuse for a human being"

"what kind of creep are you"

"makes you a bit of a low life. I take it you are a Nat."

"It was Kruschev not Kennedy who saved the world."

"If you want to come back make it briefer."

"if you want to come back and try to make sense, make it shorter."

"I’m not difficult to find tough guy"

"They are not his soldiers they are his grannies." [about Prince Harry]

"that makes you a fool then"

"OK so you can get more stupid then"

"Try an argument."

"Can you get any more stupid ?"

"The SNP and wee Alex (the spiv) love the English."

"What a strange place you inhabit."

"I don't believe you"

Parliament 'is in a grim state'

2008-03-08T10:18:00.002Z

A former top Parliamentary official has delivered a stark warning that the home of UK democracy is "in crisis".

Mike Granatt, who quit as aide to Commons speaker Michael Martin last month, insisted the institution was in a "grim" state with no "coherent leadership".

The public was "bemused" by the generous allowances given to MPs, but a "circle of denial" within the House was preventing any reform, he added.

Mr Granatt's outspoken intervention came in an interview for BBC Radio 4's Week in Westminster programme.

He resigned as media adviser to the Commons Commission - headed by the Speaker - after unwittingly misleading a journalist over £4,000 in taxi journeys taken by Mr Martin's wife.

"Parliament is like most institutions in a crisis," Mr Granatt said.

"Firstly, they don't quite see what the crisis is, collectively.

"And, secondly, they think that whatever is going on, it can be dealt with in the usual fashion, by the usual means and through the usual channels and that, I think, would be a very damaging self-delusion at this point."

This is what happens when you elect Nazi cunts to power such as Adolf Pasha Blair.

Get Well Soon Maggie!

2008-03-08T10:16:00.001Z

Baroness Thatcher remained in a stable condition overnight in St Thomas' Hospital, in central London, the hospital said.

The 82-year-old former Prime Minister was admitted to the hospital on Friday night and was said to be undergoing medical checks.

On Saturday morning a spokeswoman for the hospital said: "Baroness Thatcher has remained stable overnight and we have nothing further to add at this stage."

It was reported Lady Thatcher was taken to hospital by car.

Two red Metropolitan Police cars were parked just outside the main entrance of St Thomas' Hospital in Lambeth Palace Road on Saturday morning.

It was not clear whether this or any other extra security was in place for Lady Thatcher.

Lady Thatcher very rarely speaks in public, following advice from her doctors, but she does still sometimes say a few words at private functions.

Friends say she is lucid most of the time but occasionally drifts off in the middle of conversations because of difficulties with her short-term memory.

Earlier this month she urged Conservatives to "hold firm to their beliefs" as she was honoured with a statue at the party's HQ.

Lady Thatcher was prime minister from May 1979 until her resignation in November 1990. She was Britain's first woman prime minister and the first leader to win three elections in a row.

Quote of the Day 7.3.2008

2008-03-07T14:00:00.001Z

"You are too dumb to understand." - Cllr Terry "Pot, Kettle, Black" Kelly to Macnasty

The Price Of Hypocrisy

2008-03-07T12:44:00.004Z

I have just sent off this letter to two of my local rags:

My friends and I are extremely concerned about the judgement and philosophy of our MP Adam Price. While Mr. Price is to be commended for trying to impeach Tony Blair and for putting Carmarthenshire on the political map, we believe that he seems to be more concerned with developing his own media profile than doing the job he was elected to do and represent us, not himself at Westminster.

Many of Mr. Price’s constituents have found it strange and disappointing that it took him two years to publicly express his opposition to the controversial gas pipeline running though the constituency.

Mr. Price supports his party’s oxymoronic Europe policy, even though it runs contrary to Plaid’s long-term goal of an independent Wales. Does Mr. Price really believe that Welsh lives and issues would be better served in Brussels and Strasburg than they are at present (however imperfectly) in Westminster and Cardiff Bay? An ‘independent’ Wales within the EU isn’t independence at all! Plaid’s policy smacks of anti-English prejudice for it’s own sake rather than a stance based on a conscious, rational process of thought.

Perhaps most disturbingly of all, Mr. Price signed Early Day Motion 982 (February 20) in support of Fidel Castro’s tropical gulag in Cuba. Though Plaid’s leader in Westminster, Elfyn Llwyd’s support for this EDM came as no surprise to me, Mr. Price’s support for an EDM also signed in favour of by controversial figures such as George Galloway and Paul Flynn certain did. Does our MP really believe that liberty and human rights are less important than having supposedly “first-class free healthcare and education provision for the people” and “very good dentistry” as claimed by some other MPs?

Is Mr. Price aware of the plight of journalist Normando Hernández González who has been imprisoned by Castro and his thugs for ‘endangering national security’? Is Mr. Price aware that Mr. Hernández is in poor health, but been denied the right to take up a generous offer of asylum from the government of Costa Rica by his jailers? Is Mr. Price also aware that Cuba jails more journalists than any other nation bar China, with 59 presently in captivity? Would Mr. Price and his Plaid comrades like to see an independent Wales governed according to the Cuban model?!?

It’s ironic that a man that was recently named Gay Politician of the Year and according to his profile on the social networking website “Facebook”, claims to be a Libertarian should give his support for a regime that has outlawed homosexuality and imprisons, even executes gays in labour camps.

Adam Price is not a bad man, but he urgently needs to pay more attention to us, instead his own ego and Elfyn Llwyd, otherwise he may find himself on the dole after the next general election. May I suggest that Mr. Price focus his energies on fighting for a better deal from Carmarthenshire Council, who continue to treat Iori Jones, Trish Breckman, Eddie Roberts and all of us with casual contempt.

I must give credit to FIDO The Dog for some of the background information.

Quote of the Day 4.3.2008: Thinking The Unthinkable - Abolish Income Tax

2008-03-04T16:04:00.003Z

I love this argument by the new Director of Communications for the Libertarian Party UK and fellow blogger "Devil's Kitchen" Chris "Fuck You All Lefty Cunts, I'm Better Than You" Mounsey:

"The usefulness of income tax is that it was introduced not too long ago and for a specific purpose: to fight the Napoleonic Wars.

It was abolished in 1802, having been in force for three years, and had to be levied again in 1803: again, because hostilities against France recommenced. It was abolished in 1816, a year after we won the Battle of Waterloo, and wasn't levied again until 1841, when Sir Robert Peel reintroduced it.

Peel, as a Conservative, had opposed income tax in the 1841 general election, but a growing budget deficit required a new source of funds.

Or, to put it another way, the government had been so profligate with its funds that it was forced to take more money off the hard-working people of Britain so that the state could continue to expand. Who would have thunk it?—a state, unable to balance its books, shakes down the taxpayers in order to pay for the state's failure. I've never heard of that being done before...

Some people, of course, have said that the state didn't need income tax then because it was much smaller. My reply?

"Exactly.""

Awesome! I love it!! It's simple, logically, popular and effective.

Symonds flattens streaker, faces ban

2008-03-04T14:37:00.002Z

Australia all-rounder Andrew Symonds flattened a streaker who ran on to the field during the second tri-series final against India at the Gabba in Brisbane.

The naked man came off second best after he evaded security and charged towards Symonds while he was batting during Australia's run-chase.

Symonds stood his ground as the man approach and dropped the pitch invader with a rugby-style shoulder charge.

The man was arrested by police and faces the possibility of a fine and a life ban from the Gabba.

Symonds, who briefly contemplated a career in rugby league before he broke into the Australian team, also faces the risk of punishment under the International Cricket Council's strict code of conduct.

The code includes a section banning players from any physical assault of a rival player, official or spectator.

Kudos to Andrew Symonds, the ICC can go fuck themselves if they try to discipline him for doing the right thing.

