News Today

On this April Fools Day the news offered to us via screaming headlines and chattering voices informs us, to some extent, that the Conservative Party's vain attempt to amend the 'Welfare State' is once again under way.  Having spent the past few years informing 'Middle England' that all on benefit were scroungers, that the vast majority of those on sickness benefit were fit for work and that those on housing benefit had plenty more cash than those working, a state of divisive hate has arisen between those poorly paid ion work and those on benefit.

A note on language here.  We used to refer to 'Social Security,' a system that secured the individual from poverty, starvation and homelessness, whether through unemployment, sickness or other outside situation.  Now we used the word 'Welfare,' an American term that implies all such are lazy scroungers.  A small but important use of language encouraged by the Tory press.

There are, and have always been, people deliberately refusing to work while claiming as much as they could get for nothing.  Liverpool and Glasgow know much of this.  However the fact remains that the near three million unemployed would take suitable work tomorrow if it was on offer!  Where I ask are such jobs?  The Tory's claim a million have found work, but the vast majority are part time, and then on minimum wage.  Refusal to accept such work, even if highly qualified elsewhere, is not an option given by this government of millionaires who would never dirty their hands by working.  Ian Duncan Smith never stacked shelves when he was twice unemployed!

The amendments to the Social Security budget is merely an attempt to cut the bill, understandably, and get the 'Daily Mail' reader to vote Conservative by encouraging a hatred of benefit seekers and a false promise of tax cuts.   Sadly as so many middle classes now find themselves claiming dole money I fear this will not be successful,  especially as both Dave and George have missed many opportunities to improve the nation and instead turned it into a liberal ghetto, losing their core voters while doing so.  

The Labour Party?  Ed Milliband will follow a similar course.  After all Labour began the use of the ATOS company to weed out those fit for work from those genuinely unfit.  The money made by declaring an individual fit ensured many, whether missing limbs or mentally sick, were declared fit, in spite of the vast majority winning appeals backed up by medical records.  The sick in Afghanistan get better care.  Labour offer nothing, and it is Ed's fault.

'The welfare reforms' have been badly thought out, rushed through, and incompetently handled.  IDS will still insist they work however. and work is something he has never managed successfully before.

Not only, but also the Tory plan for selling off the NHS has taken another step forward today.Since the days of the vile Thatcher women destroying the nation the NHS has been under threat.  To save the taxpayer a penny, and earn votes for herself, she began to sell the NHS, that failed, but only just.  All governments since have puzzled how to maintain a free health system while cutting the ever increasing costs, all have failed.  On the same day that a failed reorganisation of the Social Security is introduced the government introduce a revamped NHS.  In theory doctors will control the spending, in practice it will do nothing for patient care, and fail to stop the overspending.  Hamfisted and ideologically led the overhaul will be amended by the next Labour government, quite how we await with anticipation.   Not exactly eager anticipation I must say. The Labour Party has nothing to offer but Tory failings, and that is not enough.

The biggest news however, according to the number of times it has been mentioned on the news, is David Milliaband's resignation as a director of Sunderland Football Club because they have chosen to sign Paulo Di Canio as manager.  Di Canio, an unstable character, was recently fired from lower division Swindon Town, but is seen as the man to fire up Sunderland as they fight the danger of relegation and all that means.

Now Milliband's problem is not a football one. No sensible Premier club would appoint this man Di Canio.  Let me give an example of his character.  While playing for Celtic some years back he won a penalty kick, probably rightly.  He took the penalty, he scored the penalty, then he, not they, he began to argue with the Heart of Midlothian defenders.  He got sent off!  Rarely do Celtic players get sent off, rarely does any player get sent off for winning and scoring a penalty kick!

David Milliband objects however not to the nature of the man but to his politics.  Italian football is very politically motivated.  Silvio Berlusconi, when not running his TV stations, bouncing around on young women, or even in one of his court appearances owns A.C.Milan, one of Europe's premier football teams.   In Rome Lazio, who Di Canio played for, represent the right wing in Italian politics.  All other teams have leanings one way or another, something which makes overall control of football in Italy very difficult for any government, and Italy has had lots of them  since the war.

Di Canio famously used the Fascist right arm salute during one game, for reasons I know not, and gained much opprobrium for doing so.  Whatever his reasons, I forget those now, it matters not.  This, especially in the left leaning press, was a great evil and a wonderful way to fill space.  He has never been allowed to forget this.  David Milliband has resigned he says, because of this man's political beliefs.  Is he right to do so?  Is he telling the truth?

