CALEDONIAN COMMENT

That epitome of undergraduate ineptitude, even by the incompetent standards of New Labour, UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband (pictured above, yesterday condemned the arrest of 9 employees of the British embassy in Tehran and demanded their immediate release. An Iranian news agency reported that the Iranian workers had been detained for “involvement in the post-election unrest in the Islamic Republic.” The arrests followed a week of escalating rhetoric against Britain, which was accused by the Iranian foreign minister of flying in jet-loads of spies to disrupt Iran’s presidential election. Miliband denied that the mission had been involved in any post-election unrest and called for the release of the embassy staff. ”This is harassment and intimidation of a kind that is quite unacceptable,” he told reporters during a security conference on the Greek island of Corfu. Well if Miliband’s involved in trying to secure their release, they can expect a long period of detention. But at least it’s nice to see that even in the wake of the parliamentary expenses scandal ministers can still organise a pleasant taxpayer-funded trip to Corfu (called an “informal ministerial gathering”) for themselves towards the end of June.

And we need serious people, not prats like Miliband, to deal with these Iranian mullahs. A hardline cleric close to the Iranian regime has demanded the execution of leading demonstrators opposed to “President” Ahmadinejad. In a televised sermon in Tehran, Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami (pictured above) called on the judiciary to “punish leading rioters firmly and without showing any mercy to teach everyone a lesson”. He claimed that protestors were backed by the UK, US and Israel. They should be treated as “mohareb” — people who wage war against God — and deserved execution. In a clear warning to all dissenters, he declared:  “Anybody who fights against the Islamic system or the leader of Islamic society, fight him until complete destruction.”  And this delusional clerical cretin claimed that Neda Soltan,the young Iranian woman murdered by his government’s bully-boys last week, had been killed by fellow protesters because “Iranian government forces do not shoot at a lady standing in a side street”. Really it’s high time some of these religious nutcases smelt what they’re stepping in. And the UK should warn this regime comprised of doctrinal medieval tossers that they’ve kidnapped our personnel once too often. But then again, with a wimp like Miliband, I won’t hold my breath.  He’ll probably send them a craven apology.

The Queen (pictured above) is reportedly seeking the first increase in the annual civil list – the money she gets from UK taxpayers –  for nearly 20 years to plug an emerging £5 million annual funding gap for the royal household. Palace officials have told the Treasury they need the dramatic rise to the £7.9 million grant because they are exhausting their cash reserves and cannot make further cuts in spending. The demand is likely to pitch the palace into political controversy. Ministers have rejected earlier appeals for extra funds towards the upkeep of the royal palaces. What is going on here ? At a time when the average person is struggling to keep their job, home and sanity, the Royals want ANOTHER £5 million of our hard-earned. Maybe they should consider cutting back on expenditure and firing all the hangers-on and retainers instead of taking the piss.

Some people have a strange sense of timing and propriety. The above picture shows the Rev Jesse Jackson, a close friend of the Jacksons, together with the late Michael Jackson’s father Joe outside the family home in Los Angeles during the weekend after the death. The photo probably won’t do much to dampen growing criticism of the Jackson family and their alleged failure to help the singer as his health deteriorated. But at least the family today demanded an independent post mortem to find out exactly why he died. Judging by the good natured humour on display in the immediate aftermath of the death, that’s about as concerned as it looks like they’re going to get – until the will is read, of course.

Over the last few days French riot police have arrested 47 anarchists after they threatened to lead swarms of illegal immigrants through the Channel Tunnel to Britain. Weapons including machetes, metal poles and a spiked club were found hidden by the “no border” activists (pictured above) during raids in Calais late on Wednesday. Some of those arrested had been massing in a protest camp aimed at helping the migrants to “tear down the borders”  to England. Strange, but when I first heard that French police at Calais were arresting those responsible for an open border policy whereby illegal immigrants could simply enter Britain without hindrance, I assumed they’d apprehended a group of New Labour MP’s on a works outing and duty free shopping trip.

