Like military jets?

If like me you are an aviation buff and you have got seven minutes to spare, you will not regret spending it watching this footage. Even if you only have a passing interest in aircraft this is well worth watching.

Many Tory MPs still sceptical on climate change

So reads the headline on an article in today's Guardian. David Adam has penned a piece that describes how a poll has revealed David Cameron has failed to convince many of his MPs that man-made global warming is a serious problem. He goes on to say:

A third of Tory MPs who responded to the survey questioned the existence of climate change and its link to human activity. Two-thirds said tackling climate change should not be a priority for local councils.

A significant number of MPs from other parties also told the survey they had doubts on the issue. Overall, the results suggest that up to a fifth of the MPs who have been debating the UK's climate change bill do not understand, or choose to ignore, the science on which it is based.

Right... so anyone who has doubts about the idea of anthropogenic global warming either does not understand the science or chooses to ignore it. David Adam clearly does not want to fan the flames of scepticism by suggesting a far less arrogant explanation - that many people do not believe the science adds up.

Tony Juniper of Friends of the Earth, believes this: "is a serious cause for alarm" and suggests that, "many of them are seriously out of touch, because the science is very clear." Well that is where the rub can be found, because the science is not clear. Nowhere close. The causes of our changing climate has become something akin to a religion for many people. They believe because they have faith. But ask them to provide hard evidence and all that comes back are projections, estimates and guesswork - much of which has been presented by people who a couple of decades ago believed the next ice age was imminent.

All the while arguments of this nature are made, that cast doubt about the accuracy of what the public is being told, the science is not anything like clear. Opinion rather than evidence is not sufficient. A projection is not a fact. Concepts are not truths. Human beings have intellect and are meant to question and challenge. Attempting to suppress counter argument reveals a weakness in the position of the person doing it. When the counter arguments of so called sceptics can be defeated with facts supported by evidence, only then will the proposed actions on climate change might be worth considering.

The legend that is McNulty

This would be hilarious if the subject was not so serious. Only in the parallel universe inhabited by the most deluded of people could a former college lecturer, who has been an MP for a total of 11 years, argue that the former head of MI5 - length of Intelligence service 33 years - has "very limited" experience of investigating terrorist plots when she disagrees with his view on how to fight terrorism. You could not make it up. The nation's experts in anti-terrorism reported to and took instructions from Eliza Manningham-Buller, but she is considered a mere amateur by a self-aggrandising, hectoring, bombastic motormouth.

But this is the pseudo reality where Tony McNulty prowls. Convinced of his own brilliance and certain that his knowledge of all things surpasses that of any other mortal, he loudly spews forth his rhetoric. Unable to argue the points being debated he resorts to name calling and tries to undermine his opponent. The Huntsman has the Tale of the Tape in this ludicrous row. The year is 2008 and the British government has barely managed to reach the dizzy heights of playground politics. McNulty is a legend in his own imagination. In his dreams he must visualise cheering crowds hailing him as the all-wise, all-knowing father of the nation. His delusions are probably without limit.

Why Britain has no place in the EU

The always excellent EU Referendum's Dr Richard North has published a must-read posting. A Belgian race relations body took a case to the European Court of Justice, concerning their complaint that an employer had made it known he would not recruit Moroccans because his customers did not want them providing services. No one had actually been refused a job. No one had actually made a complaint citing discrimination. It was hypothetical and abstract. The race relations body however went after the company and won.

In their ruling, the judges have not only found against the company who had not actually committed an offence by refusing a job to someone based on their ethnicity, but also:

decided to reverse the burden of proof in this type of case, deciding that if a "discriminatory recruitment policy is alleged by reference to statements made publicly by an employer with regard to its recruitment policy … it is for the employer to prove that it has not infringed the principle of equal treatment."

So, there were are – "European" justice for you: guilty unless you can prove yourself innocent, guilty of an "offence" even though there is no victim, and prey to any passing race relations industry zealot who thinks they can make a quick buck out of taking you to court.

It is not just cases like this. European arrest warrants can see a British subject whisked off to any signatory country without evidence being presented and tested before a British court. The principle of Habeas Corpus is being eroded. The idea of 'he who asserts must prove' is being reversed so rather than innocent until proven guilty, every suspect is guilty by default unless he can prove he is innocent.

One size fits all political governance is bad enough. But having to cast off basic legal safeguards, bit at a time, to adhere to a completely alien judicial concept is just as unacceptable. Law that applies to Britons must be made by Britons in Britain. Political decisions that affect Britons must be made by Britons in Britain. Why can this nation not be good neighbours of Europe, trade with Europe and co-operate with Europe on matters of mutual interest without being run by Europe? We should be a strong, confident, independent sovereign country, not a servile province on the western edge of a supranational, undemocratic bureaucracy.

