The World Turns Upside Down (But The Tories Are Still Lying Scum)

So, in the time since I last posted on a regular basis, what the fuck has been going on?? First Bush nationalises large chunks of the banking sector, making him the biggest socialist in history (tongue firmly in cheek). Then the Tories have the nerve to accuse the Labour party of being obsessed with de-regulation. Now this is certainly true but really, the Tories??? I'm trying to recall a time in the past when the Tories urged for more regulation.........nope, can't think of a single example. Bless them, it must be hard for the poor loves to be anti-free-market and pro-free-market at the same time. Duplicitous swines.

Passport Fiasco - Another Privatised Cock-up

There has been a lot of talk in the media about the recent passport fiasco. There have been a lot of attacks on the government for incompetence and carelessness in the face of the latest security breach. However, one thing that hasn't been made clear is that this would have happened under any government, Tory, Lib Dem or Labour. The root cause of the problem is the rise of privatisation within the public sector, for the real incompetents were the private security company contracted out to deliver the passports, as is revealed in some reports:

A firm was subcontracted to deliver them from 3M Security Printing & Systems in Chadderton to RAF Northolt.

Yes, another cock-up due to the subcontracting out of work previously carried out by state agencies. And this is where the Tories claims ring hollow. The policy of contracting out such work would have been done under the Tories as they would see no need for the state to be involved in such activities when the private sector does it 'better' [ahem].

The government must take the blame for this fiasco, but not in the way the Tories would want. They must take the blame for following the policies of the Tory party and contracting out as many activities as they possibly can. It is the culture of privatisation that is to blame, a culture that has flourished under Labour and the infatuation with Tory-style policies. As long as the main parties continue to support a policy of privatisation, incidents like this will continue to happen and the opponents will continue to attack the government (whether Tory or Labour) when they know it would be no different under their watch.

The City of London - Sponsored By Porsche

Once again, we see how easily the Tories defer to the interests of big business, even in the face of their new found passion for the environment. Eager not to upset the bigwigs at Porsche, Boris Johnson has proven that he has no bollocks whatsoever and caved in to the pressure exerted by the gas guzzling manufacturer. As always with the Tories, big business comes first, the environment a very distant last. Whilst the taxpayer is forced to pay compensation to the manufacturing giant, Boris Johnson and his capitalist chums are laughing all the way to the bank. Any chance a sweetener might have been involved? From The Guardian:

London mayor Boris Johnson is to pay about £400,000 to Porsche after agreeing to scrap a plan to levy a £25 charge on the most polluting vehicles in the capital, it emerged last night.

The luxury sports car specialist had begun a legal challenge to the proposal, put forward by the former mayor, Ken Livingstone, earlier this year.

Yesterday Johnson withdrew the proposal, and a court ruled that the Greater London Authority should pay Porsche's legal costs. The company says that it will give the money to Skidz - a charity which offers youngsters training in mechanical skills and maintenance.

Last night Jenny Jones, Green party assembly member, said she was appalled by the decision. "This is a mayor who is telling us he wants to see value for money, and to account for every penny, and here he is paying one of the richest car companies in the world hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money."

And how many green initiatives will be cut by the Tories when they come to power? Leaders of big business must be dropping to their knees and praying to the Almighty for a Tory victory. For the rest of us, Johnson's regime in London has shown has just how far they are prepared to go to protect the giants of capitalism. And you thought Labour were a bunch of right-wing economic extremists, Cameron's mob just might have the edge on them and that's no mean feat.

Death Penalty For Knife Crime - Part II

Below is a copy of the email I sent to the Tory MP who gave his support for the death penalty regarding knife crime along with his reply (you may need to click the image to see it a touch clearer). Good to see that the Tories haven't changed in the slightest.

Death Penalty For Knife Crime

That's what one Tory MP proposes:

Kent MP has called for a return to the death penalty in order to deal with knife crime.

Roger Gale, the Tory MP for North Thanet, said that bringing back capital punishment for murder was the only way to deter people from carrying knives, short of banning all tools and kitchen utensils that could cause harm.

Mr Gale said: “Either ban hammers and screwdrivers and other carpenters’ tools or bring back capital punishment as the maximum available sentence for murder

“Are we seriously suggesting that Sabatier chef's knives should be banned?

“At home I have an oyster knife with a blade scarcely more than an inch long. It is potentially lethal. My wife Suzy and I also have a full range of kitchen cutlery and most of the knives have sharp points. Are we seriously suggesting that the fundamental implements of Western culinary art should be banned?

“Because if so then a panoply of carpenters and plumbers ‘weapons’ , for example, such as hammers and screwdrivers, will have to be taken out of circulation.

“I would suggest that the much more basic but practical response to the growth in armed crime is the re-introduction of capital punishment for murder.”

Ah the New Tories, same as the old Tories.

Boris Johnson - Shirley Porter Part Deux

Ah, Boris Johnson. Funny chap isn't he? He's exactly what we need in London. A personality. You know where you stand with good old Boris.

Yes, sadly there were many Londoners who were happy to vote for this elitist Tory who is completely out of touch with the working man. And good old Boris is certainly off to a flyer. One of his first appointments was one Simon Milton as adviser on planning and housing. Milton was previously leader of Westminster Council and has a rather interesting background.

Milton was a member of Shirley Porter's housing committee. Shirley Porter was, you may remember, embroild in the infamous 'homes for votes' scandal when houses were sold to potential Tory voters in marginal wards. However, Milton was at the heart of an even bigger scandal. A scandal that reveals just how much Boris Johnson hates the working classes. A scandal that shows not only how much Boris hates Londoners, but also the Evening Standard.