Quote of the Day 3.3.2008: Paul Flynn Libels Hollywood Actor

2008-03-03T14:21:00.004Z

Rene Auberjonois as Odo (not to be confused with an Orange Goblin called Peter "Pain In The" Hain)

"Sir, Is the Paul Flynn, MP for Newport, who so fulsomely congratulated Peter Hain on his "eighth successive year of distinguished service as Sec. of State for Wales" the same Paul Flynn, MP for Newport, who in his 1999 book, Dragons Led By Poodles, described him as having "been compared with Odo, Star Trek's shape-shifter who liquefies at the end of each day and sleeps in a bucket then later emerges in any shape he wishes"? Apparently Hain had "the capacity of being on all sides - simultaneously". Somewhat mysteriously Flynn referred to him at that time as having succeeded to the Welsh Office "without a shudder of guilt". Not how he left it, eh!" - John Newsinger, Private Eye #1204

Perhaps the actor who so skillfully portrays the Odo character, René Auberjonois should consider suing Citizen Flynn for libel?

Jacqui "Smith" Spliff Is A Homophobe & An Accessory To State-Sanctioned Murder

2008-02-27T12:10:00.004Z

Paul Canning explains why here. No doubt Terry Kelly, fan of the homophobic murderer Fidel Castro would approve of Spliff's actions.

Quote of the Day 27.11.2008: Deluded Terry

2008-02-27T11:51:00.003Z

"Ele Commandante Fidel Castro, scourge of America and no fewer than 10 of it's wretched presidents, those who are still alive can still be heard muttering "why me, why me, why did my years in office have to be overshadowed by this giant of history, why oh why me" ?" - Cllr Terry Kelly

ROFLMAO! OMG!! My sides are splitting!!!

Someone call the men in white coats for El Tel?

Biggest UK quake since 1984

2008-02-27T11:21:00.003Z

LONDON (Reuters) - An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.2 shook parts of Britain on Wednesday but officials said there were no reports of anyone being killed or serious damage.

The quake struck about an hour after midnight and many people in London and other areas said they had been woken up by the tremors. Wednesday's quake was the strongest for nearly quarter of a century.

In Barnsley, a man was injured in the pelvis when a chimney collapsed and plunged through the roof of his bedroom, said an ambulance service spokeswoman. The man was taken to hospital.

"(The quake) was really bad. I was fast asleep and woke up and the room was shaking," Jemma Harrison, who lives in Manchester, told the BBC.

Soon after the quake occurred the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimated the magnitude at 4.7, but the British Geological Survey later raised the figure to 5.3 before settling on 5.2.

The USGS said on its Web site the quake's epicentre was 127 miles north of London and 50 miles east of Sheffield.

"We have no reports of injuries (in London)," said a police spokesman in the capital.

Police in Lincolnshire said some people had reported minor damage to their homes.

The quake was the largest to hit Britain since one with a magnitude of 5.4 in 1984.

"This is a significant earthquake for the UK and will have been widely felt across England and Wales," said seismologist Brian Baptie of the British Geological Survey.

A couple of nights ago, I had a dream that Mediterranean would be hit by a devastating Earthquake. The following day, a Tsunami warning was issued for South East Asia and today, this occurred.

Shopkeeper cleared in death inquiry

2008-02-27T11:15:00.002Z

A shopkeeper will not face a murder charge after the man who tried to rob him was stabbed to death with his own knife.

Tony Singh, 34, was arrested after career criminal Liam Kilroe tried to rob him but died when Mr Singh defended himself.

Kilroe, 25, from St Helens, Merseyside, died from a single stab wound to the chest after trying to rob his victim on Birleywood Road, Skelmersdale, around 9pm on February 17.

Mr Singh, who owns the Lifestyle Express store in Birleywood, was arrested on suspicion of murder but later released on bail pending further inquiries.

Lancashire Police had earlier that week issued an appeal for Kilroe to hand himself in after he failed to appear at Preston Crown Court to face armed robbery charges.

He had previously been convicted of assault and robbery.

The force has now said Mr Singh will face no charges over the incident.

Detective Superintendent Mick Gradwell said: "This was a violent attack on Mr Singh by a convicted armed robber.

"My recommendation was that Mr Singh should not be prosecuted and I am pleased that the Crown Prosecution Service has agreed with that."

It is a damn disgrace that Mr. Singh was even arrested in the first place. Why was Kilroe even free to walk the streets in the first place when he was a known 'career criminal' and charged with armed robbery.

New Labour: A National Disgrace

Scarlets Scandal

2008-02-26T16:24:00.003Z

This rumour (and I stress the word 'rumour') might interest Rugby Union fans, and supporters the Scarlets in particular. A couple of nights ago, source of mine learned that a Welsh international and Scarlets player who has featured in this year's Six Nations Championship has been found to be taking 'vitamins' he wasn't suppose to and has been sent into exile in France, having been told in no uncertain terms that he'll never play for the Scarlets again. The scandal is an open secret, but a statement on this matter is 'imminent'.

Now, this may be just a malicious rumour (which is why I won't name names), but if it is true, I bet his wife has had a pop at him.

Retired But Not Forgotten: A Bill Goldberg Tribute

2008-02-26T13:25:00.001Z

The song is called "Blow Me Away" by Breaking Benjamin.

Quote of the Day 26.2.2008: How To Ruin A Nation In Less Than 11 Years

2008-02-26T12:34:00.004Z

Read it and weep lefty scum:

"People flee communism or even its wet-arsed sibling, socialism. This means it is demonstrably a rubbish political system which has catastrophically failed in its stated mission: to improve the lives of "the people". Those people vote with their feet for capitalist oppression. This destructive political creed is the scourge of the third world, creating refugee crises in countries neighbouring every socialist state and killing millions in the process. The countries with the highest per capita rate of exodus are just such third-world toilets, generally as a result of decades of such socialist misrule causing the most able people to seek better lives in better governed places - yes lefties, even America. But it's not just communism which makes a mess, its aborted foetus: progressive leftism or social democracy (or whatever you want to euphemistically call drippy PC leftist whingeing) does so too, but in an insidious and subtle way.

The highest rate of exodus in the OECD is the UK, which is not yet quite as bad as somalia - which is why Somalis still want to come here. This exodus of highly educated Native Britons is because of Labour policies like taxing people to penury, then spending the proceeds to subsidise crime, using the welfare state. In a vicious circle, the state tries to replace these migrants by recruiting Somalis, who aren't quite the paragons of virtue presented to the immigration officer. The state then sets its attack dogs in the police to criminalise the rest of the British population for driving, whilst turning a blind eye to labour voters benefit recipients burgling your home. None of the money expropriated from the productive classes in this way is being spent on services they use. Councils can't even empty your bin once a week any more! Over a third of Government managed expenditure is being pissed away on Lambert & Butler in the form of direct benefit payments. To little cash is earmarked for roads, and what is, is spent on speed bumps and road narrowing, increasing frustration on your ever lengthening drive to work. The schools, still in thrall to leftist dogma, seem to think that actual teaching facts and morals is a denial of a child's human right to be a grotty little chav, while little Tarquin no longer gets any dosh to spend on his 3-year drinking sabatical university course. The poor too are betrayed: They are herded from sink comprehensives on un-policed estates to universities which used to be polytechnics, in order to take degrees of zero credibility, which simultaneously raise expectations whilst offering no advantage in the Labour market, which they enter £16,000 in debt. This at vast cost to the tax-payer for the simple purpose of massaging the unemployment statistics. Meanwhile, the only job open to many disadvantaged young men without a university "education" is the Army, which is being eviscerated by decades of underfunding and 10 years of over use. Ancient regiments are being amalgamated, whilst shiny arses in the MOD argue about procurement programmes while denying the boys the kit they need now, fighting two (soon to be 3) hot wars simultaneously. There are now more civil servants in the MOD than Front-line infantrymen - a microcosm of the growth in the utterly pointless bureaucracy by which this Party seeks to cement its regime: by the creation of a bureaucratic client state.