McNulty reveals his inner moron

The tired old invective, doled out by Labour incompetents when running scared from issues, has been tossed aimlessly into the public arena once again today. Yet again it is Tony McNulty who is fronting up for this failed administration. This time he is having a pathetic dig at David Davis by comparing him to Homer Simpson. It is a vain attempt to minimise the foot in mouth disease comment by Gordon Brown, who compared himself to a disturbed literary character who engaged in domestic abuse, possibly committed murder and dug up the remains of his dead lover (Heathcliff in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights).

With Labour demonstrating typical cowardice by refusing to put up a candidate in Haltemprice and Howden, the BBC reports that McNulty:

accused the ex-shadow home secretary of "vanity" for quitting his seat to trigger the contest.

He said Mr Davis should have made his argument on civil liberties in Parliament instead.

McNulty is one of the many out of touch politicians who would not know principle if it bit him on the arse. His charge of 'vanity' reveals the lazy intellect of someone who is unable to see beyond their own blinkered dogma. And his claim that Davis should have made his argument in Parliament, rather than seeking a mandate from his constituency to argue in defence of civil liberties, is plain stupid when Labour abuses its position to buy-off opponents with inducements and policy promises and fails to keep its promises about the length and content of debates.

BBC Burn Up baloney?

Funded by us under pain of fine or imprisonment the BBC is at it again, using drama to reinforce its world view:

Starring Bradley Whitford, Neve Campbell and Rupert Penry-Jones, Burn Up is a two-part provocative drama set in the real-life context of climate change.

The first I knew of Burn Up was a trailer shown on BBC earlier this evening. Interestingly enough the trailer shown between programmes tonight is not available on the show's page on the BBC website. Portraying big oil as the bad guy, it contained short comments designed to stick in the mind, such as (not verbatim, from memory) "we have 10 years before warming becomes irreversible". Which part of the BBC mission does this drama stem from, informing, educating or entertaining?

Will we ever see the BBC commission a climate change drama where a heroic character battles to uncover a conspiracy to hide evidence that mankind is not causing warming and that the whole thing is being used to tax people while carbon credit traders get fabulously rich? Hmmmm...

Update: Matt Sinclair was already writing about this earlier in the week.

Evasive Eagle

While driving back from client site in Bolton this afternoon I tuned in to Simon Mayo's show on Five Live in time to hear an interview with Treasury Minister, Angela Eagle. The topic was the Vehicle Excise Duty increase. It was notable for the lengths Ms Eagle went to in order to:

1. Deny Gordon Brown had said that 55% of motorists would be better off as a result of the changes
2. Refused to accept that Brown has mis-spoken in the Commons by making that claim in which he left out words "or will be no worse off" even when the direct quote was repeated to her
   
3. Kept repeating Brown's comments of 14th May each time Simon Mayo asked her to confirm Brown's comments on 4th June was inaccurate

All that was required was for Eagle to say that Brown had meant to include the words "or will be no worse off" when he made his comment. End of story. For his part Brown had the chance in the Commons to say he had meant to include that qualifying comment, but refused because he thought he would lose face. As a result this determined effort not to have to admit a mistake has become the story rather than the cost to the taxpayer of unwarranted road tax increases.

This is the problem with politics today and it has been a constant feature of the Labour government since 1997. They will declare black to be white and argue the point ad infinitum despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, so they do not have to say they got something - however trivial - wrong. Humans make mistakes. People have far more respect and trust in someone who acknowledges a mistake when it is pointed out, corrects it, says sorry if necessary and moves on. Labour does not get it. It prefers to lie.

The pantomime played out today underlines the shallow, ignorant and arrogant nature of too many politicians. The evasive comments of Angela Eagle were completely cringeworthy. She knew Brown had mis-spoken, Brown knew he had mis-spoken, everyone listening knew he has mis-spoken - but the stubborn refusal to accept a minor error caused resulted in far more damage than the comment Eagle was sent into the BBC to defend. Her behaviour left listeners incredulous and lost Labour some more votes. The decision of the Brown spin operation to make Eagle go on air and stick to that utterly indefensible line - and look completely stupid into the bargain - demonstrates how detached from reality the government is. Labour is out on its feet. It is time to deliver the final blow that sends Labour to the canvas.

