Tuesday, June 18, 2013
The Labour Councillor and his extra-terrestial friends
Just when politics is getting dull again, somebody comes along to cheer us all up. In this case it is Simon Parkes, a Labour Councillor who represents Stakesby on Whitby Town Council.
Councillor Parkes has fallen out with his wife after he revealed that he had had a child called Zarka with an alien he refers to as the Cat Queen.
According to the Northern Echo the 53-year-old driving instructor said he has sexual relations with the alien about four times a year:
“What will happen is that we will hold hands and I will say ‘I’m ready’ and then the technology I don’t understand will take us up to a craft orbiting the earth," he explained.
“My wife found out about it and was very unhappy, clearly. That caused a few problems, but it is not on a human level, so I don’t see it as wrong.
Councillor Parkes, who also claims his "real mother" is a 9ft green alien with eight fingers, said people only claim he is mad because they have not shared his experiences and that the encounters don't affect his work on behalf of Whitby residents.
“I can understand how you would say that because you have not seen anything yourself and that’s your immediate fallback position, but you come and spend some time with me and follow me around for a day and you will actually walk away shaking your head because you will think actually he’s not mad.
“There are plenty of people in my position who don’t chose to come out and say it because they are terrified it will destroy their careers.”
It is nice to see that the Labour Party remains as inclusive as ever, despite the control-freakery of the Blair/Brown years.
Councillor Parkes has fallen out with his wife after he revealed that he had had a child called Zarka with an alien he refers to as the Cat Queen.
According to the Northern Echo the 53-year-old driving instructor said he has sexual relations with the alien about four times a year:
“What will happen is that we will hold hands and I will say ‘I’m ready’ and then the technology I don’t understand will take us up to a craft orbiting the earth," he explained.
“My wife found out about it and was very unhappy, clearly. That caused a few problems, but it is not on a human level, so I don’t see it as wrong.
Councillor Parkes, who also claims his "real mother" is a 9ft green alien with eight fingers, said people only claim he is mad because they have not shared his experiences and that the encounters don't affect his work on behalf of Whitby residents.
“I can understand how you would say that because you have not seen anything yourself and that’s your immediate fallback position, but you come and spend some time with me and follow me around for a day and you will actually walk away shaking your head because you will think actually he’s not mad.
“There are plenty of people in my position who don’t chose to come out and say it because they are terrified it will destroy their careers.”
It is nice to see that the Labour Party remains as inclusive as ever, despite the control-freakery of the Blair/Brown years.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Rise of the cat navs
It seems that the programme The Secret life of the Cat has sparked a bit of a trend. The Western Mail reports that sales of tracking devices fitted to cats are soaring as owners take advantage of an explosion in gadgetry to keep tabs on their pets:
One device, the G-PAWS GPS data recorder, has seen pre-orders up 350% on last week and it is the fastest selling pet supplies product on Amazon.co.uk.
And the firm Pawtrax says it has sold 600 GPS tracking devices for cats and dogs since setting up three years ago.
Sony Japan has even released a dog harness to which owners who want even more of an idea where their pets have been can attach a high definition action camera.
Clearly the surveillance state extends even to our pets. Despite suspicions concerning the recent disappearance of a collared dove from my garden I am not sure that I really want to know what my cat gets up to when he is out and about.
One device, the G-PAWS GPS data recorder, has seen pre-orders up 350% on last week and it is the fastest selling pet supplies product on Amazon.co.uk.
And the firm Pawtrax says it has sold 600 GPS tracking devices for cats and dogs since setting up three years ago.
Sony Japan has even released a dog harness to which owners who want even more of an idea where their pets have been can attach a high definition action camera.
Clearly the surveillance state extends even to our pets. Despite suspicions concerning the recent disappearance of a collared dove from my garden I am not sure that I really want to know what my cat gets up to when he is out and about.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Some progress on tax, more still needed
The Guardian reports on some progress at the G8 summit on tax evasion but judging by the details there is still much more to be done.
They say that the Prime Minister has secured agreement from Britain's overseas territories and Crown dependencies that they will sign up to a new clampdown on the practice.
The deal involves a series of actions aimed at promoting transparency and exchange of information between tax jurisdictions so that developing countries will now be able to request information about companies registered in British tax havens, such as the British Virgin Islands and Bermuda.
However, this register will not be open to public scrutiny, giving rise to fears that the developing world will only be able to access information from the tax havens if a specific request is made. The paper says that such a situation would be of little help to countries which do not know where cash that could be taxed in their countries is ending up.
It is an important start, let us hope now that Cameron will be able to build on it to achieve yet more progress towards complete transparency.
