Tag: Politics

Shameful

Well done to Jamie Oliver as the government finally bows to public pressure over the amount spent on school meals. But did we really need:

  • A programme to highlight how bad school meals currently are and how it affects kids diets?
  • Labour lies. They had been working on the issue for quite a while said Tony Blair. Election on the way?
  • The ever more desperate Tories saying they would match anything the government spends. In fact…they’ll do more. Hang on a minute lads. I got a great idea. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm (think Italian Job).

    • If this is what the next 6 weeks are all about I’ll see you in June.

    Judgement Day

    Tomorrow is voting day in the American elections. From afar it’s hard not to feel that Kerry is the better choice. However his comments on Afghanistan have been rather sobering and it does make you wonder what choice the American voter really has. Bush is nothing but a liar and a warmonger but he seems to be able to convince enough Americans that his way is the right way. More than ever they have a real arrogance about what they can and cannot do when it comes to world politics. It’s Iraq now but where would it stop….Iran? North Korea? Probably Iran – part of the Axis of Evil and fourth on the list of most oil reserves.

    In many ways tomorrows election has a bigger effect on the UK and the world at large than our own election next year will. I for one don’t want another four years of Bush logic driving US & UK foreign policy. I hope Kerry will make a difference. I hope he gets the chance.

    Let Me Finish

    The first election debate in the USA has generated a fair bit of debate. Not on policies. More one how the two candidates looked and acted on TV. First was the analysis of the podium heights. All well and good, but the height of a guy surely doesn’t translate into votes? Course it does, which makes the podium mistake all the more amusing.

    Second is the ‘earpiece’ question – Bush was seemingly wearing an earpiece during the debate. Listen to this mp3 and you’ll hear him asking to ‘Let me finish’ when nobody in the debate was interrupting him. The smart money is that he was asking the guy speaking in his ear to let him finish – another article here points to the change in his speeches over the last year and how the technique is similar to those in the film industry that wear an earpiece. If true, its sad that the most powerful president in the world can’t string a sentence together but that’s nothing we didn’t know – the fools in the US will probably still vote him in. Or forget how to count.

    Scottish Pairlament

    So. First reaction to above is that I’ve spelt it wrong. Nope – it’s taken directly from the Scottish Parliament website. Clicking on ‘Scots’ to the left of the site takes you to a Scots welcome page.

    We hae producit a publication cried “Makkin Yer Voice Heard in the Scottish Pairlamentâ€? that tells ye aboot the different weys that you can let the Pairlament and the Memmers o the Scottish Pairlament (MSPs) ken whit ye think.

    Bloody hell. I think it’s bad enough we have to put up with Gaelic versions of sites and the Gaelic TV that we have to suffer but this is taking the piss. Also added are some spiffy new video’s for each of the MSP’s. All filmed in the new parliament building and lasting just over 4 minutes for each MSP, Tommy Sheridans is worth a watch just for the line on how he prefers a Tory as although he dislikes them at least he knows what they stand for unlike the Labour party. Class. If he wasn’t a buffoon and the policies he stood for added up economically I would consider voting for him. Would never carry it out though. Not with that suntan.

    I never actually realised that there was a Holyrood.tv website where you could watch most of the parliament debates live. The server is fast and quality is good. Watching first ministers questions from last week shows just how much the SNP had Jack McConnell on the run.

    Manhunt Update

    This article from GamesIndustry.biz put a new light on the Manhunt caused murder issue.

    UK retailers Dixons and Game both pulled the title from their stores’ shelves last week after the parents of the murdered boy, Stefan Pakeerah, alleged that his murderer, Warren LeBlanc, 17, was “obsessed” by the grisly game and that it had inspired has murderous actions. The victims father dubbed Manhunt “a manual for murder”.

    It was widely reported by the mainstream press, online and TV media that the game had been found in LeBlanc’s bedroom. However, today it emerged that Leicestershire police found the game in Pakeerah’s room, not LeBlanc’s, GamesIndustry.biz reports.

    “The video game was not found in Warren LeBlanc’s room, it was found in Stefan Pakeerah’s room,” a police spokesperson said today. “Leicestershire Constabulary stands by its response that police investigations did not uncover any connections to the video game, the motive for the incident was robbery.”

    Police believe LeBlanc murdered Pakeerah, whom he knew, to obtain money to pay back a drug-related debt.

    LeBlanc’s assumed possession of Manhunt raised the questions as to how a 17-year-old was able to get hold of the game. The game carries an 18 certificate, so it is illegal to sell it to anyone under that age. Now it has emerged that the game was owned by the 14-year-old Pakeerah, that question has not gone away.

    The Nanny State

    There has been a one sided assault on video games today. The game Manhunt has been given as a likely cause in a fourteen year olds death. The parents of the murdered boy have said that the game was played by the murderer – in fact he was ‘obsessed’ about it. Their logic is that the game should be banned before there are any more deaths.

    My main beef is that it’s an 18 certificate game. The victim and murderer were seventeen and fourteen. Why were they even playing the game? Why didn’t the parents take an interest before the tragic events took place? Did they even know what their kids were playing? Current research shows no link between video games and violence. Same for DVD’s and TV. Yet tonights news cast a long shadow over video games and their influence on kids. The issue should be parental responsibility and taking an interest in what their kids do.

    More laughable is certain companies response to the situation. Dixon Group and Game have both removed the title from the shelves. Well done. This game has been out on the PS2 since last November and on the Xbox & PC since April. It was an average game, sales were OK’ish but the market for that game had long since died. I’d like to see both companies now take that stance with any future 18 certificate games. Like GTA3:San Andreas. Go on guys, ban that one. Yes – ban the game that is likely to sell the most this year hence make the most money. Not likely, is it?

    Swinney Goes

    John Swinney, SNP leader has finally stepped down. Really was about time – the SNP have had no better opportunity against Labour than in the last year, yet their share of the vote has still dropped. Swinney had no charisma or leadership qualities but did stike me as an honest and hard working guy. With any luck they’ll get a leader with a bit more drive, but looking at the list of candidates it’s hard to see where from unless Alex Salmond stands again which is unlikely. And I can’t see the nippy sweetie getting elected and heaven help them if the Star Trek geek becomes their leader.