Delusion through the door

The BNP have followed up their cameo appearance in the Redwell West by-election in Wellingborough with a leaflet drop in the ward (and also parts of the neighbouring ward where there was no by-election). Some people in Redwell, east and west, may be slightly confused by its contents, so ever willing to provide a helping hand I have taken a few moments to put it in some context...

The leaflet is titled "Wellingborough Patriot" despite the Northamptonshire branch of the BNP being based in Worcestershire. Residents should not be alarmed however because there is no requirement to be racist in order to love one's country. It is just one of the BNP quirks. It wraps itself up in the Union Flag and describes its supporters as Patriots.

The strapline of the leaflet banner reads 'Britain's only credible "Get Britain out of the EU" political party'. Do not be confused. The BNP have realised that declaring itself faithfully to be 'Britain's only racist "Get non-whites out of Britain" political party' is not a vote winner.

The leaflet then goes on to thank residents in Redwell West for voting BNP on February 27th and sending a resounding message across the whole of Wellingborough etc etc. Please do not be concerned. Only 177 people out of a possible 2,603 voted BNP. Also, that small number did so on March 27th when the election was actually held - but the BNP do not do fact checking very well as their election campaign leaflets showed. So really the leaflet only applies to 177 people. The chances that it applies to the person reading it are around 1 in 16. Bookies love those sort of odds.

After a couple of boxes, where the BNP at last correctly decides to blame Labour government for the house building policy in Northants, rather than the Conservative Council as it did during the election campaign - and asks those 177 people to vote for them again in next year's County and European elections - we get to a personal message from the BNP's candidate in the by-election. Mr Robinson is keen to thank those 177 people for voting for him, but remains confused about when the election was held, still thinking it was in February.

He goes on to say that it is not often a local by-election result gets noted in the national press, especially when the local paper did not mention it. Actually the Evening Telegraph did report the election result, but did not make a fuss about it as the Conservative candidate won with 59% of the vote and the BNP's 177 votes out of 1,127 votes cast is not earth shattering news, even if by their standards it was the equivalent of a World Cup win for them. Maybe the BNP were looking in February editions for the result of an election that had not taken place...

It was particularly amusing to see Mr Robinson describing Labour as a spent force in Wellingborough. The Conservatives are happy to take the credit for that after years of hard campaigning in the town to turn Wellingborough blue on the political map. Overleaf is the obligatory questionnaire, carefully worded to ensure just about any reasonable person would put a tick in almost every 'yes' box. The idea the BNP are trying to get to take root in the mind of the reader is that if you tick yes you should be voting BNP. Notable by their absence are the questions the BNP should be asking, such as:

• Do you agree with our repatriation policy of non-white people from Britain?
• Do you realise we are socialist and we believe we are the New New Labour Party?
  
• Do you think our own leader should have done time for inciting racial hatred?
• Do you like the way we break into our members' homes to get intelligence on them?

You know, in closing, every time the BNP talks of Patriots I cannot help but think of the missiles used in the 1990-91 Gulf War. When it comes to accuracy though I think it would be far more appropriate to describe them as Scuds, because you never know what they will claim next.

Walk on by

Only in this broken and morally inverted society could such an injustice be allowed to happen. How can it be right that a thug who smashes a shop window, is restrained until police arrive, resists arrest and attempts to kick out the windows of the police car, gets to walk away with a caution having admitted the offence? Yet the public spirited man who was punched in the face by the thug in question, but held on so an arrest could be made, is arrested by three officers with a dog handler and faces court on a vexatious assault charge?

Police Community Support Officers do not have the same powers as Police Officers. So how long will it be before one of them restrains a thug in similar circumstances and is subsequently arrested for assault while the real criminal is sent back on to the street with nothing more than a pathetic warning?

Last week the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, urged people not to intervene in fights in case they end up being stabbed. Now a man who stood up against thugs is rewarded with a trip to court charged with assault. Having been urged by the government to stand our ground against the thugs and reclaim our streets, people are now being told to flee for their lives. Having been asked to be counted by helping the police, people are now being dragged into court by jobsworth desk jockeys who are incapable to applying common sense to a malicious complaint by someone who offended against society and discovered some people would not tolerate it.

Britain is no longer a nation where fair play and common sense are currency. This is now a walk on by society. A place where people with good intentions are placed upon a pedestal so they can be knocked back off it and castigated for the sake of crude entertainment. A place where criminality is rewarded and doing the right thing severely punished. Everything has been pulled inside out and turned upside down by cowards who pick on easy targets to appear tough because they do not have the guts to tackle the real dangers in our society.

