Christine Pratt was a name none of us had heard of before Sunday. She is the woman from the National Bullying Helpline that told the BBC her charity had received calls from employees in Downing Street.

When I heard this on the news before going to bed last [...]]]>

Pratt on BBC News last night

Christine Pratt was a name none of us had heard of before Sunday. She is the woman from the National Bullying Helpline that told the BBC her charity had received calls from employees in Downing Street.

When I heard this on the news before going to bed last night I thought to myself “now, if I were being bullied, who would I trust?” The answer is most certainly not the National Bullying Helpline. Why did this woman risk the confidentiality of callers by revealing their nature to the press, without contacting the employer directly in the first instance?

The answer can only be publicity. But when you look deeper, for example on the homepage of the National Bullying Helpline, there are some rather ringing endorsements for Pratt’s charity.

Ann Widdecombe MP, and David Cameron MP, both Conservatives, have endorsed the helpline in big blue writing on the homepage. Cllr Mary O’Connor of Hillingdon Council is a patron, oh, and another Tory. Pratt has never been a member of a political party, though we don’t know what other support she’s shown any parties.

But the joke gets better. How does the National Bullying Helpline help those being bullied? The obvious answer, we already know, is to flag it up on BBC News, but that can only be for political gain. We have to assume that in all other cases Ms Pratt would employ her “TIM”…

Our Product Suite is T.I.M ; Training, Investigations and Mediation.

Which still begs the question, why the hell did you blab quite so loudly to the BBC? Is that classed as training? Investigation? Mediation? More like putting the cat amongst the pigeons. Letting the shit hit the fan. Yeah, that kind of thing.

So, if you’re being bullied, in the first instance try a Trade Union. The following morning, this was Ms Pratt’s spin, and the headline from BBC News.

“Over recent months we have had several inquiries from staff within Gordon Brown’s office.
“Some have downloaded information; some have actually called our helpline directly and I have spoken to staff in his office.”
Christine Pratt

Professor Carey Cooper, an expert on workplace stress, stands down as a patron of the National Bullying Helpline on the grounds that founder Christine Pratt had breached confidentiality.
BBC News

The head of the National Bullying Helpline says it received no complaints about Gordon Brown himself.
BBC News

And by the time the 6 o’clock News was ready to roll, we had another headline:

Another patron of the National Bullying Helpline, the TV presenter Sarah Caywood has stood down. She said she felt she had to resign after details of confidential phone calls were made public.
BBC News

I’ll only focus on one – the most explicit example of how to abuse your customers. Mr A received a telephone call some time ago to say his sofa was in the warehouse, and if he paid [...]]]> News has reched me from some rather upset customers of CSL Sofas – a Warrington based sofa firm.

I’ll only focus on one – the most explicit example of how to abuse your customers. Mr A received a telephone call some time ago to say his sofa was in the warehouse, and if he paid the balance that day delivery could be on Monday 30th November. Mr A rushed to his local CSL Sofas store in the North East of England, and paid that day.

Fast forward a couple of weeks, and Mr A received another call from CSL Sofas to say that the ship with his sofa on it could not dock at Maryport, so his sofa would be delayed a week.

Mr A is not taken to be a fool very often, so he called back and queried things. Apparently yes, the bad weather in Cumbria had delayed his sofa being delivered to CSL Sofas’ main warehouse by a week.

The moral is that if you’re going to trick your customers into paying, be honest about what they’re paying for.

Of course, that’s save the country money, but most likely push up the cost of goods and services for you and I. Their plans include abolishing bus fuel duty [...]]]> The Taxpayers Alliance has been in the news quite a bit over the weekend, with their 34 plans to save the country money during the recession.

Of course, that’s save the country money, but most likely push up the cost of goods and services for you and I. Their plans include abolishing bus fuel duty (push up fares), or to abolish the free TV license (given to those over 75, who deserve it most). Doesn’t sound like the most thought out plans I’ve ever came across to save money. Their plans would, inevitably, raise unemployment, and ergo raise taxes to pay for the unemployed.

The motto of the Taxpayers Alliance is “Campaigning for lower taxes and better Government”. Lower taxes? We pay less than Ireland, less than some European countries. Isn’t it about time we tried to pay our way fairly and squarely? You pay a pittance, you get shit.

My local Council recently refurbished buildings with the lowest quality materials, after 5 years the repair bill is growing by the month as an endless stream of workmen come out to repair anything from windows to door handles, so that they can fail again a few months down the line.

We don’t need toxic unelected organisations such as the Taxpayers Alliance trying to run the country into the ground. We need investment, wise planning of how to spend our money. Tax is a fairly socialist concept, we each pay our share, and we each benefit in the areas we need to. We each have a say on where we think our money should be going. We need to use it more, otherwise the voices of the handful within this taxpayers lot will make it worse for all of us.

When all is said and done, the Taxpayers Alliance can’t really do all that much. Why don’t they stand for Parliament, instead of blubbering away on the sidelines?

Other ideas they are thinking about? Removing some means tested benefits, removing child benefit from those who earn more than (probably) around 16k. The aim, I think, is to create a two-tier country, rich vs poor. And somewhere in the middle will be you.

Who supports the anti-socialist people who don’t believe in paying their own way? Directors of the following companies have loaned their support to the alliance – giving them money is supporting their stance.

Scotprime Seafoods (via parent company Seafood Holdings Ltd

Westler Foods – as in the hot dogs you get in the cinema

Blackwell – the bookshop

Arriva – the bus and train company

Hutchison Whampoa (Europe) Ltd – the people behind mobile firm “3″ and “The Perfume Shop”

Rocco Forte Hotels

Air Foyle

Tesco

Top UP TV

Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd

Telstar Music

Why did people complain? Not because it’s got John Barrowman in it, not because it’s being condensed from 13 to 5 episodes, in the same week. They didn’t complain about the fact that the programme [...]]]> Ofcom (and probably the BBC) have been receiving a small number of complaints about the smash Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood.

Why did people complain? Not because it’s got John Barrowman in it, not because it’s being condensed from 13 to 5 episodes, in the same week. They didn’t complain about the fact that the programme depicted someone being drowned/buried alive in concrete.

People are complaining about the gay bits. Apparently most complaints to Ofcom are from parents annoyed that their children are being subjected to homosexual content.

Lets look at the facts, and decide whether the BBC, or the parents, are being immoral.

• Captain Jack is gay. He kissed The Doctor in his earlier Doctor Who appearances.
• Torchwood is being shown on BBC ONE, after the 9pm Watershed.
• The 9pm watershed is effectively a 15 rating.
• Parents are complaining that Children are watching 15 rated content.
• Torchwood first came about as an attempt at a Children’s programme, but is now shown later.

I’ve got nothing against parents, personally. I just wish they would get themselves some common sense, and stop being quite so ‘holier than thou’ when it comes to protecting their precious children.

Parents also need to learn that the Watershed runs from 21:00 to 05:30 each day. This means that if you don’t want to corrupt your children, you need to control what your children watch after 9 o’clock at night.

Is it bad of the BBC to adapt Torchwood to be slightly more adult in its Sci-Fi approach? There aren’t any other Sci-Fi programmes made by the BBC which are targetted towards adults, but maybe it would have been better to dream up a new programme than change a children’s hit to an adult hit.

No matter what is broadcast, on which channel, Parents need to bear in mind that, whilst they may object to phrases such as:

“are you taking it up the bum?”

Your child can find that sentence, and a whole lot more, with graphic images to explain what the words meant, here on the Internet.

Torchwood is like Star Trek. It’s inclusive of all. Okay, Star Trek wasn’t quite inclusive of gay people, but Star Trek was in the 1960′s. Russell T Davies is creating Doctor Who and its offspring into an inclusive programme which doesn’t focus on gender, colour or sexual preference. If you can’t handle that, you’ve got an off switch. Let those of us who can handle real life get on with things. Read the Daily Mail instead.

“This is not my fault. I am the messenger who happened to be able to get this stuff and deliver it to people who should have [...]]]> According to BBC news, Telegraph Editor Will Lewis doesn’t think the constant barrage his newspaper has given our MPs of late has caused irreperable damage to the UK’s Parliament.

“This is not my fault. I am the messenger who happened to be able to get this stuff and deliver it to people who should have been told this by MPs themselves.”

Of course. Don’t shoot the messenger. Even if the messenger has used the information he gained through methods no-one can guarantee the legitimacy or legality of, and used the information to further his own income by spreading the dossier of information over weeks or even months?

The Telegraph has enjoyed being on it’s high horse over the last few weeks. It’s enjoyed the damage it has done to the reputation of ALL MPs. It’s enjoyed the income it’s got from extra sales immensely.

“The principle we were establishing here was that I know this information was true and the readers must know this as quickly as possible because this has gone on for too long unnoticed.”

Does ‘as quickly as possible’ include as many weeks as the Telegraph has spent covering expenses? I really do think the Telegraph deserves to lose a lot of respect for the way it’s chosen to masquerade a huge income drive as an exercise in the public interest.

In The Times, he’s made more headway on his idea of fixed-term parliaments. Come off it. Do we really want to get rid of Brown so Cameron can decalre himself PM for a fixed [...]]]> David Cameron that is. On Wednesday, during Prime Minister’s Questions, he was urging the Prime Minister to call a general election.

In The Times, he’s made more headway on his idea of fixed-term parliaments. Come off it. Do we really want to get rid of Brown so Cameron can decalre himself PM for a fixed five years? Does he realise how hypocritical he is by calling for a general election before the current Government’s time is up – so that he can intern himself as a fixed feature of Parliament for a full five years?

Politicians are corrupt and only think of their own gain – you don’t need to fiddle your expenses to prove it.

Cameron just spent his ten minutes of PMQs lambasting the Government over the latter. He really didn’t go into the state of the country. He just wanted a new election. Meanwhile the [...]]]> What’s more important – the state the country is in, or the fact that a couple of people in the Cabinet have resigned.

Cameron just spent his ten minutes of PMQs lambasting the Government over the latter. He really didn’t go into the state of the country. He just wanted a new election. Meanwhile the sensible MPs on the back benches wait patiently for their turn to ask sensible questions.

But Cameron wants reassurances. Is resigning really challenging the respect of the boss? If I wanted to resign my job to do something else, would I be disrespecting them? Then Cameron wants guarantees that there won’t be any more resignations. Surely that demand goes against employment law – is that a sign of what we’d get under a Cameron led government?

This is the time that Cameron (and Clegg, and Brown for that matter) need to think more about the points in hand, the urgent running the country business, rather than cheap point scoring. The MPs need to sort their house out, Cameron’s bickering style of cheap point scoring is only serving to get in the way.

Watching PMQs today, Cameron seemed to call for an election an awful lot. If instead he concentrated on leading an effective opposition, he might actually earn some respect. If calling for an election is the best you can do, isn’t that a sign of throwing in the towel early? A sign that you really can’t be arsed to fight as opposition? A bit weak?

15 minutes into Question Time, we get sensible questions from other MPs, relating to the running of the country. Cameron used nearly 10 minutes of this critical part of the parliamentary week to make cheap jibes at the PM. What a waste.

Then 20 minutes in another Tory starts demanding an election, and it dawns on me that if Cameron succeeds and forces fixed-term parliaments, he wouldn’t have the ability to be challenged by the opposition. Talk about two faced!

Something none of them have yet to realise is that the British Public are not stupid. We know the expenses system has been crooked for a long time. Parliament has [...]]]> There’s something in the water in Wesminster. Why else would the 660 MPs we dutifully vote in every few years be acting quite so childishly.

Something none of them have yet to realise is that the British Public are not stupid. We know the expenses system has been crooked for a long time. Parliament has always been slightly strange, even dating back to the days of Rotten Boroughs. Mr Martin has proposed the expenses system be changed last time a year ago, but the greedy MPs didn’t want it.

All of a sudden the Daily Telegraph realises it can sell more copies by listing everyone’s expenses. The childish MPs amongst them revolt, and blame it on someone else? Come on, pull the other one.

As for the Telegraph, they’ve got off lightly. They are journalists (apparently), and therefore don’t have to state their sources – even if theft has been involved.

The  media doesn’t remind us that Shirley Williams, who turned out to be Baroness Williams, was originally a Labour MP, and not just that but a member of the Government cabinet [...]]]> I’ve been flicking in and out of the landmark event that was the 1979 election, broadcast on BBC Parliament this May Bank Holiday Monday.

The  media doesn’t remind us that Shirley Williams, who turned out to be Baroness Williams, was originally a Labour MP, and not just that but a member of the Government cabinet before the 1979 elections. According to Wikipedia, she was going to be a Tory, but then took the job as president of the SDP, we may remember they became the SDLP then the Lib Dems. What are they for again?

I’m never sure about defections, but one on the back of a big election loss is a sign of an MP seeking to be back into Parliament by any means, rather than getting back to the basic politics, and helping the party to be re-elected, making change from within where necessary.

To provide a small effect to neutralise political bias, it was rather nice to see the National Front do quite so badly, losing every deposit. Those were the days…