Tom Wise MEP : his speach on the E.U. energy debate .

Tom Wise mentions the Uzbek businessman , who wants to buy Arsenal F.C. , does the F.A. consider him to be " a fit and proper person " to own a football club ?

Mr Wise's speech last night, published under Parliamentary privilege,

When the EU talks of a 'Common Foreign Policy' on energy, you need to be aware
of exactly who you propose to do business with.

President Putin is on record as saying "The Commission should be under no illusions, if it wants to buy Russian gas; it has to deal with the Russian state".

Gazprom is not a private company; it is a state controlled tool of Russian foreign policy.

It is, moreover, in the hands of Putin's political henchmen, and allegedly organised crime.

Take for example Alisher Usmanov. This gentleman, the son of a Communist apparatchik, is chairman of Gazprom Invest Holdings, the group that handles Gazprom's business activities outside Russia. He is the man you will be dealing with. He is the man who cuts off gas supplies if client states dare to question Gazprom's demands.

Allegedly a gangster and racketeer, he served a 6 year jail sentence in the Soviet Union in the 1980s, his eventual pardon coming at the behest of Uzbek mafia chief and heroin overlord Gafur Rakimov, described as Usmanov's "mentor".

Usmanov bought the newspaper 'Kommersant'. 3 months later, the journalist Ivan Safronov, a critic of the Putin regime who just weeks earlier had been "vigorously interrogated" by the FSB, as the KGB is now called, mysteriously fell to his death from his apartment window still clutching a bag of shopping.

According to Craig Murray, former British Ambassador to Uzbekistan, it was Usmanov who ordered the cutting off of supplies to Georgia earlier this year. Please take note, Mr President, that the Kremlin has now refused to sanction the construction of a pipeline to the EU over Georgian territory.

These are the people you want to do business with. These are the people you are moulding your 'foreign policy on energy' around.

Mr Commissioner, good luck: You'll need it.

The bird feeder .

Quite an analogy this , although it is written from an American perspective , it could just as well be seen through British eyes . When are we going to wake up and realise that this is happening now in your area .

THE 'BIRD FEEDER'
I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed.
Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food.
But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue.
Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs, the table...everywhere.
Then some of the birds turned mean:
They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket.
And others birds were boisterous and loud:
They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food.
After a while, I couldn't even sit on my own back porch anymore.
I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone.
I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio.
Soon, the back yard was like it used to be...... quiet, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal.

Now lets see....... our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free medical care, free education and allows anyone born here to be an automatic citizen.
Then the illegal's came by the hundreds of thousands.
Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services; small apartments are housing 5 families: you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor: your child's 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn't speak English: Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box; I have to press 'one' to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than Our Flag are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties.

Maybe it's time for the government to take down the bird feeder.

Now the British taxpayer keeps Polish children .

From The Opinionator comes this gem , it really could only happen in Britain and our government actually allows it ; read and weep .

Another ridiculous and obviously unfair EU rule - this one forces the British taxpayers to subsidise Polish children WHO LIVE IN POLAND thru the child benefits. Clearly these benefits were put into place for the well being of the children of Great Britain but EU membership requires that these benefits be lawfully made available to Polish citizens (& others from EU countries) working here. Thus millions of pounds are going to Poland EACH MONTH. No wonder there are businesses thriving on helping the Polish immigrants exploit their new found British BONANZA benefit package. What an incredible incentive for more immigrants to flock into the UK!

Is this benefit reciprocated to the British people (& most Polish people) living in Poland = NO!

Great Britain= The SOFT TOUCH of Europe.

You truly couldn't make this stuff up!

23 September 2007

SCANDAL OF £1m A MONTH IN BRITISH TAXPAYERS' CASH POURING ABROAD

REVEALED..SCANDAL OF £1m A MONTH IN BRITISH TAXPAYERS' CASH POURING ABROAD PEOPLE INVESTIGATION

Daniel Jones In Wojciechy, Poland And Julita Kaczmarek Daniel.Jones@People.Co.Uk

Mum Aneta Kryszczak can't believe her luck as she banks nearly £1,000 a year in British child benefit - while living IN POLAND.

