Fined for Enrolling Too Many Students
My late wife was a governor at Anglia Ruskin University, so I take note of what happens there.
It has just been announced on the local BBC News, that the University has been fined £600,000 by NuLabor for recruiting too many students. They are not the only one to be fined, as this article in the Telegraph details.
Now I’m not one who believes that all and sundry with three E’s should go to University on leaving school, but I do feel that in times of high unemployment, that Universities and other colleges should be used to give needed skills to those without jobs.
So fining those Universities who take on more students is just another load of old Balls from NuLabor’s Stalin Central. If anything Universities should be praised and rewarded if they manage to give good education to more students.
Can anybody tell me where the fines will go? Into Nulabor’s general pot for bonkers ideas no doubt.
I should say, that for some years my software has been used by the Department of Education and Science, or whatever politically correct name it is now and the guy I talk to can document loads of failed ideas that have cost billions of pounds to such as fraud. It would have been better to plug these leaks and then there wouldn’t be a funding crisis.
New Labour = NuLabor
On many forums or should that be fora, comments often contain the word NuLabor as a shortened form of New Labour.
I notice that no-one had registered the domain name, www.nulabor.co.uk. Unfortunately, www.nulabor.com had already been registered, but then I don’t think it was worth spending more than £6 or so for a bit of fun.
I registered the domain name at Low Cost Names. I have used them for some time and have never had a problem.
Twitter Twat
David Wright is the Nulabor MP for Telford and a whip. So you’d think he know how to behave.
But he’s in trouble for a tweet on Twitter, that calls the Tories, “scum-sucking”. Now, he is claiming that the tweet was edited by a third party. If it was, his security has been compromised probably by his own stupidity. If he’s not, he’s lying to try and save his skin.
But whatever is the reason, he just doesn’t understand things like Twitter. You have to be subtle in my view too, to get your message across.
I hope that the good people of Telford consign him to where he belongs at the next election.
Labour’s Muddled Thinking
There is an article in The Times today, which says that Nulabor and the Tories have fallen out over the high-speed rail link to the north. Originally, Ruth Kelly planned that there would be a major transport interchange at Heathrow, but Lord Adonis, felt that Wormwood Scrubs International would be better. The Tories are sticking to Ms. Kelly’s old plan.
Now, I’m not a transport expert, but both of Heathrow’s competitors; Schiphol and Charles de Gaulle, have high-speed rail connections. So surely it is important that you can get on a high-speed train at Heathrow and travel to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and all points north. Looking at the plan in The Times, you might even be able to get a high-speed train to Kent and dare I say it France, Belgium and Holland.
It just shows how Nulabor can’t see a good solution when they’ve got one. Perhaps in this case, it’s because they want to give the inmates of the Scrubs a quick getaway and they think that some of their colleagues might be there.
Incompetent New Labour
In the report in The Times on Prudence’s Death Tax, there is an interesting comment.
Off topic I know, but I have got to point this out ,if only to show how utterly incompetent Labour are. Would you believe that Labour did not know that ALL of the Trademarks they hold for their name “Labour” “Labour Party” etc etc are ALL invalid. They only realised in November 2009 when they were told !!. They were granted one of the replacements 2 days ago and rest are still only applications. As I say, all the old ones are invalid because LABOUR did not know ,or care ?, that Unincorporated Associations cannot own any property including trademarks in the name of the Association. What incompetents Labour are.
Surely, if they can’t manage themselves, they can’t be competent to manage UK Plc.
Prudence’s Death Tax
According to The Times Prudence and his few supporters in Nulabor are possibly proposing a 10% death tax on all estates. Read some of the comments to the article
Now, I’m someone who has a bob or two and when I die I will pay substantial death duties. On the other hand, I would hopefully have sufficient money to make sure that I had enough nubile nurses to keep me happy in my last days. So just because I have saved, why should I pay for those who have not saved for their last days?
To actually suggest it is a crass idea and a vote loser. After all probably ninety percent of the population want to make enough money before they retire to really enjoy it.
But then what do you expect from a man who was a Chancellor, who had the same idea of taxes as the Sherriff of Nottingham?
It just shows how out of touch Nulabor is with everything.
