Did Jack Warner Ask for a Bribe?
Read this story from the Press Association about a possible meeting between Jack Warner and two of the leaders of the England 2018 World Cup Bid team.
I thought when I read the article in The Times this morning that Mr. Warner might consider it to be a libel. Let’s hope he tries to prove it in a UK Court of Law! I’m sure Rupert Murdoch would enjoy the challenge.
I’m very much against libel tourism, but in this case I might be prepared to make an exception.
Do We Have Too Many Banks?
I think that the last time I met a bank manager was when I moved my account to Nationwide about ten years ago. And that was more on her account, as she wanted to try and sell me insurances and other things I didn’t need. I now do all of my banking on-line and the only time I go into a branch is to draw money out of a cashpoint. I often go in and have a sit down, so that I can put the twenty pound notes I don’t like somewhere secure in my bag. Years ago, before cashpoints, going to a bank was a much more common occurence, as you had to pay in cheques and get money out.
So do we actually need bank branches these days?
Apart from my sit downs after getting money out, I don’t! It wouldn’t matter to me, if Nationwide scrapped most of their branches, so long as they kept some major ones. In fact, I probably only use no more than four cashpoints locally. Two are the Nationwide branches at Upper Street and Moorgate, and I use a Sainsburys and a Tesco in the Essex Road. None of course charge me anything. Incidentally, why would anybody use a machine that did charge?
The ICB has now reported that the major banks should be reduced in size and that investment banking should be separated from retail. The Telegraph reckons it’s a good British compromise. Share prices in the banks have risen.
But I can’t help feeling that traditional retail banking is dead anyway, as who really wants it? Not me! So long as I have a good on-line money transfer system and access to free cash points, I’ll be happy! I hopefully won’t need another mortgage and I’ll always use Zopa and other professional companies for my savings and insurance.
Do We Have Too Many Nurses?
I have used the NHS a lot in the last three years, what with the death of my wife and son to cancer and a couple of strokes.
In many cases I have had appointments with doctors and other healthcare professionals and whereas a few years ago, they would have had a nurse or a technical assistant to work with them, now they usually work alone with sophisticated equipment.
I am on Warfarin and at my previous surgery, a nurse used to take a blood test once a fortnight, which was sent to the local hospital for analysis. Now, my new GP does it himself with a small instrument that gives results immediately.
So is technology taking over from nurses?
To illustrate this BBC Breakfast has just shown how to use a heart defibrillator. It all seemed fairly simple and very much led by an intelligent machine.
Are Police Drivers Really This Stupid?
According to The Times today, policemen and I suspect policewomen as well are very adept at misfuelling their cars, as this extract shows.
Police forces have spent more than £300,000 in the past two years repairing diesel cars and vans damaged by officers who filled them with petrol.
Almost one in six diesel vehicles owned by the Metropolitan Police — the worst offender — was filled incorrectly, costing more than £170,000. Many forces have had to fit preventive caps and warning stickers because of the number of incidents.
How many plods have done it more than once. Surely, you get fired on the second time!
I’ve never done it and won’t now, as I don’t drive!
I do remember though a lady in serious distress once at Sainsburys in Haverhill. She’d taken her husband’s car to supposedly stay at her sister’s on Saturday night at somewhere that wasn’t Haverhill. But she’d gone to have a tryst with a man there. So being the good girl, she had left early on Sunday morning and then she’d gratefully replaced the fuel she had used. Except that she had put petrol in her husband’s diesel car. I’ve never seen a woman in so much tears, except where a death was involved.
After Greece and Ireland, It’s Now Portugal!
There is a lot of opposition to bailing out Portugal in the UK. We should always remember wha happened to the British economy when Denis Healey went to the IMF in the 1970s. We got the money we needed, but we had to bring in some very unwelcome policies under IMF supervision.
So shouldn’t the same rules apply to Greece, Ireland and Portugal? Isn’t there an old phrase about the person paying the piper calling the tune?
I’ve just returned from Greece and it is a country in turmoil. But then I’ve hardly ever been to Greece without suffering some form of labour dispute. Because of its history and weather, it has a lot going for it. But a lot of it requires investment in infrastructure for which it doesn’t have the money.
I must ask the question as to whether the money that has been pumped into Greece has been used wisely?
I have had no experience of Ireland in the last few years, but the Irish still seem to find the money to spend on racehorses. They want to renegotiate the bail-out conditions on the one hand and on the other they still have a low rate of Corporation Tax, to which many countries object. So perhaps the most important condition in the bailout of Ireland hasn’t been applied.
In some ways loaning money to Ireland is in our interests, as a lot of it will come back in the purchase of goods and services, as our two countries are very economically entwined. But again we didn’t seem to apply any obvious pressure on Corporation Tax.
With respect to Portugal, which used to be known as our oldest ally, we don’t really have any great economic interests in the country. I suppose the one problem we do have in Portugal and Spain is the large number of ex-pats, who have bought properties there. So if either went bust and we didn’t help, then there might be quite a few votes down the drain.
After all, the only reason we bailed out the stupid people, who put their money in Icelandic banks, was to buy votes.
So on balance we should probably help with Portugal. But only on our terms. After all, if China or the United States was to bail out any country, they wouldn’t do it without a lot of self-interest.
This Thief Almost Won a Darwin Award
This stupid thief almost won a Darwin Award. I suppose he’ll do something similar in the next few months to finish the job.
Michael Jackson at Fulham
The statue of Michael Jackson unveiled yesterday could prove to be one of the most embarrassing things ever done at a British football ground.
I doubt it will last long!
But Fulham supporters, who are a distinctly amiable bunch will put up with it and probably share a joke or two about it. After all there are sites like this one, full of Michael Jackson jokes, so they will have plenty of material.
The Murder of Martine vik Magnussen
This case is featured in the Sunday Times today.
As with several other cases, it would appear that the prime suspect has fled the country and there is no extradition to get him back. Let’s hope that one day, he takes a chance and visits a country, where justice is on the side of the victims and the good and not the rich and powerful.
No-one should be outside of the law!
Carrots on the Train North
Yesterday, I went to see Ipswich play at Burnley and took the 7:30 Virgin train from Euston, changing at Preston.
I was surprised to see a large police presence on the station at Preston and as I had arrived there on time at the early time for football fans of 9:38, it seemed rather odd, unless Preston were playing one of the usual suspects in a lunchtime derby.
On asking one of the many police on the station, I was told it was members or should that be carrots of the English Defence League going to a protest in Blackburn.
There was no trouble on the train and they all got off at Blackburn and the carriage was rather empty as we crossed to Burnley.
I don’t like those who hate others and I’m rather glad that the EDL protest passed without any serious trouble. But that protest was rather put in proportion by the murder of a Catholic policeman by probable Republican terrorists in Northern Ireland.
The Anonymous Widower 