Xinomorph

Whilst official government figures show that attacks on firefighters dropped from 1,300 in 2006 to just 400 in 2007, the FBU's Easy Targets? report has shown an INCREASE to 1,500.

Aside from the unique case of the government getting something wrong, this is an utterly abhorrent situation. These brave men and women are supposed to be offering us protection and performing life-saving tasks in tricky circumstances, and yet receive no more respect than a tramp.

According to the report, most attacks take place in the North-West of England, particularly in areas of poor housing and/or social depravation. Whilst that's not exactly what one would call a surprise, I just do not understand the mentality of the kinds of scum who do such a thing.

A number of specific cases were highlighted in the report:

John Cartwright, a firefighter in Greater Manchester, said he and his colleagues were attacked as they tried to put out a large bonfire.


He said: "We began to extinguish the fire, then we were making up the equipment when we were attacked by about 30 youths. One of the firefighters had six on top of him, punching him. They chucked bottles at us, bricks, garden ornaments."

And not forgetting:

In one incident a hoaxer lured firefighters to a supposed car fire in Cheshire before attacking them with bricks. In another, a petrol bomb was thrown at a fire engine in Merseyside as firemen tackled a rubbish blaze.

All I can say is that, with any luck, the perpetrators of such abhorrent attacks will need help one day, but be within what the fire brigades have defined as a no-go area. Similar incidents have been highlighted recently concerning attacks on ambulance and medical staff on emergency call-outs, so perhaps that is the only answer.

In a shocking announcement (!), the National Audit Office has this week said that the aid given by the UK to other countries - apparently a £461 million budget - is often misused, and most of that awarded in 2007 went to countries with major corruption scandals.

Wow. This is perhaps the most shocking piece of news that I've heard. Ever. I mean, hard-earned British tax-payers' money being wasted elsewhere?! Who would have believed it?

In case you didn't know, I'm being sarcastic.

What a sorry situation we've got ourselves in. Can we not just cut off all overseas aid? It seems that most of the problems we have here could be solved with a bit of investment, and I fail to see how we can go around wasting our money when there are such grave problems at home. Seriously, how can we go around lecturing other people how to run their country - and giving them our money - when we can't get our own house in order? Preposterous situation.

Cancel all aid and spend it here.

As has been widely reported over the past 24 hours or so, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, yesterday stated that the adoption of some aspects of Sharia law within the British criminal and civil judicial systems is inevitable. He states that we must "face up to the fact" that certain communities (translation: some Muslims) do not relate to our legal system.

Well, I've got news for you. Not many people relate to our legal system. The overruling of British courts by European meddlers, the effective ban on protests near Parliament, the banning of hunting with hounds, and God only knows how many other ridiculous pieces of legislation passed (particularly in the past decade). None of them sit will with me, and likewise for thousands of other law-abiding citizens. But we haven't been given our own set of laws because we want to do x, y and/or z. We have to conform to the laws set out by the United Kingdom's Governments, whether we believe and support them or not.

So why should the relatively miniscule Muslim community be awarded its own set of opt-out legislation and allowances? Taking cultural differences into account when dealing with comparitively trivial matters such as divorce, banking and child custody is one thing, but adopting whole sweeping aspects of Sharia (which, I am informed, quite ironically means "path to water") law is another matter entirely.

Whether really being fully proposed or not, the idea of introducing new laws in such a manner for one group just because they don't approve of our existing laws is preposterous. This is (supposedly) a free country, whose laws, cultural aspects and society are based on Christian tolerance, not the backwards logic of people who sentence rape victims to lashings, enjoy public executions as punishment for pretty minor offences, and hand out prison sentences to women who have spoken to men not within her own family. I would not travel to a Muslim state and be able to walk down the street wearing an unbuttoned, loudly-coloured shirt and eating pork sausages, so why should people come here and expect the equivalent? Another example of the twisted, self-centred, intolerant logic of some cultures.

But of course, I can't really believe that Dr Williams is a stupid man, so perhaps his intention was to raise debate and actually make people wake up and realise what is going on in our fair country? If so, he's a crafty bugger. If not, he's just a pillock.

Quite simply, if you don't like our laws, our society, our way of life - the fuck off somewhere else.

Whilst I Want A Referendum is being labelled a "dishonest" marketing exercise for the Conservative Party by one socialist nutjob, members of the PLP who support the campaign have apparently been threatened with explusion from the party if they do not withdraw their IWAR backing.

Yep, expulsion from the Labour Party for supporting one of their own manifesto promises, after totally free votes on the Iraq war, for example. It says a lot really, doesn't it?

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the near-Nazi state of the European Union, it's being reported that the EU Parliament's "speaker" has been given the power to decide who can and cannot speak in said Parliament. The move has apparently come after UKIP MEPs protested against the upcoming constitution, and is in the interest of protecting freedom of speech. How that quite works I don't know, but then when has common sense or logic had anything at all to do with the European Union, or Europeans in general?

If you haven't already, support your democratic right to exercise choice over who rules you by registering and signing the I Want A Referendum petition.

Wendy Alexander, Donald Duck lookalike, possibly the most slapable woman in Scotland, leader of the Scottish Labour Party and sister of the current Chancellor of the Exchequor, was yesterday in essence cleared of any wrongdoing by accepting donations from a Jersey-based businessman, breaking electoral law as he is neither a UK resident nor registered to vote here.

The Electoral Commission, who had been investigating the case, decided that there was insufficient evidence to refer the issue to prosecutors, and 'Ms' Alexander maintains that the outcome has proven her "honest and integrity".

Utter bollocks. I can just about believe that she may not personally have been aware that the money in question was from someone barred from making such donations, but her little team clearly were, and as their leader she should take ultimate responsibility for the clear breach of electoral law which has been committed. Electoral law which was devised and passed by her own party just a few years ago. If this were a Conservative or SNP MSP, I have no doubt that 'Ms' Alexander would be doing her raving na-na in demand for a resignation, but again it seems to be one-rule-for-them, one-rule-for-Labour.

Aside from her own blatant disregard for morals and the "honesty and integrity" which she so fervently proclaims to possess, the idea that there is insufficient evidence to bring the case to prosecutors ia ridiculous. Either illegal donations were taken, or they weren't. And they were. It has been proven, shown, and admitted that they were. And yet no one in the Alexander camp is taking any responsibility for the sorry affair. They cannot possibly claim to have not known that what they were doing was illegal. And even if they do, why does that excuse them? If a person with, for example, severe learning difficulties beats someone to death, then they are prosecuted and punished. The "I didn't know it was illegal" argument simply would not stand up, and should not be accepted here either.

Another instance of the Labour Party showing contempt for the electorate and for its own laws. But hey, what's new, right?

We've barely got rid of the slimy little shit for 5 minutes - nevermind his highly amusing appointment as a PEACE envoy in the MIDDLE EAST. But now the shadow of Herr Blair looms low over Britain once again, as increasing speculation suggests that the original war criminal is in line to become the first President of the European Union.

He really is like that last poo nugget that won't flush. Will Blair never leave us be? The deluded fool cannot be allowed to reign over us yet again. The mere thought is utterly abhorrent, let alone if it follows through to practice.

A very worthy petition, although somewhat backwards in its exact arguments, against his possible take-up of the position can be found here.