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In the UK several local authority child protection agencies (above) missed chances to stop child abuse and passed up key opportunities to intervene in the case of a 16-month-old girl physically abused and finally murdered by her violent father, an inquiry report said yesterday. It said social workers, schools and health visitors failed to follow basic safeguarding procedures in the case of Amy Howson, from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, who died when her spine was snapped by her father. She had been punched and slapped on numerous occasions and left with fractures to her arms, legs and ribs. A separate serious case review was also published today into the death of another Doncaster youngster, 3-month-old Alfie Goddard, who died after being shaken and thrown to the floor by his father. It concludes that agencies failed to recognise important signs that Alfie was at risk, or co-ordinate effective involvement with his family.

Now there have been a number of well publicised examples of this kind of sickening child cruelty across the UK recently. And for certain, there are some protection agencies who are so understaffed, or so incompetent, or so hidebound with political correctness that they fail regularly and with tragic consequences. They seem to be more concerned to ensure that parents are non-smokers and support gay rights rather than checking to see whether they’re beating up their kids.  But to put the blame for this rash of child abuse on them solely would be very wrong. The fact is, there wouldn’t be child abuse if the abusers didn’t do it. There are too many family break-ups, too many rootless single males, too many young single women with kids by multiple fathers, too much ignorance, too much drug taking, too much irresponsibility and too much indulgence of violent layabouts and their “rights”. As the proportion of these worthless sink-estate unemployables increases within the population as a whole, we as a nation will eventually have to ask ourselves whether such oxygen-wasting creeps with a propensity to hurt, maim and even kill defenceless children can continue to be allowed to breed, not least because each of their succeeding generations will produce more problems, more dysfunctional family units, more violence, more misery. And that’s not fascism, or selective breeding, or social engineering, or any of the other accusations that left-wing, hand-wringing apologists for these cruel, neandrathal abusers hurl when their clients “rights” are challenged. It’s common sense.  

Increasingly desperate and beleaguered UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown (pictured above) last night brushed aside any suggestions that he might “walk away” before the next general election. The PM delivered a strong rebuff to his critics, saying that his “mission” is to get the country through the recession and return it to strong growth thereafter. “I have got a job to do,” he said. “One that every day I address with new enthusiasm.” The way things are going under his economic stewardship, pretty soon he may be the only one with a job. He went on : ”I am fighting for growth and jobs, better public services, a strong economy and society. I have got that work to do and it is ongoing.” So Gordon’s still prattling on about his “mission” and very enthusiastic. They do say that candles burn brightest just before they go out – however, they don’t usually spout delusional nonsense at the same time.

The alleged “President” of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (pictured above) has responded to US President Barack Obama’s recent remarks that he was “appalled and outraged” by post-election violence. Ahmadinejad ranted : “Mr Obama made a mistake to say those things -  our question is why he fell into this trap and said things that previously George Bush used to say ?” Yes well, Mahmoud, we might ask you why you’ve fallen into the trap and are now doing things that the Shah used to do. Ahmadinejad, who “won the election by a landslide” (yeah, sure) according to official results, told an audience in the port town of Assaluyeh: “Do you, Obama, want to speak to Iran with this tone? If that is your stance then what is left to talk about? I hope you avoid interfering in Iran’s affairs and express your regret in a way that the Iranian nation is informed of it.” It really is high time somebody put this tiresome little delusional ersatz-Nazi runt in his place. I suppose if the West doesn’t do it, presumably sooner or later the Israeli Air Force will.