Let’s take a couple of examples.
Suppose someone was dying in their thirties from some awful cancer. Because they have been ill for some time, they would probably not have any estate at all. Or perhaps just a small one. So the widow, who would be up shit-street anyway gets even more of her money taken away by a grasping government.
I also have two friends, who have very disabled children. Their care is expensive, so is it right that if the parents die, that disabled children are taxed, when they need the money. I suppose that their disabilities mean that they can’t vote, so it’s all right then!
Now we need to raise money for care of the elderly, but it would be better if we raised it say on energy taxes or VAT. Raising VAT to 20% would raise about £13billion, but I think that this may be a better alternative as Prudence’s lowering and raising of VAT didn’t seem to make much effect one way or the other.
We could also get rid of two unwanted aircraft carriers, the Joint Strike Fighter, Trident, tanks, identity cards and many other pet projects of Prudence and his cronies.
We’re Under Control
Last night’s television was frightening.
It wasn’t any old horror story, but two programmes which shared a common theme.
The first was Panorama about the Government’s, Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) which aims to stop unsuitable people working with children and vulnerable adults. A laudable idea, but it is being done in such a heavy handed way, that it will end up with large numbers of people being branded unsuitable, despite there being no real evidence.
Here’s what Sir Ian McKellen had to say about the effect on the theatre.
A new vetting scheme is dissuading amateur theatre companies from casting child actors, Lord of the Rings star Sir Ian McKellen has said.
The Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) aims to stop unsuitable people working with children and vulnerable adults.
But some theatres say they do not have resources to carry out the paperwork it entails, and Sir Ian fears child actors will lose important stage experience.
He may be overreacting, but then I always worry about schemes like this, as I have a very common name. As an example I’m in a database in Hong Kong and every time I visit, I’m called aside for special treatment. At least I haven’t ended up in jail, but one day my namesake might have upped his level of crime or annoyance. I also used to live in a small village with a criminal with a similar first name and the same surname. I had great difficulty getting a credit card, as I was thought of as one of his relatives.
I will be very unlikely to have any trouble with the Act, but then I only have about two hours contact alone with children in every year. And that is with my granddaughter, either when I take her to the supermarket or show her something on the computer, with one of her parents in the next room!
However, I’m thinking about volunteering to perhaps provide transport or computer help. Because of this Act, I have said that I don’t want to do anything concerned with children or their parents.
Is that the purpose of the Act? Because if no-one worked with children, then we wouldn’t have any problems would we!
And then I watched Generation Jihad.
This was chilling as young Muslims talked candidly about their outlandish views.
I feel that we may be winning some of the battles against those who feel we should be punished because of our lack of religion. The Police are arresting people before they do any damage, mullahs seem to talk sense in good English, and the tone of Muslims on phone-in programmes seems to be very much more tolerant to others.
But again oppressive legislation has been used against the Muslim extremists, that in the end may prove to be unproductive. How many people have downloaded anti-Western videos? Probably a lot more than you would think. For instance, I’ve been sent links to them in spam, by spammers in the Middle East. I unknowingly downloaded the first bit, but then as my Arabic is a bit rusty, so I deleted it.
If your brother was locked up for doing something like this, would you support the authorities or the brother? I suspect, where no actual threat has been proved you would support him.
So is this legislation actually creating more potential terrorists, rather than reducing them? After all if you’re prepared to be a suicide bomber, then a few years in jail if you get caught preparing, is a small price to pay. You can wait and probably you’ll learn a lot more in prison to help you on your way.
Let’s face it, on a scale of nastiness, terrorists and paedophiles are the lowest of the low. Oppressive agencies feasting on innuendo as well as facts, relying on typical government computing and staffed by people on not the best wages are one way to do it. But is that the best?
No!
These systems only catch those on the radar of the authorities. The London bombers weren’t and neither are most paedophiles.
I also have a big worry about these sort of systems. Supposing one was found to be a complete waste of time. Would it be scrapped? After all, if a government did, they’d be described as pro-paedophile or pro-terrorist. Look at how long it took them to sort out the Child Support Agency and the damage that was done in the interim.
So what should we do?
