Not Proud Of Britain (But Would Like To Be)

Let them drink Guinness!

2010-12-30T16:15:00.001Z

I hope Southern Ireland are helping their northern cousins during this water crisis!

It's only fair given the £7 billion loan we've given them!

May day terror?

2010-12-12T21:42:00.001Z

How ironic that Teresa May, the Home Secretary, is considering banning "controversial" pastor Terry Jones on the very same day that there is a suicide attack in Stockholm!

Assange arrest!

2010-12-07T16:07:00.001Z

"We don't care what charges you arrest Assange on, just don't cable the details to Hillary Clinton"...

Public sector job cuts cut!

2010-11-29T13:37:00.001Z

Is it good news that fewer public sector jobs are going to be cut than originally forecast?

It's bad news IMHO!

Howard Flight

2010-11-25T18:06:00.001Z

Why are no MPs supporting Howard Flight's comments?

The IRA, an apology?

2010-11-22T16:14:00.001Z

Will the IRA apologise for trying to unite Northern Ireland with Eire, a country verging on bankruptcy!?!

Defence leaks

2010-11-18T08:50:00.001Z

Are reports produced by "junior" employees at the MoD likely to be more reliable than those "cleansed" by senior employees!?!

Entente Cordiale part deux

2010-11-02T08:09:00.001Z

Is today's defence treaty between France and Britain the next major step towards creating a European military bloc?

Child Benefit Penalties

2010-10-29T10:16:00.001+01:00

Will the penalty for higher rate taxpayers not declaring that their partners vary depending upon the number of children they have!?!

When will the administrative costs of managing the child benefit cut equal the initial savings!?!

Housing perks and benefits!

2010-10-28T16:47:00.001+01:00

Why has the cap on housing benefits been set at £400 per week when that's almost as much as the average worker earns?

Would 82,000 vacant properties in London reduce average rents or increase them!?!

From my perspective, no one on benefits should be able to afford to live in one of the world's most expensive cities by relying on benefits!

Foreign Aid

2010-10-24T18:03:00.001+01:00

When will the coalition perform a U-turn and reduce the amount of foreign aid given each year?

If they do insist on giving away so much, could they at least specify that the aid must be used to purchase grids and services from the UK?

Back on track!

2010-10-24T18:00:00.001+01:00

A new Android app means I can now post on the move and no longer have to wait for my PC to boot before I can post!

National Minimum Wage

2010-06-16T12:22:00.000+01:00

Should the national minimum wage be scrapped given that nearly 1m young people are unemploymed?

Are unemployment figures still relevant even given that 1 in 4 people are not working rather than merely unemployed!?!

Spending Cuts

2010-06-14T16:30:00.000+01:00

George Osborne recently asked the public where the spending axe should fall...

It's simple, Wales & Scotland. English taxpayers should stop subsidising the perks available to Welsh or Scottish voters but are denied to them such as free NHS prescriptions for all, free hospital parking and lower tuition fees.

Besides, Welsh and Scottish voters overwhelmingly supported the destruction of the British economy by voting Labour en-masse so they should overwhelming pay the bill!

Play money?

2010-06-14T16:26:00.000+01:00

Just how big was "playwright" Alan Bennett's wallet if it contained £1,500 just before it was stolen!?!

The General Election - A tale of two lame horses and a donkey

2010-04-06T21:44:00.002+01:00

How can anyone get excited by a General election that offers the UK electorate so little choice when it needs so much!?!

Whilst Labour deserve to be in the political wilderness for at least a generation given their lamentable record in office, the Tories aren't worthy of being in power either!

What a choice given a skewed electoral system, A-list candidates and marginal constituencies!

And as for the Liberal Democrats, well....

Gordon strikes again!

2010-01-21T13:37:00.002Z

Why isn't the £6.6bn overseas aid budget being cut to make up any shortfalls in counter-terrorism programmes in Pakistan?

PS Whose policies have directly caused the devaluation in Sterling in the first place!?!

Still not NICE!

2010-01-19T13:33:00.002Z

Has the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) ever approved a treatment rejected by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC)?

"The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has ruled that Tocilizumab was too costly for NHS patients south of the border. However, the body's Scottish equivalent has recommended patients in Scotland be treated with the drug. "

Whether or weather not!

