Category: News

Police Bully Boys


I am usually the first to support the police who in my view get more than their fair share of bad press.

However in this case I have to say, based on their own video footage, that they were too aggressive and used force out of all proportion with the crime committed and the age of the individual involved.

Because he drove off, albeit under the illusion that he had been dealt with, the police then set off in hot pursuit as if they were the stars Police, Camera, Action.  At no time during the pursuit did pensioner Robert Whately exceed the speed limit and he finally stopped when a police office deployed a “stinger”.

So why then was it necessary for police officers to smash the side windows of Mr Whatelys car and for one officer to leap onto the bonnet of his car and start kicking the windscreen. The officers eventually pulled Mr Whately unceremoniously from his car. After viewing the video I have come to the conclusion that there was no valid reason for the bully boy tactics employed by these officers.

When you consider that the police had originally pulled over Mr.  Whately for not wearing a seatbelt does anyone else find it interesting that “ Mr Whatley was found guilty of not wearing a seat belt, failing to stop for a police officer and having tinted car windows that did not conform to legal requirements. He was cleared of failing to stop after an accident. He admitted having a registration plate which didn’t adhere to regulations and was fined a total of £235 and ordered to pay £300 towards prosecution costs.”

This situation sounds very similar to that of a friend of mine after his parked car was damaged by a police vehicle, being driven by a police mechanic.  My friend was at work several miles away from his car at the time of the accident. Neighbours described how his car, parked outside his house, was subjected to severe scrutiny by several police officers. These officers looked into all aspects of how his car was parked, checked to see that it had valid MOT, insurance and that the tyres, lights etc. were all legal.

It seems to me that it doesn’t pay to cross / upset the police as what starts out as a minor issue can rapidly become a major one with only one outcome.

Photographers – Society Pariahs ?

Photographers have erroneously become fair targets for officious police and security personnel under sections 43 and 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000


Once again a photographer has been subjected to harassment purely because he is  going about the business of his hobby – taking pictures. Latest fiasco … HERE

It doesn’t seem to matter how much publicity is given to these incidents the message isn’t getting through. In this case Mike Evans was prevented from going about his lawful business under the guise of anti-terrorism laws.

The regulations, under sections 43 and 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 – state there is “no restriction on people taking photographs in public places or of any building other than in very exceptional circumstances”.

I carry a copy of the regulations whenever I am out with my cameras but it is probably a waste of time if Mr Evans experience is anything to go by. He was also carrying a copy of the regulations but found that the jobs-worths at the Liverpool Echo Arena chose to ignore them.

So where does that leave the poor photographer who is rapidly becoming one of societies pariahs ?

Well things have come to a bit of a head, to the point where several hundreds of photographers, both professional and amateur, gathered to protest the misuse of official powers…. (See Here)

It’s not only anti terrorism that is cited as reason to prevent photographers from taking pictures. Every snapper risks being accused of other nefarious crimes.

Take the experience of  Betty Robinson who was told she couldn’t take pictures of an empty paddling pool because, according to a Southampton Council Official, she might be a paedophile !!! (Story here)

Well I have a thought. Surely coarse fishermen are much more suspicious. After all they also carry bags packed with all manner of strange objects and they carry long cylindrical bags full of tubes perhaps packed with plastic explosive. Don’t they wear camouflage clothes and creep around hiding in the bushes. I wonder how many anglers have been stopped under anti terrorism laws ?

Should all amateur snappers have to be licenced like the coarse fishermen have to have a rod licence. There really is no point if the so-called authorities then ignore the regs that they claim to be enforcing.

At least your average photographer is standing out in the open, quite blatant. Well except the wild life photographers, twitchers in particular. But then that’s the subject of future post perhaps.

Isn’t This Contempt Of Court ?


Shouldn’t this yob be sent to jail ?

Paul Rossie attacks an innocent passer-by, is given a suspended sentence by the court. Then the clown boasts about it on Facebook.

To me that has to be contempt of court and he should be re-arrested and jailed.

Read the full story here

Well Done Artemis


Congratulations to the crew of the Artemis.

They are a four-strong rowing team who set a new record for crossing the North Atlantic when they reached the finish line on Saturday. The previous record has stood for a 114 years and the team sheared 11 days off  it rowing from New York to the Isles of Scilly off the southwest English mainland.

The new record now stands at 43 days, 21 hours, 26 minutes and 48 seconds.

Well Done Lads

Soham Murderer Must Not Be Compensated


Huntley carried out a despicable crime and got caught. Now he is reaping his just rewards, one of which is that he has been attacked by another inmate. Well hard cheese. The old saying “If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime” seems to apply here.

