Labour does not help the poor and hardworking.

The scrapping of the 10p starting rate of income tax has infuriated many on the Labour left.
Every now and then the old style left do experience some sort of epiphany - [consider Claire Short admitting that uncontrolled immigration is bad for us all] - and in this instance, they have realised that this policy will hit low paid, working class people quite hard. To my astonishment, some of them actually appear to care.
This government has attempted to bleed ever more taxation out of those of us who work.
Amongst all the many other things this government has got wrong, hammering the living standards of ordinary people is high on the list of accusations.
Indeed. When did a Labour government last lend genuine help to the working person?

LINK: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=557480&in_page_id=1770

Mugabe.

It is a long time since a comedian made us laugh with his Mugabe joke:
- How can we tell that the man comes from Yorkshire?
- Well, if you read his name backwards all is revealed - E BA GUM!





Tragically, there is absolutely nothing remaining to laugh about where this evil despot is concerned.
Life expectancy in 'his' country has plummeted from 60 to just 37 years old.
Inflation is 100,000%. He is a liar, a brutal blackguard, a cheat and a multiple murderer.
His country - under Ian Smith one of the wealthiest in Africa - now has 80% unemployment and people are literally starving to death.

{Dare I ask - just how terrible was British colonialism after all?}
SO THEN! Where are all those leftwing hypocrites who made out that the Ian Smith regime was so terrible?
Under which rocks have they scuttled because the silence from these appalling people is deafening?

How many starved under Smith? How many could not live or work?
I am not defending a non democratic system but imposed democracies in Africa have tended to be just as successful as what has happened in Iraq. Why military action in Iraq but not in Zimbabwe?
So why virtually no attacks on this vicious man? [ Didn't the hapless tories even give the wretch a knighthood - or is my memory failing? ]
The left got what they wanted in S. Rhodesia.
So, is the silence a result of mere embarrassment or is it more sinister? Is it that in our Brave New PC World, we are not allowed to attack evil if perpetrated by a leader who is black?
My view? - A combination of both.

LINK: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/newscomment.html?in_article_id=557518&in_page_id=1787

Render unto.....

In late June 2006, I featured the redoubtable Josephine Rooney on this Blog.
Josephine, who is a devout Christian, has been jailed a second time in Derby for refusing categorically to pay her Council Tax.
She reasons that the council has not been properly vigilant and has failed to remove prostitutes and drug dealers from the area around her home.
On the last occasion, regrettably to her, a 'well-wisher' paid the amount so that she only served a single day.
In view of all the adverse publicity, one wonders whether this was a 'well-wisher ' at all!
This time the 71 year old hopes to 'do her porridge' in order to draw attention to the case.
She has the money and has placed it into a holding account.
With my attitudes to justice some may be surprised that I support her campaign - after all, she is prepared to 'pay the price' for her crusade.
I admire the doughty lady enormously. She has standards and is operating to valid principles.






LINK: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=557863&in_page_id=1770

Freedom.

"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."

- Thomas Paine.






[My thanks to Stan Parr of Pershore for supplying me with so many important quotes in the two year life of this Blog.]

Breaches of trust.

On this Blog, I have tried to reveal many of the hidden secrets of the ponderous and ineffective justice machine in this country.

One of the out and out scandals is the reluctance to jail people for 'Theft in breach of trust'.

When I began on The Bench, this was considered to be worthy of certain custody in almost all of cases and rightly so.

By the time I left, the guidelines had changed to make it 'Entry point, community penalty' thus vastly reducing the numbers jailed for this heinous offence.

We now take appalling behaviour in our stride. As a society we hardly blink at such serious matters.

Crime will never drop until it is punished. Quite apart from anything else such as rehabilitation and deterrence, there is a moral imperative to punish.

It is manifestly wrong - indeed, profoundly immoral - to give a weak and unbalanced punishment for any offence.

