Once again it's time to say, "Au revoir."

Yes it's that time again folks, the past three weeks seem to have flown by, but I have enjoyed the company of my family, as well as your good selves.
I love to see the smile of recognition on my grandson's face as he realizes who has come to see him again.
I have enjoyed introducing him to real steam trains this leave, something I hope we will both explore further next time I'm home.
This leave I learnt I have another grandson to look forward to this coming August, I'm sure he'll bring his own brand of happiness into our little family.
Whilst I'm going to miss much of the run up to the General Election I have my official poll card right here on my desk ready to use the first morning I am home. Hopefully Mrs. Balls will be having her own Portillo moment to go with that of Blinkys'.
Now that would be worth celebrating!
So I hope you have enjoyed our little journey together these past three weeks, I look forward to welcoming you back soon and until then - May your gods smile upon you.
Au revoir.

Last day.

Well it is my last day at home and seeing as it is such a nice day outside I'm going to make the most of it.
So blogging will be a bit light for the rest of the day, I hope where ever you are you will be able to enjoy today as well.

Way Left Worst.

Yesterday we had the launch of NuLabor's manifesto (remember these are aspirations not commitments) with a cover more reminiscent of some USSR propaganda poster.
The general impression NuLabor are trying to give us is of a wonderful future if they are returned for a fourth term. However you wonder if the family in the picture had looked behind them what sort of landscape would they be escaping from?
Not a pretty sight is it?
Littered with broken promises and dashed hopes, freedoms stolen away from us, the scandal of MPs expenses, democracy devalued, the graves of those who died in NuLabor's wars; and of course the two D words we dare not mention - Debt and Deficit.
Yes NuLabor are very reticent to talk about their past, all their achievements over the previous thirteen years, the hope of 1997 that has turned into the despair of 2010.
It all reminds me of the Fawlty Towers episode with the German guests, where Basil does his best not to mention the war, but ends up completely flipping.
Unfortunately we are not starring in one of the Beeb's more successful comedy series, although one does wonder at times where OGUL thinks he is; instead we are all actors in real life with the past playing a very taxing part in our futures.
When we put NuLabor's successes and failures in our scales of fairness I think any sane person will admit the failures far outweigh the successes. So I'm afraid to say I don't see a NuLabor government in my future.

ps
One of the things I loved about the opening shots of Fawlty Towers was the rearranging of the letters on the name board. Using this anagram maker and Fawlty Towers I came up the title for this post

You couldn't make it up!

Whilst jailhouselawyer has posted on the three former NuLabor MPs, David Chaytor, Elliot Morley and Jim Devine, charged with fraud managing to get Legal Aid. I thought I would throw my tuppence worth in as well.
To me this is like extracting the urine from us all, having robbed us blind they now want us to fork out for their legal expenses as well!
I notice that Lord Hanningfield, the only Tory politician charged in the expenses scandal, has had the good sense not to apply for Legal Aid. I suppose that is the difference between a "Tory toff" and NuLabor scum.
I do also wonder if the Strawman did not have a finger in them ending up in Southwark Crown Court, one of the few CCs not operating the means test to Legal Aid yet?
Finally the Conservatives were hoping to report NuLabor former Transport Minister Sadiq Khan to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards over misuse of HoC's mail in his election campaign. Now Paul Waugh is reporting the Commissioner turned them down because Parliament was already dissolved!
You just couldn't make it up!

I'm off out to get a cuppa.

The Beeb reports that we will be able to buy NAAFI tea in Spar shops and support Help For Heroes at the same time.
I'll drink to that!
Brings back memories of being out on exercise and the NAAFI van turning up with a very welcoming brew at all hours of the day/night.
Right I'm off out to our local Spar.

ps
I'm sure it used to be "NAAFI" and not Naafi as the Beeb puts it?

Spin, Smear & Smokescreens - Good old NuLabor!