So if you've worked hard, own a home and drive a car, this place is shit - especially if you've committed the thought-crime of doing so in the private sector. The Dude will never leave - I have faith that the great tradition of liberal England will return after a century's hiatus, but my parents have already left for Costa-del-Solshire along with most of their friends, where the sun is hot, the beer is cool and the tax is reasonable - as a result, the locals don't have to beat you up for your pension money (or at least they do so less often than they do at home). It is the best people who are leaving, because they can. The politics of the UK will soon be that of the shit that's left behind: and ever more insanely socialist as a result. Perhaps that's all in the Labour plan, though that would be giving them credit for a competence and forethought I doubt they possess.

Gordon Brown, you really are an incompetent cunt who, despite the brilliant economic legacy bequeathed to you by your predecessor in No11, has fucked the country up, and it's only the remaining checks and balances, which I notice you're still busy trying to "modernise" away, have prevented you turning this country into 1978-9. Why don't you fuck off and kill yourself, you mendacious socialist bastard, before you do more harm?" - Jackart

Quote of the Day 25.1.2008: Across The Pondlife

2008-02-25T15:18:00.003Z

"Express yourself: (heterosexist, racist, misogynistic or otherwise bigoted comments are subject to deletion)" - the oxymoronic comment moderation policy of the self-confessed Godless Liberal Homo, America's answer to Cllr Terry Kelly

Maybe "Ultimate" Warrior had a point when he made his infamous claim that "queering doesn't make the world work" (at least in the U.S. - we in Britain have the good fortune of having Derek Laud stand up for some much-needed common sense and sanity).

Cuba 'Elects' New President

2008-02-25T13:36:00.003Z

Outgoing President Castro gets up off his sick bed to congratulate his successor

BREAKING NEWS: SNP ends 'cigars for Chocolate Oranges' trade agreement with Cuba!

Scenes of a Graphic Nature

2008-02-25T12:36:00.003Z

It's been a while since I've had a go at the Gormless One, so lets do so!

Out of sheer boredom (El Tel is rather quiet at the moment), visited Gallas' official web site and clicked on the 'Cartoons' section. I was greeted by a series of crude, unflattering and even offensive images of the looney left's pet hates (Thatcher, Israel, the United States etc.). Some of the stuff wouldn't be out of place in the infamous Der Sturmer.

Sheridan wife 'harassment victim'

2008-02-23T13:07:00.002Z

Here an interesting bit of news that might appeal to Right For Scotland:

The wife of former Scottish socialist MSP Tommy Sheridan believes she is the victim of police harassment, her lawyer has said.

Gail Sheridan, 44, has been arrested over allegations of theft. She has been suspended by British Airways as a result of the allegations, which are reported to involve miniature bottles of alcohol.

Amer Anwar, the Sheridans' lawyer, said she and her husband were determined to prove her innocence.

Mr Anwar said: "Gail Sheridan has a 23-year unblemished record with British Airways, whom she has represented as part of their promotional team, as well as serving as a shop steward and now as a senior cabin crew member.

"She understands British Airways employment procedures but firmly believes she is now a victim of harassment and intolerable behaviour from Lothian and Borders Police and sections of the press.

"Both Mr and Mrs Sheridan are determined to prove their innocence and will not be intimidated or bullied by Lothian and Borders Police."

A Lothian and Borders Police spokeswoman confirmed: "A 44-year-old woman has been arrested and charged and a report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal."

The police force would not comment on newspaper claims that alcohol miniatures were found in the Sheridan home by officers investigating perjury allegations.

A British Airways spokesman said: "A member of cabin crew has been suspended as part of an ongoing investigation."

Mr Sheridan, 43, was charged with perjury in December - around 16 months after he won his £200,000 action against the News Of The World at the Court of Session in Edinburgh. His father-in-law, Angus Healy, 71, and three colleagues who backed him in the trial have also been charged.

Kurt Angle VS The Undertaker Hype Video

2008-02-22T13:32:00.001Z

An awesome video package to build up a World Heavyweight Championship match at No Way Out 2006 that delivered the goods.

Kurt Angle VS The Undertaker Music Video Tribute

2008-02-21T16:28:00.001Z

This video is an awesome tribute to one of the greatest matches in prowrestling history when Kurt Angle defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Undertaker at No Way Out 2006. The song is called "Someday" by Nickelback.

Macavity Terry

2008-02-21T14:04:00.003Z

19.2.2008 -09:11 [RfS]: I look forward to Terry's blog being updated today with another fawning article about a gay-bashing murderer.

19.2.2008 - 16:10 [RfS]: no update on Terry's site yet. Maybe he has been overcome by grief. Do you think we should send him some flowers?

20.2.2008 - 20:24 [Clairwil]: Well he probably couldn't work out a way to blame the SNP for Castro's retirement so it letting it pass unremarked.

Quote of the Day 21.1.2008: The 900th Post

2008-02-21T13:46:00.004Z

I found this gem in today's Western Mail newspaper:

"It is disturbing that in a modern and supposedly progressive democracy the freedom to openly discuss and comment upon certain aspects of contemporary society, in even the most rational and constructive manner, has been so heavily curtailed that the individual citizen has been effectively muzzled and rendered politically impotent.

In the present political climate an over-developed sense of political correctness and horror of causing offence has been instrumental in promoting a type of linguistic fascism that connives at the suppression of any unpalatable fact that may reflect negatively an issues to do with race, religion or immigration, however accurate these facts happen to be.

Imposing censorship or suppressing legitimate comment in the context of human rights abuses for the purpose of advocating diversity and multiculturalism can only be counterproductive as the toleration of unacceptable practices by our groups will always be resented by others where values and cultural norms are different.

Cultural diversity has often come to be seen as a blanket excuse for the toleration of bigotry and extreme views by radicals of every persuasion and as a divisive rather than unifying factor in society.

Rather than the cosy utopian melting pot of the popular political imagination, multiculturalism has resulted in the polarisation of different communities and initiated a form of cultural and socio economic apartheid that has become much more deeply entrenched than it otherwise need have been." - Stuart Walters

Bravo! It could not have been put better by anyone else.

Kurt Angle vs Shinsuke Nakamura Part Two

2008-02-20T16:04:00.001Z

Who's the real, undisputed IWGP Heavyweight Champion? Find out now!

Kurt Angle vs Shinsuke Nakamura Part One

2008-02-20T15:55:00.001Z

This match took place in Tokyo on 17.2.2008 to unify both versions of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

Terry Can't Count

2008-02-19T14:59:00.003Z

"I'm innumerate!"

Back in the former People's Democratic Socialist Republic of RenfrewshireTM, our favourite Labour party imbecile Cllr Terry Kelly wrote this drivel on his shitty blog:

"Most readers will know that I find the SNP contemptible again no surprise.

I’m now sitting less than 24 hrs. later and I have received 29 comments, one positive and 28 hostile.

The hostile comments are predictably nasty and abusive with a few exceptions, they are all pro SNP and they all have one thing in common. They are all anonymous every one of them.

These people like to think of themselves as 'bravehearts' Scottish warriors for independence and all that 'old pony', ready to vanquish the English oppressors etc.

What are they like ? they can’t even identify themselves to a harmless old blogger like me, I fear the worst when the battle starts, there could be heavy casualties in the crush to run away."

