Drink to that!?!

Ministers proposing 'Britain Day'
A national day to promote a stronger sense of British identity, and prevent communities from becoming more divided, has been suggested by two ministers.

English 'booze culture' targeted
Ministers want to change the "English drinking culture" and the willingness to accept drunkenness and anti-social behaviour as a "normal" part of life.

Trident Replacement

Who opposes a replacement for Trident now ?

2012 Olympic logo

How could it cost £400,000 to design this logo for the 2012 London Olympics?

It looks like one of those stupid puzzles you might find in a cheap Christmas cracker from Woolworths!

Update: Theo Sparks has the low down...

History Lessons!

Did King James I offer to fund the training of Catholic Priests following the Gunpowder Plot of 1605!?!

Prison board & lodging?

If prisoners ‘can claim thousands of pounds’ over delays to their parole due to incompetence within the Prison Service, will the Prison Service remember to deduct the additional costs of board and lodging incurred?

Islamgeld?

Why will £1m of taxpayers money really "improv[e] community cohesion and its contribution to preventing extremism" by training Imams in Britain rather than relying on overseas Imams?

Shouldn't the Muslim community be funding it!?!

Can the £2bn annual cost of the UK's anti-terrorism security be reduced by £1m to compensate the taxpayer!?!

Conservative Policy development

"Grammar school policy will now be...."

Number Crunching

5 % - Increase in number of English schools judged to be failing.

10% - Pay rise demanded by National Union of Teachers.

God help us!

Tories 'to carry on Blair reform'

University and College Union

University and college lecturers are being urged to oppose government plans to tackle extremism on campuses.
Academic freedom is something they hold very close to their hearts, it is an absolute key to their profession. [ ] You cannot make it possible for students to explore ideas, if, at the same time, you prescribe how they do that. - Sally Hunt, general secretary of the UCU.

UCU today voiced its concern that Bath University is being manipulated by the British National Party.
Universities are rightly held up as examples to the rest of society because of their diversity and tolerance, and the safe space that campus provides for people to work and study. The BNP has no interest in sharing those values and preaches only hate and fear. [ ] UCU will be organising a protest if this visit does still go ahead. - Sally Hunt, general secretary of the UCU

Robin children!

Children recruited for break-ins - BBC News online - 29th May
A Nottingham policeman claims children as young as 10 are being persuaded to commit crimes by older criminals.

City burglary slur dubbed 'tripe' - BBC News online - 29th May
Nottingham North MP Graham Allen dismisses survey naming Nottingham as the burglary capital of Britain as "a complete load of tripe"

Registered workers?

If two thirds of East European immigrants do not know how to register with a doctor and nearly half have received no information about conditions attached to their immigration status, how many have registered to work in the UK!?!

Little Britain

There will be no such country (as Great Britain at the end of the war) in existence. In its place we shall have Little Britain, a narrow strip of island territory peopled by loutish football-kickers, living on the crumbs that Germany will deign to throw to them. Whatever this war may bring in it's train, certain it is that the laughable and childish military system of Britain will shortly fall to pieces. Then the once mighty Empire, with her naval strength represented by a few old tubs which Germany will have left her, will become the laughing stock of the nations, the scare-crow at which children will point their fingers in disdainful glee. - Koelnische Zeitung, September 1914.

A real education?

Would Diane Abbott support Conservative Party proposals to select pupils for some schools by race in order to improve community relations or just for other peoples' children!?!

I do know the issues around the education of black boys in this borough. [ ] I've seen what happens to black boys who get caught up in the culture of the street. It's hard to pull them back. [ ] It is a race issue because, of all the ethnic groups in London's schools, the only group that is falling behind is black boys. - Diane Abbott MP.

Private teachings

Would private sector schools ever want to borrow teachers from the state sector?

Working wives?

1 - Tessa Jowell didn't breach the Minister's code of conduct as she wasn't aware that her husband received an alleged £344,000 bribe.

2 - Ann Hathaway was too busy "at home cooking, cleaning, washing, looking after the kids" to know that her husband was involved in murder, drug trafficking and extortion.

