Poor Man About Town

Hurricaine Katrina has moved accross the South of the US - leaving a trail of a destruction and death in its wake.

I remember critical reception the film "The Day After Tomorrow" following its release. Special effects were good seemed to be the common thread running through most of the reviews. Indeed, its reception was mixed. The message of the film, however, was missed "IT CAN HAPPEN HERE and this is what it will look like"

There are many schools of thought with regard to pollution and global warming. One thing I know is that pollution is poisonous - that's a FACT.

The good news is that Petrol Prices are on the rise - it has hit ovder 90p a litre. These SUV's are quite thirsty, I don't see many of them around at the moment - there are going to be many out there with white elephants in their drives.

I wahe s in desparate need of a new toothbrush tonight. I nipped into the local
tesco - and got the 'buy one get one free deal' with a Wisdom Whitening toothbrush. The design of this creature lends itself to a modern training shoe, coloured rubber with aesthetically pleasing holes. The brush itself had different coloured zones and textures.

Did it clean my teeth?

No, it had as much effect as if I had brushed my teeth with a Nike trainer. It was complete bollocks.

I am not slagging off Wisdom, they do a very good smoker's industrial strength toothbrush with a convential handle. I use this once every three days otherwise I would lose the enamel from my teeth, but I do not need something that looks as it would run an olympic marathon in my mouth.

I saw a trailer on BBC TV that made me recoil in complete horror - it was advertising a programme on expecting fathers, yes, fathers expecting a baby. Most of the guys advertised hardly looked endearing, they were fat, shaven-headed, beery bellied gits. It seems that the programme will take us through the trials, tribulations and traumas of said blokes expecting their first shit machine. Who fucking cares? How can anybody waste their time on such shit?

I remember when I was a kid and used to watch comedies such as Are You Being Served, Steptoe and Son, Dad's Army etc. It was great fun. People actually got to work, writing scripts, producing and directing. All the Beeb seems to pay a company to point at some fat indolent git (paying him a shedload of cash) and expect people to be entertained.

The BBC needs to know that there are sixty sentient beings in the UK, they like to be entertained and entertainment, let's face it, involves some intellectual work - critical faculties come into play.

All this kind of trashy programme involves is switch on the telly and watch.

It's complete bollocks.

I have been following the catering strike at Heathrow Airport with a great degree of interest. After Thatcher's decimation of the unions, we are now witnessing a renaissance of worker power. Here, we have a firm paying people shit wages, firing them in order to import cheapo Eastern European workers. Well the whole thing exploded in their face as well as a good proportion of British holidaymakers who were treated to ersatz New Orleans jazz music to while away their time in purgatory.

This brings to mind a documentary on TV about the crappy state of the postal service, the documentary tried to blame the workers for taking a cavalier attitude to their job. This was far from the case, the workers filmed with secret cameras sounded burnt-out and one got the feeling that one was doing the job of three people.

This point also brings me to mind when I was studying sociology at 'A' Level an item that I read when 40 000 feet of seaside rock had to be destroyed because the pissed off / alienated worker had set the machine to have the rock imprinted with the phrase "fuck off".

These are the results of crap wages, poor conditions and cavalier attitudes towards the workforce. This is a warning of the present and there are many warnings in history.

I have been getting back into meditation of late. There is nothing like coming back from work, putting on a guided meditation cd in the personal cd player and letting it all go. The feeling of relaxation is unbeatable, it sets me up for the evening and I get a good night's sleep in the bargain.

The roaches, however, had different plans for me. I was in a state of deep relaxation and I felt one of these little crawling around my ears. I sat up with a start.

This is kharma, I have this plant sprayer and I fine spray the a Dettol / Water mix, this keeps the buggers at bay. In addition to this, the plant sprayer can be adjusted to a jet spray a bit like a laser; so, if I see one these little buggers crawl up the wall it gets zapped with Dettol. This has been quite effective in killing the roaches and it's great fun; but I guess that they are going to develop an immunity towards this formula. I am wondering what I can use against this insect without killing myself.

I thought New Labour had done away with sleaze, maybe it has and has come up with something a little more cheesy. If the article in today's Observer is anything to go by , it seems that New Labour had been deeply involving themselves with US casino interests that wanted to build their establishments in the UK. Some concern was expressed about money laundering and that any exchange of £700 for chips would have to be supported with ID. US casino concerns were not prepared to accept this but said that they would find their own way!. Oh really, who rules Britain? Yank Casino concerns or the British Electorate.