I cannot stop dealing with people because of their political beliefs, to do so would be 'undemocratic.'  For Milliband to resign because the manager appears to support Mussolini is likewise 'undemocratic,' and somewhat over the top.  However let us remember that David has also resigned from the Labour Party and taken a job in the USA leading an 'International Charity,' for which incidentally he will be paid some £200,00 a year.  During the past year he has already, it has been claimed, received almost a million in payments for his 'other projects.'  Not bad for a man who failed to become the popular leader of the Labour Party because of the Unions choosing his more amenable brother.   

David has made a splash here.  This news has gone worldwide.  His stand against fascism and Nazism is clear.  What is also clear is that when Ed, his brother and present leader of the Labour Party fails to ensure a decisive defeat of this shoddy government then David will return as the great white hope, ascending from the Americas to the delight of the desperate Labour accolites and then lead them into a brave new world.

Aye, he cares about fascism right enough.

It is an interesting aside that while the dangers and horrors of Fascism, as seen during the 20th century, are real enough the dangers and horrors of the left as noted under Communism are less dangerous in some eyes.  The chattering classes in the UK, that is the middle class socialists, not those that have to work and get their hands dirty socialists, lean to the left while paying lip service to the wrongs of Stalin or Mao, Pol Pot or Castro.  Dictatorship is OK if we do it apparently.  I must add that the first to object to living  under such a system as run by those men would be the chattering classes.  Their left wing approach is to let them dictate to others, while keeping their wealth, and demand their rights to progress while pretending to themselves that they do this for everyone.  The Blairite Milliband flying to his wealthy abode in new York has laid his plans to possess the vote of such as they.  While pandering to middle England he will soon be pandering, from afar, to the Guardian reader.  Both share a delight in their money, both vote accordingly.

The people?  They know their place, and the news agenda is fixed by their betters to ensure they keep it. 

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Danger Day

Maybe it's the ever present tiredness that never seems to leave me, maybe it's just being cack-handed, or there again it may just be my luck but today did not go well.  


It started late, I awoke at ten past five, closed my eyes as the 'shipping forecast' was read on the wireless and next thing I knew it was seven!  I stumbled into the kitchen fried tomatoes and the mushrooms that were growing on them and microwaved an omlette.  This took forever as I had forgotten to turn the cooker on.  Eventually my cold toast finished and crumbs filling every crack in this laptop, the phone rang.  For some strange reasom nine o'clock had arrived before I was ready and some spammer was already attempting to sell me something.  I ignored them and let the ansafone take care of it, no message was the reply.  I dialed 1471 to get their number and trace the call but they did not leave one, a spammer!  However I noticed some marks on the phone, the handset batteries were leaking like a tap!   Considerable time later the mess was cleaned up, on the phone, the desk,the laptop - me!  At least the desk is considerably cleaner, although things now fall through the hole.   


As I had to go into the walled city for no good reason I prepared carefully my duties so as to have as little time there as possible.  Naturally this was not to be.  Having managed to stay awake sufficiently to leave the train at my stop, rather than end in down by the coast where I would rather be, although being in Clacton on Sea would not be my first choice of coastal town to reside in (ankle chains and white stiletto's, and that's just the men!), I trooped off via the park and watched life slowly traipse by in the gloom.  At least the rain only threatened, then stopped and this summers gray cloud cheered us no end.  As I made for my destination a man walking the other way grumbled about the papers strewn all over and around a park bench, although I was not sure what I should do about it.  I noticed that he grumbled about those responsible but made no effort to collect the stuff and put it in the bin himself.  Hmmm.


Forced to huddle in a side room with a hundred other layabouts until the lovely Alison sorted things out I was then presented with a PC that suffered much!  The screen resolution was so small I could only see it by leaning right up against it, the window light reflected blocking what I could see, and it would not work!  My neighbour had his working, up to a point, but at least he could read his!  Once we managed to get started the printer would not print.  Both of us, and several others, sent much to the printer and nothing arrived.  The PC's were set to a differing machine.  Somewhere in that building hundreds of wasted sheets of paper are at this minute piling up on the floor.  What were we doing there?  Almost all of us claimed we do more at home.  All of us thought we were wasting time here, and that it cost this company cash it would be better advised spending on an upgrade of the computer system. However these 'Work' programmes are running into a problem. They make money when the 'client' gets a job he keeps for six months. There are three million unemployed and 400,000 vacancies. Most on this programme are the ones nobody wants. Like me some are unfit, some old, some unskilled and some ex-prisoners, not the first you would choose when employing someone from several hundred applications. The course is meant to help but there are just too few jobs, now this programme are getting worried. Conned by this government they are losing cash like water flooding folks houses and there is no improvement in sight. I wasted my time there, got out as quick as I could, and made it home without falling asleep onto the tracks.




