Usual at the Castle this morn-dull, damp and dingy, I thought that the flood had come yesterday aftermorn, the sky opened up and dumped most of the Atlantic on the garden, and then did it again later in the dark bit.
Oh to be in England now that Global warming’s here........
Downing Street chose yesterday to publish the salaries of ministerial special advisers.
And the winners are:
Craig Oliver, the Prime Minister's head of communications, and the new director of political strategy, Andrew Cooper; they both earn £140,000.
Nick Clegg's chief of staff, Jonny Oates, earns £98,500.
David Cameron's press officer, Gabby Bertin, earns £80,000.
Steve Hilton, the Prime Minister's director of strategy and "Notting Hill set" stalwart, earns £90,000, a salary unaffected by the February arrival of the similar sounding director of political strategy, Andrew Cooper.
Former Liberal Democrat MP Julia Goldsworthy, who narrowly lost her highly marginal Cornish seat at the 2010 election, now earns £74,000 as special adviser to Danny Alexander.
The total pay bill for the political aides, known as SpAds, for the period 13 May 2010 to 31 March 2011 was £4.5m, which Downing Street pointed out is less than the £6.8m paid between 6 April 2009 and 31 March 2010.
Oh well...that’s alright then.....
Pakistani spies are operating in Britain; there is apparently a “Kashmir centre” in London, a Scotland Yard source said they were liaising with US authorities but had not made any arrests.
Allegedly money is being sent from Pakistan in order to exert political pressure on the government, it was claimed on Tuesday.
Methinks they will have to get in line behind Rupert Bear......
The Scootcase which is on sale for £250 – is aimed at the business flyer, designer Micro Scooters UK, of Colchester, Essex, also believes it’s handy for short commutes.
A spokesman said: “It’s a great way to reduce your carbon footprint.”
Postie Steve Tasker, of Burnley, just north of Manchester, admitted to interfering with mail, damage and theft, reports the Telegraph newspaper.
The 43-year-old Tasker said he meant to deliver all that mail one day. That's why he stored it in his home and his backyard shed over a period of three and a half years.
According to the paper, postal officials put Tasker under surveillance last September after receiving complaints from people who weren't getting their mail. One day, they saw him start work around noon and knock off at 2 p.m. with more than 300 pieces of mail undelivered.
Tasker was sentenced to 32 weeks in jail, suspended for a year. He was also ordered to get alcohol treatment and enter a program that teaches people life skills like problem solving.
A topless demonstration in Ukraine got ugly outside the Georgian embassy when a security guard fought with half-naked women on Monday.
The shirtless ladies from the women's activist group FEMEN were part of a larger protest in Kiev criticizing the Georgian government for jailing three photographers accused of spying, according to the Guardian.
A security guard shoved FEMEN members and kicked a photographer taking their picture before a policemen separated them, as seen in a video posted on Animal New York.
It was a busy week for the women of FEMEN who just can't seem to keep their shirts on. Last week, the group splashed around in a Kiev fountain to draw attention to expected hot-water shortages during the Euro 2012 soccer tournament which will be held in Ukraine and Poland.
And finally:
Right a bit and up a smidge in Denmark, The annual World Santa Claus Congress is a chance to put on that hot, itchy red outfit in the middle of the summer this year that sounded like a merry idea to 150 St. Nicks who convened in Copenhagen on July 18 for three days of Noel-themed revelry, organizers said.
The ho-ho-hoedown has been a Danish staple for 54 years. Danish entertainer Professor Tribini created the Christmas in July tradition in 1957 when he invited Santa’s to help rekindle the holiday atmosphere during the summer.
This year, jolly old elves from 12 countries -- including an American delegation of Santa’s with natural beards, not fakes -- made the trip Dyrehavsbakken, an amusement park outside of the Danish capital. Also known as Bakken, it's touted as the world's oldest amusement park, dating back to the 16th Century when it was a public bath.
Ho-fucking-Ho.......I hope the knobs at Tesco don’t read this or there will be Crimbo cards in store next week....
That’s it: I’m orf to plant some oil seed rape.
And today’s thought: Nobody will ever win the Battle of the Sexes. There's just too much fraternizing with the enemy.
Angus
