Britain to have its Second Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012

Published by calhoun on June 12th, 2011 - in Politics

Queen ElizabethNext year, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth will have reigned as Queen of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth realms for 60 years since. She will therefore be only the Second Monarch in British history to have celebrated a Dimond Jubilee, coming second to Queen Victoria whom celebrated her Diamond Jubilee in 1897.

Plans are already underway,  with a long weekend set aside in early June to celebrate the Jubilee. During this time, towns across the United Kingdom will also be competing to be awarded City status. It has been declared that Greenwich will be receiving Royal Borough status. Citing that they have had close ties to the British Monarchy historically and it is now time to honor that.

The government has plans to issue a medal to celebrate the reaching of the diamond jubilee and across the United Kingdom, it is likely a number of individuals will take advantage of government advice and set up their own street party. Many city councils will likely create a public street party as well.

The fact of being the second British Monarch to reach the award, and Queen Elizabeth still appearing to be in good health conditions is significant. Earlier this year, she become the Second Longest Reigning Monarch in British History. She succeed King Gorge III on Thursday, 12 May. and with her good health ahead of her, she is expected to become officially the longest reigning monarch of Britain in September 2015.

References
The Telegraph | PakistaniTimes | DirectGov | DirectGov(2) | BBCNews

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What is your Emergency Action Plan for Zombie Attack?

Published by calhoun on June 11th, 2011 - in News

Zombie AttackIn disaster recovery plans, it is important to target all the likely eventualities that your organisation may be effected by. In a freedom of information request to Leicster City Council, it has been discovered that the city council has not adequately prepared itsself for what to do in the event of the city coming under seige of a raging Zombie attack!

Critical ?

You might be thinking, this was a colossal waste of resources to respond to this, but in truth it perhaps is not. Heres why: Firstly, the Freedom of Information Request is a right, one may question the motives of this but to get rid of the right would be a worse infringement on our country. Requests about how much your MP was wasting in state funds would be unavailable, and we saw how that shaken up parliament. Secondly, organisations tend to put off emergency action planing until the event occurs, by putting a request in, that council has had to get out the dusty old document and read it. In doing so they quite possibly have noticed other pointers that may need to be revised. This will ensure the council is prepared for situations better.

Furthermore, what if a Zombie Attack really does happen? Are we prepared? If a country can handle a Zombie attack what else can they handle?

I might put in a FOI request to see what other wacky requests have been made, and in the mean time I think I will start writing my own disaster recovery plans to get things moving.

References
BBC News

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Massacre on the grounds but at least David Cameron has a nice suit…

Published by calhoun on June 8th, 2011 - in Politics

Syrian Boy carries Freedom BannerSyria is in the middle of a bloody uprising with Government forces using deadly force to stop it by whatever means necessary. In a sort of Ping Pong game, anti-government and government forces are blaming each other for the deaths of 120 security personnel. Anti government forces stating that they were shot by the government, and to no surprise, the Government has stated that the rebellious Syrians did it.

Conflict in the middle east has been growing this year, meanwhile in the rest of the World Politicians go about their daily business largely taking little or no interest in the events going on around them. European governments however have decided it might be time to act and are starting to take actions that might see a strongly worded letter being read out in the United Nations! After all, letters do go so far in solving the worlds problems dont they?

A United Nations Security Council Resolution may be veto’ed by Russia (no news there!) which really begs the question of why should a single country on the United Nations Security Council have the right to stop a Resolution when the overwhelming support of the council for the resolution is there. Possibly its time to see a shake up of the operations of the United Nations.

Refernces
AlJazeera

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What has Labour done for you?

Published by calhoun on May 22nd, 2011 - in Politics

Labour Party RoseIn my past articles I covered the Liberals and Conservatives (albeit with what little good points they have) it would be unfair not to give Labour their day in the spotlight.

Writing in the Mirror, Fiona Philips kicks off a similar concept with the National Minimum Wage. You might be surprised that I am not going to be including that in this list. The minimum wage was meant to ensure people were not being taken advantage off. However instead it turned out to allow employers to keep wages down.

Following three decades of hostilities and over 17 solid hours of diplomatic discussions between then Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Republic of Ireland’s leader Bertie Ahern, the Good Friday agreement was achieved. This could perhaps be the crowning achivement of Tony Blair and the Labour party certainly deserves credit for pulling of the treaty.

