How Labour Claim They Will Kick Start Growth
It’s informative to put two of the BBC’s stories about the Labour conference together. Here’s the first paragraph of the main story.
Shadow chancellor Ed Balls is calling for a two-year stamp duty holiday to help kick-start growth – paid for by the sale of 4G mobile frequencies.
And then you read what Nick Robinson says in this piece.
What, if anything, does Labour’s latest economic announcement tell us? Some argue almost nothing. I believe something rather more than that.
This is the case for the prosecution: Ed Balls is only telling us what he would do now if he was chancellor, not what he will do if he becomes chancellor in 2015.
By then, the proceeds of the 4G sale will not be his to spend – the money will already have been accounted for by his predecessor. The promise to increase capital spending by £3bn – if it survives into Labour’s manifesto – is also meaningless, goes the argument, unless you know what the baseline is going to be ie £3bn on top of what.
Thus, Labour is merely coming up with an eye-catching announcement which confirms what we already know – Ed Balls would spend a bit more than George Osborne if he were in office now.
That all sounds like they’re spinning again.
Basically, it’s just a load of old Balls.
How To Get A Body Like Jessica
I saw this in a shop window in Oxford street yesterday.
How To Get A Body Like Jessica
How ridiculous?
But then they’ll sell tonnes of it to the gullible!
The CrossRail TBMs At Limmo
I took these pictures today of the two CrossRail tunnel boring machines; Elizabeth and Victoria, at Limmo today from the DLR just before the Beckton branch gets to Canning Town station.
If you want to see them, you’ll probably have to be quick, as they’ll be dropped into the hole there soon.
Another Ipswich First
Ipswich is now believed to have the first Development Consent Order to come into force. This will allow the construction of the Ipswich Chord to take freight trains directly from the Felixstowe Branch towards Peterborough.
It doesn’t seem that the good burghers of Ipswich are bothered and that no badger-toed newts have been found on the site. But then they know a good thing when they see it. I suppose the only objectors could be truck drivers, as the scheme will cut a lot of road journeys.
Gordon Brown Knew He Could Not Do PM Job
This is according to Jack Straw’s memoirs, which are reported here on the BBC.
It’s just a pity, that Prudence didn’t tell the rest of us, as we might not be in the mess we are now!
We certainly wouldn’t have two aircraft carriers on order, that we don’t need! But then how else was he to buy the Scottish votes?
Newquay Bans Mankinis
Newquay has banned mankinis and other inappropriate clothing, in a bid to improve its image according to this article in the Guardian.
Am I bothered? Not really, as I have no plans to visit Newquay and no plans to wear a mankini.
What Food Lover Would Smuggle American Cheese?
I like cheese and especially a nice good blue one, but why anybody would want to smuggle American cheese, I really don’t know? I suppose it could be a taste crime, like the sort of clothes beloved of golfers.
One question the article provokes in my mind, is does North America have designer cheese-makers? After all why not, as we had none thirty years ago and now they are everywhere.
Don’t Americans Know Guns Kill People?
This tragic case from the BBC web site, shows why I think those who own guns need either very intensive training or to be certified.
I remember once reading the US gun crime statistics and many of those killed were children and young people, shot by a friend or family member by accident.
I think even if a high-ranking politician was shot dead in a genuine accident, it wouldn’t cure Americans addiction to guns.
Andy Murray’s Balls
They’ve just announced that the tennis balls Andy Murray used at the Olympics will be auctioned along with lots more Olympic memorabilia. The Sun has the story here, together with a beach volleyball picture. The reason for the picture is that a rake used in the women’s final sold for £261.
John Edrich
John Edrich was in his time a difficult opening batsman to get out and if there was a fight on the pitch, he would do his best to win it. Wikipedia says of him.
He earned a reputation as a dogged and fearless batsman, and his figures show that he was amongst the best players of his generation.
Now he has a bigger fight on his hands; a rare form of leukaemia called Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia. He seems to have got some respite from the cancer using injections of mistletoe. It’s reported here in the Mirror.
I’m not belittling the mistletoe effect, but to my unmedical mind, it could just be that Edrich, is just applying his dogged and stubborn attitude to enjoying himself and staying alive. After all, he was born and brought up in Norfolk and all East Anglians have a stubborn determination, unmatched by most of the country.
The Anonymous Widower 