Gordon Brown or David Miliband? You Decide

As British readers will no doubt be aware there is increasing speculation that Foreign Secretary David Miliband is aligning himself for a future Labour leadership bid, which could ultimately see him become Prime Minister.

Here's your chance to have your say - do you favour current PM Gordon Brown or potential challenger David Miliband?

Obviously I know that most of you would prefer a Conservative PM, but that's not an option for the purposes of this poll.

Unless you're a Labour MP this could be your only opportunity to make your opinion heard, so please do vote.

This poll will remain open indefinitely. I am primarily seeking the opinion of UK voters. In the interests of fairness the poll options are displayed in random order. I will report the findings in a few day's time.

Online Surveys & Market Research

Fixed Penalties Used to Bolster Conviction Rates

Leading members of the legal profession claim that cautions and fixed penalty notices are being overused as an alternative to court, in an effort to increase conviction rates.

The Magistrates' Association, representing more than 80% of JPs in England and Wales, has expressed concern that cautions and fixed penalties are increasingly being used for non-trivial offences.

Cindy Barnett, the association's chairman, said: "We have always had grave reservations about criminal offences other than very minor infringements being dealt with out of court.

"Anyone who has broken the law so as to merit a punishment should be dealt with in court with efficient use of resources to prevent reoffending."

The Police Federation of England and Wales has also raised concerns that frontline officers are under increasing pressure to improve conviction rates and free up court time.

I've always considered fixed penalty notices as policing on the cheap. They should only ever be used when the offence is totally indisputable.

Furthermore the notices are exploitative of the public's ignorance of the law. Most people would begrudgingly accept a notice - even if it was issued erroneously (maliciously?) - rather than face the daunting prospect of a court hearing. The police know this. They know that if they issue a notice - even on the most tenuous of grounds - it is unlikely to receive further scrutiny at court.

The upshot is they can pretty much hand these things out willy-nilly without any recourse.

That's wrong, whichever way you look at it.

British Gas Price Hike

British Gas has just announced that their customers will face eye watering price increases of 35% on gas and 9% on electricity.

The news comes at the same time as parent company Centrica revealed profits of £880 million, which is a substantial decrease on last year's bottom line figure of £1.24 billion.

Particularly hard hit have been British Gas's residential profits, which have seen a slump of 69% over the first half of 2008.

Today's news will see the average dual fuel customer facing an annual bill of £1,305, which is an increase of £261 on the previous figure.

I make no apologies for the fact that I was all in favour of the Conservative's decision to privatise the national utilities in the early 1990s. In principle it was a good idea - it opened up a competitive market, which should have secured affordable and better quality services for the consumer.

It also made the Treasury a handy lump sum of cash when the country was in serious economic difficulty. We're in that situation again now, but there's nothing left for the current Government to sell.

Alas, today we see the other side of that fateful decision to sell the nation's resources - the side that would rather see pensioners go cold this winter than disappoint shareholders with declining profits.

How much more can the average householder take?

Speed Walker - You're a Disgrace to the Man Race!

Apparently this Snickers commercial caused a bit of a stir across the pond because some people deemed it offensive to homosexuals.

In the commercial Mr T's truck pulls alongside an arse-wiggling speed walker and proceeds to tell him: "Speed walking. I pity you fool. You are a disgrace to the man race. It's time to run like a real man."

He then fires Snickers bars at the speed walker, who increases his speed to a jogging pace.

The Advertising Standards Authority received just two complaints about the ad during the week it was shown here in the UK.

It's a tongue in cheek commercial. Just a bit of harmless fun to attract a smile from the audience.

These tree hugging liberals really do need to get out more!

Greggs Sandwiches Unhealthy

An investigation by Channel 4's Dispatches programme has revealed that 69% of sandwiches sold by Greggs contain unhealthy levels of fat.

Researchers analysed a selection of sandwiches from high street retailers Greggs, Subway, Pret a Manger, Marks and Spencer and Boots. The nutritional content of the sandwiches was scored using the Food Standards Agency's traffic light system, where red represents food containing dangerously high levels of salt or fat.

According to the programme sandwiches from Greggs were the most unhealthy, with 69% of those sampled earning a red light. Pret a Manger came a close second, with 68% of their sandwiches achieving red.

Boots sandwiches contained the least fat, with only 14% of those sampled earning a red light.

North-East based Greggs has reacted angrily to the programme's findings, claiming the results were unrepresentative because they didn't include sandwiches from the reduced fat Healthier Options range.

On a positive note they say that all news is good news. Researching this article I saw that if you visit the Greggs website you can download a £1 off voucher for a sweet chilli chicken wrap (redeemable until 3 Aug 08).

Passports Stolen as Guard Buys Newspaper

Thieves have stolen 3,000 blank passports and visas when the van carrying them stopped at a newsagent's only five minutes into its journey.

The documents, worth £2.5 million and destined for British embassies around the world, had been in transit between the Manchester-based printers 3M Security Printing & Systems and RAF Northolt in London.

Detective Chief Inspector Bill McGreavy of Greater Manchester Police said: "Whilst the driver was in the shop, both the doors to the van were opened and the passenger in the van had his head forced down into the dashboard and got told to keep his head down.

"The van was then driven a very short distance.

