Honours

The New Year's Honours have just been published and yet again I despair at the unfairness of the system. I am sure that there are some well deserving cases but I can't help but feel that friends in high places plays a big part in the process. For example, the Queens Police Medal (QPM) has 18 recipients and yet only four, 20%, are from the federated ranks, i.e. those below the rank of Superintendent. I have picked the QPM because the list in the newspaper lists the ranks of the recipients. Federated ranks make up to 98.8% of the strength of police officers in England and Wales. However, in the main, it seems that only senior officers perform the distinguished service that merits the award of the QPM. I wonder how many officers of ACPO rank retire without a QPM.

Celebrity

I see that Charles Ingram, the coughing Major, has just published a novel. I suspect that there are many more talented writers who find it extremely difficult to get their novels published but they are not fortunate enough to have been caught cheating in a televised quiz programme. I see that Mr & Mrs Ingram will be soon be appearing on a "Celebrity Weakest Link" programme on BBC television.
Christine Hamilton now has her own website and has a fan club. What kicked off all this acclaim? She is married to a man who also faced public disgrace.
Why does the British media make celebrities out of these people? The obvious answer is that they know the stories will sell and they will make money. What does that say about the British public?
What sort of disgraceful behaviour can I get up to so that I can gain this celebrity status and then watch the appearance fees flood into my bank account? I would appreciate suggestions.

Identity

I have just returned from a shopping trip in a nearby town. At a branch of a large electrical retailer I bought a vacuum cleaner. Once the box had been scanned and I had refused the "extra" insurance, I was asked for my postcode. I said that I was not prepared to give it as I did not think it was necessary. The girl at the checkout said that it was something to do with the manufacturer's guarantee. I said the guarantee was in the box and I would have the till receipt as proof of purchase. She was clearly at a loss. I asked her if we could proceed by bypassing the address section shown on the screen in front of her. She said that she couldn't. Stalemate.
We then had a discussion about personal information and she agreed with me about living in this current climate of identity theft, fraud, junk mail and the general lack of privacy. However, it was quite clear that we were getting nowhere. A queue was forming behind me and I saw that the young lady at the checkout was in an awkward position. Reluctantly, therefore, I gave her my postcode and house number. She breathed a sigh of relief and went on to the next screen which was phone numbers, etc. She clearly though it wise not to ask, so went on to the final screen and I completed my transaction.
I really would like to know how this particular retailer can justify the requirement for these details. If I had bought the vacuum cleaner from my local electrical retailer I would not have had to give them. Also, were they really prepared to lose my business if I had stuck to my guns?
It seems that I have more and more arguments about this sort of thing whether it be in shops or on the telephone. There is this constant demand for me to give up my personal details. I rarely give in but I often cut off my nose to spite my face by leaving a shop empty-handed.

A Step Too Far

I work for a large organisation that bends over backwards to promote equality and fairness. There are, however, some instances where I feel that they have got it wrong.

Yesterday, I visited a small library that is maintained in the training department at head office and I saw that they had a number of copies of a well known gay magazine. The organisation subscribes to this magazine. Out of curiosity I flicked through the latest edition and was appalled by the sexual content, particularly in the advertisements. There were loads of photographs featuring naked men, some engaged in oral sex. The genitalia is starred out but little imagination is necessary. One advert was for penis enlargement.

I can understand any argument for including in the library a magazine that addresses gay issues as we have a number of gay employees. What I can't understand is any justification for having this particular magazine, with the sexual images. There must be a different way of dealing with this, e.g. another magazine, photocopies of relevant articles and then ditching the magazine, etc.

I was not offended by the images but I was offended by the double standards. If the "Beefcake" photograph on the front cover was substituted by a scantily clad female and the contents included photographs of heterosexual sex, I know the magazine would not be allowed anywhere near the library. Also, albeit that I was not offended, the test is whether the person on the top deck of the Clapham omnibus would be offended.

I spoke to the person responsible for deciding on what is placed in the library. His response was no more than "Well, that is a view". I was informed that one of the directors approved of the subscription to the magazine, although nobody could tell me whether he had actually read a copy.

The only conclusion I can come to, because I am convinced that this is wrong, is that those who could stop it are frightened to do so. It is a disease that prevails in this country. People are frightened of doing the right thing for fear of being accused of being racist, sexist, homophobic, etc. I am not going to let this go and I am going to pursue it. Watch this space.

Estate Agents

Why is it that estate agents are allowed to charge a percentage of the sale price as a fee for their services?
Most agents keep a list of people interested in buying property in a particular street or location. Someone may be interested in buying in my street. If I put my property on the market with an estate agent, they would then telephone that person and arrange a viewing. If they like my property and make an acceptable offer, the agent pockets up to 2% of the sale price. A few thousand pounds for what was essentially a telephone call. What a rip-off!
Even if it takes a bit longer and the agent has to insert a few adverts in the local paper, etc, the process cannot possibly cost thousands of pounds.

