Watch This Space

The Russian Orthodox leader Patriarch Kirill has been caught doing a 'no no' .... having his photo's airbrushed to hide the fact that he wears a $30,000 (£19,000) gold Breguet watch. Not the sort of item that a simple man of the cloth normally wears .... I doubt if the late Pope John Paul II's entire possessions throughout his entire lifetime came to much more than $30,000.

However times have changed, and the Russian Orthodox Patriarch is part of the establishment .... so maybe a $30,000 (£19,000) gold Breguet watch is part of the kit .... or maybe not, as he (or someone) tried to hide it. They were caught out by the fact that they forgot to clear the table reflection of the watch.

Russian Orthodox leader Patriarch Kirill - watch this space

They have now apologised for the doctored photo and, after a bit of 'toing and froing' have restored the proper photograph to archives. All I can say is that standards are slipping since Uncle Joe's day .....people were shot for this kind of cock up ...... first you see him.

 

Then you don't ....

Now that's how you do a cover up!!

Human Rights Euro Lottery

The UK can't deport anyone because of their Human Rights .... take for example the radical Muslim cleric, Abu Qatada, who is wanted by Jordan, but whom the European Courts won't let us deport.

France Arrests and Deports Islamic Radicals

 

Now compare and contrast with France, where following the realisation that they have radicalised Muslims amongst them immediately started deporting them ..... two radical Islamists have been deported already and three more are to be expelled, with more deportations to follow, officials have said.

 

Aid Money Well Spent

India is recipient on hundreds of millions of pounds in foreign aid from the UK, despite us being broke. So most UK taxpayers will be thrilled to note that this week India took possession of a new Russian-built nuclear-powered submarine, the Chakra, into its fleet. Its also building a new class of nuclear-powered boats intended to carry nuclear-armed ballistic missiles.
  
Apparently a refurbished Russian aircraft carrier with advanced Mig-29K jets will enter service next year, followed by an Indian-built aircraft carrier in due course.

Of course the irony is that while India is busy spending billions on these weapons, and we feed their poor, our own armed forces are being cut, soldiers and sailors laid off and the Harrier jump jets and HMS Ark Royal and HMS Invincible have been scrapped. This leaves the UK with no functioning aircraft carriers, while India will have two by next year.

UK used to be a major naval power .... now?

If anyone except some PC bonehead can explain why we give £800 million to a self styled 'super power' which is spending billions on rockets, and aircraft carriers, while we make our armed forces redundant, and strip ourselves of the very same capabilities please get in touch.   

Its also ironic to note that India wants a seat on the UN security council, at the UK's expense .... no doubt we will still be giving them 'aid' as they kick our lily white asses out of the doors of influence.  

Dreaming The Dream

I have discussed thankless jobs before on this blog so you can imagine my pleasure in finding that another of these exceptional roles is being practised at the moment. Its only a 'temporary' position that is only resurrected every couple of decades or so, but I doubt many would say its not both dangerous and thankless.

I give you Mohammad Younas Nawandish, "The Mayor Of Kabul" in Afghanistan. I honestly had never thought that there was anyone foolhardy enough to do this job ..... when the Taliban get back in to the city (around the year 2015 I would guess), it would not be good to have been in that job. Apparently he did not even campaign for the job, because Kabul did not have the resources to hold an election, or because there was no one stupid enough to do the job, so President Karzai simply appointed him.

Mohammad Younas Nawandish - Mayor Of Kabul - has big plans.

No one can say he doesn't have a vision "In three years, we will have Kabul covered with trees, history shows the mountains of Kabul were green 200 years ago. We are trying to repeat history here."....he has ordered his officials to begin planting 30,000 saplings on top of and around Shirdarwaza mountain. The rest of his plans are equally optimistic, and despite accusations of failure and corruption (who isn't both in Afghanistan?), no one else is rushing to take the job from his hands.

You gotta  hail a brave man ...... for as long as he's still here.

Big Brother Is Watching You - Britain

In George Orwell's dystopian future described in the novel "1984", the phrase "Big Brother is watching you" is constantly brought to the attention of the people, to remind them that this is the core "truth" of the security system in this state.

Big Brother

There were moments when it seemed to be a prophetic vision of the inevitable future, especially in the late 1960's to the mid 1970's, when the 'Cold War' was at its height (and we seemed to be losing), with the IRA bombing campaigns in the mainland, mass industrial unrest led by big Trade Unions, and rumours of preparations of a coup against the Labour government having been planned.