After such an extended break from blogging, you will be deeply disappointed that I restart with something as mundane and trivial as Jeremy Clarkson. I have defended the man in the past, because I much enjoy Top Gear and consider that much of what he has been criticised for in the past had been an amusing winding-up of the po-faced of the kind I employ myself. But nasty, indeed vicious bullying of a subordinate should always be a sacking offence.
That did not ought to be the question, though. He hit someone and they had to go to hospital. Where are the police? They are incredibly fond of sweeping up scores of teenagers for thought crime, but here we have an actual violent assault that spills blood, and it seems completely out of the question the perpetrator is brought to account. Why is that? I had a personal experience a couple of years ago when I was very mildly hurt – less than young Oisin – in an assault, and the police insisted on arresting the perpetrator despite my repeated requests to them not to do so. They told me rather firmly that the idea that it is the victim who has a say in pressing charges, is a myth. Why was Clarkson not arrested?
I cannot in my mind dissociate this from the non-arrest of Jimmy Savile for his crimes, despite their being well-known and reported at the time. That seems to link in to the wider paedophilia scandal, and the question of why no action was taken even in the most blatant of cases when there was compelling evidence, such as that of the extremely nasty Greville Janner MP.
But then I think still more widely as to why, for example, Jack Straw has not been charged with the crime of misfeasance in public office after boasting of using his position to obtain “under the radar” changes in regulations to benefit commercial clients, in exchange for cash. I wonder why a large number of people did not go to jail for the HSBC tax avoidance schemes or the LIBOR rigging scandal, which involved long term dishonest manipulation by hundreds of very highly paid bankers.
At the top of the tree is of course the question of why Blair has not been charged for the crime of waging illegal war. The Chilcot Inquiry heard evidence that every single one of the FCO’s elite team of Legal Advisers believed that the invasion of Iraq was an illegal war of aggression. Yet now the media disparage as nutters those who say Blair should be charged.
Then I think of all the poor and desperate people who get jailed for stealing comparatively miniscule amounts in benefit fraud, or the boy who was jailed for stealing a bottle of water in the London riots.
The conclusion is that we do not have a system of justice in this country at all. We have a system where the wealthy and governing classes and those associated with them enjoy almost absolute impunity, broken in only the rarest of cases. At the same time those at the bottom of the pile are kicked hard to keep them there. There is no more chance of justice against those in power in the UK than there is of the killers of Nemtsov being brought to book in Russia.
But what has really scared me is this thought. This situation has been like this my entire life: and I have reached the age of 56 before I realised it. A very great many people have still not realised it at all.
What does not scare me is this. I realise that if the system of justice is completely corrupted, then there is no obligation on me to follow the laws of the state. In fact it would be wrong of me to do so. I must seek my ethical compass elsewhere than in the corrupt power structure which weighs so hard upon the people.
If Andreas Lubitz a terrorist, why did he not shout something indicating this, that showed up in the black box voice recorder (unless perhaps he did, but the authorities want to keep it quiet)?
Videos of Israeli raids on sleeping children
25 March 2015
Jonathan Cook
I suspect the word “occupation” – even the more precise “belligerent occupation” – fails to convey to most people the reality of daily horrors inflicted on the Palestinians. Of course, we know that occupations in general are bad and that it would be better if this particular one ended. But what does an occupation feel like if you’re a child, if you’re four or eight years old?
Here are two videos, released by B’Tselem, to remind us of what an occupation is like as lived experience rather than as an abstract concept. They document masked, armed soldiers breaking into the homes of Palestinians in Hebron in the middle of the night to force children awake, and then photograph and interrogate them. The soldiers go door to door, from one apartment to the the next, as casually as if they were coming to read the electricity meter. For the soldiers, this is just one of dozens of “jobs” they have that night terrifying families.
Behind the immediate terror of being confronted by these faceless soldiers, the children know from friends or family that there is a real danger they will be seized – maybe tonight or another night – if the military decide they are wanted. They will be taken from their parents without warning to a military prison, where they may be held for months and their family will probably be unable to visit them.
