[blogfocus saturday] settle back for a good read

Something Shani found whilst clearing out the house

The theme of this Blogfocus will become more than apparent as we go along.

I particularly regret that I wasn't able to put in the cult blogger Sicily Scene this time round. Welshcakes is pretty well a must read now for everybody in the know. Alas, I must also hold Ellee Seymour for the present. Ellee is arguably the most widely read woman blogger in the UK but I'd like to see the stats on that. and I really wanted to run Dymphna, of Gates of Vienna. Alas. That said, on with the JJ Cale and let's go, anyway:

1 Check Sempiternal Horizons if you haven't already done so. Shani has some issues which you'd know of if you've been reading her blog but this is more tongue-in-cheek:

It is official – evolution is to blame for my untidy house, and I have no control or say in the matter.

According to the Psychologies Magazine it is because when cave woman was waiting for the hunter gatherer to come back with their evening take away, ergo the food supplies were unpredictable (especially on a Monday or Friday when the favourite take-away is closed), cave woman needed to “conserve energy for the important actions that won the most reward.” (in my case either blogging, checking vitally important emails or getting a head start on the wine !!).

So I am not a lazy, slovenly, prevaricating so and so after all !! and it must be right because a psychologist said so, and they are never wrong – are they?

2 The Political Beachgirl is quite concerned about border security:

Readers, keep in mind please that securing our borders, dramatically decreasing the invasion of our nation by Mexican nationals will leave the terrorists from the Middle East and other Islamic realms more alone on their treks through our Southern regions.

If our government is serious about this "War on Terror" then closing our borders, sending foreign nationals home would be a good start to renewing our faith in our failing government or if not failing, devoid of interest in our plight and the plight of our once-peaceful cities and once secure city resources.

3 Celia Green is reflecting on belief in 'society':

It is clear that before any change in human psychology, either individual or collective, could take place, it would be necessary for the belief in the meaningfulness of human society to be abandoned.

It is true that this is only one of the attitudes which is invalidated by the perception of total uncertainty: but psychologically it is the lynchpin of the whole affair. If you never believe that human society, or collective opinion, can confer any meaningfulness upon your actions or attitudes, you can never develop the human psychosis in a permanent form.

4 Three for the price of one this evening from Bel. Couldn't resist the chance:

Morag considers armed forces recruitment ads and wonders if perhaps the true nature of what the forces are about has been badly downplayed. Also some analysis of the MoD’s thinking. A very interesting and thought-provoking post.

EU Referendum calls for a properly constituted Board of Inquiry into how they were taken hostage in the first place. Richard North makes the valid point that the Conservatives should be demanding a proper inquiry instead of making feeble noises about ‘lessons learnt’. Well said.

Calum Carr contrasts two recent MoD actions:

* the reluctance to provide information to the inquest into the ‘friendly-fire’ killing of Lance Corporal Matty Hull; and

* the decision to allow the captives to ‘tell all’ in response for payment.

5 A lady who accompanies her rambles over the length and breadth of Britain and her posts on these rambles with fabulous photos is Sallyinnorfolk and one is just itching to go on the next ramble with her:

We had fabulous weather which gave us the chance to get in three days of excellent walking .

I carried a full Ruc-sac on all three walks which was good training for when I go to Corsica, glad to say I found my Ruc-sac comfortable and easy to carry.

I was surprised at how much extra weight the water added and I was also surprised to see how much I drank. That could have been due to how much I sweated going up those hills :-)

My boots seemed to work well my heel carried on healing even with all the walking, I did still get a few hot spots,but I think my skin just needs to harden in these places.

6 Dr. Michelle Tempest has a thought for the day plus a sting in the tail:

Thought of the week has to be dedicated to NHS staff, who continue to suffer from the unresolved problems regarding doctor specialist training and the lowest level of morale ever reported since the NHS began. Patricia Hewitt is coming under increasing pressure to U-turn over her decision to ‘full steam ahead’ with modernising medical careers. Perhaps it’s worth remembering that to steer any ship the captain must be an inspirational leader, and has to be able to harness the power of other people.

