The Cost of Unemployment

STORIES about the dismal state of our under-funded Armed Forces (here and here) contrasted sharply with revelations that a staggering £61 billion a year is spent on the nations' 5.2 million unemployed. If it is a choice between keeping our idlers in smack and cider or maintaining a respected and confident military force in the face of an unprecedented threat to our liberty and security, which would you choose? Okay, this may be a crass over-generalisation of the requirements of our unemployed, many of whom are obviously legitimate claimants, but this inequality perfectly encapsulates the warped priorities of New Labour.
Apparently some 2.7 million of the above receive incapacity benefits, and, whilst many of these cases are genuine, the government estimates that around one million of recipients are actually capable of working. These malingerers are costing the taxpayer in excess of £11 billion a year. The defence budget is to be slashed by some £250 million this year (although forking out over £200 million in management consultancy fees from the national defence budget every year doesn't help). The disparity does not need to be highlighted.
The author personally knows a handful of freeloaders who fraudulently claim incapacity benefits; one in particular has been doing so for over five years. The defining and unifying feature of these layabouts is that they are habitual drug abusers (although not necessarily addicts), in most instances cynically feigning depression and chronic migraines to continue funding their never-ending party at the taxpayers' expense. The amount of authentic medical problems they will doubtlessly incur as a result of their government-funded hedonism is unknown, but the notion serves as a delicious slice of irony as well as a savage commentary on the utter absurdity of the situation. As it is the welfare state is, in the long-term, unsustainable, but, with the persistence of flagrant and costly abuses like this, its demise might come sooner than expected.

The Untouchables

HOME Office figures have shown that only one crime in 100 results in the perpetrator being caught and sentenced. This startling figure is thought to be due to 'the dramatic rise in the use of "summary justice" - instant fines or cautions and warnings handed out by the police…' Indeed, other findings published last week revealed that Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs - fines of £50 or £80 issued on-the-spot and payable within 21 days) are now being issued for one crime in nine (it is postulated some 167,000 have been issued in 2006, compared to 137,333 in 2005). An interesting commentary on the evolution of this 'pay-as-you-go hooliganism' can be read here.

The widespread and growing use of ASBOs, ABCs and PNDs as a quick and easy means to tackle the proliferating scourge of 'minor' criminality is being met with contempt by many of those recipients who, with their criminal credentials bolstered by their order or notice, continue to offend until they at last commit an offence of suitable severity that our judiciary is reluctantly compelled to incarcerate them for some paltry period in one of our revolving-door prisons. Upon their release the whole charade continues afresh. One of the principal and most damaging consequence of this unwillingness to properly punish our criminals is the message it transmits to other potential wrongdoers: it is a green light to go forth and be anti-social. This is not some baseless supposition from a detached commentator, but one based on personal observation.
Our adolescents are particularly vulnerable to this provocation (for that is what it is), primarily because of their amorality, but also because of their indoctrination by those sections of our frivolous and degrading popular 'culture' which present criminality, drug-abuse and sexual permissiveness as being desirable traits. This vulgar anti-culture, which on the one hand encourages absurdity and moral laxity (see Big brother, I'm a Celebrity…, countless soap operas, the debauchery of pop musicians et cetera) and on the other glorifies criminality (see countless gangster films – from Lock, Stock… to Boyz in the Hood – games like the Grand Theft Auto series and some Hip Hop) is having a deeply detrimental effect on the attitudes of the nations' youth. It may not be going too far to suggest that as much as punitive sentencing and prisons will indubitably make crime a less appealing prospect to our more timid potential wrongdoers, real headway will not be made until the poisonous immorality and idiotic triviality that characterise this 'culture' is addressed.

