Category: News

Students Go Too Far


OK so you disagree with the fee hikes and peaceful protests are your right but you don’t have the right to scare innocent people, you don’t have the right to damage private property and you certainly don’t have the right to attack the police.

I know it’s a minority that typically start the violence, throwing missiles at the police, damaging private property, burning workman’s huts and so forth. However, the majority stand by while the minority do these things. That, in my mind, makes you culpable. Shows that you support these violent acts and therefore you have no rights to complain about the police actions.

As a tax payer I have, through my taxes, subsidised your education for the last 40 plus years. I think you have gotten off lightly. This country is broke so its only fair that you pay a reasonable rate for your education. If that means that the fees have to go up so be it.

I attended college way back but it was on a day release basis. Two and a half days each week finishing at 21:00 in the evening. My employer paid for this and I had to work the other two and a half days. I also had to prove my attendance and show satisfactory progress for that funding to continue.

So let me tell you, protesting is all fine and dandy but rioting, vandalism and thuggery is not.

You aren’t winning any friends with your actions.

Hastings Fishing Fleet Flagged


Great news,  the Hastings fishing fleet is to receive a cash boost from the EU.

It is one of six coastal communities whose Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG) will share a £4.6 million fund set aside to help areas where fishing is a key industry.

The fleet is one of the few using traditional methods in this the age of high-efficiency technology. It is the largest beach based fishing fleet in the country and fishermen have operated from this area, The Stade, for over a thousand years. The fleet has diminished over the years and it would be sad to see it disappear altogether which is why the cash injection is such good news.

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British Government Short Sighted – Again


A few days ago I posted about my disquiet brought about by the governments decommissioning of the Ark Royal and also the imminent scrapping of the Harrier Jump Jet.

Not wishing to say “I told you so” but it appears I’m not the only one to have serious misgivings about our governments decision to axe these wonderful planes.

It seems that just maybe the government is being swayed by the same old song that the RAF sang before about their planes being most able to provide the air cover that we need for the future. They say the Tornados are better suited for use in Afghanistan. This ignores the fact that should a crisis like the Falklands come about the Tornado will be bloody useless.

They cannot get there !!!

Naval commanders who led Britain to victory in the 1980s conflict have sent a strongly-worded letter to Prime Minister David Cameron urging him to revisit his decision to do away with Harrier jump jets.”

So It’s Not Just Me Then !!!

Do You Feel Exposed ? – You Should


Yesterday, Friday December 3rd 2010, HMS Ark Royal slipped through the mists of The Solent and  into history as she headed into Portsmouth to be decommissioned three years early due to swingeing government cuts. Decommissioned is a euphemism for “scrapped”.

If my memory serves me right it was as we were decimating our armed forces that the Argentines decided to reclaim the Falkland Islands as their own. At that time we pulled out all the stops to show that we were not to be messed with.

But, and its a big but, the only way we managed to do anything about the Argentine action was by using a carrier based force. The carriers were then supported by standard Royal Navy ships and co-opted Merchant Navy craft.

With the decommissioning of the Ark we are left with Illustrious to provide us with far distant cover. For the Falklands action we have Invincible and Hermes. Which brings me to another point. Both of those carriers were operating Sea Harrier. The Sea Harrier is also being scrapped.

So I ask, Do you feel exposed ?.
Because behind the emotion of the return of the Ark to Portsmouth I feel an immense disquiet. Successive governments have cut back on funding for our forces. Note I don’t place all the blame on our current government. They are doing the best they can with what they have inherited. But is this the way.
England and the Royal Navy have a fabulous history but we are rapidly becoming a featherweight in international terms.

Ingrid Pitt


Just caught mention of Ingrid Pitt, on the radio this morning, but didn’t catch the context. Took a look on Wikipedia and found out that she died a short while ago, 23rd November.