During his time as a member of Porter's housing committee, Milton voted for homeless people being placed in asbestos-ridden accommodation. Yes, asbestos-ridden. The council moved homeless families into 200 homes that had been intended for emptying and asbestos removal. Even though the policy was reversed, 100 families still passed through these flats. This policy was subsequently described by one former chief executive of Westminster as 'simply criminal' [Private Eye, Issue 1210, pg14]. Clearly Boris Johnson has no major concerns about the welfare of the most vulnerable within London, or else why would he appoint someone with such a record? As one councillor put it on receiving the news of the appointment:

"With Johnson's obvious lack of experience of running anything, Milton could well be the one pulling the strings. But if Milton wanted to run London why didn't he put himself forward for election when he had the chance?

"Is Simon Milton really the best qualified person that Boris Johnson can find to advise him on planning and how to build more affordable homes in London?"

"Simon Milton learned everything he knows about flogging off council housing when he was one of the Shirley Porter gang involved in the 'Homes for Votes' scandal, including housing the homeless in asbestos ridden flats."

"Westminster residents are still £30 million out of pocket thanks to Milton agreeing to accept only a quarter of the £42 million surcharge owed by Porter."


Proof, if it were needed, that Boris Johnson couldn't give a toss about the average Londoner. It also goes to underline that Boris is no joke. He is not a lovable personality. He doesn't bring something different to London. He brings the same old mix of corruption, jobs for the boys and good old fashioned class hatred. I'm guessing that soon the laughter will stop and the anger will start. The marker has been drawn, it's time for Londoners to wake-up.

Michael Gove, Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg and the Real Problem With Disengagement

Having watched the BBC's monarchy love fest this morning (also known as the state opening of parliament), I almost choked on my tea when one of the aforementioned politicians pontificated on the real reason for public disengagement from politics. According to Nick Clegg, the fundamental problem was of continual mud slinging between the two main parties. While this may be partly the case, a later remark by Michael Gove (the neo-con crony of the Cameron brigade) was far more (inadvertently) revealing.

During a discussion on foreign policy, Gove spoke of the need to confront Iran, particularly in the light of their leader's wish to "wipe Israel off the map". That this was met with utter agreement by other members of the panel speaks volumes about the current political climate. Not one member of the panel, or the BBC for that matter, chose to challenge the lie that has been perpetuated amongst the mainstream media, entirely unchallenged. And that is the fundamental problem. There is a lack of debate between the parties. The are all standing on the same aggressive, imperialistic patch of political ground. Perhaps, just perhaps, if a politician was to challenge the status quo, more people might be engaged in the political process. Instead, we are presented with a bunch of glove puppets eager to bend to the will of their imperialist masters.

Political disengagement will continue for some time to come because, secretly (perhaps not so secretly), that is what the political establishment desire. How else can policies such as ID cards, 90 detention, not to mention the Iraq war even be proposed? If the public were engaged in the political process none of these things would even be possible. No, disengagement will continue as long as all political parties represent a narrow elite that refuses to indulge in real debate.

General Sir Mike Jackson Attacks US Policy in Iraq

He doesn't pull his punches with Rumsfeld either:

The head of the British army during the Iraq invasion has said US post-war policy was "intellectually bankrupt".

In a Daily Telegraph interview, former chief of the general staff, Gen Sir Mike Jackson, added that US strategy had been "short-sighted".

He said former US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld was "one of the most responsible for the current situation".

I'm no general, but I could have told you that US strategy was short-sighted several years ago. Still, better late than never. I also found myself agreeing with a Tory (that's twice in a week that I have been complimentary - I need to be hosed down pronto) quoted in the BBC's report. Malcolm Rifkind said:

"I think one of the most fundamental criticisms is not just that Rumsfeld was incompetent - which he was - but it was actually his boss, George Bush, who actually made the extraordinary decision to put the Pentagon and Rumsfeld in control of political nation-building after the actual war ended."

So, if Rumsfeld is incompetent, what does that make his boss?? Well put, for a Tory scumbag.

David Cameron - The Upper-Crust Guff-Cloud

According to Charlie Brooker, and who am I to argue.

Imagine.......

Imagine for a minute that you were the leader of a political party. Imagine that said party has a reputation for being, I dunno, a little bit on the racist side. Imagine that your primary goal was to change that perception and build a new party based on inclusion. Then imagine that, during the course of your 're-branding' exercise, an MP says something particularly controversial that undermines your appearance of an inclusive political party. Imagine your MP saying the following:

“If there’s anybody who should f*** off it’s the Muslims who are doing this kind of thing. Police should pull out the stops to track down these vile thugs.”

How would you respond if the story turns out to be false? Would you:

a) Demand the report in question is removed from the website on which it appears, and discipline the offending MP for not taking more care in his statements.

b) Instantly dismiss the offending MP from your party and protest in the strongest terms to the reporters of the story.

c) Discipline the MP in question and warn him of his future conduct.

d) Shrug your shoulders and do nothing about it.

If you said b, well done, you are indeed the leader of a progressive, inclusive party. If you said d, you are indeed the leader of the Conservative Party and you have proven beyond doubt that you couldn't give two shits about embracing a multi-cultural society. Here is the response I received from David Cameron (well, his secretary) when I asked why the Conservative Party hasn't pushed The Sun to remove the offending article from their website:



Not our problem mate, we don't care if we appear like a bunch of reactionaries. After all, that's the way we have always been. Thanks, glad you cleared that up.

Why not watch the slideshow of what the new Conservative Party stands for? Go on, you'll love it.