Monday 22 July 2013

It appears the media can no longer quote Billy Connolly as a supporter of the NO Campaign, Project Fear. He has said that it is not the place of a comedian to tell people how to vote. He said he spoke against devolution because it added another tier of government, but he has been in Scotland for a few weeks on holiday prior to some filming engagements and he says it has changed for the better. So NO, you should take him off your list.
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Channel Four News has revealed that costs for tribunals for benefit sanctions have risen dramatically. In 2012/13 the cost was £66 million up from £22 million in 209/10.  The number of appeals had risen by 66%. Liam Byrne apparently said that it's the fault of Atos which is spinning out of control. Well, there you go, Liam. You left no money and a Benefit system spinning out of control. Isn't Labour clever!
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According to the Guardian's Money Blog, to achieve their current pension on the open market MPs would need to save about £60,000 a year for every year they are in parliament. They actually only contribute £9,100, so they are getting a benefit worth £51,000 a year, or 75% of pay. Contrast this to IPSA's view of the value of the pension: it says it costs the taxpayer 20.4% of MPs' pay or £14,000 a year.
After the pay rise an MP with 15 years of service will get an extra £2,850 a year in retirement. On the open market this would need a pension fund of £100,000 to provide. Across 600 MPs this translates to about £60m of value.

So don't believe everything they tell you.... like you would!
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Danny...our man in America... sent me the following cartoons. The first was one of a series used years ago to explain to kids how the federal government of the country worked. The second is what happens now, as Danny says, since the radical right wing of the Republican Party decided that they preferred gridlock in Washington, because they hate the idea of government itself!


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If anyone is in the least interested, apparently hundreds of babies were successfully delivered all over Scotland today. In no case was the state broadcaster obliged to have a team of experts on hand to give a blow by blow account and there were no loonie's standing outside wearing butchers' aprons. But for all that mothers and babies are doing well... and fathers are playing their traditional role getting drunk. Munguin's Republic wishes them all well for their future, hopefully in an independent country.
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15 comments:

  1. Radio silence here today as The fawning of our state broadcaster is sickening. For light relief I recommend this On the Regal Sprog

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    1. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

      Neither do I....

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  2. I just heard she had it.

    No news for about a week I think.

    I notice (Independent) that one of the stories they hid in today's glorious, fabulous, awesome, mind shatteringly good news, was that ATOS is to lose its monopoly on assessments after an audit showed that they have fallen far short of the terms of their contract. No news about anyone being punished or sanctioned though...naturally.

    The Mirror (I think) reported that a very few weeks ago Atos told a woman that she had to go back to work... she has since died from cancer. When they said medical professionals, I didn't think they meant hospital cleaners!

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  3. It'll be wall to wall royal baby for the next few days, then they'll claim they're 'allowing' the new royal family unit some time and space to themselves while they sharpen their telephoto lenses.

    While I still feel nothing for the parents, I'm beginning to feel a bit sorry for the kid already. You just know William & Kate will make all the right noises about modernisation and bringing the sprog up as a normal human being - while all along their idea of 'normal' and 'modern' is so bizarre as to be unidentifiable by normal standards - its up-bringing will be nothing like a typical 'British' kid's experience.

    Still, as long as it doesn't turn into its grandfather, it should be ok.

    Only in Britain is an event which highlights such ferocious inequality so misidentified then celebrated, what is wrong with people in this country? Listening to some daft old grannie simper into a camera about harmless escapism or some plummy chap on a Soho street tell us its all 'harmless' - its neither of those things - its an alarm bell or a warning klaxon.

    This syrupy shite will be poured into the nations ears for weeks, it makes me want to puke.

    Grrr.

    ;-)

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    1. On the basis that there will be no other news on the radio or tv, I decided to deny myself the pleasure of listening to the news last night and today.

      I think the thing I find so dismaying about it all is that people who are living way under the standard for normal Europeans gush at the birth of someone who will have every privilege and more money than Croesus.

      But then, it shouldn't surprise me. The moronic magazines that sit at the checkouts at Morrisons are filled with lurid details of the lives of the rich and famous, not to mention infamous, and they are lapped up. Details of some hard faced looking "star" spending hundreds of thousands of a party on a paradise island seems to fascinate them as they scrape together enough money for a tin of own brand beans.

      They won't be allowed to be modern. The establishment wants to keep them the way they are, because on THEIR status depends the status of every other person in that top part of society.

      After all, if we stop being obliged to say "your royal highness" to them, why would we bother with "your grace" to a duke, or "m'lord" to the likes of Foulkes?

      And the press like them to be celebrities. What else would they fill their papers with?

