Thanks to Dick Puddlecote for drawing my attention to this article in Spiked. Josie Appleton neatly skewers the modern obsession with regulation of daily life – from the protestor handing out leaflets having to go through monthly risk assessments to those people who have to endure the bureaucratic nightmare of CRB checks. This latter is perhaps is the best example of regulation for regulation’s sake. Having a CRB check does not…
From the beginning of next year, the unemployed will have to look for work through the new Universal Jobmatch website or risk losing their benefits.The website will scan the CVs of benefit claimants and automatically match them up job openings that suit their skills. It will also allow employers to search for new workers among the unemployed and send messages inviting them to interviews. However, the activities of benefit claimants…
Lesbians and bisexuals have significantly lower representation on television than gay men, who are also under-represented on our screens according to a new report by the BBC. This is the kind of crap the license fee is being wasted on. When I watch a drama, I am not concerned about what the characters get up to in bed or with whom unless it is relevant to the plot. So a…
Capitalism is wonderful to behold. It sees opportunity in everything – even plain packaging. A GOLD Coast company has done what the tobacco industry could not — cover up the confronting images on new plain-packaged cigarettes. Box Wraps, based at Yatala, will today unveil a range of designs for a purpose-built sticker that wraps around cigarette packets in seconds. The stickers are a direct challenge to the Federal Government’s new…
Plans to tackle internet trolling could have a “chilling effect” on online freedom of expression, a committee of MPs and peers has said. So, what, precisely, do they want to do about trolls – bearing in mind, that more often than not, it isn’t trolling anyway. Under the bill, a statement is regarded as defamatory if it “has caused or is likely to cause serious harm to the reputation” of…
“Taxation for big companies, or for anyone in society, can’t be, and mustn’t be, a voluntary arrangement,” said Mr Alexander. “Thinking of the tax system as if it is like the church plate going around on a Sunday morning is completely the wrong way to think about it.” He added: “Paying tax is not a voluntary choice, it is not something you can just chose to do willy nilly because…
I am the kind of nutter that gives feminism a bad name. Barmy. A gender hating sexist misandrist. Childish. Selfish. Unsisterly. A saboteur and troublemaker who derails feminist debates by indulging in cheap tricks and meaningless grandstanding. Who’s arguing, eh? Tags: humour, teh+funneh
As a discussion on the latest liberties grab by the state grows longer, the probability of an authoritarian playing the “nothing to hide, nothing to fear” card, or invoking the spectre of paedophiles, terrorists or criminals as a justification for their stance, approaches 1. At which point they lose both their credibility and the argument. *With apologies to Godwin, but I couldn’t resist. Tags: civil+liberties
In many respects, the petty, spiteful ideologically driven charlatans of Rotherham council have done us all a favour. The word racism has been used and abused by the righteous so that its real meaning has become blurred. These days, it might just as well be used as a euphemism for “doesn’t agree with me”. Certainly UKIP’s central tenet of withdrawal from the EU does not make it racist, nor does…
Tax avoidance schemes ‘costs UK billions in lost revenue’ Sigh… Tax avoidance is legal. It is the obligation of every business enterprise to limit its exposure to tax for the benefit of the owners, partners and shareholders. This tax was never owed in the first place. Therefore, there is no cost to hmrc. If the government is so opposed to tax avoidance schemes, then make them illegal, whereupon they become…
It says something about our modern, dumbed down society when the Beeb has to issue the following disclaimer on an article: Disclaimer: Charlotte Pritchard and the BBC do not recommend chopping any sort of food on your toilet seat. Presumably they realise that there are cretins out there who, having read the article, will do just that. I’m sure Leggy will be able to comment here – this being his…
I recall the opening credits to “Porridge” many, many moons ago. The voice over talked of Fletcher being an habitual criminal who regarded capture and incarceration as an occupational hazard. So, to, it seems do those criminals on the green benches. The MPs, including former Cabinet ministers, are claiming expenses of up to £20,000 a year each for rent, as well as receiving money from properties that were often bought…
A recent thread was in danger of degenerating into an insult-fest. Generally, the disagreements here are good natured and that is the atmosphere we want to keep. We should be able to discuss sensitive subjects without flame wars ensuing. We have a comments policy in place for a reason. For the most part, we are pretty relaxed about it and have been pleased with how well most people engage, but…
According to Andrew Rawnsley, that is. Elections: if you can’t be bothered to vote, the person most to blame is youPoliticians and the media share some of the responsibility for low turnouts, but the public is guilty too Wrong, entirely wrong. I didn’t vote in the PCC elections, not because I was apathetic, but because I chose not to. Just as I now choose not to engage with politicians of…
This dreadful idea has been burbling about for a while. It has been resurrected by Simon Chapman. If you’re a smoker, could you imagine having to apply and pay for a licence to buy tobacco? The application process might even include a test to find out if you understood the risks of smoking, and your swipe card licence would limit your tobacco purchases – perhaps to 50 cigarettes per day…
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