Hello,
I'm afraid I've been reading again and it's left me furious! Fit to be tied! What could have got me so riled? Well it is a fine book by the name 'Squandered' written by David Craig and it details how our wonderful leaders have wasted billions of pounds of our money on sod all of any use to anyone. Though that said they have been very kind to themselves.
I haven't finished the book yet I kept having to pause and wonder why it hasn't sparked a bloody revolution. Despite living in one of the wealthiest countries in the world (I refer to Britain as a whole -not Scotland obviously before anyone starts emailing) we have a health service which manages to kill at least 34,000 patients unnecessarily every year. Though given that 34,000 is the health services own figure the real total may be much higher. It also confirms my suspicion that the NHS isn't a mess because of underfunding at all. It's a mess because of disgraceful, bloated management and outsourcing of important services like food and cleaning. Under Labour -those passionate advocates of the health service billions has been squandered on increased management and toothless watchdogs all at the expense of patient care which is the whole point of the bloody thing.
Still at least we're not at war....oh wait a minute...oh dear. Well the good news is most of us aren't in the armed services but it's bad news if you are. Despite being war crazy the government are curiously tight fisted when it comes to forking out for basics like medical supplies, guns that work and devices that offer protection against roadside bombs and the like. Frankly if it came to light that there are entire regiments in Iraq fighting with peashooters and water pistols I would not bat an eyelid. On the bright side if you come back in one piece and work very hard you might get a job in the MoD headquarters . They're very nice apparently and so they should be as they're costing us £78million a year for the next thirty years.
It came as no surprise to me to learn that the benefits system is in complete disarray, though even I was surprised to learn the DWP had it's accounts rejected by the Auditor General every year for the last eighteen years. I part company slightly with the author on the possible reasons for this. He blames an overly complicated system which I agree that it is for claimants but given that I can understand it -it can't be that difficult. I do, however note that the Inland Revenue now require no formal qualifications for new recruits -they used to require a minimum of five GCSEs. I'm not being snooty but given that exams are now almost impossible to fail you'd have to be a real dunce not to have any qualifications. For heavens sake in 2007 97% of GCSE pupils passed their exams. Who are the other 3%? Admit you want to know too so you can take the piss as well.
I could go on but if I write about fucking Europe I will explode with sheer rage. I will confess to having a list of everyone who has ever mocked me for my Euroscepticism and will be taunting them with the relevant details and requiring them to explain how exactly being opposed to fraud, waste, stupidity, excessive bureaucracy and corruption is xenophobic?
I am only 3/4 of the way through the book and already I'm hopping mad. I didn't even vote Labour, I never have mainly because I hate them yet they've even managed to let me down. Not the the last Conservative administration get off scot-free either having been responsible for some appalling waste themselves. I used to hate people who whined that there was no point voting or caring about politics but they have got a point really. Prior to becoming a communist for two years a fifteen I was an anarchist and the more I see in life I'm starting to think I was right in the first place.
It's an illuminating read and one that I shall be quoting great chunks of to Gordon Brown if he starts on me with his 6am crank calls.
Cheerio
Showing posts with label wasters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wasters. Show all posts
6/01/2008
3/30/2008
Is This Real?
Hello,
It has to be said I have very mixed feelings about vandalism. On the one hand I disapprove of destroying public or private property for one's personal amusement but on the other it can on occasion be quite funny. Nevertheless it is illegal so I accept that when little Toby of Whitecraigs finds himself before the beak for his 'ghetto' antics he's got to be punished.
However I was surprised to read in today's Herald that one Gary Shields of Crookston was sentenced to 28 months in prison for his artistic endevours. He'd have been better stabbing someone really. If ever there was an offence crying out for community service or a bit of electronic tagging and a stiff fine it's this one. Oh if only I were a beak I'd have had Gary and his chums in the 'Eazy Riders' crew shackled together scrubbing walls and dislodging chewing gum for a year. I'd have fined the lot of them five grand each on top of requiring them to repay the cost of clearing up the mess they've already made and ordered them to attend literacy classes -'Eazy' indeed! In my court the little buggers would also be tagged and given a curfew to prevent them operating undercover of darkness. Oh and if they're responsible for the graffiti art pictured beside the report in the paper I'd chuck in some compulsory art classes. Honestly it's woeful.
At no point would it have occurred to me to send young Gary to Barlinnie to share a sell with a fellow sentenced to 28 months for trafficking £130,000 worth of cannabis. It's particularly absurd in this case given that trainee structural engineer Gary is an otherwise respectable fellow who was about to be be sent to university by his employer before 28 months of morning shower nerves entered the picture.
