Brit-Cit is here.....

Way back in 2006, I posted about the news that Government planned to introduce Brit-Cit Judge Dredd style extra-judicial powers for local authorities and the Police. At the time, this move by Labour sat quite well with the fact that they had shut down 122 Magistrate Courts and 22 County Court Houses since 1997.

Thus it does not surprise me at all that, as commented on by the Tameside Eye blog that ex-military men through a security firm are being paid by the Council to patrol streets.

Worth noting that the Labour Councillor mentioned in the story has allegedly said of a UVF punishment beating that "I bet this lad does not reoffend I understand the number of criminals on this estate is nil".

As I said 2006, welcome to Brit-Cit!

Cheers Gordon!

Last night, whilst driving home I received a call from Guido to inform me that Gordon Brown had said he would be cheering Everton on in their Europa league match against Benfica at Goodison Park. As Guido notes I was none too impressed saying,

"That’s it we’re f****d, that f*****g c**t has really f****d us now."

I have to admit, I really don't understand why Brown feels the need to say he's supporting this team or that. If it wasn't bad enough for Everton that we've got so many injuries, do we really need the kiss of death from Brown to help us on our way?

On the positive side, Brown also said that he supports all British teams in European matches, so at least Liverpool are screwed as well now. Shame on the others but c'est la vie!

The score last night? Oh we got beaten 2-0, that adds to the 5-0 kicking at Benfica two weeks ago.

The Thick of It - Greenwich style?

Below is a picture from the Greenwich Council propaganda newspaper Greenwich Time which is delivered to the doorsteps of thousands of residents in Greenwich at a cost just shy of a million. The picture features the Labour Leader of Greenwich Council, Chris Roberts, receiving a charitable cheque for £5.98 million from John Anderson, Director of Berkley Homes.

Now... did no one at the Council's press office think a picture of the Leader - who sits on the Planning Board for Greenwich - receiving a very large cheque from the Director of a building company - that's received planning consent for a massive contract in Greenwich - might be a bit.... well a bit stupid?

It's like one of those great cock-ups in The Thick Of It when some politician makes themselves look dodgy when they're not. Talk about life imitating the art!

Note: This post did feature for a short period overnight under a different title. However, someone quite rightly pointed out that it might just be a bit actionable. I admit it was poorly written and could be construed as making an allegation (which was not the intent) rather than simply pointing out a cock-up in political news management. That's what too much red wine does for you. Apologies.

Can't imagine why Ashley Cole is "obsessed"

Earlier this morning I downloaded (and paid for) Cheryl Cole's new album, "3 Words". I'm not sure which is worse, the fact I downloaded something by Cheryl Cole or the fact I actually paid for, both are totally shameful and I've come to the conclusion I must be getting very old, however I had to listen to it because her latest single is just way too catchy.

To put it bluntly the album is largely as crap as I expected it to be - they clearly released the very best single off it first. However, what's interesting about the album is the lyrics of most of the songs. Virtually all the songs are about a crappy relationship with a man who is a complete git, in one case he even drives the female half of the relationship to drink.

Now, according Cheryl Cole herself, in an interview on GMTV, Ashley Cole, the erstwhile footballer and husband of Cheryl is obsessed with the album.

"Ashley is obsessed with it! I have to actually, physically hide the album from Ashley – it’s quite embarrassing!"

Well yes, if my wife released an album that was all about bad relationships that included lyrics like those below you can probably understand why he might be, no?

How can I know what you mean when you never ask
How can I drive you crazy when I've got no gas
How can we be together when we're so far apart
You tell me that you love me then you go and break my heart

Or

Is it better? Is it worse?
Are we sitting in reverse?
It's just like we're going backwards....
we got a fight for this love

True I doubt the former Miss Tweedy wrote the songs herself, but she no doubt had an input in choosing them.

Poor old Ashley - not!

Brown responds to "resign" petition

How odd, I always thought that Gordon Brown would simply ignore the resign petition which went top on the Downing Street website, but no, the "Government" has responded.

Unsurprisingly, Brown is "getting on with the job" with the response reading,

The Prime Minister is completely focussed on restoring the economy, getting people back to work and improving standards in public services. As the Prime Minister has consistently said, he is determined to build a stronger, fairer, better Britain for all.

A bit silly to drew attention to a petition that received 72,234 signature isn't it? Although I guess they calculated that if they didn't reply it might be picked up as well?

A brief pause....

Many may have noticed that my post frequency has reduced in the last week or so. This is because of work commitments. Apologies, it's going to be like this quite a bit during this month, so you may get the odd post in the morning and possibly at lunch, but little more.

Question of the Day

Am mildly confused this morning. Evolutionary theory says that species adapt to change, that some survive and some die through natural selection, or what one of Darwin's contemporaries, Herbert Spencer coined "survival of the fittest". So, why should we be so exceptionally worried that the list of endangered species has grown? Isn't that evolution in action?