Crime

I was as appalled as most people were to learn of the foreign murderers, paedophiles and rapists being released to roam freely around this country. I was equally appalled to learn how little of their sentences they had actually served before they were released. Surely it has got to be the case that a convicted foreign national is deported automatically after they have served their sentence. We are going to get Gary Glitter back.

Alcohol

MPs have suggested that Britons on stag and hen parties abroad should be charged for the help that they get from UK diplomats when they call on them to bail them out of trouble. Apparently, only 323 people have been charged out of 84,000 cases and officials have said that it is difficult to charge someone who is drunk and has no money. Words almost fail me!
What is it about the British yob or ladette and alcohol? The rest of Europe must think the same thing when their cities are invaded by the British Stag and Hen parties. The more respectable Briton must feel ashamed when they visit cities such as Prague or Dublin to be confronted by their young countrymen and countrywomen behaving in a drunken fashion.
Every one of them should pay the full price for the help they receive. Their passports should be confiscated until they cough up the money and, if they have been convicted of antisocial behaviour whilst abroad, the passport should not be returned for a couple of years.

Council Tax

Sir Michael Lyons is currently conducting an independent inquiry to consider the case for changes to the present system of local government funding in England, including reform of council tax. I wrote to him, as I fear that he still thinks that council tax should be based on property values.
I did not have any strong feelings on the subject until the poll tax replaced the rates. At the time my two adult sons were living at home and they were required to pay. I thought that was fair as they used local services as much, if not more, than me and they certainly had more disposable income than me. I thought that it was only fair that they should pay their share.
I was rather disappointed when the government of the day rolled over in the face of protest from those who, for the first time, were required to pay their way. I understand that not everyone could afford it and perhaps appropriate adjustment in deserving cases was all that was required.
Now, however, we have the council tax. The amount for which you are liable to pay is based on the value of the property you own or rent and assumes that two people live in the property.
Therefore, two people living in a three-bedroomed house pay substantially more than two people living in a one-bedroomed flat, even though they make identical use of local services. Under this system my two sons were not legally required to contribute a penny for the local services they used. Meanwhile, our next-door neighbours, who were retired and living on a pension, were required to pay the same as me, even though the gap between their income and the council tax was getting smaller and smaller every year.
Someone please convince me that it is a fair tax, and please don't suggest that my neighbours should move out of the family home to somewhere smaller. I have no objection to paying council tax, even paying extra for those who can't afford to pay, but why can't it be based on income? The value of the property in which I live is no measure of how much I should or could pay.

Watershed? What watershed?

Whatever happened to the TV watershed? I hate soaps but in order to be sociable I sit through a few with Mrs Murdo. I watched Eastenders last week. Gangster executions? Fratricide? Drunkenness? I kept checking the time. All of this before 8.00pm. I know parents can prevent children from watching, but you and I know a lot don't. What are the BBC doing? What are the watchdogs doing? Does anyone care anymore?

Who is in charge?

Sigh
Just back from a quick trip to the shops. On walking out of Sainsbury's I found myself in the middle of a group of lads, probably aged about 14 or 15 years-old, certainly no older. They had clearly been up to no good in the shop and one was heard to say "I suppose that is me banned for another six months". He repeated it a couple of times so that everyone had a chance to hear him. The smell of stale cigarette smoke on their clothes and on their breath was quite strong and I wondered whether their parents would notice and, if they did, would they care. Did their parents even know where they were?
The thing is, these youngsters have no fear. I am not saying they are fearless. I am saying they have nothing to fear. There are no sanctions for bad behaviour that would prevent a recurrence. Parents certainly don't wield any discipline. Teachers try but are constrained by the law and are not supported by the parents. The police have their hands tied. Those youngsters inclined to misbehave see the paper walls and walk straight through them.
A few days ago I heard a teacher say that she couldn't prevent pupils having mobile phones in the classroom. She could ask a pupil to hand it over but could do nothing if they refused.
The tail is definitely wagging the dog!

The Heavy Straw

For a number of years anger and frustration have been increasing and the sighs have been louder and more frequent. The heavy straw has finally broken the camel's back and I can contain myself no longer. Where are we going?
What happened to common sense, values and honour? Don't get me wrong, I am not merely a cantankerous old git. I still get immense pleasure from life, but life is changing around me and I have to adjust to ensure I can retain that which is important to me. Rising crime, rising taxes, parents abrogating their responsibility, poor service in shops, restaurants, etc. The list gets longer.
I have tried to vent by sending comments and opinions to various websites and discussion groups but the moderators and I don't seem to get on. Perhaps this blog will provide me with what I need. I need some release. So, let's give it a whirl and see what happens.