Damilola Taylor Caught On CCTV On His Way Home

Most people will be familiar with the murder of 10 year-old Damilola Taylor, who was stabbed in the thigh with a broken bottle and left to bleed to death by the brothers Ricky and Danny Preddie in 2002. In 2006 both were sentenced to eight years at Her Majesty’s pleasure for the murder, but not surprisingly both served only half their sentence. Ricky was released in September 2010 on parole but was returned to prison last year for breaking the terms of his probation, While Danny was released last year. Ricky had already broken the terms of his first release in 2010, and now less than a year later the Independent Parole Board have released him again.

The Preddie Bros. In Prison - Reformed? Hardly!

The really sad thing about it is that neither brother has once shown any remorse for the killing and are not considered to have reformed in any way. So this begs the question: Why are these two animals back in circulation? With regard to Ricky, Gary Trowsdale managing director of the Damilola Taylor Trust, said: “We do not understand why he was released in the first place. What can we do, though? The system is the system, and the system is flawed.” Flawed indeed, for it is not the first time child killers have been let out of jail long before the end of their sentence. The Bulger killers Thomson and Venebles is another case in point.

Ricky Preddie Today

This is another example of the sickening do-gooders on the Parole Board who seem to think that so long as a killer has spent five minutes behind bars he/she is fit to rejoin society. It is inconsistent with justice, it is inconsistent with public safety, and it is grossly immoral. If a convicted felon has shown that he is sorry for his actions, proven to be a model prisoner, and has clearly changed his ways then there is a case for early release, but these two killers have shown none of this, so why were they released early?

Typical Parole Board Hearing

I can only conclude that the ‘Bleeding Hearts’ Brigade have taken over the Parole Board and made it their own, because I cannot believe that any sane person would allow such an injustice. These people are making a mockery of the entire justice system, although they are not the only ones of course. We have weak judges who give thugs a slap on the wrist, and when one finally does jail an offender they get let out by this stupid excuse for a Parole Board. I’m sorry, but to me, justice in the UK stinks to high heaven!

Roy.

French Senate

The law that has been passed states that it is unlawful to deny the genocide of Armenian civilians took place, and carries a prison sentence of one year and €45,000 fine. It concerns events that took place in Turkey, which at the time was the Ottoman Empire.

It is far too complicated to go into here, but suffice it to say that without a doubt atrocities were committed on both sides during the major upheaval in the region which spanned the years 1915 to 1918, and it is not for me to say what is and what is not true here, I leave that up to the historians.

Armenia - Eastern Turkey

The problems actually began in the late 1840′s when Christians living within the Muslim Ottoman Empire were persecuted for their faith. Muslims were by far the greater majority and many attempts were mad to drive the Christians out. Much as we see today in countries like Nigeria and Indonesia among others.

Armenian Fighters

Between 1840 and 1915 various attempts were made to assert the Christian position in the empire which led to many massacres on both sides. Among others, the Armenians were of various Christian denominations, and during the Russo/Turkish war of 1877 to 1878 many fought for the Russians in the Balkans and the Caucasus against the Turks. It was however, not until April 1915 that the Ottoman government ordered the arrest, imprisonment, and eventual execution of 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in the city of Van that the real purge began.

There can be little doubt that the stories of mass deportation and murder are not without foundation, just as the forced death march of Armenians to Syria also took place, but that is not the point of this post.

Expulsion of Armenians

Considering the fact that all this took place almost one hundred years ago I find the attitude of the French Government extremely distasteful. We are now in the 21st century, and what good does it do to rake up past atrocities and make them headline news once again? Well, according to some there is a purpose to this whole fiasco, Sarkozy wants to be re-elected as President! Many people seem to think that the aim of the French Government is to win the votes of the some 500,000 Armenians living in France.

To be honest, knowing modern politicians as I do, this does not seem too far fetched. Lets face it, Tony Blair thought it a good idea to throw open Britain’s doors to anyone who wanted to ‘live the good life’, and gave away shovel-fulls of money to them when they arrived just to get their vote. And it worked!

