Joys of the benefit system

This is more of a diary entry rather than anything else. We hope that Mother's flat is sold and we now have to pay back Leicester Council the housing benefit she has been claiming (as her capital was low) and also pay back the Care Home as she has been on the 'Council Rate' rather than the 'Self Financing Rate' which is massively more.

It is all temporary of course as the high care home charges means she will soon be down into Housing Benefit levels again.

Last Visit to Bedford?

Possibly my last visit to Bedford today.
Visiting solicitor, sorting out keys and taking the meter reading for Mother's sheltered housing flat which we hope we have sold at last.
Many happy memories going back a long way.

So this is what the recession looks like

I know this is for the U.S.A. but interesting anyway (why non-farm Employment only?)

Next - 'The means of production'?

Could this mean that the government has found out that banks are failing to fulfill their main function?
(No, not making their management extremely rich) 
I mean channeling peoples savings efficiently into UK businesses. BBC News

Open House Weekend

Sunny weather for London 'Open House Weekend'. 
We got to the Banqueting House & Wellington's office (Whitehall) and Marlborough House

Royal Society

Went to an excellent lecture today by Sir Arnold Wolfendale (ex astronomer royal) at the Royal Society on Cosmic Rays. They were discovered 100 years ago by Victor Hess by flying high in a ballon. You can see them standing next to a 'bubble chamber'. A bit eerie that these thing whizz through us all the time.

Imperial College

I attended the 'Sustainable Energy Futures Conference' at Imperial College yesterday.
Excellent presentations by 40 students of their MSc work.
There is hope for us yet.

Osborn's new tax loophole

From 2013 their will be a new tax loophole for multi-million pound corporations.
By opening a 'branch' in a Tax Haven (like the Cayman Islands) you will be able to transfer all your worldwide profits into your account there, where it will be subject only to the local (0%) tax.
The UK Government will lose out on an estimated £1billion in tax revenues, that’s according to the Treasury’s own figures. The charity Action Aid has ­estimated that Mr Osborne’s decision to relax the rules will also cost developing countries £4billion.
Good isn't it? (if you are a multi-million corporation that is)

Thought for today from Bob Crow

"If you spit on your own, you can’t do anything, 
But if you all spit together, you can drown the b*****ds."

You should never smile at a crocodile

Ed Balls on a Charm Offensive to win over Vince Cable on the Andrew Marr Show yesterday.
A bit like Gordon Brown smiling - Chilling!







I am reading Fenner Brockway's book about the Levellers and Diggers.
Interesting that the 'City of London' was as much trouble back in the 1640's as it is now. Having a large Roundhead army camped at St Albans seems to do the trick.
The only real change seems to be that we have press barons rather than bishops controlling the information flow to the common people.




What, another Fly Past. OK I am reverting to my old cynical ways after the euphoria of the Olympics.
Remember the Roman Emperor Nero knew that 'games' were a great way of keeping a dissatisfied  populas pacified.  

The last refuge of a scoundrel

Great night at the last night of the Proms.

Better than it has been recently with an excellent (traditional) music programme, great performances from Nicola Benedetti and Joseph Calleja and a good speech from the conductor Jiri Belohlavek.

I have just finished Daniel Suarez's 'Deamon'. 

A very well written book about a 'dead' computer games billionaire who leaves behind a computer virus which 'maps' the real world and is taking over the world's computers.

My only criticism is that it seems to lose it's way right at the end with a very violent and inconclusive finish. (I wonder if possible film rights and sequel were a factor)

A Glimmer of Hope

'A Proper Wealth Tax?'
Unfortunately Ed Ball comes over as a playground bully rather than a serious politician.
I am more inclined to believe his latest Mansion Tax proposal is meant to wind up the LibDems before their conference, rather than something he believes in (if he believes in anything that is).
Anyway, 'any port in a storm'. All they need now are serious policies on Executive Pay, NonDoms and UK Tax Havens and I might consider supporting them again.


Great weather!
The moon has been particularly beautiful these last few nights.