Stirring stuff from the tub of lard, however our friend ShrekBall burst his bubble with this observation:

"Terry you are fantastic. You are either a liar, an incompetent or you think we are one or the other.

There are 29 comments, one supportive of your position which you will probably not have replied to. That leaves 28 other comments.

But there will only be 14 from other people. The other 14 are attacking your position and for each one of them you will have replied with a name-calling abusive post.

But you may have a point about the anonymous thing so I am willing to make you an offer. You pick a restaurant anywhere in Paisley or Renfrewshire and I will pay - lets go out to dinner one night and discuss all these issues face to face. You never know, you may actually like me."

Our Terry couldn't take those remarks lieing down and responded with all his typical hyperbolic bluster:

"The idea that I “might actually like you” is risible I would be just as likely to get on famously with Nick Griffin.

Your racist reaction on America - Your support for discrimination against foreign doctors - Your support for Thatcher - Your arrogant contempt for people in poor areas - your support for American actions in Guantanamo.

Why would I, or anyone with a shred of decency want to socialise with the likes of you ?"

Terry Kelly - the human joke that never gets stale!

Quote of the Day 19.2.2008: Political Prostitution

2008-02-19T14:52:00.002Z

"Hello Boys! Cum and blow me!!!"

"Mr [Paul] Flynn is nothing more than a New Labour rent-boy who is desperate to spread his cheeks for the party to avoid deselection come the next election. Should he cause any trouble and stop waving the flag for the contemptable little shit Hain he faces being replaced by someone off an all women shortlist aka Jessica Morden our other Newport MP- who is Mr Hain's PPS by the way...." - FIDO The Dog

Fidel Castro retires as Cuban president

2008-02-19T10:32:00.005Z

HAVANA (Reuters) - Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro said on Tuesday that he will not return to lead the country as president or commander-in-chief, retiring as head of state 49 years after he seized power in an armed revolution.

Castro, 81, who has not appeared in public for almost 19 months after undergoing stomach surgery, said in a message to the communist nation that he would not seek a new presidential term when the National Assembly meets on February 24.

"To my dear compatriots, who gave me the immense honour in recent days of electing me a member of parliament ... I communicate to you that I will not aspire to or accept -- I repeat not aspire to or accept -- the positions of President of Council of State and Commander in Chief," Castro said in the statement published on the Web site of the Communist Party's Granma newspaper.

The National Assembly or legislature is expected to nominate his brother and designated successor Raul Castro, 76, as president. Raul Castro has been running the country since emergency surgery to stop intestinal bleeding forced Castro to delegate power on July 31, 2006.

Cubans on the empty streets of Havana were not surprised by his retirement.

"Everyone knew for a while that he would not come back. The people got used to his absence," said Roberto, a self-employed Cuban who did not want to be fully named.

"I don't know what to say. I just want to leave. This system cannot continue," said Alexis, a garbage collector.

In a deserted Revolution Square, site of many hours-long speeches by Castro to massive crowds, a lone soldier stood guard at government headquarters and the city was calm.

'COMANDANTE'

The title of "Comandante en Jefe" or commander-in-chief, was created for Castro in 1958 as overall leader of the guerrilla forces that swept down from the mountains of eastern Cuba to overthrow U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista.

His retirement draws the curtain on a political career that spanned the Cold War and survived U.S. enmity, assassination plots by the CIA and the demise of Soviet bloc communism.

A charismatic leader famous for his long speeches delivered in his green military fatigues, Castro is admired in the Third World for standing up to the United States but considered by his opponents a tyrant who suppressed freedom.

"It's incredible that 50 years of dictatorship can be accepted by Cubans and will continue to be accepted," said Ninoska Perez of the anti-Castro Miami-based exile organization, the Cuban Liberty Council.

Perez said Castro's retirement did not mean anything would change in Cuba and the news was unlikely to bring cheer to Cuban exiles waiting for an end to communism in their homeland and an opportunity to return.

"The real celebration will be when he (Castro) can no longer write about it," she said.

Castro's illness and departure from Cuba's helm have raised doubts about the future of the one-party state.

"Fortunately, our Revolution can still count on cadres from the old guard and others who were very young in the early stages of the process," Castro said in his statement.

"They have the authority and the experience to guarantee the replacement," he said.

U.S. President George W. Bush, in Rwanda while on a trip to Africa, had no immediate comment on Castro's plans to step down, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.

Johndroe said "the president was informed" about the developments with Castro and that he would receive a briefing later. Washington has maintained a more than four-decades long economic embargo against Cuba to try to isolate Castro.

Castro has been seen only in pictures and video film since he handed over power provisionally to his brother, looking gaunt and frail. His health improved enough a year ago to allow him to reestablish a public presence by writing reams of articles published by Cuba's state press.

"This is not my farewell to you. My only wish is to fight as a soldier in the battle of ideas. I shall continue to write under the heading of 'Reflections by comrade Fidel.' It will be just another weapon you can count on. Perhaps my voice will be heard. I shall be careful," Castro said in Tuesday's message.

Castro could remain politically influential as first secretary of the ruling Communist Party and elder statesman.

Raul Castro, Cuba's long-standing defence minister, has run raised expectations of economic reforms to improve the daily lot of Cubans since standing in for his brother, but he has yet to deliver.

"It was logical for Fidel to quit because he has been saying that he is not well," said a musician leaving a cabaret. "But nothing will change until the government makes economic reforms that Cuba needs," he said.

I bet that poor Terry will be crying into his porridge when he finds out.

Toshiba concedes defeat to Sony in DVD format war

2008-02-19T10:29:00.001Z

TOKYO (AFP) - Japanese high-tech giant Toshiba on Tuesday announced its withdrawal from the high-definition DVD business, conceding defeat in a long-running format war with rival Sony.

Toshiba Corp. said that it aimed to end sales of its HD DVD machines by the end of March, clearing the way for the Blu-ray format developed by Sony Corp. and its partners to become the industry standard.

In a replay of the VHS-Betamax video cassette format war in the late 1970s, Japanese high-tech giants had been battling to set the industry standard in next-generation DVDs with two rival formats that are incompatible.

But Toshiba and its HD DVD partners suffered a series of heavy setbacks, with Hollywood titan Warner Brothers and US retail giant Wal-Mart both throwing their weight behind Blu-ray.

"We carefully assessed the long-term impact of continuing the so-called 'next-generation format war' and concluded that a swift decision will best help the market develop," said Toshiba chief executive Atsutoshi Nishida.

"While we are disappointed for the company and more importantly, for the consumer, the real mass market opportunity for high definition content remains untapped and Toshiba is both able and determined to use our talent, technology and intellectual property to make digital convergence a reality," he said.

As well as ending sales of stand alone high-definition machines, Toshiba said it would stop volume production of HD DVD disk drives for computers. It will also assess whether to keep making notebook PCs with integrated HD DVD drives.

But it will continue to provide after-sales support for people who have already bought its next-generation DVD players and recorders.

Blu-ray and HD DVD both offer cinematic-quality images and multimedia features.

But analysts say the availability of two different types of formats was confusing for consumers, who have been reluctant to buy one type of machine in case it becomes obsolete.

Toshiba said it would focus on more profitable business areas, such as NAND flash memory chips that are essential for portable music players and other consumer electronics.

The group announced Tuesday that it would jointly build a new semiconductor plant in Japan next year with its US partner SanDisk as part of efforts to cement their leading positions in NAND flash memory.

Multicultural UK "soft target" for terrorism

2008-02-15T13:17:00.001Z

LONDON (Reuters) - Multicultural Britain is a "soft target" for terrorist attacks because its aims, values and political identity are divided, a leading defence think-tank said on Friday.

