This blog is mine, my thoughts, my moods my musings. Comments are welcome and un-moderated however vile comments, verbal abuse of others, will be removed.
Its been an odd year has it not? We have seen and heard from both ends of the scale. Bravery, courgae, generosity..........to theft lies deception and just plain stupidity. Most of it out or Westminster.
TLOTF has been quiet on the blog front I know. I will correct that in 2012.
Suffice to say 2011 has been a bit of a stinky 1 for me.
Don't get me wrong not all stinky but indeed it has thrown a few serious curve balls which needed dealt with.
I am not 1 for thinking just because the clock strikes midnight that all will become better tonight. No not at all.
However I do believe despite what this year has hurled at me, that positive thought and good planning are a must. So I will use the midnight chimes to put a marker down for 2012.
So to all my friends out there a very Happy New Year and all the best for 2012.
But lets be honest and lets keep some focus. The government will still lie. Taxes will still rise We will all still be skint Labour are still shit and are just the depths of anything political. Michael Dugher MP on Sky News this am was savaged by Mark Longhurst hahahahahahaha I want an independent Scotland........but not on Alex Salmonds terms Troops will still die needlessly in Afghanistan The Pars will be relegated Mercedes Benz make the most beautiful cars in the world And my cat (HRH the Princess Boo of Caledonia) will continue to screech when her food is not out exactly on the time she demands
URGENT – HURRICANE BAWBAG APPEAL On December 8th 2011, a hurricane of biblical strength blasted across North and Central Scotland.
Victims can be seen wandering aimlessly muttering: "Ah wiz pure shittin' masel big man so a wiz, ah need some jellies".
The hurricane decimated the area, causing approximately £30 worth of damage. Untold disruption and distress was caused:
Many were woken well before...... their giro arrived. * Several priceless collections of mementos from the Balearics and Spanish costas were damaged. * Three areas of historic and scientifically significant litter were disturbed. * The cone fell off the head of the statue outside Glasgow’s Modern Art Gallery. * Thousands are confused and bewildered, trying to come to terms with the fact that something interesting has happened in Scotland.
One resident, Pocahontis McGlinchy, a 17 year old mother-of-three said "Ah wiz like ‘Whit’s that? Ah,canny hear ma choonz innat man’ Wee Beyonce came running into my bedroom pure howlin so she wiz. My youngest two, Brooklyn an Blackpool slept through it. I was still pure rattlin when I was watching Jeremy Kyle the next morning."
Apparently though, looting did carry on as normal.
The British Red Cross have so far managed to ship 4000 crates of Buckfast to the area to help the stricken masses. Rescue workers are still searching through the rubble and have found large quantities of personal belongings including benefit books and jewellery from Elizabeth Duke at Argos.
HOW YOU CAN HELP Clothing is most sought after. Items required include: - Sovvy rings - Baseball caps - Shell suits - Tesco two stripe trainers - White socks - Chunky gold chains Food parcels may be harder to put together but are necessary all the same.
Required foodstuffs include: - Mutty Pies and Buckfast - Hauf Pizza Suppers and Buckfast - Mars Bars and Buckfast - Kebabs and Buckfast - Haggis Suppers and Buckfast - Fray Bentos Pies and Buckfast * £2 buys chips, scraps and ginger for a family of four. * £10 can take a family to Coatbridge for the day, where children can sniff glue and spike up among the national collection of stinging nettles. * 22p buys a biro for filling in a spurious compensation claim.
Harsh title for a blog post ............... I accept that.
But every now and again something comes along that makes my urine boil.
And its this man........... The Speaker of the House .......... John "Wanker" Bercow. Oh and you can take your vibrator worshipping wife with you. Says alot about your prowess pal does it not.
Add the cost of this to his £144K spent on his wee flat in the Commons ..... odious turd of a man.
The people of Buckingham are an absolute disgrace to the rest of the country .......... hang your heads in shame for voting him in !
The Speaker of the House of Commons also revealed his new official portrait by British artist Brendan Kelly, depicting him rising from his Speaker's chair and motioning towards the Government benches.
The total bill to the taxpayer is £37,000, prompting criticism from value for money campaigners, who said it was “very excessive at a time of public sector austerity” and only aimed at “boosting John Bercow’s ego”.
Mr Bercow’s official coat of arms sits in the frame of his portrait. It is dominated by a ladder, four roundels and two curved ‘seax’ knives.
The ladder represents Mr Bercow’s ascent from humble beginnings, as the son of a taxi driver in north London. He went to a comprehensive, before entering Parliament as MP for Buckingham and becoming Speaker in 2009.
The roundels mark Mr Bercow’s fondness for tennis – he is a qualified lawn tennis coach – and also represent his role as ex officio chairman of the Boundaries Commission of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The seax knives, which were traditionally worn by Saxon warriers over 1,000 years ago, represent Mr Bercow’s attachment to Essex.
He went to university in the county, graduating in 1985 with a first class degree in Government.
The rainbow colours and pink triangles mark Mr Bercow's championing of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans-sexual people. They sit between his motto: “All Are Equal”.
The red and blue colours, as well as the gold colour of the roundels, represent the three main parties in the House of Commons.
The coat of arms sits in the frame of the Speaker’s official portrait, which features him rising from the Speaker’s chair in the House of Commons.
In the portrait he is making a hushing motion to the Government benches in the Commons,while holding a Commons order paper, and wearing his gown, rather than the traditional Speaker’s robes and tights.
Last night his office said that the painting cost £22,000, along with another £15,000 for the frame and coat of arms “to keep the style of previous portraits”.
The portrait will hang alongside other recent Speaker portraits including those of Baroness Boothroyd and Lord Martin of Springburn in his apartment.
Mr Kelly said he had wanted “to capture the day to day reality of a Speaker mid-action at work in the Chamber”.
However the TaxPayers’ Alliance, which highlights waste in pubic spending, criticised the cost of the painting and coat of arms.
Mathew Sinclair, the alliance’s director, said: “It’s very excessive at this time of public sector austerity for the Speaker to spend tens of thousands of pounds on a vanity portrait of himself.
“Following the MPs’ expenses scandal, Parliament should be cutting costs, not throwing taxpayers’ money away boosting John Bercow’s ego.