They say that the Prime Minister has secured agreement from Britain's overseas territories and Crown dependencies that they will sign up to a new clampdown on the practice.
The deal involves a series of actions aimed at promoting transparency and exchange of information between tax jurisdictions so that developing countries will now be able to request information about companies registered in British tax havens, such as the British Virgin Islands and Bermuda.
However, this register will not be open to public scrutiny, giving rise to fears that the developing world will only be able to access information from the tax havens if a specific request is made. The paper says that such a situation would be of little help to countries which do not know where cash that could be taxed in their countries is ending up.
It is an important start, let us hope now that Cameron will be able to build on it to achieve yet more progress towards complete transparency.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Getting down to earth with Ed
If voters feel disconnected with the Labour leadership then one of that party's MPs may know why. Simon Danczuk, the MP for Rochdale thinks it is because Ed Miliband's Shadow Cabinet has no "authentic voices" in it. In other words they are too posh.
According to the Telegraph, Mr. Danczuk believes that that Labour needs politicians like Nigel Farage, the leader of the UK Independence Party, and Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, who are able to communicate with voters:
According to the Telegraph, Mr. Danczuk believes that that Labour needs politicians like Nigel Farage, the leader of the UK Independence Party, and Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, who are able to communicate with voters:
“In time gone by we have had people like David Blunkett, people like Alan
Johnson, people like Alan Milburn, John Reid would be another example, John
Prescott would be another example,” Mr Danczuk told BBC Radio 4’s The World at
One programme.
“Within the party we’ve had people who have that…authentic voice. I don’t
think it’s just about language or accent, though I think they can play a part. I
think it’s also about policy.
“If we think about those politicians that I’ve just mentioned they would have
clearly helped shape the policies of that Labour government in that
down-to-earth real sense of understanding of what’s going on in how people live
their lives. Not least because they themselves have lived difficult lives or
challenging lives… that would have added an authentic dimension to the policies
that the Labour government were putting forward.”
Good luck with that.
Good luck with that.
Friday, June 14, 2013
Welsh Government under fire over housing failure
The failure of the Welsh Labour Government to match the offer to housebuilders available in England has come under fire once more, this time from house builders themselves.
The Daily Post reports that some of North Wales’ biggest house builders have warned they will construct homes in England ahead of those in Wales due to the failure of Ministers to implement market stimulus schemes here:
Construction giant Watkin Jones issued the warning over the failure in Wales to mirror England’s Help to Buy and NewBuy schemes which are credited with reviving the new build market.
The Bangor firm, which employs 250 staff and uses hundreds of sub-contractors, also say the proposed introduction of enhanced planning regulations will drive up build costs and depress the market further.
Managing director Mark Watkin Jones said they were now focusing on opportunities in England which has “implications” for local jobs and the wider economy.
St Asaph based Macbryde Homes also said the lack of first time buyer initiatives would drive builders to look over the border.
Mr Watkin Jones said: "The continuing delays from the Welsh Government in announcing any similar assistance to home buyers is having a continued negative effect on the market in Wales.
"With the planned introduction of enhanced building regulations in Wales adding thousands of pounds to the cost of building each dwelling then this will depress the market even further driving development and economic growth out of Wales.
“It is unfortunate but we are now focusing on opportunities in England ahead of those in Wales, which has implications for our Welsh supply chain, local employment and the wider economy.
“It is difficult to comprehend why WAG are failing to recognise the importance of following the UK government's lead in getting much needed homes built."
Time for the Labour Government to sit up and take notice.
The Daily Post reports that some of North Wales’ biggest house builders have warned they will construct homes in England ahead of those in Wales due to the failure of Ministers to implement market stimulus schemes here:
Construction giant Watkin Jones issued the warning over the failure in Wales to mirror England’s Help to Buy and NewBuy schemes which are credited with reviving the new build market.
The Bangor firm, which employs 250 staff and uses hundreds of sub-contractors, also say the proposed introduction of enhanced planning regulations will drive up build costs and depress the market further.
Managing director Mark Watkin Jones said they were now focusing on opportunities in England which has “implications” for local jobs and the wider economy.
St Asaph based Macbryde Homes also said the lack of first time buyer initiatives would drive builders to look over the border.
Mr Watkin Jones said: "The continuing delays from the Welsh Government in announcing any similar assistance to home buyers is having a continued negative effect on the market in Wales.
"With the planned introduction of enhanced building regulations in Wales adding thousands of pounds to the cost of building each dwelling then this will depress the market even further driving development and economic growth out of Wales.