Discrimination has been an issue particuarily addressed by the Labour Party:

“There is no place in our society for discrimination. That’s why I support the right of gay couples to apply to adopt like any other couple.” Former Prime Minister Tony Blair

The Civil Partnerships for same sex couples were brought into British Law under the Labour party, likewise, it was the Labour Party whom brought in the Disability Discrimination Act they granted paternity leave to fathers.

In the health care world, Labour have made an effort to cut waiting times, granted it still has much to go. They reformed the GPs as well so now many are open late or at the weekends improving the health care for all.

The Human Rights Act was passed under the Labour party, although in recent years their actions particularaily in Afghanistan and Iraq may not have supported the human rights act as it was intended.

So the achievements of the Labour party have been quite honorable.

References: BBC News - BBC News (2) – BBC News (3) - Mirror –  Human Rights Act

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What has the conservatives done really?

Published by calhoun on May 20th, 2011 - in Politics

Conservative Party TreeIn my last post I wrote about the Liberals and what they have done. I stated at the end that I might try and write about what the conservatives have done in an attempt to keep my blog politically neutral(ish). I can confidently say writing this blog entry was no easy feat! Indeed finding good things to say about the conservatives has been nothing short of a miracle.

So what exactly has the conservatives done for you?

They have the title as having the first woman prime minister under their belt. So I guess that is something worth noting.

Although modern conservatives seem to be against Europe, I am giving them the credit as having brought the UK into the European Community. Admittedly they have been somewhat divided on this matter.

Further to their credit, the only two referendums ever ran in the United Kingdom have both been done under the conservative party. Involving the people in the country in political circles.

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What has the Liberals done for you?

Published by calhoun on May 15th, 2011 - in Politics

Houses of ParliamentRecently I was accused of being a retarded liberal probably by a Member of the British National Party or at the least a conservative. It made me realize that people in the UK really are forgetful of what their predecessors have done for them, and equally important that most of the changes to the laws that we take for granted came under Liberial believes.

During the reign of King Edward VII Britain voted overwhelmingly for a radical statesman to become the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. His name was Sir Henry Cambell-Bannerman and he was leader of the British Liberal Party.

Under his primership, trade unions got the protection of the courts that they should have – no longer could a trade union be sued for damages by the employer over a dispute for say unfair pay. People could start moving away from open slavery in the corporate work space – companies would be responsible for their own staff.

Providing something that the conservatives are now considered to get rid of, Free School meals for children. Can you imagine it an era where children could afford to go to school and permissibility get a better meal than what they had at home in those days.

When the leader of the conservatives resigned the Liberals formed a minority Government, and what was the first action they took? They dissolved parliament and called for a general election. That is something that Gordon Brown would never have done, likewise, David Cameron would keep his teeth in parliament as premier as long as he could. You really should be asking yourself here, is that the type of person you want to represent you?

His successor was successful at reducing the power of the House of Lords which the Conservatives had used to block motions by the Parliament under the Liberals. With the reform it meant it was possible for Woman to receive the vote.

Other interesting acts of Liberal Government:

  • Medical Reforms leading to the NHS
  • Free Medical Inspections
  • Protection of Children from irresponsible parents
  • Pensions for Old people

So, is being liberal really such a bad thing?

I would commit to producing a party neutral flow on this subject, but tomorrow, it would be the conservative party’s turn and I am not entirely sure i’ll be able to say anything nice about them so keep an eye out see what comes through…

References
Number10 Modernist Journal National Archives

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Why is his argument always “because uh….”

Published by calhoun on May 5th, 2011 - in News, Politics

Second referendum in the history of the United Kingdom Takes place on May 5, 2011For one group of British people, it is all over, for the rest, tomorrow is a celebration day. Of course, we do not know which way the referendum is going to go just quite yet, but with the polls closed, and the boxes sealed, the second British referendum is over. The arguments however are not over yet.

I have spoken to many people and watched the arguments of both sides grow and my conclusion thus far has to be, why is the no-to-av peoples argument summarised in the phrase “uhh I voted no because uh …. AV is bad” ?

