Guess the missing word teaser.

The proposed referendum question for Scottish independence has now been settled and will be "Should Scotland be an independent country? Yes / No "

The previous question that was proposed was "Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country? Yes/No” and was found to be potentially biased in favour of a Yes answer."

There has been a lot of debate about the question and The Guardian cartoonist has been having fun..

One of the words in the cartoon is hidden and the general consensus is that the word is SAVE or HELP or FREE by voting for independence.

(UPDATE 1st Feb 2013. There has been a lot of debate about the actual meaning of the cartoon. Some thought it may have been referring to the alleged foul language of the PM David Cameron when talking at PMQ's. However The Guardian have cleared things up and are quoted as saying " It’s a commentary on Alex Salmond’s vision of an independent Scotland and reflects Bell’s view it would be against Scotland’s interests." )

Bob Servant. Independent.

Part 2 of 'Bob Servant Independent' is on BBC4 tonight at 10pm.

It has been having mixed reviews in the media and I'm not sure why as I think it is excellent.

It's filmed mostly on location in Broughty Ferry near Dundee and features Brian Cox as the prospective Independent candidate in a UK by election with Jonathan Watson as his sidekick.

Broughty Ferry is the posh part of Dundee and is where a lot of the old jute barons lived. There are a few good gags.

I thought the show would have been more popular but maybe hiding it away on BBC4 has lessened it's impact. It's repeated on BBC2 on Friday nights and part 1 can still be found here

Jonathan Watson is probably better known in Scotland than in England and is popular from his Hogmanay show 'Only An Excuse'..

I first heard of Bob Servant from the book 'Delete this at your Peril' where he documents his e mails back and forward to an online e mail scammer. He manages to scam the scammers. There are several books now which are written by Neil Forsyth who also wrote the tv show and has a cameo role in the show as a policeman.

Connery to be recalled ?

Rumours were circulating in Scotland tonight that secret agent Sean Connery might be recalled from his hideout overseas to head up the new SIS ( Scottish Intelligence Service).

Speaking at a Westminster Committee, the Deputy First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, said that an independent Scotland would have it's own intelligence service.

"In terms of security and intelligence, I would envisage Scotland having an independent domestic intelligence machinery in Scotland, sitting alongside our police service, but working very closely, given our sharing of an island, with the rest of the UK," she said.

Ms Sturgeon was grilled by posh maverick MP Rory 'bilderberger' McStewart ( below) who warned that Scotland might be too poor or wee to be able to afford to run a secret service and keep our secrets secret.

Mr McStewart said ...the infrastructure needed to fulfil requirements such as "protecting the identity of agents" would require "probably billions of pounds of investment", and this would be necessary before Scotland's allies "would be happy to share information"

Secret agent Connery wasn't free to speak tonight as he was on an assignment but he sent a video of his most memorable missions..

The Corbett Report. BBC Bias.

Interesting report on the BBC at The Corbett Report..

Max Keiser's thoughts on the 'triple dip recession'.

I've never seen the economic crisis in the UK as a 'recession' or a 'double dip recession' or a 'triple dip recession' but as a 'depression' kept on life support by £400Bn of printed bailout money from the Bank of Taxpayer. Near zero interest rates and billions in bailouts hasn't stopped the onward climb of our total admitted debt level to £1.1trillion with an annual deficit level of around £120Bn adding to the total debt each year. So much for 'cuts'.

Max Keiser was allowed to make a rare appearance on tv today and said what everyone outside of 'the bubble' was thinking...

Rabbie Burns Nicht.

It's Burns night in Scotland when we traditionally celebrate the birth of the bard Robert Burns with haggis,neeps n tatties and a few drams and some poems.

Lorry driver Hector Brocklebank was trying to deliver some haggi' to the Wembley arena in time for the racing but things get a bit lost in translation...

No EU referendum in an independent Scotland.

Sad news for many Scots [who want independence outside of the EU] tonight with Fiona Hyslop (above), the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs , refusing to offer Scots a vote on whether to stay in the European Union following a Yes vote win for Scottish independence.

Speaking on STV's 'Scotland Tonight' she was asked several times whether she would offer Scots an EU referendum but refused to say whether one would take place.

The SNP's plans for Scotland in Europe appear to have been settled with negotiations with the EU taking place from 2014 to 2016 after the independence referendum.