To cut a long story short, the bill floundered due to concern expressed by police, New Labour party mp's, pressure groups etc.

It was interesting to note the following:

"In the Commons last November, Jowell dismissed Tory claims that her department had been in any discussions with casino groups about money laundering laws.

Two days later, during Prime Minister's Questions, Michael Howard pressed Tony Blair over the issue. The Prime Minister said claims that casinos had been offered special concessions were 'ridiculous'.

The Observer has obtained a briefing note sent in May 2004 from culture department official Richard Beston to culture minister Lord McIntosh, who was in charge of the bill. This reveals that discussions about easing the rules on money laundering did take place between ministers and casino bosses and that Jowell's department tried to get the Treasury to give casino groups special exemptions.

The note, released under the Freedom of Information Act, was sent ahead of a meeting with MGM's European boss, Lloyd Nathan, at the House of Lords.

It states: 'We [the DCMS] have asked the Treasury to consider revising the third money laundering draft directive to exempt casino members from showing ID when they enter the actual gaming floor ... If these discussions fail, I [McIntosh] will consider with industry how best to resolve this issue.'

Theresa May, Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, said she would be writing to Jowell immediately asking for an explanation: 'While civil servants where actively working to get money laundering rules that would benefit American casino operators lifted, Tessa Jowell and the Prime Minister were telling MPs that nothing of the sort was taking place. Huge question marks over the relationship between foreign casino operators and this government remain, and this fresh disclosure does nothing to allay those concerns.

'This legislation was forced through ahead of the general election, despite strong opposition. I will demand a complete and frank disclosure of all information relating to this matter.'

A spokesman for Jowell said: 'The original claim was that special dispensation to the casino industry had been offered in an email... and that was untrue. We never denied discussing a wide range of issues with a wide range of stakeholders about gambling rules which included the third money laundering directive.'

The documents also reveal that ministers and officials from the Culture Department were so nervous at the response to their plans to deregulate the gambling industry that they told large US casino groups to keep quiet about their expansion plans for fear of alarming the public.

The documents also shine a light on the high-powered lobbying campaign orchestrated by the international casino industry. They show how ministers and officials travelled across the globe at taxpayers' expense to meet casino bosses. One three-day trip only two weeks before the Gambling Bill was publish involved four officials travelling to Las Vegas and staying at the luxury Venetian Hotel."

Can we really trust New Labour?

Like Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square was a place you could sit down, enjoy a sandwich, a coffee and read a book. It has now been annexed to Hollywierd. The place runs a constant film premiere where big bouncers patrol the square looking for undesireables who want to get a sniff of some celeb's nickers.

Today, there was this gang of blokes, who were conversing with each other in some Eastern European language, carrying plasma screens and speakers on their backs. Their purpose was to liberally distribute noise throughout the square as well subjecting people to latest kak film that is due to be premiered.

Is somebody actually paying these guys to carry out this unpleasant task. It's hardly productive nor meaningful.

Britain is not so much a nation of shopkeepers, but shop assistants!

Another splendid idea by Ken Livingstone?

Time was that you could go to Trafalgar Square and expect nothing other than pigeons and fountains, you could sit down in peace and quiet and read a book.

Not any more, the place has some tent full of clowns who want to subject the vicinity to noise the raison d'etre of which is to show the tourists what a cool place London is. Anybody with a pair of ears and who is assailed by this shit should only pass through the area, don't hang around and don't take photos - it's a tourist trap. Matters are only made worse when put up some rigging where we are regaled with visual shit running alongside the cacophony that is been played in the square.

Is this another splendid Ken Livingstone idea?

London has become plastered with posters stating "7 Million, One London"

Well, I did not know that there was 7 million Londoners, I thought that the population was around 6 - 8 million.

I am very grateful to Ken for spending thousands pounds on giving me a more precise fact.

Oh, fuck off!

I found two old lp's today, one was Al Stewart's Past, Present and Future and the other King Crimson's 'In the Court of King Crimson'.

