Cornish Pasties
It may only be April 1, 2012 today but it has been more like April Fool's week in the UK, this week. A furore followed the news that Cornish Pasties would cost more due to VAT changes. The Coalition Government maintained that VAT changes had been made in order to simplify and make fairer the rates paid for people serving and selling food.
It all boiled down to whether or not the said Pasty was served hot or cold. The ambient temperature was discussed as people rambled on debating when a Pasty is hot, warm or just plain cold. Unbelievably the class war was brought into this nonsense. Challenged as to when they last ate a Cornish Pasty David Cameron seemed to quickly make up an incident whereas George Osborne seemed unsure just what said Pasty was. Are these politicians as out of touch with British people as the media claimed?
It all boiled down to whether or not the said Pasty was served hot or cold. The ambient temperature was discussed as people rambled on debating when a Pasty is hot, warm or just plain cold. Unbelievably the class war was brought into this nonsense. Challenged as to when they last ate a Cornish Pasty David Cameron seemed to quickly make up an incident whereas George Osborne seemed unsure just what said Pasty was. Are these politicians as out of touch with British people as the media claimed?
This may all seem incredibly silly given the sorry state of the UK and the World right now but the fun and games did not stop there. This time however UK Government stupidity led to chaos at the Nation's forecourts and one woman being left critically ill in hospital.
You may choose to lay the blame for all this at the door of the Unite Union who announced that if negotiations failed UK fuel tanker drivers would take strike action but Tory Minister Francis Maude has a lot to answer for. His advice to fill up at the pumps and do the same with a Jerry can to store at home caused outrage. First though it caused chaos.
It does not take much to instigate panic buying in the UK. Is it that we are all selfish to the core? You have to wonder. Each person who hastily drained fuel pumps dry had their own reason why it was vital for them to do so. Yet no strike had been announced and if one was it had to give 7-days notice. Of course most people thought they were just following government advice. In the end fuel stations ran dry in many places and a woman in York suffered serious burns decanting fuel. She remains in a critical condition in hospital.
The possibility of a fuel tanker driver strike at Easter has now been ruled out by Unite. Both sides of the dispute are back round the negotiating table. Appearing on today's Andrew Marr show Conservative Foreign Secretary William Hague may have tried to talk up this week's government nonsense but Mr Hague it did not wash.
Most people have questioned the Government's reason for offering such foolish advice The government maintains that people are now more prepared, IF a strike occurs. Was it however more of a political and monetary decision? Francis Maude's advice has resulted in the government inflating the revenue it receives via fuel duty. Millions more duty has swelled Treasury coffers this week, the last in the current financial year. The there was the attempt to blacken the Unite Union and its members, making both the villains of the piece.
You may choose to lay the blame for all this at the door of the Unite Union who announced that if negotiations failed UK fuel tanker drivers would take strike action but Tory Minister Francis Maude has a lot to answer for. His advice to fill up at the pumps and do the same with a Jerry can to store at home caused outrage. First though it caused chaos.
It does not take much to instigate panic buying in the UK. Is it that we are all selfish to the core? You have to wonder. Each person who hastily drained fuel pumps dry had their own reason why it was vital for them to do so. Yet no strike had been announced and if one was it had to give 7-days notice. Of course most people thought they were just following government advice. In the end fuel stations ran dry in many places and a woman in York suffered serious burns decanting fuel. She remains in a critical condition in hospital.
The possibility of a fuel tanker driver strike at Easter has now been ruled out by Unite. Both sides of the dispute are back round the negotiating table. Appearing on today's Andrew Marr show Conservative Foreign Secretary William Hague may have tried to talk up this week's government nonsense but Mr Hague it did not wash.
Most people have questioned the Government's reason for offering such foolish advice The government maintains that people are now more prepared, IF a strike occurs. Was it however more of a political and monetary decision? Francis Maude's advice has resulted in the government inflating the revenue it receives via fuel duty. Millions more duty has swelled Treasury coffers this week, the last in the current financial year. The there was the attempt to blacken the Unite Union and its members, making both the villains of the piece.
Last week ended with revelations by Rupert Murdoch's Sunday Times regarding Tory Party fund raiser Peter Cruddas appearing to offer access to UK policy makers as available to the highest bidder. David Cameron was quick to refute this and refuse to reveal the names of wealthy Tory Party donors wined and dined at No.10. Peter Cruddas resigned almost immediately. However the matter is far from over.
Whilst some believed this scandal was in part engineered by Rupert Murdoch as an act of revenge, there was no escaping that wrong had been done. It may not have been criminal in the normal sense of the word but it was far from desirable Party business.
In a damage limitations exercise David Cameron gave in and revealed the details of some involved in this scandal. It is far from over though. Sunday April1, The Sunday Times has produced more damning evidence against the government and what is beginning to look like "cash for questions" once again. This time it appears to be about Tory Party donors being wined and dined at Chequers. David Cameron promised with the Conservative Manifesto to clean up politics but it seems he has failed yet again.
Whilst some believed this scandal was in part engineered by Rupert Murdoch as an act of revenge, there was no escaping that wrong had been done. It may not have been criminal in the normal sense of the word but it was far from desirable Party business.
In a damage limitations exercise David Cameron gave in and revealed the details of some involved in this scandal. It is far from over though. Sunday April1, The Sunday Times has produced more damning evidence against the government and what is beginning to look like "cash for questions" once again. This time it appears to be about Tory Party donors being wined and dined at Chequers. David Cameron promised with the Conservative Manifesto to clean up politics but it seems he has failed yet again.
The UK Coalition may have had a terrible week but if Bradford is anything to go by the Labour Party has not benefited from Coalition woes. On Thursday March 29, Gorgeous George Galloway candidate for his political Respect Party won Bradford with a good majority.
The seat had been a traditional safe Labour seat since 1973. Mr Galloway fought his election campaign utilising modern technology such as Twitter but perhaps more importantly he spent weeks canvassing the electorate in Bradford. By comparison Labour's Ed Miliband had planned a victory visit after the election.
What is worrying in the UK is that whilst mainstream parties, that is the Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and Labour, fail to connect with the electorate and fail to get their acts in order they leave the UK open to extremists political parties. George Galloway's Respect Party could be the least of this country's worries. There are far more dangerous extremist political parties in the UK right now.
The seat had been a traditional safe Labour seat since 1973. Mr Galloway fought his election campaign utilising modern technology such as Twitter but perhaps more importantly he spent weeks canvassing the electorate in Bradford. By comparison Labour's Ed Miliband had planned a victory visit after the election.
What is worrying in the UK is that whilst mainstream parties, that is the Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and Labour, fail to connect with the electorate and fail to get their acts in order they leave the UK open to extremists political parties. George Galloway's Respect Party could be the least of this country's worries. There are far more dangerous extremist political parties in the UK right now.
It may be April 1 but TEKJournalism has decided against running any April Fool stories. Main stream publications have odd ones out there. One in the UK has a story about a new "Bubbly Tax" in the UK. Some of these stories are very good so make sure you don't get caught out.
In the UK it appears to have been April Fool week. That means we have had our fill of nonsensical news which has actually been for real.
If our politicians could get back to the work they were elected to do, and that they are paid for, next week the British public would be grateful. As this week has shown most of us are getting sick and tired of their games.
In the UK it appears to have been April Fool week. That means we have had our fill of nonsensical news which has actually been for real.
If our politicians could get back to the work they were elected to do, and that they are paid for, next week the British public would be grateful. As this week has shown most of us are getting sick and tired of their games.
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