UNISON's monkey business

Three wise monkeys

Further proof – as if it were needed – that public sector union, UNISON, is run by a bunch of loopy control freaks with no regard for anything other than feather-bedding themselves, supporting their New Labour government friends and shafting anybody wishing to engage in traditional trade union activities like improving the conditions of the working classes.

The Blogger learns the time-wasters of UNISON’s boss class have recently condemned as ‘racist’ a leaflet produced by sections of their own membership strongly criticising their leadership. A witchunt investigation against the perpetrators of the leaflet has now been launched by union’s bosses.

The leaflet exposes the lack of democracy at UNISON’s conference, where over one-third of the resolutions have been dismissed from the agenda on issues like election of officials, branch control over industrial action ballots and the union link with New Labour.

And the alleged racist content of this perfectly reasonable and democratic critique? A cartoon depicting the ‘Three Wise Monkeys’!

Why do UNISON members continue to their pay fees to support this shit?

Posted in The British Left, Trade Unionism | | There is 1 comment

Question of the week

“I am not bonkers. How could I be a successful QC and be that completely stupid?”
Cherie Blair

Well let’s consider the evidence m’lud…

Posted in Uncategorized | | There is 1 comment

More plaudits for The Cancer

Prisoner release

Here’s a nice example of a traditional Bristolian greeting for journalists and photographers of The Evening Cancer.

The non-news here is that the lads pictured are leaving prison after serving their sentences. The Northcliffe bedwetters are getting their pissy knickers in a twist over this because they’re part of the government’s early release scheme for very minor offenders, most of whom should not have been in prison in the first place.

Perhaps the lads should consider joining the Bristol Labour Party? They reward far more dishonest activity than theirs with a senior positions in the Bristol voluntary sector. Or maybe they should get a job with Bristol City Council? There they could expect severe punishments like early retirement with a lump sum or promotion into another department.

Posted in Bristol, Bristol Evening Post, Journalism, Media | | There are no comments yet

Nutter of the week

Congratulations Craig Murray, the UK’s former Ambassador to the Central
Asian Republic of Uzbekistan. The entirely sane and rational Craig has written on his blog a piece entitled
‘London Bomb – Cui Bono?’ in which he makes the case that the government may have planted yesterday’s bomb:

Brown had already made plain he supports further anti-civil liberties legislation. This produces just the kind of febrile atmosphere in which that can be done. The television news is already pushing 90 day detention without charge again.

Nurse! The screens…

Posted in Conspiracy theories | | There are 3 comments

"I warn you not to be ordinary, I warn you not to be young, I warn you not to be ill…"

Gordo has made the Dim Prawn Minister of State for Health and second in command to Postman Posh, Alan Johnston. She’ll be working directly alongside that insufferably vile, perma-tanned grinning idiot Ben Bradshaw who should be shot.

The Prawn has said she’s “looking forward to working in a delivery department.” Well we’re not. The last thing she “delivered” was the botched tax credit scheme that plunged tens of thousands of the country’s poorest families into financial chaos. Best not be ill for the next couple of years, eh?

No joy for any of the other local MPs. Doug “Lobby Fodder” Naysmith will continue his parliamentary career as a stupid old bearded waste of space while Dan Norris continues to be kept as far away from government as possible for everybodies’ safety. But no doubt this mentalist social worker will continue his one-man obssessive-compulsive mission to rant incoherently about paedophiles until the electorate finally put him out of his misery at the next election.

The Blogger also hears a strange rumour. When Naysmith finally steps down at the next election in favour of this dodgy Tory-boy barrister, Sam Townend, it’s said he will rejoin Bristol City Council as a councillor. Great. Another pompous old git wasting space and money at the Council House before they’re finally pensioned off.

Posted in Bristol, Bristol North west, Labour Party, Local government, MPs | | There is 1 comment

Urban beach news

Topless beach babeTopless beach babeTopless beach babe

The more cynical readers among you are probably thinking it’s Friday night, The Blogger hasn’t got a story and so is about to use some paper-thin Bristol Urban Beach news nicked off the dead tree press as a pathetic excuse to print gratuitous photos of topless women.

And you are just about right. This is indeed yet another plunge downmarket, this time worthy of Nuts. Who, incidentally, have just published a photoshoot of ‘poor’ Emily Parr, Bristol’s downtrodden ex-Big Brother contestant, who seems to be having no problem earning cash from her notoriety.

As for the Urban Beach (Blogger Passim), what’s going on? My copy of Venue says it will be open on 1 July. That’s Sunday. This seems unlikely because at the moment the beach still looks like a badly surfaced car park in Redcliffe.

The Cancer, meanwhile, has pitched in with an opening date of 16 July. Which is possible and means The Demos wonks running the show would only be 16 days behind schedule. Well done. The countdown starts here…

In further beach news, Melissa from Demos – the brains behind our high-concept urban beach – has also announced what colour the deckchairs are gonna be… And it’s… Wait for it… pink!

Can you contain your excitement?

Posted in Bristol, Developments, Redcliffe, SWRDA | | There are 2 comments

Local trade unions' congress

Senior Labour cabinet member John Bees, stalwart of the local T&G, is rumoured to be spending a lot of time in “home care discussions” with the city council’s GMB rep Rowena Hayward.

This selfless partnership working on behalf of some of the lowest paid women in the city is impressive. But will this fantastic example of inter-union co-operation come good?

Posted in Bristol, Home Care, Labour Party, Local government, Trade Unionism | | There is 1 comment

Clunking fist opts for cultured prawn

Our man with the Blackberry in The Strangers Bar suggests Gordo will solve the Prawn Dimarolo conundrum by giving her a place in the cabinet at Culture, Media and Sport with the Olympics removed elsewhere, as, let’s face it, she couldn’t organise the fucking Ashton Court Festival.

CMS is considered the office of state where the hapless Prawn can do the least damage as nothing’s gonna change in the media as Gordo’s right up Murdoch’s backside and sport is well, sport.

Posted in Labour Party, MPs | | There are 2 comments

Arena: Private profit from public cash

Fat cat

Today’s Arena press conference saw the SWRDA and the city council responding with large cash handouts courtesy of the tax payer as the private developers involved in the Bristol Arena “partnership” predictably start to turn the screw on them.

The SWRDA announced a further cash injection of over £14m into the project bringing the total handed over by the tax payer in cash and land to £45m.

Considering the the total cost of the project is £100m – £150m this means the tax payer will foot somewhere between one half and one third of the bill for building the Arena and net none of the profit! That will all go to the Philadelphia-based multinational SMG. What a great deal this is on our behalf.

Now that SMG have extracted as much cash as possible from the tax payer, expect them to concentrate on extracting major planning concessions with similar blackmailing techniques.

With just a nine acre site at their disposal along with some land handed over by the city council as far as the Three Lamps they’re gonna want to be cramming those buildings in. No doubt they will also be eyeing any other spare land in the vicinity…

Meanwhile, major questions around road capacity and site suitability remain unanswered by the SWRDA and the city council

Posted in Arena, Bristol, Developments, Local government, SWRDA, Temple Meads | | There are no comments yet

Arena announcement imminent

The Blogger learns there is a press conference first thing tomorrow on the future of the Arena project.

Apparently only the city council and the SWRDA will be attending. No sign of the private partners SMG…

More news as it happens tomorrow.

Posted in Arena, Bristol, Local government, Media, SWRDA, Temple Meads | | There are no comments yet