How much to integrate ethnic communities in Britain has been a hot political issue since four British Islamist suicide bombers killed 52 people on London's transport system in 2005.

The attacks sparked a debate on whether Britain's policy of avoiding imposing a single British identity and instead promoting a multicultural society had led to segregation of ethnic minorities.

In a report strongly rebutted by the government, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) said: "We look like a soft touch. We are indeed a soft touch, from within and without."
The report, based on the findings of former military chiefs, diplomats and analysts, concluded:

"The country's lack of self-confidence is in stark contrast to the implacability of its Islamist terrorist enemy."

"The security of the United Kingdom is at risk and under threat," it said.

The report called for the creation of a new cabinet committee to oversee security policy.
It said another parliamentary committee should seek to build consensus and identify security weaknesses.

"The United Kingdom presents itself as a target, as a fragmenting, post-Christian society, increasingly divided about interpretations of its history, about its national aims, its values and in its political identity," the RUSI report said.

"That fragmentation is worsened by the firm self-image of those elements within it who refuse to integrate.

"This is a problem worsened by the lack of leadership from the majority, which, in mis-placed deference to multiculturalism,' failed to lay down the line to immigrant communities, thus undercutting those within them trying to fight extremism."

That provoked a robust response from the government with a cabinet office spokesman saying: "The government rejects any suggestion that Britain is a soft touch for terrorists."

"We have a detailed and robust strategy for countering international terrorism."

Labour MP Keith Vaz said the report was wrong to blame multiculturalism for fostering terrorism.

"I think one of the problems with this report is that they've not actually looked at our multicultural society to see what benefits it has given the country. It hasn't been a soft touch for terrorism," he told BBC Radio.

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T16:21:00.002Z

I love Her!

Should The NHS Prescribe Terry Kelly To Paitents Suffering From Depression?

2008-02-14T13:38:00.003Z

It would certain save billions of pounds on its budget for anti-depressants.

The Dude Is On A Roll

2008-02-14T12:48:00.005Z

Jackart has got a lot of bees in his bonnet at the moment, producing some cutting and brilliant articles on what's wrong with Britain today.

Go read them NOW!

The Kurt Angle Interview

2008-02-13T12:56:00.001Z

An awesome Kurt Angle interview with Wrestle Zone UK, the TNA World Heavyweight Champion speaks frankly to Paul Fahey about WWE, TNA, drugs and more.

Quote of the Day 12.2.2008

2008-02-12T16:55:00.000Z

"WWE is the McDonald's of the wrestling industry... mega successful by mass producing a subpar product and marketing it to the uninformed. They aren't going to compromise profit to improve quality." - The Ripper on the Wrestlingfigs.com Forums

Sad But True!

2008-02-12T12:53:00.000Z

....and I fucking hate that paedophile Hubbard, that nutcase Tom "Cruisin' For A Brusing" Cruise and the so-called "Church" of Scientology

Vince McMahon Is A Spiteful, Mean-Spirited Cunt!

2008-02-12T12:37:00.000Z

At AAA's Rey de Reys show on March 16, they're going to be inducting Eddie Guerrero into their Hall of Fame. Vickie Guerrero wanted to do the honors of inducting Eddie, but WWE isn't allowing her to attend. Right now, AAA is talking with one of Guerrero's brothers.

For crying out loud Vince, Eddie was Vickie's husband. She married HIM, not your isolationist company with it's corporate dogma and fascist obsession with command, control and the destruction of everything outside of it's orbit.

It was bad enough that Vince exploited Eddie's death during 2006 in the most tasteless way possible by claiming he was "down there" in hell. Have some bloody compassion for his widow! The only reason she has decided to put up with your crap is because she just wants to provide for her two children and keep a roof over their heads.

FUCK YOU McMORON!!!

Reasons Rowan Williams Must Resign #94: McStalin Hails His 'Integrity'

2008-02-11T15:39:00.001Z

Gordon Brown has paid tribute to the "great integrity" and "dedication" of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.

It comes as the embattled Anglican leader prepares to defend himself over his comments on sharia law.

Mr Brown's spokesman said the Prime Minister understood the "difficulty" currently facing Dr Williams. The two men had a "close" relationship and stay in close touch, he said.

The spokesman added: "The Prime Minister believes the Archbishop of Canterbury is a man of great integrity and dedication to public and community service and he understands the difficulty he is facing at the moment.

"The Archbishop has been clarifying and setting in a wider context the comments he has made and I'm sure he will continue to do so in the future."

But he went on: "The Prime Minister is very clear that British laws must be based on British values and that religious law, while respecting other cultures, should be subservient to British criminal and civil law."

The remarks from Downing Street come as Dr Williams faces a crucial test when he gives his presidential address at the opening of the General Synod, the Church's ruling body, in central London.

The Archbishop is expected to defend himself after a storm of hostile criticism following a BBC interview he gave last week in which he said the adoption of some aspects of Islamic sharia law in the UK "seems unavoidable".

The interview preceded a public lecture in which Dr Williams said UK law needs to continue to find accommodation with religious legal codes such as the Islamic system of Sharia law if community cohesion and development are to be achieved.

His remarks draw criticism from church leaders, secular groups and government figures with at least two Synod members calling for him to go.

Both these men are twin cancers that have been inflicted upon this once-great nation by Adolf Blair and need to be 'cured'.

Quote of the Day 11.2.2008: Terry Swings Low

2008-02-11T15:26:00.000Z

"I'm illiterate!"

"Do you hate the English that much that you refuse to speak it properly." - Cllr Terry Kelly

Thai referee gets a beating by entire soccer team

2008-02-08T14:54:00.000Z

BANGKOK (Reuters) - A Thai soccer referee was beaten up by an entire team after sending off three of their players during a match to decide promotion to country's second division, local media reported on Friday.

Referee Prakong Sukguamala needed 50 stitches and also broke a finger after being attacked by the Kuiburi FC squad, furious at being shown three red cards during a 4-1 loss to Kasem Bundit on Thursday, the Thai-language Thai Rath newspaper said.

The angry players charged into Prakong's dressing room at the stadium in Ayutthaya, north of Bangkok, and started to kick and punch him. They dispersed after police fired gunshots into the air.

The players then chased Prakong into the stadium's office, where the hapless official ran into a mirror, leaving him with cuts all over his body.

Prakong told Channel 3 television he was forced to lock himself in the room to escape his attackers.

In the same interview, Kuiburi's coach accused Prakong of biased refereeing but said he had urged his players to show restraint when tempers flared.

Prakong, covered in bruises, insisted he had refereed the game fairly and had been told by Thailand's soccer federation to press charges against the Kuiburi team.

Sad and introspective? Don't go shopping

2008-02-08T14:50:00.000Z

WASHINGTON (AFP) - If you're feeling glum and introspective, resist the urge to go shopping, a new study said Friday.

According to a study released at the annual meeting of the Society for Social and Personality Psychology, inward-looking people who are down in the dumps tend to spend more money on the same item than their neutral-emotion counterparts.

Earlier studies have drawn a link between mood and spending habits, but this one highlighted the key role played by how self-focussed a person is.

"It is the combination of sadness and self-focus that drives the effect, and it turns out that sadness leads to an increase in self-focus," said Cynthia Cryder, a doctoral student at Carnegie Mellon University and one of the co-authors of the study.

"What we think is going on is that sad and self-focussed people are feeling pretty bad about themselves and have a decreased valuation of themselves. They want to enhance this valuation, and one way to do this is by acquiring material goods," she said.

Placing a higher value on those goods could be an attempt by the sad, self-focussed person to boost their self-esteem by transferring the value of the item to themself.

The big problem is, the purchase is often regretted later.