What damage does this do to the children – and what dread do the parents have to live with?
Give a thought too, even if a very secondary one, to these soldiers. What normal human instincts of compassion have to be battered into submission, what ugly instincts of tribal superiority have to be cultivated, for someone to behave the ways these soldiers – and many thousands more like them – do?
http://www.jonathan-cook.net/blog/2015-03-25/videos-of-israeli-raids-on-sleeping-children/#
Have roles of pilots reversed thanks to mistake in earlier reports, but doesn’t change anything significant, so the co-pilot deliberately killed everyone!
French prosecutor takes some big liberties with what limited information he has, especially that the co-pilot deliberately did it because he can be heard breathing. Unconscious people are still breathing.
Any why was nothing else heard in the remaining minutes. If co-pilot deliberately did it, I’m sure he would have gotten out of his chair, so that he would not be staring at his oncoming death.
Hush little Hamza. Do not cry. Bibi will sing you a lullaby. But your terrible keloid scars will never heal.
For Hamza: Arms Sanctions against Israel’s Everyday Terrorism
Dr.Vacy Vlazna
March 23, 2015
“To boost Israeli arms sales, Palestinian families have suffered three onslaughts of ‘systematic genocide’ wars in 6 years and are condemned to a life that is unnatural, stressful, traumatic waiting for the next Israeli weapons testing that will again turn Gaza into ground zero*……
http://i0.wp.com/www.intifada-palestine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/HAMZA-NEW-crop.jpg?zoom=2&resize=530%2C812
/..
http://www.intifada-palestine.com/2015/03/for-hamza-arms-sanctions-against-israels-everyday-terrorism/
Hell on earth brought down on Yemen by US proxies.
Dozens Killed in Saudi Airstrikes on Yemen
People react as they search for survivors under the rubble of houses destroyed by an airstrike near Sanaa Airport March 26, 2015. | Photo: Reuters
26 March 2015
A Saudi-led coalition of some 10 countries launched an assault against Iran-allied Houthi rebels with an estimated 100 war planes and 150,000 troops.
Unconfirmed reports say that 17 people have been killed in airstrikes launched by Saudi Arabia and its allies on neighboring Yemen Thursday.
/..
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Dozens-Killed-in-Saudi-Airstrikes-on-Yemen-20150326-0004.html
Despite the economic challenges, we have been working to create jobs and protect family budgets. Over these four years:
We have frozen council tax for the past 5 years, saving the average family more than £300.
We’ve slashed or abolished business rates for around 80,000 small shops and local employers, protecting jobs in tough times and matched the English business rates poundage, giving Scottish business a £200 million competitive advantage.
The approval we’ve given for a desperately needed new Forth Road Bridge will ease congestion, cut journey times, boost business and create 3,000 new jobs. We’ve also funded improvements to major roads across the country including the M8, the M80, M74 and the A9.
We’ve found an extra £2.3 billion for jobs and public services by cutting back on waste and bureaucracy in Government, breaking the target of 1.5% efficiency savings.
We’ve helped tourism and the local economy in the Western Isles through a pilot scheme to reduce ferry fares and provided valuable funding to secure the Dundee V&A, the new Bannockburn visitor centre, and the creation of the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Ayrshire.
We’ve ensured that four out of five contracts for work in the public sector go to small businesses and our Scottish Investment Fund helps some of the best grassroots business projects get up and running.
And, we’ve started 24,000 affordable houses since coming into office in 2007 – that’s an average of 117 new houses every week – creating jobs in the construction sector.
Even with on hand tied behind his back,due to Westminster restraints John Swinney leaves Gideon Osborne standing when it comes to financial matters.
To dispel the disinformation maliciously propagated by all media regarding the Germanwings crash, may I present…
SORCHA FAAAAAAL!
http://www.whatdoesitmean.com/index1852.htm
It’s all there – US government, super laser, everything but the tsunami. Eat your heart out, Trouser.
Meanwhile, Lubitz is very definitely not a Muslim name. There’s a novel conspiracy theory there for someone to run with….if they haven’t already.
