He Really Won't Listen

Remember that petition on the Downing Street website that was so simple it just could not be misunderstood? Essentially it just asked Gordon Brown to please go. It was the most popular petition on there for some time.

Well, he, or a spokesman, has responded.

Not even a hint of self deprecation.

Trust me on this Mr. Brown, the country absolutely hates you.

You said you would listen, maybe you have. Perhaps you ought to try understanding what we're telling you as well.

GO AWAY AND STOP KILLING THIS COUNTRY.

Tighter Than A Mackerel's Ass...

...and that's watertight.

From Rantin' Rab this new level of arrogance and idiocy:

They just don't get it, do they?

It is either breathtaking stupidity or breathtaking arrogance that the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body has agreed that any claims by MSP's for poppy wreaths will be treated as a 'legitimate expense'.

The SPCB is made up of an MSP from each of the four main parties and the Hollyrood presiding officer, Alex Ferguson.

In a spectacular own goal, they have given the green light to claiming for poppy wreaths, which cost an average of £16. An MSP earns around £53,000 a year. Plus expenses of course.

You would have thought that they would have kept their collective heads down and wised up. But no.

Members of the SPCB are -

Tricia Marwick (SNP). Contact her here.
Alex Johnstone (Tory). Contact him here
Tom McCabe (Labour). Contact him here.
Mike Pringle (Lib Dem). Contact him here.

Presiding officer Alex Fergusson (Tory). Contact him here.

Send them an e mail. I have.


Dear Parasite,

Imagine my surprise when I read that you and pals on the SPCB saw fit to allow the claiming of poppy wreaths by MSP's as a 'legitimate expense'.

I'm not sure if you are aware, but the reputation of politicians has taken a few knocks of late.

So, are you completely stupid? Or is it just plain old arrogance and disdain for those you are supposed to serve/represent?

I hope your constituents remember your part in this come election time.

My readers would be interested in any comments you have on the matter.

love and kisses,

Rab.


I've sent them a link to this post too. I'm sure they will read the comments. Let them know your thoughts!!

Well spotted Rab. Have at 'em.

The Devil Makes Work For Idle Hands

I've got a few things going on at the minute that are taking me away from blogging. Sod off. This is not a good thing you unsympathetic nerk.

Being as I was asked by my mate Buck last night whether I was on holiday, I thought I had better post something just to tide this avid fan over.

It's been said that I have far too much time on my hands, this simply cannot be true as I shall demonstrate now.

Last week I committed the heinous crime of walking off with someone else's lighter. Of course an apology is in order.

Nobody has to get hurt...

The Flatmate Masher and I were watching the Prizefighter series on SKY Sports one Friday night. Drinking was involved. Ladies, Gentlemen and Nighthawk I give you Boxing Bourbon Bingo!

If the commentator says a word on the grid you take a drink. Each player has a word they can swap in or out at the end of each round. Simples.

It's a Saturday and just gone midnight. What else could we have done at that time of night? FORE!




Given all this activity it's a wonder I find time to blog or even go to work. At present my mind is elsewhere but I intend to get back to business soon. Try some of the links on your left, you may find something you like.

Carter.

Chard Isn't Rascist But...

Last night I was out on the sauce in Ye Olde Chard Town. The place of my birth and home to all my favourite people. As a result I'm hanging out my hoop and I don't have too much time to recover before hitting the Dolphin Inn to watch the Wolves Vs Villa match.

It's a hard life.

Since Nick Griffin's appearance on Question Time I haven't had the chance to see what the reaction has been either on the blogs or out there in the MSM. It was quite obvious that the multicultural London crowd thought they'd given the leader of the Far Left party a good shoeing.


Well done.


Just thought I'd share this with the rest of you though: He's gained a lot of votes in Chard.


That may not have the intelligentsia of that there London quaking in their boots but it should. Chard is a good indicator of a predominately white working class town and believe it or not, most of the country is made up of exactly that.


The conversation in the pub was veering from NightHawk's trauma* to "What ponce put Leona Lewis on the jukebox?" when the inevitable subject of the Question Time BNP circus arose.

"He looked dodgy when they were repeating quotes at him"

"He had some good points though."

"I've got nothing against gays but I don't want to see blokes snogging in the pub."

"They wouldn't let him finish half the things he was saying."

"They are too many people in the country though."

And so on. You may get the impression that we're all xenophobic homophobes but I can assure that we're not. We just hate gays and foreigners.

The very simple reason for this sympathy for the BNP is because the rest of us simply discard the racism issue. The panel and the crowd had the bit between their teeth and were refusing to move past that. It's not that we agree with racism, far from it, but the rest of us wanted to hear what else he had to say.

