Royal Wedding

I'm not going to make much comment about the events of yesterday - there's plenty of coverage elsewhere - except to post this image:

Prince Charles' car is being driven by another future head of state, but there's something wrong with it. Can you guess? (clue, look at the number plate).

The Next President Of The EU?

As we know the democratic legitimacy of the current President of the European Council has often been called into question, however Lib Dem MEP Andrew Duff has put forward proposals that mark the 'first step towards a directly elected EU President'. In the spirit of that, and for some fun for the bank holiday weekend, I thought I would conduct a poll from the following possible Presidential candidates on who's most suitable to take the EU forward (when Rompuy's time is up) into an age of openness and democracy:

• Ryan Giggs: Known as the 'Welsh Wizard', Giggs is blessed with a rare footballing talent. A football veteran, one of the greatest Premiership players ever and a legend not only with Manchester United fans but with football fans in general. A player who has devoted his life to the game rather than the lifestyle he could get from it - a happily married man. Giggs has all the abilities of hard work and devotion to make the changes needed to give the EU a more respectable image.
  
  
• Hugh Bonneville: A fine English actor, who is currently starring in the exceptional and popular ITV drama Downtown Abbey. Hugh plays the wealthy Robert, Earl of Grantham who not only is devoted to preserving the status quo in early 20th Century Britain but is a devoted family man. A proper English gent who would fit right in with the EU elite but will do what's best for Britain.
  
  
• David Threlfall: An English actor who plays drunk 'Shakespeare quoting' intellectual Frank Gallagher in Channel Four's Shameless. Great for winding up those unelected EU officials.
  
  
• Jeremy Clarkson: The thinking man's loudmouth. Opinionated, right wing and anti-EU. Clarkson will do to the Berlaymont what he does to caravans - my perfect candidate.
  

Please vote in the right hand column.

Calm Down Dear

A wonderful display of Cameron's disdain towards Parliamentary procedure today during PMQs. In response to a question from Tory MP Brian Binley, Cameron replies (my emphasis):

The honourable gentleman is right... (3:20 mins in)

Gentleman? It's a question from an MP from his own party, surely Cameron should say 'my honourable friend'? Thankfully Hansard tidies up the mistake for him:

The Prime Minister: My hon. Friend is right about the figures today and that what is happening in the construction industry is disappointing

Given that Cameron is not a real Tory, one has to wonder if it was a Freudian slip.

One-Nil To The Internet

From the Daily Mail:

Andrew Marr's decision to end the farce of his own super-injunction was welcomed by MPs and critics yesterday who said he had been 'hypocritical' to hide behind a cloak of secrecy while quizzing public figures.

Yet us bloggers already knew this, a fact which upset Marr very much:

"Most citizen journalism strikes me as nothing to do with journalism at all. A lot of bloggers seem to be socially inadequate, pimpled, single, slightly seedy, bald, cauliflower-nosed, young men sitting in their mother's basements and ranting. They are very angry people. OK – the country is full of very angry people. Many of us are angry people at times. Some of us are angry and drunk. But the so-called citizen journalism is the spewings and rantings of very drunk people late at night."

Marr's apology is the equivalent of "I'm only sorry because I've been caught out".

Greece And Portugal Debts Worse Than Expected

The Guardian reports that:

Greece and Portugal are deeper in debt than previously estimated, according to official figures that show attempts to contain their financial woes have so far failed.

I'm not sure who's doing the estimating but I think they need to get another job. It's pretty obvious Greece is essentially bankrupt and is, along with Spain, being less than honest about the depth of its financial situation. A default is on the cards for Greece in particular:

Most economists consider a Greek default a foregone conclusion, with either some debt forgiveness or a radically longer timetable of repayments. They argue only about the timing.

The Euro maybe a train crash in slow motion, but it's still a train crash.

"Microsoft Should Tell The EU To Stuff It!"

This chap writing for PCMag doesn't seem particularly happy with the EU, I can't think why:

Microsoft should just disable the versions of Windows in the EU to teach it to stay out of American business>>>To teach it to stay out of American business, Microsoft should just disable the versions of Windows in the EU.

...the unhappiness continues (my emphasis):

For one thing, the Europeans don't see why they can't do better than these American firms. After all, how hard could it actually be to develop a search engine? It's child's play. Thus, the Google dominance must have to do with onerous business practices. Whatever the case, the EU seems to think "let's find fault and stick them with a big fine if we can."

Yeah, well, welcome to the world endured by the British public. Anyway the article concludes:

Why should the EU be telling Americans how to run their businesses? As it now stands, every merger coming up has to be discussed with the EU in mind. Will the EU let two American companies merge? Will it? Won't it? Fret, fret, fret.

Hey! What does the EU have to do with it?

And yes, this whole situation is a pet peeve of mine. Microsoft should tell the EU to shove it.

I think he has a point, however, strangely in a war between Microsoft and the EU I'm reminded of Henry Kissinger's dictum on the Iran-Iraq war: "What a shame they can't both lose."

Quiet

Apologies, but posting will be a little slow round these parts for a day or two, in all honesty I don't feel up to it.

Happy St George's Day

David Charlatan

Just when you thought Cameron couldn't get any worse, then never underestimate his capacity to prove you wrong. His latest outburst against AV:

The Prime Minister picked the most recent Conservative-only government to illustrate why the proposed Alternative Vote system should be opposed. He said removing tired governments was vital to democracy.

When the country “desperately needed to get rid of that [Labour] government” in 1979, they were able to elect Margaret Thatcher, he said.

“We also remember 1997 and I think we know in 1997 the country needed change. Again it was a decisive result,” he added. His criticism came as a surprise because Mr Cameron is close to Sir John Major and occasionally uses him to support specific policy ideas.

Essentially a current Tory PM is saying that the Tories deserved to lose in 1997? Now that's a rather courageous argument to put forward considering that he has yet to win a general election himself.

Now, ok I can go along with his 'decisive result' claims but this seems at odds with his arguments against AV in February when he said that:

"AV would exaggerate the inherent biases in the current system"

So what is he saying there? He wants a decisive result but not that decisive? And in making his argument he goes on to show astonishing disloyalty to a former Tory Prime Minister that he worked with - most infamously during "Black Wednesday".

You have to wonder how thick the Tories are not to realise that they have bang-to-rights charlatan in their midst.

Warning, It's Dangerous Outside

There's me, in the garden taking in the sun, a can of nice cold beer yet I learn that the Government wants to ruin my fun:

A smog warning has been issued for the Easter weekend amid fears that a combination of hot weather and pollution could cause health and breathing problems.

Apparently in certain parts of London the smog levels have exceeded acceptable levels under EU laws.

Well it's nice to know something breaks EU laws. Cameron take note.