I bought said album in 1973, I noted the cover sleeve notes and the lyrics of song 'Nostradamus' - Al Stewart interprets this prophecy into the song

In the new lands of America
three brothers now shall come to power
Two alone are born to rule but all must die before
their hour
Two Great men yet brothers not make the north
united stand
In power be seen to grow, and fear possess the
eastern lands
Three leagues from the gates of Rome a Pope
named Pol (Paul) is doomed to die
A great wall that divides a city at this time is cast
aside

Even with Al's lyrical simplification of the prophecies we cannot really determine whether they have actually been fulfilled - (bear in mind this album was released in 1973). OK, so what have we got that resonates in the present in the present day.

"Two great men...and fear possess the eastern lands"
Blair and Bush kicking ass around Eastern Lands?

That is all I can see.

Moving onto 21st Schizoid Man (lyrics Pete Sinfield)

We have a very chaotic world indeed.

Cat’s foot iron claw
Neuro-surgeons scream for more
At paranoia’s poison door.
Twenty first century schizoid man.

Blood rack barbed wire
Politicians’ funeral pyre
Innocents raped with napalm fire
Twenty first century schizoid man.

Death seed blind man’s greed
Poets’ starving children bleed
Nothing he’s got he really needs
Twenty first century schizoid man

It speaks of murder and mayhem caused by war. It speaks of the guilty party who cause it.

It seems that Blair fits this bill - those idiots who carried out the bombings on the tubes and buses in London said they did so because of his involvement in the Iraq war. Ayman al-Zawahiri, came out of his cave and into a tent and put his Kalashnikov behind him, but in camera view - this guy is really out to develop penis envy - what a bozo; he told us to expect more attacks because of Britain's involvement in Iraq.

Blair, on the other hand, says that the attacks are nothing to do with Britain's involvement in Iraq. Like it or not, the authors of the attacks have authorship of the reasons of why they attacked.

Schizoid comes into the equation when Blair ignores the other elements when producing his polemic (he is the inventor of 'One size fits all Politics') this is at the expense of reality and the facts.

People are no strangers to gratuitous violence. Attacking people on public transport happens on a daily basis. Have you ever been on a train with a bunch of hoodies, that's no fun, especially when they go 'steaming' through the carriage, attacking and mugging passengers. This is not only banditry but terrorism, the buggers who perpetrate such offences should be locked up and have the key thrown away. Public transport is by no means a safe form of travel - the bottom decks of buses are crammed while the top decks are relatively empty. Parkland in most city areas have become bandit country.

Two worrying episodes occurred over the weekend, some racist hoodies with an axe killed a young black man in Liverpool. The attack was unprovoked.

Another episode occurred in London, a man was stabbed to death on a bus after remonstrating with a hoodie for throwing chips at other passengers.

We are living in dangerous times, with dangerous people - welcome to Blair's Britain where people who want to kill you are not only terrorists.

And where did it all start

"I think we've been through a period where too many people have been given to understand that if they have a problem, it's the government's job to cope with it. 'I have a problem, I'll get a grant.' 'I'm homeless, the government must house me.' They're casting their problem on society. And, you know, there is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women, and there are families. And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look to themselves first. It's our duty to look after ourselves and then, also to look after our neighbour. People have got the entitlements too much in mind, without the obligations. There's no such thing as entitlement, unless someone has first met an obligation."

Margaret Thatcher

These bandits are Thatcher's grandchildren. There is no such thing as society, there are individuals who don't give a shit. And no government gives a shit, it is up to poeple to survive the gauntlet of violence that they may encounter every day. Entitlement to protection of the law, there is no entitelment unlesssomeone dies and it is reported in the press.

Let's put it this way

Banditry on public transport did not occur before Thatcher
Parkland was relatively safe before Thatcher
Street murders occurred once every year before Thatcher, now they happen every day.

Yes, there are individuals, fmailies and gangs, there is no such thing as society

Hazell Blears (great name for a hangover, "sorry I can't come in to work, I've got the blears"), has got on her New Labour soapbox and advocated the stopping and searching of young Asians, she was at pains to point out that they won't mind. This was countered by a security expert on LBC pointing out that because these guys now fit the security profile, recruiters of bombers will be looking for people who are caucasian in appearance such as chechins and other Eastern Europeans. It seems that Hazell Blears has not based this suggested strategy on any facts but opinions written in the tabloid press - we have to be careful that this situation does not become a pogrom.