Yes I know - but these are very good speeches 

(C-Span video 39 mins)

Socialism may well be dead

I went to a meeting at the Conway Hall in Red Lion Square yesterday evening.
It was a discussion between 'Positive Money' and the 'Socialist Party of Great Britain' (yes they do exist). It was refreshing to hear people who had not given up on our corrupted financial/political system like the rest of us.
Positive Money, it seems, just wants to stop the banks 'creating' money by irresponsible lending. Now there is an idea. The Socialist Party of Great Britain want to destroy the whole capitalist system (peacefully of course) and replace it by a rather vague utopia.

Here are a few Twitter people I enjoy following.

Astro Pic Of The Day ‏ @apod

NASA JPL ‏  @NASAJPL

Curiosity Rover ‏  @MarsCuriosity

Andy Carvin ‏  @acarvin

sunny hundal ‏ @sunny_hundal

tom_watson ‏  @tom_watson

Tim Harford ‏  @TimHarford

Paul Lewis ‏ @paullewismoney

Jeff Jarvis ‏  @jeffjarvis

Peter Kenyon ‏ @PeterKenyon

Yes, I am a sucker

I know it is all stage managed hype but I do love US Democrats political speeches. Michelle's was great and brings tears to your eyes.
Michelle-Obama's-Speech (25mins)
(If only they were not bought and paid for by Wall Street who's political donations are massive)

So it looks like I am taking on the job of Beaver Scout Leader at the 46th EFS. Quite a responsibly but should keep me busy. The other leaders there seemed a great team at the meeting yesterday evening.

So the government is swinging even more to the right with the reshuffle with Jeremy Hunt taking over the job of selling off of the NHS, God help us. If only the British Public had a say in this.... Oh yes we did didn't we, in the last election, which the Tories DID NOT WIN.

So what now?

I guess you could call this writer's block.
The moment of truth, what am I going to use this blog for?
In the absence of anything else emerging I guess it will be my diary.
I note with satisfaction that the spell-checker, which conspicuously does not work on my PC Safari browser, works just fine on the MacBook Safari. Good news for both of us I think.
I am by the way a 'trailing edge' user of technology. Ageing Vista Dell desktop PC (recently revitalised by a RAM upgrade to stop it grinding to a halt) also a 2009 vintage MacBook (also with RAM upgrade after installation of Mountain Lion operating system (which is great by the way). The dictation feature is really great, guess what? I'm using it now.
Well that's all for now. I might add to it later in the day, she how we go.

A bit about my politics

So day two....

I guess a bit about my background.

I come from a Methodist/Baptist family who owned a grocery business in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire.

I was brought up in the Scouts and think this formed my political attitude of 'A Scout's duty is to be useful and to help others'

Religion is a problem for me but I firmly believe in the Golden Rule of ‘Do as you would be done by’.

This naturally makes be a liberal (and Liberal) but I am frustrated by our political system and accept you need the power that comes with the unions to get anything done in British politics.

My pet hates are mainly based around the non-payment of tax by (often criminal) Non-Doms living in our country and the use of offshore tax havens by both rich individuals and companies to ‘avoid’ paying U.K. taxes. I note with great sadness that Gorgon Brown did nothing about any of these.

You also do not want to get me started on bankers and the government attack on pension schemes.

I wish we actually lived in a democracy where the majority had their way, rather than a five year dictatorship which has been completely hijacked by the rich and powerful.

Oh, by the way, I am quickly turning into a grumpy old man.

A couple more pictures from NZ to brighten things up:-

First Post

Well, everyone else seems to be doing it so I thought I would try a blog.

I am thinking of using this blog as a sort of open diary.

Here are two pictures we received today from Eleanor and family in Devonport, New Zealand.

Whole pile of books to be read. I cut short Volume 1 of 'Marlborough' by Winston Churchill. The chapters on The Glorious Revolution 1688 were fascinating. A period of history not covered much on Television or Film histories.

Now reading 'Daemon' by Daniel Suarez. Not really my type of book but it is very technically savvy.

David Kynaston's 'The City of London' Vol. 2 awaits - great stuff but a detailed read.

Getting involved with the Beaver Scouts after many years absence from Scouting (Annie and I used to run the 19th EFS Cubs). The full time responsibility of taking a 'Beaver Colony' on is 'quite a responsibility'.