The SNP's plans were confirmed when Humza Yousaf (pictured below), the Scottish Minister for External Affairs and International Development, told BBC's 'Newsnight Scotland' that Scots wouldn't be offered a referendum on Europe if we gained independence from the rest of the UK in 2014.

There has been much debate about whether Scotland should apply to join the EU post independence but this debate is now seen as pointless with the majority of parties in Scotland being in favour of staying in the EU and the decisions already taken in private.

We might end up with the conundrum of an independent Scotland in the EU and the rest of the UK outside of the EU ( on the remote assumption that there's a referendum on the EU in the rest of the UK in 2017) with Scotland using sterling as a currency in the EU and the rest of the UK using sterling outside of the EU.

And how 'independent' do Greece, Italy and Spain etc now feel in the EU ? Their country's now run by the troika and their young folk going abroad to find work as their societies at home crumble under a mountain of debt.

Tories EU referendum message takes to the road.

The two David's.

David Bellamy has been talking to the Daily Mail and confirming what we all suspected. His regular slots on the BBC vanished when he questioned 'global warming'....

"He dismissed man-made global warming as ‘poppycock!"

"From that moment, I really wasn’t welcome at the BBC. They froze me out, because I don’t believe in global warming. My career dried up. I was thrown out of my own conservation groups and I got spat at in London "

And in 1996 he let rip against wind farms (‘because they don’t work’) during one of his regular appearances on Blue Peter: ‘That was the beginning really. From that moment, I was not welcome at the BBC.’

His former colleague Sir David Attenborough has had no such problems and is always on our tv screens. He thinks humans are a 'plague on the earth'.

"We are a plague on the Earth. It’s coming home to roost over the next 50 years or so. It’s not just climate change; it’s sheer space, places to grow food for this enormous horde. Either we limit our population growth or the natural world will do it for us, and the natural world is doing it for us right now,” he told the Radio Times. "

I'd be interested to read the full article in the Radio Times and see if Sir David mentions the transfer of food production to bio fuel production. Or the effect of perpetual wars forcing people off of their land and into refugee camps. Or the effect of GM crops forcing poor farmers to buy specialised fertilisers and seeds. Leaving them at the mercy of agribusiness.

Oh and I wonder if he has read the blog of his colleague at the BBC, Paul Hudson who wrote about the met office forecast of no global warming for 17 years and how they would have to re evaluate their data.

Fortunately for other countries they can decide whether or not to buy into Sir David's global warming myth. But we have no choice. If we want to watch tv then we will have to pay £146 a year tv tax for him to insult us.

Move along now nothing to see here... George Square episode.

Not being from Glasgow, the George Square '£15m 21st Century revamp' has largely passed me by. If it was the City Square in Dundee then I would be up to speed and keen to follow every nuance in the debate.

So I tuned in to STV's 'Scotland Tonight' and then the BBC's 'Newsnight Scotland' to get 'the story'.

Between the two programmes I discovered that the major revamp had been cancelled because the Glasgow Council Leader Mr Matheson had decided to "listen to the people" who weren't very keen. He would replace the red paving stones in the Square because they weren't very nice and leave it at that. A former Council leader, Mr Kelly, was in the studio and he said it was disappointing but it wasn't related to the personal life of the Council Leader or the opposition that he would meet when the plans went ahead. Mr Kelly would have liked a more radical plan for the Square and told the architect who won the best design competition that his plan was boring. Especially the water drainage system.

Well that was my license fee money well spent tonight.I think they covered everything pretty well. (not)

I was left wondering what political party Mr Matheson and Mr Kelly belonged to. And what the "personal problem" was. Oh and the rumours about moving all the statues, which were "unknown, lifeless relics from a bygone era". Cover your ears Rabbie Burns ! I was curious about who was represented at the "resident focus groups and in-depth stakeholder interviews ". I wondered if any members of the public or from disabled groups had been asked what they wanted for the 21st Century George Square. Oh and what about the planned demonstration on the 2nd Feb ? That will probably be cancelled I'd imagine.

Phew I can't sleep tonight. Every time I close my eyes I keep seeing this picture...

UPDATE : 29th Jan 2013 : Good article in The Herald newspaper. The leader of Glasgow council is alleged to have pre chosen his preferred design for George Square and had 'his head in his hands' when an alternative design was selected. The whole scheme was then dumped by Mr Matheson the following Monday.