Husband Mirek sends her the handouts he collects courtesy of UK taxpayers while working as a builder in London.

The monthly £78.43 is wealth beyond wildest dreams for Aneta - whose wages in her full-time job are just £166 a month.

Aneta, mother to seven-year-old Hubert, said: "What could I spend it on? With that money my son can have anything he wants.

"I would not need all that to look after him. Maybe at the start of the school term we could spend it on books and clothes.

"After that I would find it hard to spend it on Hubert, though he would want computer games - maybe a new PlayStation."

Amazingly, Aneta would be sent £169.20 a month - MORE than her wages - if she had three children.

But the Kryszczaks are NOT working some elaborate scam. They are among 14,000 families living abroad who collect our child benefit because of astonishing EU rules.

Ministers last week admitted that, scandalously, more than £1million a month is handed to the families of youngsters who live in former Communist countries.

Mirek, 36, told The People: "As soon as I arrived in Britain three months ago I heard about it. I was told all I had to do was fill in a form to get almost £80 a month.

"At first I thought it was a joke but it is not."

Back home in Poland's northern region of Warminsko-Mazurskie, Aneta is just as bemused.

"When I first heard it was possible for my husband to claim these benefits I was amazed," she said. "It's still difficult for me to believe - but I am not complaining."

Aneta, 31, and Hubert live with Mirek's parents in the village of Wojciechy.

Although they could not afford their own flat, they now have luxuries such as a large-screen TV in the living room and a computer with flat-screen monitor.

When The People called, Hubert was playing computer games. A bowl on the coffee table in the comfortable living room was brimming with sweets and chocolates. There were other TVs in a bedroom and the kitchen.

Aneta said: "My husband had been thinking about going to Britain for some time. It was hard to make our living when both of us worked in Poland.

"Mirek had a small business and I worked in a bar. We could hardly make ends meet."

Despite Aneta's delight at our generosity, Brits working in Poland cannot expect the same treatment from the Government there. The country's tightly controlled, means-tested system means it would be virtually impossible for a British parent to collect Polish benefit for a child living in this country.

Even Poles have trouble collecting state aid.

Aneta explained: "We tried to get child benefits in Poland but even though our combined income was really low it didn't allow us to get extra money from the government."

Mirek's move to Britain solved that problem. He spoke to The People near Ravenscourt Park Tube station in an area of west London where Poles flock.

Mirek, who had just filled in his child benefit form, was enjoying a beer with work pals near the "Wailing Wall", which is covered in job adverts aimed at migrants.

He said: "When I found out about the possibility to legally claim benefits for my child, I decided to give it a go. Why shouldn't I get the money I am entitled to?" Child benefit, designed to help parents buy food and clothes, is £18.10 a week for the eldest child and £12.10 for each other one. It is paid whatever a family's income.

In Poland the benefit starts at £8.88 - and then it's only for the poorest parents.

Another father delighted with the British system is Jaroslaw Skowronski, whose wife Anna and son Piotr, four, still live in Poland.

Jaroslaw, 31, has been getting child benefit for two years.

He laughed: "Now we just treat is as part of our income. We are not doing anything illegal - so why wouldn't we get it?

"If you see a £20 note on the floor you will pick it up. It is the same - free money."

The People first exposed the loophole a year ago when we found out an agency was helping eastern Europeans exploit the system. We told how immigration consultant Przemyslaw Szymanski charged £75 a time to fill out forms and appeal against any refusals.

A Polish-speaking People undercover reporter found such agencies still flourish.

She contacted one called Kancelaria. One of the workers, Beata, told her there was an £80 charge to fill in the necessary forms. She said: "It is straightforward and there is almost no chance it will be rejected."

Beata said only a national insurance number and birth certificate were needed. About 220,000 Poles applied for a number last year. There are officially 750,000 Polish people living in the UK - though the true figure is put at more than a million.

Philip Hammond, shadow work and pensions secretary, said: "Child benefit is a vital weapon in the fight against child poverty. So why is Gordon Brown sending thousands of pounds every week to children who don't live here?"

Matthew Elliott, leader of pressure group the Taxpayers' Alliance, said: "The Government should put a stop to it."

