Searching

Even before the post below, it turns out I’m number one in google for “Robert Kilroy-Silk Prick“, which I’m hoping will also come up when the words “Is a” are included. (Ah no, just checked, I only come in 9th for that one)

Also, I come in 3rd for “things to do in Oldham when it’s wet” (although if Google were truly all-knowing, it would just answer with “fuck all“)

Leaving the Party

I can’t deny it, I found the story of Kilroy-Silk walking out on his UKIP colleagues in European Parliament yesterday.

It was also amusing to see the self-serving twat “insisting he had pre-empted a move to expel him from Ukip’s 12-strong parliamentary group, [and depicting] himself as a moderating force who condemned his former colleagues as extremists.”

According to the BBC, “The East Midlands MEP said he was remaining in the party but would not work with his colleagues in Strasbourg.” which just makes me wonder what the point of the entire thing was in the first place.

Then again, I’ve often wondered that about Kilroy-Silk.

Irony

I witnessed a glorious piece of behaviour at lunch-time today. Because it’s half-term, a bunch of the local schoolchild scallies were hanging round the shopping centre. They were all dressed in the trademark tracksuit and baseball cap, emblazoned with sportswear logos etc. – the sort you can see here any day of the week.

Yet they were abusing other people (and rightly so, in the case of the woman in the pink tweed suit and pink faux swede knee-length boots) by calling them “Chavs”. I just thought it was a spectacular demonstration of absolutely zero self-awareness.

Banned

Did you know that if you try and access the site of George Bush’s presidential re-election campaign from outside the US, you get a message saying “Access Denied“? The BBC has a story about it – now, who mentioned “Insular”?

UPDATED : The US has tried explaining why they’re blocking access – well, not really. “It’s for security reasons” isn’t a valid excuse, although in light of the “War against Terror” it seems to be seen as one.

ONE:Life

From the following review from the Guardian, I’m really quite glad I decided to give the programme a miss…

It was probably a mistake for Gary Hart to take part in ONE Life: Asleep At the Wheel (BBC1). Hart is the man whose Land Rover crashed on to a railway line at Selby in 2001, causing the deaths of 10 people. Hart says he didn’t fall asleep, a jury disagreed, and he was given a five-year jail sentence. He was released after serving half of it. Now he’s told his side of the story.

But even if what he says is true, and that the car hit something or suffered a mechanical failure, as a PR exercise this film was a disaster. He just comes across as a really nasty piece of work.

Yes, people were bereaved, but so was his family, he says – it was like a bereavement for them having him in prison for two and a half years. He’s suffered the same way as they have. And what about his car insurance? Who knows how much it will be when his ban is over.

Finally, when Hart looks at a photo of the post-crash carnage, the first thing he thinks about is not the people who died but his Land Rover. “I loved that old truck,” he says. It’s hardly surprising the victims’ families are struggling to forgive him.

The BBC had carried a story yesterday about the programme which made me fairly sure that it would be one of those weaselly PR-based programmes to say “it’s not fair, it wasn’t my fault”. (in much the same way that Rogue Trader did for Nick Leeson) That’s normally one of the types of TV (along with party political broadcasts) that just ends up with me shouting obscenities at the screen. So all in all, yeah, I’m glad I missed it.

Sweary

I can’t believe I’d missed this bunch of nerfherders, but Vicky at Highrise points out the – frankly hilarious – Cuss Control Academy.

“You probably swear because it is easy, fun, candid, emphatic, expressive, breaks rules, and somehow partially reduces anger and pain. But the negatives outweigh the positives.” Nope, I swear because sometimes what the situation deserves is a healthy yell of “Fucking Buggery Bollocks!”.

“You really don’t win an argument by swearing.“. Wanna bet?

“ You don’t prove that you are smart or articulate. You don’t earn respect or admiration.“. Again, wanna bet? Some of my swearier fests have brought praise from many others.

“You don’t motivate, you intimidate. Swearing doesn’t get you hired, promoted, or romantically connected.” Well, perhaps. Although it can get you fired, demoted, or romantically chuffed.

But that’s just a small sample of the site’s triteness. It’s well worth reading just for humour value. Or just to email them to say “Fucking Hairy-arsed Cunty Badgery Bollockweasels”. Which is what I’ve done.

UPDATED : And Green Fairy also comments on the same thing..

John Peel

Bloody hell, John Peel has died of a heart-attack while in Peru on holiday. RIP. Late night radio just won’t be the same without him.