Quel Damage!

Sorry to hear that the authorities have managed to do for Tommy Sheridan, where the News of the World failed. Such a shame that it has come to this, that the state is so willing to expend countless police hours and resource on behalf of the Murdoch empire. Let's not forget the News of the World were willing to pay the equivalent of the damages Sheridan was awarded, for a tawdry piece of uncorroborated 'video' which didn't even show Sheridan's face.

I've no doubt he'll be doing a considerable stint inside - whilst the News of the World won't even be printing an apology for the 'lies' that they printed in exaggerating Sheridan's antics. It's a funny old world right enough!

Still, I'll always remember Tommy Sheridan as the young, firebrand agitator who stood up against the indignities of the Warrant sales, executed as part of Thatcher's assault on the poor. He was the one who fought for what was right and he was the one whose actions saw the Scottish parliament abolishing that abominable and humiliating deed. If only a few more of our politicians could see there way to getting a bit of 3-way bedroom action, we might have a parliament worthy of the name.

Another 6 charges dropped...

The farce continues. The Crown prosecution service has taken to court umpteen charges against Tommy & Gayle Sheridan, dropping them willy nilly as they've been refuted or the witnesses discredited. Appraently the crown are allowed to continue dropping bits of the charges here there and everywhere as Tommy Sheridan has expended his efforts defending himself against them, but still the reamaing few are there for the jury to 'sharpen their focus'... I wonder what teh prosecution line will be?

"Come oan, there's nae smoke withoot fire. Look at aw thay charges we've dropped - he must surely have done something wrang"

I hope the jury see through it, stick with the verdict of the original trial and send a clear message to News international and the Crown Prosecution service.

1 down 1 to go

The Procurators, having embarrassed the Scottish Judicial system for long enough, have finally dropped the remaining charges against Gail Sheridan this morning. Terrific news! Hope she has Tommy home with her next week as a free man to enjoy a good family Christmas and allow them to get on with their life.

The American wheels of justice

It seems the anti-American agenda on the internet is ill founded. The Septics have every right to be concerned that people might find out what they're saying behind their backs - after all, how can you claim to be the world's moral authority if your opinions are revealed to be based on idle tittle-tattle or ill formed impressions of a foreign, sovereign, states's judicial system.

The concerns about Gary Mackinnon not getting a fair trial from these bams is just paranoia. Just because they come across as an nation of immature, gung-ho, rambo wannabes who simply can't handle getting a reddie from what they see as an inferior species shouldn't stop us extraditing a guy, who broke no laws in this country, over there to be made an example of.

I mean, how can we not love and respect a country that takes it upon itself to exonerate a dead rock star for flashing some 40 years ago.

How do the people who drive snow ploughs get to work?

Way back in my childhood Billy Connolly was making something of a name for himself. We used to titter endlessly at his description of the wee guy biting his own willie to undo Russian behemoth, Ivan the Terrible, and his deadly full-pretzel hold. We listened on LPs and when the big yin was making an appearance on Parkinson, I was allowed to stay up to watch. Later when we got a video recorder, it was no-brainer Christmas present for the old man - one of the big yin's video classics.

One of the lines I remember most was his question about the people who drove snow ploughs and how they got to work. It's a cracker! So simple that I still can't work out why I find it funny. Is it that it was so obvious to me that the council (who ran the gritters and snow ploughs back in the day) would have known the bad weather was coming and would have had a plan in place to deal with it before the weather arrived, that it just makes it a stupid question to ask? Apparently not!

Still, I'm astonished to read lately that the guy responsible for sending out the snow ploughs is apparently Stewart Stephenson. Well, no wonder it all went tits up for us this week. He was probably at home over the weekend, not really bothering about the snow ploughs - surely someone else must cover him when's he's on holidays or something? Maybe not! Anyway, Stuarts at home chilling out with his wife or whatever it is he does of a Sunday and it's only when he gets into work on Monday and the snow has already started that he realises he'll need to call out the ploughs... alas and alack. Noone seems to have answered the heavy philosophical question posed by the big yin all those years ago... "How do the folk who drive the snow ploughs get to work?" The driver's cannae get to their big rigs with the plough on front and grit spreader on the back and we're all in the stew 'cos Stewie boy was chillaxing at home when he should have been on the blower to the drivers telling them to get intae work early on Monday.