A spokesman for Revenue and Customs, which deals with child benefit, said: "If you are from an EU member country and fit the qualifying criteria then you are entitled to claim."

http://www.people.co.uk/news/tm_headline=scandal-of-pound-1m-a-month-in-british-taxpayers-cash-pouring-abroad%26method=full%26objectid=19833815%26siteid=93463-name_page.html

Posted by The Opinionator

What H.M.G. does not tell you about the E.U. Reform Treaty .

I thought that you might like to see just how traitorous Brown is , he has been bought and paid for by the E.U. , this post by The Bruges Group .


EU TO TAKE CONTROL OVER BRITAIN’S ENERGY POLICY


The proposed treaty will give the EU power for the first time over the whole field of energy and Britain’s oil and gas reserves.
The UK’s oil industry produces £5 billion in taxes and has about 265,000 employees. But this could all be threatened by the revived and renamed EU Constitution.

Under the new Article 176a in the Reform Treaty the European Union will take control over energy policy and usage. This will be introduced under Qualified Majority Voting, meaning that Britain will not be able to veto damaging EU laws, nor protect the North Sea reserves.

The implications of this will be enormous. Article 176a reads;

1. In the context of the establishment and functioning of the internal market and with regard for the need to preserve and improve the environment, Union policy on energy shall aim, in a spirit of solidarity between Member States, to:
(a) ensure the functioning of the energy market;
(This will hand Brussels the power to decide, where and how the oil and gas are sold)

(b) ensure security of energy supply in the Union, and
(This could mean that the UK must supply energy to another member-state if they are having problems with their network)

(c) promote energy efficiency and energy saving and the development of new and renewable forms of energy;
(This will make the debate in Britain about how energy is produced irrelevant because Brussels will be making those decisions)

(d) promote the interconnection of energy networks.
(This will give the EU a key role as the system guarantor and thus threatening British control over the North Sea reserves)

Brussels will also be able to decide issues relating to the taxation of the reserves without Britain’s Parliament having a say.

EU involvement in this area is especially worrying because the looming and renamed EU Constitution also adds another clause on energy, Article 100(1), which will force Britain to share its reserves in a time of crisis.

After concerns were raised by the oil and gas industry about the implications of Article 100(1) the proposal mentioning energy was removed from the final text of the then EU Constitution. Now, however, by slight-of-hand it has found its way back into the text of the Reform Treaty. In this respect the so-called Reform Treaty will pose more of a threat to Britain’s energy reserves than the original text of the EU Constitution.

Dr Lee Rotherham says;
“Tony Blair told laughed off warnings of the threat in the EU Constitution to North Sea oil and our independent energy supply. But now we see that was just more of the old bluster.

“Huge questions remain in the Constitution as to what we are signing up to. With a shaky Middle East and a pipeline from an unfriendly Russia, we can’t afford any doubt that our energy policy is secure.

“The last thing Britain wants is to share with the EU our oil and their power cuts.”

The blogshere .

Of late I have been spending a great deal of time reading and leaving comments on other blogs , the breadth of coverage of all types of subject leaves me aghast . The amount of information that it is possible to acquire , information the the regular media do not cover , is staggering ; in the field of politics the lies of HMG seem only to be publicised in blogs , the way in which the U.K. government is a rubber stamp for E.U. law needs to be exposed . Did you know that the government cannot change or override E.U. legislation , even when it goes against the best interests of the British people ; do you also know that I am breaking E.U. law when I write criticising the E.U. , one cannot criticise the E.U. or the Commission .
The blogsphere is the bastion of freedom in a world rapidly becoming a dictatorship , Margaret Thatcher admitted that Britain was NOT a democracy , but an elected dictatorship , under NewLabour we are sliding all the way to tyranny and not a whimper from the huddled masses .

Pot Pourri .

I post on other blogs , in the comments section , and by and large they are well received , however on certain blogs there are people who's only delight is to belittle others . They themselves are , in fact , intellectual pygmies who only criticise and do not contribute to the discussion .

