HS2, OR FANTASY.

The departure from same sex marriage to High Speed Train is probably far enough for the British Coalition Government to distance itself, for what it hopes will recover a little popularity with the electorate, at least, the Conservatives. As with all such projects, instead of raising private investment, it glibly talks in excess of £30billion of taxpayers' money. To be more accurate, deferred taxes, due to the fact that Britain already has a National Debt of around £5trillion. We are also reliably informed that every other High Speed Train service, no matter which nation, loses money. The author is sure that the French TGV is 40billion euros in debt, and rising.

The notion seems to be based on spending this mountain of cash, Keyensian fashion, to employ an army of workers. Unfortunately, we can only anticipate that the majority of the latter would be imported; not too many Brits would fancy their chances, as it is much easier to stay at home and live well on benefits, thanks to the previous Labour Government.

The first of these trains will be due to depart for Birmingham sometime in the late 'Twenties'; Let us be honest, by which time we could be beaming each other around the world. Furthermore, what is wrong with Skype?

It is of course the fact that instant communication promotes these ideas into the heads of politicians, which these columns suggest, shows off their 'Tart' factor.

SAVE THE MONEY AND GREEN FIELDS.

AN EDUCATIONAL NIGHTMARE.

A letter in today's national press caught the eye of an A level student, who, from the age of thirteen, has been taught at home, mainly by her mother, subjects including German, Latin, History and Geography. Obviously, Mariama Bojang, the teenager in question, has a very well educated mother.

Mariama points out that she entered her comprehensive school, having reached level 8, Most of her contemporaries were no better than level 4, and some struggling at level 2; these were mainly boys from two separate areas, estates, both predominantly of Asian backgrounds, who had decided, and probably do still, that education was unimportant. Mariama was reprimanded for wanting to get ahead, in spite of the continued interruptions from these trouble makers, to whom, nothing was said. We can understand, therefore, why her parents decided to educate this bright young woman themselves.

This instance happened in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, but is likely being replicated all over the United Kingdom. What chance does a nation have, when it is determined to concentrate on the pupils who have no vision of their own future, apart from living off the state, and heaven only knows, what kind of mischief?


BRING BACK GRAMMAR SCHOOLS MICHAEL GOVE.

SO WHAT IS THE ATTRACTION?

We read in the press this week of five young people, who, having taken what is considered to be the amusingly termed, recreational drug, ecstasy, have subsequently died. What seems strange about these kind of incidents, they just get a mention in passing. It is not the intention in these columns to upset the next of kin, as these tragedies can happen to many unsuspecting parents. It is, nevertheless, high time that these incidences are debated. After all, had these deaths come about through careless driving, all types of folk would be giving us the benefit with their 'sixpenneth'.

The report says that the deaths occurred following the use of what is considered to be ingesting some pills from a 'rogue' consignment. This would suggest that there are legitimate batches out there. One of the victims, Charlotte Woodiwiss, a student, was said to have a promising future, which she obviously disregarded, as these drug infused activities can only be considered to be living for the moment.

Running concurrently with these depressing stories, is that so many 'dunderheads' think it in order that this abuse is a personal choice. Then perhaps the rest of us can have a large tax rebate, as my choice is not to fund their hospital bills.


WILL COMMON SENSE EVER EMERGE?

MORE POLITICAL ORCHESTRATION.

The author, earlier in the week, watched a programme entitled 'The House I Live In'; some readers could well be familiar with the song of the same name. The subject: The spread, and ongoing problems of drug abuse in the United States. It even suggested that it was intended to reduce the population. The production was detailed, which, to some, could well have appeared laboured. The outcome, however, seems to be part of the 'orchestration', which is spreading throughout the declining western world, suggesting that self- imposed suffering is somehow a disease. Leprosy, Diphtheria are diseases. Drug addiction, alcoholism and smoking all come about via human weakness.

In the East Midlands of the UK, this week, we have seen on the news broadcasts, the conviction of a couple, whose son (he looked about four/five years of age), had died, due to drinking methadone, a prescription drug presumably. An autopsy revealed that in his system were traces of cocaine and heroin. How appalling is that? Neither must we overlook comments by a certain Baroness Meacher, a former wife of a Cabinet Minister from the discredited Blair years, Michael 'Minnie the Meacher'. She is convinced that drugs should be decriminalised, and to add to the fun, we have Police Chiefs singing from the same hymn sheet. All implying that this is a health concern rather than a case of law and order.

What none of these simpletons can understand, is that the problem won't go away with a supply agency controlled by the state. The same suppliers will be out there, coming up with flavour of the month, undercutting the state regulated supply, increasing the health costs to the law abiding by some margin.

AND LET'S NOT OVERLOOK THE LANCE ARMSTRONG METHOD EITHER.

A HORSE, A HORSE, MY BURGER IS A HORSE!

