To Protect And Serve…

The drama unfolded when seven caravans moved on to the historic site in the shadow of a 13th century church under cover of darkness after removing part of a wooden fence rail at its boundary.

Oooh, that’s surely criminal damage, isn’t it? Why were the police not fining them?

Still, one intrepid villager, perhaps with the Meriden community action in mind, decided he wasn’t going to just lie down for this.

Or rather, he was:

The pensioner lay down across the missing section as five more caravans arrived at the site yards from his home.

Bravo!

At one point the 70-year-old man was on the ground with his face almost touching the wheels of a truck towing a caravan which had stopped with its bumper over his head.

He’s got guts, I’ll say this for him.

But then someone called the police, and that’s when everything went to hell in a handcart:

The man, who didn't want to be identified for fear of reprisals, said: 'The police arrived and told me to move. I asked them for their inspector's name and they refused.

'Meanwhile, the travellers were threatening to come back and ''sort me out'' but the police did not act on that. I was so disgusted I went home.'

*sigh*

The caravans moved a short distance away while police guarded Yardley Old Park in Yardley, Birmingham. But after 30 minutes officers left, allowing the mainly Irish travellers access to the beauty spot which is bordered by the medieval Old Grammar School and Grade I listed St Edburgha's Church, which dates back some 800 years.

Oh, FFS..!

Tim Moon, 28, whose family home overlooks the 30-acre park, said police seemed 'more interested in keeping the traffic moving' than stopping more travellers from getting in.

He said: 'We heard a commotion and I saw this man lying across the pavement where the travellers had removed the fencing. Travellers were standing over him and gesturing for him to move. One man tried to drag him away by the feet.

'The caravans were blocking the road and traffic was backed up in both directions - the police seemed to just want to get the cars moving again.'

I expect it was a lot easier to bully one 70 year old pensioner than risk tackling a gang of people intent on trespass, who might have put in a complaint that their rights weren’t being respected...

Suzanne Lyons, 56, whose home overlooks the park, said: 'We needed help from the police but whilst there was a lot of finger wagging going on, there hasn't been much action.'

Same as it ever was…

Even the council didn’t get any further:

Liberal Democrat councillor Neil Eustace said the council had asked police to immediately remove the travellers as soon as it became aware of the problem last Friday, using powers to tackle trespassers, but officers had refused because in most instances it is considered a civil, rather than criminal offence.

Let’s hope the council bear this in mind when it comes time to tot up the budget for policing, eh? In fact, I'd make a point of totting up the bill for the clean up that will no doubt be incurred and reducing the policing budget by exactly that amount. Maybe then, they'll get the message.

Did the police have anything to say in their defence?

Superintendent Mick Gillick from West Midlands Police said officers advised the pensioner to move 'for his own safety'.

Probably correct. He wouldn’t want to end up as another Tomlinson…

Then we were treated to a fine display of ACPO-friendly jargon:

'Local officers are listening to residents and other stakeholders to ensure their concerns are recorded and investigated where necessary.'

FULL HOUSE!

Whoops, sorry, got carried away with the buzzword bingo there…

Note that none of those statements imply any responsibility by Supt Gillick to actually DO anything to resolve their problems. And by god, he’ll do anything to deny that there was a time when the police might have had the opportunity to do something…

He said around six caravans had entered the park from a second entrance before the pensioner's protest.

But residents said all caravans entered from the spot the man was attempting to guard.

Well, who are you going to trust?

The leading police blog has an article about the budget crisis affecting the issue of personal safety equipment. No doubt the people of Yardley might wonder why they should get exercised about that, when it seems the police in their area have plenty of ways to ensure they never need it....

Cut-Rate Progressives...

It seems the local newspapers have been casting eyes at the success of the Guardian’s ‘Comment is Free’ website, and would like some of that action. Therefore, they have opened up blogspace on some of their on-line newspapers.