The question of why the government has come to rely on such weak and ineffective measures is complex, but may be briefly pared down to two dominant factors: firstly, with increasing anti-social behaviour on our streets and a chronic lack of prison spaces the government has been forced to bring in legislation which allows for the speedy processing of minor offenders whilst keeping them clear of prison: secondly, the government's attitude towards crime is based on the fallacious belief that criminals are themselves largely the 'victims' of poverty. But in this poverty=criminality equation, believed and promulgated by the majority of liberal leftists, wrongdoers have been handed the perfect ready-formed excuse for their unpleasant deeds, happily disavowing personal responsibility for their behaviour and placing blame instead upon their lowly socio-economic status, which they loudly proclaim they cannot alter (should have paid more attention at school, eh?). 'I wanna piece of the cake,' whined a spliff-smoking black gang-banger from London, interviewed for the Ross Kemp on Gangs series, when asked why locals displayed an alarming propensity for gunning each other down in the street. What nobody had the courage to tell the indignant young man and his cronies was that, of course, everybody wants a piece of the cake, but that you generally have to invest sincere effort to gain it; sitting indolently in your government-sponsored crack den waiting for a slice to come knocking will get you nowhere. Besides, recent research is pointing to the uncomfortable reality – uncomfortable for leftist liberals, at any rate – that many wrongdoers indulge in criminal activity, particularly street crime, because they take pleasure in it and because it earns them credibility in the much sought approbation of their thuggish peers and the fear, or 'respect', of their rivals.
Many will also agree that it is preposterous to suggest that anybody is genuinely poor in post-modern Britain (except, of course, spiritually), particularly when one considers the state of grinding poverty that exists throughout the third world. The surly denizens of our grimy sink estates are kitted-out with the latest in mobile phone technology and sports apparel. Habitations in these areas, those not burnt-out or boarded-up that is, are invariably festooned with a Sky satellite dish. None of these things speak of poverty and the fact that, despite the ownership of these non-essential luxury items, many of the hard-faced people who inhabit these areas still exhibit a propensity towards criminality is more suggestive of the narcissism and amorality that characterises their worldview and the brutal culture they have fashioned for themselves than material poverty.

The Jihad Rumbles On

OUR Muslim friends are still busily propagating the 'inclusive' and 'progressive' message that Anthony Blair assures us can be found in the Koran, so much so that our government has decided to take these measures. Oh yes, and we just cannot wait for the return of these heroic fellows either.

We don't need no Integration

YOU know this sort of thing really doesn't help societal cohesion.

Radical Islam on Campus

ADRIAN Morgan of Family Security Matters has posted an interesting two-part article entitled Radical Islam and British Universities, a piece which should be read by every British patriot. Part one may be accessed here and part two here. It makes for extremely alarming reading and also causes one to reflect on, in the face of such an insidious threat, just how out-of-touch and trivial the NUS' irrational persecution of the Christian Union is. Many people in Britain really do seem to have serious difficulties when it comes to prioritising what is really important.

The Lord Chancellor Strikes Again

BARON Falconer of Thoroton seemed to be on a mission to outdo himself in making contradictory pronouncements last week. On the distinct possibility of Scottish independence:

'I completely reject the argument that devolution has caused the current position.'

Isn't that rather like saying 'my contraction of HIV has nothing to do with the subsequent depletion of my white blood cells'?

Working Class 'Culture'

MARK Collins, a senior dog control officer in Wandsworth South-West London, tells of an enthralling pastime indulged in by locals:

'It happens in the lifts where they put two dogs in at the top floor, press the ground floor button, and leave the animals to fight it out. When the lift opens at the bottom, they see which has won.'

Ah, but you've got to love those cheeky tracksuit-clad chappies and their rougish ways. Not quite as senseless as the fabled slab attacks, but, still, pretty close.

No Wonder the NHS is in the Red

Link. THE disturbing thing is that this sort of preposterous disbursement doesn't even possess the power to shock any more; certainly it still stimulates tremendous anger and utter exasperation, but we're gradually becoming inured to the inept bureaucracy and gratuitous wastefulness that seemingly forms an integral part of this government's policy. In connection with this story a timely new series looking at ways to improve the management of the NHS and entitled Can Gerry Robinson Fix the NHS? begins this evening on BBC2 and may prove interesting viewing.