Erdogan - A Very Angry Man

If politicians and governments start down this road we will end up with the entire world in chaos, and everyone at each others throats. Why not hire some historians to do some digging so we can start on the British, the Spanish, the Italians, the Chinese or Japanese, the Hungarians or even the Americans? I’m sure just about every country has skeletons in the cupboard they don’t want airing and if we want to dig deep enough, or go back far enough, we can find some dirt on just about everyone on  the planet!

Its like Argentina wanting back the Falklands or Spain wanting Gibraltar because “they were ours three hundred years ago!!!” Politicians, like everyone else should treat history for what it is, history! Leave it to the dusty historians pouring over their dusty books in dark corners of the library, for this kind of spectacle does no-one any good, even today’s Armenians.

Roy.

A Young Girl Casualty

When the first rumblings occurred some ten months ago, Assad sent his bully-boys out on to the streets to quell the unrest but since then things have escalated out of all proportion as the opposition refused to give up. To date it is estimated that more than five thousand people have been killed in Syria by government forces and the number continues to rise despite the best efforts of the international community to stop it.

They Who Have Eyes And Yet Cannot See

After months of wrangling, the League decided to send in observers, but as we now know, their presence was completely ignored and the killing continued. Despite all the assurances given by Assad to the League, and all the promises to end the violence, it goes on day after day. Now the League is sending the monitors back for a further month, although Saudi Arabia and Qatar, who are regional rivals to Syria have said they would like to see Arab peacekeeping troops in Syria. Many seem content for the observer mission to continue and some want UN intervention, but as usual, politics gets in the way.

Army Fired on Demonstrators in Front of the Monitors

I, like most people, want the killing to stop and a just settlement to be reached, but I don’t think the UN is the answer, except as a last resort. It is after all an Arab problem and they should solve it themselves. If the UN steps in, it will be countries like the USA, Britain, Germany, France, Canada etc. that will have to shoulder most of the load in any UN action as usual. This fact alone will be sufficient to raise the hackles of the majority of Muslims as they see this as another ‘Infidel’ interference in Arab affairs. In short, this will go some way to enhancing the terrorist cause in some people’s eyes.

Protest Banner Plea to the UN

So now we must wait and see if the monitors can stop the violence on their second try, though I don’t think we will see much change. Having the observers in the country will be nothing more than a ‘face-saving’ gesture by the League and will certainly give Assad more time to remove his opponents. Those fighting in the streets of Syrian towns and cities must surely be ready to give up on international intervention to stop the killing, for it is certain the Arab League observers have not been able to. It is the people who have made desperate appeals to the League for the UN to intervene, which of course has fallen on deaf ears. It is certain that without the approval of the Arab League the UN can do nothing.

Hmm! What Can I Promise the League Next to Keep Them Off My Back?

Many Western nations have shown their disapproval of Assad’s actions by placing sanctions on Syria but these alone will have little effect on the crisis. It is for sure they will not be able to take any positive action without UN and Arab League approval, and must stand on the sidelines awaiting developments. In my view, the best option all round is for the Saudi/Qatar solution to be implemented as soon as possible, for it is an Arab problem which should be solved by Arab countries. It is a tricky situation with little or no hope of an answer until the League decides on what to do further.  

Roy.

The Taliban Are No Strangers To Execution

The Taliban had blindfolded their prisoners and handcuffed them to each other so as one was shot, the next was dragged down. One by one they were shot in the back of the head with a burst of AK47 fire by various Taliban fighters. The entire video shows the executions in dramatic detail, obviously intended to have maximum effect on those watching. The Taliban hope in this way to dissuade the Pakistan Army, one of the largest in the world,  from any more attacks on them in the border areas. It is of course directed at all members of the Pakistani Army who have been ‘fighting’, rather unsuccessfully, to rid their country of the cross-border invaders and their followers in the border areas.