3 - Beverley Charman was not too busy "at home cooking, cleaning, washing, looking after the kids" for a £48m divorce settlement as her contribution could be seen as being of "equal value to the family as a whole".

Language of the BNP?

If he [a foreign national] abuses our hospitality and threatens us, I feel he should take his chance back in his own home country - Tony Blair.

Rubbish the English!

Environment Secretary David Miliband wants English councils to be able to bring in charges - and to give cash "rewards" for those who recycle. - Will Scottish and Welsh MPs be abstaining again!?!

The Waste Strategy gives examples which suggest "green" homes could get £30 a year back from their council, while non-recyclers pay an extra £30. - What's 50p per week when you already pay £20 per week for "Council services"!?!

Councils would [ ] have to take into account size of households, whether people had young children or whether they were on council tax benefit. - Another benefit of being on benefits then!

Speed Cameras

Should speed cameras be installed on all trains in the UK to protect the travelling public!?!

Outsourcing rubbish collection?

Given five million economically inactive people in the UK and European Union targets to reduce waste, why not employ all those people to sort through domestic rubbish each week sorting out recyclable materials?

Anyone who didn't like it would lose their benefits or they could leave as soon as they got another job!

See no evil?

Is it better for British troops to be targeted by terror suspects in Iraq rather than for them to face possible torture if returned to Algeria?

Would they have been placed under Control orders if they had been threatening to kill British judges!?!

These three men were the subject of solid intelligence that they intended, not to cause damage in the UK, but that they intended to damage our national security by going as insurgents to kill British and other allied troops abroad, in Iraq for example.

So it was decided in accordance with human rights laws to have the lightest controls that seemed compatible with the necessity of the occasion. - Lord Carlile.

Scottish Road Pricing

Salmond plans to end bridge tolls

How they must laugh at the English!

Hip Hip Hooray?

Will anyone, apart from Home Information Pack (HIP) inspectors, be upset that the introduction of HIPs have been delayed until August 1st?

If home buyers valued them, the market would already offer them rather than being a legal obligation!

Increasing child poverty?

If poorer families receive an extra £20 for their third and all subsequent children, will this reduce child poverty or encourage poorer families to have larger families!?!

These effects can last a lifetime - children growing up in poverty have worse health, worse exam results and, very frequently, will end their adult lives still in poverty. - Barnardo's chief executive Martin Narey.

The best way to reduce child poverty is to make children more expensive for poorer families!

Council snooping

Should I admit to my dustman that I will never have a satellite tracker in my car!?!

English road pricing

Will Scottish MPs be abstaining from today's Parliamentary debate on allowing English councils to introduce road pricing?

If they claim that the Local Council Bill also includes Scottish items so they can vote, then the Bill should have been split nationally!

House of Hain

Why should either the NHS or housing be allocated on any basis other than residence and / or national insurance contributions?

Will Peter Hain's constituents be happy he would rather let economic migrants jump to the top of housing lists!?!

Immigration Checks

What reasons are there for immigration checks apart from race and colour?

Ministers say colour or race can never be the reason for an immigration check.

Reluctant Pushy Parent!

Let's hope the "reluctant pushy parent" who turned her back on London's education system for Grammar Schools in leafy Buckinghamshire is not some middle class Liberal Democrat or Labour supporter!

PS Why don't state primary schools teach pupils how to tackle the 11+ examination so they are not at a disadvantage to private pupils?

Bulls!

If officials have "no timetable" to slaughter of a so-called sacred bullock which tested positive for TB, can other farmers claim racial discrimination if their herds are threatened with slaughter due to TB?

Selective Grammars?

Are Grammar schools dominated by middle class families because there are so few of them across the UK!?!

Are the Conservatives now following the Labour Party in abandoning the middle class vote?

The willingness of ambitious middle-class parents to put time and money into extra tuition for their children means that it is impossible to create a fair test to select children at the age of 11, Mr Willetts will say.

It's another reason to stop supporting the Conservative Party...

Driven to distraction?

Child lap motorist spared prison

At least he wasn't smoking!

Property price crash!

Will community groups be able to sell unused council properties for more than £1 after a couple of years?

How much council tax will community groups have to pay on their newly acquired buildings each year?

Happy and you know it!?!

