Hysterical

Today’s morning news was awash with the story that Fathers 4 Justice (but apparently, not “4” Literacy) had “plotted” to kidnap Tony Blair’s son, Leo, and that the “plot” had been broken up by police.

However, if you read more about the story (BBC version of the story here), you get to realise that this wasn’t a plot at all, except in the tiny minds of the media.

The plan only got as far as what police called the “chattering stage”, BBC correspondent Ben Ando said.

Police believed a fringe section of campaign group Fathers 4 Justice discussed the idea but did not have the ability to do it.

So basically it was a small group of people talking bollocks in a pub.

“You know what’d get us in the papers? Kidnapping Blair’s kid”
“Yeah, that’d be great.”
“Pity we’d end up in jail, or shot as terrorists”
“Yeah, that’s not so great”
“Best not do it then, yeah?“

Death Sentence

In the US this morning, a 76-year old man was executed at San Quentin prison. He had organised three murders when he was 50. Now, 26 years later, his sentence has finally been carried out.

That’s quarter of a century on Death Row. He committed the crimes, and that was proven in 1980. The American legal system has then kept this man alive for 26 years, through processes of appeals, re-trials and so on.

I’m not a fan of the death penalty – personally I find it abhorrent. But equally I find the concept of being on Death Row for twenty-six years to be disgusting. It’s no wonder that American jails are overcrowded if it can take quarter of a century to carry out that sentence…

Note: I know I haven’t constructed this post at all well – my head’s in other things at the same time. I’ll probably revisit it or rewrite it later.

Resignation

Personally, I think it’s a great shame that Charles Kennedy has resigned as leader of the LibDems. Over the years I’ve found myself respecting him more and more – well, as far as politicians go, anyway – for the way he’s handled himself, and made himself into a known and recognised face for “The Party That’ll Never Win”.

I can’t see that a new leader will be good for the Lib Dems, looking at the number of weasels that’ve jumped on the bandwagon already. Chief weasel, however, has to be Sir Menzies “U-Turn” Campbell, who stirred most of the trouble in the first place, then said he wouldn’t stand in competition to Kennedy in a leadership fight, and as soon as Kennedy resigned, jumped in and said “Oh, I might stand after all”. That, to me, is already the definition of a true scumbag – and I can easily imagine he’d ruin the work that’s been done by the Lib Dems already…

Beach Hut

Some people are – in my opinion – just frigging barmy. This is a perfect case in point. A couple who waited in their car for four days at the front of a queue to secure a long-term lease on – wait for it – a beach-hut.

No heating, no running water, and you can only use it from April to September. And casts £700 per year for the privilege.

Barking. Utterly utterly barking.