Freedom of speech. Hah.

Are you certain?

The MSM are salivating over pronouncements that the PM and his lapdog of a foreign secretary are considering taking action against the president of Syria and his armed forces. I keep reading sound bites such as “The Syrian government forces are most likely to have used chemical weapons against the rebel forces”.

Two questions I’d like to ask:

Q1. What would the government gain?

Q2. What would the rebels gain?

A1. Nothing. They were sweeping back the rebels. Why would they need to resort to chemical weapons and invite the Ire of the civilised world?

A2. Everything. The Free Syrian Army is not as we are led to believe, a single entity fighting for freedom from the tyranny of he Assad regime. Instead they are a disparate group of factions that include jihadists that are fanatical Al Quaeda followers, that have no compunction in sacrificing civilians, in their cause to spread Islam across the globe.

Just remember 9/11.

Even in the MSM, it has been stated that Government bases have been overrun at times. Could nerve gas weapons have been “liberated” by the rebels?

My take is that, the fanatical Jihadist, would have no compunction on using chemical weapons on an innocent population in order to further the cause of a world wide caliphate.

I would suggest that that the government should stand back, await for positive proof before committing any of our armed forces personnel.

But I’m not expecting that to happen. Over the last two decades all I see is idiots in Government, using war to enhance their status as defenders of the free world.

Tossers the lot of them.

British service personnel may die, and we will stoke up the fires of Jihadism.

I maybe wrong. You tell me.

And I thought that........

Private dentistry was expensive. They're just amateurs.

Vets beat them hands down.

A friend of mine yesterday contacted her vet, on advice from me, as her old cat was showing extreme distress. The poor animal was just lying on it's side in the front doorstep in the pouring rain. This was the same symptoms as an old cat of mine had suffered two years ago so I know what she should expect. The poor creature was dying.

Now my dentist charges me £50 for a half hour session, the Butcher of Belsen Hygienist charges £45, you would think that those altruistic vets who have dedicated themselves to saving fluffy bunnies and the like would charge less.

You would be utterly wrong in that assumption.

My friend was quoted £300 quid!

As mentioned above I've been through this and know that from the time you arrive at the vet, till the time you leaving tearfully carrying the body of a trusting, small, lifeless animal, is only at the most, fifteen minutes.

The cost my friend was quoted was £230 for an examination and £70 for the lethal injection.

FFS. That means that the vet is charging £230 x 4 = £920 per sodding hour.

How on earth can anyone possibly justify these sort of charges?

I now consider vets as in the same league as payday loan companies.

Am I Stupid?

Today I received this in my Email

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
22/08/2013

TAX REFUND NOTIFICATION

Dear Sir/Madame,

After the last annual calculations of your fiscal activity we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of 379.83 GBP
Please submit the tax refund request and allow us 6-9 days in order to process it.

To access your tax refund, please follow the steps bellow:
- download the Tax Refund Form attached to this email
- open it in a browser (recommended internet explorer)
- follow the instructions on your screen
NOTE: Fill in all required fields, otherwise the refund process will be canceled.

A refund can be delayed for a variety of reasons. For example submitting invalid records or applying after the deadline.
Revenue and Tax Administrator
HM Revenue & Customs
Tax Credit Office
PO Box 1970

To which I as a greedy tax dodger replied by filling in their on line form.

Did I miss out on a refund?

You have been warned.

A public service broadcast from Filthy Engineer Productions^TM.

Somewhere on the Kent coast…..

Is a pub with one of the best smoking shelters I’ve come across.

High on the cliff top there is a hostelry that is always full. One of the reasons being is that it caters for smokers. It doesn’t consider 25% of the population as scum like some pubs in my area.

Overlooking the English channel is a large patio and nestling on one quarter, is a large shed situated close to the doors to the pub. This shed is of adequate proportions to allow at least twenty smokers to enjoy a cigarette in comfort. There are comfortable chairs, tables, superb heating and lighting and of course myriad ashtrays.

The beauty about it,  is that apart from the entrance, it is totally enclosed. Breaking the law you say? Well yes temporarily. However if an antismoking Nazi Inspector were to approach, sections of the side can be jettisoned in seconds, thereby conforming to the regulations.