7 Heather Yaxley, at Greenbananas asks about the green credentials of Ryanair:

I appreciate that Michael O’Leary is skilled at grabbing the headlines and shows little consideration for socially responsible matters such as the environment, but Ryanair boss plans £6 transatlantic flights is a classic.

An interview in Flight International discusses plans to set up a separate business to offer low-cost flights across the Atlantic to secondary airports. No mention of the environmental impact - but then the company’s website shows its focus on emissions is entirely based around a strategy of buying new aircraft and statements like:

A Boeing 737-800 ‘next generation’ aircraft with a 70% load factor uses LESS fuel per passenger kilometre than a car with just one occupant.

8 Thought I'd wind up with a powerful blogger, the Wife in the North, who is now a cult must-read for the UK blogosphere and beyond. If you haven't checked her out yet, then you've been missing a treat and I suspect Ruthie Zaftig might have something to say about this post:

I had efficiently found my mobile phone, charged it and set the alarm on it. What I did not do was check the clock on my phone was set at the right time. It was not; it was set an hour late. Yesterday, I had to make a whizz-bang, pop pop journey down to London.

I only just made it out of the house by 6.15am for a sevenish train. Just in time for the children to wake up and cry. Real tears, that Mummy was going to London. Do they suspect I may not come back? I did not leave them alone. My husband might have been missing in action but I do have help with the children. I have enough moments where I come suspiciously close to lunacy; if I did not have help, there would be nothing suspicious about it. I would be bang to rights bonkers.

I have tried doing without help; frankly, I wanted to kill myself. I have nothing but admiration for women who cope on their own at all times. I could not even pretend that is me.

That's it until Tuesday. Bye for now.

[testimonial] found under a rock

Regulars would know I haven't got round to running testimonials on this blog yet but now I've been spurred into action by a particularly fine specimen, via Shuggy's blog, from an erudite and intellectual gentleman named "Will" who's a little upset with your humble correspondent:

The Higham fellow is a pathetic, sick individual. The use of 'marxist' as a 'boo' word is the mark of Cain. He embodies every bit of superstitious belief, ritual, taboo, violence, viciousness, exploitation, and ignorance of any creed known to man. Which (if we are being honest) shows all, and every historical connection with fascism. What an ignorant philistine he is. Imprecate vocabulary always is. F---wit.

With a tear in my eye, I confess myself touched by this fine piece of prose. I plead guilty to taking the name 'Marxist' in vain, may Karl forgive me. A fine commenter named Recusant obviously forgave me, as he came to my aid with:

Having said which Will, in your thoughtful and gentle tones, isn't it time for you to take your pills? And of course equating any person or argument with fascism is always a winner. Pot. Kettle.

To which the inimitable Urban Revolutionary replied with:

You should consider this Shuggy. Your blog attracts the most repellent reactionary scum at times. A bit like HP Sauce really. Time to reconsider your Burkean standpoint?

... continuing the Marxist tradition of turning on their friends. Russia, in particular has much to thank Karl for. Not.

Hope to include more Urban Jungle Classics from said Will at some later date. But thanks for the testimonial, Tovarish.

[gumbies] the new generation

[old poll down] new poll up

Old Poll

The direst threat we face is:

Police state 31%

Climate change 2%

Earth destruction 0%

Consumer debt 2%

Social breakdown 12%

State of education 7%

Warmongers 7%

Leisure time loss 2%

Bad sex 5%

Idiots 12%

Other 19%

42 votes total

Of course, silly me, I forgot to put 'Global terrorism' on the list and this skewed the results somewhat but I asked people to vote 'Other' if they went for global terrorism. So this is therefore a significant result, the 19%.

Comments

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Posted by Jeremy Jacobs on April 11, 2007

I presume the EU is the police state.

Bad education really ought to worry us. The dumbing down of education in this country is appauling

Post a reply

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Posted by Lord Nazh on April 11, 2007

Are you including terrorist/islamic extremists in the warmongers category?