“Michael Martin was thrown from the job for wasting taxpayers’ money, so the current Speaker should be much more careful with how he spends our hard earned cash.”
A spokesman for the Speaker said: "The artist's fee is agreed through careful negotiation, balancing the prices artists can command for their work against strict value for money considerations.
"The portrait and the coat of arms form part of the Parliamentary Art Collection. This is a national collection which illustrates the history of Parliament and British politics over the century. The portrait remains the property of Parliament."
A poem for "The Fallen" Verse 4 is the now famous one, but the whole poem posted on this day of days.
For The Fallen
With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children, England mourns for her dead across the sea. Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit, Fallen in the cause of the free.
Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres, There is music in the midst of desolation And a glory that shines upon our tears.
They went with songs to the battle, they were young, Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow. They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted; They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.
They mingle not with their laughing comrades again; They sit no more at familiar tables of home; They have no lot in our labour of the day-time; They sleep beyond England's foam.
But where our desires are and our hopes profound, Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight, To the innermost heart of their own land they are known As the stars are known to the Night;
As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust, Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain; As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness, To the end, to the end, they remain.
And for my Grandfather
Col W.G. Fielding M.C. A proud Army Commando, Royal Irish Fusillier,and holder of th Military Cross for bravery
Q.....So Mr Illegal Immigrant why do you want to live in the UK?
Ans...So I can live in a country that's free and democratic and people can have say in how the country is run !!!!!!
Q.....Really? Is that so .......... The let me tell you Mr Illegal Immigrant Sir........... YOU ARE A FUCKING IDIOT ......... The last 24 hrs have shown that the UK is not free, is not democratic.
I awoke this morning and put on the news to see just how much the EU referendum vote went through by.
And well what a surprise.
No not a surprise it was pissed all over but a surprise that 111 MP's defied the party whip and voted with there conscience.
They were
• Tory rebels Stuart Andrew (Pudsey), Steven Baker (Wycombe), John Baron (Basildon & Billericay), Andrew Bingham (High Peak), Brian Binley (Northampton South), Bob Blackman (Harrow East), Graham Brady (Altrincham & Sale West), Andrew Bridgen (Leicestershire North West), Steve Brine (Winchester), Fiona Bruce (Congleton), Dan Byles (Warwickshire North), Douglas Carswell (Clacton), Bill Cash (Stone), Christopher Chope (Christchurch), James Clappison (Hertsmere), Tracey Crouch (Chatham & Aylesford), David Davies (Monmouth), Philip Davies (Shipley), David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden), Nick de Bois (Enfield North), Caroline Dinenage (Gosport), Nadine Dorries (Bedfordshire Mid), Richard Drax (Dorset South), Mark Field (Cities of London & Westminster), Lorraine Fullbrook (South Ribble), Zac Goldsmith (Richmond Park), James Gray (Wiltshire North), Chris Heaton-Harris (Daventry), Gordon Henderson (Sittingbourne & Sheppey), George Hollingbery (Meon Valley), Adam Holloway (Gravesham), Stewart Jackson (Peterborough), Bernard Jenkin (Harwich & Essex North), Marcus Jones (Nuneaton), Chris Kelly (Dudley South), Andrea Leadsom (Northamptonshire South), Jeremy Lefroy (Stafford), Edward Leigh (Gainsborough), Julian Lewis (New Forest East), Karen Lumley (Redditch), Jason McCartney (Colne Valley), Karl McCartney (Lincoln), Stephen McPartland (Stevenage), Anne Main (St Albans), Patrick Mercer (Newark), Nigel Mills (Amber Valley), Anne-Marie Morris (Newton Abbot), James Morris (Halesowen & Rowley Regis), Stephen Mosley (Chester, City of), Sheryll Murray (Cornwall South East), Caroline Nokes (Romsey & Southampton North), David Nuttall (Bury North), Matthew Offord (Hendon), Neil Parish (Tiverton & Honiton), Priti Patel (Witham), Andrew Percy (Brigg & Goole), Mark Pritchard (Wrekin, The), Mark Reckless (Rochester & Strood), John Redwood (Wokingham), Jacob Rees-Mogg (Somerset North East), Simon Reevell (Dewsbury), Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury), Andrew Rosindell (Romford), Richard Shepherd (Aldridge-Brownhills), Henry Smith (Crawley), John Stevenson (Carlisle), Bob Stewart (Beckenham), Gary Streeter (Devon South West), Julian Sturdy (York Outer), Sir Peter Tapsell (Louth & Horncastle), Justin Tomlinson (Swindon North), Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight), Martin Vickers (Cleethorpes), Charles Walker (Broxbourne), Robin Walker (Worcester), Heather Wheeler (Derbyshire South), Craig Whittaker (Calder Valley), John Whittingdale (Maldon), Dr Sarah Wollaston (Totnes)
Two Tory MPs acted as tellers for the rebels. They were Peter Bone (Wellingborough) and Philip Hollobone (Kettering).
Two Tory MPs voted in both the Aye and Noe lobbies. This counts as an abstention. They were: Iain Stewart (Milton Keynes South) and Mike Weatherley (Hove)
• 19 Labour rebels Ronnie Campbell (Blyth Valley), Rosie Cooper (Lancashire West), Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North), Jon Cruddas (Dagenham & Rainham), John Cryer (Leyton & Wanstead), Ian Davidson (Glasgow South West), Natascha Engel (Derbyshire North East), Frank Field (Birkenhead), Roger Godsiff (Birmingham Hall Green), Kate Hoey (Vauxhall), Kelvin Hopkins (Luton North), Steve McCabe (Birmingham Selly Oak), John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington), Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby), Dennis Skinner (Bolsover), Andrew Smith (Oxford East), Graham Stringer (Blackley & Broughton), Gisela Stuart (Birmingham Edgbaston), Mike Wood (Batley & Spen).
