UKIP punch up

Let's make the most of it. UKIP should commission a series of adverts and posters showing the photo of  UKIP MEP Steven Woolfe lying unconscious having been -allegedly- felled by a blow from fellow, and aptly named, UKIP MEP Mike Hookem.  The caption - of course - would be; 'Real Men vote UKIP.'

Firstly let me say that knocking someone unconscious in a bare knuckle fight is not nearly as easy as John Wayne makes it look in the films. You have to hit the right spot with a lot of power to do that - how many Conservative MP's or MEP's would you bet on being able to do that- very few.  Now I am also prepared to bet - that when Stephen Woolfe get's back on his feet - he won't go running blubbing to a lawyer or the police but will shake hands with his assailant like a 'Real man' that he is.

JASTA -American Hypocrisy on a Grand Scale

So the American congress has overridden President Obama's veto and passed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism (JASTA). The AIM of the act -apart -obviously - from providing yet another  pigs trough for lawyers to feed in -is to allow families of victims of 9/11 to sue Saudi Arabia.

Not just Saudi Arabia (which -for clarification -apart from being the country of residence of 15 of the 19 hijackers had no involvement in 9/11) but actually any American citizen in future will be able to bring a case against any sovereign country they claim financed or otherwise aided terrorism on American soil.

There are fears even that rapacious American lawyers could try to take the UK to court to try to prove that UK based jihadists had been involved in terror plots against the good old USA. Well they should remember Jesus said: "Judge not, that ye be not judged."

Because, I'm afraid, the good old USA most certainly does have a very sordid history of sponsoring terrorism. The CIA in the 60's and seventies of course almost openly sponsored terrorism in a variety of countries round the globe.   And don't let us forget that many US congressmen openly supported the IRA, and that the IRA was almost entirely funded by donations from American citizens,  the weapon of choice of the IRA was not the AK47 but Armalite rifle made in the USA and much of the sophisticated bomb making equipment used by the IRA emanated from the USA. The case, in short, against America as a sponsor of Irish terrorism would be overwhelming.

I could go on but I won't.  It is strange that in a country where some 50% of the population still attends church every Sunday that they forgot that Jesus said: "Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of your own eye, then thou shall see clearly to cast out the mote out of they brothers eye"  

Our soldiers - how to stop the legal gravy train

The scandal of our soldiers being hounded by tax payer funded blood sucking solicitors shows that the Brexit victory was - to quote Winston Churchill on the battle of El Alamein-

"This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end, but it is perhaps the end of the beginning."

So next steps please . First let's take the case of our soldiers.

In order to put a full stop to the nonsense of treating our soldiers like common criminals for the crime of putting their lives on the line in the service of their country we need to do one simple thing. Revoke the 2001 parliamentary bill which placed our Armed forces under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.  It is the alleged fear that if the UK is not seen; " to be giving our troops hell"  then  we and our soldiers will be hauled up before this kangaroo court and to stop that happening we need to be seen to be energetically  investigating every complaint however spurious.

Well come on Mrs May the solution is obvious and cheap. Bring in an Act of Parliament revoking the 2001 Act and hey presto you will be a heroine to everyone apart from Guardian readers, the BBC and , I've almost forgotten, the Law society whose members are profiting obscenely from this scandal.

Come on Teresa. What's stopping you? and, come to think about it, if you can't bear to offend the chattering and legal classes over this issue it is surely one which UKIP under it's new leader should take up without delay.  

The National Trust

The National Trust is -rightly -in hot water over out bidding local hill farmers in the Lake District in order to add to its enormous landholding.  I have long had my doubts about the National Trust's (of which I am a member) Empire building ambitions.  This is yet another incidence -of which their have been too many in recent years - of the National Trust spending large sums of members money to buy land over which there is no conceivable risk from development now or in the future.  So what is the reason behind buying it? what conceivable benefit to the general public and their membership will result from the purchase? Absolutely nothing.

The National Trust should stop buying up vast areas of protected coast line and mountain and fell for no benefit and instead concentrate their resources on buying up areas which may be threatened with development or areas already developed which are such eyesores that they blight great areas.

So the other day - walking the coast path between Sidmouth and Budleigh Salterton in Devon -along a lovely unspoilt stretch of coast unspoilt- incidentally - mainly because it is owned not by the National Trust but by a Private estate - The Clinton Devon Estate - there was one blot on an otherwise idyllic walk.  A vast caravan park covering - at a guess -fifty acres.  This excrescence did not just blight the fifty acres but the coast line for several miles in either direction. How much better spent would the National Trust millions be on buying up such gross blots on the landscape and returning them to verdant countryside rather than wasting money on buying protected mountains and fell.

Soft Roes on toast

When I was a boy every Friday we had Soft Roes on toast for breakfast. What a treat! Soft roes are Herring roe rolled in flour and then fried and, on my culinary Richter scale, they rate a 10. Not only are they absolutely delicious but they are dirt cheap. And that is the problem. No fishmonger in Exeter is selling them anymore. Sainsbury's fish counter did for a long time but then gave up as 'there is no demand' (groan) - then I had a brainwave -surely - I thought- that new Waitrose would stock them - no luck there either.  So my quest continues and will end - I suspect -in finding some fishmonger who will dispatch them by post.

My Mulberry Tree

Some 25 years ago I had the foresight to plant a Mulberry tree. Not just to plant one either but to plant one strategically in the right place namely on the route I normally take when going for a walk with my dogs, which is at least three times a day.

Now I am reaping the harvest of my good work. Every time we pass the tree we stop and search among the leaf for full ripe mulberries. They that are black as pitch and drop off into your hand at a touch are truly nectar of the gods. The dogs are as keen as me and pester me to share my booty with them, which I reluctantly do.

To me it is strange why so few people plant Mulberry trees in their gardens or on their walks. Unlike most fruit trees they have one enormous advantage they are true 'plant and forget' trees and have the added advantage of being beautiful to look at, having lovely leaves (dry them and -apparently -they make a very good tea) and, when old, produce a very valuable timber much prized by cabinet makers. Also -and this -for a lazy gardener like me - is the really good news- once they have 'got away' they need no pruning or watering or manuring they just grow and produce, in most years, this most luscious of fruits. forget raspberries, or strawberries or any other kind of 'berries'  a black mulberry is the true king of 'berries.'  

The Border Force - A cheap & cheerful solution

There is a cheap and cheerful solution to our currently over stretched border force - paid volunteers.

Just as we rely increasingly on a paid volunteer Reserve Army and in rural Britain we rely on a paid volunteer Fire Brigade why not have a paid part time volunteer Border Force?  But let's take this simple idea a little further though - why not let the volunteers provide the means as well as the muscle-I mean of course fast offshore boats and surveillance aircraft.

This is not a new concept. Once volunteer cavalry, the Yeomanry, all had their own horses which the government fed and paid for when on service while in both World Wars private boats where pressed into service with their owners as often as not as skippers. Tied up in virtually every small harbour along the South Coast are fast offshore boats like Ribs idling around doing nothing. Many of their owners would love the chance to put them through their paces 'for real' and the same goes for the fleet of private aircraft sitting around airfields up and down the land.

With just a little Vim & Vigour on the behalf of government such a volunteer force could be up and running in months. The government would provide the necessary communication and surveillance equipment for the boats and aircraft and pay for the fuel.  Volunteers would be formed into units centred on individual ports and airfields and each unit would have a full times professional running the show. I know of course that the BBC, The Guardian etc. would have field day at mocking a 'Dads Army' Border force.  Well I say - better a Dad's Army Border Force than virtually no Border Force -which is the case at the moment.