Pakistan's Tribal Areas

The military have made many attempts to dislodge the Taliban and other militant groups from the so-called ‘Tribal Areas’ in the mountainous region along the border with Afghanistan, all have failed dismally. The reasons for this may be many. Chief among them is the terrain which is a nightmare for any army. Even the Russians could not rid themselves of the Afghan Mujahideen, as they were then known, during their abortive invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. They fought on for nine years and finally gave up in 1988 with an ignominious retreat. The Taliban are men made of the same stuff as the Mujahideen.

Offensive By Pakistan Army

Second, and just as important I believe, is a significant lack of commitment. The reason for this statement is the half-hearted backing they gave to a joint Pakistan/NATO sweep of the border area in 2009. When NATO troops began their offensive, it was anticipated, correctly, that as usual the Taliban would retire to the Pakistan side of the border. NATO troops started clearing out the Taliban strongholds on the Afghan side while a simultaneous assault was supposed to take place by Pakistani forces on their side. The end result was that after significant gains the Pakistani forces stopped the assault with the job less than half done, which in effect meant the whole campaign was for nothing. If they had completed the job as intended, it would have left the Taliban with nowhere left to hide.

At the time the insurgents had made major gains in the border area which was in effect controlled by them totally. America, and in fact all the NATO Allies, were afraid they would end up in charge of the whole country, and more importantly, its nuclear arsenal would fall into their hands.

Taliban Fighters

Since 2009, all the various rebel groups have joined together to form the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, and the government entered into peace talks with them some time ago, but these have stalled.

This latest atrocity, intended to strike fear into the army may well work, but a senior officer, Majeed Marwat, a commander of the Frontier Corps said that “moral among the frontier forces would remain high” adding, ”our soldiers enlist because they want to sacrifice for the country. We are taking care of the families of the martyred soldiers,” Personally, I doubt if the rank and file will agree with him.

Afghan/ Pakistan Border Area

Whichever way it goes from now on, it seems to me that the only way for Pakistan to rid itself of the threat posed by the insurgents is to smash them once and for all. Peace talks will not work with these fanatics who have openly stated they wish to turn Pakistan into a Muslim state complete with Sharia Law (where have I heard that before?). The entire country is a powder keg with the ever present possibility of an eventual Taliban victory, and the unprecedented threat of nuclear weapons in the hands of radicals.

Roy.

It states that in February 2011, some 5.5m people in the UK were receiving working-age benefits which is far too many, but of this total some 371,000 (6.4%) were foreign nationals. From the report it would appear that some 17% of all British nationals are receiving these benefit payments, while around 7% were not nationals.  

Long Lines At Immigration

The report lists working-age benefits to include  income support, job seeker’s allowance, carer’s allowance and disability living allowance.

The despicable thing about the whole business is that many, although not all, are entitled to these benefits from the moment they land in the UK. We should erect huge billboards all across the world saying: “Come to Britain and live for free!”

We are not only talking about European countries, but anywhere in the world. Its no wonder the country is undergoing such economic chaos when we are giving away handfuls of money to what is being termed ‘Benefit Tourists’.

Britain should be like other countries in Europe and the west and not allow any payments to those who arrive on our shores lining up for free handouts. In most other countries like Germany you have to be in the country for a certain period before you are even eligible. If people cannot support themselves when they arrive they should be shown the nearest departure gate at the airport. There are many who turn up at the airport with nothing more than the clothes on their backs and expect the British tax payer to provide everything. In today’s economic climate this is no longer acceptable.

Long Lines At The Benefits Office

Before the short-sighted individuals among us start blaming the government, they should remember this is a Labour legacy that the current coalition is trying to end. Its no good blaming Cameron and his cronies for all this because they have been left a mess they are only now beginning to understand as the facts come out.

The report has been cited as misleading by some, but no-one can deny that immigrants who arrive here are being given far too much when they have not had the chance to earn it. Most British nationals have at least paid into the system at some time and should be looked after first, but why an immigrant should be given the same rights before they have paid anything into the system is beyond me.