If not, why isn't that a choice?

Post a reply

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Posted by Dave Petterson on April 11, 2007

My two are Social breakdown and Police State. I think they are linked.

New Poll

Do you think the progressive removal of citizen's freedoms is:

# governmental agenda

# just to counter terrorism

# not happening at all

# a lizard plan to invade earth

By the way, I've started a Dave Petterson fan club.

[europe] surreptitious criminalization of the citizenry

There are things this blogger strongly resents and one of them is the criminalization of the average person, the average citizen. Tom Paine referred to this in his guest post here about the EU:

The British Government, despite originally opposing the idea, now plans to go along with it - at least when the Commission criminalises things that Labour might criminalise itself, had it the time. New Labour has criminalised more than 3000 activities since it came to power - an average of more than 1 new crime a day. I guess the Government feels it needs help to achieve its apparent goal of putting us all on the wrong side of the criminal law.

Now I see that the estimable Bag has made reference to it:

Just shows how easy it is to become a criminal and once you start flouting the small laws the slightly bigger ones are so much easier to flout as well. The unintended consequence of our current spurt of legislation is we are all criminals.

This was in reaction to Guy Herbert over at Samizdata:

I emerged from Westminster underground station beside the Houses of Parliament wearing a NO2ID button, which almost certainly constituted an unauthorised demonstration contrary to the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2006.

And, before proceeding southwards across the bridge to continue the same criminal conduct in Southwark and Lambeth on the way to where I was going, I took a leaflet from a young woman advertising a hairdresser, smiling and thanking her.

If that is not 'counselling and procuring an offence' against the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (as amended by the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005), given that Westminster City Council has taken the powers granted by the new Schedule 3A to prohibit the distribution of free literature, then I do not know what is.

Perhaps the most savage indictment of the process is the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act which Gavin Ayling quoted excerpts from. Horror!

Section 22 says:

It is necessary on grounds falling within this subsection to obtain communications data if it is necessary-

(a) in the interests of national security;
(b) for the purpose of preventing or detecting crime or of preventing disorder;
(c) in the interests of the economic well-being of the United Kingdom;
(d) in the interests of public safety;
(e) for the purpose of protecting public health;

… and on and on and on. This is what these bstds are doing to us, readers. Blair and his EU masters are working us exactly where they want us for the picking off of.

They can already come and get you for anything. And Perry talks about Russia.

[samizdata] sorry, they got it wrong this time

Summer scene on the Volga

Perry de Havilland is a top blogger, as is Johnathan Pearce and Samizdata rightly takes its place as one of the original and one of the best blogs.

However, occasionally they mess up and I was goaded to respond to Perry's post and to his comment at the Tin Drummer. He originally wrote:

Yet the Kremlin seems to think it can murder its political opponents in London and at home and that is just fine and dandy. Who says Russian politicians do not have a sense of humour, eh?

I replied:

Perry, I have the greatest respect for you and your writing and for Johnathan. However, you're talking through your backside on this thing and jumping on the UK pundits' bandwagon without examining the other side of it.

Berezovsky is a toad who held the country to ransom in the 90s and looked after just himself. Now he's trying to protect his butt. That's all. And which country does not try to hit its traitors? Britain? Give me a break, Perry.

You made a comment over at Tin Drummer which I've just answered. A lady has just left who made the comment that she hopes they get him [Berezovsky]. I do too.

Sorry but that's the general opinion over here, not what the vocal minority and demonstrators purport to be the case.

Come over here and see for yourself.

What I forgot to add was that the people understand what Putin is doing for the country and recent polls seem to support that.

As for the charge that the ballots were rigged, that also is garbage. I walked to the polling station last time and saw people casting ballots in booths the same way we do and then putting them into the ballot boxes with no one showing the least interest in the process.

Of course there are digruntled people over every imaginable issue [are we all enamoured of Tony Blair?] but that's a far cry from wanting a legally elected Putin out and Berezovsky and his criminal mates back in.

And yet Britain harbours and abets this criminal and his cronies. Why?