Scotland Brewing Up Trouble (For The Future)

Apparently the Scots are increasingly a nation of home drinkers ..... this is because shop sales of alcohol in 2015 were 20% higher in Scotland, than they were in England and Wales, with each adult consuming the equivalent of 477 pints of beer per annum.

Scotland and alcohol in 2015 (according to NHS Scotland):

• 74% sold through off-sales
• 52p Average price per unit. A price that has not changed for two years.
• 20% more sales than England and Wales
• 477 equivalent number of pints drunk per adult

Buckfast Breakfasts ..... A Myth or Legend?

Blackburn Battlers

Even in these times of ever dropping social standards, it still takes a new kind of low for women to fight in the streets ... well mostly (although searching finds lots of examples). Historically its happened in working class areas such as this London scene from the 18th century.

Lady Brawlers .... 18th Century Style

Living (At Home) In America

In the UK and indeed in Europe over the last decade or so, there has been an increasing number of younger people still living at their parents home (often into their early 30's or later) ....

KIPPERS - Children Are Now A Lifetime Commitment.

...... sometimes known outside of official reports as 'Kids In Parents Pockets Eroding Retirement Savings' aka 'KIPPERS'.

Racing To The Lowest Standards

Whilst it could never be suggested that I had much in common with the Islamist agenda, I do admit that there are aspects of our western society which trouble me deeply. One is the trend for ever more lenient prison sentences, for ever more serious crimes. For instance not sixty years, ago any man who raped babies would be lucky to not be swinging from a gibbet.

Most certainly they would face a very long prison sentence, or similar period in a secure mental institution.

Revolving Door Prisons ... Small Sentences A Deterrent?

But now?

Thai Takeaway Fans

The unexpected rise of English footballs Leicester City Football Club, from almost certain relegation candidates, to Champions of England, has also created fans for the club around the world.

Fair Weather Leicester City Fans?

 

None more so than in Thailand, the home country of the current owner of Leicester City FC (and King Power duty free company .... as if you could miss it) …… fair weather fans? You betcha.

Not Much Ado About Nothing

If you hadn't noticed (and if you visit the BBC website, its hard not to this year), it is the something or other anniversary celebration of the birth or death of one William Shakespeare esquire, playwright and poet. So what? many people would say.

Well even if you are unequivocal in your dislike of his plays and could never be accused of ever willingly hearing or seeing one of his plays performed, and in fact go out of your way to not do so, by ignoring the Olympian halls of academe. Nonetheless if you speak English, then you are quoting him all the time ..... and you will be familiar with many of his words and works, even if you are not aware of it.

Romeo And Juliet 1599 - The English Is Readable.

Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This

Last night I had a dream. A very vivid dream, and what made it unusual was that I remembered it in total (even the absurdities such as getting into a lift via a 'back entrance', only for it too turn into a slow bus to a place called 'ferryport', which turned out to be lots of old ferries piled on top of each other as a sort of town). Now I don't usually recall dreams with any certainty, if at all, after I wake up .....

Dream Stealer's Take Your Dreams ..... Or Give You Nightmares.

So why was that dream so special? .... It wasn't a nightmare and had no bearing on my current life and work, other than perhaps on the fact that I have no partner (a lady featured heavily in the dream plot). It was not terribly realistic, in that I didn't wake up thinking that a real event had occurred, and in fact it had more absurdities than a Dali painting .... but I recalled it fully.

Ruled By A Right Charlie

In the olden days there used to be a belief in Britain and France, that the touch of a king e.g. Charles the First of England, could cure various illnesses such as Scrofula (aka the King's Evil).

'The Royal Touch' - Like Father Like Son - Charles II

 

This was known as 'the royal touch', and was of course also a barmy idea, as was the idea that Kings were divinely appointed. We cured one King Charles of that particular divinity belief, by the simple expedient of lopping off his head .... and so come to think of it did the French.

