What to do....

A terror suspect was considering an indiscriminate Mumbai-style attack and had an address for Tony Blair and his wife, Cherie, the Old Bailey has heard.

Well the address is not that hard to find. It is in Connaught Square, W2.

I used to live in Connaught Square, at number 23, right on the corner. That was in the days before anybody outside of CND or MI5 ever heard of Tony Blair....

But I suspect when they see this post, 5 will be frantically checking the records. Tossers.

Blair is, of course, the 'man' who launched us into a record number of wars. You might notice that his son and heir has never served in the Armed Forces. We have a name for such people......

I generally do not approve of capital punishment, but at times like this do I wonder why the security services are issued with firearms.... That this piece of vermin should be released and allowed to walk among Human Beings is a disgrace.

Brighton bomber Patrick Magee has returned to the town 30 years after his deadly device ripped through the Grand Hotel killing five people.

The Republican, who was handed eight life sentences in 1986, planted the bomb that targeted Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative Cabinet during their annual conference in 1984.

Magee was back in the city to take part in a panel discussion following a screening of documentary Beyond Right & Wrong at The Old Market in Hove.

The programme follows the story of Jo Berry, whose father Sir Anthony Berry was killed in the explosion, and her reconciliatory journey with Magee.

He previously returned to Brighton in 2004 to take part in a panel discussion with Ms Berry. But Lord Tebbit, who was trade and industry secretary at the time, said he could not forgive the bomber.

The former minister was severely injured in the blast and his wife Margaret was left paralysed from the neck down and needing 24-hour care.

Writing for The Telegraph, he said: “I am often asked if I can find it in my heart to forgive the creature, Patrick Magee, who planted the bomb.

“That, of course, is not possible, for Magee has never repented.”

Staff at the hotel held a minute’s silence to mark the 30th anniversary of the outrage, which killed five seriously injured 34 others.

Magee was released in 1999 under the Good Friday Agreement – having served 13 years for the crime.

Fat Cats...

“The whole of British politics has been shaken up in a way that the complacent Westminster class could never even have contemplated,” Nigel Farage said as Duncan Carswell was re-elected to Westminster. “Something big is happening here. People want change. They have had enough of career politicians in three parties who don’t even understand the problems they face in their everyday lives. People want real change."

Yes, Nigel, the nation has had enough of 'career politicians' it is true.

And what have you done for a living since 1999, Mr Farage? Ahhh.... you have been a career politician. 

You also employed your wife, contrary to your own undertakings, at taxpayer's expense. Even now, she is employed as an an assistant by a certain Ray Finch, who in the last parliament was himself employed by you as an assistant. That looks a bit dodgy, doesn't it?

And there was a story in the Sunday Times, a few years ago, alleging that one of your sons was on the payroll too....

Yes Nigel, those career politicians are milking the taxpayer for everything they can get... 

I really do despair about the state of the English language media.

The following is from today's Telegraph (Oct 9th 2014).

"Mr Cameron has previously suggested that migrants from poor countries that join the European Union should be banned from moving to Britain, David Cameron has suggested."

I understand that commercial pressures have led to the redundancy of most of the real journalists, and that most copy, even in such journals as the Telegraph, is apparently sourced by interns from the wires. 

But can they not find one that actually reads that which they cut and paste?

It's no wonder the country is going to the dogs....

How the other half live....

I had to visit the Commune (Town Hall) today, to get a piece of paper stamped. Don't ask me what it was, I couldn't give a stuff, getting bits of paper stamped is an everyday part of life here in Belgium.

I live in that part of town where most of the embassies are, and it is a nice 15 minute walk to the Commune, so I don't get too stressed about it. I had a really nice stroll, stopped off at my local shop to pass a few minutes with my Sri Lankan chums, talked about cricket, and generally enjoyed the start to my day.

For the first time ever, I noticed the embassy of Madagascar in Avenue de Tervueren. It is very big. Very big, and very grand. There were a number of Mercedes outside - the kind you don't see in the showrooms- big limos with blacked out windows and diplomatic plates. Very impressive.

And all that for a bunch of cartoon animals.

Meeting Oleksandr Vilkul

My day got off to a good start.

I got to interview the former Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Oleksandr Vilkul, I was very pleased to have some time with him one hour before the start of his official press conference.

Ukrainian politics, and the dynamics of that country's political elite are often a total mystery to me, even after some years of engagement. But I make a point of engaging with both sides of the debate. And I am excited to say that today a wee bit of optimism is creeping in for the first time in many months...