Thursday 31 May 2012

Here Endeth The Trial


Two weeks ago, Don’t Call Me Dave announced his return to blogging for a trial period. That period has now ended. Whilst this blog remains popular with readers, DCMD does not consider its resumption to have been successful. Rather than being a means to let off steam, the blogposts served only to make DCMD even more pissed off with the world around him. More importantly, he simply does not find writing the articles as enjoyable as in days of yore. A writer who does not enjoy his craft needs to stop and find a more productive outlet for his creative thoughts.

As any serious blogger will confirm, writing blogs is a painstaking task. The facts have to be scrupulously researched, and this takes time: more time than DCMD has available. There are plenty of topics he wanted to write about in detail, including:

Middlesex University: The failure of the University to take action after an undisputed anti-Semitic incident on campus, and its subsequent refusal to condemn a speaker who called Jewish students Nazis.

Middlesex University (again): The decision by the University to sell off the Trent Park campus, built on the site of Henry IV’s hunting grounds. The campus includes the historic and listed Mansion House which was used during WWII as a prisoner of war camp for captured German officers. Now it is being turned into pokey little flats. The bean counters at Middlesex know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

Hendon Cemetery: Parts of the grounds have been allowed to become seriously overgrown, to the extent that some plots are no longer visible. This means visitors inadvertently find themselves walking over graves. This is hugely disrespectful to the deceased. Is Barnet Council trying to save on maintenance costs in advance of privatisation?

The Euro: Greece is bankrupt. Spain and Italy are not far behind. The Euro has failed. Rather than face reality, our great leaders propose to spend billions upon billions of taxpayers money to try and avoid the inevitable. Future generations will have to pay off this debt - all to save the face of the politicians who do not have the guts to admit “we were wrong about the single currency”. The sooner the Euro is abolished, the quicker sovereign states can start the long process to restore their economies.

Audi Whetstone: Perhaps you guys haven’t heard that the economy is in recession? When a customer comes in and makes an enquiry about buying a new car, treat him like a King. How hard should it be to make an appointment for a test drive? If you want the sale, you have to follow it up. Don’t expect the customer to run round after you. Idiots.

Greedy footballers: Arsenal captain Robin van Persie has reportedly refused to sign a new contract worth £130,000 a week plus a £5 million signing on fee. He can earn more elsewhere, but how much more does he need? He is not alone in his greed. How about players showing some loyalty to the clubs and hard pressed supporters who pay their wages?

Freedom of Information: DCMD recently made an FOI request to Bolton Council in relation to a business matter. The council sent an immediate acknowledgement with a full response after just 8 working days. In their reply, the council stated “Bolton Council is happy to supply the following information…”  Take note Barnet Council. Other authorities are happy to provide information. They understand that they are the servants of the public. And they don’t keep taxpayers waiting.

Andrew Dismore has got to go! Not just Dismore, to be fair. All of them. The GLA is an expensive talking shop. It serves no useful purpose, except to give its elected members bucket loads of taxpayers cash. There isn’t anything the GLA does that cannot be done more effectively by existing local authorities. We are over-governed in this country and Maggie was right to abolish the old GLC.

Two Posh Boys: Tory MP Nadine Dorries recently described David Cameron and George Osborne as “two posh boys who don’t know the price of milk”. She was right about this, although it is irrelevant whether our lords and masters are posh or not. The key issue is whether they are up to the task in hand and in touch with the real world. Cameron and Osborne are not. But neither are Clegg, Cable, Miliband or Balls. Indeed, the Government and Opposition front benches are stuffed full of people who have never had a proper job in their lives (working for management consultants doesn’t count as a real job). How many members of the Government have run their own business or worked in manufacturing? Or industry? Or in the medical profession? Or retail? Or commerce? We are governed by a political elite who simply do not understand what they are doing.

Cameron’s legacy: Margaret Thatcher made Labour electable. ‘Old’ Labour had been taken over by the loony left and was heading for electoral oblivion. Thatcher’s reforms forced Labour to adopt a more moderate position which would appeal to the wider population. New Labour was born. David Cameron will also make Labour electable again, albeit for different reasons. He is devoid of any political principles and has shown an appalling lack of judgement on major issues. He failed to honour his pledge for a vote on Europe. There are many in his own party who will never forgive him for forming an alliance with the LibDems (without any democratic mandate to do so) and he is allowing the tail to wag the dog. His government is running around like a headless chicken and will allow Labour to win back power by default, even though they are still led by the main core of people who caused the economy to collapse in the first place.


Mrs Angry predicted DCMD’s return to blogging would be short lived. She was right. Just don’t tell her!

7 comments:

baarnett said...

Hope you decide to have, say, a monthly rant/comment about the world, nevertheless.

Don't Call Me Dave said...

baarnett

As Rog T will confirm, I have retired more times than Status Quo. I have learnt never to say never again.

Mrs Angry said...

Ha: see, another Mrs Angry Predicts prediction fulfilled. I think Baarnett may be right, though: stick to one rant a month, just to make yourself feel better.

Rog T said...

Congratulations on your retirement from blogging (part 23)

Mark Valladares said...

David,

Why give up? Heavens, my father recommended you to me for the sheer joy of your vitriol - am I to be denied this?

Don't Call Me Dave said...

Hi Mark

Your father is one of the wisest people I know, but unfortunately I no longer enjoy writing this blog. Perhaps that will change one day. There are plenty of articles in the archives which might interest you, though as a LibDem you are unlikely to enjoy many of them!

Mark Valladares said...

David,

People keep telling me that about my father - luckily, greater maturity on my part has lent greater appreciation of the fact.

And yes, I'll read the archive - although I might not be the Liberal Democrat you think I am... :)