Only in the Guardian.

These two paragraphs in the guardian describing, who?

Last year, the British Labour shadow Transportation Secretary even called out XXXXXX for its lack of females, saying that the franchise setting a bad example for girl wannabe train engineers everywhere.

At first blush, XXXXXX and his friends seem rather placid and mild. And there are certainly a lot worse shows in terms of in-your-face violence, sexism, racism and classism. But looks can be deceiving: the constant bent of messages about friendship, work, class, gender and race sends my kid the absolute wrong message.

FFS. Some stupid woman is railing(sic) against the childrens’ programme, “Thomas the Tank Engine”.

I especially loved this comment after the article.

Go and read the drivel HERE.

Good news about climate change teaching.

They’re not going to brainwash the kiddies until they’re fourteen now.

Debate about climate change has been cut out of the national curriculum for children under 14, prompting claims of political interference in the syllabus by the government that has failed "our duty to future generations".

The latest draft guidelines for children in key stages 1 to 3 have no mention of climate change under geography teaching and a single reference to how carbon dioxide produced by humans impacts on the climate in the chemistry section. There is also no reference to sustainable development, only to the "efficacy of recycling", again as a chemistry subject.

Wow. Especially as I read this in the Guardian. (Spits).

The alarmists are appalled:

"What you seem to have is a major political interference with the geography syllabus," said the government's former science adviser Prof Sir David King.

"It's just hollowed out argument," said John Ashton, the government's climate change envoy until last summer, and a founder of the independent not-for-profit group E3G. "Climate change should have as much prominence as anything in teaching geography in schools."

Maybe the schools can be left to teach real science. Why should children below fourteen need to know about the science of climate change anyway? Then again of course the alarmists need a new generation of children to badger their parents into adopting the global warming narrative.

Running to Mummy

An article in todays Guardian purports that those in the Tobacco Control Industry are running in fear from pro tobacco bloggers.

Leading advocates of tobacco control have been targeted in an apparent escalation of hate campaigns and intimidation by bloggers and groups who view moves to curb smoking as assaults on personal freedom.

Well. This blogger has absolutely no sympathy. Those whining hypocrites started this dirty little war. They have a vast army, supported by millions of taxpayer money to promulgate their tireless crusade.

Of course what they are worried about is that they can’t find any evidence that individuals are “Big Tobacco” funded, and people reading those blogs might just say, “Mmm, they have a point”.

The article even has to try and make out that smokers are homophobiac.

Liberal Democrat MP Stephen Williams, chair of Westminster's all party parliamentary group on smoking and health, has received abuse, including homophobic abuse, on his blog, especially after supporting plain packs. "When people make comments online, I sometimes wonder whether it is a real person or manufactured false identity. There are various front groups for the tobacco industry, and , I think, front individuals who post negative comments."

This individual wrote a blog post supporting plain packaging. The only abuse I can see is pro smoking commenters abusing the smokers who commented there. If you can find a homophobiac comment there, please let me know. I can’t find one. the pro smokers in the main were extremely polite.

My thanks go to Frank Davis, Dick Puddlecote, and The Angry Exile for pointing me to The Guardian Article

However if you’ll excuse me I think I’ll go and have a shower. I feel a little grubby now I’ve read it. It really is a terrible piece of slack journalism.

We should follow the Yanks.

This is one thing they have got right.

Republicans kill global warming committee

The kick-off of the 112th Congress on Wednesday also marked the end of an era in the House – the demise of a committee devoted solely to climate change and energy issues. The Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming, created by Nancy Pelosi in 2006, has been shuttered under the new Republican leadership.

It’s about time some of our useless politicians came to their senses and questioned this whole quackery of AGW. 

The only problem is that I found this in the Guardian. I feel unclean.

Carter Ruck

Free the Guardian one

The Guardian says this morning that it has been “has been prevented from reporting parliamentary proceedings on legal grounds which appear to call into question privileges guaranteeing free speech established under the 1688 Bill of Rights.” Guido points to this question on the Commons order paper and wonders if it is source to the trouble.

Maybe this:

(update Oct 12, GMT) Following press reportage about dumping off the coast of Africa, Waterson & Hicks, a UK law firm acting for Trafigura, a large London based oil and commodity trader, ordered and received this confidential report (the so-called "Minton report") into toxic dumping practices by its client along and on the Ivory Coast. The report reveals a number of toxic dumping incidents and appears to be the report behind the extraordinary secret October 11, 2009 gagging of the Guardian newspaper. WikiLeaks believes the Guardian was gagged to prevent it reporting the following Parliamentry question:

Paul Farrelly (Newcastle-under-Lyme) - To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of legislation to protect (a) whistleblowers and (b) press freedom following the injunctions obtained in the High Court by (i) Barclays and Freshfields solicitors on 19 March 2009 on the publication of internal Barclays reports documenting alleged tax avoidance schemes and (ii) Trafigura and Carter-Ruck solicitors on 11 September 2009 on the publication of the Minton report on the alleged dumping of toxic waste in the Ivory Coast, commissioned by Trafigura.[1]

See also Barclays Bank gags Guardian over leaked memos detailing offshore tax scam, 16 Mar 2009.

Update: Carter Ruck have given in. They're living in the past. Best that they learn about bloggers and tweeters.

Daniel Hannan and the Left

I've spent a while on various lefty/left leaning websites tonight. What is astounding is that, believe it or not, most of the comments about Daniel's speech have been positive. The gist of the comments is "I will never vote Tory, but I agree with what he said".

Hopefully the tide is about to turn.

Michael White of the Guardian has been attacked from all sides for his dismissive, and condescending remarks.

Even the comments on labourlist are about 60% in favour of Daniel Hannan's speech.

However, can we last, if that one eyed fuckwit decides to continue with a slash and burn policy for the next 440 days.

Public Opinion.

A funny old thing. There's a poll on the guardian website today on whether Geert Wilders should, or should not have been allowed in to the UK.

Interesting results, coming from Guardian readers

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/poll/2009/feb/12/netherlands-islam