• One Liberal Democrat rebel Adrian Sanders (Torbay)
• Eight Democratic Unionist Party MPs who voted for the referendum: Gregory Campbell (Londonderry East), Nigel Dodds (Belfast North), Jeffrey Donaldson (Lagan Valley), Rev William McCrea (Antrim South), Ian Paisley Junior (Antrim North), Jim Shannon (Strangford), David Simpson (Upper Bann), Sammy Wilson (Antrim East)
• Independent Unionist who voted for the referendum: Lady Sylvia Hermon (Down North)
• Green Party Leader Caroline Lucas (Brighton Pavilion) voted for the referendum
I take my hat off to each 1 of you.
Now here's the rub and the bit you wont like. 99% of the people who vote in the country are bloody clueless. You are apathetic cretins who deserve what you get. I have long said you only get the politicians you deserve and well what you have is a bunch of self serving idiots who lie to you daily about serving there constituents, listening to the voters etc etc etc and when it comes to the crunch, when it means they have to actually put their balls on the block, they capitulate to the whips.
They would rather save their sorry skins than actually do what they said they would do when they so vigorously fought for your votes.
And British politics ............. oh how very democratic !!! How it is held as the beacon of all things fair and equal in the eyes of the world. How it is in itself a lie and a joke.
When the party whip is in place meaning no matter what is said by the public, the party can force its "Honourable Members" (don't make me sick) to vote as the party decides.
When a petition enacted by the current government to ask for public opinion is so disgracefully forgotten and disregarded, it clearly shows it was a cheap election ploy, (somewhat similar to the SNP call for an Independent Scotland but that's for another post),and basically a vote winner.
So its official. Mark the date in you diaries. 24th October 2011 ........... the day the UK showed it was not democratic !!!
How can 646 people hold 65 million to ransom like this. British public you are a disgrace to yourselves.
But 1 man off principle does stand out ............ Conservative MP Adam Holloway resigned his unpaid Government job as a parliamentary private secretary (PPS) in order to be able to vote for a referendum.
"If you can't support a particular policy, then the honest course of action is to stand down," he said.
"I want decisions to be made more closely by the people they affect, by local communities, not upwards towards Brussels.
"I'm not now prepared to go back on my words to my constituents."
In Westminster there are increasing rumours about why the Sergeant-At-Arms, Jill Pay, has announced her intention to retire. Its hard to say what took place behind the scenes but the departure does bring to a close a disastrous chapter in Parliamentary History.
I suppose that Jill Pay had it hard from the outset, she was the first woman Sergeant and one of the only holders of the post to have not been in the military. She always found it difficult to shake off her 'token gesture' image. But during the Damian Green Affair she showed herself up to be a weak figure struggling to understand her own role.
Just for the record its worth reminding ourselves what happened to Damian Green. Gordon Brown was becoming exacerbated by the number of leaks from the Home Office and demanded the Police take action. As part of this action the Police searched Damian Greens office and arrested him.
There was no doubt that this violated an ancient tradition dating back to Charles I and also an annual pledge made by the Monarch on the day of the State Open of Parliament.
The Police themselves were nervous about violating the Palace of Westminster and sought permission from the Speaker (Michael Martin) and the Sergeant: both agreed to the raid.
In times gone by both the Speaker and the Sergeant would probably have lost their heads for being complicit in such a denigration of Parliament. Today we can do little except lament the way that a once great institution was employing as its Head of Security a person who wasn't entirely familiar with the British Constitution or indeed her own role in it. But Jill Pay is a symbol of a much wider rot at the heart of our political system.
A once great institution in Westminster had descended into little more than a club house for desperate talentless freeloaders. Who cared more about their next expenses cheque than they ever did about their constituents.
At the same time we are faced by an increasingly powerful executive whose disregard for Parliament was such that they dared to demand the arrest of an MP. Jill Pays mistakes are widely documented - security checks that stifle the good running of Parliament yet cannot even prevent an amateur smuggling a custard pie into the Murdoch meeting - but lets not forget that all of us have been guilty of denigrating Parliament.
For anyone who laughed at the failures, ignored the expenses or put political correctness before security and constitutionality, let Jill Pay be a symbol of our failure. And her replacement a symbol of a new start.
We cannot continue to have a country with a strong executive and no legislature.
As this Saturday is the RWC final I thought I would post this informative video allowing explanation of the basic rules of the game. Hopefully that will give you better appreciation of the match itself ............... here to help !!
If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or being hated, don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream -- and not make dreams your master; If you can think -- and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two imposters just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings -- nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -- Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And -- which is more -- you'll be a Man, my son!
Stupid and arrogant are probably the best words to describe him.
Time and time again these half-witted politicians drop themselves in it. Makes good paper copy but doesn't do much for our ever dwindling faith in politicians. No choice for him really because the stories will become more and more lurid about Fox and his 'special friends' as time passes. Unfortunately, for us there'll be a brief spell on the back benches for him as a punishment before he becomes 'rehabilitated' just like Mandy from the Luvvie party did.
Tomorrow, Saturday 8th October sees the now famous Superleague Grand Final. The pinacle of the 13 a side code.
But there is a twist as a season dominated by Warrington and Wigan ends in familiar fashion.
Old rivals and multiple Grand Final winners St Helens and Leeds will meet at Old Trafford to decide who takes the year's top prize, having come through the play-offs from the unprecedented lows of third and fifth place in the table.
This will be the first Grand Final not involving either of the teams finishing first and second in the regular season, yet it reunites the two most successful clubs in the Super League era. What does that say about the competition? And why have the year's two outstanding clubs failed to reach the ultimate showcase?
The Grand Final as a one-off event is unrivalled in terms of theatre. Having an entire season decided over 80 minutes may not be seen as fair, but it creates an atmosphere I have never experienced elsewhere in sport.
An match bursting with expectation, adrenalin and fear prduce an unmissable spectacle.
Should we be surprised therefore that the two clubs to have proved their ability to perform on the biggest stage are again there at the death? Leeds and St Helens, with four Grand Final wins apiece, have experience, bottle and ability to perform under the most extreme pressure.
I am a proper grade A hardcore Leeds fan. Despite being a Scot I spent my formative years in Leeds watching the greats of many a year ago however my joy at seeing Leeds make this grand final is tempered with an acknowledgement that seeing both Warrington and Wigan fall away was most unexpected.
So what happened to them? Regardless of Wigan's assertions to the contrary, they were not the same side after their Challenge Cup success, a game that again Leeds to them to the wire on. With such a huge triumph comes a release, and Michael Maguire's side never fully rediscovered their early-season intensity.
Warrington spent much of the season walloping opponents. My view is that they may have been victims of their own success. Tony Smith's league leaders were so comfortable, so often, that when they were finally given a contest by Leeds last week they were out-hungered. Wolves centre Ryan Atkins - a Leeds boy - said afterwards that the Rhinos wanted it more than Warrington.
And then there is the 'M' word. Momentum is a massive reason that Leeds and St Helens have made it again. Saints were always fancied to explode into the play-offs given their end-of-season form. However as good as Saints have been Leeds have screamed post the challenge cup in near perfect form, and as we all know once the Rhinos hit their straps you could sense the men from Headingley could well taste success.
Good Luck to both teams ........... but in my heart "WE ARE LEEDS"
I have blogged many many times on the odious individual that is Dr Liam Fox, Secretary of State for Defence.
He replaced the equally odious and certainly hellishly ineffective Bob Ainsworth.
I thought when the new government took over that the military and indeed all things defence wise would have a higher priority and would return as a priority.
The military and all things defence are further undervalued indeed even mocked by our current administration.
The sheer lies they tell with regards to all things military is just beyond even my simple brain ........ see here.
And the sheer contempt they hold the military in is again easy to see in this post here.
So again attached to Liam Fox is another big stink ............ see Here
It appears the best-man of the Defence Secretary, a certain Mr Adam Werritty was swanning around Westminster with House of Commons business cards that said he was Fox’s “personal adviser”. Fox previously denied he was involved in any MOD activity, yet now it emerges his former flatmate came on an official MOD trip to Sri Lanka.
And now the slimy shit Fox has gone a triggered the investigation himself try to use the cunning and well known about trick of " It was not me guv, it was like the other bloke" ........... when actually the whole thing stinks!!!!!!!!!!
You would have thought after Hague got the taxpayer to pick up the bill for his trip to Afghanistan with Christopher Myers that the Tories would be a little more careful about this sort of thing. Where Hague spent an extra weekend in Bahrain with his adviser, Fox is only thought to have attended “private events” in Sri Lanka with Werritty.
So c'mon Cameron, where is the cleaning up of politics, the transparency ......... err nowhere to be exact. As long as the political classes maintain there air of superiority over us all and there mental belief they are a class above us all issues like this will never stop.........regardless of the political party.
Investigation will prove nothing............ nada zilch.......... bugger all.
Have the hounds caught the Fox ?????? .......... Like hell they have !
Socarry on Cameron treating us like you always have done ........... twat!!!
David Cameron and the Tory/LibDem Coalition are liars.
"Tell me something new" I hear you cry. Allow me to elaborate further!
Firstly we need to establish "What is the military covenant?"
It is ............. 1. Britain's duty of care to its armed forces began as an unspoken pact between society and the military, possibly as far back as Henry VIII's reign.
2. The pact, reinforced by custom and convention, was formally codified as a "covenant" in 2000 but not made law.
3. It states soldiers will be called upon to make sacrifices - including the ultimate sacrifice. In return, they and their families can expect fair treatment and to be sustained and rewarded.
4. The covenant only officially applies to the army, but its core principles are taken to extend to the air force and navy.
These 4 principles were simply violated by the previous labour administration in every way. The sheer contempt they showed our military was in my opinion criminal.
When a young Royal Marine losses and arm and a leg in Afghanistan and gains a compensation package less than an MOD typist who sued for RSI, I clearly know the country has gone mad.
However up step "Call Me Dave" and the new coalition.
David Cameron says the government must ensure that it is doing everything it can for the armed forces.
He said the military would get "the recognition it deserves".
Campaigners have long been calling for the nation's duty of care to personnel to be translated into firm pledges.
So in May of this year Cameron says he will place the Military Covenant into law.
See Here.
He goes on to say "But in some areas we go further and make their needs a special case."
He added: "If we are asking our armed forces to do dangerous job in places like Afghanistan and Iraq, we have to ensure we are doing all we can for them in return."
He said the "historic agreement" meant the "value we place on those brave men and women who put their lives on the line will be written down for all to see".
The current military covenant states soldiers will be called upon to make personal sacrifices, including the ultimate sacrifice, and that they and their families should expect fair treatment and to be valued, respected and properly rewarded.
This is Ben Parkinson
Ben served with 7 Para Royal Horse Artillery before becoming the victim of a landmine.
I will not go into the details but suffice to say Ben is on record as the most seriously injured solider to ever survive. His injury list is beyond reading and a tear appeared in my eye as I read it. I know for a fact I would not have the courage that Ben has shown.
Many thought he would not survive the devastating Taliban bomb which shattered his body as he served his country in Afghanistan.
Ben came to symbolise the neglect of our wounded war heroes after being awarded a derisory £152,000 in compensation despite losing both legs, breaking his back and suffering catastrophic brain damage in the blast in September 2006.
Ben also lost the power of speech.
But after a campaign by a national newspaper his pay-out was eventually increased to £540,000, enabling his mother and stepfather to buy a specially adapted bungalow where they have been looking after him.
Since then he has confounded gloomy predictions for his future by ditching an electronic voice box he was using to communicate because it made him sound ‘like Stephen Hawking’, and learning to walk hundreds of yards at a time on his advanced prosthetic legs with the help of a frame.
This 26-year-old – who has eight hours of therapy every day – told of his ambitions for the future as his devoted mother spoke of her pride in his epic battle back to fitness. "And I want to go back to work. Hopefully I will go into Army recruiting" he had proudly announced.
But now as previously described, the most seriously wounded soldier to survive being injured in Afghanistan is being forced out of the Army.
As a serving soldier, Lance Bombardier Parkinson's treatment is paid for by the Ministry of Defence.
AND FUCKING GUESS WHAT ?????????????
But now the Army Medical Services Board has sent a letter telling him that it is recommending he is medically discharged.
This decision will mean he will return to the care of the NHS, and this will hamper the work he is putting into his recovery, which involves 37 hours a week of physiotherapy, gym work and speech therapy.