"A huge key to avoiding decision-effects like this is being aware that you're sad in the first place. But that's rather hard to do," Cryder said.

"Participants in studies such as ours usually have no idea that their feelings influence their decisions, so it's impossible to correct," she said.

"Secondly, always re-evaluate major purchases one day or one week after you make them so that you can make sure that whatever you bought is still attractive to you," Cryder said.

"That lowers the probability that you'll have an over-priced mistake due to some fleeting influence that you didn't know about and still don't know about. You just know, 'Wow... why did I pay so much for that?'"

Speaking from personal experience, I find the conclusions of this research to be accurate.

Archbishop's sharia comments:"Recipe for disaster"

2008-02-08T14:39:00.001Z

LONDON (Reuters) - A government minister accused Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams of concocting "a recipe for disaster" for suggesting the introduction in Britain of some aspects of sharia was unavoidable.

Main political parties distanced themselves from Thursday's comments on Islamic law by Williams, the spiritual leader of the world's 77 million Anglicans, who is already battling divisions within his church over gay priests.

"You cannot run two systems of law alongside each other. That would be a recipe for chaos," said Culture Secretary Andy Burnham, joining a chorus of condemnation for Williams.

Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats, said "On this I think he is wrong" while former Home Secretary David Blunkett said formalising Islamic law "would be catastrophic in terms of social cohesion".

The Sun said on Friday: "It's easy to dismiss Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams as a silly old goat. In fact he's a dangerous threat to our nation."

The issue of integrating Britain's 1.8 million Muslims has been widely debated since July 2005, when four British Islamists carried out suicide bombings on London's transport system, killing 52 people.

Those attacks prompted questioning of a long-standing policy of avoiding a single British identity and promoting a multicultural society, which some argue has led to segregation of ethnic minorities.

Speaking to the BBC, Williams said other religions enjoyed tolerance of their laws in Britain and called for a "constructive accommodation" with Muslim practice in areas such as marital disputes.

Asked if the adoption of some aspects of sharia was necessary for community cohesion, he said: "It seems unavoidable."

His unexpected comments were welcomed by some Muslim groups, but the government said it was out of the question that the principles of sharia could be used in British civil courts.

"The prime minister is clear that in Britain, British laws based on British values will apply," a spokesman for Prime Minister Gordon Brown said.

Sharia is the body of Islamic religious law based on the Koran, the words and actions of the Prophet Mohammad and his companions, and rulings of Islamic scholars. It covers issues including worship, commercial dealings, marriage and penal laws.

Williams said he was not endorsing the harsh punishments meted out in countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, where murderers and drug traffickers are publicly beheaded or hanged.

But that did not placate critics.

Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, called Williams' intervention "muddled and unhelpful".

"Raising this idea will give fuel to anti-Muslim extremism," he added.

And Labour MP Khalid Mahmood had no doubt about where he stood: "I, along with the vast majority of UK Muslims, oppose any such move to introduce sharia here. British law is the envy of the world."

Situations Vacant

2008-02-08T14:31:00.000Z

Archbishop of Canterbury
£Lots, immediate start

Applicants must be British citizens, members of the Anglican Communion and be prepared to obey the laws of the land*.

*Except those introduced by New Labour

Lord Carey defends Islam comments

2008-02-07T15:59:00.000Z

The former Archbishop of Canterbury has defended a speech made in Rome in which he accused Islamic societies of contributing little to the world.

Lord Carey said his lecture on Thursday also contained criticisms of Western culture and was a balanced appraisal of Islam and Christianity's relationship.

The former Anglican Church head told BBC's Newsnight: "I do not apologise for the things I say."

But Muslim leaders said he was "ignorant in the true faith of Islam".

Authoritarian regimes

Speaking in Rome on Thursday, Lord Carey said Islamic regimes were authoritarian and committed to power and privilege.

He said not enough moderate Muslim leaders had condemned suicide bombers.

Referring to the culture's contribution to society, he lamented the lack of any great invention saying it was 'a puzzle'.

'Muslim people are not bereft of brilliant minds. They have much to contribute to the human family,' he added.

On Friday, he told Newsnight that while he defended his comments about Muslims, he said: "I honour them as people. I honour the Muslim faith."

Iqbal Sacranie, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, responded angrily, saying: "One is surprised to find Lord Carey recycling the same old religious prejudice in the 21st century."

Manzoor Moghal, Chairman of the Federation of Muslim Organisations in Leicester, England, where 40,000 Muslims are based, said Lord Carey's understanding was poor.

"People are going to see the whole thing in a light which will portray him as a person who is ignorant in the true faith of Islam," he added.

No! No! No!: Sharia law unavoidable - Archdruid Of Cunterbury

2008-02-07T15:23:00.000Z

The adoption of some aspects of Islamic sharia law in the UK "seems unavoidable", the Archbishop of Canterbury has said.

Dr Rowan Williams said there was a place for finding a "constructive accommodation" in areas such as marriage - allowing Muslim women to avoid western divorce proceedings.

Other religions enjoyed such tolerance of their own laws, he pointed out, but stressed that it could never be allowed to take precedence over an individual's rights as a citizen.

He said it would also require a change in perception of what sharia involved beyond the "inhumanity" of extreme punishments and attitudes to women seen in some Islamic states.

Dr Williams told BBC Radio 4's The World At One: "It seems unavoidable and, as a matter of fact, certain conditions of sharia are already recognised in our society and under our law, so it is not as if we are bringing in an alien and rival system.

"We already have in this country a number of situations in which the internal law of religious communities is recognised by the law of the land as justifying conscientious objections in certain circumstances."

He added: "There is a place for finding what would be a constructive accommodation with some aspects of Muslim law as we already do with aspects of other kinds of religious law.

"It would be quite wrong to say that we could ever license a system of law for some community which gave people no right of appeal, no way of exercising the rights that are guaranteed to them as citizens in general.

"But there are ways of looking at marital disputes, for example, which provide an alternative to the divorce courts as we understand them. In some cultural and religious settings they would seem more appropriate."

He said people needed to look at Islamic law "with a clear eye and not imagine, either, that we know exactly what we mean by sharia and just associate it with ... Saudi Arabia, or whatever".

Rowan Williams is without doubt the worst Archbishop of Canterbery in living memony. We already have a situation in Islamic countries such as Kuwait and Malasya where the decisions of the civil courts on divorce, blasphemy and conversion to a non-Islamic faith have been overruled by the religious courts and that must not be allowed to happen in this country where the law of the land has already been hampered by an unholy alliance of New Labour fascists, EU directives, the PC brigade, European Courts and the loathsome 1998 Human Rights Act.

I am not bigoted against al-Islam in general, but I must also be objective and state that 'modern' Islam as enforced by far too many so-called Muslims is as intolorant, barbaric and inhuman as medieval Christianity and until the Islamic world realises this and makes a real and concerted effort to reform their attitudes towards each other and the 'people of Kuff' (non-believers), we non-Muslims should ourselves be as uncompromising towards their own uncompromising bigotry, violence, racism and intolorance.

Health and safety fears halt pancake race

2008-02-06T16:01:00.000Z

Six hundred years of tradition have been been tossed aside as organisers cancelled a pancake race in Yorkshire.

The Shrove Tuesday race in Ripon usually attracts hundreds of people to watch local schools and businesses tossing pancakes through the city's cobbled streets.

But this year, organisers have called a halt to the race because of the time and costs involved in having to put the necessary precautions and regulations in place.

Bernard Bateman, Liberal Democrat councillor for Ripon North and one of the organisers, blamed "bureaucracy".

He said: "The main problem is the health and safety aspects and issues such as that. There is bureaucracy that goes into holding any event these days, the policing, the risk assessments, and it has a cost factor and takes a lot of time."