Lessons on how to be happy - Manchester Evening News.

EDUCATION bosses in Manchester are spending £25,000 sending 25 teaching staff to America - to train them in giving children lessons in happiness.

Teachers learn to teach toughness - BBC News website.

Teachers from England are going to the United States for coaching in teaching youngsters to be more resilient.

Council services

What council services are required for migrants arriving in the UK apart from rubbish collection every other week!?!

Racial stereotyping?

"The migrants that come to Slough are hard working and bring great benefit to the local economy but the council remains severely under-funded because of these poor statistics." - Cllr Richard Stokes, leader of Slough Borough Council.

Is such blatant racial stereotyping allowed!?!

Tragically, not all migrants are hard working and bring great benefit to Slough!

Read my lips, no new taxes!?!

Does Gordon Brown only want to create a "home-owning, asset-owning, wealth-owning democracy" so it can be taxed to the hilt!?!

Summer learning

If summer schools will help gifted and talented pupils in England to "meet their potential", why do most of them have to pay fees for the courses!?!

Grammar schools would help "gifted and talented pupils" "meet their potential" throughout the rest of the year regardless of where they live, their background or their parental income!

Legacies

UK 'worst' on cancer drug access

ID card cost rises above £5bn

NHS 'failing on mixed-sex wards'

UK trade deficit widens to £4.5bn

UK interest rates raised to 5.5%

"Tony Blair's achievements are unique, unprecedented and enduring." - Gordon Brown.

Qualified majority voting!

If voters are unable to complete a ballot paper correctly, how can they be expected to assess the pros and cons of different political parties!?!

Safer than Iraq?

One of the prime minister's sons, Nicky Blair, is to try his hand at teaching after graduating from Oxford this year. He will be joining the Teach First programme which puts "high calibre" graduates into challenging English secondary schools for two years.

Ministry of Injustice

If the new Ministry of Justice is serious about reducing prison over-crowding, it should work hard to make prisons more like prisons and less like hotels.

Hat tip: Laban Tall.

Tax credit not where it's due

How would the Conservative Party reform Gordon Brown's disastrous tax credits scheme?

The government has introduced a new rule from the start of this tax year. This means that the threshold for notifying HMRC of any increase during the financial year has risen to £25,000.
"Once these measures are fully implemented they are expected to reduce overpayments by a further third," the HMRC said.

It should never be acceptable for HM Revenue & Customs to reduce overpayments merely by moving the goalposts further away. Tragically, it seems to be a typical public sector response to failure on a grand scale.

Honeymoon

Traditionally, incoming Prime Ministers have a honeymoon period as they settle into their new role and mistakes are generously forgiven by the media.

How long will Gordon Brown's honeymoon period last!?!

Strangers into citizens

How many illegal immigrants were protesting at Trafalgar Square for an amnesty on their status today?

Did Police check everyone's right to be in the UK as they left the protest!?!

Vive la difference!

When will the UK electorate be offered a right wing leader promising to cut taxes, crime, immigration and welfare whilst shouting "work more to earn more"!?!

By contrast, Britons are offered an inert choice, no wonder turnout never reaches the French 85%!

Home sour home!

What has John Reid done or failed to do that means he intends to resign at the end of June as Home Secretary!?!

Free money!

When will people in authority realise that as soon as money is 'given away' by any organisation without thorough checks, fraudsters will soon discover and exploit it!?!

One fraudster enrolled himself on five different degree courses at the same university and had 17 fake identities. He collected student loans worth £65,595.

Any bets on whether Adeleke Adebayo is an illegal immigrant too!?!

Not alone!

Pride in Britain has fallen sharply over a generation, researchers said yesterday.

The percentage of people declaring themselves "very proud" of the nation fell from 55 per cent in 1981 to 45 per cent now.

The shift is attributed to younger people being less likely to have the "strong attachment" of older generations, the study by the National Centre for Social Research found. - The Daily Telegraph.

Police Priorities

1) A shopkeeper has been warned by police to remove gollywogs from her window display or risk breaching race hate laws following a single complaint.