Jack Straw came across as arrogant and frightened. Why the hell he was allowed an opening statement was beyond me.

I don't think Nick Griffin came across particularly well but the mutterings I was hearing last night suggested that he'd garnered more support. It was an emotive crowd and an indignant panel and the whole affair seemed childish. From the outside looking in it looked like one man being attacked by lots of right on lefties If they had debated with him rather than shout down at him then they would have had more success.

As it happens the Question Time panel and crowd won the BNP many more votes.

*He'd been doing some one-handed surfing and didn't realise until it was too late that the protagonist was a man.

"You Must Hate A Fatman As You Hate The French"

When Napoleon Boneabit uttered those words to his troops, at Stamford Bridge, when playing Chelsea away, few could argue with his unassailable logic. These days it seems that he could have picked on the wrong group.

Should discriminating against someone for being fat be made a hate crime?

A group of campaigners have held a demonstration outside the Mayor of London's offices, calling for him to back legislation which would make discrimination against overweight people a hate crime, on a par with racism, ageism and religious discrimination.

Really? A hate crime? One of the stupidest concepts that has been written in to the statute books and you want to extend that to cover people picking on you a bit because you're fat?

Well on the plus side it will highlight how downright wrong the theory of hate crime is. Two men of the same race have a fight and the aggressor is charged with assault, ABH, GBH or a combination thereof. Sometimes they're even prosecuted but don't count on it; the Crown Prosecution Service are gutless and inept.

Good. Crime and punishment match.

Two men of differing ethnicity have a fight and the aggressor is charged with a hate crime on top of the above. Why? It's exactly the same crime.

Being nasty to someone because of their size is a bit removed from kicking seven shades out of someone because they worship the wrong god or come from the wrong country. Would it be a classed as a hate crime for battering a West Bromich Albion fan or just pest control? Anyway, it's the same crime, the only difference then becomes the mitigation/motive but that's part of the way judgement should work.

Been turned down for a job that you were the best candidate for (and weren't a completely unlikable interviewee) on the grounds of race, religion, size or gender? Discrimination.

Been turned down for a job because you're fat and it wouldn't effect your job performance? Not a hate crime. Just discrimination.

Discussing the issue are two campaigners and members of the Size Acceptance Movement, Kathryn Szrodecki and Marsha Coupe. Both have suffered abuse as a result of their size. Kathryn has filmed a documentary in San Francisco looking at the laws in place to protect overweight people against abuse and prejudice, and is desperate to see these laws put in place in the UK.

[...]

American-born Marsha has also learnt to deal with daily abuse because of her size. She says: "As an overweight person you get used to the daily stares and nasty comments of the general public. There is a huge hostility in the UK against fat people, much more so than in the USA, where I lived until 2005.”

Right. So as opposed to saying sod this, I'm going back to the states where I'd be welcome I'm going to try and force the legislature of a foreign country to do things how I want them done. Well for a start you can do one.

Kathryn says: "In San Francisco, fat-ism is treated with the same contempt and punished in the same way as racism, ageism and religious discrimination. Laws have been passed so overweight people have equal rights." The legislation in San Francisco even governs the guidelines given to doctors as to how they should speak to their overweight patients.

Kathryn adds: "Making fatism a hate crime gives it the gravitas it deserves and allows an appropriate punishment to be enforced."

The legislation goes a bit too far by half in San Francisco then. Overweight people have equal rights? Since when were they second class citizens? Where was it enshrined in law that Fat people must be discriminated against? You don't want equal rights, you want more rights even down to the ways your doctors have to tip-toe around you.

To show how daft this idea is the protesters couldn't even protest correctly:

Yesterday’s demonstration outside the Mayor of London's office did not go quite to plan as the campaigners lacked the required permit. Kathryn says: "We will definitely be going back after we have all the paperwork we need." While demonstrating Kathryn took along her 'Yay Scales' , a set of modified scales that show the user a compliment instead of their weight. Kathryn says: "These went down a storm with the public!"

Have you every heard such a contemptible idea? Yay scales? It doesn't matter what your weight is the gayest bathroom accessory since the pink shower cap gives you a compliment. That rates an eight on the Jesus-Wept-O-Meter and no mistake. Oh, and having to have paperwork to protest. That's a load of male bovine effluent too.

I don't like bullying. It may sound like I'm bullying these people and being fattist. I'm not fattist. They are... Jimmy Carr #94. Bullying breaks the most sacred tenet that I believe in: DO NO HARM.

