40 C0MMANDO plus 4 comrades

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/10456010.stm

L/Cpl David Ramsden, Colour Sgt Martyn Horton, Pte Alex Isaac and Pte Douglas Halliday died when their vehicle fell into a canal in the Helmand province.

Sgt Steven Darbyshire, L/Cpl Michael Taylor and Marine Paul Warren, all of 40 Commando Royal Marines, were killed by enemy action last week.

Thanks to the people of Wootton Bassett

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When a run ashore was a "Run Ashore"

When transvestites began to rendezvous in the area in the 1950s, they attracted increasing numbers of Western tourists who came for the booze, the food, the pasar malam shopping and the "girls". Business boomed and Bugis Street became an extremely lively and bustling area, forming the heart of Xiao Po. It was one of Singapore's most famous tourist meccas from the 1950s to the 1980s, renowned internationally for its nightly parade of flamboyantly-dressed transwomen and attracted hordes of Caucasian gawkers who had never before witnessed Asian queens in full regalia.



There was an adage amongst Westerners that one could easily tell who was a real female and who was not - the transvestites were drop-dead gorgeous, while the rest were real women. The amount of revenue that the transwomen of Bugis Street raked in was considerable, providing a booster shot in the arm for the tourism industry. Some Americans referred to it as "Boogie Street" in the wake of the 1970s disco craze.



Veterans recall that the notorious drinking section began from Victoria Street west to Queen Street. Halfway between Victoria and Queen Streets, there was an intersecting lane parallel to the main roads, also lined with al fresco bars. There was a well-patronised public toilet with a flat roof of which there are archival photos, complete with jubilant rooftop transwomen.



One of the "hallowed traditions" bestowed upon the area by sojourning sailors, eg. from Australia, was the ritualistic "Dance Of The Flamers" or "Dance Of The Flaming Arseholes" on top of the infamous toilet's roof. Compatriots on the ground would chant the signature "Haul 'em down you Zulu Warrior" song whilst the matelots performed their act.

Politics Show in Blackpool

Peter Callow has just said on BBC television that money from whatever source will no longer be going towards the regeneration of deprived areas of Blackpool, and there are swathes of them.
Does that mean the council will not be buying perfectly reasonable homes on Crystal Avenue from fellow members of the Conservative Council?

Was Phil the One libelous?

The leader of Blackpool's Conservative led council has managed to silence a blog on the Internet. Phil the One has closed the blog after allegedly receiving a call from Councillor Peter Callow reference the councillors travel arrangements to visit his daughter in London.

There is a simple solution as exercised by the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood. Publish the tickets and the expenses receipts. In light of Councillor Bells comments about excessive expense claims and local councillors travelling First Class on the rail, and what the Prime Minister has ordered for Civil Servants and MPs, it would be exceedingly remiss, if not crass, if any Councillor in England and Wales chose to ignore the current financial debacle.

Poster War in London

This says it all.

Moaning Minnies lose Mr Softie

Nigel Gooding has left his job as operations director of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) following a series of rows with MPs, some of whom have been left up to £20,000 worse off under new stricter rules.

The 46-year-old civil servant was employed on a six-month contract to launch IPSA and implement cuts including an end to public subsidies on lavish second homes and first-class train trips.

However, he has stood down from his role, telling the Mail on Sunday: "I have left the job for the sake of my health and sanity."

IPSA was forced to erect a sign at its Commons offices warning MPs: ‘We will not tolerate abuse of staff.’

Many MPs have complained about IPSA's handling of their expenses and the implementation of the new rules.

Paul Farrelly, a Labour MP, sent a complaint to Mr Gooding and said the new system was "prehistoric, amateurish, self-defeating and bureaucracy gone mad".

So much for Parliament! This says more about the powers that be than their servants, which is telling enough. The sign outside the office should read “You can’t obey the rules,that’s why we are here.”

If MP Paul Farrelly has complaints then he ought to try the real world where a job move entails all the problems he encounters here.

Why employ a spineless character in any case? So you can bully him/her. Fetch back Elizabeth Filkin and give her a big stick.

For Sharon Wigley and her friends

The Bens near to the Command Memorial above Spean Bridge

Mrs Wigley is going to walk up these ridiculous hills cos she's fat and lazy. Silly Old Moo!

In fact she sounds like a thoroughly decent lady who doesn't mind putting herself out to help others. On my recent trip up to the memorial I saw the dedication to her son and was amased that I recognised others from my days in the mob. Sharon is seeking help for her attempt to climb the Bens and raise monies for her causes. I shall be taking a tenner out of my 42 reunion budget to give to this wonderful lassie once she has told me where to send it. Sharon can be found on Facebook for anyone interested in assisting.

