Thursday 17 October 2013

DIDN'T BLUNDER PATERSON DO WELL?

We all know how intensely satisfying it is when yet another English Tory blunders into Edinburgh to tell us how completely useless we are and how we couldn't give away our products never mind sell them, without Great Britain doing it all for us....silly children that we are.

Mind, I have to say that it wasn't clear to me what Owen Paterson, the not immediately appealing secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs (wink wink, nod nod, plenty of them in Toryland) was doing in Scotland. I would have thought that most of his brief was covered by our own government in the form of Richard Lockhead, however, come he did and insult us he did in spades.

We shouldn't be too upset though. Mr Paterson is a man who cares not what
he insults. Apparently those of us who have reservations about the benevolent intentions of Monsanto and its likes are "wicked". That, I assume, includes Charlie Windsor, so I assume that Paterson isn't hoping to become Sir Lord Paterson anytime soon.

In any case, I was interested, given the disaster that he thinks Scots would make of running their own (rural) affairs, to read this morning that his campaign of murdering badgers in two English counties has gone horribly wrong. 

In typical Tory style, however, this is not the fault of the government, or the privatised agency responsible, but of, would you credit it, the badgers, who, according to Paterson, moved the goalposts. Clever badgers! I think that if Paterson himself were about to be shot by men from the ministry, he'd probably move the bloody goalposts too...

Apparently the target set for the "cull", although I'd say "kill" was a perfectly reasonable word, was 70% of the (badger) population. They have managed only 30%. Clearly Paterson and his crew of sharpshooters were outwitted by the badgers.  The words "booze up" and "brewery" spring to mind. 

I look forward to the time when the right honourable gentleman! has absolutely nothing to do with our food exports. 

However, on a brighter note, the poor, unemployed, underemployed, sick and elderly can take comfort form the fact that the government's record for  killing off unwanted burdens is pretty poor, and all you have to do out outwit them is move a goalpost or two.

12 comments:

  1. "the poor, unemployed, underemployed, sick and elderly can take comfort form the fact that the government's record for killing off unwanted burdens is pretty poor, and all you have to do out outwit them is move a goalpost or two."

    Actually that's not really relevant. You see lots of people in middle England care about badgers and so the Tories have to be careful of bad publicity and there are folk like Brian May trying to stop them. I'm no longer sure that (after propaganda campaigns in MSM) the poor have the same appeal.

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    1. Yes, I suppose PP that that is a fair point. I know a lot of my English friends are appalled at what is happening to social security, health and education in their country, but are there Brian Mays in England doing their best for the poor and the old...?

      The trouble is that for the English there is simply no alternative. The Liberals have become Tories, and Labour are only centimeters away from them in most policies. Not enough to make a difference.

      UKIP is their only alternative. I'm not sure that everyone is happy with the Xenophobia and hatred that is alive in that party.

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  2. Brian May is part Scottish on his mother's side....

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  3. I'd love to see Brian May's version of this -

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLgqf6TrU4I

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    1. Brilliant... He's not Freddie Mercury right enough... but then, who is...

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  4. Its nice to see a poorly qualified, unelected Prince of Wales explain to us how pensions should be funded isn't it? :P

    Knowing wee Charlie was on the case, I can sleep easy in my kip!

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    1. I've not read that story yet, but I met a neighbour on the way home who was trying not to vomit having heard about it.

      Will get back to you when I read up on it. Sounds fascinating.

      How's your tooth?

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    2. I've read it now, and to be honest, I agree with him. I just don't think he should be the one to say it.

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    3. My tooth is much better frankly. Not before much time, ibuprofens and general moody sourness.

      Yeah, I agree with your views on wee Charlie. What is his mandate to interfere? Even if I agree with his views, it is intolerable that a future monarch gets to play politics.

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    4. Glad to hear it.

      I think if Charles continues to get involved in these things he is at risk of putting himself at odds with the elected government.

      Now, as I think that Britain has a rather faint imprint of democracy on it and I loathe its government, AND I'm a republican, I'm not quite sure how I stand in this...

      I'd be happy to see Charlie go and I'd be happy to see the government fall, so it foes leave me in a bit of a quandary! :)

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    5. it "does" leave me in a bit of a quandary, I should have typed.

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