The stench of greed inflamed corruption is overwhelming global politics

I suspect most of us naive foot soldiers in the Great British 1st Brigade of Tax Payers, thought that the only thing famous in Panama, was the canal which linked the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific via a series of locks and passage ways across a narrow-ish country between North and South America.

Now we find it to be nothing less than, another Banana Republic with a penchant for opening cardboard cutout companies for the purposes of the owners (?) avoiding contributing their share to the common good in their respective countries. 

The ramifications of this massive leaking of over 11 million documents (Edward Snowden eat your heart out) are hopefully going to be profound in terms of shutting the loopholes for the variety of upper echelon politicians and their cronies who've systematically screwed their respective countries finances, with the resultant deficiencies to the health, education and welfare budgets of the commoners.

Our own "Dynamic Duo"  Fatman and the Boy Blunder meantime are attempting to steer clear of troubled waters (well at least Boy Blunder seems to be). 

Fatman (Cameron for the benefit of doubt) though, seems to be caught in the headlights of publicity with the revelation that his dear old Pater (RIP) had been salting his wealth away in Panama via the very route that his son, our glorious Prime Minister, was appearing to be, so virulently antipathetic towards i.e. "Offshore Funds".  

His erstwhile next door neighbour in 11 Downing Street, "Boy Blunder" Osborne was keeping a profile that could best be characterised as the invisible man, presumably in the hope that Fatman may be fatally wounded with "the sins of the father", then he could pick up the reins of Tory Power.

No such luck for we the taxpayers, Fatman comes out with the most ludicrous obfuscation about the wealth amassed (with no tax paid) by the fund! He indignantly asserts that he (personally), does not own any shares, nor does he have any proposed future benefit from the fund set up by his father! His only source of income is his pitiful salary as Prime Minister of this sceptred island.

My sainted aunt! Does this Eton cretin think that the Great British public are too stupid to be able to understand that his terribly expensive private education and cosseted background which got him to where he is today, undoubtedly came from a tooth fairy ?

I really think he does

Post-script on Boy Blunder;

They're all the same !!

This evil savagery is not Islam nor is it Islamic!

The atrocity perpetrated in Paris yesterday, is just an act of utter barbarism and the illogical actions of deranged madmen.

ISIS have now claimed responsibility for the mindless criminal acts in the centre of Paris, and I suppose it was to be expected, as this organisation has truly "lost the plot" so far as their actions are concerned.

They have deliberately set out to sicken the civilised (?) world into reacting against them, such that they can then propagandise their battle as a war against Imperialist Crusaders! 

Moderate Islam has to overcome their internal strife between Shia and Sunni versions of Islam and the west has to stop interfering and assuming that all Arabs want a form of Islam that dovetails with Western Democracy (or what the West laughingly calls Democracy)

The moral pendulum has to start swinging back soon !

Now then, I'm not asking the average reader to become a devout and practising Priest/Nun/Abbot, nor am I asking them to believe in some ethereal supreme being (God) sitting on a celestial cloud in the sky dispensing wine and honey whilst memorising each of the 7 billion souls on this earth's pecadiloes (with a view to dispatching them to either an eternity of burning in some sort of metaphoric furnace or joining him on the fluffy uplands of the everlasting sunshine and light) depending on how many times they've transgressed.

What I am asking is, that as a society we begin to regain some moral ground from the grasping, greedy and frankly obscene, vision of capitalist success that our politicians would have you believe to be some sort of Nirvana, inhabited by everyone in a well paid and valuable job.

1. Has the United Kingdom lost all sense of morality? 
2. Has the United Kingdom lost its inherent decency?
3. Has the United Kingdom lost its compassion?

The answer to all three points would seem to be a resounding YES.

The chart above verges on being obscene in the 21st century, that the 90% who feature on the lowest category are so financially disadvantaged to an almost Dickensian state of affairs.

Meanwhile, David Cameron has been accused of overseeing a “bonus bonanza” after Whitehall bureaucrats pocketed more than £90million in pay-outs last year.