My guess is that Lubitz had a bee in his bonnet about something or other, evidence of which will emerge in due course. Or had a history of epilepsy.
Only the SNP can address Scotland’s needs
Today’s budget will see another £12 billion of cumulative cuts in real terms coming to Scotland over the next five years.
Today we have seen a budget which has failed once again to address the real needs of the people of Scotland.
Since 2009/10 the UK Government has cut Scotland’s budget by a staggering £3.5 billion in real terms. Today’s budget will see another £12 billion of cumulative cuts in real terms coming to Scotland over the next five years.
The Government’s austerity programme have been supported by Labour, who even voted with the Tories a few weeks ago for £30 billion more cuts. This Budget leaves Labour in the same place as the Tories and underlines that the only real alternative is a strong group of SNP MPs to achieve investment in growth and jobs.
The SNP offer a real alternative to the drab Tory-Labour cuts consensus in Westminster. By increasing public spending in the UK by 0.5%, we can invest up to £180 billion in infrastructure, innovation and job creation. We want to squeeze inequality out of the system, while the main Westminster parties seem happy to continue with their damaging cuts agenda.
This Westminster budget will damage our precious public services and put Scotland’s recovery at risk. A strong group of SNP MPs will stand up for Scotland, make decisions to protect our NHS and putting fairness at the heart of our agenda.
Only the SNP can protect Scotland from,savage cuts to public services.
Thats why we need as many SNP MP’s as possible at Westminster.
The Scottish Tories need permission from their Westminster masters,to do anything meaningful,as do Scottish Labour,both parties north of the border,are just subsidiaries of the London parties.
The last time Labour held power in Scotland they built 6 house’s for social tenets.
“We have frozen council tax for the past 5 years, saving the average family more than £300.”
And of course the better off you are the more you save.
Shame they paid for it with the billion pounds which was supposed to alleviate poverty.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/439584/SNP-s-1bn-bribes-keeping-families-stuck-in-poverty
Any truth in the rumours Bath council is bringing in extra staff to pick up toys thrown out of prams?
[cm-org.uk – stuck in spam filter until 20:08]
John Goss 26 Mar, 2015 – 10:01 am
“The Fascists are turning on their own. Yesterday in Kiev 400 or so Svoboda members demonstrated against the weasel-faced Yatsenyuk, advising him to resign and reminding him of Maidan. Source is Ukrainian Ba’al so I guess there’s nothing wrong with it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4UJpufGOlQ”
Liar. The source is this http://news-front.info/
Not a single word in Ukrainian on the site. The site appears to be the work of a lone man by the name Шабалин: http://news-front.info/about/
All of that content by one man. You can believe several incredible things before you even have breakfast, if you try.
The SNP welcomed a report by Edinburgh Airport that shows the gains of controlling and cutting Air Passenger Duty and calling for timetabling of the powers promised to Scotland.
The analysis backs the Scottish Government’s position and shows that the impact of reducing APD in Scotland by 50% will initially support around 800 new jobs and millions for the economy.
Commenting, Colin Keir, the MSP for Edinburgh Airport said:
“This excellent report by Edinburgh Airport, which shows that the impact of reducing APD in Scotland by 50% will initially support 800 new jobs and create millions for the economy, is most welcome and must be taken seriously by the UK Government.
“The tourism tax that is particularly damaging to Scottish airports – should be cut at once. Devolution of APD would be a game changer for Scottish airport.
“The Scottish Government has committed to cutting Air Passenger Duty once it is devolved and that responsibility cannot come soon enough for passengers and Scotland’s airports.
“Only a strong team of SNP MPs elected on May 7 will ensure Scotland gains the powers it has been promised – including APD – to create jobs and build a more prosperous and fairer country.
A reduction in APD,in Scotland,would help to bolster the economy in Scotland.
I remember when I fell unconscious in a Lidingo park some rears ago, thanks to Agency efforts to kill me with something like ricin. Revived before any ambulance arrived after about ten minutes or so.
Could have been similar to what happened to co-pilot. Ricin really kicks in when one has to do something energetic.
And thanks Sorcha, am already on it, though don’t plan to use everything in my covert action notebook.
