Updates..

Well then ...so what has been going on recently? Cameron won the latest by election..or should that be Brown lost it? Brown didn't bother visiting and Cameron visited 12 times hmm...

The war in Afghanistan continues and today the Government are going to court to try and get injured soldiers compensation reduced. Why? These people offered their lives for us and the Afghanistan people

The Labour Government continues to bumble along in it's self righteous nanny state fashion, using sound bite and Sun type proclamations in order to try and get its point across. I feel more and more as though I am missing something here, now what was it? Oh yes, personal freedom, that would be it!

I have a dreadful vision of Prime Minister Mendleson looming above the horizon. I fear the results

The last week...

Well, I found the budget a huge let down (as did the majority of people that I have either spoken to or read). The 2k giveaway to people who have an old car and are going to buy a new car ..hmm, so why do you think they HAVE a car that is over 10 years old Mr Brown? Possibily because they can't afford a new car or can't get the finance.

Taxing the people who earn over 150k a year more ..well, most people who earn that sort of money can employ accountants and will soon find a way to not pay the extra.

The usual ca , fags and booze rises and thats about it really. Oh hang on, I forgot the Grandparents perk ..they get pension benefits if they look after their grandchildren ..whoopy do! This only applies to Grandparents who are of working age and I cant see many of them volunteering to give up their jobs to look after thei Grandchildren.

The other big news story of the week that I wanted to comment on was the disgraceful treatment of the Ghurkas by this bloody Government. These men have fought alongside our own men and risked their lives for us and this is the way we treat them? How low can you go?

Anyway, on to other stuff, my 5 year old Grandson fell over yesterday and hurt his knee, elbow and hand. Mum (daughter Lucy) bought him over for me to look at and I said I thought he was okay but to see what he was like today (Sunday). This am we got a call asking us to take them both to the local hospital. 4 hours later, Ollie emerged with a cast on his arm as he has broken a bone. He is very proud of his new acquisition but mum is a bit stressed as she works in a nursery and will have to have the next 3 days off. The Hospital have put a soft plaster on which they will be replacing with a hard plaster on Wednesday and Oliver has to stay off school until then. Lucy does not get paid any sickness time at all so will now not get paid for the next 3 days.

Everyone's a Twitter

About tomorrows Budget ..Twitter is alive with people making comments and suggesting ideas ...I am most definitely not an expert on economics or politics or anything really, I just know how things affect me and my family and sometimes feel it necessary to comment.

One of my biggest bugbears is the misinterpratation of the Health and Safety laws in the UK and Monday saw a great Panorama show on BBC1 ..May Contain Nuts presented by the excellent Quentin Letts.

I daresay that I will have something to say about the Budget tomorrow :)

Popularism

The Labour Government are a Popularist Government. If they can pick up on something they think the average Sun reader wants then they will.

Witness this weekend....Jacqui Smith has decided to ask for the Hillsborough secret files to be opened 10 years early..this in the week that we all remembered the Hillsborough disaster and the week AFTER the public humiliation that was the Damian McBride email email scandal

However, only in January, Jack Straw blocked the release of files showing cabinet notes and papers from when the cabinet discussed the Iraq war. An appeal hearing of the Information Tribunal opened in November 2008. In January of this year it ruled by a majority that it was in the public interest to release the minutes...but no

So then, what can I conclude from this?

Well I conclude that the Government is quite happy to invoke (yet another) of the laws that THEY introduced to protect themselves when necessary, but will ask for early release of papers that they think will save a beleagured Home Secretary because it is a popular thing to do.

Oh and on a side note, we have Mandy telling us that we should stop being pessemistic about the UK and that we should SPEND ...oh yes and , of course, we all need to have Broadband .. has he forgotton that we have over 2 million unemployed in the UK at the moment? That these people can't actually AFFORD to have broadband. My God, we have children living in poverty here already and this Government is telling us to SPEND ...and indeed, they are saying we (the UK) will Spend our way out of recession...hang on...go back a few years ..weren't we spending too much? Wasn't it the over spending that got us here in the first place?

Damn I'm confused! I thought GB was married to Prudence,,determined to carry on the Tories excellent fiscal measures..now it seems he has chucked poor old Pru out of the window and bought in another bird...

Languid

As prompted by Weekend Wordsmith

Languid
Limpid
Liquid
Lolling in the water
Lying near the sand
Looking at the world go by
Loving all this land

So Much to Learn ...

As you can see (this is the second post) I am new to blogging ..well, not strictly true as I have had a Live Journal for 6 years but it was always a private journal for private thoughts, only to be shared by a few close friends.

This place, on the other hand, is for public talk and comment.

I want to talk about Twitter. Twitter is the *new* phenomena sweeping the world on the back of a few celebrity Tweeters (and yes, there is a Twitter language). Some of us have Tweeted for a little while now but most are new. Twitter is wonderful for several reasons not least of which is to get help and/or support when needed. Celebrity Tweeters are beginning to irritate some folks I have noticed over the past few weeks. Most CeleTweeters sign in, have a Twitter account and then don't *follow* (ie befriend) any of the masses of people who follow them. Not only that, but they rarely say much except to promote something that they are doing or comment on another CeleTweeter. There are exceptions of course, @schofe (Philip Schofield) @Glinner (Graham Linehan) @wossy (Jonathon Ross) @willcarling @stephenfry are exceptions and do chat to the commoners (given that every time they appear on Twitter they received hundreds of messages)

Mostly, Twitter is just good karma, a place where you can chat (in 140 characters per Tweet), play music to people (I use blip) , show your photos off (Twitpic) and generally waste time. For me one of the biggest bonuses is that you can post from your mobile phone using a variety of different applications.

Twitter is a growing community but is under attack from spammers and hackers, spammers who want to sell you things (their help or themselves) aboud and care should be taken before adding anyone who follows you. Check out their profile and see what sort of Tweets they have made before following them back ....use the BLOCK button if necessary.

Join in, take it slow and enjoy the flow

Dissatisfaction

The ever decreasing circles of life in the UK under the Gordon Brown Government has prompted me to find a place to rant, discuss and comment.

As one of the most watched people in the world (http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/feb/06/surveillance-freedom-peers) I can almost feel my freedom being eroded by the new laws and regulations introduced by Labour over the past 11 years (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/more-than-3600-new-offences-under-labour-918053.html)

This Blog will comment about Health and Safety, Immigration, the Terrorism Act (and its effect on our lives) as well as the Human Rights Act and the outright discrimination against the white English coutryside dwellers in the once green and pleasant land.

There will be factual comment with links when possible but there will be times when passion will overtake facts because that is who I am , a passionate Secret Squirrel who is frustrated with feeling as though I can' t breathe here in England without being watched by someone.

Ladles and Jellyspoons, I commend this Blog to the country/World