Figures obtained by The Huffington Post UK show that in the year to April, 12 Government departments forked out £89.4million in bonuses to staff.

The most rewarding was the Department for Work and Pensions, which handed out £42.1million in bonuses to its staff - £38.1million of which went to Senior Civil Servants.

The figures only relate to 12 out of the 20 Government departments, meaning the total bonus figure could soar to almost £140 million if the average payout of almost £7million per department continues.

This self centred grasping former leader of the Tory Party is the man behind the controversial bedroom tax and lives rent-free in a £2million aristocratic country house… with at least FOUR spare bedrooms. Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, is a tenant of the landed gentry Fremantle family. IDS married into the Fremantle family in 1982 and was given use of the mansion by his father-in-law, the 5th Baron Cottesloe, in 2001.

Food-banks, austerity across the board, swingeing cuts in benefits to the disabled, penalties of benefit cuts if the claimants fail to comply with arbitrary and oft times petty rules! This is the sort of society the Tories would have you believe is an improvement. 

There has to be another way ! Surely to God?

Cameron doesn't even know that his party are squeezing his own constituency

There's a letter {above} circulating in the Guardian article by George Monbiot from Prince Boffo, a.k.a. David "Posh Boy" Cameron to the head of Oxfordshire County Council which clearly shows that our esteemed leader hasn't got a Scooby Do about how much this government's austerity programme is affecting ordinary people! The Westminster elite and in particular this party of Eton offcuts are so out of touch with reality, there is a danger that the natives (in darkest Witney or indeed even Chipping Norton) may be revolting!

It’s worth remembering that Oxfordshire, which is run by Conservatives, is among the wealthiest counties in England, with the nation’s lowest level of unemployment. In common with every aspect of austerity, the cuts have fallen hardest on those least able to weather them: the local authorities in the rest of the country! Ergo, if it's difficult for the wealthy Oxfordshire County Council to reduce their costs and overheads, what chance of the rest of the country? 

Only the most profligate of numpties could argue against "living within your means", but where your "means" are being pegged back to 1% per annum (nurses, public sector workers if they haven't been made redundant by austerity?) as opposed to the Honourable (??) Members of Parliament miserly increase of 11%, or indeed being swingeingly cut if you're having to rely on any form of welfare subsidy by arch public enemy Iain Duncan Smith, then it really is time to rethink your party's attitude to the public finances.

It would be laughable if it were not so serious for those less fortunate individuals who don't have the benefit of a private education, a rich father or indeed have won the lottery.

20/20 vision for the 21st century from the 20th century seer

The island of Jura was the sanctuary that Orwell found after World War 2, and the place where most of his book "1984" was written. An island off the west coast of Argyllshire where the deer outnumber people by 11 to 1.

George Orwell wrote this extremely accurate vision of the future in the book based on his vision of the way society was headed.

By extrapolation the middle classes or "Outer Party" makes up 13% of the population.

The Proles or The lower classes;

"So long as they (the Proles) continued to work and breed, their other activities were without importance. Left to themselves, like cattle turned loose upon the plains of Argentina, they had reverted to a style of life that appeared to be natural to them, a sort of ancestral pattern...Heavy physical work, the care of home and children, petty quarrels with neighbors, films, football, beer and above all, gambling filled up the horizon of their minds. To keep them in control was not difficult.”

The Outer Party or middle class;

“And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became truth. 'Who controls the past' ran the Party slogan, 'controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.”

Remind you of any city perchance??

The Inner Party or Ruling class;

Inner Party members also have access to spacious living quarters, personal servants, private motor vehicles, and high quality food, drink and consumer goods in contrast to the low quality gin, synthetic coffee and improperly manufactured cigarettes consumed by the Outer Party and the Proles. Inner party members have access to wine, as well as real coffee, tea, sugar, milk and well-made cigarettes. Inner party neighbourhoods are kept clean and presentable, especially when compared to Prole neighbourhoods.

