Covid-19 Chapter 6 Scottish Tories & Labour and their very own Tit(anic)

Politically the Tories are second in terms of seats in Holyrood. If nothing else, that really shows you the depth to which the Labour Party in Scotland have sunk. This is traditionally a socialist country with very definite left wing leanings.

Jackson "Carcrash" Carlaw

Richard or "Dick" Leonard

However, Scottish Labour having only a single M.P. in Westminster and a mere 23 in Holyrood which does have "List MSP's" in addition to first past the post elected, means that in real terms it is almost worthless in its proverbial "heartland".

The two principal parties in Westminster are frankly an irrelevance in Scotland and merely branch offices up here.

 The desire of Scotland for "Independence" is almost assuming a tsunami in proportion!

The next elections for Holyrood are in 2021 and since it is as obvious as the incompetence of the two turkeys above, that Doris Johnson will not under any circumstances grant another referendum, then it behoves us as a nation to sink the two parties with our own tsunami and sweep them out of parliament in their entirety.

Saor Alba mo charaid !!

Not so heavy Heavyweights !!

A conversation with a friend involved in boxing brought back some memories from my teenage years about my earliest memories of boxing.  The conversation online started about Cassius Clay and my all time favourite Sonny Liston !

To this day I still maintain that Sonny was paid to take a dive in 1962 in Miami Beach against the then "Cassius Clay" by messrs Blinky Palermo and Frankie Carbo both of whom had Mafia gambling links. Clay being 7-1 against in  odds and very much the underdog! The rematch in Maine had a similar outcome despite massive odds in favour of Liston.

Both boxers weighed round about 15 stone with Liston being about half a stone heavier than Clay, but nothing like the weights of the modern era. As an example, Tyson Fury weighed in at 20 stone for his bout against Deontay Wilder this year.

By 1959, Blinky Palermo and his partner, known Mafioso Frankie Carbo owned a majority interest in the contract of heavyweight boxer Sonny Liston who went on to win the Heavyweight title in 1962. At the time Palermo and Carbo acquired their interest in Liston, the notorious Carbo was imprisoned on Rikers Island between Queens and the Bronx in New York, having been convicted of the undercover management of prize-fighters and unlicensed matchmaking. Liston fought 12 fights under the control of Carbo and Palermo.

Cassius Clay as he was then known, had won the Light-heavyweight Olympic title in Rome in 1960.

The title though of Heavyweight champion is and always has been, the supreme Professional boxing title.

This led me onto thinking about other heavyweight boxers of the time, Rocky Marciano, Floyd Patterson, Ingemar Johannsen, Brian London, Henry Cooper, Joe Baksi and even Freddy Mills who had boxed at heavyweight. 

In truth they were all marginally heavier than Light-heavyweight.

Floyd Patterson's amateur boxing career started in 1950. He was training with Cus D’Amato in Manhattan, New York at Gramercy Gym. He was a two-time New York Golden Glove winner in 1951 and 1952. He qualified for the 1952 Olympics and won the gold medal in the middleweight division.

After his success at the Olympics, Patterson went professional. He moved up to the light heavyweight division and won all but one fight throughout four years. In 1956, he fought for the heavyweight championship and was the youngest winner in history at the age of 21. He held on to that title until 1959 when he was defeated by Ingemar Johansson, but was able to regain the title in 1960.

I remember the second fight from jumpy black and white T.V. but not the first as we didn't have a television then. 

Floyd Patterson always seemed too nice to be a fighter. A boxer he certainly was, with his peek a boo style !  His defeats to Sonny Liston both in the first round really finished him, and while he did get some bouts later in life, they (the Liston bouts) had almost destroyed him!

Covid-19 Chapter 5 The Return of the Jedi

"Lazarus" Johnson has risen metaphorically from his death bed, or so the tabloids and indeed broadsheets too, would have us believe.

There is a comfort when any person comes out from hospital especially when it involves this horrible pandemic.
Having said that, it is highly suspicious when this modern day miracle coincides with the latest in a series of dropped balls from his on-field substitutes at the daily Corona Virus briefings.

The latest dropped "Dolly" (to use a cricketing analogy) is the ever smirking Priti Patel, who proclaimed that    "Shoplifting" had dropped in the crime statistics. The fact that about 85% of shops are shut may just have had something to do with that decrease, Ms Patel.

As Home Secretary someone should alert her in her department, that it will also be noticeable there has been less break-ins in public houses and road rage !

Thinking  back to the demise of the previous Prime Minister Theresa May, and I can't help but consider "Doris" Johnson's role in her demise.