Speculation is rife over the position of H.M. the Queen when the E.U. Reform Treaty is ratified by the traitor Brown , the P.M. will be obliged to put the interests of the E.U. before the interests of the U.K.
How does this square with his oath to H.M. , currently the Forces swear allegiance to the Queen , but under the new Treaty they will be under the control of the E.U. I wonder whether , if push came to shove , the Forces would act against the Monarchs interest , and break their oaths .

How long can that silly old fool Zimmerman ( Ming ) keep the leadership of the Lib. Dems ., he is totally out of touch with reality and the British people .The so called policies paraded at the Lib.Dem. Party conference were ridiculous , one would laugh if it was not so serious .

Wedding fever .

As the family's wedding of the year approaches , I get a flavour of the frenetic preparations that are in hand ; I am sure that at my wedding there was not this much to do , or perhaps it is just that I have forgotten how much there was to do .
Yet on the big day everything will go so smoothly , like clockwork and one wonders why there was so much worry ; of course it is all that worry and stress that make it go like clockwork !
Roll on late Autumn ,Chicago here we come !!!!

Threats to Lars Vilks .

I attach a post from Tundra Tabloids regarding the threats to the life of Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks , the author of the cartoons which have upset a certain section of society . In my opinion the cartoon are not that funny or well produced , however I will defend Lars right to publish ; the right to exercise freedom of speech is inviolate . Any attack on Lars is an attack on me , indeed it is an attack on Western civilised values and the point as come where the line has to be drawn . If one side of the debate can call for a fatwah , then we can call for a Crusade with equal legitimacy ; the retreat of the indigenous populations rights has to stop .

The Islamists have spoken, they want the offending Swedish cartoonist, Lars Vilks who drew the dreaded "roundabout doggies" (Mo-Hounds)...dead, as well the editor who published them.

"The leader of al-Qaida in Iraq offered money for the murder of a Swedish cartoonist and his editor who recently produced images deemed insulting to Islam, according to a statement carried by Islamist Web sites Saturday.

"We are calling for the assassination of cartoonist Lars Vilks who dared insult our Prophet, peace be upon him, and we announce a reward during this generous month of Ramadan of $100,000 for the one who kills this criminal," the transcript on the Web site said.

The al-Qaida leader upped the reward for Vilks' death to $150,000 if he was "slaughtered like a lamb" and offered $50,000 for the killing of the editor of Nerikes Allehanda, the Swedish paper that printed Vilks' cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad with a dog's body on Aug. 19."

The Local has more on it here as well. It appears that the jihadi threats being made to Swedish businesses, are also being taking seriously. The Swedish telecom giant Ericsson is reducing its visibility in Iraq, taking down all its flags and warning its employees in the Middle East to take necessary precautions for their personal safety.

Charles Johnson at the LGF blog mentions that Lars Vilks, being the "typical anti-everything leftist, has received a wake up call from the RoP." He includes a quote from Vilks who states:

"Vilks said from Sweden he believed the matter of his cartoons had been blown out of proportion. We have a real problem here,” Vilks told The Associated Press by telephone. “We can only hope that Muslims in Europe and in the Western world choose to distance themselves from this and support the idea of freedom of expression.”

I agree with Johnson that,...Lars Vilks shouldn't hold his breath.

Food shortages predicted .

According to The Daily Telegraph , there is likely to be a shortage of eggs as we approach Christmas ; add to that a report of shortages of pasta and link that to a reduction in supplies of wheat and other grains , the implications are beyond contemplation . The prospect of no bacon and eggs , no spag. blo. ,no breakfast cereals fills me with horror , can I appeal to my friends in the U.S. to send food parcels . O.K , I will stop being alarmist but it does raise the question of why the E.U. disposed of our large grain surpluses right before the announcement of world grain shortages . Typical the mismanagement of the E.U. Commission to put the E.U. citizens at a disadvantage and make them pay the increased prices that will follow . Already ,in Italy we see the price of pasta raised by 30 % and the protests by the people , only when the British have to queue in a line to buy a loaf of bread will they wake up to the fact that it is time to leave the E.U.
Europe needs Britain more than we need them , let France ,Germany , Holland make up the £ 8 billion that we currently pay , what do we get if we leave ; cheaper food , cheaper goods and the freedom to make our own decisions .