In the society that Orwell describes, every citizen is under constant surveillance by the authorities, mainly by  telescreens. The people are constantly reminded of this by the slogan "Big Brother is watching you": a maxim which is ubiquitously on display. In modern culture the term "Big Brother" has entered the English language as a synonym for the abuse of government power, particularly in respect to civil liberties, and very often related to close circuit television, monitoring of various other forms of media too.

Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose

The pen is mightier than the sword

Dear friends,
Verily my cup overfloweth, not only am I working and earning, but the new boxing web-site is also up and running and more importantly filling the void in my creative being. Last weekend saw the start of the professional boxing scene up here in the frozen reaches of North East Scotland after a period of inactivity since our local lad Lee McAllister won his Commonwealth Lightweight title belt back in June. This time Lee had a voluntary defence of his newly won crown against another Scot, Charlie King of Motherwell! I'm the only Inspector this far north, so it fell on me to shoulder the duties normally undertaken by two or three men in the principal cities down south. In addition with the new site commissioned for reports of British shows, it piled a wee bit of pressure on yours truly.

That said, because it is a labour of love, I derive pleasure from it and can look back with a modicum of satisfaction when it all fell into place at the end of the night. Then joy of joys, I'm actually going to be paid for the article I've written for a magazine which enjoys a pre-eminent role in terms of boxing written press. This notable first is cause for a celebration (within the financial limits of the payment of course!), since it will be the first actual payment for my written efforts over the last 5/6 years and some 400 articles which had seen the light of day.

For anyone with a penchant for the "Noble Art" I attach the same and welcome any criticism as long as it is constructive;

King shot down by the “Assassin”
Lee McAllister a.k.a. the “Aberdeen Assassin” successfully defended his recently acquired Commonwealth Lightweight title against fellow Scot, Charlie King in another complete sell-out Beach Ballroom in Aberdeen on Saturday 17th October. This voluntary defence had a bit of spice in the parochial world of Scottish Boxing, with King insisting that McAllister was complacent prior to the bout. Nothing could have been further from the truth, or if McAllister had been so disposed, he made a good job of hiding it. The manner of his finishing the bout was clinical and devastating in 1 min 23 seconds of round 7 when Star referee Victor Loughlin didn’t even bother with a count going straight to the aid of the stricken Motherwell boxer King.
McAllister (9st 8lb 14ozs) let King (9st 7lb 10ozs) take the centre of the ring from the first bell, presumably just to see what King had to offer, and King does have all the necessary requisites as a boxer, but not enough to pierce the defensive qualities which McAllister picked up during his time with the “Ingles”. McAllister on the other hand, has picked up some venom and meat in his punches which he did not possess until moving to work with Dave Coldwell.
The 2nd round saw McAllister take a more measured approach, but King was still in there jabbing and trying to box to get through with a second and third shot all to little avail. McAllister's right hooks are knocking the resolve out of King and it is showing more with each passing round. The look on both boxers’ faces between rounds is telling its own story. King looks dejected by the end of 5 whereas McAllister is his usual animated self, chatting to Dave Coldwell as though this was just another day at the office (which in truth it was). McAllister’s thumping rights to Kings left flank are painful to watch much less be on the receiving end of, and as his resistance ebbs away so does what chances he had. The end when it came was dramatic, an exocet of a straight right sending King staggering back some two yards into the ropes above the timekeeper and me, to be followed by his legs sliding out from under him and the inevitable collapse in a heap on the canvas. No count necessary as the show was over there and then. Fortunately, King recovered within a couple of minutes with the attention of the ringside doctors et al; and was able to stagger back to his corner.

The show opener had Jamie Ambler 12st 9lb stopping Quinton Hillocks 12st 10lb 8ozs under the rsc rule in round 5. However, he can feel somewhat fortunate in having done so, as Hillocks had the better of the openers and would have built up a tidy wee lead only to run out of steam. Back to the drawing-board for Hillocks then, in terms of stamina. I’m sure he’ll have realised that himself and will address that before his next outing.