"The passenger has kept his head down and can then hear noises at the back of the van. And after a couple of minutes, when he raises his head, he can see that there's nobody there."

The Identity and Passport Service confirmed that the stolen passports were of the new issue containing embedded microchips. This makes it unlikely they could be used for travel purposes, but they could still be used as a plausible form of ID for other purposes.

The Conservatives were quick to point out that yesterday's theft was the latest in a long string of Government security blunders.

The past few months have seen millions of child benefit records lost, driving test records lost, NHS patient records lost and dozens of MoD laptops lost.

Buried Treasure

Imagine someone walking into a bank, presenting millions of dollars worth of banknotes and expecting to exchange them for a banker's draft with no questions asked.

It sounds like some far fetched plot from a movie thriller, but the banking habits of US businessman Franz Felhaber have attracted attention for doing just that.

For the past few years members of the Felhaber family have sought to exchange $20 million of decaying currency at banks across the US. The transactions always involve $100 bill rolls dating back to the 1970s and 80s.

Several explanations have been offered by the family for their apparent windfall:

• It was an inheritance.
• It was found buried under a tree.
• It was dug up in a field.
• A relative found a treasure map.

The true source of the cash remains a mystery but Felhaber, a customs broker, claims to be acting as the middleman for a Mexican relative.

No doubt all will become clear with time.

Barton Out of Clink

Trashy Newcastle United footballer Joey Barton has been released from prison after serving only 2-months of his 6-month sentence for assault.

Barton had been banged up at Strangeways prison in Manchester, for what the judge described as a "violent and cowardly act".

The 25-year-old scouse thug was caught on camera as he repeatedly beat a man on the ground, during a drunken night out in Liverpool last Christmas.

Unbelievably Newcastle United manager Kevin Keegan has pledged that the club will stand by their troublesome midfielder. Keegan's decision has attracted widespread condemnation on Tyneside, with most fans calling for Barton's dismissal from United.

I don't know what's more laughable - the fact the someone sent to prison serves only a third of their sentence, or that Keegan thinks he's an acceptable role model for the loyal Newcastle fans.

DNS Loophole Leaves Web Users Vulnerable

Cyber criminals may be targetting the Domain Name System (DNS) in an effort to steal the personal details of web users.

DNS is the system that converts human-readable domain names into computer-readable IP addresses - for example, http://example.com and http://208.77.188.166 redirect to exactly the same page.

The vulnerability, known as DNS cache poisoning, means that web users could type a URL into their browser location bar and end up being redirected to a cloned copy of their intended destination. The clones could potentially harvest personal information for criminal misuse.

Protect your system by ensuring your antivirus is current and that you've installed the latest Windows software updates.

You can check if your DNS is at risk by visiting the DoxPara Research site.

SNP Take Labour Stronghold

The SNP have won the Glasgow East by-election, claiming victory by a margin of 365 votes over Labour.

But don't let the modest majority hoodwink you into thinking it was only a slight victory - the SNP won with a colossal 22.5% swing of the vote from Labour.

The full results for the by-election were:

• John Mason, Scottish Nationalist Party, 11,227 (43.1%)
• Margaret Curran, Labour, 10,912 (41.7%)
• Davena Rankin, Conservatives, 1,639 (6.3%)
• Ian Robertson, Liberal Democrats, 915 (3.5%)
• Frances Curran, Scottish Socialist Party, 555 (2.1%)
• Tricia McLeish, Solidarity, 512 (2.0%)
• Eileen Duke, Green Party, 232 (0.9%)
• Chris Creighton, Independent, 67 (0.3%)
• Hamish Howitt, Freedom-4-Choice, 65 (0.2%)

Today's result is a bitter blow to the Labour Government. I think even the most brainwashed of Cabinet Ministers will realise something is amiss when their fifth safest Scottish constituency slips from grasp.

The fact that 22.5% of the Labour faithful decided to transfer their support to the SNP speaks volumes. Yet again voter apathy has played a part, with large numbers of traditional Labour supporters just not bothering.

I said a few weeks ago that Labour losing Glasgow East would spell disaster for Gordon Brown. Sure enough the bookmakers have slashed the odds of him remaining PM until the end of the year.

Make no mistake that Brown's card is marked and the knives are out.

Do not be deceived by the inevitable fake display of Cabinet solidarity over the next few days.

Cameron's Bike Nicked

David Cameron has become a crime statistic with the shocking news that someone has stolen his bicycle from outside a supermarket.

David left his preferred mode of transport unattended when he nipped into Tesco on the Portobello Road, not far from his West London home. He returned to find that some low life crook had removed the mountain bike from the bollard to which it was chained.

The Conservative leader's cycling has been the focus of past media attention. Some of the less desirable tabloids reckon that he only uses a bicycle as a cheap publicity stunt to highlight his green credentials.

In fact so obsessed have the red-tops become that one has even stalked David on his daily journey to Westminster. The rag in question took great pleasure in highlighting the inadequacies of his cycling technique. It was their most newsworthy story all that week.

Speaking at the scene of today's heist a glum looking DC told reporters: "Someone must have just picked it up and walked off with it".

Bugger.

News of the World Loses Mosley Privacy Battle

Max Mosley has won his legal action against the News of the World over claims that he took part in a Nazi-themed orgy.