What message do you send to would-be offenders? What message do you send to those who DO obey the rules of society?

And no. We are emphatically NOT talking about revenge but rather justice and righteousness.

There is no vindication in any society which allows its citizenry to damage others knowing that offending is so under punished as to be worthwhile.

I

Wot - no previous?

According to the laughably named SMARTJUSTICE [linked to The Prison Reform Trust] one third of imprisoned women have no previous convictions. THIS IS ONE OF THEIR MANY SKEWED FACTS.

They go on to suggest that these women should not have been jailed.
Well. Having been in the system, this is very easily explained.

It is all due to rampant sexism.

Courts will find many reasons NOT to jail women who certainly get away with far more than any man could possibly hope to - particularly when they argue that they have children. [This cuts considerably less ice for a man.]


This being the case, it naturally means that women only tend to be jailed for considerably more serious offences. Of the present prison population only about 6% are female!

The one third mentioned misleadingly by SJ will almost all represent VERY grave offences indeed - that is the bit they forget to tell you.


This group is committed to EVEN more community penalties which is like trying to empty an ocean with a teaspoon.
Moreover, for somebody to be jailed for a first offence, whether male or female, the offence is always going to be especially serious.

A second amazing fact from this group is that most prisoners will be released and will reoffend.

They conveniently forget to mention that reoffending rates on Community Penalties are astronomical; that breaches exceed 50%; that prison life is at worst, comfortable and therefore less a punishment than a minor inconvenience and that absolutely no incarcerated offender CAN offend in the community whilst locked up!

What was it said about "Lies,damned lies and statistics?"

Giving.

Christians have a duty to give. The countless scriptural texts which indicate that generosity to the needy is a necessity for believers consolidates my point.

Christians should also give to support their Church.

What does concern me often is whether believers try to find out sufficient information about how their monies will be used.

I know it was many years ago, but I do recall the scandal when War on Want were found - albeit indirectly - to be funding terror groups. Was that accidental?

Should Christians give to groups such as Amnesty - which "fights torture" when this is a leftwing front which always seemingly manages to fight against justice, unerringly taking sides with wrongdoers, at the same time?

Should we give to groups which have tried to sever links with their Christian pasts such as The Red Cross?

Should we be giving to groups with leftwing and even marxist agendas?

Christians, please do be generous. Please try to ease the lives of the unfortunate, the destitute, the sick, the hurting and the impoverished BUT please find out first PRECISELY what will happen to your donations.

[It is also wise to establish what percentage of your giving will actually reach 'the sharp end' and just how much will be eaten away in 'running costs'.]

Increase your giving - TODAY!

[If anybody is interested, we support our Church, TEARFUND, LEPRA, SENSE and occasionally the PDSA and THE SONGBIRD SURVIVAL TRUST. In addition we do our best for The Handsworth Christian School.]

Incidentally, I refuse to buy 'The Big Issue' - too many funds going to drug dealers; too many sellers wrongfully adding to their benefits which I am already funding.

Surprise!

"The number of Britons in work has dropped by nearly half a million since the onset of mass immigration from Eastern Europe, figures showed yesterday....
According to the breakdown released to MPs, the number born in this country in jobs fell from 24.4 million in 2004 to 23.9 million last year....
But the scale of the fall suggests that more British-born workers have given up competing with immigrants- who are prepared to work harder for lower wages - and joining the 5 million who depend on benefits.
Sir Andrew Green of the Migrationwatch think tank said: "This is the first clear evidence that there is a relationship between the extent of unemployment among British workers and the growth of employment of Eastern Europeans."

Not my words. What comment could I possibly make?

LINK: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=557633&in_page_id=1770

Fact of life.

One of the unchangeable facts of life is, that every comedy series and every drama which has an extended TV run, given sufficient time, will turn into a soap!

La Niña.

The head of the World Meteorological Organisation has said that La Niña - the weather phenomenon which is cooling the Pacific - is likely to trigger a small drop in average global temperatures compared with last year.

