Beware of old men in MACs!

Isn't it too late for a new body, the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), to consider the wider social impact of immigration when nearly 1.5m immigrants have arrived in just the last two years?

Even if the social impact was negative, could the UK reduce current levels of immigration whilst it remains a member of the European Union?

If John Reid claims there is "no systematic weighing up of the benefits and costs of immigration", how can consecutive Governments always claim that the economic benefits of immigration outweigh the costs!?!

Asylum seekers are not boomerangs!

How many of the 150 immigration offenders being released on bail does the Home Office expect to return once the present crisis at Harmondsworth has been resolved?

Wouldn't it be better to fast track the deportation of all failed asyulum seekers at Harmondsworth?

Mr Rasul faces deportation to northern Iraq after having exhausted his appeals for asylum.

Lifting the veil of double standards!

The vast majority of people...believe women should be allowed to wear what they like [such as the full veil] - Rajnaara Akhtar of the Assembly for the Protection of the Hijab.

Only a "tiny, tiny minority" are forced to wear the veil - Rajnaara Akhtar of the Assembly for the Protection of the Hijab.

Shotgun justice

If a protestor climbed onto the roof of your house and you confronted him with a loaded shotgun, could you expect to go to prison?

Answers on a postcard to Judge David Tyzack!

The modern family - mother, father and government?

Are parents or the Government to blame if one in seven children are growing up in "bad" housing?

PC Police?

If black Police Officers had distributed an email showing a white suspect decapitated in a freak accident whilst being pursued by Police, would they have faced a five month long "robust" investigation into it?

Would people perceive the email as 'racist' or just sick? Would there be calls for the Police Officers to be sacked?

It is, at best, disrespecful to the [white] people that live in Hertfordshire - Keith Jarrett, President of the White Police Association!

Inflation busting rail fares

How will increasing rail fares above the rate of inflation encourage more car drivers off the roads and onto the railways?

Can it be long before railway workers strike to get their share of the increases?

Impartial BBC?

Does anyone beyond the ITV and BBC media bubble really care that Michael Grade has resigned from the BBC and moved to ITV?

So why is the BBC's leading UK article (at 10.08 am) reporting his move!?!

Should we rejoice that the BBC was unable to match ITV's £10m offer for his services over five years?

TV Licence Tax

The BBC is now officially part of Central Government! - the TV licence fee has recently been reclassified as a tax rather than a service charge.

(Quarterly National Accounts Briefing Note: 2006 Q1 & 2006 Blue Book, p.11)

Courtesy of Raw Carrot.

Slavery

Do Africans feel "Deep Sorrow" for Africa's role in the slave trade or is it just the "white man's burden"?

Mighty black kings in the Bight of Biafra near modern-day Senegal and Benin sold their captives locally and later to European slave traders for goods such as metal cookware, rum, livestock, and seed grain.

The slaves came from many different sources. About half came from the societies that sold them. These might be criminals, heretics, the mentally ill, the indebted and any others that had fallen out of favour with the rulers. Most came from captured tribes in inter-tribal warfare. [] It is believed that capital punishment and human sacrifice in the region nearly disappeared since prisoners became far too valuable to dispose of in such a way.

For those left behind in Africa the standard of living increased substantially and the region became divided into highly centralized and powerful nation states, such as Dahomey and the Ashanti Confederacy. It also created a class of very wealthy and highly Europeanized traders who began to send their children to European universities.

Voting SNP south of the border?

In England, people quite rightly resent Scottish Labour MPs bossing them about on English domestic legislation. England has as much right to self government as Scotland does. - Alex Salmond, the SNP leader.

The last thing we need is yet another parliament with separate elections and more politicians spending more money. - David Cameron, Conservative Leader.

68% of English voters want their own Parliament.

62% of English voters want Scottish MPs stripped of the right to vote on solely English matters.

60% of English voters complain that higher levels of public spending per head of the population in Scotland were "unjustified".

How can an English electorate vote SNP!?!

Courtesy of the Sunday Telegraph.

Gordon's Highlanders

Will Labour's legitimacy to pass UK legislation be questioned if the SNP win the 2007 Scottish elections?

Labour's Scottish MPs could no longer claim to represent the views of their constituents whilst Labour won fewer votes than the Conservatives across England in 2005!

It would be an inauspicious start to Gordon's Premiership.

Vegetaballs!

If pregnant women and low income families with toddlers do not already know the importance of fruit and vegetables in their daily diet, why should the provision of free fruit and vegetables make any difference?

Will they know how to eat them!?!

NHS value for money?

A new cancer centre is to be built at Taunton's Musgrove Park hospital:

Construction costs: £12m
Specialist Equipment: £10m
Total cost: £22m

Cost to the taxpayer over thirty years: £100m

Private Jets For Everyone!

In the past we used to think of poverty in absolute terms - meaning straightforward material deprivation. That's not enough. We need to think of poverty in relative terms - the fact that some people lack those things which others in society take for granted. - David Cameron

So David, when can I have my free private jet!?!

Retirement ages

Why should private sector workers be expected to work to 68 when public sector workers will only have to work until they are 65?