In his judgement at the High Court Mr Justice Eady said there was "no evidence that the gathering on 28 March 2008 was intended to be an enactment of Nazi behaviour or adoption of any of its attitudes. Nor was it in fact."

"I see no genuine basis at all for the suggestion that the participants mocked the victims of the Holocaust."

The 68-year-old motor racing boss has been awarded £60,000 in damages as a result of the newspaper invading his privacy. The case is likely to cost the News of the World closer to £1 million after legal expenses - not to mention all the negative publicity they're receiving.

An unrepetent Colin Myler, editor of the gutter tabloid, spoke on the steps of the High Court shortly after losing the case. He continued to defend the story saying it was a "legitimate public interest and one that I believe was legitimately published".

Previously I put forward my opinion on the case. It sat very uneasily with me that the News of the World - a scummy tabloid of the lowest intellectual order - was trying to adopt the moral high ground in this case when they're entire existence is built on half-truths and smutty innuendo.

A very satisfying case of hunter becoming the hunted. Only a shame the News of the World didn't get slapped considerably harder.

Anne Darwin - Compulsive Liar

Back-from-the-dead canoeist's wife Anne Darwin has been described as "despicable" and "a compulsive liar" after being found guilty of fraud and money laundering earlier today.

Detective Inspector Andy Greenwood of Cleveland Police described Mrs Darwin as "out and out despicable, I just don’t have the time of day for her".

He continued: "Instead of doing the decent thing and selling their properties and their car and paying back the people they owed, they just wouldn’t do it - they thought it was beneath them, they constructed this web of deceit."

Mrs Darwin was found guilty after only a day of jury deliberations at Teesside Crown Court. She is due to be sentenced this afternoon, along with husband John who pleaded guilty to his offences.

The couple benefited to the tune of around £250,000 after making a series of fraudulent insurance and pension claims in the wake of John's staged disappearance on 21st March 2002. I wrote about the progress of the trial last week.

Suffice to say the jury found Anne's claims of marital coercion as far fetched as I did.

Gale Gilchrist of the Crown Prosecution Service said: "There is no doubt that this was a callous and calculated fraud. Both the Darwins were willing to deceive and manipulate members of their family and friends, and to waste considerable resources of the emergency services.

"In addition, they were willing to exploit any compassion extended to them."

I shall publish details of John and Anne Darwin's sentences here as soon as they are announced.

Edit: Sentence details as promised:

• John Darwin - 6 years, 3 months imprisonment.
• Anne Darwin - 6 years, 6 months imprisonment.
  

Hamza Loses Extradition Plea

Hook-handed hate preacher Abu Hamza has lost a House of Lords appeal against extradition to the United States.

The US authorities have been pursuing the vitriolic 50-year-old Islamic cleric since May last year. Team America want Hamza to stand trial for supporting al-Qaeda. In all likelihood this will mean he'll be moved from the cushy surroundings of Belmarsh Prison to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba.

Hamza is currently serving seven years imprisonment for inciting murder and racial hatred.

Good riddance to bad news. Britain has enough undesirables of its own without having to look after someone else's.

I'd like to think that Hamza was on the plane to Cuba now, but our lame judicial system probably allows him to appeal the appeal decision.

The Dog Wot Dunnit

The Portuguese police have finally wound up their investigation into the disappearance of 3-year-old British girl Madeleine McCann.

Madeleine went missing from the family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on 3rd May 2007.

The BBC claims to have seen a report stating that Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann were declared "arguidos" purely on the basis that a sniffer dog detected "the smell of death" in their apartment and hire car.

At least they think it was the smell of death - it's pretty difficult to interrogate further details out of a dog. It's equally plausible that it reacted to the remnants of the Sunday roast instead.

Flimsy evidence to say the least.

Compared to that, maybe the British system of justice isn't quite so absurd after all!

Lighthouse Bagging

Barra Head Lighthouse at the southern
most tip of the Outer Hebrides.

No, I'd never heard of it either, but apparently lighthouse bagging is becoming increasingly popular. It's a bit like trainspotting but on a slightly grander scale.

The craze of lighthouse bagging has recently made the news, with the revelation that it's one of Princess Anne's favourite pasttimes.

The unusual hobby, called pharology in technical jargon, involves touring remote regions of coastline in an effort to visit as many lighthouses as possible.

Through her role as patron of the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) - Scotland's national lighthouse authority - the Princess has been able to bag more than 80 lighthouses under the Board's ownership.

According to Roger Lockwood, Chief Executive of the NLB, the Princess takes a very keen interest in how the lights operate.

"She must have visited over 80 with us and takes her role as patron very seriously.

"It is not just about ticking off another light on the list – she also likes to see the places and conditions in which the technicians have to work.

"The Princess has done all the major lights now and it will not be easy to do them all because there are many that are scattered all over the place. But it will be a remarkable feat if the Princess ticks them all off. Other than some of our technicians I doubt if anybody else has been to all of them."

Apparently the Princess is not alone in her quest to visit all of Scotland's 209 lights.

"We see a lot of these anoraks, sorry, pharologists, who show a lot of interest in the lights. They are a far more sensible lot than the twitchers and the trainspotters," said Mr Lockwood.

"Generally, the more remote the lighthouses are, the happier they are to have visited them. Some have great difficulty visiting these far-flung corners of the Hebrides, and Orkney and Shetland. That adds to the appeal."