Fettercairn boxer James Ancliff 8st 13lb 8ozs met Paul McElhinney 8st 13lb 6ozs over 8 x 2 minute rounds in the second bout of the undercard. Since Fettercairn is only some 20 miles out of Aberdeen, Ancliff has a fair few fans with him and they’re vocal in support. However, McElhinney is unfazed by the bias of support for the local man and boxes well behind his jab. Ancliff probably took the first on his aggressive approach, but faded out of contention as his frustration at not being able to break down the youngsters resistance and boxing skills, began to show. The referee scored it 77-75 to McElhinney and he moves on undefeated. Ancliff on the other hand, extends to a five bout run of losses and may have to consider the options open to him.

Chris Brophy 11st 6lb 2ozs from Swansea met up with Chris Thompson 11st 5lb 4ozs in the final bout before the main one. This fight had contrasting styles, Thompson the more rounded boxer and Brophy content to counter the Yorkshireman. In the end the boxing skills of Thompson won the day and by a reasonable margin of 60-55. Brophy did though make it a reasonable contest by putting a fair amount of sweat and effort and it was never as one sided as the score implies with some of the rounds being close. Thompson’s defence though was a thing of beauty to those of us who were not viewing proceedings via the bottom of a pint glass.

This was the first time in Scotland that a boxing show was relayed through the world wide web and could be regarded as a technological first up here, apart that is for someone who's very dear to me not being able to view it on the laptop. Is it the harbinger of things to come? At only £3.99 a pop, then the answer must a resounding yes. Welcome to the digital age!

This allied to the undoubted spring in the 63 year old steps has definitely breathed new life into a tired body.

Salad days for a carnivore!!

The irony of having "Salad days" when the reality is I'm as much a carnivore as the meat eaters of the animal kingdom is not lost on me! I detest all things green as being tasteless, sans texture and pretty much a waste of mastication. Of course green is my favourite colour but that is more on the basis of my Irish ancestry and my love for a football team that play in hoops in Glasgow (that dear green place). There is some misplaced pride in being the archetypal West of Scotland man, if God had meant me to eat vegetables, I'd have been born a rabbit and not been given incisors. Give me pies, meat and anything sweet!!

Back to the point of the salad days; I intimated in the last post that I'd joined the ranks of the wage slaves after a period of being another statistic on the British list of shame, the number of people who were out of work and actively (?) seeking employment. I have just completed my first two weeks of satisfying work with a decent return in terms of money for my efforts, the signs for the future are good and I'm really enjoying the challenge of changing from carbon energy to renewable energy. The work is mentally stimulating, infinitely more challenging than I'd been used to under corporately controlled, procedurally hog-tied, top of the food chain, oil industry. More to the point I've saved them more money in that first fortnight than I'll be paid for the next 6 months using my experience and they are a really good young company to work for!

Ally that to the salve for my conscience, of being in renewable energy as opposed to the scrabble to get sticky hands on a finite resource (oil) and you'll appreciate my contentment.

Life's been a bit of a "sticky wicket" since my return from the sub-continent, and the resultant "bouncers and yorkers" from life's bowlers had me worried for a bit. No more though, as I'm happy in the knowledge that with a bit of luck and a fair wind in my sails I'll manage to navigate my way back to Delhi in 2010, but probably only for a fortnight's holiday time. This will get me back to see all my guys in Mother Teresa's (and of course Sister Maria and the residents in Merhauli Road).

I'd a very interesting e-mail from the US the other day, it came from a lady who's preparing to go to Delhi for a similar period (2 months) and in 2010. Like me she doesn't have a teaching background and we're both probably about the same age group since she's retired. CCS have me down as an "alumni" whatever one of those is! I assume it to be like a former pupil, anyway they had prompted her to e-mail me for my thoughts. I'm delighted to have been able to re-affirm her thoughts about India and let her know that if she metaphorically immerses herself in the Ganges with India, then India will envelop her with warmth and love in return. Good luck Suzan!