"Snowfalls are now just a thing of the past."

Independent Newspaper March 2000 (experts from the University of East Anglia Climate Research Unit).....

"Children just aren't going to know what snow is"

"British children could have only virtual experience of snow. Via the internet, they might wonder at polar scenes - or eventually "feel" virtual cold ".

"Global warming, the heating of the atmosphere by increased amounts of industrial gases, is now accepted as a reality by the international community.

Independent Newspaper January 2013...

"Snow: travel chaos with flights and trains cancelled, roads closed, 36 hours of blizzards and 10,000 without electricity across Britain".

"Strong winds mean blizzards – and the big freeze lingers into next week".

"Motorists were stranded in cars across the UK today as heavy snowfall left thousands of people without power, closed schools and caused widespread disruption across the travel network".

The met office say that by 2017, temperatures will not have risen significantly for nearly 20 years.

But it won't stop the global warming gravy train...

Review.... BBC Reporting Scotland.

I've not watched BBC Reporting Scotland's 6.30pm news programme for a while so thought I'd have a look and see if they were following their charter and being 'fair and impartial'. Especially with the referendum on independence for Scotland next year.

I was going to provide a link to the programme but it has mysteriously disappeared. There are 9 other regions news reports from the rest of the UK still available for 24hours but no Scotland. Even the Channel Islands news gets to stay online for 24hrs but not Scotland's news.. Curious.

(Update..now available on iplayer at 1am 19th).

Or maybe not curious.

The show was dreadful so probably a good idea to hide it.

It started quite promising. We were going to be speaking to one of the Scottish hostages who escaped from the Algerian gas complex. Scoop ! Will be interesting. Err no. It was the same interview with 'Ian' that has been shown all day on the 24hr news channels. It's actually the property of Algerian State tv. Naughty Aunty !

There was a follow up inquiry into how waiting lists for cancer patients have exploded under the SNP. Cue sneering reporter as she replays what Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond said followed by...the truth. Not much right to reply for the SNP apart from a few quotes explaining that follow up procedures for cancer patients are for the doctors and nurses to decide. Waiting lists are being kept on schedule for first intervention procedures.

We had Glen Campbell hot tailing it over to the Czech Republic for a one to one interview with their Foreign Minister who explained how it would be Armageddon if we got independence in 2014. Thrown out of the EU with limited power in the EU if they decided to let us in. Probably nonsense but hopefully true as many Scots don't want to be in the EU anyway. Something the BBC could never comprehend. Of course no right of reply from the SNP or anyone from the Yes Scotland campaign. Oh and how come he had to fly over there anyway ? Don't they have skype in the Czech Rep. Or a phone ? Or satellite links ? Think of the polar bears with all that deadly aeroplane CO2. I still get night terrors thinking about the Czech Republic after Craig Levein's Scotland football team rolled over to be tickled with a 10 man defence a few years ago.

There was a story about 4 tubs of lard (sic) washed up on a Scottish beach. An expert explained that they were washed ashore because of the bad weather. This expert will get a job with the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) any day of the week with that insight and knowledge. I regularly see tubs of lard on the beach. Even in the summertime when it's nice.

The show ended with the 'Sports Report'. This was quite bizarre. Because Gordon Strachan had picked Mark McGhee to be his deputy at Scotland. And because Alex Ferguson was at Aberdeen FC at the same time as them then the Scotland management team was 'The Dons Dynasty'. With accompanying music.

No one from the 'old firm ' in Glasgow so it's obviously a fit up ?

Oh there was some weather. Snowy in winter...whodathunkit ?

Yes I can see why they deleted the replays. Totally 'unfair and partial'. And dire.

Score...1/10....I loved the Godfather films so one point for the mafia link and music.

UPDATE 1am 19th Jan....Reporting Scotland now available on iplayer. Sally Magnusson says " We talk to one of the Scots hostages". But they show the Algerian State tv interview with the sides of the video grab blanked out and 'BBC' pasted over the Algerian tv emblem. Weird.

What will we get for £86,250 plus expenses ?

With news that a secret poll has revealed that 70% of London MPs' want a £20K a year pay rise I had a look at what we will get for £86,250 plus expenses.

As luck would have it there was a debate involving Scottish MPs' at Westminster so it allowed me to see how they perform.

