Jamie Whyte writes a breathtaking piece of crap in his Times Column today. He proposes privatising healthcare and education and forcing people to pay for it all. It's the usual Tory rant questioning why we should have to pay for other people's healthcare and education. I tell you why Jamie, because we live in a society. What is it about community spirit and the desire to want to help other people out that so enrages the tiny little minds of Conservative thinkers?
To suggest that by making all schools charge fees this will help the poor is laughable. Schools, if this model were adapted, would inevitably try and charge the highest fees possible to attract the wealthiest pupils and the wealthiest schools would attract the best teachers. What then happens to people earning £10K a year? They will only be able to afford the worst schools with the worst teachers. How the hell can this be of benefit to them? People like Whyte like to bang on about choice but if someone has no money what choice do they have? None, they simply send their child to where they can afford it - what other option would they have? Ah, yes I'm sure the nice, caring, compassionate private sector will be more than willing to offer a top class, low cost alternative to those people living in poverty.
His use of the tired example about the NHS also doesn't stand up to scrutiny, choice quote:
' Jack smokes, drinks and overeats. Jill does not. Jack’s behaviour means he consumes more healthcare than Jill. It would be unfair if healthcare cost Jack and Jill the same. Yet this injustice is precisely what the NHS guarantees.'
No it doesn't by the very nature of the taxation system. If you smoke and drink lots then you are paying far more tax than someone who doesn't (assuming both earn the same wage) - therefore your contribution is larger to the NHS.
Sure, privatising both spheres would increase quality for those who can afford it but what about for those who can't? Just looking at the US experience regarding healthcare shows what a terrible mess it would be. The Government runs the NHS and Education and therefore it's answerable to the general public not a small group of shareholders. What's good for the private sector is not always good for the public - you may call it 'Marxist' Jamie but I'd call it 'Commonsense'.
Friday, May 05, 2006
Mexico caves...
Looks as if the USA's 'respect' for other democracies is once again proven to be a load of old balls. Mexico will now not proceed with drug decriminalisation after the US piles on the pressure....
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Boycott Cruise
I was chatting to the Wife the other week about how I was going to call for a boycott of anything to do with Tom Cruise on this blog but then I thought as I only have about 10 readers it's impact would be slightly limited. However, I see that Andrew Sullivan has called for such a thing on his massively read blog today and has asked other bloggers to sign up. Well, I'm definitely onboard Andrew - count me and my 10 readers in! (perhaps I shouldn't speak for all my readers - if you don't think that Cruise is a tosspot then please leave a comment explaining why...)
Agreeing with Abbott
This must be a first for me but I actually agree with Tony Abbott! He has called for fast food companies to show the calorie content of their food to their customers...Wow! What a revolutionary perspective - giving consumers clear, concise information on what they are eating. Predictably, the fast food giants are fighting the move with Con Mormanis of the Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia saying he believed that people should "take responsibility for their own health and welfare, and that includes nutritional selections".
That's all very well and good but surely in order to make an informed choice you need to know what the food contains? Fast food companies depend on misinformation and deception to sell their products so when anyone tries to get them to act in a more ethical way they can see their profits falling in front of their eyes. To be honest, seeing a calorie content of even 1000cal wouldn't stop me eating a Whopper burger after a night on the tiles, but it might make those people who eat them on a more regular basis think about the damage they are doing to their bodies.
There are warnings on fag packets and bottles of booze - with obesity becoming a major public health issue then I can't see why the same rule cannot apply to fast food.
That's all very well and good but surely in order to make an informed choice you need to know what the food contains? Fast food companies depend on misinformation and deception to sell their products so when anyone tries to get them to act in a more ethical way they can see their profits falling in front of their eyes. To be honest, seeing a calorie content of even 1000cal wouldn't stop me eating a Whopper burger after a night on the tiles, but it might make those people who eat them on a more regular basis think about the damage they are doing to their bodies.
There are warnings on fag packets and bottles of booze - with obesity becoming a major public health issue then I can't see why the same rule cannot apply to fast food.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Dear Janet....