John Goss; “Please tell me it’s April 1. I couldn’t stop laughing at the Yatsenyuk quote.”
Yes, I know; you have to have a heart of stone, or maybe just a toothache, not to laugh ! 😀
The SNP has today called on Danny Alexander to apologise for repeatedly attempting to endanger lives after statistics showed safety has improved on the A9 with the introduction of average speed cameras.
The LibDem MP has repeatedly called for average speed cameras to be removed – despite the fact that by definition, anyone driving within the speed limit would be unaffected by their presence.
Analysis of incidents on the A9 since the introduction of the cameras found that cases of motorists driving more than 10 mph over the speed limit had fallen by 97 per cent. The figures also show that average speed cameras on the road have detected fewer than 4 cases per day where further action is required.
A letter signed by SNP politicians has today been sent to Danny Alexander calling on him to apologise in light of the improvements to safety that the average speed cameras have brought.
Commenting, SNP MP for Perth and North Perthshire Pete Wishart said:
“Not for the first time, Danny Alexander has been proven completely and utterly wrong with his reckless calls to put people at risk and tolerate speeding on the A9.
“The statistics are unarguable and show a significant improvement in safety since the installation of the system.
“Danny Alexander should have the good grace to apologise and admit he was wrong on this issue.”
SNP MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch Dave Thompson added:
“The A9 has been notorious for seeing too many tragic accidents for far too long. That is why the SNP is dualling the length of the road between Perth and Inverness, a project that will transform the route when it is complete.
“But in the meantime any measure that makes the road safer should have our backing and it is abundantly clear that average speed cameras are helping to make the A9 a safer road for everyone.”
SNP candidate for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey Cllr Drew Hendry said:
“If Danny Alexander had gotten his way, then there would be no action to improve the A9 and make it a safer road.
“The do-nothing approach Danny Alexander advocated was simply reckless and with the facts conclusively showing that safety has improved, he should be honest enough to apologise.”
Danny Alexander hasn’t got a clue,when it comes to Scotland,he’s to busy writing Osborne’s budget,and his own parties budget,at Westminster,and thats why come the GE, Danny Alexander will be history,in Scotland.
Speaking of useless Westminster politicians,Danny Alexander has been at it again.
The SNP is today calling on Danny Alexander to return dodgy donations from a millionaire defender of tax avoidance.
The Sunday Herald reported recently that Mr Alexander took £5,000 from David Giampaolo just last month.
Mr Giampaolo is the co-author of a 2012 newspaper article arguing that it is fine for companies to avoid tax.
The article stated: “Criticising corporations for avoiding tax is actually criticising them for doing what governments want.”
Earlier this week, it emerged that Danny Alexander had encouraged someone who turned out to be a fake businessman at a private meeting to provide further financial support to the party – but that he did not want “to intrude on the details”. The story centres on the fact that the would-be donor was encouraged by a Lib Dem fundraiser to give money via relatives and backdate cheques in order to avoid electoral law on financial disclosure.
And in December it was reported in the Sunday Herald that Mr Alexander accepted £50,000 cash from a tax dodger.
Drew Hendry, the SNP candidate for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, said:
“Danny Alexander has become a serial blunderer when it comes to who he and his party should be taking money from – and all the money in the land couldn’t counteract the unpopularity of the Lib Dems for imposing Tory policies on Scotland.
“After the revelations about Lib Dem attempts to dodge the law over donations, we now have the rank hypocrisy of Danny Alexander accepting a donation from an apologist for tax avoidance – not content with having previously taken money from a tax avoider.
“He needs to return this donation immediately, otherwise his position as Chief Secretary is surely untenable.”
The remarkable thing is that Danny Alexander is the norm at Westminster,not the exception.
This is a typical,quote from the southern owned press,and is by no means the worst example.
The SNP’s heinous crime,asking for an end to austerity,and the removal of Trident from Scotland.
Both seen as capital offenses by the press,south of the border.