With reports that the Prince of Shirt-Lifters is going to run NuLabor's "spin room" during and after the leader's TV debate, I wonder if Messrs. Campbell, Draper, McBride and Whelan will be assisting him?
So is Mr. Cameron going to have to face the "forces of hell" now during the rest of this campaign?
Although usually OGUL only unleashes them against his own kind when they step out of line. However OGUL's desperation to hang onto the keys to No. 10 are making this a very dirty campaign already.
If Mandy wants some inspiration on smearing he needs look no further than South Africa, where the police are now suggesting a homosexual link in the murder of Eugene Terreblanche. Where it was very helpful of the South African police to let us know Mr. Terreblance was found with his trousers pulled down.
For smokescreens Mandy should ask the editors of the Scottish media for advice seeing they are doing such a good job with the Purcell saga north of the border.

Get that warrant ready.

Yesterday I remarked upon an idea by Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens to arrest the Pope when he comes here.
Reading Libby Purves piece over in this morning's TimesOnLine it strikes me that, whilst Mr. Dawkins and Mr. Hitchens are doing it for reasons I don't fully agree with, dramatic it maybe but it might be the saving action for a failing and morally corrupt leadership in the Roman Catholic religion.
If this boil on the soul of the Roman Catholic church is not lanced soon it's continued existence threatens the very core of this faith.

Things could get interesting north of the border?

Things could indeed begin to get interesting with reports that the police are looking into some of the dealings of Glasgow council.
Admittedly any police investigation is unlikely to be completed in time to affect the outcome of the GE, nor have they centred upon the activities in office of chemical dependent Mr. Purcell, but it's a step in the right direction.
Now if only the Scottish media would get off their backsides to do a bit of investigative journalism, instead of merely adding to the smokescreen thrown up over Mr. Purcell and his shady dealings, we might see some truth north of the border.

Cancer - A NuLabor low?

I was just about to go out with my grandson when I caught firstly dizzy's post, then Mrs. Dale's post, on the latest NuLabor campaign tactic of targeting cancer suffers with postcards that give a subliminal message that their treatment will be worse under a Conservative government.
I have always viewed NuLabor as slime that escaped from the sewers but this is a new low even for them.
However, as Mrs. Dale points out, this also raises the question of NuLabor using governmental advantage/contacts for political ends.
I wonder if Damian Bentley, managing director of Tangent the company that sent these postcards out, is actually Damian McBride?

Sunday round-up.

Well I hope you enjoyed the same sort of summery weather we had yesterday where ever you were. I was stood in my kitchen last night just after dusk thinking a nice thunder storm would have rounded the day off nicely!
The fine weather allowed my grandson and I to ramble over some of the old colliery workings around here that have been returned to nature. Amazing to see the size some of them occupied. Today my grandson and I are off for a little steam engine trip near to here.
Whilst I am not a fan of Manchester City FC, the ball is the wrong shape for starters, I was intrigued to learn they once had a former German Luftwaffe paratrooper and holder of the Iron Cross. With the Observer this morning telling the tale of Bert Trautmann, who went on to play the last part of a Cup Final with a broken neck!
Once again OGUL shows his mean petty, political side by blocking attempts to get Sir Richard Dannatt, the former head of the Army, a peerage. Yet we will probably have to put up with Lord Melton of Mowbray, Two Pies Prescott, because of the vanity of his wife.
Although I suppose the peerage system was really disgraced when Mandy was elevated (?) to the HoLs by OGUL.
Talking of NuLabor criminals, I do wish Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens would look at arresting some of the NuLabor war criminals who are walking about free in their own backyards than having a go at the Pope.
Continuing the disgraceful NuLabor behaviour theme, I did try to leave a jocular comment on Tom Harris's blog in his post about the twittergate affair, along the lines of that it was a good thing Steve Purcell had not been on twitter. It seems Mr. Harris does not share the same sense of humour as I do!
I also wonder if Mr. Harris attended the NuLabor fund raising bash that convicted gangland boss Lewis (Scooby) Rodden was at?
Being involved in maritime security I sometimes shake my head at the things journalists give away when writing an article. Following on the IoS's piece on Blue CRM's mobile phone tracking software, hostage takers will be wary of any mobiles they encounter, but will also know now to take the battery out of any of them straight away.
So NuLabor is promising "no big new spending" in it's manifesto due to be launched on Monday. Coming from the party that has maxed out the country's credit cards, burdened my grandson with debt he will still be paying for when he reaches working age; it's a bit like Tony Wots His Name saying he will give away all his wealth to become a monk - unbelievable!
Finally, here at Barnacle Towers the flag is at half mast as a mark of respect for the loss the Polish nation suffered yesterday.

