US TV

I know that many bemoan the quality of american tv, and indeed it is true that there is much crap to be seen, but we are hardly in a position to comment. Upon returning to my hotel last night I was flipping through the channels and came across the shere unmitigate dross that is Last of the summer wine. It is bad enough that the tv tax is used to supplement these old timers pensions in this way, but to send it off around the world is a great disservice to our nation.

That said, I've just got bake from graceland, so I reckon we're still a few points ahead.

US election

People like me spend a lot of time talking about freedom, and it is something worth talking about. Occasionally however I see something which leaves me at a loss for words.
The following clip shows why we should be praying that our american cousins do the sensible thing this tuesday rather than the fashionable thing.



(hat tip Donal Blaney)

Wonderful Sentiment

I saw a delightful sentiment expressed in someone's signature on a forum today (alas I forget exactly where.)

Leftwing moonbats are like Slinkies. They aren't much good for anything, but they bring a smile to your face when they're pushed down the stairs.

Canada stays the course.

Stephen Harper has been re-elected in Canada with an increased presence, although still short of a majority.

With a few results still in doubt, the tories have gained nearly twenty seats, and the ndp about ten, confining the liberals to a few (about 75) bastions in the inner cities and the maritimes.

It seems that with all the uncertainties in the world, the canadians have decided against the greenshift with its inherent tax hikes.

All power to their elbows, and if Harper can avoid offending the quebecers he might get a majority next time.

IRA lose €200,000,000

There's an article in the Irish Times (hat tip Guido) which says the IRA have lost about €200,000,000 (£160,000,000 in proper money.) Which they had invested on Wall Street.

Couldn't have happened to a nicer bunch of people.

Welcome to the socialist distopia.

There's a blogpost on the Telegraph website about Derek Simpson (general secretary of Unite) calling on the government to prevent the banks it owns/controls from repossessing houses where the mortgage is in default.

It is easy to dismiss this as something which won't happen, but it is hard to see the unions not making further demands of a similar nature, and as the same post points out, 40% of Labour's second quarter fundraising came from Unite alone. For how long will Brown be able to resist their demands.

I'm just glad that my money is with a bank which isnt taking up Mr Brown's largesse.

Who's paranoid now?

I almost fell off my chair while reading Guido yesterday when I saw a story about the government using anti terror legislation to freeze the accounts of an Icelandic bank. My ghast was further flabbered lasty night when John Denham attempted to defend the move on Question Time by claiming that they didn't know if the bank were going to be acting illegally.

Every time the government wants to pass some piece of draconian terror legislation, invariably pissing all over our liberty, they ridicule those of us who object, claiming that we are paranoid and that it is silly to think the laws would ever be used against anyone other han terrorists.

This is yet another example added to the list of octagenarian protestors, careless rubbisher binners and eager p[arents looking for a good school for their kids, of people with no whiff of terrorist connections being oppressed with this legislation.

The government looks set to let the 42 days drop, and while that is a good start, surely we should be going further. Repeal Repeal Repeal.

Dales loses it.

I have a high regard for Iain Dale. I find his blog to be entertaining and frequently illuminating. Today however he has posted about why he is supporting Barack Obama in the presidential election, and there is a part of it which beggars belief. Towards the end of the post, Dale says:

"I am sure many Conservatives friends of mine will be both surprised and horrified that I could bring myself to support someone who many on the right see as a man of the left. I don't see him that way at all"

Even the briefest of looks at Obama's voting record shows him to be an extreme leftist who not only has the wrong ideas about how to move forward, but has a track record of opposing those who have the right ideas.

I hope that when the dust settles, the real Iain Dale, he of the sensible right, reappears.

Nationalisation by Stealth

The government's plan to Introduce liquidity into the banking system by taking on chunks of shares amounts to little more than nationalisation by stealth.

Having failed to act in suffcient time, and having implemented a system which prevented the allegedly independent bodies from acting in time, the government are now trying to brush their incompetence under the carpet by engaging in a financial services clause 4 despite the overwhelming lessons of history regarding nationalised industries.

Action is undoubtedly needed, but the idea that the taxpayer becoming a major shareholder in some if not all of our remaining banks is surely not what is called for.

Commercialism taking the micturated fluid.

Having suffered a stinking cold over the weekend I was confined to my bed.

It was bad enough that this resulted in my missing a famous victory by The Posh over Leeds United, but matters were made worse by an advert I had the misfortune to see.

A compilation album of various songs only heard recently on Saga FM was being marketed as an ideal gift for "Grandparents Day".

I have no objection in principle to companies taking the piss to wangle a bit more cash from the moronic, provided they do not tell lies to do so, but the idea of grandparents day just struck me as a bit daft.

Why can't the come up with a put upon brothers day or a grumpy single son's day for a change.

Mandelson Returns.

It seems that Peter Mandelson is to return to the cabinet (presumeably as Lord Mandelson), despite having twice resigned in disgrace.

Like the baddie in so many slasher flicks, he seems to keep coming back.

It's nice to see that there is such a premium on integrity in this regime.

Blair goes.

Sir Ian Blair has apparently resigned as Met chief.

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Georgia on my mind.

I've just listened to the Georgian Prime Minister outlining how by moving to lower and flatter tax rates they have enjoyed a fourfold increase in revenues and that they are hoping to reduce their footprint from 30% of GDP to 25%.

To much to hope that George Osborne will get the message.