Hell mend him I say! No need to ask any questions of the board at Transport Scotland. I imagine it's probably just a hobby for them to be involved in keeping the transport system running. I mean, just because this group of people happen to make big claims about their vast experience and knowledge of transport matters and are maybe remunerated in some small way for helping guide us on these matters, why the hell should Stephenson get off the hook for no getting in early on Monday and organising the ploughs to be out there before we disappeared under the forecast blizzards.

Julian Assange overtakes Tommy in Intrique

Whilst I've been enjoying the socialist, class warrior's recent upturns in courtroom fortune - what with the Crown dropping bits of their story left right and centre, the former SSP self-impoloding all over again with their contradictions and poisonous bile, the drama has been on hold in the last few days to allow Julian Assange to overtake Tommy in my file of intrique.

The judge has apparently refused bail to Assange on the grounds that he's a flight risk... This coming after Assange was 'arrested by appointment at 09:30' - which suspiciously sounds like he handed himself in to me - now I'm no criminal mastermind, but people handing themselves into the authorities don't sound like folk looking to do a bunk.

Channel 4 news tonight had some absolute belters on with US senators claiming he should be executed or assinated asap - They didn't actually know which law had been broken. Indeed, one went so far as to claim if one hadn't been broken then the law needed changed so that they could execute him.

The strange thing is, it's not Julian Assange who has damaged the United States or any other country for that matter. It's the buffoon's who have been reporting on world matters / International diplomatic affairs in the manner that they have been which has actually caused the embarrasment. Surely the damage to the US Conservative tradition can only have been further sullied by the reactions of these prominent politicians and advisors.

Kicking myself...

Never mind Tyre kicking, I'm kicking myself. Last year I slid about on the ice like Bambi in our front wheel drive car, that supposedly proves German advancement through Technology.

Having lived amongst the sausage munchers for a cracking couple of years back in the 90's I'm more than familiar with their habit (now enshrined in their laws, I believe) of having 2 sets of wheels, one for summer and one for Winter on their cars. It makes perfect sense. If you're going to shell out a significant wedge for a car, then a coupe of hundred quid on keeping the damn thing roadworthy in rotten weather makes sense. Not doing it because we only really have a few days of freakishly bad weather is false economy!! Remeber that! It's a false economy - don't be swayed!

I looked into getting some Winter tyres last year and after various discussions with dealers I decided the best way forward was to procure some 2nd hand wheels and get them fitted with the Winter tyres. You don't need snazzy alloys in the snow - noone can see them anyway! Plus in realy bad conditions you're pretty likely to be hitting kerbs and pavements as you try to park in the snow.

The results is that we can say with some degree of confidence I'm a lazy fud with some good ideas and pretty poor finishing skills!

From this year onwards we are a 2 sets of wheels for the car family!!! I promise!

Every cloud...

It's long been a bone of contention between myself and any radio DJ that I deign to listen to on my route into work that they shouldn't bang on and on about the great stuff they're going to be playing in about half an hour, or just after 9.
Dominic Diamond when he was on in the mornings was a real sinner in that regard, but Billy Rankin can be a bit like it too. I'm sure they don't mean to annoy me, but I've got to get to work and I don't get the chance to impose my musical tastes on my colleagues once I'm there... which is why this Winter wonderland weather which has forced the school kids to stay at home and everyone else to drive at 10mph has been such a boon. I stoicly trooped into work this morning well after 9am with 'Bad to the Bone' still reverberating round my head... cracking stuff!!!... but it's not all good... It turns out that about 9am they start telling you what they're going to play at 9:30am... tossers!!