Increasing the retirement age for private sector workers is effectively another tax rise.

Crime free crime!

Should criminals be given cash to deter crime?

Not Education, education, education

Nearly ten years after Labour came to power, 10% of secondary schools are still 'failing' according to Ofsted! How many more years does Labour need!?!

Given that 'the poor' are most likely to attend such schools, why has Labour been allowed to fail another generation of it's core voters?

Skills gaps

What skills and labour gaps does Immigration Minister Liam Byrne think are filled by 510,000 East European immigrants that cannot be filled by 1,710,000 unemployed British workers!?!

Overcrowding

The proportion of black and ethnic minority families living in [overcrowded conditions in London] is much worse than average, the report found.

Is this because 'black and ethnic minority families' tend to have larger families than average?

Polish Police

Is it too much to expect immigrants working in the UK to be able to speak English?

Conservative debt busters!

We should not allow people to take out that tenth credit card without the credit card company knowing about the other nine. - Shadow chancellor George Osborne.

Why aren't lenders already concerned about the other nine credit cards when lending money? The lender should decide the amount of risk being carried on their book, not some MP!

If the Conservatives really want to tackle the growing personal debt "crisis", they should offer tax cuts!

Feeling very cross?

Why are British Airways unable to change their uniform policy to allow a Christian woman to wear a crucifix in public display?

They must have changed their rules for Muslims and Sikhs at some time in the past!

Risky business?

What percentage of the teenagers given £10 loans to start a "social enterprise" will merely invest the funds in fast food or alcohol?

Should they follow the example of "Risky Business" and start a brothel?

My name is Joel Goodson. I deal in Human Fulfillment. I grossed over $8000 in one night. Time of your life, huh kid.

Fast food for over 16s only?

If the Government is so concerned about childhood obesity that it is prepared to ban junk food advertising, why not merely prohibit children from eating at fast food restaurants?

Are they concerned that too many working class people would object to such a policy!?!

Conservative education policy disaster!

How many Conservative voters will oppose a Conservative plan to break up school catchment areas!?! Parents typically pay a £25,000 premium to live within the catchment area of good schools!

It would be far better for the Conservative Party to identify what makes a good school. School discipline, grammar schools and sacking poor quality teachers!

Drinking to excess

Why should alcohol be made more expensive to deter under 18s from drinking to excess?

The ban on sales of alcohol to under 18s needs to be enforced more strictly. The price of handguns was not increased to deter criminals from buying them!

The BBC - The Big Brother Corporation

Under the [Digital Switchover] legislation, the BBC would be handed the social security and war pensions information for an estimated seven million people.

Have an 'estimated seven million people' agreed to the Government giving away their confidential infomation to a third party without consulting them?

Murdered man still murdered!

Are Jamshed Khan's family likely to welcome Mirza Tahir Hussain's reprieve from a death sentence following Prince Charles' intervention? Their son is still dead!

Why would a Muslim want to be back in the UK in time for Christmas!?!

I have been working with the family to secure Hussain's release and was planning a last-minute plea next month which will now become a plea for his return to Leeds for Christmas - Yorkshire and Humber MEP Edward McMillan-Scott.

Racing lines

Would it be better to sieze the vehicles of boy racers in Kirkcaldy rather than reward them with free entry to Knockhill Racing Circuit?

Britain - the sick man of Europe?

Are the costs of treating migrants with TB, HIV or malaria deducted from the economic benefits of immigration!?!

Smoking rights

Will council workers forced to stop smoking during the day be able to sue their council employer for £4,000 each for a fundamental breach of their human rights even if it could save their lives!?!

Home Office employment opportunities

Our mandate is to build a safe, just and tolerant society for everyone in the UK, regardless of their race, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability or age. - Home Office website.

No wonder a senior member of Islamist group Hizb ut- Tahrir is working as a computer technician at the Home Office!

Are BNP members allowed to work at the Home Office!?!

Spot the difference

Gang sought after racist attack: A 15-year-old Asian youth was kicked and punched in an unprovoked and racist attack in Edinburgh.

Sadistic robbers jailed for life: A gang of armed robbers have been jailed for life for kidnapping people and subjecting them to "sadistic and gratuitous violence".

Why doesn't the BBC focus on the gang's "homophobia and racial hatred [that] occasionally played a part in the selection of victims"?

Home sweet homeless?

Will a £164m package to help homeless people living in hostels and families living in bed and breakfast accommodation merely encourage more people to become homeless as the 'inconvenience' of being homeless is reduced?

If 80% of the people who sell the Big Issue magazine come from local authority support, why should local authorities be trusted to improve their situation!?!

Crime always pays!

Why is the taxpayer not allowed to know how much of their money has been paid as compensation to six prisoners and former inmates forced to stop taking drugs by going "cold turkey"?

Court TV

What is the point of allowing TV in court if witnesses, defendants and jurors should not be seen according to Lord Falconer?

Could you bet on when the judge will fall asleep or listen as a lawyer focuses on the intricacies of the case whilst wearing a Niqab!?!

