I’ve had the ‘builders’ in for a spot of demolition, and so have been a little too busy to post many items; but the plaster is drying nicely, the ‘wuks’ were completely successful, and due to contracting with an old-fashioned English builder, who came amply reccommended both in jobs done and customers satisfied, the only problem remaining is how to get rid of all the dust!
Looked through the dead tree media, and focussed on four items which depict, in snapshot form, the Britain which my kids are inheriting, partly through the depredations of ten years of a Labour Government, but also how success is measured in this green and pleasant land called Great Britain.
Saw that Tony Blair has perfected the art of having and eating his cake, with his dual push for a £20 billion Saudi arms deal to go through, whilst having to defend his own Government’s law which curiously wants to outlaw bribery and corruption! Now before you get all hot under t’collar, it ain’t your money that’s being paid to Saudi princelings as bribes; it’s Saudi Government money! Seems as though BAe systems, while negotiating the Al-Yamamah deal for Tornadoes, bombs and bullets, got caught up in the old-fashioned and, in Arabic countries, completely acceptable traits of bribes and bungs. Unfortunately, the bribes are rather larger than normal, being around a billion pounds, which ain’t hay in any terms; and while this type of behaviour is normal in one or more countries, it is not so legal in Western democracies. So BAe had to agree to bung Prince Bandar bin Sultan for a percentage of the entire deal, and since the signing of this immense arms deal was in the gift of the Saudi Royal, bung went the bribe. Doubly unfortunately, the law which Labour brought in in 2001 specifically frowns on this type of behaviour so the BAe people, in the midst of keeping thousands of jobs, slipped onto the slippery slope common to many criminals.
One might well argue that the law is correct and must be adhered to, but since Blair and all his buddies know perfectly well how business is done in the Middle East, perhaps they should have refrained from trying to appear all clean, fresh and wholesome, and placed inside that same law a derogation for arms deals with dictators who have criminal families to support!
Next comes a glance at one of our more high-profile ‘artists’, although, being honest as is usual, that’s not the actual noun which I would use when talking about Tracey Emin. Yes, our little Tracey; she of the urine-stained ‘unmade bed’ complete with menstrual blood-stained panties, condoms and other charming personal touches, the author of "From The Week Of Hell ’94 (1995)," which relates to a traumatic experience after an abortion, or the evergreen "Masturbating", completed, if that is the appropriate term, in 2006. Seems as though our Tracey has been selected to represent her country at the Venice Biennale, which is some artistic love-fest for a bunch of inward-looking wankers, and her works, including such dramatic pieces as "Why go up when you can go down?" or that child-friendly artwork known as "Hairy Big Penis" are certain to bring the house down!
I know that I would love to bring that same house down, but probably not in the same way as these so-called artists believe!
Moving swiftly on to more palatable things, I read next of a young man who is possibly going to be the next recipient of a Victoria Cross. This is Lance Corporal Oliver Ruecker of ‘B’ company Royal Anglian Regiment who’s Helmand-based convoy was ambushed by Taliban terrorists. His Viking tracked vehicle in flames after being hit by three R.P.G.’s, he escaped, but realised that his best mate was still lying in the cabin, while the flames from the burning vehicle raged around him. After shooting an opposing Taliban fighter dead with a full magazine from his automatic, he ran through a hail of shells and bullets back to the Viking, pulled his mate out by his one remaining arm, and again braving an onslaught of fire, made it to safety and cover behind another British armoured vehicle! In what has become, to many in Britain, the "forgotten war" where youths grow to manhood in an afternoon and the British soldier just carries on doing what he does best in the world, Lance Corporal Ruecker is but typical of a British Squaddie, who fights hard, plays fair and is morally so far above the Whitehall desk-bound scum who have so palpably failed to give the British fighting men the support and the equipment they deserve, that they don’t even inhabit the same planet as the men who fight and die for Great Britain!
Finally, as an item of light relief, I would like to highlight the tale of one Police Constable Andy Walker. Walker an steadfast campaigner against drink-drivers, who was once quoted as calling drink-drivers ‘killers’ was, unfortunately himself found to be 1.7 times over the legal limit when breathalysed last Sunday. He was hauled up at the Bridlington Magistrates, and banned from driving after pleading ‘guilty’ to the charge. He stated; "I made a monumental mistake!" You can say that again, with feeling, Andy!!! I estimate a total of some fifteen large buckets of whitewash for this after the ‘Internal Review’, which same verdict will be snuck out along with news of a riot in an old folks home, an earthquake and Tony Blair telling the truth!
On that last item, don’t misunderstand me, I’m not decrying road safety efforts or am I pro-drunken drivers; it’s just that it is so nice to see one more of the holier-than-though clowns get slapped down by that same law he was so loud in supporting! I think the term is SCHADENFREUDE!