2010-01-18T17:23:00.004Z

If the newly installed Met Office "supercomputer" is unable to predict severe weather, how reliable are it's climate change forecasts!?!

"The computer is about the size of two football pitches and can make about 750 trillion calculations a second - equivalent to 100,000 PCs. "

Labour's social mobility

2010-01-18T17:04:00.002Z

If Labour really wants to help 130,000 of the "brightest" young people from poorer families, it should promise to create new Grammar schools in the poorest parts of the UK.

Unfortunately, political dogma trumps common sense across the political spectrum...

Muslim plane bomb suspect

2009-12-27T22:45:00.002Z

Why is the BBC unable to say that the Nigerian Christmas day plane bomb suspect is Muslim?

He was not trying to murder 300 innocent people because he was Nigerian or male!

Payments Council

2009-12-16T21:47:00.003Z

What does the Payments Council do the rest of the time!?!

Perhaps the biggest decision it has ever made and it procrastinates.... "Cheques will be phased out by October 2018, but only if adequate alternatives are developed"

Ben Fogle & Burglars

2009-12-14T16:55:00.002Z

Should Ben Fogle be grateful he didn't manage to catch four burglars he disturbed at his home today!?!

"Homeowner Munir Hussain jailed for 30 months for fighting off burglars"

Brown v Berlusconi

2009-12-14T08:24:00.004Z

Following the unprovoked attack on the popular Silvio Berlusconi, Gordon Brown prepares to meet members of the public in London....

Budgets, Boilers and Bingo!

2009-12-09T21:54:00.002Z

Why didn't the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, copy Ireland's tough budget proposals to get our country's finances back in order as quickly as possible!?!

I'm almost tempted to vote Labour at the next General Election to watch him and Gordon squirm as most of their tax raising proposals only become effective in 2011!

PS How much is the overseas aid budget being cut by?
PPS How much is the EU budget being cut by?
PPPS When will Scottish & Welsh University students start paying the as much as their English cousins!?!
PPPPS When will tax credits be scrapped?

Swiss ban on minarets

2009-11-30T21:53:00.005Z

Why is the fear of "Vengeance, boycotts, retaliation" an appropriate reason for the Swiss to have voted in favour of minarets whilst a no vote was "inspired by fear, fantasies and ignorance"!?!

The vote was far-sighted. Mainstream Swiss politicians should be questioning why their opinions were so different from the electorate they are supposed to be representing!

BNP on the environment

2009-11-29T21:05:00.002Z

Rather than condemning global warming as "essentially a hoax", why doesn't Nick Griffin, leader of the BNP, embrace the "anti-western intellectual cranks" and suggest that the best way to save the UK's environment is to reduce population growth by limiting immigration!?!

BNP v Question Time (2)

2009-10-23T09:19:00.005+01:00

The highlight of last night's Question Time for me was Jack Straw.

Having spoken of the sacrifice made by so many in the fight against Nazi tyranny, Nick Griffin pointed out that Jack's father was in prison throughout World War 2 as he refused to fight!

Unfortunately, QT descended into 50 minutes of attacking Nick Griffin with a multitude of quotes that were either denied or excused. When was the last time Alistair Darling's trotskyist past haunted him!?!

Nick missed a chance to raise some important questions on the platform...

Has mass-immigration been good or bad for the UK?
When did the British electorate vote in favour of mass-immigration?

BNP v Question Time

2009-10-21T21:30:00.003+01:00

Am I allowed to admit that I'm looking forward to a few scraps on Question Time tomorrow night when Nick Griffin appears!?!

PS Will any members of the audience dare to applause anything he says!?!
PPS Would the Green Party oppose immigration if it was good for the environment!?!

Nothing is impossible!

2009-10-21T21:27:00.002+01:00

Could Gordon Brown be elected Prime Minister next June for the first time if Britain shortly returns to economic growth!?!

Pirates v French Navy

2009-10-07T23:04:00.004+01:00

Why are Somali pirates being mocked for attempting to capture a French warship?

It should have been easy!

Second longest suicide note in history?

2009-10-06T21:21:00.003+01:00

Do any of George Osborne's tax proposals reward hard work, effort and thrift!?!