Terror 'priority' if Brown is PM

Especially for the Middle classes who will be taxed until the pips squeak!

Pro-Islamic UK?

Why does Lord Falconer believe there should be "consequences" for saying that Islam is "wicked and evil"?

What are his fears if the UK is unable to demonstrate to young Muslims that this country is not anti-Islamic!?! Should Lord Falconer expect Islam to demonstrate that it is not "wicked and evil" too!?!

Would Gordon Brown, John Reid and Lord Falconer be calling for race hate laws to be tightened if Mizanur Rahman had not been found guilty of stirring up racial hatred?

The veil truth and nothing but the truth!

Does allowing lawyers to wear veils in court help integrate Muslims into mainstream UK society or is it another fillip to politicial correctness?

Are jurors and defendants already allowed to wear the veil in court? How do jurors prove their identity each day?

Labour's condom policy?

The Welsh Labour party has pledged only to spend public money if it helps end child poverty by 2020. So will they subsidise condoms for people living in disadvantaged areas!?!

No political party will ever end child poverty!

The Visible Hand?

Would would David Cameron's immigration plans identify people with "in-demand skills"?

Could civil servants be trusted to become the visible hand of the labour market?

Squaddie "not the smartest arse"!

Recently, Senator Kerry told an audience of college students in California that if they did not study hard they could "get stuck in Iraq", does this also apply to college students in the UK?

A squaddie, just back from a tour of duty in Iraq, has been injured after using his bum to launch a firework!

John Woodhead, chairman of the Firework Association, said he had never heard of an incident like it in 45 years.

Racist Conservative?

Why is Conservative Mayoral candidate Winston McKenzie not suspended by the Party for using his ethnic origin as an electoral asset in the 2008 London elections?

The fact that I am a black man will appeal to people

I'll stun the world. London will see its first ever black Mayor. The history books of politics shall be re-written, changed forever

In other news:

Good luck Ali, but I would be shocked if they didn’t pick a white middle-class male [for the safe Conservative constituency of Witham, Essex] - Bernard Jenkin, former deputy chairman of the Conservative Party responsible for recruiting more ethnic minority candidates.

Olympic sized VAT bill

If the Treasury is prevented from waving VAT on the 2012 Olympic construction costs due to EU regulations, there is a simple solution.

Ignore them!

Police Protection

If 81% of British Muslims describe themselves as Muslim first and British second, should any British Muslim be allowed to guard Tony Blair?

Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assasinated by Sikh members of her bodyguard who presumbaly considered their faith to be more important than their duty.

Ripping England out of the UK?

If the SNP are promising a referendum on Scottish independence within four years, will the English electorate be promised a similar referendum on whether they want Scotland to remain within the UK?

Why should such decisions be left solely to the Scottish electorate!?!

"To end up having a separate Scottish currency, separate Scottish armed forces, separate Scottish economy when we are so integrated together would be disastrous for [the Labour Party?]" - Tony Blair.

Dhiren Barot (2)

Was Dhiren Barot "venting [his] frustration" when he plotted "another black day for the enemies of Islam and a victory for the Muslims"?

Will he "feel almost ashamed" when he is no doubt imprisoned for just a couple of years for plotting the murder of thousands!?!

Has Liberal Democrat campaigns chairman Edward Davey reported Dhiren Barot to the Commission for Racial Equality!?!

Why hasn't Dhiren been charged with incitement to racial hatred!?!

Freedom of speech?

Not on your nelly!

It should be for the electorate to decide whether a Conservative candidate is out of order, not Liberal Democrat campaigns chairman Edward Davey.

Death sentence double standards

If the UK government supports Saddam Hussein's death sentence as he is being "held to account" for his crimes, why don't they support the death sentence for murderers in the UK?

It's ironic that the only the Liberal Democrats oppose Saddam's execution!

Feral Children

Why should the taxpayer love 'feral children', when it's their taxes that have raised so many of them rather than their parents' wages!?!

Skills deficit?

How does the skills base of the 1,500 immigrants arriving in the UK every day compare to the skills base of the 1,000 emigrants leaving the UK every day?

In a global labour market, is Gordon Brown making life too expensive for high earners to remain in the UK?

University of life

Who would have thougth that being a University lecturer was so tough. It's so bad that 52% have even considered leaving the profession for the private sector!

So what stopped them? Did they discover work is even tougher in the private sector!?!

Religious Traffic Police!

Rather than receiving three points and an £80 fine for breaking traffic laws in the UK, should drivers be lashed and have their heads' shaved!?!

If the roads of Somalia's lawless capital Mogadishu can be tamed with public punishments and humiliation, it can be applied to London's lawless roads too!

NHS Strikes

Are NHS workers protesting against job cuts that would damage the provision of care to patients or to protect their own jobs?

How can any organisation with 1.3m workers possibly be well run!?!

Another benefit of the European Union?

The UK faces the threat of increased crime when Romania and Bulgaria join the EU such as cash machine crime, sex trafficking, street violence and fraud.

Some UK residents have welcomed the news as they can now look forward to reductions in their council tax bills!