And more cheering news on the foreign front. Yesterday the North Korean military (pictured above) threatened to retaliate with a nuclear “fire shower” if it is attacked by the US and warned it would expand its nuclear arsenal, a month after it carried out a controlled nuclear explosion in defiance of the UN security council. The regime used the 59th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean war to step up its threats against the US, whose navy is tracking a North Korean vessel off the Chinese coast that is suspected of carrying weapons. Earlier this month the UN banned all weapons exports from North Korea in response to the May 25 nuclear test, its second in three years. This latest belicose warning came as speculation mounted that Pyongyang is preparing to test launch short and medium range missiles. What’s the strike range of the Israeli Air Force ?

The Mayor of London, Mr Boris Johnson (pictured above) is well known for his cycling trips around the capital – but he’s at the centre of a budget row over more than £4,500 of public money spent on taxis. One bill alone was £237, in figures released yesterday to the London Assembly. The costs were revealed just a day after it emerged that Boris had signed off some of the expenses of deputy mayor Ian Clement, who resigned after paying off personal bills on a corporate credit card. The total taxi bill was £4,698, which included 13 receipts for fares over £100. The mayor’s total personal expenses were £8,169. The £237 bill was for a 7.5 mile journey from his former home in Islington to Edmonton – which works out at a rate of £31 per mile. Another claim of £99.50 for a return journey from City Hall to Elephant and Castle, less than 1.5 miles away – at £33 a mile. City Hall sources have said most of the higher bills stemmed from waiting time costs. Never. Which all goes to show that politicians, whatever their party, are on a different planet from the rest of us.

And to prove the point, that epitiome of banal incompetence, even by the inept standards of New Labour, former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith (pictured above) acknowledged yesterday that she felt humiliated by her husband’s public apology for charging 2 pay-per-view adult films (can you blame him ?) to the taxpayer via her expenses claims. The former ineffective cabinet minister said it was “horrible” and blamed the subsequent pressure on her family as among her reasons for quitting the Government earlier this month. In an interview she also complained that women in power were treated differently to men. Bollocks. She went because not only was she useless at her job – she was caught red-handed fiddling and had to go. The only pity is that more of her cabinet colleagues haven’t yet followed her out of the door, to assist the Fraud Squad with their enquiries - but they will.

Finally, American pop music performer Michael Jackson (pictured above) reportedly died of a heart attack in a Los Angeles hospital yesterday, just weeks before he hoped to revive his 4-decade long career with a series of sold-out shows in London. Jackson was taken to the University of California at Los Angeles medical centre, and paramedics administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the ambulance. He arrived at the hospital in a coma and was reported dead about 3 hours later. Uri Gellar, a close friend of the star, told reporters: “I’m devastated – it’s very, very sad. I’m still trying to hold on to the glimmer that it’s not true.” Naff statement for a friend Uri – the Big D is a damn sight more serious than bending forks.

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In the UK a Muslim police officer was allegedly told by his boss that he looked like Osama Bin Laden because of his long beard, an employment tribunal heard yesterday. Tariq Dost (pictured above) has accused West Midlands Police and the police authority of racial and religious discrimination and victimisation following the remarks made to him from 2007. Dost, from Small Heath, Birmingham, was working as a recruitment officer for the force when his manager Darren Yates is alleged to have made several discriminatory comments to him based on his race, beliefs and religion. Giving evidence, Dost told the tribunal how Yates, who runs the recruitment office at the force HQ in Birmingham, pointed at him when looking at a picture of Al Qaeda boss Bin Laden in a newspaper.

The tribunal also heard how Yates made remarks about the length of his beard on several occasions and also questioned why he tucked his trousers into his boots. Giving evidence Dost said: “I believe he felt uncomfortable with me because of my appearance. I found his comments to be discriminatory, ignorant and embarrassing.”  Dost also claimed that Yates referred to Muslim prayer as “shouting and wailing” when he asked to go to afternoon prayer during a recruitment fair. Yates is alleged to have laughed at him as he turned up to the fair in Islamic clothing and robes as he was off duty. “I found it to be highly offensive and demeaning and discriminatory towards myself and Muslims as a whole,” Dost said. “His actions were racist and Islamaphobic.” 