Dear Janet,
I read your Australian op-ed piece with great interest today. In it you talk about howAustralia (and all liberal democracies) should be more vocieforous in encouraging their immigrants to learn about Western values. I agree with you, I think we have many things to be proud of here in the West including the rule of law, legal equality between the sexes, the right to protest etc.
However, if people had to be tested on the values you claim are 'uniquely Australian' - 'giving others a fair go, tolerance and compassion' - how do you think your chums in the Howard Administration would fair?
Was Howard giving others a fair go in lying about refugees chucking their children overboard? Is locking asylum seekers up in detention centres on remote pacific islands a demonstration of his compassion towards others? Or how about his government's tolerance of gays?
The problem you have in trying to convince others they should live by our values is that those who actually run this country are utter hypocrites in this and seem to living by the maxim, 'Do as I say, not as I do'.
Maybe if the government of the day really embodied the values that they claim are typical of the Australian character then new immigrants to this country would subscribe to them. Otherwise, they are mere empty words designed simply to increase distrust between communities. I am against Sharia Law as much as you are Janet but I suspect that those who actually want it to be imposed in Australia are very very few in number. I'd hazard a guess that there are many more people in Australia that believe that it should return to a White Australia policy. That doesn't mean they are representative of Australia, it doesn't mean 'Australian Values' are under threat. All it means is that a few idiots live in Australia. Of course they should be confronted and tackled, as should Islamic Fundamentalists, but let's not pretend we are facing a major clash of civilisations.
Yours, lovingly as ever
Shaun
I read your Australian op-ed piece with great interest today. In it you talk about howAustralia (and all liberal democracies) should be more vocieforous in encouraging their immigrants to learn about Western values. I agree with you, I think we have many things to be proud of here in the West including the rule of law, legal equality between the sexes, the right to protest etc.
However, if people had to be tested on the values you claim are 'uniquely Australian' - 'giving others a fair go, tolerance and compassion' - how do you think your chums in the Howard Administration would fair?
Was Howard giving others a fair go in lying about refugees chucking their children overboard? Is locking asylum seekers up in detention centres on remote pacific islands a demonstration of his compassion towards others? Or how about his government's tolerance of gays?
The problem you have in trying to convince others they should live by our values is that those who actually run this country are utter hypocrites in this and seem to living by the maxim, 'Do as I say, not as I do'.
Maybe if the government of the day really embodied the values that they claim are typical of the Australian character then new immigrants to this country would subscribe to them. Otherwise, they are mere empty words designed simply to increase distrust between communities. I am against Sharia Law as much as you are Janet but I suspect that those who actually want it to be imposed in Australia are very very few in number. I'd hazard a guess that there are many more people in Australia that believe that it should return to a White Australia policy. That doesn't mean they are representative of Australia, it doesn't mean 'Australian Values' are under threat. All it means is that a few idiots live in Australia. Of course they should be confronted and tackled, as should Islamic Fundamentalists, but let's not pretend we are facing a major clash of civilisations.
Yours, lovingly as ever
Shaun
Ronney
It's all over for Rooney according to The Sun.
I reckon Joe Cole playing in Rooney's usual role just behind Owen will be the smartest choice. The worst choice would be sticking Peter Crouch upfront and lobbing long balls to him all the time. He simply is not good enough for international football. I hope Ericsson sees sense...
I reckon Joe Cole playing in Rooney's usual role just behind Owen will be the smartest choice. The worst choice would be sticking Peter Crouch upfront and lobbing long balls to him all the time. He simply is not good enough for international football. I hope Ericsson sees sense...
News just in!
Goldfish swept away by floodwater but survives. Wow! That'll be on Channel Ten news tonight no doubt.
How the hell does this stuff become news? I mean imagine the conversation between the Goldfish Owner and the News Desk at Local News Weekly...
News Desk 'Hi there, news desk.'
Goldfish Owner ' Hi, I've got a hot new breaking story for you'
ND ' Really? What is it?'
GO 'It's my Goldfish, it's a miracle!'
News Desk bloke starts to get exited, after all animal stories sell papers! Will certainly be of more interest to the residents of Small Town than that bloody Iraq war business or the forthcoming recission
ND ' Really? What happened?'