I write this in red , the colour of blood .
Today in Brussels a peaceful march was organised to protest the Islamisation of Europe and to held a two minutes silence for the dead of the Twin Tower tragedy , the silence was to be held in front of the ( OUR ) European Parliament building . Instead of being allowed to pay respects to the fallen in the first major encounter of the cause of the war on terrorism ,the Brussels police waded in with Riot police and batons and brutal oppression . Below is a piece by " Gates of Vienna " , it expresses better than I could the E.U.'s concept of freedom of speech , the same organisation that Gordon Brown wants to condemn us to without our consent . Such is the true face of Brown's socialists , fascism by any other name !!!!
Do not sleepwalk into an E.U. dictatorship , Saddam was an amateur compared to the Masters of the Commission .

Freedom of speech --- E.U. style .

I write this in red , the colour of blood .
Today in Brussels a peaceful march was organised to protest the Islamisation of Europe and to held a two minutes silence for the dead of the Twin Tower tragedy , the silence was to be held in front of the ( OUR ) European Parliament building . Instead of being allowed to pay respects to the fallen in the first major encounter of the cause of the war on terrorism ,the Brussels police waded in with Riot police and batons and brutal oppression . Below is a piece by " Gates of Vienna " , it expresses better than I could the E.U.'s concept of freedom of speech , the same organisation that Gordon Brown wants to condemn us to without our consent . Such is the true face of Brown's socialists , fascism by any other name !!!!
Do not sleepwalk into an E.U. dictatorship , Saddam was an amateur compared to the Masters of the Commission .

We Have Met The Enemy, And it is Us.......

Demonstrating in Brussels can be such an "uplifting experience".

Anti-Islamization of Europe Demonstration get the strong arm from the socialist mayor's boys.

Today's quote of the day, Gates of Vienna, Baron Bodissey:

"Do you have a problem with dissent?

Try the EU method!

Handcuffed.

Gagged.

Arrested.

Problem solved!

Letter to a Great-Granddaughter .

Welcome to the world Bailey Margaret , you entered it at 0135 hrs. this morning and although you do not know it yet , you have a wonderful and exciting life before you . You are a most precious jewel , a shinning light in a some times dark world and as I looked at you I vowed to be the best great-grandfather that I can be . I will try to teach you virtue , ethics and ladylike behaviour , but it is up to you to develop a way of life which respects these things . I promise to put the plaster on you cut finger , play with your dolls house , teach you to ride a bike and dry those inevitable tears . I will be there for you to lean on and help you to carry life's load when it gets too heavy ; and I hope to one day see the beautiful young woman that you have the potential to be . As you sleep through this your first night out here , may Angels protect you and keep you safe ; night, night my little one , I will see you in the morning .
Gramps .

The march in Brussels on 11th. September

I just want to pass on details from the SIOE England site , PLEASE make the effort to go to Brussels and make you presence felt .


Contrary to false press reports, the STOP ISLAMISATION OF EUROPE demonstration in Brussels on 11th September is still happening

Place du Luxembourg
1050 Elsene
Belgien

12.00

11th September

Brussels demo guide

Luxembourg Place is not large. The signal to move off from the assembly point will be stewards raising white objects in their hands at the allotted time.

Please use white cardboard for the rally cries for your signs

STOP ISLAMISATION OF EUROPE!

NO SHARIA HERE! DEMOCRACY NOT THEOCRACY!

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

Good advice: Bring an umbrella. It’ll help a lot if it stats to rain hard!
After the demonstration please don’t carry your signs around in the town. You’ll easily be recognised as a participant in the demonstration.



SURVIVAL GUIDE TO BRUSSELS

USEFUL NUMBERS:

Emergencies & Ambulance 112
Police 101
Red Cross 105

Legal help: 0475 47 24 55

Are you lost during the demo: 0474 89 53 73 or 0485 52 95 05 Remember: The phones are not open before tuesday morning

We will provide you with some more numbers Monday.


FOOD:

Restaurants are generally of a high quality and reasonably priced as long as you avoid obvious tourist traps.

Budget Eating:

The best value is a chain of self-service restaurants called LUNCH GARDEN.