We should look at what causes people to become paedophiles, terrorists and criminals for that matter. One thing stands out; poverty. There is also the way that the parents treat their children. Many paedophiles were abused by their parents, many criminals take up their parents habits and there are terrorists, who have strained relationships with their family. Obviously, not all, but as the programmes pointed out last night, the seeds of criminality are sown within the family home.
Poverty is a very difficult one. The poor are very little better off after nearly thirteen years of Labour rule. But perhaps we should radically change things like the tax system to make sure that those at the bottom end keep more of what they earn, paying for it with taxes on energy. The tax system should also be seamless with the benefit system, so that part-time work is better and less hassle than no-time work.
I have hopes though about poverty and from a rather surprising person; Iain Duncan Smith.
As to family problems, my late wife spent a lot of her working life dealing with their breakdown. Barristers like her are being squeezed by the Legal Aid Fund and anyone worth his or her salt would not go into that field today. But then government doesn’t properly fund the Social Services, so that we get so many problems there.
But then those at the bottom end of society don’t vote, so looking after them is not on the average politician’s radar. Also horrendous crime plays well in Middle Britain, when the government says that they’ll bring in ASBOs, Super-ASBOs, life for littering etc. etc. I bet some wish capital punishment was still available.
But perhaps something that would help everybody, is that we should look at society and make it all a lot simpler.
Let’s have a Bonfire of the Regulations.
The Iraq Inquiry
I can’t see the point to the Iraq Inquiry.
Never has so much hot air and money been wasted on so much to generate so little. Well possibly the Inquiry into Bloody Sunday has wasted a lot more and all of the money wasted would have far better been spent on the victims.
But that is only the start to this pointless inquiry, which will not find anybody guilty and never get anywhere near the truth. Probably, in my view, because the truth isn’t actually written down and it is much more a cock-up by lightweight incompetents, rather than any conspiracy.
You have to ask why Tony Blair was the politician and his wife was the lawyer. Perhaps she had the brains to earn the money and he had the style to convince the average man in the street. Could he convince the average judge and jury? He gave up the Bar too soon for anybody to find out.
But what really gets me about the Iraq Inquiry is that the best daytime radio programme of the week, the Mayo/Kermode film review has been cancelled.
Shame on the BBC for giving us endless drivel instead of entertainment. I doubt more than a dozen people outside the Westminster circle are listening. And that is the problem with British politics. It’s them in control and us what pays for it!
The Pen is Mightier than the Sword
Well! Perhaps I should say Bomb.
The government has now raised the security threat from substantial to severe.
Without wishing to be too flippant, can this be anything to do with the fact that we will have to have an election in the next few months. Obviously, terrorism and the fear of it, can be considered to be a vote winner for the incumbent.
But we are fighting these criminals in totally the wrong way.
At least though, some are using humour.
Chris Morris has made a jihadist comedy called Four Lions. It is premiered today at the Sundance Film Festival. I hope it succeeds. Note there is a clip on the first link.
And then there is Jihad, The Musical.
We need more of this satire. But not just against so-called Muslim criminals, but anybody else who really has a warped sense of what the world should be like. How about The Graduate II featuring another Mrs. Robinson? Or Don’t Make a Monkey out of Me with Sarah Palin?
Hot Air in Copenhagen
So today, the big climate change conference starts in Copenhagen. Yawn! Yawn!
I’m cynical anything of any substance will emerge.
Prudence bashes on about how he is at the forefront of reducing our energy use, but this article in the Telegraph says otherwise.
These are two paragraphs from the article.
His former chief scientist Professor Sir David King said he frequently urged Downing Street to spend money on energy saving measures in order to create jobs and cut carbon – but was repeatedly ignored.
And in a separate interview with the Daily Telegraph, the world’s top environmental watchdog Achim Steiner, the head of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), also said the Labour Government failed to “pick the low hanging fruit” of insulating homes and investing in renewable energy.
Typical Prudence, all waffle and bluster, and absolutely no substance. He doesn’t even have any style.
But I’m totally against this sort of junket. It should be done remotely by electronic means, with perhaps two or three important people from each country in Copenhagen to dot i’s and cross t’s.
The Anonymous Widower 