The same old, same old, same old refrain as the compensation claim is compiled. Now I’ve no doubt that there’s residual institutionalised racism and Islamophobia in most police forces (though to be fair, the West Midlands Police aren’t particularly noted for that – normally they’ll fit up anyone, regardless of colour or creed) - but it strikes me that Mr Dost seems to have his catch-phrases learnt a bit too much by rote. And if he was OFF-DUTY when he was allegedly verbally abused, why should the public be possibly liable for damages at an employment tribunal ? Why doesn’t he sue his alleged abuser in a private legal action ? And perhaps most important of all, didn’t anyone tell PC Dost that PC stands for “Police Constable”, not “political correctness” – and that you have to have a thick skin, regardless of colour, to be a copper ?  

The recession (above) seems never ending. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) forecast, made last March, predicted that the UK economy would shrink by 3.7 % in 2009. It seems they were wrong. Their latest projection published yesterday now predicts that Britain’s economy will actually shrink by 4.3 % this year, its fastest pace of decline since the Second World War, and stagnate in 2010. It is fractionally more upbeat now about 2010, seeing output unchanged rather than its original prediction of contracting by 0.2 %. However, just to cheer us all up, unemployment is likely to rise towards 10 % in 2010 from their original estimate of 7.2 %. The OECD predicts that Britain will sink further into the red than any other major developed country next year. The fiscal deficit is expected to rise to 14 % of economic output in 2010, compared with an average of 8.75 % across its 30 members. Well it’s good to know we’re leading the way at something. I wonder how much it costs to produce these surveys stating the bloody obvious ?

BBC director general Mark Thompson (pictured above) has slammed Government proposals to “top-slice” the TV licence fee every TV owner in the UK is forced to pay to fund the BBC, which would force the corporation to give up about £130 million to rival commercial broadcasters. Mr Thompson said that moves towards top-slicing appeared to be driven by “ideologically focused” individuals determined to “drive a wedge” into the principle of licence fee funding for the BBC. He said under “no circumstances” would the proposal be a good idea. Well in the old days I might have agreed with Mr Thompson – when the BBC provided impartial news and quality entertainment. But now, with its leftist, pro-Muslim news bias, crappy reality shows, commitment to “inclusiveness” and gay rights, overpaid talentless “stars” and stifling political correctness, the sooner the BBC is forced to survive on its own financially through advertising the better. It would be instructive to see how many otherwise unemployable feather-bedded trendy luvvies currently posing as arty-innovators as they mince around Television Centre would be forced to join the ordinary people they scorn and patronise –  on the dole queue.

Good luck to Apple boss Steve Jobs (pictured above), who reportedly has an “excellent prognosis” after receiving a liver transplant recently at a Tennessee hospital. Dr James D. Eason, the chief of transplantation at Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute in Memphis, said that Mr Jobs was in end-stage liver disease before he received the transplant. “He received a liver transplant because he was the sickest patient on the waiting list at the time a donor organ became available. Mr Jobs is now recovering well,” he said. Let’s hope he makes a full recovery – and now that he’s on the mend, would Steve mind phoning up O2 in the UK and tell them that their monopoly on selling Apple phones will be terminated if they don’t drop their crazy scheme whereby I can’t upgrade my iPhone 3G to an iPhone 3GS unless I agree to pay nonsensical rip-off contract termination charges ?

Double trouble for the law. In the UK a pair of identical twins were yesterday both accused of attacking a man – even though the alleged victim admits only one of them was involved in the alleged assault. Gavin and Rhys Higgins (pictured above) are both on trial, accused of hitting Darryl Churchill at a party at Blaengarw rugby club near Bridgend, South Wales. But Mr Churchill said although he believed it was one of the twins who did it, he couldn’t tell which one because they looked so alike. The twins, of Blaengarw, near Bridgend, each deny one charge of assasult causing actual bodily harm. The trial continues – and it may do so for quite some time !

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