Touring remote Scottish Islands, enjoying their uninhabited natural beauty, breathing fresh air and looking at a few lighthouses. That's my kind of hobby!

AED Requalification

The people of Northumberland can sleep easy tonight, safe in the knowledge that I have just completed an Automated External Defibrillation (AED) requalification course. I was actually still in ticket from my previous course, but decided to take the opportunity to refresh my skills anyway.

Some of you may already be aware that I'm a first aid trainer and assessor. Most of my work is with one of the voluntary aid societies (no names, no pack drill) and I also work for a couple of local training companies whenever they need a hand. This means super cheapo courses are pretty easy to come by when I need them.

As chance would have it the benefits of prompt defibrillation were being discussed on BBC News last week. Prompt defibrillation - in effect shocking an electrically-disrupted heart into normal (or better) rhythm - is one of the key links in what we first aiders call 'The Chain of Survival'.


Without going into too much detail the chances of a collapsed (eg. not breathing) heart attack victim surviving are greatly improved if you can implement all four links of the chain as quickly as possible, namely:

• Early Access: Assess the situation and get help quickly. If you're alone you will probably have to go and call an ambulance yourself (the benefits of getting help outweigh the risks of leaving the casualty alone for the few minutes that you're away). If someone is with you send them to call an ambulance while you carry on with CPR. If there's a defibrillator nearby then grab it.
  
• Early CPR: Perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation to keep the casualty's blood circulating, thereby supplying oxygen to their vital organs. If there is more than one first aider you can take it in turns to reduce fatigue.
  
• Early Defibrillation: If there an AED is available follow the written instructions and audible prompts to attach it to the casualty, monitor their heart rhythm and deliver an electric shock if necessary.
• Early Advanced Care: This is the treatment given when the ambulance crew (or other medical professionals) arrive, take over responsibility for the casualty and whisk them off to hospital.

Difficult to explain in words - much easier to understand if you have it explained, demonstrated and practiced while attending a first aid course. I recommend anyone without a current first aid certificate attends a course as a matter of urgency - you never know when you might need it.

Anyhow, I digress. Between 1999 and 2005 about 130 people were saved directly as a result of having an AED nearby and someone confident enough to use it. They really are lifesaving bits of kit, but all too often people are worried about using them in case something goes wrong or a pack of blood thirsty lawyers come chasing them later.

The key thing is, although I've had a bit of training, AEDs are so straightforward to use that anyone could use one in an emergency.

To put it bluntly, if someone is lying lifeless on the floor you're probably not going make them any worse by attempting CPR and defibrillation - in all likelihood you'd improve their chances.

Arrogant and Out of Touch

That's how Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague described the Government, with news that they had ratified the beleaguered Treaty of Lisbon on the sly.

The completed documents were lodged on Wednesday just moments after Prime Minister's Questions - the last opportunity the Opposition had to hold Gordon Brown to account before the generous Parliamentary recess.

Wednesday's rubber stamping means that the British people will be deprived of a referendum on the Treaty, despite hollow Labour manifesto promises to the contrary.

Conservative MP Bill Cash had sought a judicial review of the UK's ratification of the Treaty in the wake of Ireland's recent "no" vote.

Mr Hague said that the Prime Minister had "no democratic or moral authority to sign Britain up to the renamed EU constitution".

Yet another example of this contemptuous Government riding roughshod over the will of the people.

Back-from-the-Dead Canoeist on Trial

The trial of back-from-the-dead canoeist John Darwin is currently rumbling on at Teesside Crown Court. Darwin, along with his wife Anne, stands accused of several charges of deception in relation to insurance money claimed as a result of his supposed death.

Darwin disappeared when canoeing off the coast of Seaton Carew on 21st March 2002. He was reported missing later that day and a large search operation swang into action. His canoe washed ashore a couple of months later but nothing more was seen of Darwin until five years later, when he walked into a London police station declaring himself a missing person on 1st December 2007.

In the five years of John Darwin's disappearance several insurance claims relating to his death were made.

Things started to unravel for the Darwins when a photograph showing both of them together in 2006 was displayed on a Panamanian property website. It also emerged that Darwin had adopted the scruffy persona of 'John Jones' and had remained in the Seaton Carew area after his reported disappearance.

Anne Darwin managed to maintain the pretence of John's death to her sons throughout the five year ordeal.

You can read more about the case on Wikipedia.

As the trial is expected to continue for at least another week I'm limited in what I can actually say, other than to report the facts of the case.

What I can say is that Anne Darwin's defence that it was all her husband's idea is, erm, very interesting.

Interesting yes, credible - well, I'll leave you to decide that.

Unemployment Up, Residual Income Down

The latest Office for National Statistics figures show that the number of people claiming unemployment benefit is at a 15-year high.

Between March and May 2008 the dole queues increased by 12,000. The current number of unemployed stands at 1.62 million.

Particularly hard affected have been the housing and manufacturing sectors, which have suffered due to a lack of consumer confidence and the slowing economy.

Earlier this week the ONS reported that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) - the Government's preferred measure of inflation - had increased to 3.8%, which is well above the 2% target rate.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, today signalled that the Government is to shelve its 2 pence per litre fuel duty increase planned for October.