There’s a good one in the INNOVATION Department store in the Rue Neuve,

a pedestrian street parallel to Place de Brouckere. Go to the Lunch Garden grill

counter and they’ll cook you a steak, pork chop or chicken piece in front of you.

Can be hectic at peak hours.

The local McDonalds imitation is QUICK BURGER. They’re everywhere.

They serve wine and beer too.

The local version of KFC is HECTOR CHICKEN. There’s one on the PLACE

DE BROUCKERE (metro: Brouckere.)


Restaurants:

Steak and chips (‘steck-frites’) must be the national dish. Other local

dishes include ‘waterzooi’ (soup with chunks of chicken) and ‘carbonade’

(Beef stewed in beer.) Round off your meal with a waffle (‘gauffre’) with ice-cream

or fresh cream.

The restaurants and cafes along either side of the BOURSE (the old stock

exchange building that looks like a Greek temple) are mostly reliable and

popular with locals as well as tourists. The FALSTAFF is a traditional

place with a good reputation. A big meal around here should cost about

£10/15 a head. Check out the daily Specials (‘plat du jour’) or set menu

for bargains.

Avoid the restaurant area known as the ‘Ilot Sacre’ in the narrow

streets around the Rue des Bouchers. It’s colourful but over-priced.

The back streets around the Grand Place have lots of bars and small restaurants

too, including decent pizza places. Avoid kebab joints.

The area known as ST CATHERINE’S has more upmarket restaurants,.

many specialising in seafood.

DRINK

No lack of beers to choose from. Stella Artois, Ekla and Jupiler are popular.

Try some of the less well-known types like gueuze, lambic, kriek or ‘white

beer’ (biere blanc.)

A white coffee is a ‘café au lait’. A creamy coffee is a ‘café crème’. A latte type

milky coffee is known as a ‘lait russe’.


TRANSPORT

Brussels has a reliable transport system with a metro (underground), buses

and some remaining trams. Any journey costs 2 Euros including

changes in transit.


SAFETY

Brussels is generally pretty safe especially around the Grand Place district.

Watch out for pick pockets in tourist areas and on crowded buses and trains.

The areas around the Midi Station and North Station are best avoided at night.

Same for the area around the Botanical Gardens.

THE DEMO IS STILL ON! - BE THERE!!!!

Luciano Pavarotti Passes away

On David Vance's site -- A Tangled Web , he posts a tribute to Pavarotti complete with a video clip , it can be viewed at
http://atangledweb.squarespace.com/ . The world is a poorer place for the passing of such a great man with an incredible voice , a man who brought joy to millions , I am one of those .
I posted a comment on David's site which I repeat here ;

" Schubert's Ave Maria was sung , by a soloist , at my wife's funeral 10 years ago .Margaret was a great fan of Pavs. and I bet she was the first to greet him when he entered Heaven .
May his soul rest in peace ."

The Three Tenors were a favourite of ours and I still watch the videos and listen to the C.D.s , Pav. was larger than life , now that he has gone he will become larger still .

Home thoughts to those abroad .

Just finished on the phone to my son who now lives in Chicago , we spoke about his forthcoming wedding to a delightful American girl . He was asking for my measurements so that he can order my suit and wanted to know the shirt collar size , also discussing the colour . This brought home the thought that the normal way that we do things can be so altered when separated by 4,000 miles , I get to miss the simple pleasure of going with my son to choose these things and preparing for the Big Day . One misses helping to set up their home , running the errands and all the little things that happen around this time .
Of course , in this day and age , it is easy to telephone nearly every day with transatlantic calls be so cheap , also contact by e-mail is nearly instantaneous so that image can be sent to keep in touch . However all of this is not a substitute for being there .
My son tells me that when I go over we will do this and that together , which mostly revolve around various foods and drink that I really HAVE to try , and eating establsihments that we need to visit that I feel the eight days that I shall be there is inadequate . Oh , and I really must go to the top of the Hancock Building and see the Navy Pier . Eventually we will get to see them all but the separation means that we only get to do things in episodes when ever I visit , but roll on November !!

The Squirrel and the Grasshopper .

