SUBROSA

Labour's Financial Backers

noreply@blogger.com (subrosa) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:04:00 +0000

Labour's campaign war-chest has been given a £2.25m top-up ahead of the general election.

The boost from three wealthy Labour backers comes ahead of a new year fundraising drive assisted by David Blunkett.

The latest large donations to Labour came from Lord Sainsbury, the former science minister and financiers Nigel Doughty and Sir Ronald Cohen. Sainsbury and Doughty gave £1m each while Sir Ronald donated £250,000.

In September Labour's debts of £9.8m were more than double the Tories £4.2m.

A new internet fundraising initiative is also set to go live after New Year. Gordon Brown must hold an election by June at the latest.

Blunkett said: "We know that those with a vested interest in the election of a Conservative government are pumping money into the Tory coffers.

"Our job is to ensure that the voice of the people, not just those with the power of privilege, is heard through to polling day."

The power of privilege? Mr Blunkett and the labour party know all about that. Nobody has more privilege in this country than our elected politicians along with other members of government such as the judiciary.

Why are political parties allowed to run up debts into the millions without any action being taken? Ah, that'll be another example of the power of privilege.

Tweet Extra

noreply@blogger.com (subrosa) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:32:00 +0000

Tweet Extra

JohnCleese

Don't say I'm not hip. I'm very hip, in fact, I had a new one put in, and it's made me even hipper.

The Wall that Hadrian Built has Charity Appeal

noreply@blogger.com (subrosa) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 09:23:00 +0000

Capt Ed Poynter (pictured), a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, has walked the length of Hadrian's Wall to raise money for soldiers seriously injured in the conflict.

Ed, of the 2nd Battalion The Rifles, recently completed a six month tour of Helmand province, where 40 colleagues were killed or wounded.

The 27 year old of London, is now raising cash for the British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association (BLESMA).

He hopes to have completed his 87-mile trip in Wallsend yesterday. Along with two of his brothers, Phil and Tom, the three left Cumbria on Sunday.

He said: "I was one of the lucky ones. I returned from Afghanistan unscathed. Many of my friends and colleagues did not.

"Amongst those who died was my great friend Lt Paul Mervis and completing this challenge is the least I can do to mark his memory and help those who paid such a dear price.

"At one stage during the summer there seemed to be an awful incident almost every day. In one bomb blast we lost five men.

"I hope my effort will go some way to helping those with horrific injuries readjust to normal life."

He plans to leave the army next year and become a teacher. 'Out of the frying pan' some would say.

The Price of Labour's Multiculturalism Policy?

noreply@blogger.com (subrosa) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:36:00 +0000

This is Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab photographed during a school trip to England in 2002 from his native Nigeria.

He is the man whose attempt to blow up an American plane was averted only by luck and courage.

His actions will cause more misery to those who require to travel by air. Longer security queues; the use of laptops is going to be forbidden; no passenger will be able to visit toilets within an hour of landing - we can be sure the list will be lengthened.

This man was on the security lists of the US and the UK. His father, just a few weeks ago, alerted officials about his 'radicalisation'.

Back in the 90s France called Britain 'Londonistan' as they watched this country become the central hub of Islamic terrorism in Europe. Nothing has changed. We have a government which is obsessed with multiculturalism and 'human rights'.

Melanie Phillips tells it as it is. Definitely an article we should all read.

Another site worth reading which discusses military strategy and terrorist threats is here.

Global Warming

noreply@blogger.com (subrosa) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:31:00 +0000

This is a photo of my back gate at dawn today. Looks lovely doesn't it. But that's not snow you see, it's solid ice. I didn't have the energy to clear the driveways and the paths on Sunday, so the paths lost out. No salt to be had anywhere accessible either but that may improve today.

Yesterday the temperature here never rose above -4 and last night it was -11. Today's going to be no better say the BBC.

A few years ago I had a Christmas gift of crampons which are supposedly easy to pull onto boots. Last night I dug them out of their hiding place (yes, surprisingly I remembered where they'd been shoved out of sight) and will see how effective they are as I'm off out to visit friends.