Although the Chancellor's decision appears sympathetic to the motorist the duty freeze has already been offset by the spiralling price of fuel. The ever increasing price of fuel also means the Treasury is raking in more in VAT.

Sarkozy: Ireland Must Vote Again

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has told a meeting of his party MPs that "the Irish must vote again" on the controversial Treaty of Lisbon.

In a referendum last month the people of Ireland narrowly rejected the treaty by a margin of 53.4% to 46.6%.

This causes a problem for the EU, currently presided over by Mr Sarkozy, because the treaty must be agreed by all 27 member states before it becomes enshrined in law.

Mr Sarkozy's words are likely to inflame anti-European sentiment in Ireland. He will undoubtedly receive a frosty reception when he visits Dublin next week.

I remember writing after the Irish "no" vote that plans were already afoot to stage further referenda until the EU eventually secured the desired "yes" vote: "The people have spoken but since we don't like what they're saying we'll keep on asking them until we wear them into submission."

I think Sarkozy's words are a good thing because they leave little doubt about the relentless ambition of the European machine.

They confirm what us Eurosceptics have been saying all along - the balance of power in the EU is skewed towards the big players, who show total disregard for the opinions of the smaller states when it suits them.

It's about time the EU had its wings clipped. The failure of the Treaty of Lisbon will remind the usual suspects that the EU is meant to be a partnership of equals.

Unison Strike Goes Ahead

Up to 600,000 local government workers will be downing tools for 48 hours in a protest over pay.

Members of public sector union Unison are furious at the 2.45% they've been offered by employers, which comes despite the rate of inflation rising for the tenth consecutive month.

They argue that the offer equates to a pay cut in real terms when the spiralling price of living is taken into account.

The Unison walkout marks the beginning of a summer of discontent, which will see industrial action by hundreds of thousands of public sector workers and civil servants.

Dave Prentice, general secretary of Unison, told The Times: "The employers are sitting on billions of pounds - money that our members have saved through their hard work and efficiency - which should be used to settle this account."

In a separate development Mr Prentice accused the Government of being "devoid of ideas of how it's going to win the next election" and signalled that Unison would be reviewing the financial support it gives to the Labour Party.

Jan Parkinson, managing director of Local Government Employers, said: "Strikes will not change the fact that our last offer was our final offer. If the pay settlement is any higher, councils will be forced to make the unpalatable choice between cutting frontline services and laying off staff."

In Northumberland most council services will continue as usual during the Unison action. The following schools will be closed:

• Amble Middle School- Open to staff only
• Bedlington Whitley Memorial C of E First School
• Belford First School - Closed on 17th July only
• Blyth Horton Grange First School
• Blyth Malvin's Close First School
• Blyth New Delaval First School - Open to staff only
• Choppington First School - Open to staff only
• Coulson Park First School- Open to staff only
• Cramlington Hillcrest Special School - Open to staff only
• Delaval Middle School- Closed from 12.30pm 16th and all 17th July
• Grange View First School Widdrington- Open to staff only
• Guide Post Middle School - Open to staff only
• Haydon Bridge Shaftoe Trust First School
• Hexham Priory Special School- Open to staff only
• Humshaugh First School - Closed on 16th July only
• Holywell First School- Open to staff only
• Mickley First School- Closed 16th and lunchtime only on 17th July
• Mowbray First School
• Seaton Delaval First School- closed on 17th July from 1pm
• Seaton Hirst CE Middle School - Open to staff only
• Seaton Sluice First School - Open to staff only
• Seaton Sluice Middle School- Open to staff only
• St Benedict's RC Voluntary Aided Middle School- Open to Staff only
• Tweedmouth Prior Park First School - Closed on 17th July only
• Tritlington CE Aided First School - Open to staff only
• Wensleydale Middle School - School open from 8.50 am to 12.30 pm 16th and 17th July
• Whittonstall First School- Nursery only closed

Speed Cameras Given Short Shrift

I hate speed cameras. I think they're nothing more than policing on the cheap and another means of fleecing the already skint motorist.

Where's the public interest in prosecuting someone who has crept up to 35 mph in a 30 mph zone on a dry sunny day, straight road and when there's no other traffic? There's no public interest - but it's an easy collar because most people will simply pay up.

I guess the indiscriminant way the cameras operate adds to my frustration. A speed camera makes no distinction between the person doing 35 mph or 55 mph in a 30 mph zone. Chances are both offenders will receive a fixed penalty notice with a £60 fine and 3 penalty points.

A uniformed police officer wouldn't waste their time by stopping the 35 mph driver and even if they did the driver would stand virtually no chance of prosecution.

New rules mean that revenue raised from camera victims is directed back to the Treasury rather than local traffic enforcement efforts.

Striving to deliver value to the taxpayer Swindon Borough Council is toying with the idea of ditching cameras in favour of alternative methods of improving road safety.

It costs the Conservative-run authority £400,000 each year to maintain their network of cameras - that's money destined for central government, which they stand no chance of recovering through fines.

Local Labour MP Anne Snelgrove is strongly opposed to the council's idea and has accused them of "playing politics with lives".

Conservative councillor Peter Greenhalgh reckons the money could be better spent on local road safety initiatives.

