WARNING my temper may deteriorate! For some unknown reason - well, unknown to me! - my smoke alarms keep going off. Needless to say, under the auspices of 'Old Sod's Law', it is a Sunday and no-one is available to fix the fault and even more needless to say I haven't a clue! Nor may I add, do I feel like climbing up a step-ladder to investigate because a) I would probably fall off and/or b) I would start them screeching permanently!
Thank God for my committee of wise men: You may have realised that I don't 'do' original thinking - and I heard that! - instead I rely on my top class advisors to not only tell me what to think but why. Thus, when a retired Labour minister suggested the other day that national identity cards should be introduced my instant re-action was 'blx' but I didn't have time to work out why. Happily, this morning Mr. Peter Hitchens in The Mail explains all.
Then there is Mr. Dan Hodges: He raises a question which has been hovering around in the empty spaces of my brain cavity recently - what are we to make of Mrs. May? My feelings towards her vary from impatient dislike to a sort of admiring respect. Also, it is tinged with pity because the poor woman is surrounded by some of the biggest prats in British politics! What can one say to her except possibly to repeat Winston's famous phrase, "Just keep buggering on!"
Hollywood humbug: Well, there's never any shortage of that but this is a juicy morsel, courtesy of that rascal Drudge, from The American Mirror which reports that a Hollywood protest against the NRA and in favour of banning guns was attended by Ms. Alyssa Milano (actress, singer, dancer, model, you choose because I've never heard of her!) who was fervent in her opposition to gun-ownership. Happily, she was very safe at the rally because she had an armed bodyguard with her!
Oh God, you couldn't make it up! I have just been sitting on my patio frying gently in this unbelievably hot sunshine and reading the details of the Christian attack on Jerusalem during the first Crusade in 1099. Smaller numbers, of course, but it makes the battle of the Somme look like a doddle! Needless to say and absolutely true to form, these Holy Christian soldiers having forced the Muslim army out, then set about on a massive, two day slaughter of men, women and children. Poor old Jesus, how he must have wept up in heaven!
Cackle fodder for my Yankee friends: 'HillBilly' continues her wailing and moaning at the 'stoopidity' of the American people for failing to anoint her President in '16. According to the latest report, it was 'the socialists wot dunnit'!
“It’s hard to know, but I mean if you’re in the Iowa caucuses and 41 percent of Democrats are socialists or self-described socialists, and I’m asked ‘Are you a capitalist?’ and I say, ‘Yes, but with appropriate regulation and appropriate accountability.’ You know, that probably gets lost in the ‘Oh my gosh, she’s a capitalist!’” Clinton said during a conversation with Alan Murray, the Chief Content Officer at Time Inc.
To paraphrase dear Oscar, such a sweetie, 'you would need a heart of stone not to burst out laughing'!
Some pet, or petty, dislikes: Well, I mean, if I'm going to be a grumpy, old geezer running a blog then at least I'm entitled to enjoy a good old grump every now and then. So here are a few of my pet dislikes and needless to say it is not exclusive:
1: Tattoos, particularly on young girls whose skin is beautiful beyond description.
2: That wretched man who insists on chanting out the names of boxers prior to a fight and elongating the vowel sounds for so long that it sounds like a ship coming up the Mersey on a foggy night.
3. Speaker Bercow of parliament.
4. Wood pidgeons who regularly waddle across my patio crapping at every other step.
5. My computer whenever it glitches and in an instant turns from being a modern miracle to a box of total crap!
And yes, thank you for asking, that does feel much better!
Some good news for my 'Yankee-doodle' buddies: According to Zero Hedge, Michelle Obama has ruled out running for the Presidency. Needless to say, I haven't the slightest idea whether or not she would be a good President but I do know for a certainty that there would be an immediate and sickly flood of dim-witted sycophancy from all quarters. It was bad enough when her husband ran, just imagine what it would be like if she did the same! Mind you, ladies and politicians share the habit of changing their minds, so don't think this is her last word!
No more rumbles
I shouldn't worry about ID cards because soon we will all be "chipped"!
Posted by: backofanenvelope | Sunday, 06 May 2018 at 10:47
BOE, brave new world eh?
Posted by: Whitewall | Sunday, 06 May 2018 at 12:10
The poor girl went from child actress, to child liberal...but I repeat myself.
Posted by: Whitewall | Sunday, 06 May 2018 at 13:05
That we have problems from past immigration is without doubt. That any one measure will erase them is ludicrous. That ID cards will help is obvious.
Does Mr Hitchens complain when his bank asks for ID? Perhaps so but I doubt he'd appreciate someone else withdrawing all his money. Does he bridle at being asked for ID before borrowing a library book- perhaps he never bothers. He's clearly fine with the fact that anyone at all can vote in his name- provided only that they know his name and address, which is conveniently published for all to see in the register of electors.
Of course we're not going to get a perfect system, but there are just too many people now for everyone to know everyone else.