Paignton On Ice

noreply@blogger.com (subrosa) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 12:59:00 +0000

Thanks to the excellent Dick Puddlecote

Hootsmon Headlines

noreply@blogger.com (subrosa) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 11:05:00 +0000

click to enlarge

Designed by Conan

Another Loss in Afghanistan

noreply@blogger.com (subrosa) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 08:55:00 +0000

A British soldier has been killed in an explosion in Afghanistan the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

He was part of the 3rd Battalion, The Rifles and was killed while on patrol in the Kajaki area of Helmand province on Monday afternoon.

Of the 244 deaths since the war began, 107 have happened in 2009.

Another life wasted - another family grieving. Another life lost because we have incompetent politicians who refuse to listen to those experienced in military matters. Meantime we have endless glowing tributes to an MP who died naturally at the age of 63. Britain isn't a country I like these days.

Scottish Government Accused of Abandoning Homeless Scots in London

noreply@blogger.com (subrosa) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:29:00 +0000

It never ceases to amaze me the number of 'charities' there are in this country. Borderline is one of these. It supports those from north of the border who are facing homelessness in London and receives around half of its total income from the Scottish Government. It was given £107,100 last year.

Borderline bosses fear the future of the 'service' is now at risk after it's grant was reduced to £49,184 for 2010/11.

Willie Docherty, chief executive officer at Borderline, said: “We think the Scottish Government has a duty to protect Scots who are homeless in London and may be fleeing abuse.

“There is an increasing demand for our service, particularly during the recession when people are falling out of work and they need our help to get them back on an even keel.

The Scottish Government funding is part of the Housing Voluntary Grant Scheme which is awarded every year to projects tackling housing problems. A total of £2.4m has been awarded to 29 projects in 2010/11, compared with £2.1m for the current financial year.

The charity, which is the only project operating outside Scotland to receive funding as part of the HVGS, also assists people to settle in London. Several new applicants to the HVGS have been given funding for 2010/11 with £34,721 being awarded to Quarriers in Bridge of Weir and £38,809 to the Calman Trust in Inverness. Other grants include £274,000 for the Scottish Housing Advisory Service, £200,000 for Shelter Scotland's housing law service and £40,000 for the Legal Services Agency in Glasgow.

A Scottish Government spokesman said, "Borderline has received in excess of £1.2m from the Scottish Government since 1999. The priority, we decided, was to help homeless Scots return to Scotland. For that reason Borderline was awarded funding." The latest figures for 2006/2007 show that Borderline assisted two people to relocate back to Scotland every month.

To me the Borderline charity sounds rather Victorian. "Scotman/woman runs off to London to escape domestic abuse/make their fortune/find a job/disappear (delete as appropriate). Surely there can't still be people who believe the streets of London are paved with gold? Then again, there are still people who believe the labour party has all the answers to the UK's ills.

Should we be funding a charity like Borderline which was set up in 1990 by the Church of Scotland London Advisory Service? I don't think so. No matter how good their service it's discriminatory unless they provide a service in say Birmingham, Manchester or Bristol and other big cities. For that reason I don't think it should be funded from the public purse.

Borderline appears to be a 'feeder' agency. In other words they don't undertake much themselves but pass enquiries onto the larger charities or local councils. There is a serious problem in the UK where there are thousands of small 'charities' providing overlapping services but few seem to work together. The reason is each is, understandably, desperate to protect their funding.

Good government would do a thorough investigation of the agencies which receive public funding and trim them into effective and efficient providers. Tiny charities have little or no clout. I often wonder if these agencies are of more benefit to their employees than their client group.

Source

Keeping The Planet Cool?

noreply@blogger.com (Oldrightie) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 15:07:00 +0000

The Madness Of It All!

"Glasgow airport has announced a £25m expansion plan to improve facilities for passengers and traffic access to the site over the next two years."