Which World Cup will South Africa win?

Even as Eugene Terreblanche was buried there were other rumbles coming from the ground, this time from the other side of the divide that once typified South African society.
Having lived and worked in South Africa for a number of years I witnessed the hope brought about by Mandela wane as Thabo Mbeki took the reigns. In fact it was the start of Mbeki's presidency that decided me my future did not lay in that country.
So it is with sadness I have witnessed the problems mounting in that fair country. One would have hoped Mr. Terreblanche's death might have ended extremism, but now it looks like the pendulum is about to swing to the other extreme.
So will South Africa triumph in the football World Cup only to join Zimbabwe as joint leaders in the failed countries World Cup?

Hang the parliament?

Well I have my granddad head on today so I might be a bit pre-occupied on the blogging front today and another lovely day it seems outside sat here with the windows open already.
I wonder if Marina Hyde has really thought her call for a hung parliament through over on the Guardian this morning?
Earlier before the GE campaign kicked off properly I might have agreed with her, hoping the Lib/Dems might be relied upon to act as a balancing power, now they seem more like the Silly Little Boys Party.
So who to vote for?
Well I think it is going to be a case of none of the above, if you have a real local independent candidate pile your votes on them; then we may end up with a proper hung parliament.
Otherwise it might be a good idea to take a pin into the polling booth with you.

Some Friday thoughts ...

I had an enjoyable day out yesterday even managing to get back to enjoy a fish supper with my grandson and youngest daughter, which made a pleasant end to the day.
On my return yesterday waiting on the mat was my "Vote OGUL out of office" card, or at least I will hopefully be party to the downfall of Mrs. Balls, Perhaps we will see a Mr. & Mrs. Portillo moment up here!
Moving a bit to the west of here, we find the MPs expenses' claims is the gift that seems to go on giving, with reports that NuLabor MP and Transport Minister Sadiq Khan is under investigation for fraud by the Met.
I think we will see the "race" card being played here.
Finally for now, spare a thought for poor Troy the Tawny owl who appears to be sacred of heights!

To sum it all up ...

Michael Settle has a cracking comment piece in yesterday's Herald summing up the last parliament we have had to endure, rather than link to it, or cherry pick it I shall quote it in full for you -

As the last light was switched off on the final sitting day at Westminster, few people, other than scandal-hungry journalists, will look back on the “rotten parliament” with any affection.

Certainly, those miserable politicians now facing trial for their allegedly egregious behaviour over expenses will, if found guilty, become the symbols of a five-year term marred by controversy, odium and disgrace.

While the expenses imbroglio overshadowed everything, it should not be forgotten that this passing parliament was marked by other screaming headlines.

It began with the “cash for honours” row, with claims that laws banning the sale of honours had been broken by political parties giving peerages in return for donations and loans.

Tony Blair became the first premier to be interviewed by Scotland Yard while his white-haired fund-raiser, Lord Levy, became a regular feature on our TV screens. However, after a 16-month probe no-one was charged.

The proxy donor scandal resulted in Labour ultimately losing its General Secretary Peter Watt.

There were also sex scandals. Mark Oaten, the Liberal Democrat who once challenged for his party’s leadership, quit frontline politics after revelations of an affair with a 23-year-old male prostitute.

Even more eyebrow-raising was John Prescott, the then Deputy Prime Minister, being exposed as having had a two-year fling with his secretary.

More recently, Northern Irish politics was rocked at a critical moment when 60-year-old MP Iris Robinson admitted an affair with a 19-year-old.

The Conservatives received their fair share of bad headlines, most notably “yachtgate”, when shadow chancellor George Osborne faced claims he solicited donations from a Russian oligarch.

More recently, the Tory leadership had to face a barrage of criticism after it finally emerged benefactor Lord Ashcroft was a “non dom”.

Even the normally holier-than-thou Liberal Democrats became embroiled in a row over taking £2.4m from convicted Scottish fraudster Michael Brown, who is still on the run from Her Majesty’s Constabulary.