In 2016 she deliberately kept Doris out of "Brexit" when he was Foreign Secretary. Yet the "Arch Clown" has wrong footed her and has taken over the reins of the Tory Party with a vastly increased majority on the basis of the barrage of lies spouted by both him and his cohorts.

Brexit is basically "English Nationalism" and who am I to try to belittle it as a fervent supporter of Scottish Nationalism ?

The answer truly is that I won't, since our near neighbours are as entitled to their freedom from the U.K. as we are. I just don't want the "Jedi" to take us to bottom of the cesspit with them !   SAOR ALBA

Covid-19 Chapter 4 For the love of God, Donald Trump really has lost his marbles !

Never has a country with the history of the United States of America had such an absolute "roaster" for its President.

Doesn't this draft dodging muppet like the idea of quasi-military outfits despite his apparent "bone-spur" which brought about 5 deferments for military service in Vietnam;

4 of these deferments were for "Education" and the 5th for medical exemption. The man is a practicing and devout coward despite the para-military dressing up.

His fixation on I.Q. stems from his apparent lack of any significant "Intelligence Quotient"; but since he describes himself in glowing terms such as a "very stable genius" he is undoubtedly in a category of his own making. I'd suggest with an I.Q. of 0.5

His latest demonstration of his I.Q. is the unfounded but delivered with a straight face so he can be believed is the use of "disinfectant" injections to kill Covid-19.

Sweet Jesus save us from this monstrosity.

Other than plain stupidity, what have the American people done to deserve this utter "Fud"?

If brains were gelignite he couldn't "blow" his nose !!

Covid-19 Chapter 3 Pay your taxes just like the rest of us !

The Government "Furlough" scheme has benefits and for that, we have to acknowledge them with gratitude on behalf of the many thousands of working people who will be helped during this period of fiscal uncertainty !
The Government has pledged to cover 80 percent of salaries up to £2,500 per month, with all employers able to apply to HMRC to pay the wages of people who are furloughed.

This does not include fees, commission and bonuses, however.

An employee furlough is when bosses require their staff to take unpaid leaves of absence.

In other words, they'll still technically be employed, but won't work or get paid. Under these extraordinary circumstances then, it is beneficial for millions of working class people!

What does grip my testicles is the number of Billionaire and semi-Billionaire owners of very wealthy companies have availed themselves of the Government largesse for the scheme;

• Virgin Atlantic (owned in the British Virgin Islands) by some tosser called Richard "Pickle" Branson.
• Arcadia Group (owned by Tina Green, wife of Philip Green living in Monaco)
• Specsavers (owned by the Perkins family in Guernsey)
• Easyjet (majority shareholder Stelios Haji-Ioannou from Monaco)
• Greene King pub chain (owned by a Hong Kong company in the Cayman Islands)
• Pret a Manger (owned by the Reimann family in Luxembourg)

Will ex-Fund Manager Rishi Sunak put the squeeze on their balls as easily as they've done to mine?

Covid-19 Chapter 2 Lost holidays and robbing bastards !!

An item on the news today struck me as symptomatic of what a financial disaster this is going to be for those unfortunates who do not have a good Insurance Company and probably a lawyer to fight on their behalf.

The subject of cancelled holidays in particular seems loaded against the punter; 

  

It has been revealed that 20 of the UK’s largest airlines and travel firms are illegally withholding refunds that should be paid to customers within 14 days.

Instead most customers have been offered vouchers or credit notes, with many complaining they have been unable to claim a refund online, or get through to customers services on the phone to arrange for a refund.

While travel companies are entitled to offer alternatives to a refund, such as a credit note, in the event of cancelled bookings, they must also offer the option of a cash refund within 14 days.

Note "they must also offer" so do not be put off by corporate stone-walling

What use is a "credit note" if the holiday supplier goes  belly up ??   

The rules are quite clear: if a flight is cancelled, the airline has to offer you a refund. The CAA states explicitly that “If your flight has been cancelled, your airline must offer you the choice of a refund or alternative flight.”

But the airlines are trampling all over consumer law and the CAA appears to have abrogated any responsibility for enforcing the rules. EasyJet has removed its refund option from its website, obliging those who don’t want to reschedule to join the lengthy queue for the helpline.

British Airways is no better. It simply says: “If your flight has been cancelled you can rebook or claim a voucher online”, without any mention of your right to a refund.

