Murdock refuses responsibility

Watching a clip of Rupert Murdock give evidence at a government committee, I was flabbergasted when he refused to accept responsibility for what happened in his own company.  He blamed those people he trusted.  Here was a prime example of someone who should be made completely liable and held to account.  In an equally absurd and mind boggling display of madness shares in News Corp gained six percentage points after his interview.

The owner of a business is ultimately responsible for everything that happens in that business.  Murdock doesn't seem to understand this salient point.  It is the owner who sets the standards, makes themselves known, decides the policies and is the vanguard.  If such a person chooses not to be seen and when they do are only interested in the figures of profit how can they give any moral compass to their own company?  They simply can not.  Here is a man who has acted like all short viewing accountants.  He hasn't bothered to find out how those profits come about, what was happening behind the scenes or has he even cared about the content of the newspapers.  This is someone who hadn't heard of the Minnie Dowler case until the phone hacking scandle began to take form.  Then it didn't actually hit him straight away.  Murdock states he has not been more humbled in his life.  In reality what he is saying is he has not been more stupid or ignorant.  An example of this was seen when in a flippant comment to a reporter who asked him about what was going on he said he was keeping an eye on Rebbecca Brooks.  This was so as to assure Rebbecca he was giving her his full support.  Lets not forget, Mrs Brooks is a woman who had only got her post as editor of the NoW because of who she knew.  Not because she had a single journalistic or editorial qualification.  Only because she knows how to mingle in millionaire and billionaire circles.  I nearly wrote class.  When class has nothing to do with it.  Brookes getting her cushy job at the NoW was a prime example of upper societies nepotism.  They look after their own. 

Even more so is this evident in disbanding the entire NoW business and still keeping Brookes on as head of News International.  Murdock simply has a soft spot for Brookes.  It has taken a fiasco of her offering her resignation, Murdock refusing it and then Murdock sacking her.  Probably through some mutual consent because he will have another nice little earner job set up for her somewhere else.  Maybe not immediately.  But I'd put a pint on it.  After the whole episode has been swept under the carpet, Murdock will invite Brookes to a week in the Alps and make her another proposal she can not refuse.  After all he's a billionaire.  He could propose anything for me, at the right price of course.

Jumper trys suicide

This morning I heard a helicopter overhead.  It seemed pretty low.  At first I ignored it then as it got louder had another look.  It was descending and looked like it was going to land a few streets away.  I recognised its distinctive red colour and the logo on the side.  Sponsored by Virgin.  It's the air ambulance which is used in London in emergencies.  Over they years I've seen it maybe three or four times and it normally means someone is in a serious condition.

I ran out of the front door and took my camera.  I was hoping to video or photograph the copter on it's descent, because it would look really good seeing it land.  But I was too late.  So settled for some pictures of it stationary in a car park.  Some kids on bicycles asked why it was there, I said they had run out of petrol and were about to fill up at the station.  As I walked along I could see a some people and then emergency personnel.  They seemed to be gathered on a railway line.  There is a flyover next to this part of the line.  Another kid asked me "is he dead?" I'd only just got there and didn't know what the circumstances were.  But it was then obvious.  Someone had tried to commit suicide by jumping off the flyover onto the railway line.  There about fifty feet away was a stopped train.  It had stopped at the station and had not even started to move out.  Whoever had jumped had pretty much got poor timing and jumped before the train moved.  Hence a crowd of emergency personnel trying to keep him alive.  I say it was a bloke, because of the method of suicide.  Men are more successful at killing themselves except in this case.  I couldn't see a woman jumping off a bridge.  They would be a mess when they hit the ground and are more considerate.  No it was definitely a bloke.