Public sector pay freeze in 2011 - except frontline military or people on less than £18,000
Keep 50p top tax rate for now
End Child Trust Funds for all but the poorest families
No tax credits for families earning over £50,000
Threat of tax on bank bonuses
Crackdown on Whitehall salaries - anyone wanting to pay more than the PM needs Treasury approval
Restore pensions and earnings link
Rise in state pension age

It seems like this could be the second longest suicide note in history!

Of Pakis and Golliwogs!

2009-10-05T21:25:00.002+01:00

Why is the BBC "standing by" Strictly Come Dancing star Anton Du Beke who called his partner a "Paki" but didn't stand by Carol Thatcher who referred to a tennis player as a "Golliwog"!?!

Women Drivers!

2009-10-04T14:56:00.002+01:00

Does Harriet Harman, the Minister for Women, think women are better drivers than men!?!

Teaching today?

2009-09-30T21:34:00.002+01:00

Should Communist Party members be banned from teaching in the UK if they promote class hatred!?!

Inciting hatred?

2009-09-07T21:07:00.004+01:00

Will West Midlands Police be prosecuting Mohammad Naseem, the chairman of Birmingham's Central Mosque, for inciting violence at the weekend!?!

It's unlikely!

Magic pill or poison pill?

2009-09-03T08:26:00.003+01:00

How much did it cost the taxpayer to pay management consultants to come up with proposals to reduce the bloated NHS budget only to reject their proposals when the report was completed!?!

Thought for the day

2009-08-31T20:44:00.000+01:00

How many environmentalists are smokers?

World class exam results?

2009-08-20T21:37:00.001+01:00

Should all 100m sprinters who finish under 10 seconds earn a gold medal at the next Olympics or just the fastest!?!

"More than one in four [A-level] entries - 26.7% - got the top grade"

Swine Flu Priorities

2009-08-14T12:16:00.002+01:00

Are politicians swine flu vaccine priorities!?!

NHS is best?

2009-08-14T12:07:00.002+01:00

If the NHS is the best in the world, why has no other country adopted the NHS funding model!?!

"Imitation is the sincerest of flattery." - Charles Caleb Colton

Labour's not working!

2009-08-13T12:54:00.003+01:00

Should the national minimum wage be scrapped as one in six young people are out of work!?!

Today's unemployed youth can thank short term political gains for longer term damage to the British economy.

Bonuses

2009-08-09T16:57:00.002+01:00

Will the mechanism for future FSA bonus payments mirror their proposals for future bank bonuses!?!

"Our code next week will address those questions and make absolutely clear that you cannot calculate bonuses in a way which encourages unreasonable risk-taking and puts the institutions at risk, which was the case in the past" - FSA chief executive Hector Sants.

Social Mobility

2009-08-09T16:53:00.002+01:00

What's the point of social mobility if your children face increasing levels of discrimination as your social position improves!?!

Thought Crunching

2009-07-27T21:03:00.002+01:00

If "researchers have found beautiful women have more children than their plainer counterparts", is mother-of-seven Karen Matthews one of the most beautiful women in the world!?!

Cracking The Glass Ceiling

2009-07-21T21:35:00.004+01:00

How do you create ambition amongst the poorest members of society when their immediate needs are already met by the welfare state!?!

Is it merely a coincidence that social mobility has declined as the welfare state has increased!?!

Ponzi Insurance?

2009-07-19T17:25:00.002+01:00

When will Police investigate a multi-billion pound Ponzi scheme affecting millions of Britons in a scam called "National Insurance"!?!

Afghan dogs of war

2009-07-18T21:21:00.003+01:00

Would more helicopters have helped Russia win in Afghanistan!?!

Unfortunately, a determined enemy will prevail despite the handicap of inferior equipment.

Private Schools and Public Benefits

2009-07-15T08:13:00.003+01:00

Is the public benefit of private schools currently being investigated by the Charities Commission the £200m of extra funding needed to overcome the shortage of spaces as parents abandon school fees!?!

If only private schools were being abandoned as parents found the same quality of education in the state sector....

Of mice and Presidents!

2009-06-21T12:04:00.002+01:00

Why has Gordon Brown been silent on Iran's election results?