As much as I adore flying and aviation I cannot get my head round airport expansion versus the political hectoring on that confidence trick of AGW. Now, since we face one of the coldest winters for decades, why have all the MSM and the BBC not mentioned global warming since that disastrous jamboree in Copenhagen? Note also how quiet is that "Son of the Manse" post his snub drub up there. Snow, bring it on. I wonder how The Arctic ice cap is looking right now!

The Scottish Tory Treasurer

noreply@blogger.com (subrosa) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 10:08:00 +0000

Malcolm Scott is a conservative. Not a run-of -the-mill tory but a top-of-the-range one. They're few and far between these days in Scotland, at least publicly.

He is the treasurer of the Scottish tories and I doubt if they could find someone more equipped that Mr Scott to do that job.

Mr Scott is no ordinary citizen. He owns several companies and has donated more than £1.6m to the tories. David Cameron has the use of Mr Scott's private jet should he require it.

The media-shy tory has given an interview to the Herald in which he says he understands why many people hate the legacy of Margaret Thatcher, but he believes the tories have changed.

They may have changed but they're still irrelevant in Scotland. Unfortunately this year the Scottish branch of the conservatives have contributed little to the political scene here although the same can be said for labour and the libdems.

I think it's time Annabel Goldie stepped aside but that won't happen until after the general election. Meanwhile, with people like Mr Scott willing to add to their coffers, they won't be struggling for funds will they?

Dr Rajendra Pachauri

noreply@blogger.com (subrosa) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:50:00 +0000

Dr Rajendra Pachauri is a busy man. As well as being the chair of the IPCC and promoting climate change, Dr Pachauri is connected with many other institutions and organisations.

Richard North at EU Referendum has tenaciously posted on Dr Pachauri's activities for several days. Although Richard's research is eye-opening, it isn't surprising. Mind you, I think it's surprised Dr Pachauri somewhat.

Follow the Pachauri thread at EU Referendum here.

Fancy a Buckshee £75?

noreply@blogger.com (subrosa) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 14:24:00 +0000

Gordon Brown's roadshows about "Britishness" are such a flop that the government are paying people to turn up.

Just ten ordinary members of the public have gone to the eight debates held so far.

Desperate civil servants have paid 455 people between £75 and £85 each to be 'an invited member of the public' - adding up to more that £35,000. The events so far have cost an estimated £1 million.

The first debate, hosted by Jack Straw in Leicester two years ago, attracted 21 local councillors - but none came to the latest two events in Gateshead and Birmingham last month.

Shadow justice minister Eleanor Laing, who forced the Ministry of Justice to reveal the figures, said "The public has spoken: Gordon Brown's Britishness roadshow is a colossal waste of money."

I wonder if they pay travelling expenses too. It was around -8 here last night so an away day isn't too bad an idea right now.

Source

Marriage - Labour's Latest Discovery

noreply@blogger.com (subrosa) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 09:23:00 +0000

Gordon Brown is set to pitch labour as the party of marriage and the family in an effort to win core tory votes. This is from the leader of a party which has openly discouraged marriage for more than a generation.

Labour have finally realised children fare better if their parents are together in a stable and committed relationship. A green paper, to be published in January, will outline new measures to shore up "stable parental relationships".

Since 1997 labour has directed resources at children rather than their parents, hearing voters would see attempts to promote the declining traditional family unit as discriminatory or judgmental.

One in four children now live in a single parent family, compared with one in fourteen in the early 70s. Almost half of children are born outside wedlock. Married couples became a minority in Britain this year for the first time since records began.

In compulsory sex and relationship lessons to be introduced from 2011, children from the age of seven will be taught about the “nature and importance of marriage and stable relationships for family life and bringing up children”.

The compulsory sex lessons for seven year olds is a subject for another post but let me get one thing straight - I have no desire whatsoever for illegitimacy to become the stigma it was when I was young. It had horrendous consequences for some children and many never quite managed to cope with it. But we now have thousands of children who are (usually) fatherless and the father's name isn't even entered on their birth certificates. Having thousands of children in that position rather than the hundreds 50+ years ago, doesn't make it right. By that I mean right for the children concerned. It creates insecurity, affects confidence and lessens self esteem.