It has transpired here in the UK, that many of our burgers, labelled prime beef, in actual fact contain, in some cases, a high percentage of horse meat. That doesn't necessarily suggest that they are not fit for human consumption. It does, however, say that the British shopper is being told 'porkie' pies' (lies). This, in an age when millions of people are employed, at the public's expense, to control this type of fraud occurring. It is also implied that other animal flesh is involved, and that could be anybody's guess.

Let us pause here and consider the price we pay for our European Union membership. For what are we paying? Obviously not overseeing the untruths which seem to abound in this farcical arrangement, which expends considerable hot air in their vast Brussels' enclave.

Horse meat, if that is all that we are assured is the problem, has been eaten for many a long time on mainland Europe. The late Clement Freud, former Liberal Member of Parliament, owned a high class restaurant in London's West End, served tasty horse steaks, heavily marinaded. He received regular plaudits for their quality. The 'punters' however, assumed that they were eating beef.


WHY NOT TRY OUR PREMIUM 'SHERGAR' RANGE.

THE BENEFICIARIES.

This is not a review about a film, or TV series, it is about swathes of folk in the UK, who live off the back of those who are obliged to generate the cash, to keep them in their life of comparative luxury; although not all are in a jobless position due to an overwhelming feeling of laziness, or entitlement. However, which ever way one peruses this situation, in Britain, over recent years, benefits have increased with inflation, outstripping the private sector, whose increases, if any, have remained stagnant; and it is the private workforce that creates the necessary funds for this largesse.

This subject is currently being debated in the House of Commons; naturally the 'pinko' opposition don't want any levelling out, as these beneficiaries are their clients on whom they rely at election time. It needs to be explained that the section reliant upon these handouts will still receive a 1% increase, whereas, the private sector workforce, in general, will get little or nothing extra. The author continues to be amazed that socialists think spending money that doesn't exist is good for the economy. Many of the recipients of this cash are from European countries, in many cases, not having subscribed in any way to the welfare state. Of course, an outfit that gave the nation this vast debt, has little or no understanding of money matters. The disaster is, that all the folk on 'the take' think that these 'freebies' are their basic right. 'And the devil take the hindmost'.


FEW IF ANY CONSIDER THAT FUTURE GENERATIONS WILL HAVE TO 'SETTLE THE TAB'.

WELCOME TO 2013 AND TALK OF MORE TAXES.

Welcome to the new year. The only thing that is guaranteed, will be the increased cost of living.

Rail travellers, in general, are 'up in arms' at the annual rise of fares; presumably, they would be happier if the charge were applied to taxes across the board. The Chancellor, George Osborne's decision to pay less in child credits to families where one income exceeds £60,000, is about to take effect. This is a slight against marriage, the very institution that conservatism should be encouraging. The pathetic attempt by Gordon Brown and the last Labour Government, only attracted many families from abroad, some, men with more than one wife, to generate a viable 'little earner', based on 'freebies'. The backlash won't be pretty. The secret here is not to give the socialists an easy ride by doing their bidding. Eventually, the 'norm' will be that the higher earners will have to keep these leeches forever and a day.

Conversely, in the red corner, the socialists would make a further tax on pension investments by the most wealthy section of the workforce, to create more jobs, or so they say! Believe me, the only way that any government can make jobs is to lower general taxation. What Labour would actually do, is to pretend that the jobless would be obliged to take public sector jobs, join a union to help bolster union funds, some of which goes back to the Labour Party by way of donations. Many of these jobs would be totally unnecessary, and would return the country to a system of rampant debt, adding to the £4.8 trillion where they left us in 2010.

Possibly, the most worrying aspect of the coming months is the fact that food prices will go much higher due to the dreadful summer which the world experienced in 2012, which no government can control. On the other hand, it must look at the ridiculous hike in green taxes on fuel, both domestic, particularly with the elderly in mind, and from a manufacturing perspective. These charges will ultimately reduce Britain to an offshore dumping ground with considerable unrest.

IT COULDN'T BE WORSE.

STEPHEN FRYING TONIGHT.

Stephen Fry appears all over British TV, rather like some out of control rash. He is a pseudo intellectual, who, mainly from the BBC, sells diverse sexuality at the 'drop of a hat'. In the main, his programmes are silly quiz games, where he plays the person asking the questions to second-rate modern, and I use the term loosely, comics, but don't hold me to the definition. Although now seen on other channels, he might well have hibernated over the Christmas period, apparently superseded by Miranda Hart.

I'm assured by my wife, that she is both good at comedy, as a 'stand up' comedienne, and she can act. In Britain, this means that we could be subjected to Miranda around the clock. This is in a nation of well over 60million people, plus a few more million unaccounted for. I suppose modern celebrity needs to be 'milked', metaphorically speaking. Modern electronic gadgets fall into the same category.


FORTUNATELY, THERE ARE A FEW CHANNELS OFFERING THINGS  MORE EDUCATIONAL.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR".