Work experience staff handling immigration?

The Public and Commercial Services Union might be on to a winner here. Apparently, the UK Borders Agency is taking on up to 7500 work experience staff whilst at the same time looking to cut 7000 from its employed head count at the UK Borders Agency.

Now, don't get me wrong, saving money by cutting head count is an a no-brainer. However, you're probably on shaky ground if you claim roles are redundant whilst at the same type taking on short term free labour to carry out,

"immigration enquiries and correspondence, include dispatching immigration decisions and documents back to applicants, and data entry of applications for all foreign nationals wishing to enter the UK."

What's more, should we really be taking on free work experience staff to handle matters of immigration when immigration is such a hot potato issue?

The mind boggles at this one.

What happened to patience?

You have to love the Daily Mail sometimes, this morning they have a screaming headline (no doubt buried deep inside the pages of the main paper because someone got engaged) that says Revealed: The broadband blackspot map of Britain, which provides a map showing how some poor people are getting just 1.3Mbps connections, noting that

In Farningham it would take 45 minutes to download just one music album and a dismal 12 hours to download a movie.

Now, as someone who started online with a 14.4Kbps modem, I find myself asking, why is everyone so bloody greedy these days?

Seriously, complaining that it will take 45 minutes to download an album? Big deal. Set you're downloads to run overnight then. As for downloading a movie, well, I don't know anyone who does that legally anyway, but if you do, then again, do it overnight.

I simply do not understand this "give me too me faster, now now now" attitude.

Town council pimps sex toys

Quality services are on offer these days from Maldon Town Council. There is more, but it would be highly inappropriate to tell you what.

Methinks their blogging platform may be "compromised".

Liberal Conspiracy rejects the rule of law?

I'm becoming increasingly bemused by Sunny Hundal, the Editor of Liberal Conspiracy. Sunny and I have spoken via email and in blog comments before, having debates, argument and so on, and whilst I've often thought he was wrong, I've never thought he was one to excuse violent protest or actively support people trying to break the law, that was until last week.

Last week, I posted a quote from Sunny where he dismissed the violent conduct of hundreds of student protesters as "silliness" and suggested those that thought chucking a fire extinguisher off a six story building into a crowd was a bit much were "wusses". I put his attitude down to silliness on his part at the time.

However, this morning, Liberal Conspiracy has posted an article titled Police take down FitWatch site; bloggers angry. This refers to a a group who monitor the Police at protests with what appears to be the default starting assumption that all coppers are brutal bastards.

Anyhow, the Police have apparently had this site taken down for "attempting to pervert course of justice". Outrageous? Errr no. Not if you look at the Google cache here and see why. Sunny notes, oddly,

it’s rather worrying the Police took down that post without any explanation, without warning and without a court order.

Is it? really? Did Sunny not read it?

The post in question is a detailed advice list for protesters involved in violence at Millbank on how to destroy evidence. It's hardly rocket science as to why it the Police requested it to be taken down is it?

Surely what is more worrying here is the stance Liberal Conspiracy appears to be taking on violent protests and the rule of law. No?

More at the Guardian.

Damn you Tom Harris MP!

I hate you Tom. You're one of the few Labour MP's that I actually like, and what do you do? You quit* your blog. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not suggesting that I agree with you and that you're always right, I don't and you're not - the only person that is always right is me after all (*hush* you naysayers in the comment and repeat after me "Dizzy is always right", do that and enlightenment will be achieved).

Anyhow, digressions about how brilliant I am aside, Tom will be sadly missed in my view because, unlike so many politicians he was always willing to push his humourous side at the expenses of the "line" (perhaps that is why he called it a day?). Politicians today, with only a few exceptions, are expected to be automatons, spouting the line and never ever offering their genuine opinions (not until they've spouted the line for long enough that they can get away with it anyway).

Tom was never afraid to point out when all sides in some debate or the other was talking utter bollocks. That is, frankly, what made him unique, and now there really aren't any like him left. Don't get me wrong, there are blogging MPs who are engaging and interesting, but none of them do what Tom did/does.

A real shame I think, and you know you were having an impact when the pious Guardian-reading loony left state calling you a "rioht wing blogger" as they did last night.

* Please note that as a general rule online, be it in a forum or on a blog, no one should ever do a "last post" post because you will be back. The Internet is like the Hotel California, you can check in but you can never leave. Tom will be back, we just don't know when.

Do want to consolidate your debt?

Debt consolidation with a few extra quid on the side Mr Burnham?

Name of lender: Kevin Lee
Address of donor: private
Amount of loan: £10,000
Date the loan was entered into: 9 July 2010
Date the loan is due to be repaid: by end of Labour Party leadership campaign
Rate of interest: 0%
Whether or not any security has been given: none
(Registered 14 July 2010)

Name of lender: Kevin Lee
Address of donor: private
Amount of loan: £11,493.05
Date the loan was entered into: 1 October 2010
Date the loan is due to be repaid: indefinite
Rate of interest: 0%
Whether or not any security has been given: none
(Registered 29 October 2010)

Just saying.

The Clegg Effect....

Bless.

Random observation.....

Anyone noticed that the Coca Cola Christmas advert has started?

Anyone also noticed that when watching it on a 16:9 wide-screen TV it remains in a 4:3 aspect ratio with black lines either side?

Conclusion: Coca Cola's marketing department are both lazy and tight-fisted?

Genius.....

There is nothing more I can add.

karmasheetra.com

Then and now

Original images by Cracking My Knuckles in Public