The usual witty response from some of the yes to av people is , “Why?” this question usually goes unanswered. So my question is, why do they convincingly know that AV is bad, yet cant even string together a single reason as to why it is bad. My friend for the last hour has been attempting to convince me that its bad, by using phraseology like, “People are dumb” and “ugh brb a second” and “You do realise that this could be dangerously exploited if AV wins” queue the “how so?”

The most scary has to be how the number of people who are apparently against AV but yet have no logical reason to back up why they are against it is a sign of how much Britain is uneducated in the political world.

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One argument for Alternative Vote

Published by calhoun on May 3rd, 2011 - in Politics

Vote Yes for AV - Lets have a beer

Seen this on Facebook and thought it really does summarise the referendum perfectly.

There is really only one answer in the referendum, vote for beer.

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United States Gives up on Due Process – Osama Bin Laden Executed

Published by calhoun on May 2nd, 2011 - in News, Politics

Osamba Bin Laden Wanted Poster marked as DeceasedThe United States justice system believes in the concept of Due process, except when it comes to their political enemies it seems. On Sunday, US Special forces engaged the stronghold of al queada leader Osama Bin Laden.

Officials have indicated that he received a gunshot directly to the head, rendering him dead in a significantly mafia style execution. President Obama has revealed that “no Americans were harmed” in the operation. It has also been revealed that he has been buried at sea in order to prevent his burial tomb becoming a shrine of martyrdom or perhaps to prevent any further coroner investigating to find an unlawful death. The burial occurred in accordance with Islamic believes for burial within 24 hours of death leaving a lot of suspicion open to the conduct of the United States Special Forces which conducted the operation.

A woman who was used as a shield was apparently killed in the incident as well, leaving the United States open to the possibility that their forces have acted against international law. The attack was conducted in a rapid motion with a mere 40 minutes from engagement to Osama Bin Laden being shot dead in the head. This sounds suspiciously like a revenge strike rather than a professional military strike intent on brining a terrorist to face his justice. Former president George W Bush has announced that the result is a “momentous achievement” [which he could not achieve].

Despite the likelyhood that the US conducted itsself in an unlawful way , a definate mood of celebration can be felt in the air. No one is sad about the miss justice carried out, in fact it seems quite the oppisite. The Stock market has gained a huge boast in response to the annoucement of the death. The US, Japanese, and European Stock exchanges have all seen a huge boast. The Dollar has rebounded from a three year low and the Japanese seen an average of 10,000 jump.

Experts believe this may be a short term thing however, as the United States has put all its world wide embassies on alert in fear of retaliatory attacks in response to the death.

References
BBC News
The Guardian

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Imagine a country where the voters didnt know who they were voting for

Published by calhoun on April 24th, 2011 - in Politics

Second referendum in the history of the United Kingdom Takes place on May 5, 2011Quite possibly the most important feature of a democratic state is the power given to the people, a power so great that it helps shape the form of leadership and government that that country will receive. It is called, the Vote. This single instrument can shape victory or defeat for the political elite. It is a highly sought playing card by the political leaders of a nation and can lead to disaster if misused.

To think that this power could be misunderstood so badly by the people of a country that they do not even know who is to be voted for in an election is quite scary. With troubles in the middle east, you are probably thinking: “I know what country he’s talking about” and, you probably are right: England.

YouGov figures suggest in a recent poll that a staggeringly large population has not got the slightest clue who their local councilors are which is rather disturbing considering an election is just around the corner. As high as 80% of people can not even name a single candidate. It shows that the general public of England are pretty uneducated. This is worrying especially with the upcoming referendum to be had at on the same day.With great power comes great responsibility, it is the responsibility then of the political elite to educate the politically unaware of their campaigns and why the vote of power is so important to them.

Sit back and let whomever shouts the loudest win, in Germany it was Hitler, next time it could be Nick Griffin act now, get involved.

Remember, Yes is a positive word, No is a negative word, much like death. A vote of No to AV is a vote for Death to democracy in the United Kingdom. You alone can change that use the vote to bring around a modern era of democracy where you, the people of the United Kingdom declare in one loud voice we will not go into the darkness without a fight, we want the power to decide over our politicians, we want AV and we want it now.

References
WriteToThem
BBC News

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