“It is unfortunate but we are now focusing on opportunities in England ahead of those in Wales, which has implications for our Welsh supply chain, local employment and the wider economy.
“It is difficult to comprehend why WAG are failing to recognise the importance of following the UK government's lead in getting much needed homes built."
Time for the Labour Government to sit up and take notice.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Getting used to coalitions and austerity
In today's Guardian Martin Kettle has a sobering article in which he argues that austerity and coalitions of one kind or another are her to stay for the forseeable future:
The reality of British politics is at the interface between Liam Byrne's infamous "there's no more money" remark in 2010, and the general decline of the major political parties that has been so marked over half a century. In the immediate postwar period almost everyone voted Labour or Conservative. Now no more than two-thirds of voters do. The result is coalitions – either between parties or within them.
The central fact about British politics in 2013 is that we are beginning to get it. The economy is not recovering, but surviving. Politics is taking time to adjust. At present it is like an F1 race permanently led by a safety car. The rebalancing of the economy is talked about and desired on all sides but isn't happening because, short of a command economy for which there is no serious appetite and which would almost certainly fail in its own way, it cannot be legislated. The financial sector still overshadows everything else. And the deficit is too large.
So political parties find themselves, against their will and instincts, all in the same boat. The Tories still hate higher taxes. Labour still hates cutting government programmes. The arguments between the parties are still real. But they are constrained by the single great fact of austerity. And austerity is not going to go away.
He says that the public mood is not really for radical change, although there is a flirtation from time to time and that political parties, with their comfortable visions and urge to do something memorable, are struggling to adapt to it:
The truth is that politics has changed and that the change will last a long time. A week ago the IFS argued, in yet another report, that the failure to balance the budget deficit by 2014-15, as planned in 2010, means that the next parliament may be just as dominated by spending controls and efficiency savings as this one has been. Most of the deficit, after all, is structural, so can't be reduced by growth alone. Difficult decisions about programmes and entitlements are not going to disappear even if sustained growth returns.
Party leaders understand this. David Cameron clearly does. This month's spending review will offer more – a lot more – of the same, and the prospect of large further cuts still to come during the next parliament. It's not where he would like to be, but where he is. But last week's speeches by Ed Miliband and Ed Balls show they get it too in their own way. If there is a Labour government after 2015, it will not only cap the welfare budget – the details are a source of dispute – but will cut departmental spending still further.
This is not a great ideological battle. That dimension is often exaggerated. The difference between a public spending-to-GDP ratio of 40% and one of 50% is a significant one. But beware the narcissism of small differences. The big truth is that any government will spend 40%, not that there is an argument about another 10% between the parties. That said, it is high time the left had a debate about the figure that it prefers. There is certainly a limit below which a decent level of solidarity is not possible. But it is not self-evident that higher is invariably better or sustainable.
Is it pretty? No. Are there alternatives? Certainly. But they have to be consistent with looking reality in the eye. Since many of the problems are shared with other parts of Europe, it makes sense to address them together, not in competition. But looking in the other direction is not a serious option. The figures and the graphs tell stories of opportunity and contain truths that cannot be ignored. Not only will the 2015 election now be an austerity election, but the 2020 election may be one as well. Better get used to it.
A sobering thought fro a rainy Thursday morning.
The reality of British politics is at the interface between Liam Byrne's infamous "there's no more money" remark in 2010, and the general decline of the major political parties that has been so marked over half a century. In the immediate postwar period almost everyone voted Labour or Conservative. Now no more than two-thirds of voters do. The result is coalitions – either between parties or within them.
The central fact about British politics in 2013 is that we are beginning to get it. The economy is not recovering, but surviving. Politics is taking time to adjust. At present it is like an F1 race permanently led by a safety car. The rebalancing of the economy is talked about and desired on all sides but isn't happening because, short of a command economy for which there is no serious appetite and which would almost certainly fail in its own way, it cannot be legislated. The financial sector still overshadows everything else. And the deficit is too large.
So political parties find themselves, against their will and instincts, all in the same boat. The Tories still hate higher taxes. Labour still hates cutting government programmes. The arguments between the parties are still real. But they are constrained by the single great fact of austerity. And austerity is not going to go away.
He says that the public mood is not really for radical change, although there is a flirtation from time to time and that political parties, with their comfortable visions and urge to do something memorable, are struggling to adapt to it:
The truth is that politics has changed and that the change will last a long time. A week ago the IFS argued, in yet another report, that the failure to balance the budget deficit by 2014-15, as planned in 2010, means that the next parliament may be just as dominated by spending controls and efficiency savings as this one has been. Most of the deficit, after all, is structural, so can't be reduced by growth alone. Difficult decisions about programmes and entitlements are not going to disappear even if sustained growth returns.