The Human Rights Act: Crucifying Logic Again

JUST when you think things can't possibly get any sillier, you open a newspaper and read this. The Human Rights Act is still doing what it does best: shielding criminals from the fumbling, arthritic hand of British justice.
Update: Due to widespread anger over this charade, the Lord Chancellor, Baron Falconer of Thoroton, ever sensitive to public disparagement of the Act, vocally derided the decision of Derbyshire Constabulary not to publish pictures of the fugitives. Although Derbyshire force's Chief Constable David Coleman stubbornly refused to relent over his decision, the pictures were subsequently published by Greater Manchester police.
The Lord Chancellor's vociferous intervention is particularly interesting. Back in July 2006 he vigorously leapt to the defence of 1998's Human Rights Act against its numerous critics, claiming it had made 'no significant impact on criminal law, or on the Government's ability to fight crime.' He also asserted that the Act had been 'widely misrepresented and misunderstood' by the British public, although it looks like this misinterpretation has spread to the constabulary as well. If the Sudbury incident had not come to the public's attention it is questionable whether Baron Falconer would even have bothered to intervene in this manner. But whether or not the Lord Chancellor is sincere in his disapproval, the fact that the Act can be interpreted in this way proves it to be a damaging piece of legislation that needs a thorough overhaul or, better still, scrapping altogether.
PostScript: This shambles has lead to the exposure of this shambles. May the Saints preserve us.

Amnesty Call for Bristol's Illegal Immigrants

Warning: Do not read this article whilst quaffing. The author attempted it with a mouthful of tea and gave his browser a thorough dowsing. Of course it doesn't matter to the lobotomised lefties of Bristol Defend the Asylum Seekers that the reason some illegal immigrants are deemed to be in the country illicitly is precisely because they are criminals in their home countries and will do ghastly things to ethnic Brits and each other if they are given leave to remain here. Retarded is not a strong enough word for the deluded commies who comprise organisations like BDAS.

The EU Propaganda Offensive Begins

BACK in early December it was revealed that the government was gearing up for a taxpayer-funded pro-EU propaganda offensive; according to this story it would appear it has already begun. Conversely, shortly after news of our impending indoctrination a poll revealed that only 34 per cent of UK citizens think membership of the EU is a 'good thing'. However, thanks to our bizarre National Curriculum soon all our children will be singing the tri praises of homosexuality, Islam and the EU. Poland has never looked more attractive… (except, obviously, for its EU membership).

Thirty Facts you should know About the EU

Link.

The Undoubted Financial Benefits of Unfettered Immigration

IT is consoling to know that at least all the death and mayhem caused by a minority of immigrants in the UK (see VPL passim) hasn't all been for naught. Apparently, new research by MigrationWatchUK suggests that migrant labour has resulted in a staggering 'gain of around 4p a week for each member of the native population…' Read more about this wallet-swelling windfall here. Just imagine: if the ruling government lets in millions more (and you know they will) this already substantial sum could rise to an incredible 5p per week! Dare we believe it could one day be so?

Kill Kenneth (Please, Somebody)

WHY has Kenneth R. Livingstone not been hung from a lamppost by enraged Londoners and his lifeless body pelted with refuse? As if praising Sinn Fein and attempting to bring their leaders into the capital at the height of the IRA bombing campaign in the UK back in the eighties and, more recently, inviting Islamist fruitcakes like Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi ('O God, destroy the Zionist, the American, and the British aggressors') into the country and publicly slandering Jews is not enough to confirm his perfidious and subversive nature, the unfortunate denizens of the capital may now have to foot the bill for this insanity.
So, then, just why have Londoners not strung the Red one up, or at the very least chased him, bloodied and whimpering, from office? Is it because the cities' population is largely comprised of retarded cosmopolitan fantasists who wander the reeking streets humming We Are the World whilst blithely ignoring the crack dealers and dodging the muggers and bullets? Just how are traitorous, Britain-hating communist swine like this voted into office? Was everybody too busy watching Emmerdale? Is it because 31.1 per cent of 'Londoners' weren't even born in the UK? Can someone please tell VPL what on earth is going on? And, finally, does anybody have Michael Stone's telephone number?