If the forecast is right, it means global temperatures will not have increased since 1998.











Date on this TIME magazine?

LINKS: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=557209&in_page_id=1770
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=557374&in_page_id=1770

A lone voice....

"Family breakdown is a cancer behind almost every evil affecting the country, a senior judge has said.
Mr Justice Coleridge blames youth crime, child abuse, drug addiction and binge-drinking on the meltdown of relations between parents and children."

Virtually everybody who lives above the level of the gutter knows this fact - liberal left apart, of course.
Just why are there so very few amongst the high and mighty, the ruling elite, who fail to recognise the blindingly obvious?





Well said, Your Honour!


LINK: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=557377&in_page_id=1770&ct=5

Rats.

"Britain could become overrun with rats because so many town halls have introduced charges for treating vermin, pest experts say.
Although rats are a major public health problem some councils demand £80 to tackle infestations in homes. "

Right. Please explain what local councils are for. They don't kill pests, they whinge about weekly bin collections - some even making them fortnightly - they close public toilets; fail to repair roads properly; leave litter festering; fail to empty bins and are slow to repair broken facilities.
They are poor at keeping parks and gardens well tended; they leave cemeteries looking like rubbish tips; they do not repair street lights; footpaths are full of pot holes. Anyway, I am sure you could make your own rather lengthy list.
How come then, that Council Tax bills are shooting up way above inflation?
[Do not forget of course, uncontrolled immigration has cost you dearly.]
And apart from Councils' love of employing bureaucrats & PC meddlers - check out the links to high Council Tax bills and - wait for it - the heavy connection to our old friends at the EU.

LINKS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5255038.stm
http://www.whatprice.co.uk/financial/council-tax-rises.html

LINK: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/23/view23.xml

What do these figures show?

What do these figures show us about crime, immigration and the links between the two, I wonder?



The cost of court translation services for defendants and witnesses who cannot speak English has nearly doubled in three years.
Non-English speakers cost the courts system £16.7 million in 2004-05. But that figure ballooned to £29.3 million for 2007-2008, according to figures released yesterday.
In all, more than £90 million has been spent on interpreters in magistrates and crown courts over the past three years.



AND crime is falling according to Labour.

Hmmm!

LINK: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=557371&in_page_id=1770

No ban.

A muslim in Scotland was spared a driving ban as he was 'commuting between his 2 wives'.
Sooo fair and just!

LINK: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=557331&in_page_id=1770

Why was this man sacked?

Scandal! "A science teacher who was accused of punching an unruly pupil told of his relief yesterday after being cleared of wrongdoing at the end of a two-year ordeal.
Shakil Akhter, 42, was sacked after the headmistress believed the 12-year-old boy, who had a history of causing trouble, over her own member of staff."

So typical of 'justice' today. A young toe rag is believed ahead of a respected professional. Small problem - there was no evidence whatsoever against Mr Akhter AND there was another adult in the room who had not seen the alleged 'incident' AND Mr Akhter was not allowed to defend himself.

At least we got the right decision in the end. Perhaps in future those who make wild accusations without a shred of evidence will hopefully, not expect to be believed.

LINK: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=557365&in_page_id=1770

Dan the man.

The excellent Daniel Hannan MEP - one of the very few tories who could ever earn my vote - has done it again.



His analysis of the Irish crisis which led to the resignation of the appalling Bertie Ahern, is so to the point, it is almost frightening.




He indicates that the Toaiseach's resignation, because of him facing corruption charges, was timed in such a way as to influence the Irish Referendum on the EU Constitution which could otherwise well have been lost.



So Daniel Hannan points out that the EU seems to possess awesome powers - even determining the 'when' for bad guys to fall on their swords.



He compares this to CS Lewis's "That Hideous Strength" - again a terrific call as I too am an admirer of that great writer.




The LINK below is VERY STRONGLY recommended.





