Yet another British soldier has been killed in Afganistan

I feel ill - literally.

Yet another British soldier has been killed in Afganistan.

The total of British deaths is now 350.

Our American allies have lost many, many more but that doesn't make it any easier to bear.

Bring them all home now.

For more information, go to the BBC website at -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12279129

Warsi and 'bigotry' and 'prejudice' towards Muslims

Baroness Warsi, the Conservative Party chairman, is reported to be complaining about 'bigotry' and 'prejudice' towards Muslims.

I mourn the passing of my younger days when there were very few Muslims in this country and certainly no prejudice towards them. Our country's problems in this respect started with the influx of these people with their alien attitudes and the problems have been exacerbated by the alien behaviour of some of the Muslims. Islam and the Muslims are imported problems. As Enoch Powell said, 'We must be mad.'

Here is the link to the report in the Daily Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/8270294/Tory-chief-Baroness-Warsi-attacks-bigotry-against-Muslims.html

And here is a picture of Burqa-clad women in Luton, a town once famous for straw hat making and now infamous for other things.

Peter Brookes skewers Andrew Lansley - deservedly

"Andrew Lansley argues that the roll-out of GP consortiums — the new doctor-led bodies which will decide on the purchasing of most care in the NHS — is being embraced by the service and now covers more than half the country."

So far as I know, neither Lansley nor anyone else ever said a word about all this before the election. The NHS was doing well until then. Why the hell does the new chap want to change the system yet again?

If he b*****s it up, he'll never be forgiven.

Robin Page has written a piece in the Daily Telegraph

Robin Page has written a piece in the Daily Telegraph, as follows:

"On New Year’s Day a large crowd assembled for the hunt; it included local farmer made good Peter Kendall, president of the National Farmers’ Union, with his family. At last, an NFU president who seems to understand ordinary farmers and rural communities. It was good, too, to see his mother, Jasmine, still following the hounds on horseback at 82.

Two years ago when assorted foxhunters told me that I had to vote Tory whenever the election came, as David Cameron had promised to repeal the hunting ban, I had to disappoint them. Firstly, I don’t hunt (although I support it). Secondly, the Tories are lightweight on several real issues, such as the EU, so why should I give them my vote?

And thirdly, many suburban Tories were obviously going to change their minds on the issue as soon as they were elected, and did, so why bother? Interesting isn’t it? Labour MP, sorry, ex-Labour MP, Phil Woolas, gets thrown out of the Commons for lying about an opponent. Yet any number of MPs told absolute whoppers to their electorates at the election but they are allowed to stay, completely untouched and untarnished. Sorry to all those who worked hard to get numerous Tories elected. I told you so."

The link to the piece is here -

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/outdoors/8257281/Country-diary-My-vote-goes-to-foxhunting-not-MPs.html

- and I have responded on-line as follows:

"I know Robin Page. I like Robin Page. Robin Page is a fellow Cambridgeshire farmer and, like me, a born and bred countryman. He and I agree on some things. The Tories have betrayed many of their supporters, of which I also used to be one. I suppose that their worst betrayal is getting into a Brokeback coalition with the Liberals and then raising taxes which hit the hardest in the rural areas and that they didn't anticipate during the election - 'We have no plans to raise VAT to 20%' - they're liars, the lot of them.

But Mr Page is on less strong ground with regard to fox hunting, hare coursing, stag hunting, etc., for, whilst Cameron, Hague, Herbert, Paice, etc., said that they would permit a free vote, they know now that they no longer have the House of Commons support to make it worthwhile. I hate the so-called 'sports' of fox hunting, hare coursing, stag hunting, etc., because I can't cope with the idea of killing animals for fun. There are millions more like me out here. There are many less like the hunting-supporting and prominent Conservative MEP* whom I advised to go drag hunting instead of 'the real thing' in order to comply with the Hunting Act 2004 (which was passed with support from all parties). Do you know what the 'man' said? 'Drag hunting is like sucking a sweetie with the wrapper on.'

If one sucks this 'sweetie' without 'the wrapper on,' the fox is chased to exhaustion and then torn limb from limb by a number of hounds, not killed by the 'quick nip at the back of the neck,' as the mythologists claim. And what about the foxes that 'go to ground' and are then dug out and thrown, literally, to the hounds? This so-called 'sport' - like hare coursing and stag hunting - is utterly disgusting and those who participate in it ought to be ashamed of themselves. Politicians who back them ought to be doubly ashamed of themselves."

*The 'prominent Conservative MEP,' who is probably something of an embarrassment to the Conservative Party, is Mr Roger Helmer, who 'represents' the East Midlands. Go to -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Helmer

The KonDem Koalition by Peter Brookes (The Times)

''Angry Geoffrey Woollard' says 'Happy New Year!'

I have just sent the following letter to local newspapers. It relates to a local scandal. I hope that it will have an effect. It certainly ought to.

"Dear Editor,

All of our Councils are said to be short of money. Cambridgeshire County Council has 24 acres of arable farm land for sale at Reach. This is good land and it is known to be productive and valuable. I know that the National Trust wants to purchase this land to add to the thousands of acres that the Trust is presently letting go to rack and ruin for its so-called 'Wicken Vision.'

It appears that a selling price for this land has been set by two firms of valuers and if the Trust does not 'complete' the purchase at this price, the land will then be sold on the open market. I understand that the County Council has given the Trust a 'twelve-month window' to raise sufficient funds for the purchase. We don't know what the price is or if a deposit has already been paid or why the Trust has preferentially been given twelve months to pay.

I hear from my County Councillor, Mr David Brown, of Burwell, that the land is being sold 'under current County Council policy.' I think that the County Council, in order to make as much money as possible on behalf of the Council Tax payers, ought to have a policy of selling this land openly. In fairness to Cllr. Brown, he says, 'The current policy is not necessarily a policy I agree with.'

If the two firms of valuers have made the same mess with this land as valuers did when another local farm - the 103-acre Hurdle Hall, also at Reach, which was practically given to the Trust for £300,000 - then the County Council will have let the Council Tax payers down and done yet another underhand and scandalous deal with the Trust.

I submit that no valuers can know what such good land is truly worth to, say, a local farming family, without the land having been marketed openly. I am amazed that the County Council is not marketing the land openly.

As is known, I am not inexperienced in these matters and I have now heard more than enough of these cosy deals done 'under current County Council policy,' and done in secret for the benefit of the National Trust.

The 'current County Council policy,' certainly so far as it affects such land sales to the National Trust, must be changed. Now, before it is too late.

Yours sincerely,

Geoffrey Woollard."

I attached a picture of 'an angry Geoffrey Woollard' pointing out the extent of the land at Reach. Here is the picture.

Happy New Year!