The debate was about the referendum vote on Scottish independence in 2014 and was covered well in other blogs and I'll borrow their quotes etc.

First up is Jim Sheridan who called the SNP 'big fearties', which confused Hansard ,(see picture above), who are responsible for recording parliamentary speeches. Fearties is Scots for 'afraid'. His reasoning was given as .....

"The debate today was on referendum in Scotland. I made the comment because the SNP slogan used to be ‘Free By 2003′. But now it’s 2013, so why are we waiting? “They had the chance in 2012, after that they are still not ready and they should be ready. Why waiting two years? They are frightened of Scotland, so that’s when I said they were “big fearties.”

Pretty poor statement. The SNP weren't in government in 2003. And have always maintained they would have the referendum in 2014 if they got into power and had the majority required to drive the legislation through the Scottish Parliament. Plus of course going against all the other parties and fighting against a 100% biased media to try for independence is hardly the actions of a typical fearty.

Next up Mr Ian Davidson (Glasgow South West)....

“We see no reason for delaying the referendum until the end of 2014, except for perceived partisan advantage. The referendum will be timed to take place after the anniversary of the battle of Bannockburn, which is celebrated mainly because Scots slew large numbers of English people, and after the Commonwealth games in Glasgow. The fact that those events will take place before the referendum gives people the opportunity to celebrate the politics of identity and ethnicity.

"We thought that Scotland in the 21st and 22nd century would be looking forward, and would be progressive and positive. Celebrating the murder of hundreds or thousands of English people does not necessarily provide the best base on which to move forward.”

So presumably Robert the Bruce should have laid down his arms and surrendered to King Edward's army who were planning on taking Scotland by force ? Our troops and their families would have been slaughtered. Like they were later at Culloden. We celebrate Bannockburn because Scotland maintained it's independence. Not because people were killed ( on both sides). The UK will celebrate the start of WW1 next year where millions were slaughtered. How does Mr Davidson feel about this ?

( update 20th Jan, Wings over Scotland highlighted this. Mr Davidson supported an 'early day motion' to celebrate the Battle of Trafalgar where thousands died on all sides of the battle)

How about this one ?...

Jim McGovern (Dundee West) (Lab)...

“Does [Mr Davidson] find it somewhat odd that the former England football captain, Terry Butcher, will be entitled to vote in the referendum, but Sir Alex Ferguson will not?”

Terry pays taxes in Scotland and lives there and I presume is on the electoral register. Alex doesn't. So it doesn't seem odd at all no. You need a criteria for voting. You have to be on the electoral register in Scotland. Or be eligible for a postal vote if you're in the Forces etc. Where do you draw the line ?

Eleanor Laing (Epping Forest) (Con)

“I remember Donald Dewar, to whom I pay great tribute for the work he did on behalf of Scotland and the United Kingdom, standing at the Dispatch Box when we debated what is now section 29 of the Act, and saying that it was not his intention for there ever to be a situation in which a Government of Scotland, or Scottish Parliament, would wish to conduct a referendum on the independence of Scotland.”

And ? Donald Dewar was in the Labour Party and supported the Union. So he would never have wanted independence. No.

Alistair Darling (Edinburgh South West) (Lab)

“I am afraid that I do not have confidence that the permanent secretary at the Scotland Office will have any control over the SNP. I suspect that, even if he gets round to raising the odd word of concern, he will be told in no uncertain terms where to go.”

Mr Darling will be speaking from experience here after working in Mr Brown's cabinet. Flying nokias etc.

Pretty poor show from our representatives in London . The UK Prime Minister recently said that most policy was now EU legislation and that the UK parliament was bypassed most of the time. Maybe a pay cut would be more appropriate ?

I wonder what Robert the Bruce would have made of it all. You wouldn't call him a 'fearty'.

Gordon Strachan to lead Scotland to Rio !

The march to the World Cup in Rio got back on track today with Gordon Strachan signing as the new Scotland football manager.

It's been a bumpy ride so far for Scotland with just 2 points from our first four games so it will be a challenge for Strachan to turn things around.

Strachan won 50 caps for Scotland and played in two World Cup finals in Spain and Mexico in 1982 and 1986 respectively.

The former manager Craig Levein is still in legal dispute with the SFA over his sacking last November after a disappointing time at the helm. He is reportedly wanting his severance money all at once rather than in £37,000 instalments every month for the next 18 months.