Its being stated that he could win £100,000 in compensation but  it could cost the British Taxpayer £1 million in legal aid fees if he follows through with his plan to sue the Ministry of Justice .

Well here is one British Taxpayer who does not want to contribute anything to his legal aid.

What a kick in the teeth for the families of his victims, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.

Straight Talking – Breath of Fresh Air


Prime Minister David Cameron may be raising some hackles with his comments around the world but what a breath of fresh air it is to hear a UK politician using straight talking to express opinion and also to reflect the opinions of many of the UK population.

While in Turkey he stated that Gaza was a “prison camp” and has suggested,  in Bangalore, that Pakistan “promoted the export of terror”  while at home he was quick and firm in his condemnation of the support for Raoul Moat expressed through Facebook.

We the British public are sick and tired of everything being presented in a slick, polished politically correct fashion. It’s not the way we see things and it’s not the way that the majority of us discuss things and it’s certainly not the real world.

Keep it up Mr Cameron. Keep on telling it the way that it is.

Tony Hayward – Demon ???


What a witch hunt the BP saga has turned into.

I understand that Hayward has been,in recent times, the visible face of BP and that he could have, should have been a bit more diplomatic with some of his statements.  Many of which, published by the worlds media,  have been quoted out of context. Some comments, under the circumstances and in the cold light of day, are wholly understandable.

He wasn’t personally responsible for what happened on the rig and there are quite a few other company bosses and rig owners who are thinking “There but for the grace of god….”.

However, it seems these days we aren’t satisfied, until someone’s head has fallen. He is now being lined up as a sacrificial lamb.

But lets not forget that Hayward was running BP, a company that he had been working for since 1982. He didn’t get to that position by being a total duffer.

So for all those who are baying for blood and feel that he should be cut loose without a penny, I ask ” How would that be fair compensation for all those years of effort”.

Of course the answers will come back “What about all those whose livelihood has been destroyed by the oil spill ?”

Well of course BP are going to foot the bill for compensation and I know its going to take years and there will be folks who will never be compensated for the stress and anxiety during the in-between times.

Also, what a boon the disaster has been for Obama.  Sure he’s getting lots of pressure from the people of the USA but hey, he can honestly say “It’s not my fault”  and he has that demon Hayward who works for that British company that he can blame and wring dry for compensation.

But just a minute didn’t this start with an explosion on an oil rig rented from a company called Transocean who probably supplied the equipment and operations personnel too. They were originally incorporated in the US state of Delaware moving to Switzerland via the Cayman Islands but their roots go back to the Birmingham, Alabama based Southern Natural Gas Company.

Not so’s we should be worried at all but Transocean owns nearly half of the 50 or so deepwater platforms in operation around the world. Oh, and by the way, Transocean are headed up by Steven Newman who just happens to be an american. Although the US House Energy and Commerce Committee have sent letters to Transocean we don’t see the  same ferocity of attack aimed at Newman as is being suffered by Hayward.

The buck definitely stops with BP, they have the ultimate responsibility and have to head the clean up operation.

But lets not demonize Tony Hayward.

Wave Goodbye To Speed Cameras


I say Hooray. Lets get rid of them all.

I am one of the school who believes that they were only ever a money-raising mechanism. Especially when you take a look at where some of these cameras were situated and not necessarily on accident black spots.

I have never understood why we don’t use the same method of speed reduction that I saw on the road south from Alicante, Spain.

There they had installed radar controlled traffic lights. All the while traffic maintained a legal pace the lights remained at green. If someone broke the speed limit the radar detected the infraction and switched the lights to red.

Everyone stopped.

Then the lights changed back and the traffic got underway again.

Eventually everyone, well the locals anyway, are trained to keep their speed down. On my trips down that road it was typically the holiday makers in hire cars who were triggering the lights to change.

I would suggest that here in the UK this would be better than having signs that flash up a motorists speed. My experience is that this type of sign is largely ignored by the regular users of the road covered and it is only the newcomer who is “startled” into slowing down. At least with radar controlled lights all motorists would have to stop. The warning could not be ignored.

Pope Asks For Cash


Call me a cynical old bastard but did anyone actually ask the Pope to come visit.

Yet here he comes and suddenly all we hear is how the Catholic Church has got its hand out asking the parishioners to dip into their meager resources to pay for his visit.

We have also already been told that his visit will cost around 12 million pounds, not including policing costs !!!

The BBC reports that folks in Scotland will need to obtain “Pilgrim Passes” and the Catholic Church is suggesting a “donation” of £20 would seem appropriate.

£20 is quite a high fee to expect some folks to stump up even if they will get a “gift” pack and a CD.

See article …. HERE