Organisers were told they would have to pay £250 to the local authority to close Kirkgate Road, where the race took place.

They would also have to hold insurance risk assessments and pay to have medical staff on hand in case of any injuries or accidents.

The Pancake Bell has rung for 600 years and was traditionally used to signal the start of the race, which was revived in 1998 by former Dean of Ripon John Methuen.

Curse this bloody 'health and safety' culture that has infected this once-great nation of ours thanks to the fucking PC brigade!

Healthy? You're a burden on the state

2008-02-06T15:45:00.000Z

Dutch researchers have confirmed what fat smokers have waited years to hear - that healthy people are actually a greater burden on the state, because they live longer and oblige the taxpayer to deal with the cost of "lingering diseases of old age like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s".

That's according to the Netherlands’ National Institute for Public Health and Environment, which found that while "a person of normal weight costs on average £210,000 over their lifetime", a smoker clocks up just £165,000 and the obese run up an average £187,000 bill.

The team's findings, published in the Public Library of Science (PLoS), are based on modelling "three hypothetical populations from the age of 20, to see how much they would cost in medical bills throughout the different stages of their lives", the Telegraph explains.

The study states: “The underlying mechanism is that there is a substitution of inexpensive, lethal diseases towards less lethal, and therefore more costly diseases.”

It adds: “Although effective obesity prevention leads to a decrease in costs of obesity-related diseases, this decrease is offset by cost increases due to diseases unrelated to obesity in life-years gained. Obesity prevention may be an important and cost-effective way of improving public health, but it is not a cure for increasing health expenditures.”

The scientists did, however, concede their research "did not look at the total costs of obesity and smoking, just the narrowly-prescribed health costs". Report co-author professor Klim McPherson, of Oxford University, warned: “It would be wrong to interpret the findings as meaning that public-health prevention, for example to prevent obesity, has no benefits.

“Quite apart from health-care costs, the other costs to society from obesity are also greater because of absences from work due to illness and employment difficulties; these costs amount to considerably more than health-care costs.”

In the end, then, the actual cost of fag-puffing overweights appears to be a matter for debate.

While obesity is already apparently costing the NHS £1bn a year, we wouldn't be the first to point out that smokers (and drinkers, for that matter) contribute vast sums of tax to the exchequer every year by resolutely sticking to their deadly vices.

BBC axes Grange Hill after 30 years

2008-02-06T15:36:00.000Z

The BBC is to axe Grange Hill after 30 years, it has been announced.

The schoolgates will close for the last time later this year.

Phil Redmond devised the series in 1978 and it went on to become a national institution. But it no longer reflects the lives of schoolchildren in contemporary Britain, according to the BBC.

CBBC controller Anne Gilchrist said: "Part of CBBC's reputation for reflecting contemporary Britain back to UK children has been built upon Phil Redmond's brilliantly realised idea and, of course, it's sad to say goodbye to such a much-loved institution.

"The lives of children have changed a great deal since Grange Hill began and we owe it to our audience to reflect this.

"We're actively seeking out new and exciting ways of bringing social realism to the CBBC audience through drama and other genres."

These include two Newsround specials tackling divorce and knife crime.

Jon East, head of CBBC Drama, said: "For 30 years, Grange Hill has become a byword for realistic and contemporary children's drama. It's now time to apply what we've learned over the years to some of the new ideas we're exploring."

Redmond recently accused the BBC of ruining Grange Hill by turning it into a show for younger children. In an interview last month, he said he would not be celebrating the programme's 30th anniversary. "The BBC has abandoned what Grange Hill was about in order to attract viewers aged six to 12 rather than its traditional 13-plus constituency, so there's nothing to celebrate," he said.

The final series will feature its youngest pupils to date, from Year 6.

Munich: 50 Years On

2008-02-06T15:02:00.000Z

50 years ago today, a great young team that had won two consecutive Football League Division 1 Championships (and were on course to make it a hat-trick) and been F.A. Cup finalists and European Champions' Cup Semi-finalists the previous season were tragically killed before their prime on an airport runway in Munich on their way home from a European Champions' Cup quarter-final match in Yugoslavia. Let us all take some time out during today to remember the Busby Babes and the other victims of that dreadful day.

AVPR

2008-02-02T13:47:00.000Z

Aliens VS Predator: Requiem is a bold and sadistic film! The plotline may be threadbare and the human character unremarkable, but that isn't what this film was meant to be about. On balance, this is a good, but not great film and a movie that is not for the innocent.

Capello Drops Beckham

2008-01-31T14:58:00.000Z

Fabio Capello has told David Beckham that he will not be part of his first England squad, which is being named this afternoon.

The England manager telephoned the midfielder last night and broke the news to Beckham - who is just one appearance short of becoming the fifth man to earn 100 England caps - but assured him he could be part of his plans for the future.

It is understood that Capello told the 32-year-old he wanted his players to be match-fit, and that naming Beckham in his squad to face Switzerland next week would be unfair on those who have been playing in matches week-in, week-out.

Beckham is very disappointed by the news, especially as he has been training with Arsenal during his holiday - Major League Soccer's close season - to get fit for Capello's first game in charge, the friendly against Switzerland at Wembley on Wednesday.

He has however been encouraged by his talk with Capello about the future.

In the phonecall, Capello told Beckham he was still part of his plans and that there was no reason why he will not pick him again as long as he is fit enough and playing well enough for the Los Angeles Galaxy.

It is also understood that Capello had no issue with Beckham going to Brazil and Africa this week.

Capello had been urged to give Beckham his 100th cap against Switzerland, if only to reward the player for his 10 years of service, but it is clear the Italian is refusing to indulge in any sentimentality.

Capello does know what Beckham can offer to a side - he was manager of Real Madrid last season and restored the England midfielder to the team after he was initially left out when he announced he was moving to America.

Beckham responded with a run of form that helped inspire Real to win the Spanish league.

He may be a fascist, but even Capello realises that Beckham is crap!

R.I.P - Jeremy Beadle MBE (April 12, 1948 - January 30, 2008)

2008-01-31T14:41:00.000Z

Legend

Watch out God, somewhere in heaven, Beadle's About

I Am SIR C4'!

2008-01-28T16:22:00.000Z

Another life-long ambition of mine was realised today, both in the most unorthodox way imaginable and far sooner than I had hoped. A dear friend of mine on Facebook invited my to accept an application for a Knighthood, which I obviously took up. Henceforth, I hearby decree that I am to be styled as Sir C4', and don't any of you forget that!

Quote of the Day 26.1.2008

2008-01-26T16:01:00.000Z

"After every dark night there is a bright day" - Bobby Lashley

Quote of the Day 24.11.2008

2008-01-24T17:45:00.000Z

"I cannot smile at the state of the nation until either [David] Miliband or [Ken] Livingstone get knifed to death and their family put to the torch in a freak attack of vikings." - Keatonmask

Peter Hain Resigns To "Spend More Time On Remand"!

2008-01-24T14:05:00.000Z

Kudos to Guido Fawkes

Bobby Lashley Quits WWE

2008-01-24T12:58:00.000Z

The Emma-lousie Fenton of professional wrestling Bobby Lashley has quit World Wrestling Entertainment. Despite his problems in communicating using the English language (is anyone a "bathturd"), greenness in the squared circle and effeminate voice, Lashley was one of my guilty pleasures and I appreciate his hard-hitting style of wrestling (so long as he was carried by a decent opponent during his matches). The former U.S. Army Sergeant and World Military Games Silver Medallist now plans to pursue a career in Mixed Martial Arts.

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

2008-01-23T15:40:00.000Z

The Three Little Pigs are 'too offensive'

Someone give me a machine gun.... ?