LINK: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/politics/danielhannan/april08/theueshideousstrength.htm

Immigration lies.

Sir Andrew Green of MigrationWatch has been pilloried in The Guardian, The Observer, The Independent and in all the bien pensant liberal left enclaves throughout the country.

He has dared to produce facts about the immigration crisis rather than to make up stories.

He and his much scorned organisation have proved - er - to be correct.

In taxation terms, the benefits brought by each individual immigrant amount to a lofty 58 pence per week.

"The figure emerged in a late memo sent by the Home Office to the major inquiry by peers."

If we then consider the massive attacks on the social structure: housing, education, prisons, crime, social benefits and the creation of ghettos, we can then only begin to see how disastrous this has been for the nation.

It has eased the government out of the tough decision on how to get our own, plentiful workshy off their rear ends and into low paid work.

So Gordon Brown has rejected calls for strict immigration limits. On what insane grounds, I wonder?

Incidentally, the Tory record on immigration has always been extremely poor - even in Margaret Thatcher's day, it doubled!

Links:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=557633&in_page_id=1770
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=553548&in_page_id=1770&in_a_source=

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=553001&in_page_id=1770

Well - it's only fair...

Today the price of a prescription went up from £6.85 to £7.10 per item. But only in England.
Last year on the 1st April, English prescriptions were increased to £6.85 whilst charges were abolished in Wales. This year, the price has been frozen in Northern Ireland and reduced to just £5 per prescription in Scotland where over 90% of prescriptions are already dispensed free of charge.
Soooo fair!

Independent? - Hardly.

I really do not like The ill-named Independent. I read a copy this morning and as usual, it had my hackles rising.

The Letters Page was filled with anti-Christian letters; the paper had backtracked big style on its more sensible approach to dealing with cannabis and the fate of Zimbabwe was relegated to Page 30.

On top of all that - it was tedious and boring. Only The Guardian could rival this as being the worst of the 'better' papers.

LINK: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=553001&in_page_id=1770

Tomorrow.

There will be no posting tomorrow as I am out of circulation.
Your daily dose of common sense returns late on Friday.

Controversy.

How do you tackle these matters when you are Christian and emphatically non-racist?

There was an outcry some years ago when the Metropolitan Police allowed it to be known that 90% of muggers are black.


On 'Crimewatch' when they show their 8 'most wanted' pictures, there has never been a programme in years when their photos have not displayed a majority who were not from ethnic minorities and/or recent immigrants.


I invite you to check the link below from W. Midlands Police noting the fact that Hogan is Irish.


We are told repeatedly that blacks are over-represented in our prisons. We may have to take the blindingly obvious step to deduce that this is because they are committing substantially more crime.


The liberal left, who can hardly deny the present state of affairs, will respond in customary , blinkered and proven fashion. They will insist that this has happened because of 'racism' and 'a lack of opportunities'.


I cannot lay my hands on figures at the moment but I have seen it reported that the Chinese and the Jews have the lowest representative numbers of any ethnic groups in British prisons. Both these minorities broadly succeed.


Let us also try to gain a perspective from the 30,000 Ugandan Asians expelled by Idi Amin. They arrived in this country with literally NOTHING.
In under 20 years this group had the highest representative numbers of millionaires of any identifiable grouping in the UK.


This is a land of opportunity. The time has come to stop making excuses and pretending and keeping secrets for those who do not take the chances available.
It is worth remembering - most crimes committed by these criminals are committed against the SAME ethnic group!




LINKS: http://www.west-midlands.police.uk/wanted/index.asp
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/aug/15/immigration.immigrationandpublicservices

Romans 2:14.

King James Bible
For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Romans 2:14.
When I was fighting not to become a Christian in my flat in The Barrio Pilar, Madrid, back at Easter 1973 this verse answered my last argument.
I read it unsaved and several seconds later I embraced the Living Jesus as my Lord and Personal Saviour.