2) Avon and Somerset Police were criticised earlier this week for failing to arrest a group of vandals who spray-painted a huge 30ft mural at the site. Using ladders and 15ft rollers, the gang spent two days daubing a giant deformed child's head and lizard across a rooftop wall.

None of the above!

All my postal votes in today's local elections will be for "None of the above"!

Exam factories

If schools have been reduced to "exam factories", why are so few teenagers achieving five or more GCSEs at grade C or above including English and Maths!?!

The proportion whose results included English and maths - ministers' new benchmark - was 44.3%, up from 42.6%

Importing trouble?

Could the Metropolitan Police be any more racist!?!

There is an indication from both police intelligence and the voluntary sector addressing gang criminality, that there is an increase in young people with significant post-traumatic stress resulting from witnessing and being involved in significant violent situations prior to arrival in the UK.

The document states that half of gangs identified by police intelligence are based in the African-Caribbean community.

How do Politicians propose to deal with the problems highlighted? More social workers or stricter immigration controls!?!

Postal votes

Will Labour Politicians be more concerned that voter turnout will be down 20,000 across a number of Birmingham wards rather than having more confidence in in the final result!?!

Will there now be fraud probes in Middlesbrough, Fife and Lanarkshire, Flintshire, Luton and Somerset?

Caught in the headlights!

Is the Labour leadership "united" in knowing that Gordon Brown will cost Labour the next General Election yet are too scared to do anything else!?!

Good news for the Race Equality Industry!

Many minorities 'live in poverty'

The figure is twice as high as it is for white people, and rises to 65% for those of Bangladeshi origin.

Does this mean ethnic minorities are twice as likely to be on benefits as white people?

How are they all managing to contribute to the UK economy!?!

Cowardheart!

Would the English ever allow Scotland to return to the Union after their independence!?!

"It can vote to become independent and it can vote if it so chooses to become un-independent, that's the prerogative of a nation and Scotland, of course, is a nation." - SNP leader Alex Salmond.

The Wealth of Labour?

If the fortunes of Britain's wealthiest 1,000 people grew 20% last year, does this mean Labour's policies of wealth re-distribution have failed?

Cross Wired

Apart from Peter John of Sandwell Homes, is anyone else worried that razor wire put up to stop vandals breaking into a property might only be dangerous to the vandals themselves!?!

The future's black!?!

If schools are a "ticking time bomb" of racial segragation, is the solution to reduce immigration levels?

At primary level, 21.9% of pupils are from ethnic minorities, up from 20.6% last year. In secondary schools, the figure is 17.7%, up from 16.8% in 2006.

Boys not in Blue!

How ironic that when so few Policemen are actually out on the beat, they turn out to be strippers!

I said I was not a police officer, I said I am a stripper. They followed me into the bar, watched the show, then asked me to go back to the station. It was all quite friendly. When I went back later they said they were going to charge me.

Gym'll fix it!

Should employees be allowed to take time off work to keep fit by going to the gym!?!

All Chinese to me!

Why is a teacher being prosecuted by the General Teaching Council for exposing unruly behaviour in schools across the country?

How can British Universities compete with Chinese Universities when their undergraduates know so little?

PS Mind you, it may explain why many Chinese students are keen to study in the UK!

Doctors to go

If only the unemployed and those on incapacity benefits would also threaten to leave the UK...

Wait and don't see!

Englishman must go blind to get NHS help

Why is the BBC not prepared to report that if ex-serviceman Leslie Howard lived in Scotland rather than West Yorkshire, he could be treated for wet AMD on the NHS without needing to go blind in one eye first?

The decision to refuse treatment with new drugs, known as anti-VEGF, was made by the North Yorkshire and York PCT because it has not yet received final guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) on their use.

Macugen was approved by the Scottish Medicines Consortium for the treatment of wet AMD in August 2006!

"Whilst the SMC's decision is great news for patients in Scotland, it doesn't help people with wet AMD in the rest of the UK" - Steve Winyard, RNIB Head of Campaigns

Foot in mouth!

Tories won't win election - Tony Blair

Labour are now as popular as when Michael Foot was their leader.

Ironically, 1983 was also the year Tony Blair and Gordon Brown first entered Parliament...

Oh yeah?

