Prime Minister's Questions is an utter disgrace and insult to the country

I've just suffered watching PMQs, and I wonder if you, like me, think it has sunk to a disgraceful, contemptible low?

Brown had the temerity to accuse a tory backbencher of asking a planted question! FFS, almost ALL the questions from labour MPs were blatently planted, and just lead-in lines for Brown to attempt a punchline and tory putdown.

Something desperately needs to change.

Also, surely Brown told a number of lies today when asked direct questions, particularly about the briefings against Darling. I wish someone could produce some proof, and show him to be dishonest.

The business about the failed hospital was awful, too - he simply ALWAYS blames someone else. Surely it's clear where the buck really stops - at his desk.

Grrrrr!

Unemployment, job centres and stuff

It's too long since I blogged! Things I've been listening to today, and thoughts prompted by them, make me want to give forth a ramble, though.

The latest unemployment figures came out today, and there was of course the usual spin and lies that are rolled out to try to convince (unfortunately successfully too often) people that things are getting better. I've blogged before how the statisitics really lie, and that many people classed as "in work" are actually doing part time work where they want full time, or in a position much worse than their last job.

Also, on Fivelive, there was an interesting phone-in on the subject. Many people were criticising both the lack of help from jobcentres and the lack of ability or knowledge of their staff to help. Several people were told that they should "dumb-down" their CV in order not to frighten off potential employers - presumably because the positions they were being encouraged to apply for were seriously below their ability and experience.

I'm seriously pissed off at the strong feeling that we, the electorate, the controlled masses, are lied to, but also that the truth of the situation isn't even aired or articulated.

Surely, the truth is not, as the debate frequently rages about, that either the jobcentres aren't fulfilling their role, and/or that the government isn't doing enough to help people into jobs.

The truth is, there simply aren't the jobs there at all, or at least not the quality of jobs that there once were.

Our standard of living, and quality of life is being dramatically eroded.

We need steps to build new businesses, and to help the competitiveness of business generally in this country. We need to be selfish in a global, and especially european way, so that we can look after ourselves and our own, and restore some of what we once had.

I wish I could articulate these feelings more clearly. I feel rather pessimistic about the future.

Bully boy Balls on 5 live drive

Did anybody else hear Peter Allen trying to interview Ed Balls yesterday evening on Radio 5? (Here, starting about 2:07 in).

It's the worst I've heard him. He was bullying, repugnant, rude to Allen. He accused his interviewer of failing to do the BBC's duty to "impartially" stress the blatent electioneering of what he was saying, and that it was wrong to question what he said, and what Darling said in the PBR, even to challenge him. He's an evil, wicked bastard. Listen to it if you can.

I'd like to say it's unbelievable, but it's not.

BBC bias - unbelievable!

I still find it hard to believe that the BBC are so badly biassed.

When I heard them discussing the "hacked" emails, and asking what the Russian connection might be, after so many days history of this episode, I couldn't help but shout at my poor radio.

You know they were not hacked, they were leaked.

You know the only Russian connection was that the leaker first tried to leave the data on a Russina hosted FTP server.

And, above all, you know it's not just a few emails. It's data, models and so much more.

Why lie to our people so blatently, so you entirely discredit yourself?

A call to action - climategate

This article is so distorted and deceitful and outright lying that it needs to be refuted and placed in the gutter.

Please, sieze on it and bury it. I'm horrified at how something like this can be published somewhere like the Times. It's such a heap of lies and bile and deceit. They should be ashamed.

Come on, please sort this out!

Bankers' bonuses - a small thought.

I listened to the phone-in on fivelive this morning on this subject, and find myself torn as to what the sense of the situation really is. I can very well understand those people (like me, and most others, I think) who struggle to keep afloat and simply feel aghast at the obscene amounts given in bonuses to "bankers".

One argument, though, seems on the face of it to be entirely false. Some say that it's good for the treasury, because income tax is paid on the bonus. Surely, if the bonus wasn't paid, it would increase the bank's profits and therefore incur extra corporation tax? The profit after tax would be available to add to the bailout repayments too.

Have I got that wrong?

Climategate intensified

Oh, wonderful.

Just look at this!

Those poor people at East Anglia didn't have the capacity to store all the raw data they used to predict doomsday!

They had to delete it, poor lambs.

It's time for this nonsense to end, don't you think? There can be no defence of the crap at all now.