Posted by: Pat | Sunday, 06 May 2018 at 15:21
Well, Trump spoke to the NRA about the need for more guns everywhere in a hall where guns were forbidden, so there's a Yang to the Yin. He also spoke disapprovingly of the UK's uptick in violence:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-04/trump-says-london-knife-violence-turned-hospital-into-war-zone
Apparently London is the new Chicago.
Hillary has blamed herself for her loss, but after having gotten quickly past that blamed nearly everyone else:
https://www.axios.com/16-things-hillary-clinton-blames-for-her-election-loss-1513305545-cf6505a6-76a8-49a0-989a-1be67190d4ed.html
We can only hope the quality of our politics has bottomed out.
Posted by: Bob | Sunday, 06 May 2018 at 15:57
"We can only hope the quality of our politics has bottomed out." Not until the lack of quality of the electorate improves.
Posted by: Whitewall | Sunday, 06 May 2018 at 16:22
I read the link and must say that Mr Hitchens made a real dog's breakfast of an argument against ID cards. Passport, driving license, even as mentioned a library card. The main point he made was that it would highlight the huge problem with illegal immigration but that it would be too hard to resolve. It would most certainly be hard, but impossible??
Posted by: Timbo | Sunday, 06 May 2018 at 17:09
I open my wallet and I have a driving licence and a concessionary bus pass, both with pictures and both linked to a database. The picture on the driving licence is taken, with my consent, from my passport - another database. My car is licensed, so I am on the DVLA database. A few years ago my son and my step daughter were PV cleared because of their jobs. A vast amount of information was asked for including information about their parents; so I am on that db, maintained I believe by the security service. It is really too late to worry about ID cards.
Posted by: backofanenvelope | Sunday, 06 May 2018 at 18:06
Agreed, Whitewall though, as always, the devil is in the details. It's still hard to believe we couldn't have come up with two better candidates for president. If he'd qualified I probably would have voted for David over the two we had.
Posted by: Bob | Sunday, 06 May 2018 at 19:03
Obviously, Bob, you are a man of taste and discernment!
Posted by: David Duff | Sunday, 06 May 2018 at 19:15
I accept the need for proof of identity for a specific purpose. I don't accept a general ID card. What would happen of course is that it would become an offence not to always carry it with you and as Littlejohn's Law says (Richard Littlejohn) give officials any power and they will always ALWAYS abuse it.
Posted by: mike fowle | Sunday, 06 May 2018 at 19:33
Spot on, Mike!
Posted by: David Duff | Sunday, 06 May 2018 at 20:33
David, so far you are not nearly as grumpy as I was prepared for! I have removed my body armor.
Posted by: Whitewall | Sunday, 06 May 2018 at 21:03
How old are the batteries in your smoke alarms. Low voltage makes them beep intermittently.
Posted by: FrankC | Sunday, 06 May 2018 at 21:56
David
I spent the last week dealing with car sales people.
The smoke alarm is just punishment for your former profession.
Posted by: Hank | Sunday, 06 May 2018 at 22:18
Re some pet or petty dislikes... No 4: Get yourself an airgun. Hey presto, problem solved!
Richard
Posted by: Richard | Sunday, 06 May 2018 at 22:23
Thanks for the tip, FrankC, the batteries are nearly as old as me! In fact they are so old that now the alarms have stopped squeaking - blessed relief.
Hank, how dare you! The second-hand car trade is the finest collection of honourable and upright gentlemen you could ever wish to meet, er, but just remember to count your fingers after you shake hands!
Richard, call me soppy and wet, because I am, but I could not shoot a bird, or any creature, come to that. Mind you, there are a few people I wouldn't mind 'offing'!
Posted by: David Duff | Monday, 07 May 2018 at 08:17
Here's one from the Daily Mail you obviously skipped over with a "nothing to see here" airbrush selfie ...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5698713/EUs-hard-line-Brexit-driven-fear-Corbyn-government.html
So much for the "EUSSR" sound-byte then, eh?
The EU shows its true colours as upholders of Thatcher's legacy: They revile nationalisation, socialism, Marxism, and Jeremy Corbyn.
How self-deluded the Brexit bunch became, driven on by their inner-lying machine.
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Monday, 07 May 2018 at 22:58
The People's Republic of Blighty embraces national socialism in the food industry ...
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/08/source-public-sector-food-from-uk-post-brexit-farmers-say
When they get into the food chain it's going to get really bad. Just ask my Fluffbun about what was on the shelves of supermarkets in the Ost Bloc circa 1945-1989.
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Tuesday, 08 May 2018 at 08:13
I know what was on the food shelves in (non)supermarkets in the Ost Bloc in the early '70s because I once, with some trepidation, crossed over from Austria into Bratislava for a few hours and looked inside one. There was bugger all! The shelves were roughly 85% empty. None of which has the slightest connection to the EU/Brexit debate. And please, SoD, do try and stop quoting the Guardian/FT here, the smell is atrocious!
Posted by: David Duff | Tuesday, 08 May 2018 at 09:08