I do aplogise forgot to add link,silly me.
http://wingsoverscotland.com/a-revealing-turn-of-phrase/
The cause of the germanwings crash is effectively finished after the French prosecutor declared flat out that the co-pilot deliberately did it.
Beats any rush to judgment I can ever recall.
“The SNP Government has “fiddled the figures” over its plans for full economic powers in order to hide a £4.1 billion black hole in Scotland’s finances, Labour today claimed.
Nicola Sturgeon was even accused of misleading the public on the issue during First Ministers Questions today.
The UK statistics watchdog is now being urged to investigate a “significant breach” of its code at the request of Labour who say the issue is of “exceptional importance” ahead of the general election.”
http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/fmqs-sturgeon-accused-of-cover-up-in-snp-spending-plans-1-3729763
From Ba’al Zevul’s quote, 9,21am :
“After articles and books written by Belkovsky, Golyshev, Nemtsov, Milov, and your humble narrator, the scale of Putin’s wealth is more or less clear.”
If your humble narrator’s sources are as dodgy as Belkovsky, then the scale of Putin’s wealth is probably grossly exaggerated for political purposes.
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2013-09-17/vladimir-putin-the-richest-man-on-earth
Westminster,is coming for your pension,and they’ll get it.
https://johnnyvoid.wordpress.com/2015/03/25/they-are-coming-for-our-pensions-and-this-is-how-it-begins/
Declaring the co-pilot deliberately crashed the plane is the best explanation given so far fitting the evidence presented. Whether or not extracts from the flight cockpit recording will be given to the media to prove this remains to be seen, but if the transcripts are true there seems to be no other plausable explanation. Once again though this all stems from 911 and the false claim that these terrorists should not change our way of life. Air travel has changed very much since then and this murder-suicide could not have happened pre 911. I expect the regulations will now have to be changed again.
Can you imagine the impact on German government and society by French prosector Brice Robin declaring that germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz is a mass murderer!
Hope Robin pays for such recklessly, provocative behavior.
Ba’al at 2.21 pm. Yes thanks for the Sorcha Faal piece. Squonk made me aware of her sites. There was another article this morning trying to add fuel to the USS Donald Cook incident about a US aircraft carrier the USS Theodore Roosevelt having to flee back to a UK port. It was actually scheduled to be there. Sites like hers get genuine alternative media a bad reputation.
Nonetheless, considering they have had the pilot-recorder box of flight MH17 for some 6 months it is rather surprising that we have heard nothing about its contents when we have learnt about the tragic Barcelona flight in 48 hours.
As Trowbridge says: “Beats any rush to judgement I can ever recall.”
Only one national newspaper in the UK,doesn’t oppose Scottish independence,or the SNP,all other nationals do.
So it comes as no surprise when those who don’t know this or choose to be ignorant of the fact,continually quote from them as though its gospel.
It isn’t its, propaganda the likes of Trinity Mirror Group and Gannet,constantly berate and deride the SNP,on behalf of the Westminster establishment,the most vocal,usually are
The Telegraph
The Guardian
The Mirror
The Daily Record
The Express
The Huffington Post
The Scotsman
Daily Mail
Biassed Scots. Somebody who says things I don’t like.
Hope you get the drugs you need Clark and then the treatment, bad teeth are torturous.
The Germanwings co-pilot would not have been able to fly with a history of epilepsy, Ba’al, not in Germany anyway, but he would have left some clues at home.
Trust the MSM wanting to make something bigger of this than it is. If they can also hear the screams of the passengers on that tape, then something has clearly gone wrong in the psychological assessment of this co-pilot.
All I have seen about Andreas Lubitz’s state of mind is that he was depressed six years ago when he was scheduled to take a flying test, having it successfully postponed.
I guess that that makes almost anyone a suspect.
Remember when I postponed my Ph.D. orals because I wasn’t in a proper frame of mind because of a collapsing love affair, though I too passed them in due course, and I do have an alibi for not being seriously involved in the plane crash.
A valedictory debate is taking place in the HoC. The leavers include Joyce!, Straw, Hain,
…and select others. Nobody else there except Mr Speaker and a government minister so they are all just yapping away to each other.