There will be no softening of the government’s opposition to tax advantages for married couples. Ministers say this would discriminate against the 4m children brought up by non-married parents.

If labour are serious about this they would make tax advantages for married couples. By not promoting marriage in this way labour are discriminating against it. Many couples openly say they receive more benefit 'living apart' than together. That's not right and it never will be.

As well as having 4 million children brought up in one parent families, we have a generation of parents who don't understand what parenting is all about. That's not always their fault, it's the fault of this government who discourage them from learning about responsibility. We have an army of people who now do the parenting for many - teachers, social workers, charities - there's no need for any parent to learn parenting skills if they don't feel inclined.

I'm a firm believer that, if at all possible, children should be brought up in a solid and committed relationship. Marriage is the best solution we, as a society, have at present.

Source

Technology

noreply@blogger.com (subrosa) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 19:18:00 +0000

Yesterday I was given some gifts which require a least a little technological knowledge. One was a picture frame which can show me my life in slow motion, as long as I have the photos to load onto it. They're in the attic somewhere so will have to be found and then scanned into the Mac before this nifty gift can be of any use, but do I want to see my life in slow motion I ask myself.

The second is a video camera which is about the size of my hand. It's supposed to take good 'stills' too but the ones I've taken so far are dreadful. Must read the instructions a bit more.

The third present was a mini-Hetty (pictured). It's a wee hoover which I'm expected to keep on the desk here and use it to keep it clean. (I never realised it was mucky but obviously others don't agree.) It even has attachments for hoovering the keyboard so no excuses for crisp crumbs anymore. Sad really, I quite enjoyed the task of removing them with a toothpick when I was watching videos.

But I must modernise, can't allow myself to stick in the 2000s.

Don't expect any home-made videos though and do please understand if there are any grammatical errors it's all to do with Hetty interfering with my keyboard and nothing whatsoever to do with my typing skills. Bear with me, technology isn't my strong point!

Subrosa's Super Seven blogs

noreply@blogger.com (subrosa) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 13:57:00 +0000

Caledonian Comment - 24 December

Captain Ranty - Blue Pill, Red Pill?

Ian Hamilton QC - A Safe Pair of Lips

Jess the Dog - MoD Cutbacks

Old Holborn - Elite Politique

Robert Black QC - Lockerbie Families Upset by SNP's 'Crass' Timing

Scotland Unspun - No Credit Where It's Due!

A bottle of whatever you like to:

J Arthur MacNumpty - The Telly Box

The Nevsky Times - New Scottish blog

Tom Clougherty - An English Parliament

Hungover?

noreply@blogger.com (subrosa) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 09:04:00 +0000

Feeling a bit fragile this morning? Seems like the answer is a full grilled breakfast. I've had a look round the internet to see if there is any 'cure' but of course there's not. Sometimes life is cruel.

This is a good site because someone kindly drank to excess for 7 days/nights and tested lots of 'cures'. The things people do in the name of science!

This is a site for the "I'll never drink again" folk. Not one for me because I stopped kidding myself years ago.

Others think the best cure is to dress up warm and hit the shops for the Boxing Day sales. It seems the shock to your wallet takes your mind off the headache.

Whatever you do the experts say don't take aspirin. It's not good for your liver it seems. We wouldn't want to damage our livers would we?

Why Red Wine is So Important for Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (subrosa) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 12:48:00 +0000

Christmas Day Music

noreply@blogger.com (subrosa) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 09:39:00 +0000

This has been a favourite of mine since the 60s. It's been playing away on my old cassette recorder this morning.

Music for Christmas Eve

noreply@blogger.com (subrosa) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 20:56:00 +0000

The First Santa was a Scot!

noreply@blogger.com (subrosa) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:34:00 +0000

Yes, the first person to dress up in red and white to entertain children at Christmas time was a Scot, according to Jasper Hamill in today's Herald.