The great expenses scandal was foreshadowed by Tory backbencher Derek Conway employing his son in his Commons office, seeming to do nothing at all.

Then the biggest stench of all emerged with the MPs’ expenses scandal.

After the process of revelation had been blocked by Michael Martin, who ultimately lost his Speakership over it, a leak to a newspaper finally lifted the lid on the worst outrage to hit Westminster for a generation.

Day after day, revelations showed how honourable members had used taxpayers’ money to feather their nests from duck houses to moat clearances, mock tudor beams to Hobnob biscuits. The term “flipping” was suddenly on everyone’s tongues.

Apart from the police investigation, the scandal has led to an audit, with MPs having to pay money back, reform with a new independent authority, and the exit of several MPs. Of the 150 or so members leaving Westminster, many were directly caught up in the controversy.

While more damage to the political class was not needed, this parliament’s capacity to shock and anger continued with “lobbygate” in the Lords and more recently ex-Transport Secretary Stephen Byers being caught on film offering himself up as “a cab for hire”. Now both leading parties are promising even more stable-cleaning reforms, including voters having the ability to sack their MPs during a parliament.

With such a catalogue of scandal having unfolded over the last five years at Westminster, the famous words of Oliver Cromwell to the Rump Parliament in 1653 seem appropriate to recall: “Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation ... in the name of God, go.”

The old uniform cap is doffed to you Mr. Settle - thank you.

Oh what a lovely day!

Well it's a lovely start to the day outside oop north I hope you are enjoying the same where ever you are.
Blogging will be a bit light for the early part of the day here, I am off to look at a steam engine, I have a little project in mind which I am just starting on. It is one of this class, two of which I looked at on Tuesday, with another on the cards for Sunday/Monday viewing.
Next leave I think I will have to venture north of the border to seek out another one. I wonder how much things will have changed up there after the general election?
Anyway it's time to go, so enjoy your day as well.

Wednesday morning round up.

Amazing you just nip out for the day and some one-eyed moron down south calls a general election!
Yesterday I think was enjoyed more by my grandson and myself than my eldest daughter but she kept a smile on her face. We saw a couple of the 0-6-0 Austerities that used to be employed in this area in their NCB days but unfortunately not in steam, so we had to enjoy another Hunslet engine that was in steam, Darfield No. 1.
I think this morning we will try to have a politics free round up, instead the flag at Barnacle Towers is put at half mast in respect for those who have fallen in the line of duty.
Firstly, in recognition of the bravery of our fire service, which this morning is mourning the loss of two of it's members down in Southampton.
Next we salute those miners killed in West Virginia, victims as much of "Big Business", as they were of the blast that killed them.
Finally to lighten the mood, it's a bit embarrassing when Dutch Marines show us how it is done, but they are getting a salute from me this morning!

Day out today.

Blogging will be light today as my eldest daughter is taking my grandson and myself on a magical mystery picnic tour today.
Although I have been reliably informed by my youngest daughter, who is not accompanying us, that we will be ending up here - I hope so!
Anyway I hope you all have an enjoyable day today where ever you might be.

"Shouldn't have taken his kids to war ..."

That was the comment made by an American Apache helicopter pilot to his colleague after learning that an Iraqi ambulance they had shot up also contained two children.
Last night I watched about fifteen Iraqis murdered by American forces in Baghdad in 2007, amongst that number were two Reuters employees, amazingly the children were only injured.
I urge you to go and watch what I saw last night, it is both awesome and frightening, the worse part for me was how much the Americans wanted to shoot a wounded man.

Easter Monday round up.

Well I hope you are all out enjoying the Easter Bank Holiday break, as for myself I'm afraid I am suffering this morning from Low Flyer poisoning; a friend turned up with a bottle of the stuff last night which we managed to demolish in one sitting!
Anyway I have just managed to get a traditional English breakfast down me with-out burning the toast either.
I suppose TWHN had to settle for Wotton Underwoood as he would not have been too welcome in Wootton Bassett.
I think if NuLabor MP Shahid Malik had been tried in the Court of Public Opinion he would not have got off so lightly as he did with Parliamentary Standards Commissioner John Lyon.
As for his statement -
" ... the ruling was the end of a 12-month nightmare"
Hopefully our thirteen year nightmare under NuLabor will be coming to an end shortly too.
Meanwhile north of the border Mr. Purcell might be having a different kind of visit from the Old Bill than his previous softly softly meeting he enjoyed with Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency officers whilst in office.
Finally, I was one of those who supposed Finland's contribution to the world was confined to wood and Nokia phones, it appears I was wrong.
I hope you enjoy the rst of your day off.