I put the chips in the oven as I couldn't be fagged to do anything else and forgot the frying pan and oil therein was lying on the bottom of the oven. I type this with a thin haze all around, the windows open to clear the air, an unfortunate aroma clinging to everything, and suspect that as the night is young still more can go wrong.




I'm off to bed......




Oh good, the kids opposite have their music on, 'Rap' (with a capital 'C') or that dum dum dum stuff I wonder? That's the advantage the States has in such situations, guns! Bah!







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How to be an Idiot No. 86.

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The day was destined to be bad.  I woke sluggishly to the gentle sound of Gregorian chant, chased those monks away from my window, and headed of into a day of woe.  I felt a bit hebetudinous and went around making a mess of things. Failing to type correctly, putting the tea bag in the cup, then doing it again, and wondering why the world appeared a bit 'off,'  I then put my glasses on and the world returned to some sort of normality. Having to sign for my scrounging layabouts allowance today I had to ensure the paperwork was up to date, it was, somewhat.  I then sauntered around to the dole, wearing my jacket, and found my penthouse condominium fails once again to inform me of the weather outside. Inside it was chilly, outside it was very warm indeed.  Sweltering I scribbled something that once was my name and in the following short conversation I said things I regretted afterwards.  "What an idiot," I thought!  My big mouth!  I then went home, sweltering, hitting myself as I went.


This afternoon I went into the town again, see above 'Jumbo' the old water tower, now I believe converted into living quarters.  Naturally I was out the door into a higher temperature again wearing the jacket as I had forgotten the warmth.  I did notice one side effect was the lassies insistence on making the most of the years last few hot days by stripping off as much as possible.  If only I had taken one of those famous blue tablets the spam merchants are always offering!  The meeting, with yet another man who suggested what has already been attempted, went as well as could be expected. I made my way back to the station happy I had not made any more stupid remarks or done any foolish things.  The train journey was short and sweet and I happily changed for my connection.  A train stood on the platform and I glanced at the monitor informing me of the 'Liverpool St' Destination.  I did not however notice the time!  I sauntered past the waiting train and stood idly gazing down the track at the distant signals and fast disappearing train I had just left.  I mused on the Kestral high above circling around and around, scaring even the crows who rose to greet him.  I watched an attractive dark haired lass give me the "drop dead creep" look, I noticed a station operative (we used to call them porters) enter a locked room with a teenage lad and a police officer (he unlocked the room before entering before you ask).  The 'Beep Beep' sound came from the train.  The doors closed and I watched as it began the journey to London.  "Hello I thought, why is he reversing?" He was not reversing, he was my train and I had misread the times on the monitor!  I waited a full hour, in the heat, until the next train (full of London commuters) arrived.  

It's all becoming a bit of a circus actually

I am off to the 'Deed Poll Office' tomorrow to change my name to 'Dostoevsky Idiot,' as this seems to me to be more appropriate.  

There is a train down there somewhere with a few very irritated passengers.  I suspect the driver may well be a relative....


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Down at the Labour Exchange

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Few people realise that Winston Churchill was responsible for the 'Labour Exchange' coming into existence.He, while President of the Board of Trade, along with Beveridge and Lloyd-George, brought about great change in the United Kingdom during 1909, and one of those changes was the Labour Exchange offices. The labour market at the time was confused and there was much 'casual employment,' and this new system was combined with the introduction of 'Unemployment Benefit.' Many forget that while Churchill was very evidently an aristocrat he also took the view that his position gave him a paternalistic duty to care for those less well off, something Margaret Thatcher and her spawn David Cameron have never understood! Many also forget that he was also a member of the Liberal government at the time, and urged the introduction of pensions at that time also. He had indeed belonged to the Conservative Party and had 'crossed the floor' off the house of Commons to become a Liberal, and more importantly, take a powerful position! Later he recrossed the floor to join a Conservative government, power being more important than party, indeed as it should be I say!


