Cloudy, cold and calm at the Castle this morn, the study is
empty of anything ailing, the garden still needs a medium fettling and his Maj
is not happy with the lack of temperature.
The Government has a "credible fiscal plan" to
enable Britain to ride out the economic storm.
Asked on BBC Radio 4's Today programme about his previous
comments in 2009 that 'printing money is the last resort of desperate governments
when all other policies have failed', Mr Osborne said: "We inherited as a
Government a pretty desperate fiscal position and we had to take action.
"I think the crucial difference this time is that
you've got a credible Government plan to deal with our debt."
He added: "I said the path of radical monetary action
and responsible fiscal policy, that is the right route and in 2011 that is
precisely the route we're following."
Mr Osborne said Britain's authorities were using "all
the tools available" to deal with the "worsening global debt
storm".
“Tools” being the operative word....
And:
Allegedly.
Health
service managers who are responsible for funding patient care spent more
than £100,000 in a year on awards ceremonies, away days and parties.
One Primary Care Trust alone had a bill of almost £15,000
for motivational staff events and entertainment that included a Christmas
dinner.
Others used public money to pay for meetings at golf
courses, retirement parties and barbecues.
It comes despite growing evidence that PCTs, who decide what
drugs and hospital treatment to pay for, are increasingly restricting patient
access to care.
A recent report claimed that some trusts are deliberately
increasing waiting times to save money, with the additional result that some
patients either “go private or die”.
Others are rationing access to cancer scans and expensive
medicines, as the NHS struggles to save £20billion by 2015.
Power corrupts....
The World Conker Championships has been cancelled due to
high winds.
The annual competition at Ashton Conker Club has
been called off after bad weather blighted efforts to set up marquees at the
site in Polebrook near Oundle.
About 300 competitors from 20 countries were set to
take part in the championships on Sunday.
John Hadman, secretary of the club, said: "It
is very sad."
Established in 1965, the championship attracts
thousands of visitors every year that come to watch entrants from across the
globe compete for the Conker Crown.
Mr Hadman said the event was too large to be staged indoors.
"The future is in the balance," "We want
to carry on but the weather could be just as bad next year."
Dutch national rail
operator NS unveiled plans on Friday for passengers to have access to urinal
bags on trains without toilets should they face an urgent need, courting
controversy with commuters and politicians.
“This is for
emergency planning, not casual use, like having first aid kits onboard. We are
preparing for the winter, say for example when there is one metre of snow and
evacuation is not possible,” NS Spokesman Edwin van Scherrenburg said.
Dutch media had a
field day on Friday publishing stories with images of biodegradable urinal bags
and several Dutch politicians expressed disbelief and amusement with the plans,
which they said showed the need for toilets on all trains.
And if you need a number 2?
A Chinese woman
astonished tourists when she scrambled up a 70ft castle wall - to avoid paying
the £2.50p admission fee.
Nimble Ma Jei - who
had no rope or safety equipment when - told other visitors she'd been climbing
the walls of Zhonghau Castle since childhood and had never once paid to get in.
But when other
visitors tried to follow her example, by trying to scale the virtually sheer
walls of the attraction, in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, they came unstuck.
Two tourists needed
hospital treatment after falling and breaking their legs while three others had
to be rescued by police officers.
"She ran up
the wall like a goat and made it look easy. But when people tried it for
themselves they saw it wasn't quite as simple as they thought," explained
one tourist.
Monkey sees........
And finally:
A paper car.
This 1969 Ford Mustang is made entirely of paper. Reproduced
in its entirety down to the nuts and bolts and made to full scale, the famous
American muscle car is displayed at the Hosfelt Gallery in New York City. The
complex piece was created by 31-year-old artist Jonathan Brand.
And today’s
thought: "A blind bloke walks into a shop with a guide dog. He picks the Dog up and starts swinging it around his head. Alarmed, a shop assistant calls out: 'Can I help, sir?' 'No thanks,' says the blind bloke; 'Just looking.'- Tommy Cooper.
Angus
No comments:
Post a Comment