[blogfocus saturday] disagreeing with the britblogger

The idea and it's not a very good one, is to take Britbloggers this evening [North Americans will be on Wednesday and Rest of the World the following Saturday] and to disagree with them in this olive-coloured post.

Yes … well I said it wasn't a very good idea. Anyway, see how you go:

1. CityUnslicker, who incidentally is leaving his humble abode [in the pic above], is a fine operator in finance and a top blogger to boot and he took me to task for talking down the banks. Now he posts this:

On the other hand, as the deposits are withdrawn and the Bank continues to struggle to raise finance in the stalled credit markets, the situation gets worse. With no money to lend for new mortgages and loans the whole system seizes up. If I was a pensioner with all my savings in Northern Rock then I would be there today getting my money out.

2. I don't think Juliet has completely got the idea of pigeons - they're for looking at and feeding, Julie:

Hmm...another racing pigeon has arrived...yesterday. British bird, different rings, not so grand...they are hanging out together. Maybe I should invest in a pigeon loft. What's wrong with their radar systems? They had better watch out -there will soon be enough of them to make a pie. :-)

3. Steve Green, at Daily Referendum, is annoyed at the sniping at David Cameron, of which I am one of the main exponents, wanting the Tories to have some sort of chance at the next election:

One of the main criticisms aimed a David Cameron is that he does not appeal to the common man. Well let's dissolve this myth once and for all: I'm the common man, I'm a life long Labour supporter from Barnsley S.Yorks. I'm working class and was raised by a single parent. I'm in my thirties, I'm married with three kids and I'm an home owner. I earn around about the average wage - a little more with overtime. But I don't see a toff when David Cameron speaks at the dispatch box, I see a man with a professional air and a vehement desire to see this country back on the right track.

4. Tony Sharp agrees with Steve about the sort of terrible thing I'm saying:

These critics are mainly people who are very focused on one or two specific issues they care passionately about. That is great. People should be energised by issues. But they seem incapable of seeing the big picture and realising that an opposition party leader has to have a starting position on a wide range of issues that are interconnected and realistic and from where change can be implemented.

5. The LibDem Norfolk Blogger, Nich Starling, has it in for people who abuse NHS staff. I have to take issue with Nich - I'd fine or incarcerate them:

The Norman Lamb, the Lib Dems health spokesman, has suggested that abusive drunks should be charged for their NHS treatment. Yes, I would go even further and given the NHS the right to charge for treatment and even remove treatment from those people who are violent, racist or verbally abusive to NHS staff who are performing their duties. Nurses, cleaners, porters and doctors deserve more protection.

6. Now the idea of this Focus was for me to disagree with the bloggers but I've scoured this post by the Phoenix-like Morningstar and I'll be damned if I can find anythng to disagree with:

For every statesman like statement you make showing how valuable it is to be in the EU, I can find one to push every little Englander button an Englishman has. I’ll just start by showing how much it costs to be in the EU through taxes and how little that buys us, then I’ll move on to every ridiculous law that has been passed down by people we didn’t elect, then I’ll head on to the EU accounts that haven’t been signed off for years because of the endemic fraud and how much that costs this country a year.

7. Now I have to take issue with Heraklites over ontology:

However, all the above points are somewhat incidental to the issue typically at stake when the Thatcher quote is discussed. Reactions to it are more often concerned with a different matter altogether: that of whether ontological or moral priority should be given to the individual over the social group. In other words, the argument is really about the conflict between political individualism and communitarianism.

And my metaphysical issue with Heraklites? That this superb blogger has not posted since September 3rd and therefore he isn't.

8. L'Ombre de l"Olivier is forever on about olives and anyway, why can't I visit his fabulous archives if I want to?

A little tree I found on the Ile de Porquerolles today [see below right]. What I find interesting is that such a little tree - it was no more than 5 foot/1.5 m high - has quite a lot of olives on it. Interestingly many of the "grown up" trees around it were distinctly lacking in olives. As always, you can click on the image to see it larger and you are invited to visit the olive tree blogging archives if you're a new reader.

Waiting for Beaman to post something super-duper so I can include him but until then, see you Wednesday for our North American friends. Cheers.

UPDATE: Check the Battle of Britain post below.