AV

I made my feelings on the upcoming AV referendum clear before on this blog, I take no interest in it, and my experience so far is that the vast majority of people don't give a toss either - only those cosseted away in the coalition.

It does amuse me though the lack of intellectual discussion scaremongering being employed, take this latest video against AV featuring the fictional MP Alan B'stard:



It's key points? AV means apparently:

• Politicians don't keep their promises
  
  
• An excuse to blame the other lot
  
  
• Say unpopular measures are in the national interest
  
  
• Not ever saying sorry
  
  
• ...the great thing about a fudged coalition is...

And the difference with FPTP is? Truly desperate stuff.

Let 'Em Eat Cake

From the Cyprus Mail we have a story that industrial action is being taken over a dispute regarding outsourcing jobs abroad:

Pancyprian Federation of Labour (PEO), Cyprus Workers’ Union (SEK) and EDEK’s DEOK are striking “because (J&P, Athena and Cybarco) companies’ outsourcing of the marina works violates the collective agreement (resulting) in unfair personal contracts for workers”, PEO’s district construction secretary Andreas Neophytou said yesterday.

And the response?

Employer’s Federation OEV has condemned the action, with assistant director general Michalis Antoniou yesterday pointing out that: “EU workers have every right to work here just as Cypriots also have full rights to work anywhere in the other 26 EU member states.”

Hmm, now that dismissive attitude sounds familiar:

Lord Mandelson enraged unions and Labour MPs last night by accusing wildcat strikers of "protectionism" and claiming they could turn the recession into a full-blown depression.

The Business Secretary inflamed the dispute over foreign workers by suggesting that protesters could go and work elsewhere in Europe if they were unhappy.

Prisoners Votes Part 346

To the surprise of no-one the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights has refused to even consider the Government's appeal. As Grand Chamber rulings can't be appealed against one can only assume that this was merely a tactic by the Government to buy time.

This case has been a prime example of what happens when unaccountable institutions have power. The ECHR not only is not listening to the wishes of a democratically elected Parliament but is telling that Parliament in effect what laws it should pass and in what time frame:

The court also demanded the right to fix the Parliamentary timetable for introducing the legislation.

If the Government does not bring forward new laws within six months, European judges will begin ordering the payment of an estimated £150million in compensation to killers, rapists and other prisoners.

Tory MP Dominic Raab called it shocking arrogance:

‘It is shocking arrogance for the Strasbourg Court to dismiss the legitimate concerns of Britain’s elected law-makers without even listening to the arguments.

It's hard to disagree. If seeing our elected Parliament bossed around like this by an unaccountable body is not a reason for a revolution then I'm not sure what is.

It'll be interesting to see what Cameron does. I do actually believe Cameron when he says wants to resist this measure. Not because he doesn't want prisoners to have the right to vote - he probably doesn't give two hoots about that - nor does he want to stand up to Europe, however on this deeply unpopular issue he knows, as well as we do, that capitulation will ironically hasten our exit. It's no coincidence that since this subject cropped up last year that UKIP national membership has experienced a very significant increase.

What really makes Cameron 'physically sick' is thought that he may be the one that helps our exit from his beloved EU project.

I Hope The Tories Are Proud

He really is a bit rubbish isn't he? Not content with calling us the junior partner during WWII or telling Pakistan that the "UK is responsible for many of the world’s historic problems", then complaining that journalists reported it, he leaps feet first into another row:

Oxford University has demanded that No 10 issues a correction after David Cameron quoted "highly misleading" figures in an attack on the institution's admissions policies.
Mr Cameron described the university as ''disgraceful'' over statistics indicating that only one black British undergraduate won a place in 2009.

But Oxford University immediately hit back at Mr Cameron for quoting what it dismissed as "incorrect" figures.

The spokeswoman said: "The figure quoted by the Prime Minister is incorrect and highly misleading – it only refers to UK undergraduates of black Caribbean origin for a single year of entry, when in fact that year Oxford admitted 41 UK undergraduates with black backgrounds.

The Prime Minster is 'incorrect and highly misleading'. That'll be another cast iron promise then. What did we ever do to deserve this man? He's not even been PM for a year yet.

Confused Census Gestapo

The firm I'm currently contracted to had a visit from Census Gestapo today. This firm own land with park homes on it, and they are in the process of building 12 more - of which only 6 have been completed so far. However all 12 addresses have been registered.

