http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Arsenic_and_Aspedistras en robswan robswan Tue, 03 Oct 2006 17:21:00 +0200 daily 1 This blog is closed. Blogigo, bless it, is story based ergo, diary based. Few want to read about the serious stuff! Tue, 03 Oct 2006 17:21:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Arsenic_and_Aspedistras/This-Blog-is-closed./5316/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Arsenic_and_Aspedistras/This-Blog-is-closed./5316/ Labour Party Conference lacks charisma. The Labour Party held its annual conference in the old (now revamped), Manchester Railway Station this week. It was obvious that New Labour is not revamped. In fact they are the old New Labour. The conference was addressed by some of the most boring Labour Party members ever to grace a stage. On Tuesday Tony Blair's last speech in front of conference was an excellent review of "Tony's"time in office and it is clear that the PM is an excellent orator, as always. I was quite impressed by his views on the global big picture. He seems far-sighted and focussed on the problems of Britain and the World. Blair has charisma in buckets and it is easy to see how he has wooed Britain for 9 years. Speaking of charisma, can there be anyone less charismatic than "oor dour Gordon?" The Scot is damn good at his job and has done the country proud as Chancellor of the cash, but I sense his capabilities as a leader (especially coming after... Wed, 27 Sep 2006 18:34:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Arsenic_and_Aspedistras/Charisma-and-the-Labour-Party-Conference./5315/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Arsenic_and_Aspedistras/Charisma-and-the-Labour-Party-Conference./5315/ I flew over Harare recently while on a trip from Egypt to South Africa. Even at 9000 m I could see the effects of President "Saviour of Africa" Mugabe's efforts to "clean up" his country. You cannot hide anything away from satellites but I realised that you cannot hide anything, period. It was obvious that there were areas outside Harare that seemed to contain roads but no housing. I looked down in wonder as I identified these roads then wondered where the houses were. It struck me then that this must be the area that Mugabe had demolished in his clean up campaign to rid Harare of shacks and squatters and those who shame Zimbabwe by their "disgraceful habits."   I'm not going to blog on and on about the "polecat" of Africa (I've been doing it for years---in fact Comrade Robert would come after me if his secret police could afford a plane ticket on one of his donated Chinese planes, or had the bullets to finish my... Wed, 13 Sep 2006 20:16:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Arsenic_and_Aspedistras/Mugabe-the-polecat-of-Africa./5314/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Arsenic_and_Aspedistras/Mugabe-the-polecat-of-Africa./5314/ I'm sorry, it seems the Scots keep on coming, and I forgot about Adam.   How on earth could I forget about dour wee Adam. God knows where he got the unScottish name but he is Minister of Defence (under our Des). I am reliably informed that Mr Ingram has no Jewish blood or Middle East connections but he is called Adam (perhaps his kin liked reading the bible),and he is a Scot and therefore a part of the ruling hierarchy. Not another Scotsman, I hear you say. Unfortunately, Yes. Thu, 07 Sep 2006 18:50:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Arsenic_and_Aspedistras/Adam-is-Scottish-believe-it-or-not/5313/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Arsenic_and_Aspedistras/Adam-is-Scottish-believe-it-or-not/5313/ "Oh ah'm no awae te bide awa, oh ah'm no awa te lee ye. ah'm no awa te bide awa, ah'll aye come back and see ye."   A Great Scottish song that can be transferred to modern times. I prefer to think of it as reflecting the thoughts of Scottish governors leaving their homes for duty in Westminster---as rulers of the Sassenach! There's "Oor Gordon", a man who will rule soon--over all the English. And there's Johnnie. Johnnie Reid, Home Secretary, no less. A fearless Scot with fighting spirit in his veins. Desmond Browne is our laddie on the defence front. Nothing like a Scot to tighten up the Iraquis and the Afghans . After all, I hear the Afghans wore kilts at some time or other. And look at how wee Dougie Alexander has progressed after some wee sod wanted to take a bottle of pop onto a plane. Minister of transport no less---and don't mess with Baby Face--he's as... Thu, 07 Sep 2006 17:56:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Arsenic_and_Aspedistras/Scots-Wha-Hae/5312/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Arsenic_and_Aspedistras/Scots-Wha-Hae/5312/ I have news for Tony Blair:Remember Chamberlain, Harold Wilson and Margaret Thatcher (to name a few)? If your time is up Prime Minister, you will be pushed out and sooner than you think. I believe our Prime Minister could have weathered many storms but now his credibility is on the line. Why? One word: Iraq. No matter that Britain has pressing needs or difficult problems (that he cannot solve). No matter that Britain does not even know how many illegal immigrants there are. No matter that middle-class Britain finds itself with rising bills, a bankrupt NHS and thousands of would-be terrorists waiting to blow up their own homeland (quote today: Thousands are being investigated).   