I am not decrying the NHS in any way .............. but the NHS is certainly not equipped to assist someone with Bens injuries ........... but more to the point ............ WHERE IS THE MILITARY COVENANT NOW??
C'mon Cameron, Clegg and that odious turd Liam Fox ........... where is your precious covenant and law and promise made in May .......... it will tell you where ....... with the pile of other lies that consistently pour out of your mouths.
May I suggest you all go visit the Captains blog here and read this piece of cobblers!!.
No not what the Good Ole Captain has said in terms of his musings but the context of the story and just who pathetic our so called "Lords and Masters" are.
In fact what the bulk of people do not realise is (and I mean 99% of the UK population) with that fact is ................. THEY WORK FOR US.
Anyway I too have broken the law .......... in fact I go alot further.
The above slogan was coined in 1940 or thereabouts by the government of the day. It has since been copyrighted by someone, and that someone has whined to the EU. The EU loves whiners and they supported that someones right to the slogan. So we are not allowed to use it ever again. Got that? It is verboten.
Now I go a little further as well.
I enclose below a pic of my Blackberry. Its not a special Blackberry or anything. A standard "Blackberry" with a screen saver pic of a little something lovely in my life. That's for another post but yes, a standard "Blackberry".
Nice eh!
But it does have a special thingy going on. Notice the red cover ????
I have a wee blog chum over the pond in that there USA place.
She lives in an Attic, and has a Bullmastiff.
Anyway Anne is Irish but has a love of all things Scottish.
Also is a fountain of knowledge.
See here Did you all know Scotland was the home of heavy metal ?????????? I did but I am a smart arse!!
Anyway I thought I would re post the talents of Scottish Pipe Bands who sometimes can turn a simple child's song into rather a fine entertainment spectacle.
Only If you live in Tottenham of some other place where by you think it good to smash your own town up !!!
Keeps the kids entertained and teaches them valuable social skills so when they grow up they will be correct and proper people to be part of society !!!!!!!!!!
In normal times no man can be held responsible for the conduct of his wife, but in this case we are happy to make an exception. With John Bercow, this pair between them have made a major contribution to the destruction of the majesty and gravitas of parliament, helping to make it the tawdry joke that it has become.
This article says she aims to "stick it to the establishment" during the programme, heedless of the fact that she is part of the establishment, living in a grace and favour apartment which has cost us £20 Grand to refurb for him and the fact that Mr Speaker also trousered £146,780 in expenses, which includes £1390.64, for a satellite TV system, to save the pair the trouble of looting the local branch of Dixons.
One has to admit that this pair have got it made – having been able to delegate the parliamentary authorities to do their looting for them – and they certainly deserve each other. The question is whether we deserve such low grade personalities, a question which scarcely needs an answer.
As a voting public, the people of Buckingham are a disgrace. You voted him in and brought Mrs Speaker with him.
And remember you only get the politicians you deserve .............. you all forget 1 simple fact.
They WORK FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!!!
Hong Kong (CNN) — (and excuse the pun) A sex scandal that recently put Cathay Pacific into a tailspin is now causing more turmoil for the Hong Kong-based airline.
The carrier launched an investigation last week after explicit photos, purportedly showing a sex act involving a male and female employee in a plane’s cockpit, were published in newspapers and online.
The embarrassing episode has now affected Cathay’s newest phase of its "People and Service" marketing campaign, which uses the catchphrase ...........
"the team who go the extra mile to make you feel special."
"We are thinking of holding the campaign back for a little while because the timing doesn’t suit us at the moment," Cathay Pacific spokeswoman Carolyn Leung told CNN.
I propose a new version of 'Hansard' to report on MPs' debates on the looting and criminality of the lower orders. It would go something like this;
Gerald Kaufman (£43,564 expenses including 4 grapefruit bowls at £540) I condemn the naked greed of these criminals and their taking advantage of their pampered and privileged opportunities ..
David Wilshire (£160,532 expenses including £100k on a flat 15 miles from main home) My honourable friend has hit the nail on the head. This is not about ideology, it's sheer naked greed
John Healey (£84,562 expenses including £6,194 for renovating his kitchen) We should understand a little less and condemn a little more, Mr Speaker; only tough action against these feral youths will ...
And the guy I just love most of all ........ John Bercow Mr Speaker (£146,780 expenses) Order! Order! Members must set an example to young people!
Despite the fact that he died around 620 BC, Draco the Lawgiver must be spinning with excitement in his grave.
We have witnessed some horrific scenes over the last few days. Acts of violence and theft committed by pure scum. There is no nobility in their actions. There is no honour. There was no need for this scandalous criminality.
I doubt that I can add any more words to a story that will play out over the next days, weeks and months.
What I would like to do though, is ask normally level-headed people to chill out. If I had a quid for every time I saw words like this, I would be a wealthy man:
"Send the army in!"
"Shoot them all!"
"Bring back hanging!"
And so on and so forth.
We pay billions of £££'s every year to ensure that police officers have the very best protective equipment, and that they receive the very best training for exactly this kind of civil disturbance. On this very blog we have looked at the police, live and in full colour, beating the bejesus out of protesters. Last night though, instead of kettling and righteous clubbing from the cops, I saw this:
I saw it time after time after time.
These boys in blue were happy to kettle young students, anti-war protesters, and other "soft" groups. But when it came to violent thugs, they stood by, claiming that "there are not enough of us". (Bear that in mind for what comes later.)
Send the army in? It is a very tiny mind that comes to that conclusion. The police have not yet fully deployed and they have not yet exhausted all methods of crowd control at their disposal. CS gas has not been used. Snatch Teams (to my knowledge) have not been used. Tasers have not been used. For legal reasons water cannon can not be used. So it is far too early to even think about deploying troops. Besides which, it is not their job. They should never be asked to control riots. Never. If you want to see how badly it can go wrong when squaddies are deployed, look south to Tunisia and Libya, look east to Syria and Bahrain. It goes pear-shaped very, very quickly. I am stunned that some empty-heads were screeching for martial law. FFS!
Enough of this. I'm reasonably sure you have read similar elsewhere.