So this would be suicide victim had now decided to stop the train service for the next hour or so as all trains would not be allowed up or down to London for the next hour or two.  The expense of the helicopter was no doubt equally phenomenal.  Then there was the police and two ambulances, a quick response one and a standard one there.  In all probably about twenty plus people involved, not to mention the closure of the train line and the impact of every person who wanted to go somewhere.  The cost I have no doubt had climbed into the tens of thousands of pounds. Now take into account the immediate emergency submission into hospital and life saving surgery the cost would escalate some more.  If he survives there would be a stay in hospital and then the use of any other life long services which would be required because no doubt this man would be crippled for the rest of his life.  The failed suicide victim now comes into needing life long support from the state again at an expense to the state for which he would unlikely to contribute back into.  The clear and cold reality is, resources taken for this one person could now have an impact on many other individuals.  NHS funds as we know are limited and resources tight.  Some other individual who would of been booked an operation today may find they are put back into the waiting line.  Other patients who may require expensive medication may find this medication is limited or not forthcoming because the funds have been depleted a little more.  Another individual who could be on a train and just had to be some place at a certain time in for a special event will miss it.  Something which can never be done again. 

So it is.  The failure of a suicide can cost society more than the success.

Death of a 16 year old

It is with sad news I hear of a 16 year old boy who has been stabbed by another boy and died.  This happened only a few miles from where I live.  Such a young life and now gone.  I wonder if this young lad had a girlfriend and whether he had felt the love of a first love.  I'm guessing the perpetrator has no understanding of how the weight of justice will now sit on his shoulders.  How for the next 10 years at least he will be in custody and not be given the chance to grow up with his friends.  Go to discos, get drunk and play football.  Or whether he was one of those misguided youngsters who was in a gang and thought defending his territory, street cred and stupid gang alliance was what mattered.  No doubt the full details will come out over the next few days.  Whatever those details are they will be depressive.  Society will ask for it's pound of flesh and he will learn about this very soon. 

I wonder if he is sitting in his police cell and crying, whether he has remorse, or if he is there sitting in silence not knowing or guessing the consequences of his action.

Harwood to be charged with Tomlinson's death

Today there was a news announcement in respect of the homicide of Ian Tomlinson.  Tomlinson was one of those unlucky people who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, this was the G20 demonstration on the 01 April 2009.  He was attacked by a police officer (PC Simon Harwood) and this resulted in Tomlinson's death.  It has now been stated Simon Harwood will be facing prosecution.

The circumstances around Tomlinson's death were always suspicious.  It didn't take long for video evidence to surface, evidence which the Police authorities already had available, which showed Harwood attack Tomlinson whilst Tomlinson was walking by, with his back to Harwood.  This by the way was made available by an American who had been in London at the time, not the police.  At the time it seemed unbelievable the authorities had not taken action against Harwood.  Their justification of this was the original pathologist reported it was natural causes which caused the death.  Tomlinson was an alcoholic, but in the videos he was certainly anything but aggressive, he could of been out strolling in a park although clearly intoxicated.  Another inquest was held into Tomlinon's death and two separate pathologists agreed it was not by natural causes but internal bleeding he died.  The Police Complaints Authority did nothing.  In silent agreement not to investigate their own one might think.  Any normal authority would have considered an innocent person who had been attacked from behind and then died is worthy of some kind of investigation, even if it happened to be the use of unreasonable force and therefore assault.  It was only the continued pursuit of this matter by the family of Tomlinson which ensured his death was not covered up.

It is sad the police authorities have waited so long, when to the rest of the world, easily accessible video evidence suggests a serious breach of confidence in that authority.  You can not help but wonder were it not for the family of Tomlinson the police would of done absolutely nothing and of been satisfied of the outcome.  In many respects Harwood is now only one of a number of individuals who have allowed a miscarriage of justice to nearly succeed.  He may have been the criminal, however those who supported and continued to allow this injustice to pass now two years later should also be investigated. 

The Met Police were once described as "institutionally racist," this event suggests they are self protective and have an authoritative hubris a blind man could see.
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Lib Dems AV vote will be a no brainer

It is a sad and sorrowful fact, the first real change of the voting system which means so much to so many people is highly likely to fail.  This is all down to the Lib Dems image and decision to form a coalition with the Tories.  When the vote takes place next week, the electorate will make the decision on what they perceive is the salient factor, not the notion of AV at all.  The factor is Lib Democrats and can the be trusted.  The answer intuitively seems to be "no" but don't quote me on this, it's just a feeling I get.  The alternative voting system would of challenged all elected parties to really get their act together.  But we'll see, for I believe one act will not be seen in power again for at least another 70 years, and I don't have to tell you who that is.

