The Anonymous Widower

Lord Sugar Doesn’t Back Ken For London Mayor

Lord Sugar is supposed to be a Labour Peer. But here are his words for Ken  Livingstone as reported in the Telegraph.

The Labour peer defied Ed Miliband by telling his 1.8 million followers on Twitter to reject the party’s official candidate.

The intervention could amount to a breach of party rules and is likely to damage the Labour campaign.

“I don’t care if Ed Miliband is backing Livingstone,” Lord Sugar wrote. “I seriously suggest NO ONE votes for Livingstone in the Mayoral elections.”

He added that the contest between the Conservative, Boris Johnson, and Mr Livingstone was a “real issue”. “Livingstone must NOT get in.”

Not very supportive.

April 19, 2012 Posted by | News | , | Leave a comment

Santorum Gives Up

I think this is good for the world, as he would have made one of the worst US Presidents ever.

With all the religiously-driven troubles around the world, the one thing we don’t need is an extreme right-wing Catholic, totally out of kilter on womens’ issues and humanity in the White House.

He should crawl back with the dinosaurs and reeducate himself about the real world, where contraception and abortion are commonplace and legal, women work and guns and the death penalty are something you read about in history books.

April 11, 2012 Posted by | News | , , , , | 2 Comments

The Disgrace of Augusta

I quite like golf on the television, but I never watch the Masters at Augusta.

Like many people, I can remember when blacks could only be caddies or waiters. In fact the founder of the tournament insisted that in his lifetime, it was only contested by white players with black caddies.

At least now President Obama has weighed into the row about women being allowed to watch. But then he knows that with the issues of birth control and abortion likely to figure in the next election, it will help him get re-elected.

The Masters also have an interesting problem this year, in that one of their major sponsors, IBM, has a female Chief Executive. Will they go for money or ditch an outdated principle?

In The Times today, Matthew Syed, one of their most-respected sports writers, calls Augusta a laughing stock.

The Times also indicates that some Scottish golf clubs have a similar attitude to women and St. Andrews has a particular problem, in that the Principal of the University is female.

I also remember a friend, who couldn’t use a corporate membership at a golf club in the south of England. But being the man he was, he talked them round.

April 7, 2012 Posted by | Sport | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Guess Who?

On my trip on the New Bus for London, I sat by the rear platform for a time.  I took this picture.

Guess Who?

Who is it? I should say that Health and Safety regulations, do not require all passengers to wear a parachute on the rear platform of the New Bus for London. There is always a helpful conductor or as I prefer a Bus Captain there to ensure good behaviour.

I should say, that I had a brief chat with the Bus Captain, who very much liked the bus.  I suppose acting as a Rear Gunner chatting to passengers, is better than being shut behind a Plexiglass screen with the money, driving the bus.

If you haven’t identified him yet, here’s a picture after he got off the bus.

Boris on the Stump

It’s only the second time, I’ve ever come across a politician on the stump.  The first time, I was under a car fixing the brakes, when I was called out by a lady canvassing for her local party.  I voted for her, as she apologised for interrupting me.

April 3, 2012 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , | 1 Comment

Rod Liddle on George Galloway

Rod always says the things that other people just think and I must vadmit some of my thoughts about George Galloway are banged home with alacrity.

Rod questions, George’s views on things like forced marriage, homosexuality and honour killings.  He also accuses George of being slightly to the right of Hamas.

I have a feeling that come the next election, the sensible citizens of Bradford West will not vote George Galloway as their MP.

April 1, 2012 Posted by | News | | Leave a comment

Are Blackberries the Cause of the World’s Ills?

I have said that to me, as a very experienced keyboard user, that the Blackberry is a piece of very bad design.

But it is loved by the great and good in politics and business, from Barack Obama downwards.

So if they choose such an obscure device can we trust them to make the proper decisions, that affect us all?

April 1, 2012 Posted by | Computing, World | , , | 1 Comment

Ken Livingstone Won’t Like It

The second leader in The Times today, asks about Ken Livingstone’s attitude to London’s Jews.

It also questions his puzzling comments about homosexuality, claiming that the Tory party is riddled with it.

It finishes with this paragraph.

This turns what would otherwise be a nasty squabble into an issue of importance to all London citizens and, indeed, beyond. A divisive politics that seeks to exploit tensions between religious groups for electoral gain would be a disaster, not just for the city but for the country. And it is to be hoped that Mr Livingstone will find it a disaster for him as well. Muslims value a united London, too.

Until now, I hadn’t really been too bothered about who was Mayor of London.  Now, I’m certainly on an ABK ticket.

March 30, 2012 Posted by | News | , , , , | 1 Comment

A Government Income and Expenditure Statement

I proposed one of these years ago.  It has been reported that they might bring in an Expenditure statement for taxpayers.

You’d be surprised about how much and how little some taxes raise.

An Expenditure statement is useless without an Income one.

 

March 20, 2012 Posted by | Finance & Investment, News | , , | Leave a comment

Council Employees Tax Avoidance Schemes

I have been amazed for some years at the enormous salaries trousered by some top council employees.  After all, you can’t say that they do a creative job that adds value.  Now it appears that many of these employees are paid through companies to avoid tax, according to a report by the Public Accounts Committee.  The chair of this committee Margaret Hodge is quoted on the BBC as saying.

This is a tax avoidance scheme which is totally wrong. Where you are a public servant it’s not right you should be paid in a way that avoids tax

I agree! If George Osborne is looking for a place to raise money in the budget, he could declare these contracts illegal and raise perhaps a billion or two.

It would appear that my council, Hackney, is one of the worst offenders, with 39 employees being paid this way.

March 13, 2012 Posted by | News | , , | Leave a comment

Afghanistan

With the sad and tragic deaths of six British soldiers in Afghanistan, the news from the United States, where two hard-line religious fanatics, not well-disposed to Islam,  are vying for the Republican nomination for President, is not good.

Let’s hope that the United States sees sense and re-elects President Obama. At least he’s not in the blast-Iran-back-to-the-Stone-Age-tendency.

Otherwise, incidents like yesterday’s will get worse and more often.

March 8, 2012 Posted by | News | , , , | Leave a comment