Sim-O

… tedious cock?

Via

Haaretz:

The President of the United Nations General Assembly tried to prevent Israel’s ambassador, Professor Gabriela Shalev, from speaking at a special commemorative plenary session marking 60 years since the UN adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, scheduled for Wednesday.

The General Assembly President, Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, tried to cancel speeches that were to be given by representatives of the unofficial regional group known as “Western European and others,” after he learned that Israel’s ambassador was to represent the group as its rotating chairman.

*Applauds Mr Brockmann* Ooh, hang on. What does it mean ‘tried’?

However, European representatives rejected the motion to cancel the meeting, and voiced outrage at his attempt to prevent the address.

Oh, so the Europeans are ok with a representative of a country that has continously flouted human rights, and in fact its’ very existence is predicated on the abuse of those rights, to speak at the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Once again, the Palestinians are shown to be sub-human. Way to go Europe.

Via

Press Complaints Commission:

The Editors’ Code of Practice Committee, which writes and revises the voluntary code of standards overseen by the Press Complaints Commission, is undertaking its annual review of the Code.

It welcomes suggestions from the public, civil society and the industry on how the Code might be revised to improve the system of self-regulation of the press, of which it is an essential component.

Suggestions should be sent as soon as possible, but no later than 31 January, 2009 to:

Ian Beales, Code Committee Secretary,
PO Box 235, Stonehouse,
Glos
GL10 3UF.

Or by email to: ianbeales@mac.com

Here’s a suggestion for starters, how about having non-industry people on the commitee so that the commitee can be and be seen to be a little more independent.
I don’t know about you, but if I had to submit a serious complaint to the PCC, I wouldn’t be especially confident it’s neutrality.

Here’s why:

The Editors’ Code committee members are:

• Chairman, Paul Dacre, Daily Mail
• Neil Benson, Trinity Mirror’s regional newspapers
• Adrian Faber, Express and Star, Wolverhampton
• Mike Gilson, The Scotsman
• Douglas Melloy, Rotherham and South Yorkshire Advertiser
• Ian Murray, Southern Evening Echo
• David Pollington, The Sunday Post
• Jonathan Grun, Press Association
• Alan Rusbridger, The Guardian
• June Smith-Sheppard, Pick Me Up magazine
• Neil Wallis, News of the World
• Harriet Wilson, Conde Nast magazines
• John Witherow, Sunday Times.

Did no one at Chorley FM really not think the strap line “coming in your ears” is just a little bit, well, dirty?

[[image:dirty_ears.gif:Chorley FM. Hmm, nice:center:0]]
(Sorry for the quality of the picture. It’s taken with a shit phone on full zoom)

Via

Little Willy Hague:

There are no circumstances in which the next Conservative Government will propose joining the Euro.

If you win the next election, we’ll hold you to that, Mr Hague.

Reuters:

Justice Secretary Jack Straw said the jackets marked with the words “Community Payback” are designed to strengthen the public’s confidence in the effectiveness of non-custodial sentences.

“The public, the taxpayer, has an absolute right to know what unpaid work is being done to payback to them for the wrongs the offender has committed,” he said.

“Chain Gang Betty” definately sounds the better choice of words.

Telegraph:

Mr Green, who is the shadow immigration minister, was arrested at his home in Kent by counter-terrorism police officers.

The arrest follows a series of leaks to the Conservatives about Government policy, including a sensitive memorandum from the Home Office’s most senior official on crime figures earlier this month.

David Cameron, the Conservative leader, is said to be “extremely angry” about the arrest and has privately accused the Government of “Stalinesque” behaviour.

Mr Green is understood to have been arrested at lunchtime today and is still in custody. He has not been charged.

No surprise that counter-terrorism police were used. Feels like it’s the default apparatus to use.

Georgina Baillie:

If the media is making money off you, you’re entitled to make money off them. That’s a rule Max Clifford taught me.

That’s a Max Clifford rule, because what ever the outcome, he wins.

Everytime.

Via

I’m not too good with numbers, especially when it comes to tax. My sister, an accountant, reckons tax is shit too, because apart from having to pay it, there is no logic to it. The man at No. 11 makes it up as he goes along.

Apparently VAT is going to be dropped to 15% for the next year. That’s a cut of 2.5% but apparently it drops prices by 2.13%. Eh? How does that work?

Income tax has also gone up to 45% for people earning over £150,000. I don’t earn that much but I reckon that’s gotta hurt.

As usual, depending on where you read/listen, you’re either better off if you have an income of under £19k, worse off if you earn over £40k, both, neither or some other combination

What we have is an economic system that is supposed to be great. We keep hearing how many people capitalism has raised out of poverty and that it is the best system for economic growth.
If it’s so good, then why do we have more people in poverty than out? If its so good why does it keep crashing and wiping out peoples savings and chucking people out of jobs?
The captains of industriy cry for more privatisation, less regulation, to stop distorting the markets, to free the markets for wealth creation. But when it all goes belly up, it’s all because there was not enough regulation.

I heard a couple of times the word ‘radical’ being used in connection with what the Chancellor is doing. But it’s not is it? It’s just tinkering, rearranging the furniture.
Once we come out of this recession and downturn^(TM) we will have another period of unprecedented growth. This period of growth will be followed by another crash.
Boom. Bust. Boom. Bust.
Ad.
Nauseum.

All the while the people able to insulate themselves from the downturns get more affluent, and the worst off get shafted, again and again. No. that’s not quite right. The worst off already have nothing, so it’s the not quite worst off that end up joining the worst off.

It’s not going to change either. Labour, Conservative or Libdems. We’re being taken to the same destination, it’s just the route that different.