Ha ha

Best comment by friend this week..

Can you really get an abortion on your E111?

Just Weird..

Worlds tallest man saves dolphin - strange but true and promted a quick search on the internet for other strange but true news stories in recent weeks - which you've probably already done yourself but here are a few anyway:

Flatulence Forces Plane to Land

Wisconsin Hunter Bags Deer With 7 Legs
Love the comment "I guess it's a real rarity."

Alligator Soup Raises Eyebrows in China

Woman dies next to own grave

Make no mistake: don't "bank" on Kazakh money

Drug Education

The news that Pete Doherty (on-off rock star boyfriend of Kate Moss) has been fined £770 for possession of drugs highlights a massive problem that Britain is facing. We can't just blame the cool image of drugs these rock stars promote but the police and media also need to be held to account.
The Conservatives policy on crime should include the proposal to ban the use of images showing how to use drugs. I am not a drug addict, I have never tried heroine but I would know what to do with it if I came across some. How? Because I've seen it on the news! I've seen it in films and on documentaries!!

We can rule out the film industry from this proposal because they rate their films for appropriate audiences. News reports however should not feature pictures of addicts preparing to use or using drugs. Kids don't get a manual when they score for the first time, they follow someone else or they make it up using knowledge they've acquired through the television and internet. This is drug education in the wrong sense!

Toff luck Cameron

..goes the story on page 6 of the Daily Mirror today. It claims "Hard-working families are sick of his glib phrases and soundbites.." And the Daily Mirror never goes for glib? More to the point hard-working families continue to be the worst hit by Labour policies and I'm afraid it's how it goes in politics that only when the politicians get sick and tired of saying it, does the message start to go in.

Other views of Cameron's first year as Leader:
Be a leader not a brand - says the Daily Mail
Cameron is failing to provide real opposition - says the Daily Express
Conservatives have mountain to climb - says the Independent
..he buys his suits at M&S - The Daily Telegraph discloses

My favourite of them all, The daily mail - Tories open 9% lead on Labour

If Cameron were doing that badly, I don't think there would be all this media interest in his first year as leader, do you?

Animals Count

This is the news that a new political party has formed solely around the issue of animal welfare. You can read the Animals Count party manifesto at www.animalscount.com. They seem to have about as many policies as any other UK political party right now so why not!

Interesting to note that the Dutch version, Partij Voor De Dieren, won two seats in the Dutch Legislature recently. They also came close to winning a seat in the European Parliament in 2004!

Tory survey results

To add to my last post, rather worryingly, the latest ConservativeHome survey of Tory grassroots shows that 43% feel the next political party closest to their views is UKIP.

To read the full report see here..

Allegiance

I had not realised, until visiting Iain Dale's Diary this morning, that UKIP (UK Independence Party) have created their own blog. Being ever curious I visited the site and lasted all of 10 seconds before I needed to return to my own blog and rant. Three words; Better Off Out. Fine, if you're a member of UKIP I understand your support of this campaign. I do not agree however that members of the Conservative Party should also support this campaign. No, I am NOT a raging lefty, but I will not support a party or their campaigns that stand against the Conservatives in elections, European, National or Local. There are some prominent members of the Conservative party that have given the impression that it is OK to be a member of both these parties. Clearly UKIP are providing a home for those on the right of the party who are not happy with our policy on Europe but please, stand by your own policies and CHOOSE. Be a Conservative or a UKIPPER.

It's been said many times before but a vote for UKIP is a vote for Labour.

World Aids Day

I would like to praise the EU Commission (shock horror) on their recent contribution to World Aids Day (official date December 1st). The posters are a little strange but do make you look twice and the website ' Remember Me?' is modern and in my view appeals to the right audience. Visit the site here and take a look at the video clips of adverts from around the EU focused on Aids awareness.

For more info and statistics go to eupolitix.com

Check out the Swiss contribution, somehow I don't think the UK will follow suit..

Q

Some questions that have been bothring me today:

1. With todays technology, why can't someone invent jeans that don't eventually bag round the arse?
2. Why is there no backspace on the telephone so you don't have to re-type the whole number when you go wrong?
3. How do homeless people get fat?
4. How does sweetcorn reform inside your body and come out whole after being chewed up in your mouth when you eat it?

Worst EU Lobby..

Just stumbled across this event taking place in Brussels this month - having some experience of dealing with lobbyists (and being a massive fan of the 'Absolute Power' series starring Stephen Fry) I think it's a marvellous initiative! To vote go to http://www.worsteulobby.com/

Supergran!

What a great campaign, very original..

the supergran story

Earlier this summer, we got our knitting needles out and with the help of those nimbled fingered knitters at Age Concern we got to work to knit 175,000 little woolly hats.
Why, you ask? Well, it’s simple. Almost 25,000 older people died of cold-related illnesses last winter, so we think that it’s really important for us to do our bit to help keep them warm over the cold winter months. So, for a limited period only, these dinky little woolly hats will sit on the top of our innocent smoothie bottles in Sainsbury’s and EAT cafés acafés and, for each hat-wearing smoothie sold, we will donate 50p to Age Concern. We’ve actually reached nearly 220,000 hats. That equates to £110,000 to help keep older people nice and cosy when it’s cold outside.

22 Days, 20 hours and 11 minutes till Christmas..

Just seen a report on the BBC about how Internet shopping has got the high street shops concerned for their Christmas profits this year. Call me old fashioned but unless I have seen an item in the flesh before, it's highly unlikely that I'll risk buying it off the Internet. If I do, and it's not right, I tend to ignore sending it back until the time elapsed makes it ridiculous to do so and it gets shoved in a draw...surely I'm not alone on this one?

A much more serious concern are the reports that pensioners can't afford their fuel bills. Why hasn't the government raised their allowance? It's not as if the current price rises have crept up on them. It is truly appalling that this country gives more money to immigrants waiting for their applications to be processed than we do our older generation. Show some respect Mr Blair!

Show your support and visit http://www.helptheaged.org.uk/



There are many causes of loneliness in older people but loss of income, fear of crime, poor health or the death of a partner can all contribute to isolation.

One million older people spend Christmas Day alone.

Three quarters of a million older people in the UK regularly experience isolation and loneliness.

Over a quarter of a million older people never go out.

About 4.6 million, nearly half of our older population, consider the television to be their main form of company.

Nearly half a million older people never see their friends, while 1.8 million only see their family once a month.

10% of older people never see their grandchildren or even speak to them on the telephone.

All facts taken from the GFK/NOP survey commissioned for Help the Aged 2005

Hoorah!

Hoorah that is to my first post! I fear there's no need to fill in my profile yet as I'm clearly one of those sad types who has nothing better to do on a Friday night than this! Infact I probably have numerous blogs that I can't remeber the passwords to having created them in similar moments of utter boredom.

Ah well, Anne Widdecombe is presenting 'Have I Got News For You' in 28 minutes, not quite Boris, although they do share a similar hair doo ?

I hear if you're serious about blogging you have to post regularly so I have decided that when I really can't think of anything to say I'll treat you all to a excerpt of someone elses life, perhaps Giles Brandreth (GB) who once referred to Mr Al fayed as a gyppo!

Oh and I've also heard that if you mention Lord Ashcroft in any way a copy arrives on his desk the following morning - so Good Morning Lord Ashcroft, keep up the good work, looking forward to our regular chats...