"I have watched him [Gordon Brown] and worked with him for nearly 20 years. He has in the last 10 years done great things for living standards; no-one is better qualified to lead across a wider canvas." - Environment Secretary David Miliband

Government figures show that disposable incomes grew last year at the slowest rate since 1982, when unemployment hit three million. Experts said that when the ballooning cost of mortgage payments and utility bills were taken into account, households were likely to have suffered a painful fall in their wealth. - Daily Telegraph.

Al-Ernie?

Why is the British Government considering making National Savings accessible to those who adhere to Sharia law?

Happy St.George's Day!

The BBC on Nazi Propaganda...

Once the King of Cool, Bryan Ferry's crown has been badly dented by remarks he made praising the marketing and presentation skills of the Nazi regime. - BBC News website.

Goebbels: Master of Propaganda
Many persuasive techniques used by today's media were pioneered by the Nazi Minister of Propaganda, Josef Goebbels. Roman emperors aside, Goebbels was one of the first public figures to recognize the value of mass entertainment to political propaganda. Enlivened by historical footage and interviews with eyewitnesses, this program traces the rise of Nazism, and the simultaneous unfolding of Goebbels' career. Learn how he created the Führer myth, organized mass spectacles, and established a film studio to produce entertainment that furthured the Nazi cause. This is a remarkable if frightening picture of a cynical, evil, but brilliant figure, and a chilling reminder of the dark potential of the mass media.

A BBC Production.

Undermining immigration?

Are people concerned about immigrants "undermining" the jobs market or those claiming benefits and using the NHS without having contributed first!?!

So what they worry about is people coming here illegally, people working here illegally, undermining the minimum wage, undermining the terms and conditions, safety and all of the good terms that protect workers and consumers.

[ ] We have to address that worry by making sure that immigration is effectively controlled and fair to people in this country as well as those who come here. - John Reid, Home Secretary.

Is John Reid now promising to "put British people first"!?!

Electoral Fraud

Why are so many people keen on postal voting at local elections when turnout is traditionally very low?

Requests are up 550% in Middlesbrough, 400% in Fife and Lanarkshire, 600% in Flintshire and more than 200% in Luton and Somerset.

Is it really more convenient to apply for a postal vote than walk to your local polling station or does it represent a significant increase in electoral fraud?

Gutted!

How will Robert Mugabe sleep at night if his honorary degree from Edinburgh University is withdrawn!?!

Racial Policing?

If the leader of the Black Police Association considers it desirable for the people of Hounslow to be policed in their 'own language' and by their 'own people', can white people expect it too!?!

If we look at Hounslow in London, it's a borough that is predominantly from a minority ethnic background. Now whilst my white colleagues are immensely qualified to do the job, I would put forward that Hounslow would be better served as a borough by a person from an Asian background, who has got culture in common with the local inhabitants, and perhaps speaks the same language. - Keith Jarrett, President of the National Black Police Association.

Easy motoring penalties

If a third of all motorists caught speeding in London avoid prosecution because they are untraceable, how will road pricing work?

How are Police tracking this most dangerous one third of all drivers down!?!

The figures are evidence of a wider problem that speed cameras can only catch people who are basically law-abiding. - Kevin Delaney, former head of the Met's traffic police.

Spot the fine

If penalty notices or on-the-spot fines have failed to tackle truancy, should the fines be increased!?!

Tony's true legacy?

Less than half all youngsters obtained the Department for Education and Skills attainment benchmark of the equivalent of five good GCSEs including English and maths in 2006.

It is nothing short of a national disgrace. This is in the 21st century, not Victorian Britain. - David Frost of the British Chambers of Commerce.

We will all be paying for this failure for generations to come.

Pension confidence?

Would the Conservative Party restore tax relief on pension funds?

EU should know the rules by now!

Why is Fisheries minister Ben Bradshaw surprised that British and Irish overfishing is penalised whilst penalties are waived for French overfishing!?!

French crews fished almost 40% more tuna than their quota in 2005, and nearly 30% more in 2006. Despite this, the commission not only waived EU penalties, it also negotiated an international amnesty.

What Price Road Rage!?!

