Fitaloon at MicroShaft

Do listen to this

“Imagine a Tory donor who’d bought a company, run its pension fund into the ground, bought the assets back for pennies in the pound, who became a privy counsellor even though he wasn’t qualified while personally funding the leader’s leadership bid – they (sic) would be a massive story and yet somehow the BBC runs day after day on Lord Ashcroft, who as far as I can see has done nothing wrong, and gives Labour an easy ride. It takes me back to the tales we had of the champagne bottles in 1997 and I’m afraid the BBC remains biased and fails to ask the proper questions of those who are currently in power.”

Source HERE (scroll in 12 mins)

Iain Dale’s Diary: Quote of the Day: Graham Stuart MP on Lord Paul.

BBC Newsnight had this last night on Sangin and how it is a Lethal Cocktail.

Sangin in Afghanistan is the most dangerous place in the world for UK troops, with six UK servicemen being killed there since the beginning of this month. Newsnight’s Mark Urban travelled to Sangin to report on what is happening on the ground and why it is proving so lethal for UK troops.

Among British soldiers in Afghanistan, Sangin has the grimmest reputation. Half of all UK forces casualties occur in this one area of operations, with about one tenth of Britain’s forces in Afghanistan deployed in it.

When the 2nd Battalion of the Rifles finished its tour in Sangin in the late summer of 2009, soldiers spoke about their six-month stint as an epic of hard fighting.

It had certainly been a difficult time, with 22 soldiers killed and dozens seriously wounded.

And while the attention has been on central Helmand and Operation Moshtarak, the losses incurred by the 3 Rifles Battlegroup, the battalion that took over in Sangin last October, have climbed to 27 killed, with around one month of their tour still to serve.

Eight Afghan National Army soldiers have also lost their lives there during the same five month period.

Follow the rest on the link below.

BBC News – Newsnight – Cocktail of ingredients making Sangin so lethal.

Yet again the basics are blamed for the deaths in Afghanistan of four soldiers.The BBC has this

The coroner at an inquest into the death of four British soldiers in a blast in Afghanistan has pointed to “inadequacies” in their bomb training.

Coroner David Masters said the deaths also highlighted the problems of the Snatch Land Rover in which they died in 2008.

Verdicts of unlawful killing were recorded for Cpl Sarah Bryant and SAS reservists Cpl Sean Reeve, L/Cpl Richard Larkin and Pte Paul Stout.

How long do we have to listen to the same themes occur at Inquests before the Government, MOD, and our Defence Ministers understand what their responsibilities are to our Armed Forces.

The inquest heard soldiers had not been shown how to use metal detectors in the UK due to an equipment shortage.

The troops were forced to ask an expert on base in Afghanistan to pass on his knowledge.

Mr Masters said:

“In my judgment there was an inadequacy in training for this unit and its members.”

The inquest heard that the soldiers’ commander had requested a replacement for their Snatch Land Rover but was refused due to equipment shortages.

The vehicles could not cover soft ground and became stuck in a little water, which restricted the unit to driving along dangerous tracks.

“There was significant disquiet about these vehicles being the only resource available to this unit for a variety of reasons,” Mr Masters said.

He said his report to the MoD would seek a review on the use of Snatch Land Rovers by such a specialist unit.

At least 37 UK soldiers have died in Iraq and Afghanistan while travelling in the lightly armoured vehicle, whose vulnerability to roadside bombs and other explosives has led some soldiers to call it the “mobile coffin”.

Despite this Bill Rammell, an apology of a Minister, had this to repeat

In respect of Snatch, commanders need a variety of vehicles and we cannot always put our people in those that are most heavily armoured as these vehicles have restricted manoeuvrability and are not able to drive across the most difficult of terrain

Did he not listen to what they said at the Inquest or is he just terminally thick. It’s written in bold above just in case he needs some prompting.

Today we should remember the four soldiers who died and hope that, in memory of them, lessons have been learned so that their deaths are not in vain. May they Rest in Peace.

BBC News – Troop bomb training ‘inadequate’.

Reuters has this.

Britain’s goods trade deficit with the rest of the world unexpectedly widened to its biggest since August 2008 in January, after the sharpest drop in exports in over three years, official data showed on Tuesday.

The Office for National Statistics said that Britain’s goods trade gap widened to 7.987 billion pounds from a downwardly revised 7.010 billion in December, and well above the 7 billion pounds forecast by economists.

The goods trade gap with non-EU countries also widened unexpectedly to 4.834 billion pounds from 3.428 billion, the biggest deficit since January 2009.

The deterioration in the global trade balance was a result of a 6.9 percent fall in exports, the biggest fall since July 2006. Imports were down just 1.6 percent.

January was an unusually icy month in Britain, which may have disrupted the transport of goods for export to ports, though the ONS said that Tuesday’s data in itself did not provide firm evidence of that.

Exports to non-EU countries suffered their sharpest fall since January 2009, dropping by 12.5 percent on the month, while imports rose by 1.6 percent.

The figures are likely to further raise policymakers’ concern that the sharp fall in sterling over the past two years has not led to the expected boost in exports — a point reiterated by Bank of England policymaker Kate Barker on Monday.

The ONS said there was a broadbased fall in exports.

January trade gap widest since August 2008 | Reuters.

Another excellent article from Joan McAlpine on the Steven Purcell affair, and the fact that the Press and TV are ignoring the story. There is, as she says, much interest in the issue as I can testify from the hits on this blog, many indeed from Glasgow City Council.

It is as I said on Sunday time for an Investigation, Joan has this to say on the subject:

Given the closeness of his coterie, the investigation needs to be independent ie outwith the council. The reason for full disclosure is not really about Purcell’s cocaine use/addiction. There have been plenty of functioning alcoholics in positions of power. And the TV industry in London, I’m told, does more than its bit to support Columbia’s criminal classes. The class A drug use of Purcell is just a symptom. It hints at a recklessness, and a belief that the law which applies to “ordinary” citizens does not apply to oneself.  One wonders if this attitude shaped other aspects of his behaviour in office? More precisely, we are getting a picture of a somewhat weak, vain and – dare I say it – malleable man, whose love of a lifestyle that certainly appeared lavish may have left him open to compromise. I don’t want anyone to snoop into Purcell’s medical records, or swab the private bathroom looking for traces of the white powder. But we do need to know exactly who attended those Friday lunch clubs and who paid for them. Who is paying for his lawyer’s bills now, his private medical treatment and his current extended holiday?

Let’s review the land deals and all contracts and licences awarded since 2005. Who benefitted under the Purcell Presidency and can we make sure they did so without favour.

It is time that someone in the Council or indeed out Scottish Government showed some backbone on this issue an demanded that it wasn’t swept under the carpet, otherwise yet again Scotland will be laughing stock.

Who benefitted from Purcell’s Presidency? – Go Lassie Go.