Discuss.

EU gesture politics

I see there has been some talk this weekend about David Cameron and his "cast-iron" guarantee for a referendum on the Lisbon treaty having wiggle room. Iain Dale has posted arguing that if the treaty is finally ratified by all the member states of the EU then a referendum is pointless because you can't "unratify" it as it were so it would just be gesture politics. Iain also argues that what we should hope for is that the Tories seek the repatriation of powers from the EU instead.

Now, more often than not I agree with Iain, however on this I don't. For a start, there is an option available on Lisbon that would allow for its "unratification" by Britain. There is withdrawal clause in the Treaty. The Treaty states anyone can leave, but in order to do so you have to tell the European Council and then negotiate your exit. From a pure bargaining position, what would the Eurocrats reaction would be to the opening of withdrawal negotiation? They'd be facing the potential of Britain's EU budget contribution disappearing. I think they'd panic.

However, I also think that what really would be a gesture, would be if Cameron continued to push this absolute bullshit that it was going to repatriate powers from the EU (presumably argued on the subsidiarity principle). I wouldn't expect much success though, such a move would be too "unEuropean" for them to comprehend. As I've said many times before on this blog, whilst I support withdrawal from the EU, Britain's biggest problem in her dealings with it is that she is too bloody British. The reason none of the other member states get as over-animated about the EU as Britain does is because they have a completely different attitude to it along the line of, "when the EU suits us then great, otherwise affanculo!" (as they might say in Rome)

This is why the idea that Britain can negotiate some powers back simply won't work. It's not because the others want the EU to keep the powers, it's because the others just don't understand why Britain can't just ignore the EU when it suits her to do so like they all do. In private they'll be scratching their heads thinking "those crazy British, why do they have to be such meticulous rule followers? Why can't they be more European?"

If we must stay in the EU we have to start being more like them by only implementing the bits we like and ignoring the rest. What are they going to do if we ignore them sometimes? Invade?

However, I digress. Should there be a referendum on Lisbon even if it's ratified? Most definitely. It should be a referendum on whether we should withdraw from the Lisbon Treaty - something the Treaty actually provides for. Yes, that does mean it would be an "in/out" referendum which would please the Lib Dem, but seeing as a large portion of this country has never had a say isn't it about time?

In fact wouldn't it be a good principle to have a confirmation of membership of the European Union every thirty years or so? Why should one generation be able to bind the hands of the next? Sadly though, I don't think David Cameron has the balls to hold just one referendum, so, whilst I disagree with Iain Dale that we can "repatriate power", I do agree that will be the inevitable gesture politics we're all going to get.

Update: How long before UKIP take this post and add Cameron too it?

Free the Weed - and pills

How funny it is to see Alan Johnson finding himself in a row all because he sacked a professor who expressed his view on the differing harmfulness of drugs. Johnson has even written a letter to the Guardian with some pretty hilarious of arguments.

Your leader on drugs policy (Shooting up the messenger, 31 October) is long on righteous indignation but short on logic.

Professor Nutt is indeed a reputable scientist whose views on drugs policy are well known. However, his role as my principal adviser was to (unsurprisingly) present advice. It is the job of the government to decide policy.

Professor Nutt was not sacked for his views, which I respect but disagree with (as does Professor Robin Murray, who wrote in your newspaper on Friday).

He was asked to go because he cannot be both a government adviser and a campaigner against government policy. This principle is well understood and long established.

As for his comments about horse riding being more dangerous than ecstasy, which you quote with such reverence, it is of course a political rather than a scientific point. There are not many kids in my constituency in danger of falling off a horse – there are thousands at risk of being sucked into a world of hopeless despair through drug addiction.

Alan Johnson MP

How odd, where is this "campaigning" he refers too? The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has as its remit the classification system, its role is to advise on the harmfulness of drugs in relation to classification. How can he be a campaigner when what he was talking about is what his role entails?

What Johnson is really saying is that if you don't agree with the entire flawed and half-arsed Government policy on drugs then you can't advise upon it.

As for equating the taking of ecstasy with a "world of hopeless despair", it's called ecstasy for a reason and it's got bugger all to do with despair and everything to do with gurning joy. The sooner the Government realises that the so-called "war on drugs" is an abject failure and start mass legalisation and proper regulatory control the better.

Take the organised criminal out of the drug market and let individuals decide what they do to their own body. We already do it with alcohol and tobacco and look at the harm they cause.

Gordon "No mates even for £80K" Brown

The mail on Sunday is reporting that no one wants to work for Gordon Brown as his official £80,000 a year spin doctor. They've alos said,

And the political editor of a national newspaper also turned down the post – despite a personal plea by the Prime Minister to work for him.

Wonder who that could be? Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail perhaps?