Tony Blair's downfall will result from a mis-guided, mis-informed agenda on Iraq. That country is on the brink of civil war and all the power of Bush, Rumsfeld and Blair cannot fix it. That is the rub. Iraq is a dreadful mess and World leaders cannot fix it! Iraqi... Sat, 02 Sep 2006 17:47:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Arsenic_and_Aspedistras/Hell-no-I-won-t-go/5311/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Arsenic_and_Aspedistras/Hell-no-I-won-t-go/5311/ The wheelie bin has been in the news lately because of the chip that some councils are going to place inside the re-cycle bin--obviously to monitor our dirty British habits. Actually, before I left Norfolk to work in Egypt a year ago, it was being proposed for the Norfolk bins as a test, so the news is nothing new. However one can imagine the implications as a continually nervous Britain copes with spies in the dustbin. Here's a short scenario of the "wheelie spies" at work. Spy 1: 'Ere Fred, that looks like an envelope and the bluddy plastic window's still there.' Spy 2: ' Cor, Jim, you're bluddy right. Write down bin no. 6548.' Spy 1; That lad's in shit all right.' Spy 2: 'That's nought Jim. Look at this !' Spy 1: 'God, it's a bloody Heineken can and its still half full of lager.' Spy 2: ' And fokkin' flat too.' Spy 1: ' Bin 6548 is in deep... Mon, 28 Aug 2006 18:08:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Arsenic_and_Aspedistras/The-Space-Age-Wheelie-Bin./5310/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Arsenic_and_Aspedistras/The-Space-Age-Wheelie-Bin./5310/ Can you believe..... That Ruth Kelly is going to sort out the racial problem in Britain. She and her new committee are to investigate why there are racial tensions; why people look at every Muslim as a potential terrorist; why other communities are not mixing with the British "normals"; why communities segregate themselves into cliques and groups (and do not assimilate to British life.) This is the same Ruth Kelly, who, as Education Secretary, preferred to think that there was nothing wrong with our Education system. Never mind that many GCSE and A-level students have no life skills and some cannot read, write or spell. Mind you it's not all Kelly's fault. It goes back years and years but we won't go into that. The point is : What is Kelly going to do? Is she going to shuttle from Manchester to Leicester to Peterborough to Birmingham and nod her head every time a British Muslim, Pakistani, Chinese, Ethiopian, Somalian et al, voices... Thu, 24 Aug 2006 17:56:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Arsenic_and_Aspedistras/Can-you-believe/3883/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Arsenic_and_Aspedistras/Can-you-believe/3883/ Scene: The Oval Players: Two umpires. Umpire 1: This is a cricket ball. Umpire 2: Yes, funny enough it is. Umpire 1: It has been scratched. Umpire 2: Yes, yes it has. Umpire 1: This looks fishy. Umpire 2: Yes, could have been a fish hook. Umpire 1: This is serious. These blokes could have fiddled here for a reverse swinger. Umpire 2: Nah, scratched by nails. Someone didn't cut his nails. Umpire 1: That's not on. Some bugger has fiddled with this ball. Umpire 2: Sure it's not that serious. I mean this is International, this is top stuff. Umpire 1: You don't understand-- this ball is no good. Umpire 2: Well, that's solved then. We get a new one. Umpire 1: It's not as simple as that. These bastards are fiddling with the ball. Umpire 2: Steady on. This is very easy to solve. We get a new ball. It's International. call for a new... Tue, 22 Aug 2006 20:08:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Arsenic_and_Aspedistras/Here-is-a-corrupt-ball-.-A-short-play./2/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Arsenic_and_Aspedistras/Here-is-a-corrupt-ball-.-A-short-play./2/ I have lived and worked in six African countries but have a British/South African background--thus I'm quite conservative and fairly cautious about to committing my time or energy to worthy causes. Sure I give alms to the poor and to animal welfare but I seldom consider donations to countries in need. Add in a dose of cynical thinking here too for I suspect the money given to countries by the Red Cross and Oxfam et al, is skimmed off by NGOs driving fancy 4, corrupt government officials and, lower down, the men who sell donated food etc. I know Africa well.   If you had asked me 5 years ago to donate money to Lebanon, I would have backed off; I would have turned my back on the Middle East; I would not have done it in a bigotted way; people like me don't give donations to the Middle East --or Africa, that's me the cynical one. Now, in a complete reversal of my thinking, I am going to donate to Lebanon. Why? Recent Foreign Policy adapted... Tue, 22 Aug 2006 19:02:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Arsenic_and_Aspedistras/Why-don-t-you-stay-on-holiday-Tony/1/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Arsenic_and_Aspedistras/Why-don-t-you-stay-on-holiday-Tony/1/