One to take up that challenge is someone blogging under the name ‘Jo Chipchase’. Here are the pearls of wisdom that drop from her lips:

Yesterday morning, I was in Gatwick Airport helping to despatch my kids’ half siblings on a flight to France to see their aunt. We were sitting in one of the North Terminal cafe bars, where Sky News was showing on the widescreen TV. Suddenly, a shocking piece of footage appeared and grabbed my attention. Uniformed men were dragging a screaming infant along a pavement. A pregnant woman was lying unconscious on the ground. I squinted at the screen. Was it a war zone? Afghanistan? No: it was French gendarmes removing African squatters from a Paris housing estate.

Oh, noes! People enforcing their country's laws! How awful...!

I was even more shocked when, later in the day, I viewed the same YouTube-derived footage more clearly on the Daily Mail website and read the bigoted comments posted below.

Really? Such as..?

Said one reader: “Those women were the ones at fault; they used their children as a shield! I wish we in our country would take a stronger stand.”

Said another: “Any chance of it happening here? Thought not. Too many liberal bleeding hearts, lefty do gooders, sucking-up politicians and civil liberties stirrers. Well done France.”

“Where were the men,” asked a few more people. “Why didn’t they (the women and children) cooperate with the police?”

Hmmm, I can't actually see anything bigoted about those comments. Is she sure that...

Oh:

The general tone was one of bigotry and ‘clever France’.

Sweetie, all I can say is, you've clearly led a sheltered life. And I hope, for your sake, you never see any genuine bigotry.

Still, at least she didn't run to the favoured 'CiF' ad hominem and go for a Godwi...

/headdesk

This scenario has a disturbing, if vague, undertone of Nazi Germany: if we kicked out all those pesky immigrants who are taking our jobs here in Britain (such as low paid shift work within the hospitality industry, which English people don’t generally want to do), straining our welfare state and depleting our social housing stock, we could have more lebensraum, ja?

Well, at least there's no mention of that bogeyman of the Left, the BN...

/facepalm

It’s bad enough that the BNP won 1.9% of the vote in the recent general election and that Nick Griffin is an elected MEP without being subjected to the far-right-wing hysteria of Little Englanders who wish to pull up the drawbridge and preserve “an English place for English people”…

Well, she's got the perfect Left-wing trifecta. Almost. At least she hasn't decided that the immigrants are prefarable to her countryme...

/doublefacepalm

My easygoing and professional French housemate has worked as a catering manager in a Brighton-based institution for the last few years. He tells me that, recently, the prevailing public attitude towards foreign nationals in the UK has noticeably shifted. Not so long ago, a colleague told him to “f*ck off back to your own country” because he didn’t like the composition of a mixed salad. Bearing in mind that some Brits are satisfied with their salad containing a lettuce leaf and a slice of cucumber garnished with salad cream – and maybe damp cress if you’re lucky - I would have thought that French-influenced cuisine and the people who create it would be welcomed with open arms.

I've no doubt bigger and brighter things await you, 'Miss Chipchase'.

"I think they must have been mucking around and it went wrong."

No, no. I think it went very, very right:

A teenager who was shot in the groin this morning may have been fired on accidentally by a friend.

*chuckle*

Domenico Melito, 41, witnessed the aftermath.

He said: “I was in my home when I heard a loud single 'pop' sound. I came out of my house and I saw one man lying on the ground and another standing over him shouting 'what the f***?' over and over again.

“At first I thought it was a mugging or something. I went back inside to get my friend and we came out together again straight away but they were gone.

“I didn't see their faces but they were two young black teenagers, not very old. They must have escaped back inside the doorway and then run off together out of another entrance.

”…the potential outcome of driving carelessly…”

…is…well, see for yourself:

Mohammed Haghir was sentenced to a 51-week jail term, suspended for two years.

Haghir, 55, was also banned from driving for four years and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, after admitting causing death by careless driving.