Speaking of the cameras Cllr Greenhalgh said: "They are being used as a cash cow. I do take exception to the positioning of some mobile speed cameras. They are designed to raise revenue.

"I think enough is enough. There are much more important things we as a council should do instead of acting as a law enforcement arm of this government."

Speed cameras are a damning indictment of what the UK has become under the Labour Government - a nation that's only concerned about policing the policeable and offering tea, sympathy and second chances to criminals.

I despair yet again.

CPI Climbs Again

The latest official figures show that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) - the Government's preferred measure of inflation - has risen by 0.5% over the month of June.

According to the Office for National Statistics the CPI now stands at 3.8%, which is well above the Government's own 2% target. The rate is the highest it has ever been since the measure was introduced in 1997. The last time inflation was running as high was in 1992 and the famous 'boom and bust' years of Conservative administration.

The worrying trend gives the Bank of England less opportunity to decrease the base rate of interest, thereby pumping much needed money back into the economy.

In manufacturing the price of raw materials increased by around 30%, with sale prices up by around 10%. It doesn't take a mathematical genius to work out that such a loss is unsustainable and will inevitably result in job losses.

Shoppers also faced noticeable increases in the price of meat, dairy produce, bread and biscuits, DVDs and video games (surprisingly). The price of petrol at the pumps rose by an average of 5.3 pence per litre, with diesel increasing by 7.3 pence per litre.

Several public sector unions have already indicated they will have to renegotiate the terms of their 3-year pay deals if inflation continues to rise.

All in all things continue to look pretty bleak as the country lurches ever closer to recession.

Banged Up

I was watching Banged Up last night on Five. It's a fly-on-the-wall social experiment where ten delinquent teenagers are given a taste of imprisonment before they end up behind bars for real.

The temporary inmates, aged 16 and 17, will be spending ten days in the Victorian squalor of Scarborough prison. They have all been in bother with the police and most have driven their families to despair with their criminal and unsociable antics.

Former Home Secretary David Blunkett is overseeing the experiment - an interesting idea given he's as blind as a bat.

On the surface it looks a noble cause. Trying to educate ten layabouts into social compliance by a grueling mix of work, primitive living standards and firm guidance.

But prison's not really like that. The statistics speak for themselves - at least two-thirds of those in prison have been there before. Why is that? It's certainly not because they see it as any sort of deterrent.

Maybe it's because prison is the ultimate abdication of social responsibility? People in prison avoid taxation, have good meals, have exceptional health and education provision, impressive recreation facilities and the reassurance that the welfare state - the same welfare state they have shown utter contempt towards by their criminal actions - will be looking after their family on the outside.

Thanks to the Human Rights Act the cramped and crowded Victorian standards of Scarborough are virtually extinct on today's prison estate. You'll struggle to find any modern prison where each cell hasn't got a toilet, television and personalised decor.

I didn't see any of that in Blunkett's stacked deck last night.

Sad Day in the Blogosphere

Australian lady Olive Riley, reputed to be the oldest blogger in the world, died last weekend at the ripe old age of 108.

She spent her last few months in a residential home in the New South Wales town of Woy Woy.

Olive's blog, the Life of Riley, has 70 entries chronicling her life through the entire twentieth century. The site is having a few reliability problems at the moment (apart from the obvious), so persevere with the link if you'd like to read it.

Digital Switchover on Target

More than two-thirds of British TV viewers have already upgraded to digital, according to the latest figures released by broadcasting regulator Ofcom.

The latest Digital Progress Report (pdf download) shows that the number of digitally enabled sets - those linked via cable, satellite or digital terrestrial - has increased to 40.5 million. Ofcom estimates that there are 25.5 million main TV sets in homes across the UK, so the figures imply that many householders are in the process of upgrading the secondary sets in their homes.

Digital offers a more efficient and enjoyable televisual experience. It is less susceptible to reception problems, has more channels and can accommodate high definition picture quality.

The current digital terrestrial service is restricted to prevent it from interfering with the existing analogue terrestrial service. As the nationwide network of transmitters is switched over the gaps in digital coverage will be filled.

Viewers in Whitehaven have already gone digital, when the local transmitter was upgraded late last year.

The first regionwide implementation of the digital switchover (DSO) will take part in the ITV Border region over the next year. This will involve the upgrade of the Selkirk (Nov 2008), Caldbeck (June 2009), Kendal (June 2009) and Douglas (June 2009) transmitters.

DSO will be completed on the UK mainland by late 2012, with the Channel Islands following in early 2013.

It's reassuring to see that people have taken note of the need to go digital.

Further information about DSO can be found on the Digital UK website.

Labour Trail in Glasgow East

What is it about by-elections? Like London buses you can wait an entire Parliamentary term without there being one, then four come along in overwhelming succession.

Last week it was Haltemprice and Howden, where principled Conservative David Davis managed to inflate his share of the vote to a gut busting 71.6%. That result was almost as certain as night following day. By no means certain is the result in the Glasgow East by-election, which takes place on 24th July.

Glasgow East is pretty grim. Unemployment is high and quality of life is low. That's usually a winning combination for Labour because of their perceived socialist generosity.

But Labour has forgotten the people of Glasgow East - so much so that they can only muster their fifth choice Parliamentary candidate. Furthermore the candidate they are fielding, local MSP Margaret Curran, has no intention of standing down from Holyrood. How obscene will it be for her constituents if she becomes eligible for two Parliamentary salaries, while they struggle every day to feed their children?