Today I visited the Jobcentre, the modern equivalent of the Labour Exchange. I have been signed on by a Polish woman in recent days.  This has caused much chagrin as she fails to understand what is written on the 'work sheet' I present because she is Polish and does not truly understand things in the way other members of staff have done successfully so far. Today I noted she was happily engaged in aiding a Polish family to fill in forms while I waited.  Although I was not waiting long I found myself becoming a 'Daily Mail' reader and began asking (to myself as the security guy is a big fella) why all these immigrants are coming in here taking our jobs. (I had read this sort of thing in the DM that morning by the way) I found myself fretting over the time she was taking, are piling up questions to ask her like, "Is your family settled now?" and "No wonder I canny get a job!" The family left clutching the paperwork and went on their way. She then spent some time chatting to others about her task.  I waited, offering dark glances and unuttered expressions in her direction.The EU has many advantages, and considerable failings, and this does allow people to travel across Europe to work. This is fine, but does hinder indigenous employment, where jobs actually exist in the first place that is. Nothing wrong with this in itself but sometimes it is an irritation. How terrible to be thinking like a 'Daily Mail' reader. I will be avoiding tax, hating Muslims, and demanding independence for England next,from my warm, safe suburb in the Surrey countryside. My musings were then uninterrupted as a voice called me! Not the Polish bint, the girl sitting around the corner. This one sweetly signed me on and cheerfully threw me back out onto the street where she considers I belong.
I had been fretting for nothing! The Polish bint wasn't dealing with me today! Maybe, just maybe,  that is why she was smiling?  All that fretting like a lower middle class, 'comfortable,' white, Englishman for nothing.
Isn't it just the way?

Buildings

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Yesterday, as I hurried along to the meeting place, I noticed this house, with the sun shining on it, and was impressed by the design, if indeed there was a deliberate design as opposed to a builder just 'throwing one up. Victorian builders just built houses according to the way they were taught, probably from their fathers, and rarely used architects.  This one looked better with the sun on it and today the gray skies left it a wee bit depressed with itself. However there are some interesting aspects to the building.
    

This corner house must have cost a packet in its day!  This home is quite large, has bay windows and a turret!  Fantastic property when built, and a credit to whoever erected the thing.  I suspect however this one had some kind of architect involved. This is much to 'out of the ordinary' for the everyday builder. 

I am contacting the Office of Fair Trading about this.  It says 'Free Withdrawals,' yet when I withdrew thousand of pounds from it the bank demanded I hand it back. Something about using your own account they yelled. It does not make that clear I say. 

Another lovely turret, this time on a school entrance.  Those Victorians, or would this be Edwardian perhaps, knew how to build schools. I could not get near enough to get a shot of the sign above the doors, 'Girls' over one, and 'Boys' over another. Actually I could see the 'Girls' sign but not the 'Boys' one.  Now I notice it is under the turret! The foolishness of insisting the sexes mix all the time is a bad thing in my opinion. At our school they kids played separately and this had many advantages for all. Ideology has damaged much in education. Some things boys learn better together, some things girls learn that way.
  

Look!  Another railway picture! Great isn't it?  Oh really, well that's your trouble, your just a woman!  Real men would see this as an inspiration, a challenge and an opportunity!  The line brings a train load of who knows what to us, while the other line takes us into a new life maybe, or possibly the buffers of course.  I have been there already!

Even better! High above, well not that high actually, stands the frame carrying the electric powerline for the trains. I thought it made an interesting image, with the steadily moving gray clouds as backdrop. The occasional blue flash, especially when the non stopping express service flew past at 80 or so miles an hour, was missed by my camera. 


What a lovely day again. Another day trip, another good half hour, another enjoyable train journey.  Even waiting was enjoyable today.  I suppose it was the variety from my routine that did that.  Now of course my routine is out of order and I will have to spend all tomorrow attempting to find where I am.  Ah well.
And so to bed......


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Tomatoes

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Good job I'm not one to complain. Sitting here as I do, with a pile of shredded Lottery tickets at my side, now reaching up to the top of the waste bin, and having so little excitement yesterday that just buying a large bag of tomatoes for a pound became a moment to cheer. Nothing else had happened, and it failed to happen all day. The cheering was not repeated today when I entered the dole office to sign on (yet) again and scrawl 'Scrounger' on the piece of paper thrust towards me. The discovery that a new lass was learning the job, a Pole, somewhat irked my constantly good natured  persona.  Now, thought I blearily, how come I am one struggling to find work, and failed to acquire a job in the dole office a while back through an administrative error, yet new people are appearing here on a regular basis and no jobs have been advertised? How come I am not doing that job? It was as I slunk out I began to rouse my rage and once again feel the world is against me. Did I not pass that test? Did I not succeed during the interview? Did I not get the letter informing me that I was 'On the waiting list?' Yet it collapsed because that form was missing through a blunder.  Did I not try a second time when the interviews once more arose? Did I not make plans to attend the meeting in that absurd out of the way spot? Was it my fault that this was the day slimy Joe nicked all the copper wire from the signals and left me high and dry? There is no doubt that this is a Conservative/Lib-Dem plot to drive me barmy! It cannot be anything else! 