And before the BNP sockpuppets - who habitually drop in to feed off the comments like a leech sucks on blood - appear and claim they are the answer to these ills, do not bother. The last thing this society needs on top of the current problems is the poisonous, racist bile from those who scapegoat non-whites for every problem and follow a divisive and discredited socialist creed.

In memory of those who died on 7/7

Three years ago this morning Mohammad Sidique Khan, Germaine Lindsay, Shehzad Tanweer and Hasib Hussain wandered on to tube trains and a bus carrying rucksacks. Inside the rucksacks were a concoction of explosives. At 8.50am Khan, Lindsay and Tanweer exploded their devices at King's Cross, Edgware Road and Aldgate. At 9.47am Hussain detonated his device on a bus in Tavistock Square.

52 people were killed on 7th July 2005. More than 700 people were maimed or injured. Horrific tales of what took place in that hour and details of the traumatic and devastating injuries suffered by people going about their business, will never leave us. Although some of the injuries have healed or will heal in time, the terrible psychological damage inflicted by the four hate-filled, murdering, cowards will never be fully known.

It is a day I can remember clearly. It was the day I intended to propose to Beverley when she flew back from Belfast. Sitting at the airport waiting for her flight, I watched the non-stop news reel reports of what was known to have happened. I recall the confusion as reports of electrical explosions on the tube became reports of bombings. Tales of other bombings came in and were subsequently ruled out. I remember seeing a dramatically increased police presence in the terminal building.

As I sat there, waiting, I watched people carrying on with their lives. Faces were grim and there was no laughter. But there was a kind of stoicism on display. It was not defiance. It was more a statement that such attacks are futile. We as a people were going to carry on and we would not allow threats to make us change our way of life. It was at that moment I decided to go ahead and propose anyway. Just over a year later we were married.

The only people it seems who were minded to change the way this country functions were members of the government. 7/7 should have been an object lesson in the futility of terror and a statement of our intent to remain free. But for the government it signalled an opportunity to increase intrusive scrutiny into our lives, press ahead with the ideas of ID Cards, DNA databases, longer detention without charge and ramp up the use of intercepts of phone calls and emails, even though they are not admissible in court.

There is no evidence that any of these tools would have done anything to prevent the attacks, but the government presses on regardless. Our privacy and ancient liberties are under threat - not by the terrorists who want to dictate how we live our lives - but by opportunist politicians who are supposed to be servants of the British people but are seizing the moment to promote themselves to act as our masters. It is an unworthy legacy of the deaths of 52 innocent people.

At times of reflection like this we should consider the effects of what has happened and stand firm against corrosive actions that undermine our democracy, our privacy and our ancient liberties. Anything less would represent a surrender.

Dumbed down Britain - Dr Who fans

To demonstrate just how idiotic some people in this country are and how some are unable to differentiate between real life and entertainment, the Mail reports today that over 2,500 Dr Who fans (who actually checked?) dialled the mobile phone number displayed in last week's episode "in an attempt to contact their hero". The article goes on to say:

One fan complained: 'They showed that number so many times, as if they were asking for it to be called.'

Meanwhile there was this reference to another candidate for a Darwin award...

One fan complained to the BBC's website: 'Grrr - I phoned the Doctor's phone number but there was just an annoying network message.

'What's the point in showing a phone number if you're not gonna use it?!'

Just who on earth, or in a Tardis, did they expect to answer it? The government must be delighted that its effort to produce a generation of morons is bearing fruit. Assuming the story is true, always a healthy doubt as it is in the Mail, it really makes you want to give up. As the excellent Croydonian would say, truly the Apocalypse is upon us.

On race equality and diversity

Earlier this week Wellingborough Council published details of its Race Equality Scheme 2008-2011. The law requires Councils to publish details of their Race Equality Scheme and information about how they will promote diversity and it is something that continues to frustrate me. Having scanned through the document it says nothing that any reasonable person could possibly disagree with. So why does so much time, effort and public money have to be put into delivering this document, measuring targets and reporting them?

To me it is backwards and senseless to go out of our way to reinforce differences between people when we should be focusing on the things we have in common. As such I feel that promoting diversity in this way is counter productive and merely entrenches the separation of identities on the basis of gender, physical capability, race or age. No form of discrimination, 'positive' or otherwise, and no form of inequality should ever be acceptable. It is not only unfair for those not allowed to experience a level playing field, it is patronising and humiliating for those people who are selected for special treatment.