GO ' Well, you know we had that really big storm the other day'
ND ' Yes'
GO' Well, our pond got flooded and little Nemo, that's what we call him, got washed away'
ND, eyes lighting up at the prospect of a cute animal AND tragedy in the same story ' Oh no!'
GO' But then we found him alive 5 days later'
ND 'Wow! How did he survive?'
GO 'Well it seems he must have been carried by the water to a flooded roadside ditch and he stayed there till we found him'
ND ' So, let's get this straight. A goldfish stays alive by staying in water.'
GO 'Well, yes'
ND' Brilliant - HOLD THE FRONT PAGE!'
ND bloke phones Editor, 'Boy have I got a story for you'
How the hell does this stuff become news? I mean imagine the conversation between the Goldfish Owner and the News Desk at Local News Weekly...
News Desk 'Hi there, news desk.'
Goldfish Owner ' Hi, I've got a hot new breaking story for you'
ND ' Really? What is it?'
GO 'It's my Goldfish, it's a miracle!'
News Desk bloke starts to get exited, after all animal stories sell papers! Will certainly be of more interest to the residents of Small Town than that bloody Iraq war business or the forthcoming recission
ND ' Really? What happened?'
GO ' Well, you know we had that really big storm the other day'
ND ' Yes'
GO' Well, our pond got flooded and little Nemo, that's what we call him, got washed away'
ND, eyes lighting up at the prospect of a cute animal AND tragedy in the same story ' Oh no!'
GO' But then we found him alive 5 days later'
ND 'Wow! How did he survive?'
GO 'Well it seems he must have been carried by the water to a flooded roadside ditch and he stayed there till we found him'
ND ' So, let's get this straight. A goldfish stays alive by staying in water.'
GO 'Well, yes'
ND' Brilliant - HOLD THE FRONT PAGE!'
ND bloke phones Editor, 'Boy have I got a story for you'
Berlusconi - Best EVER!
So, Silvo finally departs from the seat of power in Italy. But to prove to everyone what a joker he is he told the Italian people that:
'"We will be remembered as the best government in the history of the republic."
Erm, I'm not sure if such a government would preside over zero economic growth, join a disastrous war in the middle east and attempt to fiddle the system of government to give legal immunity to it's members who are corrupt. But hey, maybe I'm just being picky.
'"We will be remembered as the best government in the history of the republic."
Erm, I'm not sure if such a government would preside over zero economic growth, join a disastrous war in the middle east and attempt to fiddle the system of government to give legal immunity to it's members who are corrupt. But hey, maybe I'm just being picky.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Bush takes a beating
This has caused a bit of a furore in the blogosphere in the US, seems as if Bush has finally heard some criticism of his administration - and did he like it? Did he hell! Go Colbert!
Big Feet
Choice quote from this Guardian article regarding people's voting intentions in the forthcoming local elections in London...
Richard Smith, 77, "always votes BNP" because there are too many foreigners in the country. He says "they" burgled him four weeks ago. Asked how he knew it was "them", he said: "We knew by the big foot mark, I can't see many English people having feet as big as that."
Those bloody immigrants and their big feet!
Richard Smith, 77, "always votes BNP" because there are too many foreigners in the country. He says "they" burgled him four weeks ago. Asked how he knew it was "them", he said: "We knew by the big foot mark, I can't see many English people having feet as big as that."
Those bloody immigrants and their big feet!
Beazley
'Bomber' Beazley shows an amazing lack of political judgment by attacking the Howard Govt. over the Tasmanian Mine incident. He may be right in what he is saying but surely now is not the time to try and score political points over this while the two men are still down there? Could this have not waited until they are rescued? This is yet another example of why he is not suitable to lead the main opposition in this country.
Meanwhile, his approval ratings fall even lower. Labor have go to sort this out and fast if they have any hope of recovering to put up a good fight in next year's election....