Party leaders understand this. David Cameron clearly does. This month's spending review will offer more – a lot more – of the same, and the prospect of large further cuts still to come during the next parliament. It's not where he would like to be, but where he is. But last week's speeches by Ed Miliband and Ed Balls show they get it too in their own way. If there is a Labour government after 2015, it will not only cap the welfare budget – the details are a source of dispute – but will cut departmental spending still further.
This is not a great ideological battle. That dimension is often exaggerated. The difference between a public spending-to-GDP ratio of 40% and one of 50% is a significant one. But beware the narcissism of small differences. The big truth is that any government will spend 40%, not that there is an argument about another 10% between the parties. That said, it is high time the left had a debate about the figure that it prefers. There is certainly a limit below which a decent level of solidarity is not possible. But it is not self-evident that higher is invariably better or sustainable.
Is it pretty? No. Are there alternatives? Certainly. But they have to be consistent with looking reality in the eye. Since many of the problems are shared with other parts of Europe, it makes sense to address them together, not in competition. But looking in the other direction is not a serious option. The figures and the graphs tell stories of opportunity and contain truths that cannot be ignored. Not only will the 2015 election now be an austerity election, but the 2020 election may be one as well. Better get used to it.
A sobering thought fro a rainy Thursday morning.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
More on bovine TB
I have long argued that the UK Government's sledgehammer approach to tackling bovine TB in cattle is questionable. They are focussing on one possible carrier of the disease when many other animals can also pass it onto cattle, including farm cats and when all the scientific evidence points to the fact that culling badgers is a short term solution that achieves only small reductions in the incidence of the disease and in fact spreads it beyond the cull area.
That UK Ministers have failed in their duty to introduce comprehensive measures to tackle this disease is illustrated by this article in April's New Scientist, which has only just come to my attention. The effective management of cattle movements and proper disease control measures are crucial in stopping the spread of the bTB, yet no Government within the UK appears to have got that right or to have given it the correct priority.
As the New Scientist reports, these measures must include a recognition that the bacterium that causes tuberculosis in cattle remains alive in the soil for up to four months. Putting uncontaminated cattle into such a field to graze could well cause them to catch the disease. Perhaps the government should use its resources to research this link more thoroughly instead of sending marksmen to hunt down scapegoats.
That UK Ministers have failed in their duty to introduce comprehensive measures to tackle this disease is illustrated by this article in April's New Scientist, which has only just come to my attention. The effective management of cattle movements and proper disease control measures are crucial in stopping the spread of the bTB, yet no Government within the UK appears to have got that right or to have given it the correct priority.
As the New Scientist reports, these measures must include a recognition that the bacterium that causes tuberculosis in cattle remains alive in the soil for up to four months. Putting uncontaminated cattle into such a field to graze could well cause them to catch the disease. Perhaps the government should use its resources to research this link more thoroughly instead of sending marksmen to hunt down scapegoats.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Sleeping on the job
I have heard of people falling asleep whilst at work and even slumping across a computer keyboard but never with the sort of consequences outlined in this article.
The Independent reports on an employment tribunal in Germany, which determuined that a supervisor should not have been sacked for failing to double check a €222,222,222.22 transaction made when a clerk fell asleep with his finger on a keyboard.
A junior clerk started dozing at his desk with his finger resting on the 'number two' key. He had been attempting a transfer of just €64.20 at the time.
Fortunately for the company, the huge deposit was spotted by a third employee later in the day and corrected before any money was actually transferred.
The Independent reports on an employment tribunal in Germany, which determuined that a supervisor should not have been sacked for failing to double check a €222,222,222.22 transaction made when a clerk fell asleep with his finger on a keyboard.
A junior clerk started dozing at his desk with his finger resting on the 'number two' key. He had been attempting a transfer of just €64.20 at the time.
Fortunately for the company, the huge deposit was spotted by a third employee later in the day and corrected before any money was actually transferred.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Labour to target pensioners
One of the turning points in the New Labour days was the decision in 1999 to increase old age pensions by a mere 75p a week the following year at a time when other costs such as Council Tax benefit were soaring at a much higher rate. It is an insult still felt keenly by many pensioners along with the fact that a so-called progressive government failed to relink the state pension to the cost of living.
The Coalition Government has done much better. Thanks to pension minister, Steve Webb and the Liberal Democrats we now have a triple lock guarantee in place. As a result the State pension will rise by the highest of inflation, the rise in earnings or 2.5% each year. That means that in April 2013 the full state pension went up by 2.5%. That is on top of the £5.30 a week rise last April and the £4.50 a week rise in 2010. Pensioners on the full state pension are now £650 a year better off than they were under Labour.
