Elections seem to be everywhere at the moment.
We've just had the local elections in the UK, with a big turnover of local councillors and councils changing hands left, right and centre (literally!). The French have just had their presidential election and got rid of Mr Sarkozy and his bimbette of a wife, and not before time. There were elections in Greece too with disastrous outcomes of a hung parliament biased against the austerity measures and unable to form any sort of coalition, and of course London has just narrowly voted the gloriously clownish Boris Johnson into County Hall for a second four year term.
I'm not sure any of this wil make a great deal of difference to you and me. The pile of poo we are all in due to reckless banking and sharp practices is so deep it will take a miracle to get us all out of it and no amount of political posturing and grand speeches will change that. I suspect we will all just have to carry on making the best of it, and somehow or other most of us will muddle through and come out the other side.
At least Boris is a character, and it's probably that which has endeared him to the London electorate (in direct contradiction to the tories pretty dismal showing nationally) and got him re-elected. His bumbling public school persona, masking what is a brilliant intellect (and he does disguise it very well) and his tendency to swear on camera and say what he thinks are all great traits in a politician and sadly lacking in most central government office holders, who are so petrified of putting their foot in it with one minority group or another, or so constrained by spin doctors and 'advisors' - most of whom seem about 14 and fresh out of kindergarden - they become identikit grey suits, with the possible notable exception of Ken Clarke, who seems to glory in making giant sized gaffes.
Despite the fact that I work in local government, I'm very bored with politics and if you ask me, they are all as bad as each other no matter what party they represent. David Cameron and George Osbourne are both posh boys out of touch with anyone except their public school mates, Nick Clegg is a man desperate to find his niche and so ends up flip flopping around and pleasing no one (especially his own party) and Ed Miliband is just a squashed nosed over-ambitious prat who will say anything if he thinks it makes him look clever.
How would it be if we sacked the lot of them and put it to the popular vote about who we replaced them with, and said it could be anybody people liked - anyone at all? Who do you think we'd get? Jordan probably, possible Simon Cowell and Amanda Holden, and maybe David Beckham. I'm not sure they could do any worse a job, so maybe we ought to let them have a go? And while we're at it we could sack the droves of out of touch and overpaid civil servants that fawn around the offices of state and make such a balls up of things, leaving their ministers to carry the can. The border control fiasco is one example, and there have been many more.
If I was in charge, that's what I'd do !
Showing posts with label Boris Johnson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boris Johnson. Show all posts
Monday, 21 May 2012
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
London Olympics - the outrageous demands begin!
The London Olympics are fast approaching. Didn't it seem a long time ago when we had all the hoo-ha about us beating the nasty French to host the damn things, and now they are almost upon us.
Personally, I couldn't be less interested. I never have been keen on sport (I was always the last kid to be picked when my class chose teams for games lessons) although I will watch the athletics on the telly with a nice cuppa and a pack of plain chocolate hobnobs by my side, and I do like watching although not participating in winter sports. And I will watch the six nations rugby when it starts this weekend, but that's principally because lots of nice muscley thighs will be on show.
The political posturing and grabbing for personal advantage has been going on for ages, and the press have been having a field day speculating how things can go wrong and what might fail. Also what 'Team GB's dismal showing might be in the medal table (Team GB - awful title!). The press really do piss me off when they do things like that - it's perfectly alright to be able to express a range of views but this is an event which gives us an opportunity to shine in the world and show them that we are not really a bunch of repressed, miserable, penny pinching gits who hate the rest of the world and live in a constant atmosphere of rain and fog (we are, but that's neither here nor there). How about a bit more positive news and views and some celebratory anticipation for a change?
However the latest showing from the staff of London Underground, led by the charismatic Bob Crow, simply beggars belief. Each and every employee of LU, some 14,000 of them in total, has been offered £500 each simply to show up for work during the Olympic period. That's just for clocking on, and would be in addition to any overtime payments or shift allowances. This payment amounts in total to £7million, which has to be funded from the fare paying public. Not only is it outrageous that this payment has been offered in the first place, but even more outrageous is that the greedy bastards have had the temerity to turn it down saying it's not enough.
How VERY dare they? The rest of us still have to go to work during the Olympics and we won't be getting any extra cash for doing so. Why should they be any different? The rest of us are expected to perform to the standard required by our employers as we would normally do, so why shouldn't the tube drivers? It is a disgrace that in these times of austerity, when so many of the people the tubes are carrying are struggling, that such blatent greed should be exhibited.
The tube drivers could have done themselves a favour and stored up some brownie points for when they really do need public support. They could have worked as usual, for normal money plus a bit of overtime and a few extra shifts, during the games and helped foster an atmosphere of public pride in a high quality service which this country at the moment so badly needs. Instead, they have alienated almost every single member of the travelling public and gained themselves some appalling publicity nationally and internationally for being out of touch, selfish and totally lacking any sense of a pride in their job and in public service. They don't deserve a penny of any extra payment they will get (and they will get it, because we simply cannot afford for the transport system to collapse at any time between July and September for any reason whatsoever) and should feel totally ashamed of themselves.
Are you listening Bob Crow, because you bloody well should be? I doubt it; you are one of the last of the old fashioned union leaders who thinks that they are entitled to rule the world because they give a few thousand quid to a political party and therefore can hold the country to ransom.
Once these games are out of the way, David Cameron and Boris Johnson should show their metal and tackle this problem once and for all. After all, there are plenty of other people out there not fortunate enough to be in a job at the moment who would love to fulfil their childhood ambition to be a train driver. That's an idea; let's sack the lot of them and start again. It may be the only way to get rid of the canker!
Personally, I couldn't be less interested. I never have been keen on sport (I was always the last kid to be picked when my class chose teams for games lessons) although I will watch the athletics on the telly with a nice cuppa and a pack of plain chocolate hobnobs by my side, and I do like watching although not participating in winter sports. And I will watch the six nations rugby when it starts this weekend, but that's principally because lots of nice muscley thighs will be on show.
The political posturing and grabbing for personal advantage has been going on for ages, and the press have been having a field day speculating how things can go wrong and what might fail. Also what 'Team GB's dismal showing might be in the medal table (Team GB - awful title!). The press really do piss me off when they do things like that - it's perfectly alright to be able to express a range of views but this is an event which gives us an opportunity to shine in the world and show them that we are not really a bunch of repressed, miserable, penny pinching gits who hate the rest of the world and live in a constant atmosphere of rain and fog (we are, but that's neither here nor there). How about a bit more positive news and views and some celebratory anticipation for a change?
However the latest showing from the staff of London Underground, led by the charismatic Bob Crow, simply beggars belief. Each and every employee of LU, some 14,000 of them in total, has been offered £500 each simply to show up for work during the Olympic period. That's just for clocking on, and would be in addition to any overtime payments or shift allowances. This payment amounts in total to £7million, which has to be funded from the fare paying public. Not only is it outrageous that this payment has been offered in the first place, but even more outrageous is that the greedy bastards have had the temerity to turn it down saying it's not enough.
How VERY dare they? The rest of us still have to go to work during the Olympics and we won't be getting any extra cash for doing so. Why should they be any different? The rest of us are expected to perform to the standard required by our employers as we would normally do, so why shouldn't the tube drivers? It is a disgrace that in these times of austerity, when so many of the people the tubes are carrying are struggling, that such blatent greed should be exhibited.
The tube drivers could have done themselves a favour and stored up some brownie points for when they really do need public support. They could have worked as usual, for normal money plus a bit of overtime and a few extra shifts, during the games and helped foster an atmosphere of public pride in a high quality service which this country at the moment so badly needs. Instead, they have alienated almost every single member of the travelling public and gained themselves some appalling publicity nationally and internationally for being out of touch, selfish and totally lacking any sense of a pride in their job and in public service. They don't deserve a penny of any extra payment they will get (and they will get it, because we simply cannot afford for the transport system to collapse at any time between July and September for any reason whatsoever) and should feel totally ashamed of themselves.
Are you listening Bob Crow, because you bloody well should be? I doubt it; you are one of the last of the old fashioned union leaders who thinks that they are entitled to rule the world because they give a few thousand quid to a political party and therefore can hold the country to ransom.
Once these games are out of the way, David Cameron and Boris Johnson should show their metal and tackle this problem once and for all. After all, there are plenty of other people out there not fortunate enough to be in a job at the moment who would love to fulfil their childhood ambition to be a train driver. That's an idea; let's sack the lot of them and start again. It may be the only way to get rid of the canker!
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