The latest opinion polls show Labour trailing 4 points behind the Scottish Nationalists. What should be concrete Labour territory is open to anyone. There is a real chance that a wave of apathy will enable the SNP to overturn Labour's massive 13,500 majority.

If that happens this Government is dead and buried. Brown will have to go and Labour will be left in utter disarray.

Good people of Glasgow East: Please vote John Mason (SNP) on 24th July!

It's time to euthanise New Labour.

Dannatt Snubbed for Yes-Man

The British Army's top officer is expected to leave his post early, after being snubbed for the UK's senior military appointment.

General Sir Richard Dannatt, Chief of the General Staff (CGS), could leave the Army before the end of the year following the news that Air Chief Marshall Sir Jock Stirrup has been extended in the role of Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) until 2011.

General Dannatt is held in exceptionally high regard by troops by virtue of his forthright opinions on the politically sensitive issues of below average pay, inadequate equipment and sub-standard service accommodation.

Tradition dictates that the role of CDS cycles between the alternate service chiefs - namely the CGS, Chief of the Air Staff and Chief of Naval Staff (otherwise known as the First Sea Lord).

Yesterday the Ministry of Defence confirmed that Air Chief Marshall Stirrup would remain in post for a second term - a rare move that has occurred only once before in the fifty-year history of the role.

The Times reported that General Dannatt was snubbed as a result of the Prime Minister's personal intervention "because of his repeated calls for better pay and conditions for servicemen".

I see behaviour like this a lot. There's a trend in certain quarters to remove the voice of dissent, however truthful and well intended it may be, rather than address the underlying issues at hand. Abdication of responsibility on the grandest scale.

I doubt having a tame CDS will be much consolation come polling day.

Mosley takes on the World

The News of the World that is.

I've been following this story with quite a lot of interest. As Max Mosley's civil action against the scabby Sunday tabloid is still floating around the High Court I can't comment too much on the specifics of the case, but what I can say is I will be very disappointed if the News of the World doesn't get knocked down a peg or two.

I find it amazing that a newspaper peddling so much smut, innuendo and half truths can apparently take the moral high ground against Mosley's private dalliance into sexual fantasy.

Is it really in the public interest to reveal what a fully grown man chooses to do in private with other consenting adults? Probably not. Is it his fault that his father was Oswald Mosley, leader of the British Union of Fascists? No, not at all. Were his actions causing offence or distress to anyone else? Well, no. Is there any solid evidence that Mosley's role play was based on a Nazi concentration camp? Not that I've seen.

From what I have seen it's all a lot of speculation and conjecture. "The women were wearing black leather boots, so did the Germans" kind of thing.

It's a set up basically. The News of the World thought it would be really clever to bribe one of Mosley's mistresses into breaking his confidence and reporting his titilation. They considered it acceptable to weave a web of deceit in order to sell a few more copies of their substandard rag.

Hardly the actions of a virtuous publication.

I am glad to hear that the News of the World's case is crumbling around their ears after their star witness failed to appear.

How Can You Tell the Government is Lying?

Because its lips move (boom boom).

It's an old joke, but never has a truer word been spoken. Yesterday the full extent of the Government's vehicle excise duty reforms were revealed.

In response to a Parliamentary question Angela Eagle, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, revealed that only a third of motorists will be paying less for their tax discs by 2009. This figure stands in stark contrast to the Prime Minister's pledge that most would drivers would be better off under the new system.

It gets even worse: by 2010 less than one-fifth of motorists will be paying less road tax, the Government coffers will have benefited to the tune of £1 billion and the amount of vehicle emissions will have barely changed (< 1%).

Put another way the Government is introducing these changes under the trendy umbrella of 'environmental reform', but their isn't any discernible environmental benefit. It's tax for tax sake. Tax because the country is broke after years of financial mismanagement by this Government.

Okay, they may have targeted lots of money at health and education but the vast majority of those funds have been frivolously frittered away on pointless target chasing and costly bureaucracy.

I think even the most ignorant and ardent of Labour supporters must be realising by now that the economy is in terminal decline and there's only one suspect in the frame.

Like it or not it certainly isn't the Conservatives!

ACPO - Licking the Arse of Political Correctness

Police sniffer dogs will have to wear special bootees before searching Muslim homes so as not to cause offence.

Dogs are regarded as unclean by followers of Islam.

The ludicrous Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) edict, due for publication later this year, draws officers' attention to the religious sensitivities of using dogs to search for drugs and explosives.

Furthermore, if a Muslim person objects then officers will only be permitted to use sniffer dogs in exceptional cases. Whenever dogs are used they will have to wear rubber bootees to prevent the transmission of canine contamination to the religiously sensitive surroundings (or 'carpets' as most people call them).

Funnily enough, I don't suppose the criminals these measures are targeted at give a stuff about the cultural sensitivities of breaking our laws.

I despair.

Women Bishops

The Church of England's governing body, the General Synod, has voted to allow the ordination of women bishops.

The Synod also rejected a compromise, which would have allowed traditionalist opponents to opt out of being ministered by women bishops.

The move is expected to result in the large scale defection of disgruntled Anglican clergy to other churches.