Having talked it over with the Alky, we would love to accompany the fund raisers in their valiant causes, but age and infirmity prevent it. I think they are doing their bit in the second week of July, so get cracking. We wish all a safe journey and sincerely hope they have a joyous time, because it was the one thing that being a Bootneck gave us, that sense of humour unique to the lower deck Royals.

Local Radio puts Council under scrutiny

If I knew a Councillor or MP who would reply to this inquiry I would ask, but they never can or do want to be answerable to anyone except themselves; "Is Graft back and stronger than ever?"

Come on Public Servants, is this report correct?(listen for yourself)

Paedophiles with smacked wrists

Story one

A desperate father says the system has failed to protect his 14-year-old daughter from being groomed at the hands of a paedophile ring operating in Keighley.

The father of three, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said he had watched in despair as his young daughter deteriorated from a happy-go-lucky schoolgirl into a sombre, scared shell in less than six months.

He said the reason was that she had become a victim of sexual grooming by a gang of men who he, the police and Social Services seemed powerless to stop.

“I am at the end of my tether,” he said. “Why can’t we protect our own children from these people?”

Story two

A JUDGE has blasted two cousins who took three young girls from the streets of East Lancashire, plied them with drink and drove them 20 miles to a hotel.

Azeem and Tabassum Shah were only caught out when an eagle-eyed night manager at Darwen Travelodge became suspicious about the age of one of the girls and alerted police, Burnley Crown Court was told.

The pair, from Vernon Street and Railway Street, Nelson, respectively, admitted abducting the three girls, aged 14 and 15, in August last year.

Police say there was evidence that the two men and three girls, taken from the streets of Nelson, had all been drinking.

Sex in the afternoon

The Louis Horrocks recreation grounds offered the casual observer more than the migratory blue-tit and strutting cockortwo to observe.
Oblivious to the nearby CCTV camera, the rutting season got into full swing with an intertwined brace of infantile juveniles risking the sexual offenders register, to engage the onlooking host of children in an impromptu biology lesson.
Although it exercised the massed ranks of the local constabulary, the neighbours in the Dunes Hotel satisfied themselves with Dr Boddingtons and a few bottles of Chateau Sarsons. Pirated extracts of the afternoons main event will soon be accessible on most 12 year old mobiles.

Anthony Hotine, 40 Commando KIA

It is with regret that the Ministry of Defence must confirm that Marine Anthony Dean Hotine, from Alpha Company, 40 Commando Royal Marines, was killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday 2 June 2010.


[Picture: via MOD] Marine Anthony Hotine, 40 Commando Royal Marines

Marine Hotine was killed during the early morning as a result of an explosion which occurred when Alpha Company was conducting a joint reassurance patrol with the Afghan National Army in the area around Patrol Base Jamil, in the Sangin district of Helmand province.

Clegg answered

Nick Clegg: tell us the laws that you want scrapped.

Easy, David...

Gordon's question

Gordon Marsden (Blackpool South, Labour)

What recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's work to promote stability and the development of civil society in the Caucasus.

This is the man lauded for his associaton with veterans, so what the Hell is he twittering about? Andy Miller has local connections - he formed the very first Sunday Football league for those who had to work Saturdays - but the Miller family have been ignored by Parliament even though the Courts are culpable for his death.

Nanny Spelman legless?

Ministers caught using drivers after cars crackdown: One heads for Dunkirk, while second is ferried 500 YARDS to work.

A Government crackdown on using official cars appeared to be breaking down last night after a two ministers were caught taking unnecessary limo trips.

Andrew Robathan, the new Veterans Minister, came under fire after he used an official car – complete with driver and MoD official – to attend the 70th anniversary ceremony for Dunkirk.

Meanwhile Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman was pictured being ferried 500 yards from her £3 million London townhouse to her Westminster HQ.

Were the minutes Doctored?

Concern rises over abuse in Blackpool Town cabinet

There is a history of fiddling minutes by some "public servants" serving (sic) within this council. The letter I revealed reference Kensington Clanger was a result of inaccuracies in the minutes of an Association. The problem is they are so self assured that they do not believe that others will check, or, more importantly, raise their concerns in public forums. They are also secure in the knowledge that the Charities Commission is about as useful as a bent Lieber/Lib-Cunt MP.

Deviating, as is my want: as the country is rapidly running out of usable water resources, the waters off the Coast can no long act as purifier to the mass of effluence and modern waste, as we rapidly approach the time where we WILL be having electricity cut-off periods, as the Green Belt is violently invaded by every minority group from self interest travellers to Councillors who want to get richer quicker, who is going to ACT as conscience and say enough is enough?

We have just had a wonderful example of NIMBY-ism with the undeserved defence of the Violin player David Laws, double First in Economics, but not a healthy reaction from the Powers That Be in regards to criminality in office. Misfeasance in Public Office has strangely been whitewashed over.