Haghir was speeding in his lorry on August 17, 2009, when it overturned in Epping Road, Ongar, landing on 19-year-old Nicola Saxton’s Ford Ka and hitting a Skodia Fabia.

Wow! Bet that taught him…

Investigating officer Sgt Dave Jones said: “…this incident should serve to remind those driving on our roads of the potential outcome of driving carelessly.”

Yes, indeed.

It’ll remind them that there are so few consequences, they might as well see if they can get away with it…

Compassion Fatigue…

Oxfam says that substantially less has been pledged to flood relief effort than for previous disasters.

The international response to the flood disaster in Pakistan has been slow and ungenerous, compared with other relief efforts, according to Oxfam.

Hmm, I wonder why that might be?

The leading aid agency said that, as of 9 August, governments had committed less than $45m, with an additional $91m pledged.

Despite the huge scale of the disaster, which has affected 14 million people and killed at least 1,600, this is substantially less than the amount of money pledged for other disasters over a similar time period.

Might it be that all those other disasters were before governments were forced to admit that there's a world-wide recession? And that now the voters are getting hit with cuts, they may not look too kindly on ministers making free with their money?

India, Pakistan's historic enemy and close neighbour, has not offered any assistance at all. After the 2005 earthquake, it donated 25 tonnes of food, medicine, tents and blankets.

And what did it get in return?

Gratitude? Why, no, not exactly...

So far, just five countries - Britain, the US, Australia, Italy, and Kuwait - have offered more than $5m assistance.

With the exception of (possibly) Kuwait, none of those are Muslim countries. So how are they helping out their Muslim brothers and sist...

Oh:

The Pakistani Taliban has urged the government to fund relief efforts itself and refuse to accept Western aid money.

Market Solutions Win Again

Fewer Australians believe that humans are responsible for climate change, but despite this, the market for environmentally friendly products such as LED bulbs is growing and manufacturers are releasing increasingly innovative and eco-friendly products.

Could that be because there’s a recession on, and these things also make energy bills cheaper, perhaps?

This shift in attitude is surprising as Australia is considered one of the most knowledgeable countries in the world on climate change; 97 percent say that they know at least ‘something' about the issue.

It’s only ‘surprising’ to those who assume AGW to be the True Word Of Our Lord Gore. Usually, the more you know about a subject, the harder you are to fool…

So, why is the takeup of these devices not showing in Europe too?

On August 4 Australian manufacturer Hot Beam released the innovative series of Streamline LED strip lamps (prices based on individual quotes): the 500 mm lamps, not bulbs, can be positioned on desks or hung from the ceilings and contain individual, changeable LED modules, making the lighting source more versatile than LED bulbs.

Aha! The market has listened to the consumer, and devised things the consumer wishes to buy.

Whereas in the EU, the opposite has been tried – force. Regardless of the use or practicability of the replacements.

Hence the growing demand for the old incandescent bulbs here…

Cops & Robbers – Sometimes The Same Thing…

Nearly £30,000 of cash has been seized from a businessman who is thought to have been murdered.

Seized by whom? The person or persons thought to have murdered him?

Ah, no…

Paul Duckenfield was last seen in a restaurant near Braintree, after flying into Stansted Airport from Portugal, in September 2008.

In June 2007, Derbyshire Police found nearly £50,000 in cash at his house in Allestree, Derby.

They seized the money under the Proceeds of Crime Act, suspecting it had come from criminal activity.

The force successfully applied to the court to keep £20,000 of this cash, which Mr Duckenfield could not account for.

He claimed the remaining £29,409 had come from selling his assets, so it was returned and a cheque given to his solicitor for safe keeping.

Hmmmm, bear with me. It gets murkier from here on in…

But he was reported missing after not being seen since flying into Essex from his home in Portugal on September 15, 2008.

Derbyshire Police believe he was due to travel to collect the cheque from his solicitor, but he never kept the appointment.

Essex Police launched an ongoing murder inquiry and as a result of new information discovered during the investigation, officers from Derbyshire returned to the courts to seize the £29,409.