A coalition government bent on creating depravity

At this moment in time the coalition government comes across like a 3 year old baby doing brain surgery.  Their combined hubris is such it will bring the UK to it's knees and take decades before clear Sky's are seen again.  Fact, the banking sector and international finance take a big portion of the blame for the recession taking place.  It is the greed of the few (bankers) who have effected the many (public) and bought the entire country to the brink of bankruptcy.  If the government had failed to bail out the banks millions of home buyers would be out on the streets.  Further there would not be enough Local Authority housing to put them in because a previous Tory government ensured there was a compulsory sell off of Local Authority housing at massively discounted rates.  The coalition belief is entrepreneurs will rescue the economy.  However, it is through Local Government finance such small and medium businesses have work.  The biggest employers of any area are usually Councils.  It is employees of these Councils who purchase goods from businesses.  There is an obvious cycle which these idiotic brain surgeons have failed to appreciate.  but then they are in it with the rest of us, or are they?  There are more millionaires in the cabinet than there has been in any other cabinet.  How can these people be representative of the public?  They can't.  They do not know or understand the repercussions of their decisions on the rest of society.  Their tongues are like a scythe, one which cuts not just through the pockets but through the future of the entire country.  They just don't get it.  We can see what they bring to politics.  It is a new higher level of ignorance of the world than has ever been witnessed before.  Ignorance which will not cost them as much as it costs the common people.  We we suffer.   The differential between rich and poor will become as bad as it is in India or any other developing country.  It is without moral guidance or objectivity.  For this coalition there is only one goal, to bring the UK permanently to it's knees.  God help us all.

The Chandlers, an example of the stupid gene

The Chandlers have been released from 13 months of pirate hospitality.  Their boat was boarded  as they sailed in the Seychelles oblivious to the world.  It's quite important to say oblivious, because being oblivious should equate to being ignorant, arrogant and stupid on a level of George Bush.  I've had a look at the Google map just to get an idea of where the Seychelles lay.  It's on the West Coast of Africa, with Somalia, Tanzania and Madagascar all in the vicinity, and if you wish to look further along the West Coast you will find Eritrea.  It doesn't take much to ask yourself which one of these countries suddenly hits you in the face.  I'll not give three guesses unless your name happens to be Chandler.  In which case, yes it's Somalia.  A country well known for rich pirates who border oil tankers and then hold them to ransom.  Pirates who have taken on this occupation because fishing just didn't pay well enough and it is so much more butch to wear a gun on your hip than carry a fishing net.  Pirates who are known to be pretty rich through these exploits.  In their pastime they also do a side line in arms dealing, target practice and enjoying the seas on very fast boats.

Somalia is a country known for it's lawlessness, poverty and lack of governance.  A country which any normal thinking sailor would say to themselves, besides the Bermuda Triangle, where else should I avoid going?  Yes, this particular area is it.  I'm not a sailor and it really hasn't taken me much time to come to this conclusion, then again I don't have either the Bush gene or the Chandler gene.  They no doubt have some familial thing going on they don't yet know about.

The Chandlers were released because their ransom was paid.  A nice hefty £625,000 figure has been banded about in the press.  They are alive, they have been liberated.  But shame on you Chandlers.  For now your ransom money will go towards more weapons, fast boats, drunken pirate nights and even the deaths of other innocent people.  Britain like other countries does not pay ransoms.  The reasons are explicitly obvious, there's that word again.  Unfortunately there is no law which jails the downright stupid.  Or rather those so stupid as to cause future dangers to the rest of the world.  But were there a justifiable reason to have one, then the case of the Chandlers certainly holds weight.  If this new government were to bring in a law of such then next week we'd see the Chandlers lose their liberty again, and in this case you would think quite rightly as well.