For me though, the biscuit has to be taken by the greediest tosser the world has ever known;

In a world that appears to know no bounds to "Greed" this greasy bastard has to rank in the top two with Trump and him going neck and neck for the title! 

This is the total arsehole who sued the N.H.S. for having lost out on an £82 million contract for health services for children in Surrey. Now he's looking for a UK Government "Bail Out" to salve his poxy airline !

Get it right up you Branson !! 

Covid-19 Chapter 1 Political Balloons in charge

I suppose that being in "Lockdown" for circa 3 months with my COPD allied to being a Septuagenarian is essential.

However, in order to cope with this, I thought of taking my angst out on a blog and I've also been contemplating what will things look like when this pandemic finally is over!

The first thing that occurs to me is that I have very serious concerns about the welfare of those N.H.S. stalwarts who are spending their time on the front line of fighting this virus, especially their mental well-being !  It's all very well the public "clapping" in the streets every Thursday evening at 8 p.m. but in truth what good does that do other than assuage our individual consciences that we are supporting them!

Especially this absolutely shameless harridan !

Notwithstanding the fact that his "Party" cheered when they defeated a vote on a potential pay-rise for the nurses amongst others within the NHS, they then promptly awarded themselves £10,000 lump sum for equipment to work from home. Doubtless none of them had a computer, printer and internet access from their homes (whether it be their first, second or indeed third homes).

Other countries have bitten the financial bullet and made efforts to recognise (and in financial terms) their health workers. Britain though decided to give them a "Badge" which is as much use as a chocolate fireguard, especially as it was undoubtedly sourced at the cheapest rate going!

The picture of a "Rabbit in the headlights" fall guy!

The sights and emotions that our N.H.S. personnel have had to go through in every shift they put in, is so far beyond the imagination and understanding of those of us who depend on them.

Care workers too, deserve recognition for their unstinting devotion to their care and residents. Their lot is even more galling insofar that they are on rock bottom wages and at the back of the queue for P.P.E.

Is this the death of capitalism ?

In the 21st century we can look back at various pandemics/plagues that occurred in the past and rail against whatever caused them. The fact remains though that this one is different in the sense that we have a clearer picture of the impact of this Covid-19 on a global scale and we also have telecommunications throughout society and indeed the globe to let us know what is happening throughout the globe instantaneously.

The map shows the spread but is already super-ceded by the daily numbers who are sadly dying !  The numbers world-wide who have tragically passed away are now in the hundreds of thousands. 

The point is though, what are we as a human race going to learn about ourselves? 

• Covid-19 does not give a toss about how much money you have, you cannot see it, you cannot smell it nor does it trumpet its arrival.
• All the worlds nuclear weapons, nuclear submarines, bombers etc; cannot destroy it.
• It has no political affiliation and cares not a jot about whether you're a communist, capitalist, rich man, poor man or a beggar.
• It has no religious persuasion and will settle on the lungs of an Atheist just as quickly as it will on a Christian, Muslim, Buddhist Jew, or Jehovah's Witness.
• As a species, we need to think about what is truly important to us!

There are about 7.5 Billion human-beings on this planet and they all need to be fed, watered and kept as well as can be. 

So is it not time to cut the crap about having to have arms races, the destruction of natural resources and the scrabble for individual wealth ?

No one is worth more than the poorest among us so lets stop tax avoidance and prosecute those who do !

Confined to Barracks

The most unfortunate aspect of my having been addicted to the nicotine weed for so many years from the age of 12 is that, although I and so many others, thought we were the "dogs bollocks" with a cigarette hanging from our pubescent lips. This was a mirage!

Not withstanding the barrage of advertising by of all people, the medical establishment (albeit American) the price of cigarettes was uncommonly cheap! In the U.K. we could get a packet of 4 "Domino" cigarettes in a sort of flimsy paper/pseudo cardboard packet for 6d (the equivalent of 2.5p nowadays).

Even cheaper was the fact that you could buy a single fag for 1d which in reality meant that you could ostensibly have 240 cigarettes for £1.00. I well remember using an old Café in Glasgow Street in Ardrossan owned by an archaic woman whom it was alleged came from Russia who'd be happy to oblige with the "single fag", I'm sure her name was something like "Izzie".

Where am I going with this meander down memory lane? 

The point is that this history of sucking nicotine on a daily basis has now landed me and some of my close friends with C.O.P.D. or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; and this means that we are collectively "confined to barracks/house" for a total of 12 weeks. The only consolation is that I have a very comfortable barracks and the most wonderful OIC of the barracks in Wilma.

Stay safe my friends and never, ever smoke !!