Does the stench from north of the border reach into No. 10?

Despite Glasgow council voting not to inquire into the mysterious disappearance of it's alcohol and chemical dependent leader Stephen Purcell the story appears to be gathering momentum.
It now seems that No. 10 were in the loop regarding concerns about Mr. Purcell and his booze and drugs problems. Especially as both OGUL and Mr. Purcell were together at a Labour fund raising bash on February 25th this year.
Although it is suggested that No. 10 knew back in 2008 of concerns over Mr. Purcell. Shame that the MSM south of the border are not pursuing this story with a bit more vigour.
It would be very ironic for the Fifeshire Feartie if another thing that started in Scotland were to blow up in his face during the run up to the General Election.
Now try to blame that one on the Yanks OGUL!

Gay bashing? No common sense for once!

The Observer this morning is screaming about comments made by Chris Grayling, the Shadow Home Secretary, that people who run B&Bs in their own private homes should have the right to refuse "gay" couples entry.
He has not said hotels should be allowed to discriminate, only people who use their own homes.
Now just sit down, take a depth breath and re-read the above statements.
Quite frankly if I were the Tories I would come out fighting over this, it is giving back to people the right to decide what they do in their own personal lives; not the NuLabor interfering with every aspect of our rights we have had to endure up these bunch of morally corrupt troughers.
So come on that too nice Mr. Cameron throw this one back in NuLabor's putrid face.

Update
Well Mrs. Dale promptly went and got her/his knickers in a twist over this one.
One of his commentators (Timothy) puts it better than I can -
"As a B&B owner who happily accepts gays, I agree it is unwise of Grayling to say what he thinks, but I would defend to the end the right of B&B owners to decide who they should admit into their home.
At issue is the definition of a B&B as opposed not only to a hotel, but also to a guest house. The latter are businesses the primary purpose of which is to provide accommodation with food. On the other hand a B&B is a essentially a home first and a business second. People come to us to experience our hospitality based on our particular concepts of running a home. Good food and accommodation is secondary, for it is almost taken for granted.
Within every good home, there have to be rules, mostly unspoken, based on the values of the owners. There is no absolutely right way to run a home, but Government should never interfere with our right to run it as we wish.
Iain is confusing Conservative libertarian values with prejudice. We like and respect many gays but we have had enough of the nanny state, thank you Iain."
I still believe this is an issue Cameron could throw back in OGUL's face.

Has the Prince of Shirt-Lifters lost it?

I only ask as after his tirade against those business leaders that signed the Daily Tee's letter against future rises in NI. We now have Mandy making outlandish statements about what Bob Diamond, head of Barclays Bank investment arm, might or might not have earned.
To me this sounds as if the Prince of Shirt-Lifters is getting desperate, but it is rich coming from someone who has twice had to resign from government over his wrong doings.
False declaration on yours' or mine mortgage application would have had us up in front of the beak pronto. Not shipped off to a nice choosy position with the EU, nor coming back to work in the UK with a peerage thrown in.
People should remember that Mandy is a known liar, in fact any interview with him should be prefaced with the warning -
"And now we shall hear from disgraced former Cabinet member ..."
Whereas I am not aware of any such history in Mr. Diamond's life, I know if I was running a company I would rather welcome Mr. Diamond as a future employee, than the dishonest former Cabinet member Mandy.

It's a right bourach north of the border.

I have my grandson with me this morning so blogging might be a bit intermittent. Anyway we have both had some porridge for our breakfast, which led me to have a peak at the Scottish papers.
As the The Herald says of the whole Stephen Purcell affair, it's a right bourach. The stench is further increased with the revelation that Glasgow is unique in being the only council north of the border to pay councillors for sitting on it's arm's length organizations.
I wonder if any council south of the border engages in such actions?
The reason why I keep this story going on my blog, is because any of you who might be tempted to vote for NuLabor should just pause, look north of the border and you will see what the UK would be like after another five years of NuLabor/Scottish Mafia governance.

ps
Bourach - Gaelic - utter, hideous mess.

