Other opinions...

...on The Meaning of Margaret. Interesting reading in this month's Prospect Magazine. "One of Margaret Thatcher's young ideologues from the 1980s — and now a senior Conservative thinker — reflects on where Thatcherism came from and why he is no longer a Thatcherite". As the 30th anniversary of the 1979 Conservative victory approaches David Willetts explains his rejection of Thatcherism, "rejection" isnt' my word but that of James Crabtree on Prospect's First Draft blog, he goes on to add: "But, in this essay, he has produced not just an insider’s portrait of his old boss, but also a balanced, and thoughtful justification for Cameron’s post-Thatcherite project."

And could this May 1st be a real red flag day for Labour. As the Evening Standard gives a good precis of a very bad week we see that it has just got worse as Mandy the Business Secretary tells senior civil servants to

"embrace the Tories as soon as possible to make the ­transition a success"

Other opinions...

...on The Meaning of Margaret. Interesting reading in this month's Prospect Magazine. "One of Margaret Thatcher's young ideologues from the 1980s — and now a senior Conservative thinker — reflects on where Thatcherism came from and why he is no longer a Thatcherite". As the 30th anniversary of the 1979 Conservative victory approaches David Willetts explains his rejection of Thatcherism, "rejection" isnt' my word but that of James Crabtree on Prospect's First Draft blog, he goes on to add: "But, in this essay, he has produced not just an insider’s portrait of his old boss, but also a balanced, and thoughtful justification for Cameron’s post-Thatcherite project."

And could this May 1st be a real red flag day for Labour. As the Evening Standard gives a good precis of a very bad week we see that it has just got worse as Mandy the Business Secretary tells senior civil servants to

"embrace the Tories as soon as possible to make the ­transition a success"

Overt obscurantism...

Don't demonise the piggies: the Atypical Influenza or Mexican/ American Influenza (note that I don't think it should not be called swine or pig flu) is now categorised as Phase 5 on the WHO scale of any pandemic alert; Three key points that need stressing, paraphrased from the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) talking points:
1. Pork is safe to eat.
2. The virus is not yet known to exist in pigs anywhere; researchers in veterinary diagnostic labs in the U.S. have sequenced hundreds of viruses on-hand and have not found this novel H1N1.
3.The virus is transmitting human to human, pigs are not involved in the transmission cycle. (phase 5 "is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region")

Some stupidity is expected, and some political/religious expedience: "CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt started seizing and slaughtering herds of pigs on Thursday as a precaution against swine flu officials and farmers said, despite resistance by farmers and criticism from the United Nations".

P.S. The alarming sight of many people in facemasks ISN'T because the virus is naturally airborne but because Coughs and Sneezes spread diseases.

P.P.S. If you show symptoms PLEASE do not go anywhere near a pig farm, the last thing that industry needs is a pig actually getting the virus!

Picture credit: deviled.blog.cz

Overt obscurantism...

Don't demonise the piggies: the Atypical Influenza or Mexican/ American Influenza (note that I don't think it should not be called swine or pig flu) is now categorised as Phase 5 on the WHO scale of any pandemic alert; Three key points that need stressing, paraphrased from the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) talking points:
1. Pork is safe to eat.
2. The virus is not yet known to exist in pigs anywhere; researchers in veterinary diagnostic labs in the U.S. have sequenced hundreds of viruses on-hand and have not found this novel H1N1.
3.The virus is transmitting human to human, pigs are not involved in the transmission cycle. (phase 5 "is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region")

Some stupidity is expected, and some political/religious expedience: "CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt started seizing and slaughtering herds of pigs on Thursday as a precaution against swine flu officials and farmers said, despite resistance by farmers and criticism from the United Nations".

P.S. The alarming sight of many people in facemasks ISN'T because the virus is naturally airborne but because Coughs and Sneezes spread diseases.

P.P.S. If you show symptoms PLEASE do not go anywhere near a pig farm, the last thing that industry needs is a pig actually getting the virus!

Picture credit: deviled.blog.cz

Oozing out...

(New) Labour are oozing out of power, like a handful of mud, slime or shit - or all three - that oozes through your fingers as it is squeezed (if you do that sort of thing please wear rubber gloves). First the cynical budget that will lead to [at least] "Two parliaments of pain" (Robert Chote, IFS) last week and second, Gordon Brown "was last night forced into a humiliating retreat over MP's expenses to avoid defeat in the Commons."

"Ministers are now frantically seeking a compromise deal after accepting that the proposed flat-rate allowance for attending parliament, announced with great fanfare five days ago in a ground-breaking YouTube video, would be rejected in a vote."

They have no idea, they are thrashing about in their - hopefully very painful - death throes but at the same time they are NOT doing what is best for the country. And now I'm doing what I keep telling others not to do: to be complacent. It's not over until it's over...so let's just get it over with, quickly! Brown has no mandate, no authority, no ideas, no logic, no common sense, no right to run the country down. Please go. Follow that link to sign the petition: "We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to resign".

Oozing out...

(New) Labour are oozing out of power, like a handful of mud, slime or shit - or all three - that oozes through your fingers as it is squeezed (if you do that sort of thing please wear rubber gloves). First the cynical budget that will lead to [at least] "Two parliaments of pain" (Robert Chote, IFS) last week and second, Gordon Brown "was last night forced into a humiliating retreat over MP's expenses to avoid defeat in the Commons."

"Ministers are now frantically seeking a compromise deal after accepting that the proposed flat-rate allowance for attending parliament, announced with great fanfare five days ago in a ground-breaking YouTube video, would be rejected in a vote."

They have no idea, they are thrashing about in their - hopefully very painful - death throes but at the same time they are NOT doing what is best for the country. And now I'm doing what I keep telling others not to do: to be complacent. It's not over until it's over...so let's just get it over with, quickly! Brown has no mandate, no authority, no ideas, no logic, no common sense, no right to run the country down. Please go. Follow that link to sign the petition: "We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to resign".

Osburh's offspring...

Today, the Feast of St. George, is the National Day of England: the English people are a nation and ethnic group native to England who speak English. Their country has had a significant historical, cultural and legal impact on the whole world.


23rd April was also the date of the beginning of the reign of Alfred the Great - clearly one of the best kings ever and the only English monarch to be nicknamed "The Great" but it was his grandson Athlestan the Glorious who became the first King of England i.e. bringing the whole of England under one ruler for the first time.

That's not all: "April 23rd, the happy conjunction of St George’s Day and Shakespeare’s birthday should be a love feast for England to which all are invited." [Telegraph]

Osburh's offspring...

Today, the Feast of St. George, is the National Day of England: the English people are a nation and ethnic group native to England who speak English. Their country has had a significant historical, cultural and legal impact on the whole world.


23rd April was also the date of the beginning of the reign of Alfred the Great - clearly one of the best kings ever and the only English monarch to be nicknamed "The Great" but it was his grandson Athlestan the Glorious who became the first King of England i.e. bringing the whole of England under one ruler for the first time.

That's not all: "April 23rd, the happy conjunction of St George’s Day and Shakespeare’s birthday should be a love feast for England to which all are invited." [Telegraph]