Lansbury's Lido

I just got an email from Compass Online telling me about their campaign to put a cap on the rate of all forms of credit. In reality it's an attempt to protect the poorest members of society from what's become known as legal loansharking. This is where short term loans are offered with a very short repayment period ( which is why they're also known as payday loans ) which also have incredibly high interest rates which kick in should the loan not get repaid on time. A noble cause I'm sure. But who is this going to benefit? Let's look at why people use these services. In fact go back maybe a hundred years and you would find the same practices going on. In fact you would find this going on as long as our society has been going down the road of consumerism. There is a need within all of us to belong, to be part of something. In our society it expresses itself in conformity or a desire to share in goods or services, many of which aren't essential to life but promise t...

From the BBC News website. BBC News - Liam Fox defends call for ban of Medal of Honor game I'm left virtually speechless after reading that. To think this bloke is considered capable enough for a government job. Not even a humble whelk stall would be enhanced by his presence.

Image by Oxfam International via Flickr An interesting page on the BBC News website asking some 'experts' and the public on why donations to Pakistan relief are slow. Some very good points, and some very predictable ones, especially from the public. BBC News - Who cares about Pakistan? I believe donations from the West will perk up when we read that it has been confirmed that Muslim nations such as Saudi Arabia have donated sizeable sums. You bet. Perhaps it's the same sort of scenario when a stranger falls ill in public. Nobody wants to go to their aid, but as soon as one does then others follow. So be the first. If they can afford to be a nuclear country and boast about it, then they should be able to look after their own people. What's the betting that the poster of the comment above won't apply the same logic when the ConDem government start chopping his health service and welfare system, or the services that he relies upon? I don't think it's necessary...

A heartwarming story from the BBC regarding a man who remained in his car for 30 hours to stop it being towed away after being pressured to pay £365 to remove the clamps. A man sat in his car for 30 hours to prevent it being towed away after it was clamped. Haroon Zafaryab began the protest in Wembley on Wednesday when he returned from Ramadan prayers to find his car clamped and was asked to pay £365. He said that, as he sat in the vehicle, all four wheels were clamped and about 40 tickets were stuck to its window, amounting to £3,565 in fines. Haroon Zafaryab, nice one! Details of the incident emerged as ministers announced plans to ban clampers from all private land in England and Wales. Home Office minister Lynne Featherstone said the move would be introduced in the government's Freedom Bill in November, and could come into force early next year. So the question to ask Labour Party members is why has it taken the election of a ConDem government to s...

Two news stories have got to me recently. One led me to rage, the other to tears. Let's start with the rage. David Cameron announces plan to end lifetime council tenancies | Society | The Guardian It seems our ConDem overlords have decided that the destruction of state provided housing will continue unabated. The transfer of housing stock to private agencies has led to the concept of a 'life tenenacy' to all but disappear. To further bury this 'undeserved perk of the great unwashed' the government has now announced available changes to tenancy agreements. In come short term tenancy agreements to 'help increase social mobility'. Basically this means a review of a tenancy after as little as five years. Not enough people living there? Out you go. Earning too much? Out you go. Mum died and an empty room? You can sod off and find somewhere else to live. The true face of capitalism. It can't bear the thought of common people being in receipt of anything ...

That's what the BBC News headline says - 'Royal Berkshire Hospital to axe up to 600 jobs' So we'll have a hospital struggling to meet the needs of the community it serves. What's the odds on 12 months down the line our ConDem overlords will offer up private capital to come to the rescue? The dismantling of the NHS continues with renewed vigour. BBC News - Royal Berkshire Hospital to axe up to 600 jobs

I have to admit that there have been some things that our ConDem masters have done that should heap great shame upon the Labour Party. Things like scaling back on CCTV and the scrapping of ID cards. But underneath these small islands of joy the real shape of their politics remains for all to see. Now they're looking to target people who live in council or association homes. Regular means testing, getting a job, checking for pay rises or changes in family structure, all could lead to them being evicted, relocated out of where they've lived all their lives or forced to move into private accommodation. This government, both Tories and Lib Dems can't bear to see the state provide services and not see the private sector have it's hand in the pie. Family friendly this government ain't. There's only one family that they serve and that's the family of the wealthy. Every bit of progress that the post-war Labour government made in terms of health, accommodation and so...

Image via Wikipedia As the title says, from the BBC News website - 'Britons to pay more for a loaf of bread as wheat prices jump' So it seems that lucky old us will be paying more for our wheat, and hence our bread sometime soon. It's all because of wildfires in Russia and flooding in Pakistan. In Russia a drought coupled with wildfires has destroyed 20% of the wheat harvest. In Pakistan heavy rains and flooding have destroyed 15% of the crop. So because here in the UK we import all our wheat from Russia and Pakistan it's going to be scarce. Actually that's a lie. We don't import any wheat from Russia or Pakistan. As part of the European Economic Community, we as the EU are competitors with Russia with regards to wheat production. So there's no shortage of wheat and I'm sure that the rest of the world could easily accommodate this shortfall from 2 countries. That means prices shouldn't rise and this fluid 'value' of wheat should stay constant...