FOOD LEFT-OVERS

So WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme) is going to send people out knocking on doors and telling them how to use up food waste and scraps rather than throw it away. A very laudable aim but smacks to me of yet more nanny state. At first it will be a pilot scheme trial but doubtless they have ambitions to expand. WRAP of course is a quango so employs dozens of quangocrats with nothing better to than dream up ways of annoying the general public and spending the taxpayers' hard-earned cash.

Was a little amazed yesterday to see that we in UK are being advised to wrap our Christmas presents in cloth rather than wrapping paper. It seems a lot of gift wrapping paper can't be recycled and if people stick in the paper recycling bins the whole lot counts as being contaminated and off it goes to landfill. Well I think it probably is helpful to know that — it's certainly not made clear at the recycling receptacles in our local Tesco. I assumed the press got hold of this story from some guy in a government ministry with not much else to do. But no!! The message comes from an agency (quango) set up by the government. It's called "Waste and Resources Action Programme" — acronym "WRAP". Last year it cost the taxpayer around £80 million. Think about it. UK is almost on its knees, a total breakdown (well it's getting that way) of law and order, and the hard-pressed taxpayer is expected to trump up £80 million to pay a bunch of quangocrats to tell us how to wrap our prezzies. These are the sort of people the country can do without.

GOLDEN EAGLES

Just watched BBC news from the regions. The Golden Eagle is Scotland's "iconic" (their word) bird. It certainly is a magnificent creature and it would be a pity to lose it. But it seems it's not doing all that well. A pity it can't be eaten as a superior version of turkey as then we would have farmed eagle in the same way that we have farmed salmon and farmed lobster. Never mind Scottish National Heritage (SNH) is on the case and they're a bit worried about the eagles. Some smug employee came on screen to tell exactly how worrying it is. Of course if these SNH employees weren't being fed with a bottomless pit of taxpayers' hard-earned cash they might themselves be on the way out and a good thing too. People working all hours in the dark satanic mills of Scotland just so these assholes can go prancing over the hills worrying about a few birds.

CAIRNGORMS

Scottish National Heritage (SNH) is concerned about climate change on the Cairngorm summits. Mosses, liverworts, lichens and bryophytes generally are having a tough time. The insects they support ditto. And hence the birds such as ptarmigans and snow buntings. If they whole lot disappear it won't matter one jot. Just one less thing for SNH to worry about and one less reason for supporting this bunch of leeches on the public purse. When a few years ago they built a railway to (almost) the top of Cairngorm itself it fed into a cafe where one could spend money on refreshments and souvenirs. But the public couldn't leave the railhead area to walk the short distance to the very top in case they stepped on a newt or a ptarmigan. Neither could they walk down as some might be inclined to do. This is to help ensure that only important scientists can enjoy the hills to the full. Not quite true as anyone was allowed to walk up but then to spite them they weren't allowed into the tea area to enjoy a snack. Or, if they were tired, to go down by train. SNH is one of the quangos that exists to make life more difficult and less pleasant for normal people.