If motorists taking part in road-pricing experiements will be able to see the true cost of their journey mounting up as they sat behind the wheel whilst sitting in congestion, will this reduce stress levels or lead to dangerous driving!?!

Voting with your feet?

If Calais continues to have a problem with migrants and refugees heading to the UK, does it mean the UK continues to be a soft touch?

PS What's wrong with the Conservatives "scor[ing] cheap political points on the emotive issue of immigration" if it resonates with the electorate and they support it!?!

An inconvenent truth

The NHS is unlikely to be free at the point of use within 10 years.

So much for all the income tax paid into the system over the years!

Protecting the electorate!?!

What prevents Britain from banning HIV positive migrants and refugees or those infected with TB? The European Union or a lack of political will?

Would the proposal be a vote winner!?!

Property woe for Private Sector Workers?

If private sector workers are seeing keyworkers "going to the front of the line in new developments and given a financial leg-up which is not available to them", who faces the greater struggle to get on the housing ladder?

Resigning issues?

Invading Iraq on the basis of a "dodgy dossier"

or

Sailors selling their stories to the media!

Councillors commission

How much is it costing to discover that the reason so few youngsters, women and ethnic minorities are local councillors is that they have better things to do with their lives than getting involved in the thankless task of local politics!?!

Grammar lessons

Will the mainstream political parties be explaining to parents of "Poorer children [who] benefit more from grammar schools" why they continue to oppose any expansion of Grammar schools?

If access could be widened then the case for keeping selective education would be greatly enhanced.

Meanwhile, social mobility continues to decline in the UK!

Teachers not educating

How is the National Union of Teachers campaigning to raise discipline within schools so that their members face less stressful days at the chalkface?

Is the kid that truants for five out of six weeks actually going to turn up and do my exam? - Magenta Stonestreet, a secondary school teacher from North Tyneside.

Mr Laycock said he had enjoyed the children he had worked with but they had been difficult youngsters who did not want to learn, and it had been hard work.

When asked about what caused stress, 71% of teachers cited a lack of respect from pupils.

Pay Pal!?!

Will the SNP expect England, Scotland's "biggest pal", to continue subsidising her should Scotland ever become independent!?!

For Sale

One shameful page in the history of the Royal Navy.

"Not an extraordinary story!" - Jack Cornwall VC.

Iran Hostages - The Final Crisis!

Are the 15 released Royal Navy personnel heading home from Iran with their luggage!?!

Compare and contrast

How many muslim school children have ever been arrested for expressing anti-semitic sentiments!?!

PS The BBC have removed the phrase "anti-semitic sentiment"from the first linked page!

Thought for the day

If the slave trade contributed so much to Europe's wealth, why doesn't the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade throughout the British Empire mark the start of Africa's economic renaissance!?!

A right talking to!

Whatever happened to more Police on the beat!?!

Gordon's Pension

How was Gordon Brown's taxpayer funded pension affected by his £5bn decision to abolish dividend tax credits on pensions!?!

As he has been an MP since 1983, as a Cabinet Minister earning £133,000, he can look forward to an annual pension of around £60,000!

History lessons

Is it acceptable for teachers to avoid teaching about the Holocaust to avoid "anti-semitic sentiment" from Muslim pupils or giving a balanced history of the Crusades as it would contrast with the views taught at local Mosques!?!

How would teachers react if the BNP separately taught local pupils an unbalanced view of world history!?!

Fine's fine

One bank fine is a tragedy; a million is a statistic. - as Gordon Brown Joseph Stalin might say.

If people cannot afford £30 fines, why weren't they more careful about going overdrawn next time!?!

The Consumer Action Group says that so far it knows of 6,342 people who have been repaid a combined total of more than £9m by their banks!!

Number Crunching

100%: Mainstream political parties that think "Green" taxes are good.
34%: Percentage of public who think "Green" taxes are socially acceptable.

A tale of two loopholes

If Gordon Brown raised the tax rate on small firms to prevent income tax 'scams', why hasn't he also closed the non-domicile loophole!?!

Mysterious disappearing Rent-a-mob!

Where are the rent-a-mob protests outside the Iranian embassy in London following their Government's seizure of 15 Royal Navy personnel?