A Prime Minister with no electoral mandate cannot condemn a President with a dodgy electoral mandate!

Unite against Fascism, Communism and Islamic extremism?

2009-06-09T20:51:00.004+01:00

Does "Unite against Fascism" ever attack Communists and Islamic extremists or do they only attack soft targets like the BNP!?!

Can we assume the Police will be arresting those responsible for breaching the peace!?!

Help!

2009-06-01T20:31:00.003+01:00

Worldwide celebrity, mentally and emotionally exhausted, unable to eat or sleep, weight of the world's media pressure crashing down on their shoulders, Scottish loser....

Does Susan Boyle need treatment at the Priory clinic or Gordon Brown!?!

Presbyterian conscience?

2009-05-31T22:15:00.004+01:00

Was Gordon Brown's "Presbyterian conscience" offended by his £5bn pension raid in 1997 when you remember that his own pension pot is entirely taxpayer funded so it cannot be raided!?!

Vauxhall valhalla?

2009-05-31T21:19:00.003+01:00

How many MPs drive Vauxhalls!?!

BBC apologies?

2009-05-30T07:31:00.001+01:00

Would the BBC ever pay £30,000 compensation to the BNP for defamatory remarks made by a panellist on Question Time!?!

"On occasion, this results in unfairness to individuals who aren't there to put their view and this is one of those occasions."

Taxing questions for Labour!

2009-05-28T21:42:00.002+01:00

Why do Labour Cabinet members seek to minimise their tax bills by paying for professional advice rather than seizing the opportunity to "redistribute" more of their income than is strictly necessary!?!

Snappy Snap IDs!

2009-05-06T21:59:00.002+01:00

Having rejected the congestion charge last year, why does the Government think that Mancunians will embrace their latest trial, ID cards!?!

If they are sure that ID cards should be rolled out, then they should be introduced to benefit claimants first rather than being distributed through Snappy Snaps!

Educational challenges?

2009-05-05T21:52:00.002+01:00

Will Gordon Brown's education proposals allow new Grammar schools in area where parents overwhelmingly support them!?!

Harriet Harman PM?

2009-05-04T20:24:00.002+01:00

Would Harriet Harman want to be Prime Minister if all her extra earnings weren't to be taxed at 50%!?!

Gurkha rights and wrongs?

2009-04-29T20:18:00.004+01:00

Why should all Gurkhas be given the right to settle in the UK?

They were risking their lives before 1997 with the full knowledge that they had no automatic right to UK residence. Their status only changed when Hong Kong was given back to China in 1997.

For possibly the first time ever, Gordon Brown is right!

Harriet Harperson?

2009-04-27T20:56:00.003+01:00

Could Harriet Harman ever have been the Equalities Minister if she was male!?!

"[Her draft Bill ] will also allow employers to give preference to female or non-white job applicants over equally-qualified white men."

What about a preference for state educated applicants over privately educated people such as Harriet!?!

Swine Flu

2009-04-27T20:43:00.001+01:00

I blame Gordon!

Budget horrors!

2009-04-22T18:59:00.002+01:00

Why would any entrepreneur want to create a business employing young unemployed people when any income over £150k is taxed at 50%!?! It's simply legalised extortion!

Would it be better to reduce the minimum wage and reduce unemployment benefits to make work pay!?!

Thought Crunching

2009-04-21T21:41:00.003+01:00

Will a daily attendance allowance for MPs encourage them to reduce their 82 day summer holiday this year!?!

Protecting Public Sector whistleblowers!?!

2009-04-16T18:49:00.004+01:00

How are public sector workers praised for highlighting shortcomings in their areas!?!

Sacked for being off-message!

Secret filming nurse struck off

Teacher who filmed unruly pupils found guilty of misconduct

Coal cars!

2009-04-16T18:44:00.002+01:00

How many new coal-fired power stations will need to be built to provide electricity for all those electric cars generously subsidised by the Government from 2011!?!

Britain already faces potential brownouts from 2012, increasing electricity demand won't help!!

Every pint has a silver lining!

2009-04-14T22:21:00.004+01:00

If the Government is going to cut benefit payments of alcoholics who refuse treatment, will they also cut the duty on alcohol for the rest of us!?!