More than 1,000 clergy wrote to the archbishops of Canterbury and York, threatening to leave the Church if safeguards were not agreed in respect of women bishops. Conversely, more than 4,000 Anglicans - most of them clergy - wrote a letter saying that they would be prepared to wait longer for a decision, rather than have the position of women bishops undermined by the proposed compromise.

I'm saddened that a large proportion of the Church of England are stuck in some time warp where women bishops, who follow the exact same theological doctrine as their male counterparts, are treated as some heinous second class taboo. I know from my own experience that the Church has some incredibly talented ordained women.

If the Church doesn't evolve then members of the congregation will vote with their feet. I see enough empty pews already on a Sunday.

Ray Lewis - Less Than Meets The Eye

It hasn't been a great couple of days for the Conservatives with news that Ray Lewis, former Deputy Mayor of London, has a few skeletons in his closet.

Lewis was forced to resign yesterday when questions were raised about some financial irregularities during his time as a Church of England vicar.

Apparently a parishioner entrusted him with £25,000, which he was meant to invest for her but fell behind on the interest payments. There were also concerns that he was in debt to another priest and accepted money from a man with learning difficulties.

Lewis also made the fatal mistake of pretending to be a magistrate in his official City Hall biography. The Ministry of Justice quickly denied his involvement with the magistracy.

Lewis has resigned and rightly so. When you're elevated to such a high profile public office it's always best to be completely candid about your past. On the whole the electorate are a pretty forgiving bunch and most politicians survive if they confess their misdeeds.

Unsurprisingly the Labour Party has seized upon Lewis's dishonesty and point the finger of blame at Mayor Boris Johnson, who they claim neglected to check his background and credentials. That's a bit hypocritical coming from a Party with more corrupt politicians than you can shake a stick at, but we'll let them gloat today safe in the knowledge it will be one of them making the headlines again next week.

The fact of the matter is there was no way that the Conservatives could possibly know about the church's suspicions from twenty odd years ago. Likewise they probably weren't expecting Lewis to pretend to be a magistrate when it was an inevitability that any false claim would be exposed.

We'll chalk this one down to experience I think. More attention required next time!

Pringles - Not What They Seem

Once you pop you can't stop - but they're not potato!

A High Court judge has ruled that the popular snack Pringles is not potato crisps.

Manufacturer Proctor & Gamble (P&G) had taken the issue to court following Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) assertion that the product, which is sold in distinctive tube shaped packaging, was the same as regular potato crisps for VAT purposes.

Unlike most other foods, which are VAT exempt, potato crisps attract the standard 17.5% rate of VAT. The adverse HMRC decision therefore left P&G with a hefty tax bill, which was inevitably passed to the consumer.

In today's ruling Mr Justice Warren ruled that Pringles were not "made from potato" according to the strict definition laid down by the 1994 VAT Act. This means they can be sold VAT-free.

On the downside the judge's decision has also drawn attention to the fact that Pringles only contain a miserly 42% potato. Maybe that won't be so good for sales?!

Feedburner Email Subscriptions

I have received reports that some email subscribers to Tom Jackson Online have received unusual pop-up warning messages when following the link in their email updates.

I would like to apologise if you have been affected by these pop-ups.

I'm investigating the matter and hope to find a resolution shortly. As this blog is non-too-technical (basic Blogger template with no weird scripts or plugins) my initial feeling is that it's some temporary glitch with Feedburner, which will hopefully resolve itself pretty soon.

Hauliers Protest Over Fuel Rebate

Central London is once again gridlocked by hauliers demonstrating at the crippling cost of fuelling their trucks.

A similar demonstration at the end of May saw around 300 trucks converging on the capital. Organisers are expecting to top that figure this time, with today's demonstration having the added support of the Road Haulage Association (RHA).

The truckers are demanding a 25p-in-the-pound rebate on their diesel costs. They argue that the high price of fuel, currently around £1.32 per litre, leaves UK hauliers seriously disadvantaged over their continental counterparts who pay only a fraction of the price.

National chairman of the RHA Andy Boyle said: "If ever there was positive proof that ours is an industry in crisis then this surely must be it.

"The harsh reality is that the price of fuel is now forcing many hauliers out of business. For many, today will represent a last-ditch attempt at making their voice heard."

Desperate Government's make desperate decisions, putting their own best interests ahead of the greater good. The current poll standing of this Government is the very epitome of desperation and it wouldn't surprise me if they sought some sort of compromise with the hauliers.

To give in to the hauliers would be a final weakening blow to the Brown administration. It would undoubtedly lead to a string of similar protests from other essential vehicle users.

Final Whistle for Joey Barton

Newcastle United midfielder Joey Barton has just been sentenced for a sickening assault on former Manchester City team-mate Ousmane Dabo.

Barton, currently serving six months in prison for a different assault, struck Dabo during a disagreement on the practice pitch.

The first incident, shown on the CCTV footage below, occurred last New Year's eve when drunken Barton repeatedly punched a man as he lay on the ground.



Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley is reportedly furious with the violent behaviour shown by Barton, who is currently receiving £60,000-a-week in wages as he serves his time in Walton prison in Liverpool.

It's time to call it a day on Barton. The children of Tyneside should not be looking at him as any sort of role model.