He was an economic migrant who moved to America in search of work and ended up inspiring a tradition that has defined Christmas for millions of children.

James Edgar, an Edinburgh born entrepreneur, owned a department store in Brockton, Massachusetts. In 1878 he would stand on the roof of Edgar's Department Store every Saturday morning and scatter pennies for local children. What he loved most of all was dressing up to entertain them.

You can read the whole story here.

Now, I wonder who can find the first English, Irish or Welsh Santa?

Action Man - Tavish Scott

noreply@blogger.com (subrosa) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 12:50:00 +0000

Tavish Scott (pictured), the Scottish Libdem leader, is threatening court action to ensure the planned broadcast of the election debates are shown in Scotland.

The SNP is considering legal moves to silence the broadcasts north of the Border and Mr Scott obviously thinks that's wrong. Or perhaps his boss in London has told him it's wrong.

Now that Westminster is more or less only the administration centre for the UK, why are the three 'main' parties so determined for their regular sound bites to be broadcast in Scotland?

I've read words such as 'Alex Salmond could never be Prime Minister'. That's true. Neither could Nick Clegg if we're being honest.

People will vote Tory in certain areas of the UK, not because they think a Tory government is going to make much difference, but they're so disillusioned with the Labour party and their lack of sound leadership in any area.

Will David Cameron make a difference? I doubt it. So I would like to see the First Minister debate with Brown, Cameron and Clegg. What are they frightened of? Is it because they're all aware Alex Salmond is perhaps the best political debater in the UK?

I've just noticed James at Scot Goes Pop has a more detailed post on this subject. Obviously he is far more organised than me and hasn't had to struggle round the shops for the forgotten cheese and cream. Experiences like that aren't good for deep thought.

The Christmas Hootsmon Headlines

noreply@blogger.com (subrosa) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 09:48:00 +0000

click to enlarge

Grateful thanks to the busy Conan.

Synopsis

noreply@blogger.com (subrosa) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:27:00 +0000

Not enough time today for detailed posts as I've still mince pies to make while I worry about the pea and ham soup that's turned out far too salty, even though I soaked the ham shank, so here is a small selection of what caught my eye in the past few days.

Johnny Ball, the man who introduced science to generations of youngsters, disagrees with the climate change doom-mongers.

David Bellamy celebrates the failure of Copenhagen.

The mystery of Tony Blair's money solved.

The Libdems intend to fight the SNP bid to ban TV debate. They would of course, they're unionists and the boss is Westminster based.

Steve Richard has a great piece in the Independent 'Where have all the big beasts gone?' It's true what he says, with the exception of a couple, there are no prominent free-thinking politicians in today's Westminster.

Karl Denninger, the market-ticker, discusses the European Central Bank. He makes economics easy for me to understand.

This is one from the Sunday Observer - Henry Porter 'The horror of virtual courts is upon us'. Very worrying indeed and further disintegration of our justice system.

As I've been typing this I've decided the only way to resolve the salty soup is to soak more peas overnight and add them. Now I'll have enough pea and ham soap to last until New Year!

Afghanistan - Another Loss

noreply@blogger.com (subrosa) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:54:00 +0000

A soldier from the Parachute Regiment has died in southern Afghanistan the Ministry of Defence said today. He was killed on Tuesday by a suspected improvised device.

The number of British military personnel killed on operations in Afghanistan since 2001 is now 243.

This death comes after a soldier from 3rd Battalion The Rifles also died on Tuesday, following a fire fight near Sangium, central Helmand Province.

Two hundred and forty three lives lost to 'defend our streets.' If Tom Harris had asked the veterans what they thought about this war he would have been told the truth. But he didn't ask the question did he?

In the past couple of days so many people have told me about Monday's excellent ITV programme called "A Night of Heroes: Military Awards". Unfortunately I didn't see it but it is to be repeated on ITV4 tonight at 9pm.