State-Approved Thuggery

2008-01-23T14:54:00.000Z

You couldn't make this up if you tried!!!

Congratulations Chavo!

2008-01-23T14:28:00.000Z

Congratulations to Chavo Guerrero (the nephew of the legendary, late great former World Wrestling Entertainment Champion Eddie Guerrero) on becoming the new EXTREME Championship Wrestling World Champion. He may have won it with a TNA-style main event screw job against the great defending champion CM Punk, but I don't care! Chavo is a great wrestler and I'm glad that WWE is finally giving him the recognition that he deserves for his years of hard work and sacrifice. Like his deceased uncle, Chavo is a performer who has the innate ability to connect with wrestling fans both as a fan favourite and a rule-breaker.

Quote of the Day 23.1.2008

2008-01-23T13:14:00.000Z

"[P]oliticians do not hold to the truth, for there is no truth in them. When they lie, they speak their native language, for they are liars and the sons of the father of lies." - His Grace Archbishop Cranmer

Thoughts & Prayers

2008-01-23T12:43:00.000Z

My thoughts and prayers go out to three individuals and their families at this present time. The first is obviously the film actor Heath Ledger. The second is young Jessica Knight, who was viciously and repeatedly stabbed on her way home. The third individual is an old acquaintance of mine called Stephen Tandy, who is critically ill in the University of Wales Hospital Cardiff with extensive injuries after the Transit van he and two colleagues were driving to work in came off the road on the A40 near Broad Oak just over a week ago.

May the Good Lord be with them and their relatives during these difficult times.

Quote of the Day 21.1.2008

2008-01-21T12:04:00.000Z

"FREEM N MOXY FROM AMURKA BY GEORGE W." - our old and incoherent 'friend', Cllr Terry Kelly, before goes off on another racist rant about 'AmurKKKa' and Israel

McStalin Goes Back To 1976

2008-01-21T11:49:00.000Z

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund should set up an early warning system to prevent crises like the global credit crunch, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Monday.

Proposing sweeping changes to international institutions, Brown called for rapid response teams of police and experts to be set up that could be sent quickly to trouble spots to restore order and begin rebuilding after conflicts.

And he called for the creation of a multi-billion-dollar global climate change fund within the World Bank to finance environmentally sustainable development in the poorest countries.

Brown believes that the rapid spread of the credit crisis last year after problems with U.S. sub-prime mortgages points to failings in global financial supervision that must be fixed.

"With financial markets and flows transformed by globalisation, I propose that -- acting with the same independence as a central bank -- the IMF should focus on surveillance of the global economic and financial system and thus prevent crises, not just resolve them," he said in excerpts of a speech he will deliver to business executives in New Delhi.

The IMF, working with the Financial Stability Forum -- a group of central banks, regulators and international bodies -- "should be at the heart of an early warning system for financial turbulence affecting the global economy," he said.

The credit crunch claimed a high-profile casualty when mortgage lender Northern Rock suffered the country's first bank run in more than a century last year.

Northern Rock has borrowed about 26 billion pounds from the Bank of England, creating a huge political headache for Brown.

CALL FOR CHANGE

"The IMF and World Bank ... have to change to become properly equipped for a world where national problems can quickly become global -- and contagion can move as swiftly as the fastest communication," said Brown, who ends a four-day trip to India and China later on Monday.

Brown meets the leaders of France, Germany and Italy as well as European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in London on January 29 to discuss how to respond to the crisis.
Brown said he supported India's bid for a permanent place, with other countries, on an expanded U.N. Security Council.

Officials would not say however how many permanent members they believed a reformed Security Council could have.

Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States have been veto-bearing permanent members of the council since the United Nations was created in 1945. But they face growing pressure for reform with Brazil, Germany, India and Japan all demanding permanent seats.

Brown said another problem was that there was no mechanism for quickly sending in experts, police and judges to get states back on their feet when peacekeepers intervened in a conflict.

"We must do more to ensure rapid reconstruction on the ground once conflicts are over," he said.

"I propose that we constitute rapid response standby teams of judges, police, trainers and other civilian experts who can work on the ground to help put countries on the road to economic recovery and political stability," he said.

He called for a new U.N. crisis prevention and recovery fund to provide immediate support for reconstruction in such cases.

This all seems very familiar....

Cruel, Callous & Corrupt Hypocrites

2008-01-21T11:18:00.000Z

So our lords and masters are ordering our brave war veterans to pay back their pensions while our greedy and corrupt MPs prepare to vote for themselves an inflation-busting 10% increase of their own wages and pensions. These MPs' are also running ridiculous amounts of taxpayers' money on 'expenses' while ordering other public sector workers to expect a below-inflation salary increase of 1.9-2.5%. When this lot 'retire', they are awarded peerages for their shameless greed and corruption or are chosen by their equally slimy colleagues to join the Evilpean Union gravy boat as commissioners where they are free to commit even worse acts of corruption with taxpayers' money and get away with it.

What a fucking shower of total, shameless cunts! The original Guido Fawkes (circa 1605) had the right idea!!!

Quote of the Day 18.1.2008

2008-01-18T16:50:00.000Z

"The usual terminology of political language is stupid. What is 'left' and what is 'right'? Why should Hitler be 'right' and Stalin, his temporary friend, be 'left'? Who is 'reactionary' and who is 'progressive'? Reaction against an unwise policy is not to be condemned. And progress towards chaos is not to be commended. Nothing should find acceptance just because it is new, radical, and fashionable. 'Orthodoxy' is not an evil if the doctrine on which the 'orthodox' stand is sound. Who is anti-labor, those who want to lower labor to the Russian level, or those who want for labor the capitalistic standard of the United States? Who is 'nationalist,' those who want to bring their nation under the heel of the Nazis, or those who want to preserve its independence?" - Ludwig von Mises; Interventionism, An Economic Analysis (1940)

Quote of the Day 14.1.2008: Terry & Tommy - Best Friends Forever

2008-01-14T14:26:00.000Z

The recent antics of Scotland's most infamous local councillor have reminded of a quote made by everyone's favourite pictorial blogger Theo Spark

"A good friend will come bail you out of jail.... but a true friend will be sitting next to you saying "Damn.... We Fucked Up""

Quote of the Day: What's The Difference Between Tony Blair & A Mafia Don

2008-01-11T16:56:00.000Z

"One (a) portrays himself as a man of the people and guardian of the community, but extorts large amounts of money from businesses and individuals under the guise of protecting them against future perils whilst actually accumulating vast wealth for himself and his family, (b) is indirectly implicated in the deaths of many people to promote his interests although he is never present at the killings, and (c) assuages his conscience with a superficial adherence to the Catholic church.

The other is an Italian thug." - a joke on Iain Dale's Diary

Quotes of the Day 9.1.2008: "I'm not a racist, but....!"

2008-01-09T14:42:00.000Z

"Everyone who knows me knows that I am not sexist. I've lived for years with my wife and daughter and I wouldn't dare be sexist with them as far as women are concerned." - Cllr Terry Kelly

You know something Tel, most sexists are married with daughters, but that doesn't stop them from discriminating against females. What a lame excuse Tel!

"UNITED NATS ? AYE RIGHT. UNITED IN FREAR." - Cllr Terry Kelly (again)

"I almost missed the fact that the SNP are apparently united in Frear. Good to have the old illiterate Terry back with us for the new year." - Right For Scotland in response

The fact that an elected official and the election agent of the Scottish Labour leader in the Scottish Parliament cannot spell 'fear' sums up both the total incompetence of the Labour party north of the boarder and the failure of Scottish education system to teach the Scottish elite the basics properly.

Terry The Sexist Pig

2008-01-09T14:36:00.000Z

New year, same old Terry!