I shall spare you all my full prison reform rant suffice to say I'm on the harsh but fair wing that gets drowned out between the stick pins in their eyes and feed them gruel and the teach them to paint cats and fluff up their pillows brigades. My main beef with unduly harsh sentences is that it's taking up a place that could go to a kiddie fiddler or a proper thug. It's not fair that these people who work so hard to cause misery and distress wherever they go should be deprived of a place in prison just because some spray painting amateur is cluttering up a cell. If we as a society stop rewarding effort and hard work we'll grind to a halt and as no-one else is prepared to speak for the hard working criminal outcast the burden has fallen on my shoulders.
My other concern is that putting folk in prison who shouldn't really be there adds weight to the argument that regimes should become softer. Indeed it was the harsh treatment received by many well educated conscientious objectors during the first world war that led to the relaxation of many unduly harsh rules -not that I'm placing Gary in such illustrious company. That was fine back then because the treatment of prisoners was utterly appalling, however we're starting from a much more relaxed position these days. Quite apart from anything else the opinions of prisoners on their treatment should be an irrelevance. Unless they are calling attention to serious abuse of their basic and I emphasise basic human rights I have little interest in how they think or feel about anything. It is far easier to dismiss the bleating of a murderer about prison, an otherwise respectable vandal commands a great deal more sympathy.
As a deterrent his sentence is useless because it's too atypical to have any real impact. Making it typical does not serve the interests of society in any way. In any case how many vandals are caught in the act -judging by the epidemic of bus shelter destruction in the east end I'd guess very few. As far as I can tell efforts to clean up the city are directed at easy targets -city centre office workers dropping fag ends whilst out for a fly fag and so on. The truth is Gary was very unfortunate to be caught.
I accept that for many people graffiti creates an intimidating atmosphere but the we cannot start handing out jail sentences on the basis of people's feelings. In any case if the public regularly saw offenders cleaning up they would draw comfort from the knowledge that something is being done. Gary's sentence is a waste of public money that will achieve little but give those with an understandable desire for vengeance a few seconds victory, until of course they turn the page of their paper and see someone out on parole to ease overcrowding on trial for rape.
Cheerio
It has to be said I have very mixed feelings about vandalism. On the one hand I disapprove of destroying public or private property for one's personal amusement but on the other it can on occasion be quite funny. Nevertheless it is illegal so I accept that when little Toby of Whitecraigs finds himself before the beak for his 'ghetto' antics he's got to be punished.
However I was surprised to read in today's Herald that one Gary Shields of Crookston was sentenced to 28 months in prison for his artistic endevours. He'd have been better stabbing someone really. If ever there was an offence crying out for community service or a bit of electronic tagging and a stiff fine it's this one. Oh if only I were a beak I'd have had Gary and his chums in the 'Eazy Riders' crew shackled together scrubbing walls and dislodging chewing gum for a year. I'd have fined the lot of them five grand each on top of requiring them to repay the cost of clearing up the mess they've already made and ordered them to attend literacy classes -'Eazy' indeed! In my court the little buggers would also be tagged and given a curfew to prevent them operating undercover of darkness. Oh and if they're responsible for the graffiti art pictured beside the report in the paper I'd chuck in some compulsory art classes. Honestly it's woeful.
At no point would it have occurred to me to send young Gary to Barlinnie to share a sell with a fellow sentenced to 28 months for trafficking £130,000 worth of cannabis. It's particularly absurd in this case given that trainee structural engineer Gary is an otherwise respectable fellow who was about to be be sent to university by his employer before 28 months of morning shower nerves entered the picture.
I shall spare you all my full prison reform rant suffice to say I'm on the harsh but fair wing that gets drowned out between the stick pins in their eyes and feed them gruel and the teach them to paint cats and fluff up their pillows brigades. My main beef with unduly harsh sentences is that it's taking up a place that could go to a kiddie fiddler or a proper thug. It's not fair that these people who work so hard to cause misery and distress wherever they go should be deprived of a place in prison just because some spray painting amateur is cluttering up a cell. If we as a society stop rewarding effort and hard work we'll grind to a halt and as no-one else is prepared to speak for the hard working criminal outcast the burden has fallen on my shoulders.
My other concern is that putting folk in prison who shouldn't really be there adds weight to the argument that regimes should become softer. Indeed it was the harsh treatment received by many well educated conscientious objectors during the first world war that led to the relaxation of many unduly harsh rules -not that I'm placing Gary in such illustrious company. That was fine back then because the treatment of prisoners was utterly appalling, however we're starting from a much more relaxed position these days. Quite apart from anything else the opinions of prisoners on their treatment should be an irrelevance. Unless they are calling attention to serious abuse of their basic and I emphasise basic human rights I have little interest in how they think or feel about anything. It is far easier to dismiss the bleating of a murderer about prison, an otherwise respectable vandal commands a great deal more sympathy.