Peeved I was when I returned to my slum (which was quite nice when I moved in, I wonder what happened?).  I responded to this situation in a suitable manner I felt. I came home and fell asleep. I did however eat some tomatoes later in the day.


(Tomatoes, I will have you know, are pronounced 'Tomato' by the way, and not 'Tomato,' I don't want any needless arguments on that one!


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Strange Week

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I canny mind where I found that picture of Bill Bailey but it speaks volumes and makes me laugh!  There have been times this week when I did not laugh however. Take Tuesday, I logged off the internet around four in the afternoon for some reason, I must have been in the shops looking for the reduced price stale bread.  I attempted to log in on my return and nothing happened. Sometimes there is a hindrance logging in, so I waited a moment and tried again, still nothing.  This continued for a couple of hours and (after six when calls are free) I called Pipex. The woman's voice told me that the call would cost 5p a minute (even if it's free after six?) and blethered for a few moments to scrounge more loot out off me.
"Insert your phone number on the keypad."
I did.
"Insert or speak your date of birth."
"02/07/ 93"
"Please repeat that either by voice or on the keypad."
I keyed in the date.
"All our colleagues are busy at the moment, please hold, your call is important to us."
I held.
Music played. A scratched old 78 of some sort.
"Thank you for holding. Our colleagues will be with you shortly. Your call is important to us."
"It's important to ME too girl!" I said to the machine.
Music, "Thank you for holding....."
Tap finger.
Music.
"Thank you for holding....."
"Thank you for holding.  You are now in position three in the queue,"she said with a self satisfied smile.
Music.
"Thank you for holding....."
Music.
"Your call is important....."
Music......
TAP FINGER!!!
"You are now in position two in the queue," she lied.
Music.
"Thank you for holding....."
Music.
"Thank you for holding....."
Music.
"Thank you for holding....."
Brrr brrr. Brrr brrr
"Good evening, welcome to Pipex, my name is something or other. How can I help you?"
 "I cannot connect......."
That's funny, it's gone silent. Has he cut me off?
No! It's my phone handset. The battery has died! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

With internet contact restored the sun shines again. I was quite worried for a moment as I feared that I may have to talk to real people for a change. In fact I actually had to do just that on Thursday as I had to sign on the Dole and receive a visit from one of their employees regarding a query on my doings. The first part occurred in the morning. I entered in the usual manner, in rags, unshaven and unwashed, discovered the new system was in operation and prayed I did not have to deal with the lass who last had a thought about seventeen years ago, and she was wrong that day also!  In fact I was attended to by a delightful, somewhat nervous lassie, although females are often nervous meeting me, we famous folk understand this, and while I attempted not to look anywhere but at her eyes I scrawled my name (an alias) and was thrown out again.
Back home the man who arrived informed me I had been overpaid by £178 or thereabouts. After the ambulance man had removed the defibrillator equipment and given the all clear the chap spoke, clearly and slowly, about the work I had done some months ago. I had of course informed them at the time and their robot had sent me a letter disclosing the change this made to my benefit. This was fine, except the robot had not bothered to alter what I was paid and now I owe them about £20. This I may not even be required to pay.

The rest of the week has been taken up with a drained mind which has been entertained by researching (a rather high faluting way to describe it) names on the local war memorial. This does give an impression for the effect the Great War had on this small town. Now holding 35,000 or so, I wonder what the population would have been in 1914?  Already I have discovered four men dead in the local area, and several more not much further away!  The response of the families involved, especially when an only son, a father, or for one poor lad two sons within a year dying is easy to understand. Today the names stand ignored for the most part on the memorial but some who pass must know they are related to them. I wonder what their thoughts are regarding such men and possible uncles, cousins or indeed fathers?

It is amazing what the loss of football can do to an individual? The great Champions League Final begins shortly.  I had better watch this as in two years time I expect the Heart of Midlothian to be playing in this game.  What? ...................oh!  



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