Cameron and Co have promised to reduce the annual immigration figures to less than 100,000 by the end of this parliament and I wish them luck. As a first step they should stop all these payments to ‘economic tourists’.

This Duo Did More Damage To Britain Than Hitler

Many blame the banking crisis for the state of the economy, but in truth we should look more at the shenanigans of that idiot Blair and his cohort Brown who launched the ‘Multi-Cultural’ Britain fiasco and started giving away billions of pounds a year to every immigrant who turned up on the doorstep looking for a hand-out.

The really sad thing is, many of the electorate are so utterly blind (or just plain stupid) they blame the present government for our current troubles and have conveniently forgotten who created this mess in the first place.

Roy.

Well Done Lads!

It has however resulted in a storm of protest in itself which resulted in a High Court ruling in April 2011 that stated the police went too far and was labelled “unjustified force”. Thankfully this ruling has now been overturned in an appeal by the Met. It’s good to know there are some level-headed people in the Justice System.

Lord Neuberger

Appeal Judge Lord Neuberger ruled that kettling ”was justifiable on the ground that containment was the least drastic way of preventing what the police officer responsible for the decision reasonably apprehended would otherwise be imminent and serious breaches of the peace”, adding: “there was no valid basis for concluding that [Met Chief Superintendent Michael] Johnson’s decision to contain the Climate Camp at 19.00 on 1 April 2009 was unlawful”.

As a law abiding citizen, I fully concur with this ruling, for surely it is better to have violent protesters bottled up in a side road than allow them to run rampage down the High Street causing havoc, as happened during the riots of last year. To me it is basic common sense that you do not want malcontents smashing shop windows, setting fire to cars and terrorizing the population in a huge swathe across the city. Rather that they be contained in a small area where they can do less harm and the damage is restricted to a small area.

When you consider the numbers involved in this sort of behaviour these days the police are usually stretched to the limit when trouble breaks out, last years riots are a prime example of this. The tactic of ‘kettling’ takes some of the pressure off the police, for when the movement of these people is severely restricted less police are required to contain them.

Why the Mask?

In my opinion, we should be grateful to the police for greatly restricting the freedom of these idiots bent on destruction, instead of constantly complaining about them. The police are in the front line against these agitators who want to destroy something because they themselves cannot have it, and they don’t care whose business, car, or home is destroyed in the process. 

I am well aware many people these days would rather cheer on the thugs, providing that is the incident is not taking place in their street! But how attitudes would change if it was their shop that got smashed or their car that went up in flames. Oh how fickle we are!!!!!!!!!!!!

Peaceful Protest?

It is a proven fact that most of the violent types who turn up at demonstrations have no interest in the original protesters agenda, but are there purely to ‘have a little fun’ at everyone else’s expense. To the violent fringe of todays’ youth the opportunity of smashing a few shop-fronts, setting fire to few cars and more importantly, having a go at the police, is like a holiday in the Caribbean. They love it!

Neither we, nor the police, can stop these maggots from oozing out of the woodwork every time there is a legitimate protest somewhere in the country, but we can ensure our police force has the necessary power to crack down hard on them when they do.

In conclusion may I add, that there is nothing wrong with peaceful protest. We have seen many in which a minimum of police presence is required and there is no violence committed by anyone. To those who wish to protest in this lawful manner I say, good luck, and may you be successful.

Roy.

The Bird Flu Bug

So here comes the question, and its a big one: Why in the name of all that’s holy would a group of Dutch scientists manufacture such a virus from the original bird flu strain???????  It beggars belief that any scientists could be so irresponsible and get away with it. Should this virus ever escape from the lab, or worse, be stolen by terrorists, the effects would be cataclysmic. It is very easily transmittable by just a cough of a sneeze and could spread rapidly.

In today’s mobile world, a single sneeze from an infected person in New York would be sufficient for the virus to be carried to all four corners of the world by air travellers. Within days people would start dying everywhere, and eventually the death toll could be in the hundreds of millions.