      So, anyway, for the next two weeks, the radio will remain off.

      But we should be vigilant. Doubtless all manner of bad new will be announced while the papers don't have time to report it.

      I look forward to the next issue of Private Eye.

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  4. Tris

    I have never really cared about much of what Billy Connoly has had to say for a long time. He is someone who in my opinion sold out to the system a long time ago. From humble beginnings on the docks and working mens clubs to buying into the celebrity of money and fame, he is just someone who was relevant a long time ago but when he became the darling of the politicians, royals and of course kirsty wark that killed it for me. So filed under don't care.

    ATOS we all knew were about a)profit with no morals and b)just the tory party lynch mob for anyone with a disability. The fact that they have gotten it so badly wrong is probably down to really good welfare advice workers and a brave few who had the strength to challenge the system. This is all about idiology, saving money to buy weapons of mass destruction but there will still be many in England and some in Scotland that feel the disabled should just have to fend for themselves or get an imaginary job.

    Not surprised by the politicians. It's a career now, even when voted out, it's a job as a researcher or with Glasgow City Council until a safe seat is found. Also it's grab as much money as quickly as you can or be leader of the Scottish Branch of Labour where you get to take teacher holidays each year.

    Totally agree that a lot of babies were born yesterday but very few in Scotland will have a life expectancy beyong 65 whereas the new addition to the company that is the royals will no doubt live to be 300 with the best of everything.

    It's just a shit week for news and it's only Tuesday. At least the football starts soon and I'll get to watch another bunch of pampered millionaires telling us all how tough it is to be rich, spoilt and pampered. Bllly Connoly, baby whatever the 10th and footballers are all the same really. Smart post.

    Bruce

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    1. I've never thought Connolly was funny, Bruce. I admit that I haven't listened to him for a long time, but he seemed to rely on saying mildly rude words for his humour, and whilst I'm not put off by that, it helps, as a comedian, if you can pepper the rude words with something amusing from time to time.

      To each his own though. He's clearly been very successful!

      My point here was that he is one of the "celebrities" that the BT campaign have thrown at us as being against independence. In fact he is not. He was against devolution because it added a new layer of government, another bunch of politicians to be paid and pampered. But he has made it plain now that he is happy whichever way the debate goes. So, I'm not rehabilitating him... I'm saying to the NO campaign that they should stop using him as an example of someone who has condemned independence.

      I just hope ATOS have been fined for taking money for crap work. They must realise that they are a0 costing the taxpayer a fortune in fees; b) that their incompetence has tripled the bill for appeals and tribunals, and c) these are people's lives that they are playing with.

      These people are sponsoring the Glasgow games, which is why I've said nothing about them at all on this blog. I supported the games coming to Glasgow and I'm glad to see the work that has been created in the city. I'm slo pretty sure that, in Shona Robison's hands there WILL be a legacy in Scotland (unlike the UK after the Olympics), but I want no part in publicising something they have put OUR money into. Money it appears that they have taken under false pretences.

      Cheer up... the week can't get any worse can it?

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    2. Can't get any worse?
      You obviously won't be buying the official birth dvd being released on Thursday.

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    3. LOL LOL

      I'm sure one of you will send me a copy....

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  5. Followed by the 'How to choose a silver spoon for your new aristo' dvd. Followed by Kates 'How to get your figure back after birth' workout dvd.

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    1. And then more complaints to the police about intrusion of privacy...

      Apparently her sister, Pippa the bum, we'll call her for easy identification, is complaining that she gets too much attention from the press.

      That, if you please, after writing a book about how to have a party, in which the only useful suggestion is that it's a good idea to have some food and drink and invite some people!!!

      Not that she'd trade on her sister's fame and fortune or anything.

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  6. I'm a republican by nature (all people equal and all that) so this is driving me mental. I'll be seeing people today who are monarchists and will be overjoyed - plan to tune out.

    That said I'd rather have an independent Scotland with a monarchy than than have the poltical status quo with a republic.

    Perhaps they'll call the wean Lynton after the man choosing government's policies?

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    1. I was hoping for His Royal Highness Prince Dwayne, just to prove the Middleton working class input into the royal blood...

      Although monarchy in essence is wrong, the Norwegians seem to manage it sensibly...as they do everything else, while the brits make a complete hash of it, as they do with everything else.

      Oh, to be Norway...

      OK.. that's not gonna happen, but we can have something equally good.

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  7. after seven hours of sky news camera pointed at the front door of the hospital where Kate was,
    a colleague (at work) asked, will we see the baby coming out?
    I said I don't think they'll allow the cameras that close

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    1. Ohhhhhhhhhh brilliant....

      I bet that went down well.

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