Strachan is best known for his off the cuff comments at press conferences and ITV have listed a few of his memorable quotes....

Reporter: "Gordon, can we have a quick word please?"

Strachan: "Velocity" (walks off).

Reporter: "Gordon, do you think James Beattie deserves to be in the England squad?"

Strachan: "I don't care, I'm Scottish."

Reporter: "Welcome to Southampton Football Club. Do you think you are the right man to turn things around?"

Strachan: "No. I was asked if I thought I was the right man for the job and I said: 'No, I think they should have got George Graham because I'm useless.'"

Reporter: "Bang, there goes your unbeaten run. Can you take it?"

Strachan: "No, I'm just going to crumble like a wreck. I'll go home, become an alcoholic and maybe jump off a bridge. Umm, I think I can take it, yeah."

Youtube has a good compilation from soccer am..

So even if Scotland crash and burn ( again) at least we'll get a more light hearted press conference to cheer us up.

United Nations asked to help stop the spread of windmills in Scotland.

The SNP's plan to cover Scotland in windmills has been challenged at the United Nations by Christine Metcalfe, a member of Avich and Kilchrenan Community Council

The UN committee was shocked to discover that despite the pronouncements of Fergus Ewing MSP and First Minister Alex Salmond, the Scottish Government’s Renewables Routemap 2020 and Energy Policy Statement are still officially only drafts.

Officials have relied on these drafts in giving the go-ahead for wind turbines, granting planning without proper scientific justification based on a draft.

The SNP have to formally reply back to the UN on a set of questions about their renewables policies by the 11th February in advance of the March Compliance Committee meeting.

Questions for the SNP from the United Nations...

• Please demonstrate how the comments submitted by the communicant in the decision-making for (a) the Carriag Gheal wind farm, and (b) the West Loch Awe Timber Haul, were considered in during the decision-making.

• What was the basis document (policy document, strategy, programme, plan, etc.) for decisions on the Carriag Gheal wind farm and the linked access West Loch Awe Timber Haul Route?

• Under Scottish law, is there a specific obligation that information about comments received during the EIA procedure is available before the decision is issued?

• Please elaborate on why the Renewable Energy Routemap, is a policy rather than a plan/programme.

Wind farm planners regularly make claims for the output of the farms that are never challenged in the media.

1.Energy outputs are usually only a quarter of the level claimed.

2. Contracts to wind farmers in the offshore sector will see payments to wind farms even when the energy is not required or isn't available adding £17Bn to customers energy bills. The generosity is similar to the PFI scandal.

3. We never hear of the requirement for 100% back up from conventional power stations for when it's not windy. Or too windy.

4.The millions of tonnes of concrete and metalled roads etc are never mentioned

5. The devastation to wildlife is never fully recognised.

6. Even young children are used to spread the windmill propaganda.

With the met office finally admitting that man made global warming is a myth then maybe the United Nations can persuade the SNP to stop the madness of expensive and inefficient windmills destroying our beautiful country.

PS. There's a cold snap forecast for the next 2 weeks in the UK so I wonder how our 3,600 windmills are doing at the moment ?

Windmills are currently providing 1.2% of our energy needs. Better than during the last cold snap when I saw 0.3% at one point I suppose.

Early days though

Coal and Nuclear are currently providing 76% of our needs with 6% being imported from France and The Netherlands.

We might be in trouble when we decommission our coal and nuclear power stations.

Weekly Review.

It was a funny old week. We got a peep at the latest fashions for men and what to expect to see coming down the High Street in the next few months...

The more mature man wasn't forgotten..

Kate got to see how she would look in 20 years time if she doesn't go easy on the doughnuts. The 'artist' was last seen being marched to The Tower...

Global warming was cancelled by the met office and China had it's coldest winter for 28 years with 1,000 ships stuck in the ice..

BBC Question Time returned to the screens and featured MP Nadine Dorries who had recently escaped from 'I'm a Celebrity' and demanded that we leave the EU and save £53m a day. Brains and Beauty !...

A passenger regretted asking for a free drink on a no frills airline..

Hard to find a suitable song to sum up the week but this one comes close...

Helena Torry freed. Mulls the EU elections in 2014.

In a welcome boost for the 'silent majority', the Aberdeen council election candidate Helena Torry was found not guilty after being charged under the "Representation of the People Act 1983" and will be released from prison shortly.

