Yet another UKIP attack on gender equality

So much for my early night. What I wanted was to have a bit of a read, and a kip, but then I made the mistake of checking Facebook, and being drawn to a link showing yet another UKIP attack on the gender equality programme, thinly veiled as some kind of rant about the EU. So much so typical, but the basis of this attack is so thin and misaligned it really needs answering, and now I'm all fired up and awake. Great.

Branded hopeless

So plenty of people have responded to Russell Brand's position and comments by now, but the story rumbles on and on, so I thought it might be worth throwing my views on the heap as well.

I'll admit I've never really found Russell Brand that interesting, his humour, the topics he covers, the way he talks, all just seem to be at the wrong end of what I enjoy (and sometimes the right side of what annoys me).

So, when he eloquently put in to words so much that is wrong with our country in his Newstatesman piece and, less eloquently (but not as inarticulately as Jeremy Paxman), argued his point with the worst political interviewer of our time, I really wanted to cheer and applaud along with everyone else... but I can't. He's wrong.

Crime and Punishment

Well, another week and another depressing insight in to the minds of my fellow country men and women.

The recent ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that prisoners cannot be detained for life without any chance whatsoever of release is against their human rights, has been met with the predictable, but depressing reaction by certain sections of the political classes and press. Calls for us to remove ourselves from the ECHR and 'be in control of our own laws' is par for the course whenever anyone dares criticise how we treat those who live within our borders.

Ironically these are often the very first people to criticise foreign governments for any perceived heavy handed treatment of their citizens, a position which only increases the hypocrisy and childishness of their reaction to criticism of this country.

Nigel Lawson's got it backwards

It was interesting to hear that Nigel Lawson's main reason for turning against the EU and wanting out is the vote by the EU parliament to implement the Capital Requirement's Directive, which included limits on bankers bonuses (to a piddling 2 times their salary) amongst other reforms.

Whilst the media over here focused solely on the bonus cap, the whole package contained a lot of very important measures to help prevent the same kind of financial crisis we have recently had from happening again.

The UK has the largest financial sector in Europe, and one of the largest in the world. How it operates affects the lives of millions people, not just across the UK, but across the world and especially within Europe.