Last Time!

The research, carried out at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, were looking to see if it was likely for the bird flu virus to mutate into something that could be caught by humans. Well, they not only answered their own question, but manufactured one as well. Another alarming aspect of the whole affair is that the scientists plan to publish their results. Any potential terrorist would then be able to duplicate the research and make his own virus.

Imagine what a group like al Quada could do with such a weapon! You know what these fanatics are like, they are perfectly happy to go to Paradise and get their 70 virgins, but I am not ready to meet my maker just yet, besides, I don’t think there are any virgins in our heaven!

Roy.

Abu Qatada - Hate Preacher

He moved to the UK to evade Jordanian justice in 2001 and went on the run to escape being arrested in the UK, but was found in 2002 and detained. In 2005 he was freed from jail because it was deemed to be unlawful, and a first attempt to deport him in 2008 was blocked by the Court of Appeal. In 2009 his deportation was upheld by the Law Lords but was again blocked when he went to the International Court of Human Rights (ICHR). So now, here we are in 2012 and once again he has been able to escape deportation to face a new trial for his crimes in Jordan because he claims evidence against him was obtained from one of his fellow conspirators by torture.

The ICHR did accept that sufficient safeguards were in place between Jordan and the UK to prevent Abu Qatada himself from being tortured, but it could not allow the deportation on the grounds that the evidence against him may have been obtained under duress.

Abu Qatada Preaching Hatred

This man is described by judges as ‘extremely dangerous’, but appears able to thwart every attempt to deport him from this country by consistently manipulating Human Rights Law to suit his purpose. In the ten plus years he has been in Britain he has constantly preached hatred for the West, and who knows how many young Muslim men have been swayed by his hate rhetoric into committing acts of terrorism? This man is truly evil, but it seems the law cannot touch him and in my opinion that is a monumental disgrace.

This is by far not the only case where justice has been outwitted by terrorists and criminals who know how to twist the HR laws to their advantage. The list is endless and it involves not only those who would destroy us and our way of life, but also career criminals, some of whom are guilty of murder. The infamous ‘Right to Family Life’ (Article 8) of the HR Act has been used on many occasions, and with others it is the ‘torture’ clause as in this case.

Smiling? Why Not He Lives Off Benefits!

In the first case all a foreign criminal has to do is get his girlfriend pregnant and he can claim Article 8 as a defence. A known terrorist like Abu Qatada only has to state that he will be tortured in the country to which he will be deported, or as in this case, the suspicion that evidence against him was obtained by torture, and the whole thing falls through.

These people are making a mockery of not only the laws of Britain, but of International Law also, and its time a stop was put to this farce.

ICHR Court

When the Human Rights Charter was first introduced in 1948 it was a universal reaction to the abominable atrocities carried out against the Jews during the Second World War by the Nazis. “Human rights are commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being. Human rights are thus conceived as universal (applicable everywhere) and egalitarian (the same for everyone). These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national and international law” Thus is it written! Over the years bits have been added or changed and have led to many clauses now being used by terrorists and criminals to escape justice.

In my opinion, the whole thing needs a major overhaul to close the loopholes that currently exist in the system. It cannot be acceptable to anyone that people such as Abu Qatada can escape all forms of justice in the present day. There still remain at least six terror suspects in the UK awaiting deportation to various countries including Algeria and Egypt.

Roy.

An Unhappy Child - But Why?

Many will ask what the current generation have to complain about, and then compare the material things children have these days with what they had when they were growing up. Considering that we live in a hugely materialistic world these days, where owning an iPad, iPod, 46in. colour TV or computer is supposed to make one happy, it will come as a shock to most that this is not what makes for happy children. According to a report from The Children’s Society, who interviewed 30,000 children between the ages of eight and sixteen, it is a loving atmosphere at home that ranks the highest with our children.