Something still smells rotten north of the border.

If it was not so serious then it could have been treated as another April Fools Day joke, but the decision of Labour dominated Glasgow Council that there is no need for an investigation into it's former leader Steven Purcell's sudden departure smells.
Once again the Beeb displays it's NuLabor bias with it's statement -
"Former Labour councillor Mr Purcell, 37, stood down last month citing stress and exhaustion."
From where I was standing it looked more like Mr. Purcell fled the scene of his supposed crimes rather rapidly. In fact so quickly did he leave there were concerns he might have come to some harm. The sort of harm that befalls someone when they go for a walk in the woods.
Once again I ask the question if we would have seen the same silence if Boris Johnson had been in Mr. Purcell's shoes down in the smoke?

ps
At least someone is prepared to get the air freshener out.

NuLabor's University places con.

This week I have been in one of our colleges of higher education, I wont call it a "university", as that would be an insult to those institutions worthy of the name before NuLabor came to power.
Looking at the courses on offer, talking to many of the students in the refractory during our brief breaks, I began musing on what I see as the more seedy side of NuLabor's university places con.
Tony Wots His Name came to power partly on his pledge of "Education, Education, Education", pandering to the Middle Classes vote he needed to get into No. 10. Also it was a carrot to dangle in front of Working Class families who really wanted to improve their offsprings chances later in life.
This was also helped by the financial bubble his colleague next door in No. 11 was starting to engineering.
None of those accepting this largesse from NuLabor questioned their good fortune. Not realizing that there was also a hidden agenda NuLabor was working to, to damage the very fabric of our nation's soul.
Whilst those Middle Class and Working Class students were beavering away on their not-fit-for-purpose degrees, the very places they should have been filling in the work place needed to be filled to keep NuLabor's bubble expanding.
Here's where NuLabor's secret agenda came into play, filling those places with immigrants, who in return for NuLabor's supposed generosity, would turn into potential NuLabor supporters.
Unfortunately, despite his boasts to the contrary, OGUL never did abolish "Boom & Bust" with the damage this has done to this country never to be repaired when his financial mismanagement brought us to where we are now.

Suspected war criminal arrested in Gloucester.

When I saw the title of this report on the Beeb I wondered which NuLabor war criminal had been arrested down in Gloucester?
However I need not have started to get my hopes up, as upon reading further it turns out it is only a foreign minion, not one of our own home bred NuLabor war criminals still on the loose.
Let us hope that after the general election we may see other countries seeking the extradition of our very own recently unemployed NuLabor war criminals.

Another NuLabor dodgy dossier?

Whilst I do believe that the head of any organization should take the ultimate responsibility for the actions and failings of their organization; it should be on fair and unbiased grounds that any judgement is made.
Which is why I was always a bit concerned/unhappy about the Ofsted report into Baby P's death and Haringey social services department.
Especially as one of the major players in this whole seedy affair has previous form in the black arts of political underhandedness, Blinky. I should add I have no sympathy for Ms Shoesmith, by her own actions or lack of them, she does not deserve any compassion from me.
So is this about to blow up in Blinky's face just as the GE is called? I sincerely hope so, it couldn't happen to a nicer person!

The para-medic is home.

I got home last night from my para-medical care course, so I can now deal with traumatic amputations, do suturing, get an IV up & running etc ...
I see that CPR is now 30 compressions to 2 breaths, except for drowning where you are supposed to do five "rescue" breaths, every time I go on one of these courses it changes!
Apologies for not getting much blogging done, but they were trying to cram a five day course into four, consequently we were working till late each day; plus we had homework and a presentation to do!
Coming home on the motorway I ended up switching Radio Four off, it is getting so blatantly NuLabor to be sickening, plus their interviewing techniques are very unprofessional.
Already booked in for baby sitting duties tonight with the threat of tomorrow night as well!
Right let's have a look at the news.