It is interesting to note that just recently a smoking friend of mine entered the shelter on a blustery day to find a man and woman sitting there. When my friend lit up the woman immediately did the usual anti smoking hand waving, nose wrinkle and asked my friend in a petulant voice to stop smoking. My friend replied that the couple didn’t have to be in there. Her reply was that they were sheltering from the wind.

My friend doesn’t mince her words normally, but this time pointed to the large sign above the woman’s head. “Smoking shelter”.

They left eventually as my friend on returning to the pub, mobilised every smoker to use the shelter even if they didn’t really want a cigarette.

Needless to say the woman and her partner hurriedly left.

And no, I’m not going to divulge the location apart to say it’s somewhere between Eastbourne and the Isle of Grain.

That poll

A few days ago I posted up a poll trying to gauge the response to smoking rooms in public houses. Below is produced the results as of last night. Now ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) would have you believe the opposite. When the smoking ban was introduced in 2007 they gaily came out with the statistic that 80% favoured this draconian law. My simple poll would beg to disagree.

My stats show that almost the exact opposite is the prevailing view. When you add “Most certainly”, “Maybe”, and “No I prefer to get pissed at home”, you arrive at a figure of 81%. The “No”, and “I hate smokers so I would boycott the pub”, just muster 17%.

Governments seem to have the prevailing view that they know best. I say bollocks to that. It’s my life and I’ll do what I want with it. I refuse to be a statist clone that religiously eats his “five a day”, eschews alcohol, and cycles everywhere to save the world from “Global warming” or whatever the new mantra is now. (FFS, don’t get me started on cyclists on a Sunday morning in rural Kent).

Incidentally I came across the best smoking shelter situated on the Kent coastline this weekend. Most of the time it was eighty percent enclosed, but with the provision that the windows could be ejected within seconds. Mind you I doubt whether the smoking inspector would have lived after being tossed off the white cliffs even if he had objected.

If I had my way, and was in Government I would stop the government funding of Neo Puritan organisations such as ASH and Alcohol Concern, and tell them to take a running jump.

I want two of these.

For the Grandchildren.

Pub smoking poll.

Just a quick poll.

Be truthfull. (Actually you can tick whatever floats your boat).

If Pubs had a smoking room, would you visit them more often?
	Most certainly
	Maybe
	No
	I hate smokers so I would boycott the pub.
	Drink is evil. I would never cross the doorstep of a pub
	No. I prefer to get pissed at home.
	Undecided
	Refuse to vote on this poll as I'm like that.
pollcode.com free polls

Drug smuggling Lite

Much has been made in the MSM today of two girls caught drug smuggling in Peru.

Two British girls locked up in Peruvian jail have not eaten for seven days and are said to be terrified and hysterical after they were arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle £1.5million of cocaine out of the country.

Michaella McCollum Connolly, 20, and Melissa Reid, 19, are being held in maximum security cells following claims the pair may have been working for a South American cartel.

However this is the tip of a very large iceberg.

A few years back whilst on patrol on counter drug ops in the Caribbean we received intelligence that their was a fishing vessel that was a prime suspect due to the course it was heading. After shadowing it from a point astern, over the horizon, we were ordered to close and board it at first light in the morning.

Morning came and we pounced. Actually No! On demanding full power from the diesel electric power system a Thyristor decided to blow, leaving us almost dead in the water. Well there’s also tomorrow.

Tomorrow came and things actually went to plan. After working up to full speed we launched our Lynx helicopter with orders to tell the fishing boat to heave to. (Nautical term for STOP). Of course the fishing vessel stopped. You would too, if you saw a grey chopper  circling you and pointing a Mk 48 mini gun in your general direction.

Anyway I digress.

On catching up with the fishing vessel our boarding team discovered quite a haul of cocaine in 1Kg packets. How many you ask? 3,200 Kg in all. Approximately 1 billion dollars at todays estimated street value.

We boarded another two vessels in a two month period in which forensics also estimated that they had carried large quantities similar to our bust.

So when the MSM crow about a mere 11 Kg, then they’re being distracted from the big picture.