It is often said by ‘people-in-the-know’ that the most important thing is a two-parent family to ensure a childs happiness. Well, the report proves them wrong. When you think about it, as a child where would you rather grow up, in a home where mum and dad are always arguing, or with just a mum (or dad) who loves you to bits?  I think the answer would be the same for everyone.

Mother and Child At Play

I personally do not like the idea of a one-parent family because I feel there should be balance in a child’s early life, and balance comes from receiving guidance from a mother and a father. Secondly, I have always felt that after childbirth, a woman’s place is in the home for at least the first five to six years of a child’s life, not out working. I know, I can hear the indignant snorts and guffaws from here as you think to yourself, we can’t afford it! The wife has to work or we can’t afford our holiday in Spain. I can only say, for the sake of your child’s well-being perhaps you should consider Blackpool for a couple of years.

Many will ask why such a thing is necessary, but to me it seems very important to always have at least one parent at home when they are young. How else can you teach your child right from wrong, what is required from them, and most important, discipline?

Typical Creche

It does no good to hand your child over to a virtual stranger at the local crèche every day and expect them to teach your child the essentials in life and how to behave. The mother, or alternatively the father, should be with the child every day at least until they start Primary School, for by that time you will have taught them how to behave, what is acceptable and what is not, and of course discipline. Chief among these things, a parent will have shown the child love and a caring attitude that is crucial to forming the future character of a child.

The report also highlighted a stable home as being highly beneficial to a child’s well-being. It does the child no good if a single mother changes her partner as often as she changes her underwear. Constant change within the family unit was found to be very detrimental, whereas a stable household was considered most beneficial, contributing much to a childs’ happiness.

Arguing? - The Child Feels It Too!

A surprising fact that came out of the survey is that children as young as eight fully understand what is going on when mum and dad discuss money problems in their presence, and it depresses them. Children can be surprisingly sensitive to their surroundings, and what is going on or being said in front of them. I believe that in the very young its more the tone of voice that gets through, especially when they don’t understand the words, and a few unguarded sentences in front of young children like “How on earth are we going to pay the TV licence next week” (desperation) gets picked up whether we want it to or not.

As children get older they start to worry about their looks, which often makes them unhappy. A young boy or girl with the infamous spots breaking out on their face will start to feel insecure, which leads to a general feeling of low self-esteem and unhappiness. Children like to be one of the herd, they like to belong to a group and feel valued within that group. If they have fewer clothes, gadgets, or less pocket-money than their friends they feel insecure and a reduced feeling of ‘belonging’ can lead to depression.

The Curse of Growing Up

Not quite being able to keep up with your ‘friends’ is also the best way of attracting bullies, which not so strangely, is another reason children today are unhappy. In every school in the land, on every street there are the bullies. They are a plague that young people could best do without, for they cause indescribable misery for tens of thousands of children every day and was listed in the survey as a significant cause of unhappiness in today’s children.

1950 - Playing Cowboys and Indians

Its a hard life being a child these days. In my day it was all about playing and generally having fun, but today its more about ‘keeping up with the Jones’s', trying to please your friends, and getting the latest smartphone first so as to become the centre of attraction (if only for a short while) . Times have changed and so have a child’s priorities.

Let's Make Them All Happy

The most important thing any child needs in life is a loving family, a safe and positive environment, the right conditions for them to learn and grow, and self-respect. Given these things any child will grow to be a happy, self-assured and thoughtful adult. All we have to do is provide them with these things!!!!  Good Luck!

Roy.

Michael Gove - Secretary of State for Education

Long gone are the days when a child left school with a solid education behind them, and moved into the adult world with good  potential in the job market and the likelihood of advancement in their chosen profession. Thanks to meddling by the previous Labour government in the education system, the children leave school today barely able to write their own name and with spelling and reading capabilities of a four-year-old. The whole sordid system is a national disgrace of massive proportions. Now, thankfully, the Conservative Education Minister Michael Gove has taken further steps to improve the situation.

Finally we have an Education Ministry that wishes to swing the pendulum back the other way and improve not only performance, but also make it easier for schools to get rid of under-performing teachers. Plans are also in the mix to prevent a teacher sacked from  one school for incompetence moving on to another.