So CG turns up to speak to the boss, who's in the same office that I'm working in, because apparently some residents haven't filled in their census forms. The conversation goes something like this:

CG: "Nos 2, 3, 4, 8, 12 & 14 have not completed their census form."

Boss: "That's right, the buildings don't exist yet."

CG: "But they have to complete a census form, it's the law".

Boss: " Who has to? No-one lives there, there are no properties"

CG: "But the addresses appear on my register so they've had a form delivered"

Boss: " Delivered where? There's no letterbox, no front door nor even a wall or a building".

CG: "Well someone must have received the form".

At this point they both go out and argue the point on the concrete foundations where the park homes will exist in the future. Eventually CG goes away to consult further because the option; "house does not exist" doesn't appear on his form.

Contagion

Dr North highlighted the problems between Italy and France on unwelcome immigration and France's illegal actions which contravene EU law. Now it looks like the issue has moved to Germany as well:

"Germany has threatened to reinstate border checks "against the interests" of the EU's free movement zone in an escalating row with Italy over Tunisian refugees...during bad-tempered European talks on Monday, Germany warned Italy that it will not accept the migrants and that Berlin will tear up the EU's border-free travel arrangements to stop them."

Cameron take note, if you don't like EU law you can just ignore it - the fact you don't says everything. Naturally Italy are not impressed with Germany's stance:

Roberto Maroni, the Italian interior minister, said Italy had to “consider if it is still worth being part of the EU” after the hostile reaction to its plan. ”It's fine when Italy contributes to euro bail-outs, to wars, but on this very specific issue of helping us out, EU states are absolutely not willing to show solidarity,” he said.

Selfish national interest (or in other words trying to pacify your own electorate) has turned out to be more important than the EU ideal. Hardly a surprise. Let's face it, the project to eliminate the nation state in Europe is just not working and will never work. It is a very expensive flawed and failing project of the 2oth century and is never going to succeed. Can we leave yet?

The whole EU project reminds me of the children's toy - Spirograph. It looks new and exciting on the box, they claim that you can create complex drawings easily and the principle on paper appears to be based on indisputable logic but when confronted with the real world it just doesn't bloody work.

Default Option: If In Doubt, We Can't Do It

Yet again a news item dominates the day's news and yet again there's always a problem that is treated as if it's He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named - We mustn't mention it.

Today's news; retail banks should be ring-fenced, however some of the detail contained in the proposals breach EU law.

Reading stuff like this I often want to hold my head in my hands but I fear that doing so is probably in breach of EU law also.

I truly despair - if I'm allowed to as an EU citizen.

Another Day, Another Bailout

As widely expected, Portugal is in talks with the EU regarding a bail-out, so widely expected in fact that the markets this morning appear to have taken the news in their stride.

This was soon followed by an announcement that Spain is not seeking a similar bailout:

'Spain is not at risk at all after Portugal has asked for a rescue,' Finance Minister Elena Salgado told Spanish National Radio.

So Spain has now passed; 'nothing is true until officially denied' test. The UK will naturally be contributing to the bailout of Portugal, to the tune of around £6bn. Thankfully we're not in debt ourselves and have lots of cash to spare to help out our EU neighbours. Oh wait...

April Fool

Lots of the usual April foolery today in the MSM and on the blogs. One odd one though is this from The Sun:

COPS quizzed a boy of 13 over an "assault" on another lad - with a MARSHMALLOW.

Officers swooped on Nathan Watch's school in Torpoint, Cornwall, after a sweet thrown by larking kids hit the lad.

Nathan's dad Nigel called the probe "pathetic".

He told how he was called by the school to tell him his son was being accused of "common assault" - and would be quizzed as it had become a "police matter".

It must be a wind-up I thought, then doubts crept into my mind. No I could imagine that this would be true especially when other papers run with it, including the Daily Mail:

But they have now pulled their copy. Whoops have the Daily Mail been caught out? No apparently it still might be true.

Update: Sun says the story is true:

Our TRUE Page One story yesterday about a boy of 13 quizzed over an alleged assault with a marshmallow was listed in the Top Ten April Fools on America's Fox News.

Ridiculous

Local UKIP Candidate

As of today, I'm now officially standing as a local candidate for UKIP in my ward. A UKIP candidate has never stood here before, so it'll be interesting to see what response I'll get. So far the local issues seem to be litter, anti-social behaviour and, slightly oddly, Libya