I think we learnt at least two lessons from all this:
1. We are about to lose some liberties.
2. It doesn't take much to take over the streets.
That thin blue line is anorexic. My timing may well be all the way off, but the last few days have demonstrated much better than my words ever have that we are many and they are few. Imagine, if you can, just 500 people in every town and major city demanding full restoration of those rights which the government willingly (and unlawfully) gave away to Europe? Peaceful action by a significant number of people would ensure a complete takeover of the country in a matter of hours or days. Remember this the next time you try to convince yourself that we cannot bring about change if we were determined to.
Just in case you conclude that I am having a pop at the cops: I am not. I actually think they should have gone in hard, faster. With violent thieves, and they are no more or less than that, a spanking is all they understand. A solid teak baton around the napper would have stopped dozens of them cold. And when their cohorts see the claret fly, it concentrates the mind. This is probably the first and last time you will see me condone tough action from the police. The rioters broke my only law: do no harm. I would expect exactly the same harsh treatment if it was me doing the violence and the thieving.
We have been rewarding our thugs for 20 years. Warm, comfy cells, complete with PS3's, laptops and High Def tellies. When they are released, after serving a fraction of their sentence, we send them on their way with a hug. I believe, firmly, that most of this was Labour's doing. I just hope someone tells them that, repeatedly.
No martial law, no troops on the streets, no hanging. Got that?
I refuse to hand over any more of my liberties because a couple of hundred light-fingered bastards couldn't control themselves.
Punish those half-wits by all means.
But leave me the fuck alone.
You already stole too many of my rights. I want them back.
Stolen without shame and with a hat tip to the Capt here!!
Well here is something you dont see every day ...... his video was taken this am as the local community in Clapham organised there own clean up of the area.
However it got me thinking ................. viewing this video here ....... and any piece of video of the last few nights ............. there is 1 very big difference.
No I am not talking about theft, burning, violence, pain, grief and misery ............ anyone want to have a guess what that is ??????????
So for some reason Rebekah Brooks has thrown in towel and tended her resignation from News International.
It was inevitable I guess considering the revelations not coming out.
Indeed the level of revelations etc are so stark I am beyond any belief that the lady in question had no knowledge of any shenanigans at all.
I mean even if she did have no knowledge, then she was certainly no fit person to be chief exec as to be that slack you have no knowledge of that kind of operation and indeed your company can give 130K in bungs (allegedly) to the Metropolitan Police, and you do not know about that, mean you are culpable in my book.
Anyway back on track ........... The investigation and indeed the course of the revelations grows more. Ms Brooks now finds herself in the mire. The Murdochs felt they could shield her but indeed the arrest of Coulson previously and yesterday the arrest Coulsons NotW deputy starts to heap the pressure on Brooks that she actually did know something.
Even Sir Paul Stevens the Met Plods chief is under the spotlight for his performance and that of his team (notice my wording there).
However when you have these 2 people this am make statements such as this .....
Firstly ...... Rupert Murdoch's daughter Elisabeth has made a “furious” attack on Rebekah Brooks’s handling of the phone hacking scandal at News International. Miss Murdoch, who is set to be given a seat on the board of her father’s News Corp empire, told friends that Mrs Brooks had “f----- the company”.
Secondly ...... Speaking on BBC Newsnight, Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal Al Saud, News Corp's second largest shareholder, said Mrs Brooks should resign if there was any indication that she knew about the phone hacking taking place at the News of the World. He said: "I will not accept to deal with a company that has a lady or a man that has any sliver of doubts on her or his integrity."
So it appears that cracks are starting to appear now in the NI facade.
IMHO Brooks knows everything. The Murdochs attempts to shield her are intentional because she knows were the bodies are buried. Coulson, the deputy and now the Met Chief will all cough up to save their skins and their guilt edge pensions.
What we do not know however is what the deal is behind the scenes for Brooks to walk away, face the music, do the time and no doubt keep her big gob shut.
Mind you I have an idea! Her ex hubby Ross Kemp, apart from laughing his arse off this morning, can now go and do one of those famous award winning series he does ...... you know "Worlds toughest Gangs" etc.
Wonder what you could call that series? "Worlds most dishonest ex wives"!!!!!!!
Indeed I do find that rather a strange statement to make as he was to be honest, the most hated PM in history, in the eyes of the Murdoch empire!!
So quite frankly ......... I AM ALSO SHOCKED !!
So with the current revelations on going he thought he was immune and is now shocked !!!!!!!!!!
hhhhmmmmmmm ......... bigger cretin than i thought!!
However in his defence ....... the sheer fact that (and I know until proven) they sought to use his children as a story line is just repellent. For that i hope they rot.
However the reason for this post is one of balance.
I am no fan of Brown at all .......... however I will defend the right of the privacy of his children. He is another matter but not via his kids.
So Gordon you have my total sympathy for the intrusion. For once I feel for you, and more to the point the wee ones. I and hope that whoever has done this is prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
However a word of warning. Please be very careful!!
Oh how long and loud did I laugh when I read this story.
In fact I am still laughing some nearly 2 hours later.
Former PM believes he could still be in No 10 if new allegations relating to Andy Coulson had emerged before the election
Gordon ............ You are still totally deluded aren't you??
You are so far devoid of reality its unreal.
Yes the truth will come out about the NotW in due course, but lets get some things straight.
Tony Blair easily ass kissed up to Murdoch as much as any Tory ever has. Labour actively sought out and encouraged the enhanced relationship between itself and NI. Tony Blair was given and accepted many many hospitality function (chose my words there carefully) during his time as PM from NI. Milly Dowler died and as a result had her phone hacked under a labour government watch The 7/7 victims died and had phones hacked under a labour government watch. The Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts started, causing servicemen to die and have their phones hacked under a labour government watch.
What you cant accept Gordon is your failure still. Your lack of being a credible leader. Your skill level. Your fiscal policies which are now coming home to roast Your temper Your drug taking The fact NI hated you and as a result removed support from YOU causing the loss in support from the labour party. Any other leader in charge may well have kept the support and as a result kept the No10 job. It was you Gordon ............. you, your style, your appearance, your personality that failed. Do not come out with some crap like that in order to attempt some cheap publicity and chest beating.
