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.
Mustn’t grumble.
Glad you got your botics and I hope your toothache is better.
Yes, up the wooden stairs for me too, goodnight all.
J
‘You haven’t shown that “they are declaring every parent in Scotland an abuser”.’
So how come they can’t be trusted with their own children?
I can’t believe your hypocrisy.
Fred, I’ve encountered various cases of parents who use and abuse their children. Some sort of oversight doesn’t seem wrong in principle to me, but then I was used by my mother, set up as her emotional weapon against my father. But I agree that with the current state of human relations, good implementation is unlikely. Better or worse? I don’t know.
Some of the victims of GIRFEC and SHANARRI .
http://www.schoolhouse.org.uk/home-ed-in-the-news/victims-of-girfec-data-theft-and-shanarri-tick-box-tyranny
Fred, read Island by Aldous Huxley.
“Fred, I’ve encountered various cases of parents who use and abuse their children”
Have you, well I’ve encountered a hell of a lot more parents who love their children and care for them one hell of a lot more than anybody else does. Nature makes it so a parent’s instincts are to care for and do the best they can for their children and I don’t know what makes you think the state can do better than they can.
I note a sequel to the bloodletting Denzel Washington IMAX opener, The Equalizer, is rolling towards sequel.
http://variety.com/2014/film/features/antoine-fuqua-equalizer-director-1201317570/
Problem is Vladimir Pushkin is dead…
This one’s important…
http://www.exaronews.com/articles/5529/ministers-block-move-to-lift-official-secrets-act-for-csa-scandal
(and apologies if I’ve already posted it in recent days – I can’t keep track of everything I post on various forums).
Fred, my impression is that this will be far too centralised; a massive, overarching bureaucracy in which the individuals end up as statistics. From my own experience and from situations I’ve witnessed oversight would be good in principle, but I’m with Phil:
I’ll read your link tomorrow, but I doubt that this campaign coming out now is a coincidence, with the SNP boding to gain the balance of power in Westminster in May. This looks choreographed.
Good night.
But is the story true?
There’s no identified first person testimony.
That website Fred quoted from was only set up about a week ago. Looks like it’ll be there just for the election.
So, it’s very likely some sort of Labour dirty trick op.
The ownership seems to be hidden behind some sort of privacy screen.
Also important is how these corrupt feckers voted…
http://www.exaronews.com/articles/5530/how-mps-voted-on-move-to-change-official-secrets-act-over-csa
Fred:
Because some of what I’ve seen from natural parents was utterly horrendous. Children used as pawns in an adult power-play. I’ve seen it many times. Just this discussion has reminded me of how often I’ve seen it. It’s the sort of thing I’d rather forget.
“I’ll read your link tomorrow, but I doubt that this campaign coming out now is a coincidence, with the SNP boding to gain the balance of power in Westminster in May.”
And wouldn’t you just love your small minority dictating to the majority.
Notice how Theresa May voted against lifting the secrets act on child abuse whistleblowers, back in February, whilst standing up in parliament recently and saying the complete opposite.
Vermin is not the word for these people.
Paul Craig Roberts on Lithuania becoming the next failed state with similar lack of compassion shown to Lithuanian Russian speakers as was shown to Ukrainian Russian speakers.
http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2015/03/25/lithuanians-police-state-attack-world-washingtons-attack-paul-craig-roberts/
It finishes:
“The only possible conclusion is that unless Washington collapses from its economic house of cards or is abandoned by its NATO puppet states, Washington will destroy life on earth.
Washington is the greatest evil that the world has ever faced. There is no good in Washington. Only evil.”
“Because some of what I’ve seen from natural parents was utterly horrendous.”
Like the parents of Ashya King proper bastards they are aren’t they?
http://www.itv.com/news/story/2015-03-24/ashya-kings-parents-afraid-to-return-to-britain/
Just had a look at those who voted against allowing public servants to more easily make known instances of child sex abuse.
Thanks, RobG
Look at the Lib Dems who voted against.
http://www.exaronews.com/articles/5530/how-mps-voted-on-move-to-change-official-secrets-act-over-csa
Very sad stuff.
They certainly can’t be voting their conscience, these people.
What is it.
Herbie, I try not to present it as a certain political issue; because it’s not; it’s across all political parties.
If you follow politics it is interesting to see which MPs effectively tried to block fuller inquiries into child sex abuse.
To say that Westminster is totally rotten and corrupt is an understatement, in mild terms.
Fred, 12:24 am
I’m not an SNP supporter; nor am I opposed. I was helping with the independence campaign. You may regard the two as the same thing but I don’t, and it’s my opinions that matter as regards my behaviours – I hope you’ll permit me that much.