From a Dutch site, Lucaswashier , comes this interesting tale ; it shows how our Continental friends see us .

REST OF THE WORLD VERSION:

The squirrel works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building and improving his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks he’s a fool, and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the squirrel is warm and well fed.

The shivering grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold

THE END

THE U.K. VERSION:

The squirrel works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks he’s a fool, and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the squirrel is warm and well fed.

A social worker finds the shivering grasshopper, calls a press conference and demands to know why the squirrel should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others less fortunate, like the grasshopper, are cold and starving.

The BBC shows up to provide live coverage of the shivering grasshopper; with cuts to a video of the squirrel in his comfortable warm home with a table laden with food.

The British press inform people that they should be ashamed that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so, while others have plenty.

The Labour Party, Greenpeace, Animal Rights and The Grasshopper Council of GB demonstrate in front of the squirrel’s house.

The BBC, interrupting a cultural festival special from Notting Hill with breaking news, broadcasts a multi cultural choir singing “We Shall Overcome”.

Ken Livingstone rants in an interview with Trevor McDonald that the squirrel got rich off the backs of grasshoppers, and calls for an immediate tax hike on the squirrel to make him pay his “fair share” and increases the charge or squirrels to enter inner London.

In response to pressure from the media, the Government drafts the
Economic Equity and Grasshopper Anti Discrimination Act, retroactive to the beginning of the summer.

The squirrel’s taxes are reassessed.

He is taken to court and fined for failing to hire grasshoppers as builders for the work he was doing on his home and an additional fine for contempt when he told the court the grasshopper did not want to work.

The grasshopper is provided with a council house, financial aid to furnish it and an account with a local taxi firm to ensure he can be socially mobile.

The squirrel’s food is seized and redistributed to the more needy members of society, in this case the grasshopper.

Without enough money to buy more food, to pay the fine and his newly imposed retroactive taxes, the squirrel has to downsize and start building a new home.

The local authority takes over his old home and utilises it as a temporary home for asylum seeking cats who had hijacked a plane to get to Britain as they had to share their country of origin with mice. On arrival they tried to blow up the airport because of Britain’s apparent love of dogs.

The cats had been arrested for the international offence of hijacking and attempted bombing but were immediately released because the police fed them pilchards instead of salmon whilst in custody.

Initial moves to then return them to their own country were abandoned because it was feared they would face death by the mice. The cats devise and start a scam to obtain money from people’s credit cards.

A Panorama special shows the grasshopper finishing up the last of the squirrel’s food, though spring is still months away, while the council house he is in, crumbles around him because he hasn’t bothered to maintain the house.

He is shown to be taking drugs. Inadequate government funding is blamed for the grasshopper’s drug ‘illness’

The cats seek recompense in the British courts for their treatment since arrival in UK.

The grasshopper gets arrested for stabbing an old dog during a burglary to get money for his drugs habit. He is imprisoned but released immediately because he has been in custody for a few weeks.

He is placed in the care of the probation service to monitor and supervise him. Within a few weeks he has killed a guinea pig in a botched robbery.

A commission of enquiry, that will eventually cost £10,000,000 and state the obvious, is set up.

Additional money is put into funding a drug rehabilitation scheme for
grasshoppers and legal aid for lawyers representing asylum seekers is increased.

The asylum-seeking cats are praised by the government for enriching Britain’s multicultural diversity and dogs are criticised by the government for failing to befriend the cats.

The grasshopper dies of a drug overdose. The usual sections of the press blame it on the obvious failure of government to address the root causes of despair arising from social inequity and his traumatic experience of prison.

They call for the resignation of a minister.

The cats are paid a million pounds each because their rights were infringed when the government failed to inform them there were mice in the United Kingdom.

The squirrel, the dogs and the victims of the hijacking, the bombing, the burglaries and robberies have to pay an additional percentage on their credit cards to cover losses, their taxes are increased to pay for law and order and they are told that they will have to work beyond 65 because of a shortfall in government funds.

THE END

Regrettably this will ring familiar bells to people who live in the U.K. Can this be the only country where the needs of the its citizens are placed last to the needs of non-citizens , by Government dictat .