In the face of this, I am astonished that the Shadow Chancellor has now signalled that he plans to take Labour back to the days when they treated pensioners with such contempt by announcing that if he gets back into power he will cap the old age pension. Whatever happened to the Labour Party that used to champion the cause of the old and the poor?
The Coalition Government has done much better. Thanks to pension minister, Steve Webb and the Liberal Democrats we now have a triple lock guarantee in place. As a result the State pension will rise by the highest of inflation, the rise in earnings or 2.5% each year. That means that in April 2013 the full state pension went up by 2.5%. That is on top of the £5.30 a week rise last April and the £4.50 a week rise in 2010. Pensioners on the full state pension are now £650 a year better off than they were under Labour.
In the face of this, I am astonished that the Shadow Chancellor has now signalled that he plans to take Labour back to the days when they treated pensioners with such contempt by announcing that if he gets back into power he will cap the old age pension. Whatever happened to the Labour Party that used to champion the cause of the old and the poor?
Badger Swagger
Sunday, June 09, 2013
Cat on patrol
Having blogged previously about the adventures of Larry, I was fascinated by this account in the Independent about his neighbour and rival, Freya, who lives with George Osborne in No. 11 Downing Street.
The paper says that Freya tends to be prone to disappearing for days at a time. They say that the Chancellor had bought the tabby as a present for his two children in 2009 when the Osbornes were living in Notting Hill, west London. But within a few months she went missing. Three years on and the family had moved to Downing Street, when Mr Osborne’s wife, Frances, got a surprise call telling her that Freya had been found.
Freya had apparently been living as a stray in a garden a few streets away and was being “looked after” by a “neighbour”. It was only after a visit to a vet revealed a microchip beneath her skin bearing Ms Osborne’s phone number that her owners were identified. That was just the start:
She was re-united with the Osbornes but since her arrival in Downing Street her behaviour has aroused suspicion that she might have another kind of chip implanted in her.
Unlike David Cameron’s cat Larry who rarely moves from his favoured spot under a Downing Street hot air vent, Freya is quite a piece of work.
Over the past few months she has been found in the most secure area of the Foreign Office, inside the room in No 10 where the Cabinet meets and trying to seek entry into the Treasury. She was even caught by Mr Osborne inside his red box.
And like any good agent she also likes to spend time in the bar.
On many an evening she can be found in Westminster’s favoured political watering hole, the Red Lion – despite having to cross four lanes of traffic to get there. Apparently at the end of the evening the barmaids regularly have to carry her back home.
She has even made it as far as Trafalgar Square – once being caught back stage at the Trafalgar Studio Theatre nearly half a kilometre away. On one occasion she was spotted in the command centre of a secret “war gaming” exercise involving the Navy.
As the Treasury spokesperson said “She’s a Treasury cat. It’s her job to get everywhere.”
The paper says that Freya tends to be prone to disappearing for days at a time. They say that the Chancellor had bought the tabby as a present for his two children in 2009 when the Osbornes were living in Notting Hill, west London. But within a few months she went missing. Three years on and the family had moved to Downing Street, when Mr Osborne’s wife, Frances, got a surprise call telling her that Freya had been found. Freya had apparently been living as a stray in a garden a few streets away and was being “looked after” by a “neighbour”. It was only after a visit to a vet revealed a microchip beneath her skin bearing Ms Osborne’s phone number that her owners were identified. That was just the start:
She was re-united with the Osbornes but since her arrival in Downing Street her behaviour has aroused suspicion that she might have another kind of chip implanted in her.
Unlike David Cameron’s cat Larry who rarely moves from his favoured spot under a Downing Street hot air vent, Freya is quite a piece of work.
Over the past few months she has been found in the most secure area of the Foreign Office, inside the room in No 10 where the Cabinet meets and trying to seek entry into the Treasury. She was even caught by Mr Osborne inside his red box.
And like any good agent she also likes to spend time in the bar.
On many an evening she can be found in Westminster’s favoured political watering hole, the Red Lion – despite having to cross four lanes of traffic to get there. Apparently at the end of the evening the barmaids regularly have to carry her back home.
She has even made it as far as Trafalgar Square – once being caught back stage at the Trafalgar Studio Theatre nearly half a kilometre away. On one occasion she was spotted in the command centre of a secret “war gaming” exercise involving the Navy.
As the Treasury spokesperson said “She’s a Treasury cat. It’s her job to get everywhere.”
