So J.K Rowling is now a frikkin billionaire. One biiiiiiiillion dollars.

At the risk of making a sweeping generalisation, traffic wardens are anally retentive jobsworth wankers who make life in this town just that little bit more irritating and expensive for the hard–working citizen. Yes, I got another parking ticket under code 62 — “parked with one or more wheels on any part of an urban road other than a carriageway”. You guys suck.

[UPDATE: It has been pointed out to me that they are only doing their job and it is my fault for illegally parking and if everyone did it, where would we be, eh, and it’s all great fun until someone loses an eye. Which made me feel much better].

This articulates quite nicely something I’ve been thinking about for a while — despite the so–called democratic governments of the West, the way the political system in fact works means that things are really run by a tiny elite.

You lot seen this (supposed) French advert?

National Pubs Week

National Pubs Week begins tomorrow. Originally launched “to encourage people to visit pubs more regularly”. Fair play. See you in the Black Friar tonight for a pre–emptive pint?

Further ranting an' ting

And another thing; so we become lawyers because we’ve got no imagination? Gordon Pollocks, I’ve got imagination, it’s just that throughout my life it has worked against me not for me… e.g when someone gypsy's kisses me off I readily imagine them kicking my teeth in so I am reluctant to call them a turkey plucker as they deserve; when I talk to a fit girl I imagine she thinks I’m a weird pervert so I probably end up looking like one; when I’m on a thumb sucking ski–lift I imagine plummeting to my death so I end up having to go to a blasted hypnotherapist… I could go on; imagination = over–rated.

Get the translation at www.foxinternet.co.uk/emailsafe.shtml

Gym again

I thought going to the gym and taking exercise was supposed to make you more relaxed. I am finding it’s making me increasingly irate, due to the behaviour of my fellow gym–goers. This is not helped by my wuss–like, passive–aggressive nature. I think I’m in danger of having to starting getting tough here. Get away from me.

Six things that wind me up at the gym

1. Men who really fancy themselves and wear trainers with no socks
2. People who invade personal space
3. People who thoughtlessly wander about in my line of sight when I’m trying to lift
4. People who really fancy themselves and wear Oxbridge college sportskit, particularly men who look posh with Kim Barnet haircuts
5. People who stay on the equipment I want to use for ages and sit there on it for ages in between sets
6. Birds that really fancy themselves and think they’re really fit cos they go to the gym twice a week

Starred As at A Level? Why not just award less As? This seems like the L, XL, XXL, XXXL, tall, grande, venti thing to me.

Had dinner with some people from work last night at Pétrus and very nice it was too. It’s nice to get the chance to go to properly good, expensive restaurants once in a while when the office is paying; to see how the other half lives and all. Although I wouldn’t want to do it too often, you know?

Speaking of stories that sort of die down, what happened about Geoffrey Robinson complaining about the allegations arising from his arrest for drink driving? Were the complaints upheld? You may recall that the allegations, which were later dropped for lack of evidence, related to the possession of a bag of Gianluca. Like those against Gorgeous George, scandalous allegations if unfounded. I wonder how he got on with the complaint? I suppose stories don’t often remain newsworthy for very long. Ever get the feeling things get swept under the carpet when it suits the elite?

Whatever happened about?

You know how stories sort of die down? What happened about George Galloway? I know that he got kicked out of the Labour Party, but is that where it ended? It seemed to me at the time that if the allegations against him were untrue, they were disgraceful and he should be compensated for the damage to his reputation. However, his story has come to mind again because I read this article about what the UK Chairman of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants has been finding out in Iraq recently. If this sort of corruption was going on, especially at the U.N, it’s a bloody disgrace and those involved, including George Galloway if appropriate, should have to face serious consequences. I wonder whether anyone will. Ever get the feeling things get swept under the carpet when it suits the elite?

War on crime?

How do you like this?

“The need to prove a suspect’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt should be relaxed in serious criminal cases to make it easier to convict organised crime bosses and people traffickers, Tony Blair said yesterday”

So the more serious the crime, the lower the burden of proof? I think I see what they are getting at here — they want to be able to secure convictions in situations where it is almost impossible to prove beyond reasonable doubt that someone is the directing force behind an organised criminal enterprise. But it seems a dangerous precedent: more from Blair:

“I think people would accept that, within certain categories of case, provided it’s big enough, you don’t take the normal burden”

…and I’m sure some people would accept that. Quite a few people would probably have been happy to send Ian Huntley down without going to the trouble of trying him at all. But the risk here is that where the CPS can intimidate the public with a sufficiently large and nasty allegation/threat, they will be allowed to cast aside a pretty fundamental principle of British criminal justice in the process of locking someone up for a very long time. I’m not going to rehearse the 1984 comparisons here, but I will say that I think that a free society needs to be bloody careful before heading off along that road.

War on terror?

Not sure what was going on, but there were armed police at my tube stop this morning, including an officer armed with what looked like a baton gun. Anyone heard anything? [UPDATE] I think someone went through without swiping their Oyster card.

I have just seen this; a little late; Bush and Blair are up for the Nobel peace prize. Just so you know.