As a deterrent his sentence is useless because it's too atypical to have any real impact. Making it typical does not serve the interests of society in any way. In any case how many vandals are caught in the act -judging by the epidemic of bus shelter destruction in the east end I'd guess very few. As far as I can tell efforts to clean up the city are directed at easy targets -city centre office workers dropping fag ends whilst out for a fly fag and so on. The truth is Gary was very unfortunate to be caught.
I accept that for many people graffiti creates an intimidating atmosphere but the we cannot start handing out jail sentences on the basis of people's feelings. In any case if the public regularly saw offenders cleaning up they would draw comfort from the knowledge that something is being done. Gary's sentence is a waste of public money that will achieve little but give those with an understandable desire for vengeance a few seconds victory, until of course they turn the page of their paper and see someone out on parole to ease overcrowding on trial for rape.
Cheerio
1/31/2008
What Fresh Madness Is This?
Hello,
For reasons that are at the time of writing a complete mystery, a well intentioned person has presented me with a kit entitled 'The Best Year of Your Life' . Not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth I eagerly got it out the wrapping and poked it about a bit.
I must say I was surprised that The Best Year of Your Life involves awarding oneself 'Self- Love points. Surely they cannot be referring to the world's must popular solitary vice? Not online bingo -the one the Victorians had a bee in their bonnets about. Whilst I think devices like this are absurd, I'm slightly dubious about any system which rewards masturbation of all things. One might as well start dishing out nectar points for scratching an itch.
In addition to the opportunity to earn points for gusset typing the kit also contains 52 cards each of which have a task on them. I've glanced through them and they terrify me with their mad ideas. I cannot let go of my grudges, If I didn't have my bile I'd have nothing, I cannot forgive anyone! With the exception of religious folk I have a deep mistrust of anyone who owns a forgiving nature. Quite frankly if they think so little of themselves why should I waste my time on them?
For those preparing to muck up my comments box by sneering at my love of self-improvement -I hate you as well. People with no ambition should be dipped in acid then shot. Again I exclude religious folk from this. It's the every day arse scratching whiner that riles me with their disgraceful over-confidence. Neither use nor ornament they slouch about 'I can'ting', 'I won'ting' and 'I don'ting'. Yet they have the effrontery to imagine the world should be interested in them. Whether the cause is lax potty training, fast food or central heating I cannot say. I wouldn't mind but when one considers the horrific conditions people in some parts of the world exist in, pampered western tossers moaning their way through life in the rich bit of the world is appalling. Mummy was right you should think of the starving Africans when you turn your nose up at dinner. Mind you if people who profess to have no ambition really meant it -they'd give up their opportunities, set up home in the world's poorest country and make way for some ambitious third world individual.
Right I'm off to regenerate.
Cheerio
For reasons that are at the time of writing a complete mystery, a well intentioned person has presented me with a kit entitled 'The Best Year of Your Life' . Not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth I eagerly got it out the wrapping and poked it about a bit.
I must say I was surprised that The Best Year of Your Life involves awarding oneself 'Self- Love points. Surely they cannot be referring to the world's must popular solitary vice? Not online bingo -the one the Victorians had a bee in their bonnets about. Whilst I think devices like this are absurd, I'm slightly dubious about any system which rewards masturbation of all things. One might as well start dishing out nectar points for scratching an itch.
In addition to the opportunity to earn points for gusset typing the kit also contains 52 cards each of which have a task on them. I've glanced through them and they terrify me with their mad ideas. I cannot let go of my grudges, If I didn't have my bile I'd have nothing, I cannot forgive anyone! With the exception of religious folk I have a deep mistrust of anyone who owns a forgiving nature. Quite frankly if they think so little of themselves why should I waste my time on them?
For those preparing to muck up my comments box by sneering at my love of self-improvement -I hate you as well. People with no ambition should be dipped in acid then shot. Again I exclude religious folk from this. It's the every day arse scratching whiner that riles me with their disgraceful over-confidence. Neither use nor ornament they slouch about 'I can'ting', 'I won'ting' and 'I don'ting'. Yet they have the effrontery to imagine the world should be interested in them. Whether the cause is lax potty training, fast food or central heating I cannot say. I wouldn't mind but when one considers the horrific conditions people in some parts of the world exist in, pampered western tossers moaning their way through life in the rich bit of the world is appalling. Mummy was right you should think of the starving Africans when you turn your nose up at dinner. Mind you if people who profess to have no ambition really meant it -they'd give up their opportunities, set up home in the world's poorest country and make way for some ambitious third world individual.
Right I'm off to regenerate.
Cheerio
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