PS Does the Government dare cut benefit payments to smokers or the obese!?!

PPS For what it's worth, the Government should not be deciding what claimants spend their money on..

PPPS Why doesn't the Government arrest heroin users rather than docking their benefit payments!?!

Celtic National Insurance

2009-04-13T11:15:00.002+01:00

Why does Britain help fund Ireland's healthcare system by repaying National Insurance contributions made by Irish citizens in the UK who subsequently return to Ireland!?!

Those National Insurance contributions should be retained by the UK as they cover their "protection" whilst in the UK. They are not a savings scheme!

How many other countries receive these sorts of payments from the UK? I bet the UK doesn't receive any such payments!

Food Price Hikes

2009-04-04T17:31:00.004+01:00

When will charities such as "Save the Children" suggest that the best way the "poor" can cope with rising food prices are:

Get jobs!
Cut alcohol consumption!
Cut the smokes!
Have fewer children if you can't afford them!

PS They can thank Gordon Brown for higher food prices thanks to his policies that have destroyed the value of Sterling in the last twelve months!

G20 - The Big Question.

2009-04-02T08:18:00.004+01:00

How much money do we need to borrow to stay in power as long as possible!?!

Update: $1trillion!

Jackie does Dallas!

2009-03-29T16:55:00.002+01:00

What's the big deal about Jackie Smith's husband watching porn films, the real scandal is that MPs are allowed to claim any films on expenses!

Dunfermline Rebuilding Society!

2009-03-29T16:51:00.004+01:00

Why should English taxpayers be expected to save another failed Scottish financial institution?

Sats boycott

2009-03-28T14:57:00.003Z

What gives teachers the right to boycott next year's national Sats tests in primary schools?

Any teachers taking part in a boycott should be sacked!

If they are truly worried about damaging a child's education, they should boycott Comprehensives and support the 11+!

Advertising against teenage pregnancies?

2009-03-26T19:33:00.002Z

If you are a pregnant teenager, would you really want to give up your chance for the following benefits by having an abortion?

Jump to the top of the council housing list?
Welfare benefits such as Income Support, Child Tax credits or Sure Start Maternity Grant?
Childcare?

Nuffin 'appened at school!

2009-03-23T18:43:00.004Z

Is the reason so many school children have nothing to say about their school day because literally nothing happened at school that day!?!

Far too many schools are still struggling to get more than 30% of their pupils to be awarded A-C grades at GCSE....

The FSA - The Fairly Scary Authority

2009-03-22T12:26:00.002Z

Gordon Brown need look no further than here for how to imrpove banking regulation - ensure all UK banks are headquartered within walking distance of the FSA at Canary Wharf.

It can surely be no coincidence that all the failed British banks that have been rescued by taxpayers' deep pockets are headquartered outside London...

Royal Bank of Scotland
HBOS
Bradford & Bingley
Northern Rock

If only FSA employees had spent more time travelling beyond the M25, the present crisis could have been avoided!!

University of England

2009-03-17T21:27:00.001Z

Will English Universities be better than their Scottish or Welsh counterparts if tuition fees are allowed to increase beyond their current £3,000 limit!?!

Death by a million targets?

2009-03-17T21:14:00.002Z

Why has it taken four years to notice that death rates in A&E at Stafford Hospital were far higher than average?

Which other hospitals currently have death rates far higher than should be expected!?!

My new wallet

2009-03-05T19:37:00.005Z

Bank to pump £75bn into economy

"The Bank of England is to create £75bn of new money in an attempt to revive lending and the battered economy."

PS What's wrong with cutting income taxes so hard-working families can keep more of what they earn instead!?!

God damn son of a manse!

2009-03-05T08:01:00.003Z

Why did Gordon Brown's father, a Scottish manse, fail to teach his son anything about humility and saying sorry?

Gordon frequently quotes his father on every other aspect of life!

Not-so-super Ted

2009-03-04T22:57:00.001Z

Why on earth is Ted "Chappaquiddick" Kennedy being given an honorary knighthood!?!

Thought Crunching

2009-03-04T18:47:00.003Z

Government urged to pay allowance to scrap cars over nine years old and assumed to be the biggest polluters.

Last year, the Government increased vehicle excise duty on cars less than nine years old to reduce pollution whilst ignoring older cars!