Westminster is dysfunctional anyway because of the voting system. Some minority is going to end up holding overall power (not dictating) because that’s how Westminster is set up.
Fred, you seem really angry about something, but whatever it is there’s probably nothing I can do about it. Maybe there’s something you should do about it instead of taking it out by inventing things about me.
“Fred, you seem really angry about something, but whatever it is there’s probably nothing I can do about it. Maybe there’s something you should do about it instead of taking it out by inventing things about me.”
Angry? Me? Because there are people who would see every man woman and child in Scotland starve to feed their political fanaticism.
Wouldn’t one of the other parties just love to have so much control over the people? But the people would never stand for it, if labour or Conservative tried to arm the police there would be rioting in the streets and they would never be elected again but the Nationalists can just walk all over civil liberties because their suporters are fanatics.
This morning in the warmth of the sun I heard the skylarks singing overhead and saw the first cowslips and dandelions and the first brimstone butterfly.
Anon:
“…and I guarantee that all but the most hardline anti-Israel obsessive will com…”
Did you see any ISIS wounded eating cold turkey in Israeli hospital beds? By any chance…
If what they are telling us about the cause of this crash is true
then how horribly tragically ironic that the door design was changed because of the fictitious hijackings of 9 11
-Germanwings plane crash: Post-9/11 safety regulations made air disaster possible, expert claims-
Fool
“Re Bullers: 1) not secret & 2) not limited to aristos ?”
———————-
Correct.
Did you meet Lysias at Oxford? 🙂
Not content with watching us 24/7 on CCTV and roadside cameras and having our communications spied on, we will now be subjected to aerial surveillance.
A snip @ £250k for five. Israeli produced??
‘Sussex and Surrey police forces have been given £250,000 to expand a trial of radio-controlled aircraft.
The trial of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at Gatwick Airport showed they could provide a quicker alternative to officer patrols, Sussex Police said.
The drones can send high-quality pictures to police who can control the aircraft with a portable console from up to 500m (546 yds) away.
Five UAVs will be bought to explore how they could benefit forces nationally.
UAVs are used to gather evidence from the air and could help with searches for missing or wanted people, a Sussex Police spokesman said.’
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-32067911
Clark; “On these comment threads I’ve had months of abusive comments from Macky. The majority here condemn me for saying so and asking incisive questions.”
Wow ! Three major delusions in two sentences !
“abusive comments” really means arguments that expose flaws, distortions & hypocrisy.
My “airheaded” is an “insult”, but Clark’s “scum” doesn’t count !
Careful Clark, you are showing signs of the same complusive lying disorder that afflicts Habbabkuk.
From Mary
“The French prosecutor believes, on the evidence of the cockpit sound recording, that the co-pilot, whilst alone, crashed the Airbus deliberately. Terrible.2
______________________
Have Mr Goss and Lysias anything to say given that they were hinting at an act of state terrorism a couple of days ago?
What Pavlovian fools they are!
No mention of his war criminality within this but a little more of the Islamophobia at the end.
Tony Blair: Farewell to the Quartet
Tony Blair was appointed Special Representative to the Middle East peace Quartet just hours after leaving Downing Street in June 2007. The grouping, made up of the UN, the European Union, Russia and the Unites States, tasked the former Prime Minister with trying to help the economic plight of Palestinians.
The idea was that improving conditions on the ground for Palestinians would help any future political negotiations towards a two-state solution with Israel.
After nearly eight years in the role it’s widely believed that Tony Blair will soon step down. In this edition of The Report, Simon Cox speaks to those who have worked closely with Mr Blair to gauge what has been achieved during that time and what he intends to do next.
The programme hears from critics who claim that Tony Blair’s contracts with the Kazakhstan and Kuwaiti governments and a Saudi oil company have given the perception at least that he is not an impartial player in the Middle East.
Others claim that this is a red herring. More significant is the former Prime Minister’s increasingly robust stance on what he sees as the threat posed by radical Islam.
How will both these factors impact on any future role Mr Blair may wish to play in the region?
Presenter: Simon Cox
Producer: Hannah Barnes.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05n1fsm#auto
~~~
BLiar has done absolutely nothing for the Palestinians. He has been provided with a free office and staff which he has no doubt used to further his own interests and he was provided with a suite in a luxury Jerusalem hotel.
Mary
My condolences for your rogue finger syndrome (your partial post at 16h01 yesterday, followed by a oontinuation post at 16h04, refers)
LOL
For those who want to simplify their choice of vote in the upcoming election – choose the one zionist (out of cameron and miliband) who may be influenced into NOT waging a war against Iran, which the US neocohens have in store for us. The cons are awash with “foi” de gras, for me I think millipede may be more likely dissuaded. He has a track record, after opposing the al-Ghouta sarin caper. The money would be much better spent on the NHS.