Ms Torry was found not guilty on a technicality....

The Deputy Returning Officer said...

"As I understand it, the prosecuting authorities chose to bring the charge under section 65a of the Representation of the People Act 1983, which is the provision which applies to general elections in Scotland and local government elections in England. "The equivalent offence in a Scottish local government election is section 65b. Since section 65a does not create an offence at a Scottish local government election, there was no case to answer."

Ms Torry was not able to comment but is thought to be mulling over the chance to represent Aberdeen in the euro elections in 2014.

The Prime Minister promises another EU referendum.

In 2018 apparently.

He's going to renegotiate with Brussels and " when the renegotiation is complete, probably around 2018, he’ll put the results to the British people "

As anyone with a passing knowledge of the EU knows there's no room for renegotiations with Brussels unless you use Article 50 and declare that you're leaving. The Lisbon Treaty is watertight on that score.

But the EU will be on life support by 2018 anyway and I doubt if we'll need a referendum to leave.

And haven't we been promised a referendum from Dave Cameron before ?

Hang on. I remember now. Cast iron it was as well....

" Today, I will give this cast-iron guarantee: If I become PM a Conservative government will hold a referendum on any EU treaty that emerges from these negotiations. No treaty should be ratified without consulting the British people in a referendum"

Yes it's all coming back to me now...

Light at the end of the tunnel as man made global warming myth comes under sustained attack.

With news that the met office are cutting back on their predictions for global temperature rises there's hope today that the man made global warming myth can be finally killed off. The graph above shows the new prediction and the old prediction superimposed on each other. ( thanks to originator )

Officials [at the met office] "say that by 2017, temperatures will not have risen significantly for nearly 20 years." This is despite a massive rise in global CO2 which is claimed to cause global warming.

BBC weatherman Paul Hudson said "The new projection, if correct, would mean there will have been little additional warming for two decades despite rising greenhouse gases. It's bound to raise questions about the robustness and reliability of computer simulations that governments around the world are using in order to determine policies aimed at combating global warming."

"The Met Office says natural cycles have caused the recent slowdown in warming, including perhaps changes in the suns activity, and ocean currents."

This is heartening news from the BBC who have been hitherto the main proponents of the warming myth and declared the 'science settled' in 2006. Blocking any alternative opinions and filling their tv programmes with subliminal and open messages about global warming. Every programme from serious to light hearted comedy lectured the global warming message. The BBC decided that the science on global warming was 'settled' after they "held a high-level seminar with some of the best scientific experts"

After some digging it was found that the attendees at the seminar were mainly from pro global warming environmental groups and some BBC staff. Including the Head of Comedy and the Head of Children's television. It was probably really just a seminar to co ordinate tactics across the tv schedules and in the media in general to ensure that the message of man made global warming was repeatedly mentioned. With no debate or alternative view allowed. And that's how it has worked out for them.

Many players have made big money out of the myth with Al Gore now being worth $300m since leaving office with $2m. The recent sale of his tv company 'Current TV' to Al Jazeera resulted in him being accused of selling out to 'Big Oil' as Al Jazeera is owned by the emir of Qatar. An oil rich nation.

Mr Gore was criticised for failing to show up at the meeting to discuss the takeover with one staffer saying.."Of course Al didn’t show up,“He has no credibility......“He’s supposed to be the face of clean energy and just sold [the channel] to very big oil, the emir of Qatar! Current never even took big oil advertising—and Al Gore, that bulls***ter sells to the emir?”

Another staffer at the tv station said.."Al was always lecturing us about green. He kept his word about green all right—as in cold, hard cash!”

Al Gore is probably most famous for his video 'The Inconvenient Truth' which had 35 glaring errors

A UK Judge found 9 serious errors and " stated that if the UK Government had not agreed to send to every secondary school in England a corrected guidance note making clear the mainstream scientific position on these nine “errors”, he would have made a finding that the Government’s distribution of the film and the first draft of the guidance note earlier in 2007 to all English secondary schools had been an unlawful contravention of an Act of Parliament prohibiting the political indoctrination of children.

It may be too early to declare the myth of CO2 causing global warming finally over and to see an end to wasting billions on windmills etc but this is still heartening news and should encourage us to keep plugging away at the ignorance.

The climate changed dramatically long before man came along and will continue to change long after we have gone.