The sordid tale of the loss of 168 years of newspaper history. Once branded a world leader. A bastion of reporting!
There are many many more accomplished bloggers out there who will write at length and far more lucid than my wee "pile O pish" here.
I do not need to write about ..........
Murdochs motives The Blair years and the NotW relationship Millibands Invites to do's Camerons employment of Coulson Tory party and Murdoch Closure of the NotW Brookes not being cut loose Tommy Sheridan Coulsons arrest Milly Dowler Dead Servicemen 7/7 Victims Met Police corruption and bungs
The list goes on ..........
However.....
Scotland Yard detectives are to reveal why their first News of the World investigation failed, if the Government pays them a large sum of cash in used notes.
Metropolitan Police chief David Watterson made the pledge today as David Cameron launched an independent inquiry into the News of the World phone hacking scandal.
Cameron has vowed to leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of truth and has demanded “why did the first police investigation fail so abysmally?”
Chief Superintendent Watterson told The News Grind today: “There is absolutely no need to have this independent inquiry into the News of the World. I have a crack team of officers more than happy to reveal what’s going on … if the price is right.
“Brown envelope, £2,500, leave it behind the fourth bin at the back of Scotland Yard. Bung in a monkey and we’ll pull Andy Coulson over for speeding. How does that sound?”
A spokesman for the Prime Minister said he was appalled at the comments made by the Scotland Yard chief.
“It is absolutely disgusting,” the Downing Street spokesman said, “For a monkey we’d expect Coulson to be fitted up on trumped up drugs charges at the very least.”
Yes that bit is tongue in cheek on an otherwise "vile taste in the mouth" story.
However ask yourself the question why
Why would and I admit it has finally to be proven in a court of law .......... Why would someone or an institution go to these lengths? To weave a web so vile that it ends up in a clusterfuck of this magnitude!!?
I will tell you why!!
Simple it is because of US.
Our dirty little obsession with all things salacious and filthy. We love hurt misery and pain. And if we can get our hands on it we thrive on it. As a nation we just crave it like an addict craves smack. How on earth can we have so many publication surviving without someone buying copies of them all the time.
Without this need perhaps a news group may not have needed to go quite this far in order to have that bit more of edge .......... to have "THE SCOOP".
So let the law deal with Brookes, Coulson, Cameron, Blair and whom ever else has made an error of judgement and been party to this sordid mess........... Let the law deal with the supposed up holders of the law in the Metroplitain police, and the bung takers who put on said uniform...........
But also let the public take a look also at itself and perhaps, just perhaps you might want to change your attitude to life and others, and think again about your constant need to fuel your appetite for everyone elses misery .............
Its with horror that we learn on Sunday .......... staff at a Metropolitan Police building were alerted to two police dogs having been left in an unventilated private vehicle.
The two dogs were found on in the back of the trainer's own car at the Met's dog training centre in Keston, Kent.
Entry was forced to the vehicle and two Metropolitan police dogs – a working Belgian Malinois (shepherd) and a German Shepherd puppy were found in a state of collapse.
Both were taken to an emergency vet where they subsequently died.
An investigation by the Department of Professional standards into the circumstances of this incidence has begun.
Horrific ........... temperatures inside the vehicles would have reached in excess of 50°C in under an hour. The animals stood no chance at all.
Now my rant is simple ........... and no its not the fact that 2 animals needlessly suffered and died. That is a given. I care for most animals more than I do people but that's for another day.
My rant is the handler.
You see the officer in this instance is a certain Sgt Ian Craven. Nothing odd in that except when you look into it Sgt Craven has a disciplinary on his record in 2004.
What for ??????
Well ....... The death of a dog in his charge!!
So I ask the question why was he still a dog handler? Why was he still in charge of animals?
Does the police not view the life of the dog that serious ........... clearly not !!
A precedent has been set ... These deaths follow those of two German Shepherd police dogs, which died in a hot car outside Nottinghamshire Police headquarters in July 2009.
Police dog handler Pc Mark Johnson was given a six-month conditional discharge after he was found guilty of animal cruelty in relation to the deaths of the two dogs.
We also learn that following these deaths Sgt Ian Craven, 49, flung himself from a police vehicle he was in and was then declared a missing person. Source.
The officer was found in Newham, east London, with hand injuries. He was still receiving medical treatment last night, police said. But he has no injuries other than that.
OK IMHO Sgt Craven is totally at fault. A complete lack of care and basically a lack of brains. Sgt Craven should never have been in the dog unit post the death in 2004 of a previous animal. He is under investigation, and I trust is removed from post with immediate effect.
Personally I hope the CPS act quickly and swiftly. Sgt Craven is not above the law and as such is not immune from its actions as a result of wearing a uniform.
My wee rant about the census and my well "Not bloody filling it in" thing.
Oh also for the record I have never had any comms from anyone with regards to not completing it.
Not a peep no.
I am aware someone came to visit but I was not in so sadly missed the chance for a bit of sport.
Well anyway in today's Telegraph we discover THIS BELTING bit of info.
The entire 2011 census database has been stolen by hackers and will be published online.
Ryan Cleary, an alleged member of the hacking group behind the claim, LulzSec, was arrested in Essex this morning by specialist cyber crime officers from Scotland Yard.
The 19-year-old was taken to a central London police station and remains in custody on suspicion of Computer Misuse Act and Fraud Act offences.
A “significant amount of material” was also seized from an address in Wickford, Essex.
The “pre-planned intelligence-led operation” in collaboration with the FBI followed claims online that the 2011 census database had been stolen and would be published in full.
“We have blissfully obtained records of every single citizen who gave their records to the security-illiterate UK government for the 2011 census,” a posting purportedly by LulzSec said.
Well I never. I am shocked. Never in a million years did I think anyone would attempt to go and steal millions of people private info, history, life and living info, kids history, schools, dates of birth, sexual preferences, education histories, car info, religions info or who ever you where banging on the night of the 27th February 2011.
Absolutely shocking ................ honestly I am truly stunned by this revelation.
I must say how grateful I am to the FBI for the help they have given as the info was in the hands of a US defence contractor for storage and processing.
So a quick note to those who cocked a snoop at me, to those who said "I was being stupid and taking a ridiculous stand"
Who is worried now !! ........... Not me !
