‘Tis bright, sunny, calm and cold at the Castle this morn, I intend to do a bit of gardening later; or maybe not.
The new resident is a total loony, but there is the occasional respite.
The UK will remain in the "Premier League of military powers" despite cuts to the armed forces.
Tackling the crisis in the public finances was, he said, not just a matter of economics but an issue of national security.
"It is central to sustaining, in the long term, Britain's reach, military power and influence," he said.
"Relative economic power is the wellspring of strategic strength. Conversely, economic weakness debilitates every arm of government.
"Structural economic weakness, if not dealt with, will bring an unavoidable reduction in our ability to shape the world."
So when is the Piss Poor Coalition going to start then?
A disabled man who is supposedly being protected by the courts was wandering homeless yesterday after bailiffs used sledge-hammers to evict him from his home.
Lee Gilliland, 42, said that had no warning of their arrival, because a court has ruled that he is not competent to look after himself.
When The Independent tracked him down, he was in a Bristol cattery, trying to arrange a safe home for his four cats, having no idea where he would be spending the night.
His case has been taken up by the campaigning Lib Dem MP, John Hemming, who says that it illustrates serious flaws in the way the legal system deals with people who are judged to be unable to manage their own affairs.
Mr Gilliland has been told that the Official Solicitor is handling his affairs, but claims that no one representing the Official Solicitor warned him that bailiffs from the High Court were coming to evict him.
“They came at about 10 this morning with sledge hammers, and smashed out the windows and doors,” he said. “I was in the back room downstairs pleading with them through the wall, but they just smashed the door open.
“I had no warning whatsoever. About 20 people just turned up, including police and fire engines with ladders.
Mr Gilliland’s case follows a series of Court of Protection cases in which judges have been asked to rule on whether individuals have the mental capacity to look after their own interests. Mr Gilliland says that he was never shown the medical report on which his judgement was based.
He added: “They say I lack mental capacity, so everything that has been done has been through the Official Solicitor – but he has never contacted me, because as far as he is concerned, I’m comatose. You can form your own opinion on that.”
Mr Gilliland's solicitor was not available for comment yesterday. A spokesman for the Official Solicitor said: "We do not comment on individual cases."
Justice of the Coalition Millionaires Club, and Old Fart Ken Clarke.
Police in Quebec City have seized more than 3,000 counterfeit hubcaps.
The RCMP announced Wednesday officers searched an auto parts business and two warehouses to find the fake hubcaps, which had well-known trademarks on them such as Cadillac, Audi, BMW, Volkswagen and GM.
Four men were arrested and charges are pending, police said.
"The illegal production and sale of counterfeit goods account for losses of several million dollars annually. Counterfeit goods can pose health and safety risks to the public. The RCMP invites consumers to make the right choices to prevent the harm caused by such criminal activity," the police said in a release.
That about caps it off.
A German insurance company rewarded its best salesmen by organising an orgy with prostitutes in a renowned Hungarian spa, the company said.
About 100 top salesmen had been invited to the orgy, which featured numerous scantily clad hostesses and about 20 prostitutes, Ergo insurance spokesman Alexander Becker said.
The event organised by one of its divisions in Budapest's art nouveau Gellert Baths represented a clear violation of the company's values, he stressed.
"All measures have been taken to prevent a repeat of such an event," Mr Becker said.
Those responsible for the June 2007 event - dubbed an "incentive trip" - have left the company, he added.
Prostitution is legal in Hungary and Germany.
Ergo insurance belongs to Munich Re, one of the world's biggest reinsurance companies, in which US billionaire Warren Buffet's investment firm Berkshire Hathaway holds a 10 per cent stake.
Ergo's board of directors only learned about the orgy when those responsible for it had already left the company, Mr Becker said. He could not specify since when the board was briefed on the orgy.
Probably annoyed they didn’t get invited.
Planking is sweeping Australia and has left one man dead. Now major retailers are cracking down on planking, sacking workers who get busted performing the dangerous manoeuvre on the job.
Woolworths has axed eight employees across three states this week for planking, which involves lying flat and face-down on top of an object and being photographed - on top of meat grinders, display shelves, trolleys and stacks of milk crates - then boasting about it online.
In southern NSW, the manager and assistant manager of a Dick Smith electronics outlet - owned by Woolworths - were shown the door after the company discovered they had planked on a 2m-high shelving unit. In northern NSW, three Woolworths night fill workers were sacked for planking on top of trolleys and display units. Two Woolworths meat department employees were also dismissed for planking on a mincing machine in Victoria, while a Queensland casual worker was sacked for planking on a pile of milk crates.
Benedict Brook from Woolworths said the planking was putting customers and employees at risk
Funny that, I thought that Woolworths only employed planks……
And finally:
With the cost of food so high, here is a You Tube snippet.
That’s it: I’m orf to find some Dark Energy.
And today’s thought: Do people in Australia call the rest of the world "up over"?
Angus
2 comments:
Those responsible for the June 2007 event - dubbed an "incentive trip" - have left the company, he added.
Those things have not been on offer in any company I've worked for. Wonder why not?
Ah: I do miss the annual orgy at work James.
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