She was a stalwart of my early cinema visiting years. Being, as I was, a fan of the horror genre. Imagine my surprise, when I read the Wikipedia article, to find the breadth of her career encompassed writing as well as acting.  She also seems to had led a very eventful life which took her all over the world.

Her passing marks the end of an era.

Frozen Weather = Frozen Brains


Despite the snow based chaos that is going on all over this country we, in the Portsmouth area, have managed to get off quite lightly. Not much snow but there is a bit of ice around.

We might not have much snow but we still have more than our quota of idiots on the roads.

Take the praTT in the Audi TT that I was following. At the best of times the visibility from the TT is little better than that of a crash helmet. I’m speaking from experience here, my granddaughter had one for a while and I had cause to drive it. Anyway, this praTT had not bothered to clear any of the snow off the car. The rear screen was totally obscured, as were the side windows. The front screen was partially cleared. Every time he managed to get over 30 mph a great cloud of powdery snow erupted of his bonnet obscuring his vision and diminishing mine at the same time.

Even my neighbour couldn’t be bothered to clear her screens before setting off this morning. Just a little port-hole to peep out of.
And then there are those who obviously feel nice and safe and warm cocooned inside their cars such that they feel they can drive like lunatics. Never mind that the temperatures are still sub-zero and that there is ice on most of the side roads. I lost count of how many idiots came sliding up to junctions with all four wheels locked. Obviously praying that the laws of friction would cut in….SOON.

Why can’t these people take a few minutes to boost their safety and mine too. So what if they are a few minutes late but we would all have a few less grey hairs and suffer a little less stress in our lives.

Update 2/12/2010 Apparently if you drive around without clearing the snow off your car you can be ticketed by the police for dangerous driving. On the basis that when the snow flies off your car it could cause problems for both you and other motorists.

Tosser


The student, Edward Woolard, accused of “tossing” the fire extinguisher from the top of a building during the violence outside Tory HQ at 30 Millbank has been bailed after being charged with violent disorder.

There is no excuse for any of the violence that took place last week.  As for throwing a fire extinguisher from the top of a building well that beggars belief. If that missile had landed on anyone below we would be looking at manslaughter without a doubt.

This idiots lawyer is already making noises about the case being “unique” and that Woolard is “only just 18”.

So what ?

He is a student which implies some degree of intelligence. At the very least he knows the difference between right and wrong. To gain access to the roof he had already shown a blatant disregard for the normal rules of society and then he tosses a heavy object off the roof such that it could have killed someone.

If he gets anything less than a custodial sentence the law will once again show itself to be an ass.

Overdose !!!


Already we have overdosed on the media frenzy surrounding the announcement that Prince William and Kate Middleton are to be wed.

Like everyone else I wish them well for the future.

But that is all. I am already sick of the news coverage. Sick of the various media programs mad scrabble to squeeze every ounce of interest out of this story.

Last night ITV slotted in an interview followed by excruciating post-mortem of the interview and commentary by god knows who with replays of important snippets from the interview.

It is painful. You’d think the powers that be would have learnt their lessons from the idiocy that surrounded Diana.

Please just let them get on with their lives and let us get on with ours.

Latest Black Market Product ???


Apparently there must be a lucrative black market in Sun Tan Lotion.

Least ways that’s what John Davison seems to think after he was caught stealing £140 worth of Nivea sun cream from a pharmacy in Portsmouth.

Either that or he was anticipating some serious sunshine.

Has anyone been approached recently by shady characters with long coats lurking in dark alley ways. “ere guv…….wanna by some cheap sun cream…..?”

With what he is having to pay in costs he should have just bought the stuff.

Dickheads


What a pair of total dickheads.

Harassed and corralled a hapless motorist. Prevented them from leaving the motorway and all the while shouting and gesticulating at them as they drove at speeds up to 80 mph.

How could they be so incredibly stupid. I believe they deserve a custodial sentence.

Its herberts like these that are driving our insurance costs sky-high. No wonder the insurance companies make it nigh on impossible for youngsters to get insurance at a reasonable price.