Fred, keep your pension?

2009-03-02T20:21:00.004Z

Should the trades unions fear Government attempts to retrospectively claw back Sir Fred Goodwin's pension?

It will set a dangerous precedent for when Government is unable or unwilling to fund the ever burgeoning public sector pensions bill in a couple of decades!

Hot advice!

2009-03-01T19:05:00.002Z

How much did it cost to advisors to decide that when it's extremely hot you should "swap suits for casual loose-fitting clothes, avoid hot food, drink lots of water and use fans."!?!

Perhaps they can tell me what I should do when it's cold!?!

They might even be working on it now...

Harman on pensions

2009-03-01T14:49:00.003Z

If Harriet Harman believes that Sir Fred Goodwin is not entitled to a full pension because he has "taken RBS to the brink of collapse, and the bank had been saved only by a massive bailout from government, he was not morally entitled to the money", does she think Gordon Brown should be entitled to a pension!?!

I would contribute to his pension, but only if he retires now!

Brown outs!

2009-02-28T17:16:00.002Z

If Gordon Brown blames bankers for the economic "mess" we are all now in, does he also blame them for 63 quarters of consecutive economic growth!?!

"And we will never return to the old boom and bust." Gordon Brown -Budget speech 2007

Pensions shock!

2009-02-26T19:34:00.003Z

Private sector worker admits having better pension scheme than MPs!

MPs are disgusted!

Let's learn about sex!

2009-02-26T19:30:00.003Z

Are sex education lessons successful when teenage pregnancy rates increase or decrease!?!

Scrapping benefits for teenage mothers would be far more successful!

English Oscars?

2009-02-23T20:58:00.001Z

How did the English do at the Oscars yesterday!?!

Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, hailed a "great night" for Britain in Hollywood. "I would like to congratulate Danny Boyle and all those who worked on Slumdog Millionaire on winning an incredible eight Academy Awards," he said.

No state bail-outs for anyone else!

2009-02-22T21:04:00.002Z

If Richard Branson opposes further state bail-outs as "companies need to stand on their own two feet, and the weak ones need to go to the wall", should Virgin Rail lose its £1.6bn West Coast mainline subsidy!?!

Lucrative gravy trains

2009-02-22T08:54:00.002Z

Would politicians be less keen on the European Union if allowances were not so lucrative!?!

PS Has Peter Mandelson still got a £373,000 home loan!?!

Responsible lending

2009-02-22T08:36:00.003Z

Will Gordon Brown ever condemn irresponsible borrowing!?!

Education rights and wrong?

2009-02-21T11:55:00.002Z

Do the middle classes dominate the best schools or are they the best schools because they are dominated by the middle classes!?!

The introduction of lotteries to determine school admissions will simply destroy the best schools whilst failing to improve other schools.

Education, education, education

2009-02-20T08:18:00.004Z

If English primary school education is "deficient" due to too much focus on maths, English and testing, why are so many children struggling to master basic English!?!

Breeding poverty

2009-02-18T20:27:00.002Z

When will the Government realise that eradicating child poverty is impossible when the poorest in society breed like rabbits!?!

Hot off the press?

2009-02-17T22:16:00.004Z

What are savers supposed to do during a period of deflation and the printing presses are turning!?!

It won't be long before Britain has £1m notes at this rate!

Thought crunching

2009-02-13T20:24:00.002Z

Muslim cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi banned from the UK for threats to murder Jews.

Dutch MP Geert Wilders banned from the UK for saying that some Muslims threaten to murder Jews.

Wilders v Mohamed!

2009-02-12T21:04:00.001Z

Who poses a greater risk to the British public, Dutch MP Geert Wilders or Binyam Mohamed!?!

Third way?

2009-02-09T21:25:00.004Z

If the public aren't prepared to fund their favourite charities, why should Government through increased borrowing and taxation!?!

Why socialism never works

2009-02-09T20:28:00.001Z

Half of Paris rental bikes stolen.

"success has come at a high price: some 7,800 of the original 15,000 bikes (20,000 in summer) have "disappeared" – presumed stolen – and 11,600 have been vandalised. It is not uncommon to find them hanging from trees in Paris, while several were spotted in Romania last year."