The Australian attacks Beazley's leadership in today's editorial but to be honest, being attacked by The Australian is no bad thing. When they talk about the party's 'need to reform' what they really mean is that they wish Labor would drop it's ideology & principles and accept the Liberal Party's way of thinking. Drop opposition to full fee paying courses, drop opposition to millionaires receiving family benefits, drop opposition to lack of funding for public education and public healthcare. The Labor Party should not drop any of these things. The problem Labor has is a lack of visionary and firm leadership. Only by getting rid of Beazley will they be able to portray their values as those that can benefit Australians.
Meanwhile, his approval ratings fall even lower. Labor have go to sort this out and fast if they have any hope of recovering to put up a good fight in next year's election....
The Australian attacks Beazley's leadership in today's editorial but to be honest, being attacked by The Australian is no bad thing. When they talk about the party's 'need to reform' what they really mean is that they wish Labor would drop it's ideology & principles and accept the Liberal Party's way of thinking. Drop opposition to full fee paying courses, drop opposition to millionaires receiving family benefits, drop opposition to lack of funding for public education and public healthcare. The Labor Party should not drop any of these things. The problem Labor has is a lack of visionary and firm leadership. Only by getting rid of Beazley will they be able to portray their values as those that can benefit Australians.
Monday, May 01, 2006
TV
The Age reports that traditional TV broadcasting is facing it's most serious threat ever from 'on demand' download sites and torrents. I can only think that this is a good thing, people are sick of adverts every five minutes, of Channel 7 not showing Desperate Housewives and other top rating shows during Easter just because it is deemed as a 'non rating' period, of programs being moved around the schedules willy nilly, of programs being dropped after just 2 episodes... If you could download Desperate Housewives from the net (legally) then why the hell would you bother watching it in five minute at a time intervals on Channel 7? It's time for the networks to step up to the plate and improve the 'watchability' of their stations. My guess is though that they are too conservative and too monolithic to do this and will suffer badly as the new information age steams ahead...
Consumers in the US can now download their favourites shows from iTunes - when is this feature going to be made available in the UK or Australia? We wait and wait for a legal solution, meanwhile Australia and the UK head the league table of internet TV piracy. You can't keep a lid on this (as those in the MSM would like to) - give people what they want otherwise they'll get it through illegal methods. The music industry have finally recognised this, now it's time for the TV industry to get real.
Consumers in the US can now download their favourites shows from iTunes - when is this feature going to be made available in the UK or Australia? We wait and wait for a legal solution, meanwhile Australia and the UK head the league table of internet TV piracy. You can't keep a lid on this (as those in the MSM would like to) - give people what they want otherwise they'll get it through illegal methods. The music industry have finally recognised this, now it's time for the TV industry to get real.
Mexico follows Portugal in applying sanity to their drug laws. I hope that other countries such as the UK and Australia follow their lead, although the chances of Howard decriminalising Ecstasy possession are less than him saying sorry to those bloody abo's in my opinion.
Let's face it, arresting a clubber for possession of 2 pills is not making any contribution at all, in the wider sense, to the never ending 'war on drugs'. Police resources would be much better deployed at disrupting the organised criminal gangs that control the market. Of course, you could legalise the market completely and massively reduce crime but that isn't realistically gonna happen so the small steps that Mexico and Portugal have taken are most welcome. The day we stop punishing people for seeking to get high for a few hours is the day our society will become more grown up.
Let's face it, arresting a clubber for possession of 2 pills is not making any contribution at all, in the wider sense, to the never ending 'war on drugs'. Police resources would be much better deployed at disrupting the organised criminal gangs that control the market. Of course, you could legalise the market completely and massively reduce crime but that isn't realistically gonna happen so the small steps that Mexico and Portugal have taken are most welcome. The day we stop punishing people for seeking to get high for a few hours is the day our society will become more grown up.
Ingerland
Saturday was a bad day for England fans but Ericsson seems optimistic about Wayne's chances of recovering in time to play some part in the forthcoming World Cup. Owen is also looking doubtful at the moment. If both are out that means our strikeforce will most likely comprise of Peter Crouch and Jermaine Defoe. Yes, a donkey and a Spurs subsitiute. Germany, Italy and Brazil will be shaking in their boots! I have genuine optimism about our chances of winning this year but if Owen and Rooney are both out we can kiss any chance of winning goodbye...
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