Give Them A Future

As you would expect, two of the teachers unions are up in arms at the proposals calling the move as “unnecessary and draconian”, with one leader calling it a “potential bully’s charter”. Unneccessary?  Unneccessary? Do these people live on the same planet as the rest of us?

I suppose they think the fact that most of today’s kids are leaving school dumber than when they went in has nothing whatsoever to do with them, well, how could a teacher possibly be thought responsible for poor standards of education???? If they think that, then the problem is far worse than anyone realised!!!

Sounds About Right

As you can imagine, Christine Blower, who heads the National Union of Teachers (NUT) had much to say. She said: “The changes to the appraisal and capability policies will rightly be seen by teachers as an attack on their professionalism and will anger and depress them in equal measure.” adding: “What the Government proposes is potentially a bully’s charter. The union believes that many well-functioning schools, where development and professionalism is prized, will not adopt Mr Gove’s model.” On the other side of the argument Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said the proposals were in the “best interests” of the profession.

Confused? - You Have Every Right To Be!

There are many very good teachers in the education system in Britain who know their subject inside out, and the exam results for their students reflect this. Many have been covering for the incompetent ones for a long time. Its time they didn’t need to do that anymore.

A public poll carried out by Boulten & Co. showed a massive 83% for and just 17% against making the sacking of teachers easier. At the moment it is a long and tedious process to get rid of a bad teacher and it is this process that Mr. Gove is wanting to simplify so head teachers can ween out the dullards.

Help!

He has already made some initial moves to improve the standards of teacher education and to raise the level of teacher qualification exams which should help improve the competence and knowledge levels of new teachers entering the profession. It will take time for all this to filter through to the classroom, but its nice to know we are at last on the right track.

Roy.

Collecting the Dead

When the earth shook at 16.53 hrs on the 12th January 2010 Haiti’s capital was for a greater part destroyed and a third of its 900,000 population were killed. Aid arrived within days in an attempt to ease the suffering of the people, and more to the point, many billions of dollars were promised in aid by many nations to enable recovery. In truth, not much of the that money ever showed up where it was needed.

Rubble Clearance - A Massive Job

Some countries considered cancelling Haiti’s debt to themselves sufficient help in the country’s hour of need, as if  you can use a cancelled debt to house a family? In other cases only a fraction of the money actually arrived, some not at all. Many millions were raised by well known charities, and a year ago much of the donated money was still residing in bank accounts making interest because the organizations wanted to save the money for long term projects. Another year has not made much of a difference, except to the interest.

Tent City

As in most situations of this sort, a big part of the problem was corruption all along the money chain. Many people made fortunes out of siphoned off goods or cash. Meanwhile, some half-a-million Haitians still live in shocking conditions and disease is rife.

The President of Haiti, Michel Martelly has promised renewed efforts to re-house some 20,000 people, but in many areas the rubble from the destroyed buildings still lays where it fell.

Canada - Still On the Job!

Thankfully there is one country with a conscience, Canada, which is donating a further $20 million to get this necessary work completed. Despite this extra effort by the Canadian government it will still be many years before the scars left by the earthquake have disappeared, although many of the mental scars may never heal.

Roy

Alex Salmond - A Man With A Mission?

If you believe Alex Salmond the leader of the SNP, then the answer will be a resounding yes in favour, however, if you look at the result of polls taken among Scottish people then the answer is definitely no! According to a recent poll 54% definitely wanted to stay in the Union while only 29% (mostly under 30′s) wanted full independence for Scotland. I guess the remaining 25% are still trying to decide.

But still Mr. Salmond is going ahead with his referendum, and still he hopes to lead ‘his’ country to independence by ‘hook or by crook’. He even wants the referendum be held on or near the 700th Anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn on the 24 June 2014 which was a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence. If ever a day was to inspire Scottish patriotism that would be it, and he obviously hoped it would be enough to swing the vote his way.  

