Thursday 17 February 2011

New Climate Change Evidence

One of the main stories on Sky News last night was 'new evidence' about how man made global warming is causing flooding. This is what we were told. A study had been done over several years and the 'scientist' quoted said, 'we may have had these floods regardless, but our study has shown that the likelihood has been increased two times by the increase of co2 due to human activity.' That was it. As usual no attempt at providing any actual evidence, just an assertion.

Using historical data we know for a fact that the amount of co2 produced by man is not having the effects claimed, as it has been much greater in the past, without the resultant heat. And currently, the warming has stopped, but the increase in our co2 output hasn't. Anyway, I wonder if any account of all the homes flooded and the '£1.3 billion of damage' was due to the councils allowing houses to be built on flood plains? And i wonder who advised them it was safe to do so? Surely the warming alarmists didn't authoritatively tell politicians that, due to Global Warming, floods were a thing of the past? I mean, they now 'know' Global Warming causes floods. When first we practice to deceive.....

Policing Perspective

It is common to hear these days that a distrust of the police is unfortunate and not a true reflection of society's attitudes. But I think it is the norm and I have a fervent wish that it were not so. I read recently of a survey carried out by Geoffrey Gorer, an anthropologist/sociologist in 1950/1. He wanted to know what people thought of the police and expected (naturally, bearing in mind his 'specialities') that there would be a great deal of hostility. There was however an overwhelmingly positive response, with less than a fifth registering any criticism and these usually minor.

The manner of the individual officer garnered respect and because of that respect the police did not need to seek to abuse their powers. The situation created today by the social workers who run the police has of course completely eroded any ability to gain respect. Which is why (and at the same time they rename a force as a service) they now resort to an ever more dictatorial stance. Laws are written as generalities and police officers have in the past used their common sense to apply (or not) those laws to actual, specific circumstances. An authoritarian 'service' however realises that the absolute enforcement of rules in every instance increases power and usefully, raises more money. Why would fairness or justice (let alone common sense) matter to someone who has been given 'power'?

The police today do not prevent crime and they are pathetic in its detection, so when does this expensive bureaucracy earn its place? Oh yes, in attacking countryside marches on government orders. In protecting and not pursuing politicians (except in support of a left wing party).


Wednesday 16 February 2011

Bargain Feeder

In these 'times of austerity' sharing knowledge of bargains is surely a social duty. So do so and potentially earn yourself some money too. Seedfeeder saw

www.teezal.com

and thought readers ought to know!

Tuesday 15 February 2011

The Police on TV, Again

You knew it couldn't be long before I returned to this subject surely? Last night it was 'Emergency Bikers' and what a show of the idiotic, panicky system that has crept into services we rely on. Clearly well meaning, dedicated people, who nevertheless are part of a wider malaise. We got lots of drama about a girl who had crashed her car. Someone told the paramedic that she had fitted after the accident, so the medical man had an opportunity to place his mindset into 'escalation' mode. She was complaining of no specific injury, though was clearly in shock and had a sore neck. The assumption now is that she 'could have a spinal injury', so the fire brigade were called to assist with 'extraction'. The girl wasn't trapped you understand, just that her complaining of a sore neck meant they 'couldn't take any chances.' With such a prevailing mentality and bearing in mind how many accidents our roads witness, I'm surprised they venture out at all, let alone on motorbikes

Still, cue more drama as the fire engine arrives. Out comes the spinal board and lots of willing hands, as the roof is cut off the car and the patient slid out, immobilized by the care and attention of the improbability workers. As a footnote, later and in a quiet voice the voiceover tells us that the girl left hospital shortly after being checked over there, having no injury whatsoever. Which is the conclusion a person who hadn't been trained to panic, would have come to a long time ago. And the girl's car would still have a roof. 'Ah but...' say all the improbability workers, 'what if...' But I would like to know what the figures are for people being paralysed as a result of being moved because it didn't seem clear that a spinal injury was likely. I'm betting they are vanishingly small.

Anyway, I have sidetracked. The Police biker set himself up on a normal looking suburban road with his laser speed gun. We saw him stop two women. 'Did you realise the speed limit here is 20mph?' he asked one. She was stunned and said she thought it was 30 (as it normally would be on such a road). 'No', he replied, 'it's 20 and you were clocked doing 31mph'. She then started apologising profusely. The biker then spoke to camera saying he had no sympathy at all as so many people are killed on the roads speeding. You know why the speed limit on the road was reduced and you know why the policeman was detailed to check that piece of highway. Because they could catch people out. And the mindless drivel spouted by the policeman was amazing, does the man have no mind? Interestingly, I happened to watch Top Gear on the very useful iPlayer later. On the programme Clarkson related that Oxford had recently stopped using its fixed speed cameras. Result; accidents where speed cameras were -35. Accidents after speed cameras were switched off -35.

And finally. Dropping Er Indoors at work the other morning I had to cross one of our city centre dual carriageway grid roads. As I moved into the centre section, I had to crane to see around a police van parked on the central reservation, a speed camera van 'for your safety'. They are not just morons these days though; the van is parked on this main thoroughfare which is rated at 30 for no discernible reason, because it is also a slope and cars may drift above 30 easily. Naturally, drivers therefore pay immense attention to their speedo, which is a pity for other vehicles and pedestrians of course.

The Prime Minister's Salary

This has been much in the news recently and the BBC radio programme The Jeremy Vine Show is commenting on it today. The ridiculous (and seemingly incredibly naive) Vine quotes the PM's salary as £142,000 pointing out that recently newspapers have been running articles about the numerous public sector workers who earn more. Vine then undermines this by saying, 'ah yes, but the Prime Minister has many more benefits', going on to list free housing, chauffeur driven cars, bodyguards(!) etc. What a moron. Whilst the job has some nice perks it is the salary that pays the bills and Council 'Chief Executives' on over £200, 000 make sure they don't go short on perks either. The simple fact of the matter is that Councils have become far too keen to spend taxpayers money on themselves and their comfort and see no reason why a devastatingly bad slump should change any of it. If forced they are willing to cut any number of things that will annoy taxpayers and inconvenience people, but dispense with biscuits at meetings, are you mad? A council can always find £100 million for a new headquarters but £100,000 for disabled children? I think not, not in these austere times.

There is an interesting point on the PM's perks though. The government, led by the PM, introduces legislation to bring to bear taxation on any aspect of comfort that an employer may seek to bestow on you. Yet if Ministers were similarly adjudged, then they really wouldn't be earning enough -to pay the tax bill. So they are excused the onerous tribute they have demanded of others. And that is the basis of a corrupt administration. It is a simple and easy signifier of the disconnect between the governed and those wielding power.

Thursday 3 February 2011

Whinging Councils

In a way that echoes finding bear poo in the woods, we have Liverpool Council saying it won't sign up to the Big Society because of government cuts. Some people who obviously don't pay enough attention (yes Dr Noreena Hertz I mean you) say that you cannot impose a Big Society from above. That is true, but Cameron isn't suggesting he will. What I suspect he is up to in bringing it up at all, is that if services are withdrawn, well, why not do them yourself? Certainly government does too much and tries to nanny us, so seeing it do less is very welcome but as long as we also see a commensurate drop in our taxes. If Cameron wants to see a Big Society, then the best way to achieve it is to shrink the government and be a Conservative. But he seems to prefer the proven failure of socialism.

And as for the cuts, councils are deliberately targeting front line services to annoy taxpayers and to try to use that 'fury' for their own ends. Blair and Brown invented a million new public sector jobs, some of them may be useful, but it is the duplicity of these two that has put many others at the same risk they have subjected the rest of us to.