Politicians Must Choose Their Friends Better
P.J. O’Rourke, who is no lover of politicians, once said.
Anyway, no drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we’re looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn’t test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed and love of power.
It is a test that should not just be applied to politicians, but to their friends and donors as well.
Today in the Times we have two stories about people wanting to influence politics.
The first is about the troubles of the Labour Party and their relationship with the Co-operative movement. It contains this classic quote from, a Tory MP; Brooks Newmark.
The toxic element of a great ethical institution like the Co-operative is the way the Labour Party has effectively infiltrated it and infected it because of the benefits they have been receiving from it. The only way the Labour Party could get a loan if it didn’t have the Co-operative Bank is from Wonga.
But then Ed Milliband got his own back on the Tories by complaining about some of their donors. But at least these donors, were using their own money, rather than that of members of the Co-operative movement.
Remember too, that the Liberal Democrats had a dalliance with Michael Brown.
And then there’s the story of Hotchpotch the cat who was left £10,000 by Malcolm Richards who was a large financial supporter of Ukip.
I can smell the fruitcakes.
Perhaps we need say a ten percent tax levied on every political donation. The money could be used for philanthropic purposes, like looking after distressed catfolk.
Amy Winehouse’s Cat
I met somebody yesterday, who has a cat that was once owned by the late Amy Winehouse.
Apparently, it has a few problems, like wanting to sit on top of everything, like doors and the microwave on top of the freezer.
The cat just seems to love to get high.
An Explorer And His Cat
They had a news item on BBC London today about a statue to Matthew Flinders being erected at Euston, which is where he is buried.
I did know a bit about Flinders, but I was puzzled to see that he is being shown with a cat. This story on Wikipedia tells the tale of the cat, Trim.
There aren’t many cats, who have their own page on Wikipedia and even fewer who appear with their master (?) in statues.
Is This A Real Payday Loan Site?
This site called lolcatloans.com was mentioned in the Money section of The Times today.
Is it real? I certainly wouldn’t borrow any money from them, despite the appealing cats!
The site appears to be registered in Panama, although it does appear to offer loans in pounds.
I would sugest that you laugh at the cats and do no more!
Germany’s Development Minister’s Marie Antoinette Moment
Marie Antoinette famously set that people could eat cake, but this story from Germany, is in a similar vein.
Germany’s development minister has suggested that horsemeat mislabelled as beef should be distributed to the poor.
Dirk Niebel said he supported the proposal by a member of the governing CDU party, and concluded: “We can’t just throw away good food.”
The opposition dismissed the idea, but a priest said it should be considered.
He does have a point, but surely the suspect beef could be used as dog or cat food, rather than given to those, who might not want it.
After all if it has horse in it, what other things are there. I bet there’s a load of gluten for a start.
Where Is A Cat When You Need One?
Last night I had poached smoked haddock and egg for supper. And very nice it was too, as it was a whole undyed fish from the fish counter in Waitrose.
The only problem, was the fish was too large for my dish, so I had to trim it. After I’d eaten it too, there was also a large piece of skin.
After living with cats since about the 1970s, I just didn’t have a handy pussy to make good use of the left-overs.
There are cats round here, but they don’t seem to come up to my end of the road.
Feuding In Downing Street
Or is this report on the BBC’s web site, just about cats being cats?
Larry On The Voice Of Russia
Apparently, it’s not just the Chief Whip that’s in trouble, but the Chief Mouser to! This article from the Voice of Russia, shows how the most important news get distributed around the world. Note the picture.
I suppose President Putin uses tigers in the Kremlin.
This post was prompted by a wonderful picture of Larry in today’s Times.
Will I Live Longer Than My Cat?
This question has been posed by the wonderfully-named Professor David Spiegelhalter on the BBC’s web site.
I certainly will, as I don’t have a cat! But if I acquired a cat, would that lengthen my life? On the other hand, all the cats, that I’ve previously owned have been rather clever in finding veterinarily expensive ways of killing themselves at quite a young age.
The Anonymous Widower 