Yes, dear reader. The same money they’d had to give back.

This time, of course, there was no-one to challenge the legalised theft, for, of course, the owner was suspected of having joined the choir invisible…

Southern Derbyshire Magistrates Court agreed the seizure and the money will be split between the Treasury, police, Court Services and the Crown Prosecution Service.

How nice for them!

Det Con Laurie Benniston-Clarke, financial investigator at Derbyshire Police, said: “It is unusual because of the fact there is an ongoing murder investigation and we have no knowledge of where Mr Duckenfield is.

“It is also the first time the force has gone back to court to seize assets we had previously given back.”

Must have been a lot easier for you this time, though, with no pesky owner to contend the legalised theft…

Officers had discovered information to suggest he had transferred money to a friend’s bank account, which was later sent back to Mr Duckenfield.

They suspected it was a way of transferring money to hide assets and transfer criminal property.

And they didn’t need to prove it, either!

Mr Duckenfield was last seen at Palm Trees restaurant, in Blake End, near Braintree.

A man remains on bail on suspicion of murder.

I wonder if the police are putting half as much effort into investigating his murder as they are apparently putting into looting his (still undiscovered) corpse..?

Looks Like You Boobed, Love…

The ‘Mail’ had a story yesterday about a ‘young mum’ thrown off a bus for breastfeeding her infant. Outrage ensued, with the commenters equally divided between the ‘I really don’t need to see it on my morning commute’ and the ‘it’s natural, get over yourselves!’’ factions. The bus company initially issued a press release deploring the behaviour of the bus driver.

Sadly, it seems Andy Warhol was right, and some people will do anything for their 15 minutes of fame. Later that evening, the story changed:

Doubts were raised tonight over the story of a young mother who claimed she was ordered off a bus by the driver for breastfeeding her six-week-old son.

Lauren McKenna, 22, said she was forced to walk a mile home with son D'Marion (Ed: Yes, really…) after being told to 'put them away or get off' as she nursed the infant.

But service operator Stagecoach said CCTV and sound recordings showed that no such exchange took place and robustly defended its staff member.

Oh, yeah! The CCTV that’s plastered all over buses these days! Didn’t count on that, did you, sweetie? Whoops!

And what does this brains trust do for a living, if anything?

Yesterday nursing student Miss McKenna, of Beswick, Manchester, who is planning legal action, told of her alleged public embarrassment.

Double whoops! Let’s hope that nursing career is now as much history as her planned compo claim…

Mind you, she’s not the only one blushing. The ‘Daily Express’ and ‘Metro’ both carried the original story this morning, unaware it had changed…

Soundtrack Retrospective: "This is not the time or the place to perform some kind of a half-assed autopsy on a fish..."

This month’s film is Stephen Spielberg’s ‘Jaws’ (1975). Another of John Williams’ masterpieces. Could anyone imagine it now without that wonderful and subtly menacing main theme?



It isn’t all brooding, menacing strings, though. Some of the rest of the incidental music is delightfully jaunty:



And by contrast, the famous ‘Indianapolis’ scene has barely any music at all:



It's not really a relaxing soundtrack to listen to, but it's one of the most evocative, that's for sure...

Peter Benchley underwent a bit of a crisis of conscience after the movie sparked a boom in shark fishing, endangering the great white shark he made the unwitting star of his film. The story on which he based 'Jaws' - the Matawan, New Jersey shark attacks - is a facinating story in its own right.

Not least because the animal was never positively identified. It may not have been a great white at all...

Lying About Rape: Overseas Special

It seems, like all potentially-lucrative enterprises, it's branching out:

Reports in the Greek media claim the woman is involved in 'organised fraud' and Mr Mitchell's lawyer says he has learned she has made three similar rape claims, earning £666,315 in insurance and compensation.

At least four of her victims are said to be Britons.

H/T AntiCitizenOne and Mark Wadsworth