UKIP Schmukip
Time to take those fragrant UKIPPers more seriously, or so it seems. Here beginneth an occasional series in which I point out What You Voted For. No, I know it wasn’t you, but somebody sure as hell voted for them. Anyway, here’s a sample, culled from yesterday’s Grauniad:
Signs are that we will hear much of David Coburn, the sole Ukip representative from Scotland. What is he like? He’s robust, in the mould of his leader; and this we know from a recently surfaced Twitter exchange he had with Dr Giacomo Benedetto, a senior politics lecturer at the University of London, over prisoners’ voting rights. Coburn, you might have guessed, was against the idea. The professor took a progressive approach. We have no lessons to learn from you about democracy, Coburn told the professor. Why is that, asked Benedetto? “Italy fought on the side of Fascism in WWII. Mussolini deported the Jews WWII & Britain sheltered them. That is why I say you have no lessons,” Coburn replied. Not the nicest comment, or the wisest. “Three of my great-uncles died in WWI and two in WWII fighting for UK,” notes Benedetto, who has an English mother and was raised in the UK. Unfortunate for the Ukip man, but he’ll learn. Let’s see it as a false start. Onwards to Brussels.
Yes, I think there may be some pleasure in store. Now they’re elected, let’s just sit back and watch ’em cock it up eh?
Twenty per cent?
I’m returning to these pages after a bit of a break, to thank the surprising number of people who voted for me in the local elections last week. The Greens were a creditable second in the Calder ward, leaving the Condem parties in our distant wake. Shame it wasn’t mirrored in the European results…any ideas how to add to that 20%?
There goes the revolving door….
Here we are again. Thanks to yesterday’s Guardian for the information that the PM’s former Special Advisor on Health (until 4 months ago) is now working for MHP Communications. By an amazing coincidence, his new clients include the Priory Group and several others with ‘interests’ in the private healthcare sector.
Still, let’s look on the bright side: at least nobody needs to oil the revolving door between the private health lobby and the Government. It’s spinning away, every day….
The door revolves…again
Joy unconfined at the news that the former chief medical officer (for England) has joined a global lobbying firm working in the private health industry.
Sir Liam Donaldson retired last year and now works for APCO Worldwide as a member of its “international advisory council”. The company’s UK healthcare clients include Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and the British Association of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers.
So another senior civil servant has slid into a comfy berth in an industry he was previously monitoring! Sir Liam will doubtless splutter that he had no thoughts of future employment when he was responsible for the nation’s health. But, honestly, how does he know about his own subconscious motivation??
While the new broom is out for the Murdoch empire, how about jamming it in this dodgy revolving door?
Norwegian Thoughts
I’m among the thousands of people who’ve been crying in front of the TV as the dignified Norwegians show us all how to behave in these situations.
But there’s a much smaller group, apparently comprising Charlie Brooker, me, and about three other people. Charlie and I have reservations – and then some – about the way events were reported. I’ve no desire to bang on for ages about this, but could someone from the mainstream media answer these 2 questions:
- Why are you continuing to give the Norwegian Nazi exactly what he wants?
- How many revolting little nutters do you think are currently preparing their own atrocity? Whatever the number, I’m sure they’ll have a nice manifesto and airbrushed photos ready for their ascent to global superstardom….
Why is it only Charlie who can grasp this incredibly obvious point?
Stat of the Day
In the 1960s Sweden and the UK had similar levels of income inequality. By 2005 the gap between the two had increased by 28%.
Source: The Equality Trust, July 2011
Murdoch Quote of the Day
“Shut up you homophobic cow”
Actor Ross Kemp to his then wife Rebekah Brooks, responding to her verbal abuse of gay MP Chris Bryant
(What very strange heroes this affair is creating!)
Absolutely no gloating. None at all.
The Murdochs are on the run – down to their last few squillion. The toxic redhead has fallen on her sword (how long before she gets some cushy little sinecure?) And Fox News continues to spill its neocon bile . So, while it’s been a good few days, I’m not quite in gloat mode. Not here anyways…I’ve been doing it on facebook instead!
Murdoch Quote of the Day
“Not the misconduct of a few rogues or a few freelancers, but, I have to say, law-breaking on an industrial scale, dependent at its worst on its links with the British criminal underworld”
Gordon Brown, Former British PM
(I don’t often agree with Gordon, but in this case…..)
How green is my valley? 