N.S. Oil Production is Falling

Independence for Scotland would be fraught with peril, for the country does not have any real industry that can fully support the economy, and that is an important factor. Alex Salmond always used to quote the North Sea oil and gas fields as the main money-maker for Scotland, but they are close to drying up, and will be producing only a third of their peak 1999 production by 2020, and certainly will not sustain the Scottish economy for very long.

Not Enough To Sustain the Economy

The country has always been famous for its fine whiskey, but again, this industry, while well established and an obvious survivor, is nowhere near large enough to prop up the economy. Shipbuilding used to be the major Scottish industry with the shipyards on the Clyde, but the deadly strikes of the fifties were enough to practically kill off the entire industry in the whole of Great Britain. So to be honest, I cannot see how Mr. Salmond hopes to finance his independence in the short or long term.

Ever since the last election he has been beating his gums about leaving the Union even though he must have known from poll results that he was preaching to a minority of Scottish people. I have always had the impression that Alex Salmond is a man with an axe to grind who is determined to tear Scotland away from the rest of Britain no matter what anyone says, including his fellow countrymen!

The Voice Of Reason

In his outburst yesterday he accused David Cameron of ‘dictating conditions’ governing the timing and content of the referendum. It seems to this observer that what the Prime Minister is worried about is the legality of Salmond’s referendum plans. Cameron has never said he is against it, he just wants it to be held in an impartial way and in accordance with the law. In my view he is quite correct when he says that any referendum held for independence in any one of the  four nations that make up the United Kingdom affects the remaining members, and therefore, each must ensure it is correctly done. The British Prime Minister also believes that the referendum should have one basic question put to the Scottish voters: Do you wish for full independence for Scotland – yes or no? Salmond on the other hand is clouding the issue with other questions like: Do you wish to see further devolution? David Cameron has stated that the referendum should be held in 2013 and if Salmond is not willing to do it, he will do it himself.

Scottish Pride

Why for example does Salmond insist that the referendum is held in 2014? Because this is the year of the 700th Bannockburn celebrations, and when Scotland hosts the Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup, all events that will give a tremendous boost to Scottish pride. He wants to tag on this future defining referendum during these celebrations as an afterthought? Come on Salmond! – Do you think the Scottish people are stupid and can’t see through your little charade? In a year when Scotland is centre-stage and Scottish pride at its maximum, he hopes that will be enough to swing the much needed votes his way from people who are on a ‘patriotic high’, and may not fully realise the implications of their actions.

If you put all the cards on the table there is not a hope in hell that Scotland can survive on its own economically, which means in effect the country will always be dependent on the rest of the UK. However, if the Scottish people do vote for full independence then they should have to manage on their own without being ‘propped up’ by money from English, Welsh and Northern Irish taxpayers. Fair is fair, you cannot ‘have your cake and eat it too’ as we all know.

Johann Lamont - Plain Speaking

Today (12/1) Salmond is being accused of sleight-of-hand even by members of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood. Labour SMP Johann Lamont accused Salmond of dictating terms to Holyrood and refusing to allow full government cross-party talks on the subject. Salmond also wants 16 and 17 year-olds to be allowed to vote in the referendum for he knows most of the backing for independence comes from the young Scots today.

I have always believed that Alex Salmond is doing this for Alex Salmond, not for Scotland or any other noble purpose. I think he means to go down in history as the man who brought Scotland ‘out from under England’s shadow’ single-handed, and of course he would not really want the job of Scotland’s first President, but would feel bound to accept it if it were ‘forced ‘ on him by a grateful party. Poppycock Salmond!

The Scottish Government

So you see, if the Scottish people can see through Alex Salmond’s con job in the Scottish Parliament, the whole episode will be a non-event and with luck Salmond’s political career will be over. On the other hand, should he be successful in bamboozling the Scottish voters into voting yes it will be a disastrous day for Scotland, and a sad loss for the rest of the British Isles. I hope common sense prevails.

Roy.