WILDLIFE COPPERS

Just been watching the regional news on TV. Poachers are going around killing deer. Several clips of the boys in blue (our police force, agents of the state) dealing with the situation. For goodness sake is this a priority? All over Britain old ladies are being hit over the head for their purse, pensioners are being mugged, virgins are being raped, and all the police can do is worry about whether the deer are having a good time. In fact after all the damage the deer have done to our garden I would say a jolly good thanks to anyone who gives them a hard time.

GORDON BROWN

The media publicity over Gordon's condolence letter goes on and on. The son of Jaqui Janes was killed in Afghanistan and GB wrote her a letter of condolence. She was upset because it contained numerous (25 according to her) spelling mistakes. The story ended up in the "Sun" newspaper. GB then rang to explain that no insult had been intended but this call was recorded and again reported although the BBC played Jaqui's voice but only a written transcript of GB's part of the conversation as he was unaware that a recording was being made. Well I'm no fan of GB but I'm with him on this one. It's well known that he has eye problems (he's blind in one eye) and his handwriting is poor. Documents for his perusal are often printed out in large type. Jaqui says the letter was impersonal — well he wasn't her son's best pal and is writing as prime-minister so that is possibly true to to some extent. But at least he hadn't just signed his name at the bottom at the bottom of a pro-forma letter typed by a mini-skirted secretary. And no normal person would think that he deliberately set out to be insulting or unfeeling. It was a mistake — let it go. And if the transcript of the telephone conversation is correct ("....there was 25 spelling mistakes....") then Jaqui's grammar isn't 100% either.

GARY MCKINNON

It's almost a year since I posted about this wretch who continues to evade his due punishment. It becomes clear that lots of people are sorry for this hacker. I am so sick of people who create problems for people who just want to use their computer safely that I would happily see all hackers/spammers horsewhipped or executed. And as that is not realistic then at least extradited to USA where they will not be be dealt with by nice men in red dressing gowns and black sash (otherwise the judiciary of England) but by people who are a little more serious about protecting people against criminals.

And today's press reports on a case where two police officers spent time documenting an incident where a doctor left his 7-year old in a car for 20 minutes whilst he (the doctor) went into the bank. The son was happily playing with his games console. He knew how to open the car door. He was not locked in. He was quite happy. The policemen are happy too as they have gained a few points towards the government targets and whilst they were dealing with this this "crime" they could not be called upon to deal with rapists/murderers/terrorists and the like.

DRINKING

I'm getting a little confused. The Scottish Executive (sorry — Scottish Government as they prefer to be called) have made it clear they want to discourage the consumption of alcohol. Sometimes they refer to the behaviour of yobs on our streets and sometimes to health issues. As far as yobs are concerned one can only only ask why not deal with the perpetrators rather than penalise all drinkers. If people are urinating/vomiting in the streets or being violent or intimidating law-abiding people they should be severely dealt with. As for the health issue we seem to be following the same route as was taken with smoking. From informing people about the risks to heavy-handed regulation. So when a drinks company decided to close a factory I would have thought the Scottish Executive would be delighted. What better way to restrict drinking than close down the factories that make the stuff. But no, they're up in arms and hassling about a few hundred jobs rather than celebrating the thousands of lives that will be saved by people being unable to buy their favourite tipple. What hypocrisy!! Similar concerns apply to the closure of a steel works in England. Millions of "green" people in UK have been determined to de-industrialize and go back to the Iron Age. Our own government in Westminster puts a "carbon tax" on industrial effort in an attempt to put back the clock 2 millenia. And yet politicians are worried about the closure of a plant which must have a huge "carbon footprint". Make your mind up guys.

WOOTTON BASSETT

Have just been watching the BBC evening news and another lot of hearses passing through the small town of Wootton Bassett which I used to pass through quite often when I lived not very far away and visited Swindon in the 1970s/1980s. Our soldiers who have been killed in Afghanistan have for the last few years been brought to RAF Lyneham (before that it was Brize Norton) and Wootton Bassett is the first town on the hearses the route. The good, decent, and ordinary people of Wootton Bassett had a tradition of quietly lining the route and silently paying their respects to the fallen. It seems to have started in a very informal way almost by accident and gradually grew as shopkeepers closed for a few minutes whilst the cortége passed. A very humbling and moving experience. Until that despicable organisation the BBC got hold of it and started to publicise it. So the event is getting the "I want to be on TV" treatment. Clearly many of todays crowds have no connections with Wootton Bassett or even Wiltshire. They are there to be on TV. Today some of them even clapped. Clapping at a funeral. What is this nation coming to? Thanks to the BBC and its mission to entertain rather than inform Wootton Bassett is now a on its way to becoming a funfair. I did read a press article just a few days ago which led me to believe that many townspeople would prefer the old informal quiet showing of respect to our fallen troops rather than publicity induced razzamatazz. A townsman pointed out that it has been suggested that "High Street" should be renamed "Highway of Heroes". The suggestion came from a person living over 300 miles away. Unfortunately my belief is that the decent people of Wootton Bassett (and England) are going to be submerged by a mass of people who want to turn a once dignified demonstration of respect for the dead into a funfair.

BBC MOSTLY

So today that wretched organization we know as the BBC is being a little snide about Royal Expenses. The BBC has just sent 400 (yes, that's FOUR HUNDRED) employees to the Glastonbury Music Festival — a small event for weirdos who like to shag a lot in rain and mud. That's not much short of what they sent to the Peking (sorry, Beijing — have to be totally PC where BBC is concerned). Of course they're all Guardian readers. The fact of the matter is that if the head of state was chosen from the ranks of the BBC or Parliament the costs would be far more. Just imagine Tony and Cherie as Lord Protector/Lady Protectress. There is no limit to the greed of many of our MPs.
And I see Madoff got 150 years. What a fool!! If he'd come here he could have killed and raped and dozens and our lily-livered judges in red dressing gowns would never dream of such a sentence. Huntly Open Prison and out in 3 (years not centuries).

OLD AGE PRISONERS

There were lots of hands up in a Coventry police station a few days ago when the sergeant asked for volunteers to capture an 86-old on behalf of social services. Much better than dealing with real criminals. The old lady, Betty, had been put in a nursing home by social services but was not enjoying it and was discouraged from wlaking in the garden. Her daughter took her home to live with her and the rest of a close family. The house had been kitted out to suplly her mother's needs. Her mother's outlook on life took an immediate upturn. Then after just a few days social services arrived with police in tow. Betty was bundled into a wheelchair and into a waiting van. Then off to prison — nursing home. How can this sort of thing happen?. Of course if Betty was a fanatical terrorist and illegal immigrant Shami Chakrabati would have her out in quicksticks but no-one cares about the Bettys of this world apart from their families.