And 1 final point ............. Do you think they would move to prosecute me still ????
So it is that this morning I awoke to the dulcet tones of a news broadcast of the wireless ............ well rather nice DAB to be exact but a broadcast non the less to hear a tirade from a certain Mark Serwotka.
Mr Serwotka is the leader of the PCS union. The PCs union is the union of civil servants.
However this am Mark was waxing lyrical about how hundreds of thousands of public sector workers are poised to go on strike in protest at pay freezes and pension changes.
Indeed desperate times Mark I agree, but don't you think maybe you are being a little bit of a hypocrite here.
But first I must digress .......... Now the reason for this Mark is so we can really see a little about who you are and your motives.
OK .......... Serwotka became a union representative in 1980, and became a personal case officer in 1995.
In the 2000 election that saw Serwotka elected General Secretary, he initially faced two rival candidates:
Hugh Lanning of the Membership First faction and the incumbent Barry Reamsbottom of the National Moderate Group.
However, Reamsbottom did not secure the fifty branch nominations needed to appear on the ballot paper. Serwotka then beat Lanning with 41,000 to 33,000 votes.
Following Serwotka's election, Reamsbottom refused to step down when his term of office expired, citing what he claimed were legal irregularities in the election process.
The dispute was taken to the High Court where Serwotka won and subsequently assumed office.
In December 2009, Serwotka was re-elected for a five-year term, gaining 37,866 votes against Rob Bryson's 21,883. So it is fair to say that Marks appointment is somewhat shadowed in errr mystery. Yes that's a good word.
But also we find this tidbit of info .......... In the 2000 election campaign, Serwotka pledged that he would only accept an average member's wage. However, in 2009he received £86,244 in salary as well as £25,441 in pensions contributions and a £1,076 additional housing cost allowance.
WOW..........Really so not only was the appointment eeerrr Mysterious as I said but perhaps Mark was also somewhat eeerrrr mysterious with his pledge over his salary in his campaign and what he actually received .......... hhmmmm !!!
Mark I understand you position ........... I feel for you with your membership each paying you their £3.00 per week demanding that you ride in your big white horse and tell the nasty government that it wont happen, and that you wont allow it ........ BUT ...... lets be honest its the private sector that will drive the economy. Its the businesses etc that will make the revenue to pay the taxes that allow the bloated public service to survive. Perhaps you should maybe, just maybe think about supporting them and helping to ensure they can go forward and have a future, employ more people, make some money and help secure a recovery, instead of flapping you quite simply lying mouth a proven by your election in a vain effort to extract more union subs from your already beleaguered membership.
However an £82 grand basic sure helps ensure you wont be feeling the pain they do eh!!!
.......I have said this before and I will say it again ............ It doesn’t matter how good you are (or you think you are), how brilliant our supposed public services are in your juvenile, collectivist mindset; There is no money. There is less than no money. In fact the sheer scale of the money we do not have is hilarious. Further, the rate at which we are still losing money is fucking deranged.
This means that those on the public payroll face two prospects: Earn less in some manner, or, become fewer in number. Or both. Or burn your office down and decide make a living creating dungeon porn. It’s a seller’s market.
Hey, don’t look at me – blame the incompetent revenue pissers who you put in power for 13 years. If they hadn’t inflated your numbers to roughly that of Beijing, we wouldn't have (as much of) a problem now, would we?
And a ‘more brutish society’? Exactly which of you fuckers are keeping the barbarians from the gates? Whoever you are, I admire your near-perfect stealth behind what would appear to be an ingenious cover of barely-functional bureaucracy and petty fascism. Well done, oh arbiters of social progress and guardians of our harmonious and prosperous way of life.
Ah fuck it, go ahead and strike and show us how important you are not.
I speak from grave experience here myself as in the last 48 hours have witnessed several colleagues having contracts terminated and myself having my salary cut due to market forces .............. I work for a private company so have no union and no strike rights ............. so as you can see your position really impresses me. Particularly when I see the financial position and knew it was cut or die!
Oh and 1 last thing..........the group of cock sniffers that are whoooping you up into this frenzy........into the supposed rebellion.......into the civil disobedience.............check out these stats.
Bob Crow (RMT) - £79,564 in salary, £26,115 in pension contributions, £13,013 expenses John Hannett (USDAW) - £81,742 salary, £16,389 pension contributions Billy Hayes (CWU) - £83,530 salary, £14,190 pension contributions Sally Hunt (UCU) - £63,743 salary, £7,612 pension contributions, £2705 car benefit (start of June 2006 to end of May 2007) Paul Kenny (GMB) - £81,000 salary, £21,000 superannuation (pension contributions), £8,000 car Dave Prentis (Unison) - £92,187 salary, £23,603 pension contributions, £11,646 expenses and car benefit Derek Simpson (Unite-Amicus) - £62,673 salary, £16,156 pension contributions, £13,333 car allowance, £26,181 housing benefit (Derek Simpson now receives nearly £200,000 in pay and benefits, with his pay package increasing 17 percent this year. He also has the right to stay in his £800,000 house in Hertfordshire until he dies, after which his partner will be able to remain there at a heavily subsidised rate. Simpson, according the Times, demanded that the union subsidise his accommodation to "make it affordable" - a perk worth about £40,00, bringing his total remuneration to £194,252.) Mark Serwotka.... dont you just love him ???? (PCS) - £82,094 salary, £26,104 pensions contributions, £2,245 additional housing cost allowance and additional housing cost supplement Steve Sinnott (NUT) - £99,846 salary, £23,963 pension contributions Tony Woodley (Unite-TGWU) - £59,333 salary, £9,552 pension contributions, car fuel £3,360 Matt Wrack (FBU) - £66,389 salary, £44,281 pension contributions, £5,134 car
Like they will suffer...........no don't think so!!! So when you have been on the picket lines freezing your tits off, and you don't have a penny in pocket because you have not been paid........ don't worry 200k and all the company Range Rovers in the world will ensure Derek Simpson, Bob Crow, the lovely Mark and the other 2 faced fuckers will be right behind you.
As long as they can close the door at night, turn up the heating and draw the curtains.