Frosties no longer Grrrrrreeeeaaaaaaaattttt ?

Tony the tiger will be sad today as the London Shadow Health Secretary has said that sugary breakfast cereals like Frosties and Sugar Puffs are no longer grrrreeeaaatttttt.....

Mr Burnham wants these types of sugary cereals banned and said..." the rise in obesity levels was “storing up huge problems for the country and the NHS in the long term”.

To blame childhood obesity on Frosties and Sugar Puffs will raise a smile from folk brought up on these cereals in the 60's and 70's. We were in a permanent state of hunger and would supplement our sugary breakfast with sugar sandwiches and anything we could find in the cupboard.

There wasn't a fat bloke in the whole school and we were all skinnymalinks and fit as a butchers dog due to being out and about all day playing.

So I can promise him it's not the food intake that's the problem. It's the lack of exercise and the closing of playing fields and the danger of playing on busy roads that's the problem.

A bowl of Frosties would be burnt off in half an hour of running about outside.

But I suppose the attack on food was to be expected after smoking and drinking alcohol have been vilified.

The fake charities will now be getting on board to make their millions advising on what we all eat as well.

I wonder what they have for breakfast at Westminster ? Click on pic to enlarge...

55p for 'poached egg on toast' sounds excellent value for a central London restaurant. They must run a tight ship there with these kind of prices.

Oh hang on....."The net cost of the House of Commons Catering and Retail Service met from public funds was £5.7m in 2009/10."

Subsidised breakfasts. They're Grrrreeeeeeaaaaattttttt !!!.

UPDATE 29th Jan 2013 : Report in the Daily Mail. Sales of Kellogs Frosties falling after warnings over childhood obesity.Sadly a win for nanny. Andy Burnham mentioned in report of Mid Stafford hospital scandal where 1200 patients needlessly died..

CNN Votes Scotland 'top tourist destination'.

Excellent news about the decision by CNN to vote Scotland it's 'top tourist destination'.

SNP MP Angus MacNeil said: "Our combination of natural beauty, as well as increased number of air routes direct to Scotland, and the fantastic events of the Year of Natural Scotland have given Scotland even more appeal as a place to take a great holiday this year".

Year of Natural Scotland is a government initiative to showcase the country's scenery and natural heritage.

Yes , Scotland is a beautiful country and a great place to live but I can't stop thinking about the elephants in the room.

The above picture is of Stirling castle from the tourist brochures for Scotland and has been carefully photographed to avoid this type of picture..

Our 'scenery and natural heritage' that has been proclaimed to be so important for tourism is being gradually destroyed by windmills. Visitors arriving in Scotland from the south will be met by mile after mile of windmills peppering the hilltops along the A74...

Visitors will no longer be able to enjoy desolate moors such as Eaglesham where I used to love travelling across by bike when I was younger. It's now 45 square miles of windmills. With plans for expansion. 45 square miles of industrialisation and it produces less energy than a single gas fired power station and has only ever managed to provide 24% of it's claimed annual output. And the power station will still have to be built to provide the 100% back up for when it's not windy.

Desolate peatlands of Eaglesham moor today...

Nowhere in Scotland will be far from a wind farm with over 200 in the pipeline. This map is a bit out of date now but gives you a good idea of where we're heading. It logs the proposed and approved sites for wind farms in Scotland.

The second elephant in the room and the origin of 'the veiled sun' title for my blog is the loss of our beautiful deep blue skies from 10 or so years ago. We rarely see a clear blue sky. New Years Day was the first time for many months. Our sky seems to be permanently hazy with a veil over the sun. The only reason I can find is the constant trails from low flying aircraft that quickly cover the sky in a haze....

A few hours later and the sun is hiding behind her veil like a blushing bride....

But hopefully the tourists aren't put off by windmills and trail filled skies and will enjoy their trip to Scotland.

Living next to a wind farm.

Human history in 2 minutes.

Best watched in full screen mode with full volume.

Phew. New US tax hike will help to avoid the fiscal cliff.

Or maybe not.

New annual tax hike in green...$62Billion.

Annual deficit in red in 2011..$1089Billion....total debt now $16,000Billion.

source : zerohedge

Happy New Year !

Here's hoping 2013 is better than 2012.

Hangover cure for the lads...

And a surefire cure for the ladies.......

On the 40th Anniversary of the 'Common Market'.