Spring-cleaning Day

Lots of people think that the one job that local councils should do is the basic one of cleaning the streets and collecting the rubbish. So why do we need this? Because the councils waste too much money on other things.

On the way home today I saw these folk at work:

More photos here.

Time for a new Job?

I'm not actually looking but couldn't help noticing some items in today's Sunday Times Appointments Section.

First I saw that the Wales Millennium Centre is "now seeking a new chair". Why is that in the jobs section? Should I direct them to IKEA?

And then there's this: Natural England needs a chair too. And the new "Director of the English Beef and Lamb Sector" will need to "support the Chair". Is it shoogly? Shouldn't he be milking the cows and shearing the sheep?

Then I could be working for Peter Mandelson as a "Non-Executive Member of the Council of the Competition Commission". Why not just scrap most government activities? That'll do wonders for competition.

If anyone's interested in drugs, perhaps the position of "Director for Wales of the Royal Pharmaceutical Council of Great Britain" may suit. Or if you don't fancy Wales (or the sheep) how about "Chief Executive of the Future of Pharmacy Professional Regulation"?

I like trains and am rather tempted by the job of "Managing Director of London Underground". Cleverly, they require someone with a "track record". No mention of a travel pass though ...

On balance I 'll settle for "Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge".

The University "values diversity and is committed to equality of opportunity".

Good, I'll be moving the Vice-Chancellor's office to the public bar of the Queen's Head.

Celtic tiger de-clawed

Is Ireland a good example for a future independent Scotland?

Perhaps not. See here.

I walked past Bute House yesterday and wonder if they were thinking along these lines for Scotland:

The Irish economy rests on the precipice of devastation. Government interventionism has left Ireland with little room to maneuver in this difficult economic climate. The answer to Ireland's economic woes is not further government intervention in the economy, but a return to economic liberalism, small government, and sound monetary policy. Ireland needs to look closely at Austrian economic theory and take a step back from the dissolving, failed Keynesian model. Ireland needs to return to a firm base: it must eliminate, or at the very least curtail, its leviathan public sector; it must bring inflation under control through responsible monetary and fiscal policy; and it must cut down government economic controls in order to bring lasting stability to its economy.

Not even RBS is this desperate...

Hello Dear,

Contact Royal Bank of Scotland London for your money Cheque Draft. The Branch manager of Royal Bank of Scotland London will transfer your money to you immediately. The amount is cash £ 2000,000.00 British Pounds and all the necessary arrangement of Transferring the £ 2000,000.00 Pound in cash was made .This is the compensation money that my boss kept for you for your pass effort in trying to help him in transferring his money abroad though it did not work with you but he has done it with another partner.

Contact them immediately and forward them your information to enable them sends you the money.

This is the information they need to deliver your fund to you.
ATTN: Mr. Bright Edmond
TEl: : +44-70-35-98-11-37 EMAIL: brightedmond.r.b.s.l@live.fr

Please, Send them your contacts information to able them Transfer your money immediately. This is what they need from you.

1. YOUR FULL NAME
2. YOUR HOME ADDRESS.
3. YOUR CURRENT HOME TELEPHONE NUMBER.
4. YOUR CURRENT OFFICE TELEPHONE.
5. YOUR BANK ACCOUNT INFORMTION
6. A SCAN COPY OF YOUR INTERNATIONAL PASSPORT

Please make sure you send this needed information’s to the Remittance Director Royal Bank of Scotland London .

Thanks and Remain Blessed.
Desmond Dukor.

Now on Twitter

See here.

Links

I hardly ever use the blogroll anymore - it's all done with Bloglines.

Nevertheless, it was time to add some more links to the Whisky section.

Alex Salmond is "work-shy"

According to the Labour party, that is.

So what's the First Minister's crime?

Apparently Alex has:

only passed seven pieces of legislation since coming to power in May 2007.

Of course, the Labour party thinks that passing new laws is what politicians are for.

Lots of laws.

Like this:

... 3,605 new criminal offences created by the Labour Government since it won power in 1997 - almost one for every day it has been in office.

Let ZNL keep their expenses. Just don't pass any more laws.

Alex is on the right lines.

Guido

I can't do any better than to link to Sean's press release.

All those years when it seemed like no one was paying attention...

Iain gets it - sort of

Iain Macwhirter's latest post has this to say:

The best way is to make inflammatory attacks, preferably on other bloggers. This is the easiest and quickest way to get noticed and to generate traffic for your blog - as my silly stunt this week has confirmed. And apologies again to Iain Dale and Alex Massie for abusing them gratuitously.

So we've all been victims of a stunt! OK, fair enough. Welcome to the blogosphere Iain.

But he hasn't quite got it yet though. Consider this:

There is a science to blogging which mitigates against its mission statement as a new and accessible democratic medium of comment and debate.

Mission statement? The Herald may have one but the blogosphere collectively doesn't. I don't think that most bloggers see the medium as "democratic". We say what we want to say as individuals. Whether we allow others to interact with us is up to the blogger, not to a democratic majority.

In fact I'd go further. Large numbers of bloggers wish to reduce the proportion of human interactions that are subject to politics altogether, no matter how "democratic" those politics may be. In other words many of us are far keener on liberty than on democracy.

Work in Glasgow

I've been in Glasgow three times over the past fortnight. I like the city. It's sad therefore to read this:

Glasgow is home to the most workless households in the UK, according to the Office for National Statistics, (ONS).

From reading certain southern blogs I know that some will say: "Well, that's Scotland for you. Load of welfare bums, aren't they?"

Not quite:

However, Scotland as a whole had the highest employment rate of any UK nation, at 76%.

And no we don't all work for the state, as I explained here.

There's a particular employment problem in parts of Scotland, especially in Glasgow. I don't normally support tax regimes being varied in different parts of the country but I can't help wondering what would happen if corporation tax and national insurance were to be abolished in the east end of Glasgow. I might even relocate my own company: I had to pay £0.38P corporation tax a couple of years ago...

And Glasgow's surrounded by the UK's best scenery:

DSC_19931895
Originally uploaded by David Farrer

Mother of the free?

Then:

And now:

Great Britain: RIP

Fred Goodwin seen in Edinburgh!

P1010313
Originally uploaded by David Farrer

More photos here.