 

The People Have Spoken

The Boaty McBoatface saga has entertained the British public for some months but it came to its inevitable end when, despite overwhelming public support (in the form of votes), for the name RSS (royal research ship) Boaty McBoatface, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) announced that the ship was to be called RRS David Attenborough. Very worthy I'm sure, and at a very fit age of 90, and with seemingly a few more years in front of him, a deserved honour ...... but BORING!

Boaty McBoatface... Sadly Never To Sail the Seas.

A Reason To Fear Clowns

For a man in Wales the reasons to fear clowns ('Coulrophobia'), recently took a decidedly real turn, and for a very solid reason. This is because he was taken out of the audience to participate in a clown stunt, one that very nearly went tragically wrong.

Of course there have been real killer clowns who would give you a real cause for fear .....

John Wayne Gacy as 'Pogo The Clown'

Nil Desperandum Dave

David Cameron is a desperate man. He has to be! Because how else can you read his claim that Britain leaving the EU, would increase the chances of a war in the EU part of Europe, or even with that same part of Europe?

EU World War III

Now to say that the "Remain" campaign has been negative, is an understatement, it's been very very negative.

 

With virtually no positive reasons to stay in the EU being put forward, except as a reverse of a negative reason for staying. E.g "We will be worse off if we leave, because they might not trade with us" (the 5th biggest world economy) ... so by inference we will probably be better off if we remain in it. But as that can't be proved, we must infer it, while the negative message is the one promoted.

But even so this latest claim is almost unbelievable in its stupidity.

BMA Controversy

The BMA .... No not the other crackpots and extremists, aka the British Medical Association - this BMA is the Blackburn Muslim Association, have shown what sort of Britain we are heading towards, by passing some new rules for women. 

Women's Fashion Simpler In The Future

 

 

The mosque, that is a paid up affiliate of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), said that women should not be able to travel more than 48 miles (deemed to be the equivalent of three days of a woman walking), without a male chaperone, known as a 'mahram'. Its “Department of Theology,” has also gone on to stipulate that all men must grow beards, and advises women to fully cover their faces. These instructions all carry the snappy little hook line of: “Allah knows best.”  

 

Swimming With The Fishes

At last I am finally able to comment on a real gangland killing, in which the victim has 'cement wellies' (cemented feet). 

 

Laurel And Hardy With Cement Shoes

 

Now the first time I became aware of this form of death i.e. being thrown into a river with feet buried in cement, was in a Laurel and Hardy movie, when the boys got their feet cemented together somehow (I don't recall whether by villains or accident, but judging from picture it was baddies), and rolled about on the edge of a river wharf .... but of course they didn't actually get hurt.

 

Trolling Tw*ts

Of all the trends in late 20th century and early 21st century Britain, social media 'trolling' is perhaps one of the nastiest. This, for those who are not familiar with it, is when someone posts nasty, vindictive, abusive or simply argumentative comments, on the web pages of someone else, or inside a forum.

These days this is most likely to be on the Facebook or other social media pages such as 'Twitter', of someone (both celebrities or otherwise), and usually hiding behind a pen name or some other anonymity.

Trolls Should Be Banned

A recent example of this which was reported recently, illustrates this nasty little trend very well:

Integrated Daydreams

That the BBC operates with a left wing agenda is hard to deny (when even their own research suggests so). That they are operating as a second government when Labour are not in power, is easier for them to deny, but very easy to accuse them of .....

Integrated Into Western Democracy And Society ....

 

 Take a look at this picture .... it was used to represent this weeks UK local elections in a news story ....

Tramp Town

Manchester City Council and the University of Manchester have apparently colluded in allowing the emergence of a 'Calais style jungle' encampment in the centre of Manchester. This after a similar site called 'the Ark', near Manchester Metropolitan University had been closed in late 2015 .... but the residents (mostly British by the way), simply marched a few hundred yards down the road and started another encampment.

The council and police apparently unable to do a thing about it .....

Manchester - Northern Powerhouse City .....

The damage to the city’s reputation as a tourist or investment destination must be incalculable, but seemingly this is of little import to a city council which seems to prefer to follow 'right on, left-wing politics', over promoting its own cities future wealth and development.