I'm not picking holes in their argument because they're fat. I'm picking holes because it's stupid and it seeks to impose.

Your weight is your issue. If you don't like it change it, don't seek to change others around you. If you can't change it then live with it.

Don't take this the wrong way but for Christ sake, grow up.

The law is an ass and this clamouring to wear the badge "VICTIM" seeks to make it it even more so.

Enjoy Responsibly.

I'm not sure what I want to say with this post. The last time I said that I went into a frothing rage about smoking, which almost went somewhere but hey, let's have another crack.

I do love a beer.

I like the quiet ones at home watching the goggle box.

I like the louder ones at home that accompany me when I'm smashing at this damn keyboard like an illiterate mouth breather trying to compose a coherent post.

I like the ones that me and my date drink that help us both appear more attractive to each other. Not that we're ugly but you when you want to break the ice as effectively as an overweight polar bear why not spread some salt on the frost?

I like the one that slakes my thirst after another godawful battle against people who drive too slowly on my 40 mile drive home from work.

I like the Saturday lunchtime hairs of the dog at the local after Christ knows what was tipped down my neck on the Friday that left me with bruises and bumps I'm pretty sure I didn't have before that eighth pint and fourth short.

I like those Friday ones that gave me the bumps and bruises.

On Sunday, when the dog hairs of Saturday have turned in to dog's teeth and come back to bite me in the ass because that only encouraged me to have some more, I'll be sat in my chair with a tongue coated in something that is not unlike orangutan guano, my head banging like a shithouse door in a gale and praying for a merciful release. Then 12 o clock will hit and my mate Bazza will ring me informing me that he's granting an audience up the Crown at Codsall.

Well, rude not to I s'pose.

I'm a drinker, I like a drink. Sometimes I like a drihihihihihihihiiiiiink. As long as I don't hurt anyone else in the process there's not a problem. Oh and by the way, 3 altercations in 10 years does not count...


Just the latest example of the anti smoking brigade being gainfully employed elsewhere. Binge drinkers eh? What a bunch of pests...

Some people can handle their beer and some can't. Go figure. I don't drink cider, Stella, shorts or strong beer all that often because I know I can't go the long haul if I do. Hell, for every pint of cider I quaff I get an inch taller and everyone else gets an inch shorter. By the end of the night I really am the hardest man in Christendom... That's why *I* don't drink cider anymore. Certainly doesn't mean anyone else shouldn't.

Do we really need telling what the dangers of alcohol are? Do we really need telling what the delights are either?

I grew up in Chard and have been going in and out of pubs since I was a kid. I know how to behave in a pub. I also know how to misbehave in one but that's not going to support what little argument I have here. These three lads however thought they were invincible. They were just a little bit wrong wouldn't you say...

The two blokes in drag that administered the much required slap were cage fighters on a fancy dress night out. Brilliant.

You'll also notice how the three starting the scraps were very much in the minority in the reveller crowded street. Doesn't matter apparently, the rest of the people enjoying their nights out without incident up and down the country will have to suffer sanctomonious strap lines to alcohol ads such as "Enjoy responsibly" or "Time to re-think your drink?" and the knee jerk calls to impose even higher taxes on booze.

It's enough to drive a man to drink.

One last thing. Don't drink and blog kids. You come out with crap like this if you do.

Think on...

Datakits.co.uk Are Con Artists and I Shoulda Known

I cracked the screen on my mobile a while back and made a claim on my insurance. The shysters wouldn’t honour the claim as I didn’t register the claim within 48 hours of the incident which is patently nonsense. The screen was just as cracked a week later as it was at the time of the incident.

Sod ya then I’ll do it myself. A quick google search for replacement screens led me to datakits.co.uk, I placed an order and a few days later I had my replacement screen.

It didn’t work.

The text flipped between backwards and fuzzy and clear and upside down and all combinations in between with each button press. The contacts were clean and the cable socket reseated several times but still no dice.

I e-mailed them and within a few hours I received an apology, a returns form and a return address. ‘Jubbly!’ 3 weeks, 2 phone calls (straight to voice mail) and 1 e-mail later nothing.

Another google search this time for datakits.co.uk revealed a stream of dissatisfied customers and very few of them got their money back.

Hindsight is 20/20…

I hold out little hope of getting my money back. I’ll go down the Sale of Goods Act 1979 and trading standards guff but will ultimately be disappointed. I just know it.

Still, another google search threw up this link.

In particular this address for the Director Mike Reeder:

9 Frensham Road
Southsea
PO4 8AD

I wonder when I’m working in Pompey next? A quick detour with some colleagues might be in order as I’ve had rather enough of being messed around.