Oh Ken, What Do You Look Like?

It’s dismal in Calne, it’s pouring with rain, it’s dark and it’s cold. There isn’t a great deal in the news to cheer anyone up either.

What would the general public think if a VIP from an Asian or African country visiting this country donned an outfit in the belief that it was out of some misguided show of respect? An example perhaps could have been the wearing of a top hat and the carrying of a briefcase and a brolly by the Saudi king during his recent visit. I think the vast majority of us would find it at least mildly amusing, so why do VIPs from this country feel that they have to do this when on visits abroad? I can only assume Ken Livingstone is following in the steps of the Beatles. I suggest you look for yourselves here.

My blog on Wednesday 31st October discussed potential problems with the quantities of data now being stored on computers. Today I hear that confidential details of 15 million child benefit recipients contained on computer discs have been lost by HM Revenue and Customs, already prompting the resignation of chairman Paul Gray. The records contain names, addresses and bank account details so this is not a trivial affair. It will be interesting to hear what Alistair Darling says in his emergency Commons statement this afternoon. Will he resign, particularly as ministers have apparently known about this for over a week? If, as is possible, the data on the discs are used for identity fraud, the potential for making large amounts of money is apparent. Having yesterday made another emergency statement in the commons regarding the Northern Rock fiasco perhaps it’s time to bring back Gordon Brown, at least his eyebrows were the same colour as his hair….

The number of Polish people in this country, is, the Government keep telling us, not as many as we think. If that is the case, then why is an average of 13-14 Polish babies born here every day? With the NHS unable to maintain cleanliness in hospitals and 25% of children leaving primary schools unable to read or write then how on earth are we ever going to relieve the pressure on our schools, hospitals, and benefits system by burdening it with foreigners. The news most definitely undermines Government claims about the exact scale of East European migration, with official records indicating the number of Poles registered to live and work in Britain being 230,000, but with actual numbers estimated at up to a million.

I know who I believe has the only solution to the problems in this country but unfortunately there is massive opposition to that solution – see details of the mass demonstration of those not wishing to allow the BNP their right to free speech at their Blackpool Conference – blog entry for Sunday 18th November refers here!