As I recently told one of our Council Officers, when I look at the people around me I see my peers, human beings. We all have thoughts, views, feelings and emotions. As long as we all treat each person with respect and ensure everyone has the same opportunity why is there any need to shine a spotlight on their gender, age or ethnicity? I want to be treated as an individual human being, not pigeon-holed into a broad classification based on my race or sex.

Most people I speak to are concerned about employment, their health and finances, issues in their families or circle of friends, and their hopes and fears for the future. We share these common concerns, so why should it matter whether the person with such concerns is a man or woman, young or old, black or white, gay or straight, European or Asian or African, able bodied or disabled? All we require is our humanity - and to treat all people with the same degree of respect, compassion and courtesy while ensuring they have the same opportunity as everyone else. If a Council is not doing that already then its Councillors should come down on it like a ton of bricks.

Not for the first time I find myself asking why exactly a Council should want its workforce to reflect the diversity of its local community in any case? Surely a provider of public services should want its workforce to be made up of the very best talent possible to deliver the best services possible, irrespective of gender, race, physical ability or age. Some people believe that if a locality has 5% of its population made up of people whose ethnic background can be traced back to the Indian subcontinent, then 5% of a Council's workforce should have that ethnic background. It is nonsense. I do not care if 50% or 0% of the workforce has that ethnic background, as long as the best people for the job are in the job.

It is time for people to dump the unnecessary, divisive and self perpetuating agenda of the race relations industry and start living the ideals of genuine equality.

The MEP Gravy Train in motion

Hat tip to David Frum, via Peter Cuthbertson on CentreRight.

Watch the MEP Gravy Train rolling out of the European Parliament.

Update: It has been pointed out that EU Referendum linked to the You Tube version of the video on 26th June and wrote about it in detail on 27th June. That is no surprise as Richard and Helen are always on the ball with these things. I have been too busy with client work to keep up to date with postings or check EU Referendum properly, so this story was new for me at least. So my apologies to those for whom this is old news.

Recess Monkey gets spanked

Labour political climber, Alex Hilton of Recess Monkey, is trying very hard to ape Guido by publishing 'revelations' in an attempt to embarrass particular subjects about their use of public money. But it seems the Monkey is struggling to make the same sort of stinging impact Guido, like him or loathe him, often does. Coming in for some banana pointing today in an attempt to deflect attention from Labour's incompetence, is Laurence Robertson MP, the Conservative member for Tewkesbury. The Monkey attempts to highlight hypocrisy and suggest snouts are deep in troughs as Mr Robertson employs both his wife, from whom he is separated, and his mistress.

But it seems Alex did not count on being handbagged by Mrs Robertson in the comment thread of his posting, as she wrote:

Recess Monkey was clever enough to read Laurence Robertson’s website, but failed to notice who the website’s designer and manager is. Well, Recess Monkey, it is me, Susan Robertson! Building and running the website is just one of the many tasks I carry out, along with helping hundreds of constituents with problems. I get paid by the taxpayer because my JOB is a public sector job. I work damned hard and am heartily sick to death of people who don’t even have the courage to write their own names insinuating that I do not work for my salary.

You and anyone else reading this is welcome to come to Tewkesbury to the Constituency Office and see for themselves the work I do - or would that spoil the “Monkey’s mischief.

Although not Alex's finest moment it still pales into insignificance when compared to his "Stop Press" announcement in March last year that Margaret Thatcher had died. It seems that in his efforts to land a 'scoop' Alex has failed to do a bit of fact checking with the subject of his sideswipes. Maybe Guido will be kind enough to deliver a workshop for him?

Northern Rock and more Government humiliation

It is not just the Europe that suffers the humiliation of its financial accounts not being signed off - it appears the British Government has got in on the act too. The National Audit Office (NAO) has refused to approve the Treasury's accounts, which has resulted in the Treasury's Annual Report being published yesterday without the all-important Resource Accounts. The Times describes this as:

a highly unusual departure from normal procedure

The reason for the Resource Accounts being absent from the Annual Report is that the NAO is not happy at the way that the nationalisation of Northern Rock is being treated in the Treasury’s books. Many members of the public know how the NAO must feel as they prop up a bank that was the architect of its own problems to the tune of more than £30bn. I still wonder if the government would have acted in the way it did if Northern Rock was not a supporter of Labour

Despite the books not being made available as they normally would be, the Treasury is denying that the NAO has threatened to qualify its accounts. However the Treasury is running against the clock to win the NAO around, as it only has three weeks to get the books signed off before the next Parliamentary recess. This is just the latest example of the shambolic state the nation's finances thanks to Gordon Brown's policies of tax and spend and general incompetence.