Socialism versus conservative values ...

WISE WORDS FROM FATHER TO DAUGHTER

A young woman was about to finish her first year of university. Like so many others her age, she considered herself to be Labour Party minded, and she was very much in favour of higher taxes to support her education and for more government programs – in other words, the redistribution of wealth. (Much like a Carbon Tax?) 

She was deeply ashamed that her father was a rather staunch blue-ribbon Conservative, a feeling she openly expressed. Based on the lectures that she had attended and the occasional chat with a professor, she felt that her father had for years harboured a selfish 
desire to keep what he thought should be his. 

One day she was challenging her father on his opposition to higher taxes on the rich and the need for more government programs. 

The self-professed objectivity proclaimed by her professors must be the truth, and she indicated so to her father. He responded by asking how she was doing at university. 

Taken aback, she answered rather haughtily that she had a 90% average, and let him know that it was tough to maintain, insisting that she was taking a very difficult course load and was constantly studying, which left her no time to go out and party like other people she knew. She didn't even have time for a boyfriend, and didn't really have many university friends because she spent all her time studying. 

Her father listened and then asked, “How is your friend Audrey doing?” 

She replied, “Audrey is barely getting by. All she takes are easy classes, she never studies and she barely has a 50% average. She is 
so popular on campus; university for her is a blast. She's always invited to all the parties, and lots of times she doesn't even show up 
for classes because she's too hungover.” 

Her wise father asked his daughter, “Why don't you go to the Dean's office and ask him to deduct 20% off your average and give it to your friend who only has 50%. That way you will both have a 70% average, it would be fair and you would both be equal.” 

The daughter, visibly shocked by her father's suggestion, angrily fired back, “That's a crazy idea; how would that be fair! I've worked really hard for my grades! I've invested a lot of time, and a lot of hard work! Audrey has done next to nothing toward her degree. She played while I worked my tail off!” 

The father slowly smiled, winked and said gently, “Welcome to the Conservative side of the fence.” 


If anyone has a better explanation of the difference between Conservative and Labour/Greens, I'm all ears. 

If you ever wondered what side of the fence you sit on, this is a great test! 

If a Conservative supporter doesn't like guns, he doesn't buy one. 

If a Labour/Green doesn't like guns, he’llwant all guns outlawed.

If a Conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn't eat meat. 

If a Labour/Green is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone.

If a Conservative is gay, he quietly leads his life. 

If a Labour/Green is gay, he demands legislated respect. 

If a Conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation. 

A Labour/Green wonders who is going to take care of him.

If a Conservative doesn't like a talk show host, he switches channels. 

Labour/Greens demand that those they don't like should be banned.

If a Conservative is a non-believer, he doesn't go to church. 

A Labour/Green non-believer wants any mention of God and religion silenced. (Unless it's a foreign religion, of course!)

If a Conservative reads this, he'll forward it so his friends can have a good laugh. 

A Labour/Green will delete it because he's "offended."

Argentine Interventions

In recent days the Argentinian Navy has stopped, seized and searched a number of Spanish fishing trawlers operating in the waters around the Falkland Islands on the grounds that the licences issued by the Falkland Government are "not valid." They further claim that the islands and the waters around them are "sovereign Argentinian Territory."

As the Royal Navy now has only 31 ships, none of them aircraft carriers and most of the new Type 45 destroyers either incomplete or still working up, our ability to defend the UK sovereign rights of possession and the will of the Falkland Islanders themselves to remain British is likely to be "nil." There is almost no "Fleet Train" to support a Task Force any longer, the Army has been cut to the bone and is committed elsewhere, the RAF is reduced to a rump, mainly engaged in Transport and our Allies in the US have a Secretary of State who never refers to the Falkland Islands by their English title, only by the Argentinian one.

Methinks Mr Cameron and his implementation of the John Nott cuts to the Fleet may come to regret his precipitous "savings." Scrapping our mini carriers, the aircraft they could operate and putting on hold buying any aircraft for the new ones was stupid, short sighted and little short of suicidal. If I were a Falklander, I'd start considering relocation or learning to like being an Argentinian. The only thing the Argentinians will ever understand is a permanent Naval Force based on Stanley with orders to sink any invading warship that attempts to stop any vessel in the sovereign territory or the waters around them.

The Argentinians have seen their opportunity and I have no doubt at all will seize it with both hands before to much longer. Protests to the UN will be worthless, an utter waste of time, but probably an exercise in face saving to be engaged in by the charlatans in Westminster and Whitehall.

All the UK Parties are guilty here. Blair attempted to "negotiate" a "shared administration" and only gave up when he realised the Argentinians will settle for nothing less than total control. Just as he discovered that he couldn't give away the national sovereignty of Gibraltar, so he discovered the Falklanders - who have the disadvantage of being far enough away the UK Media don't notice them much - weren't prepared to change their government and nationality either. So he made it easy for the Argentinians - and reduced our defences, committed what was left elsewhere. Cameron and Clegg have simply carried on the process giving the Argentinians even better opportunities.

But, who cares. It will be just another sell out of a bunch of colonists who dare to want to remain British.  I'm willing to bet that Hague the Vague hasn't even called in the Ambassador and told him off ... Nah, probably gave him a nice cup of tea and a chat, with the assurance our Forces will be ordered to surrender and withdraw quietly.

Snow and dentists ...

Don't normally go together, but when Mausi and the Monk left for their annual dental check-up this morning, winter decided to make a start. At first it couldn't decide if it was just going to produce sleet, maybe rain, but then it settled for snow and sleet...

So now we have a layer of icy snow on the ground, the snow ploughs are scattering grit and the first accidents are reported on the Autobahns. This could be the start of some exercise of the Monk, the path and driveway need to be kept clear again, our neighbours are very elderly and a slip could be fatal.

Ah well, wrap up warm and get down to it ...

No Bang ....

It was announced as we motored home along the Autobahn this evening that the aerial mine at Koblenz has successfully been made safe. In an operation lasting over two and ahalf hours in appalling weather the bomb team managed to access and remove the trigger mechanisms and pistols which would have fired the main charge. It has been described as being remarkably well preserved and the mechanisms as 'operable.'

In the last two hours the 45,000 people they evacuated have begun returning home. As for the bomb itself, the main cahrge is now being stripped out so the it can be taken to a safe place for destruction.

The collective sigh of relief along the Rhine can probably be heard in the UK ...

Their Lordships Request reviewed ...

Got a great book review on the website The Fyddeye Guide, by an American Maritime historian. His comments are very flattering, especially given his interest and knowledge of the subject.

It does give an author a great boost to see something like this, not least because it justifies the attention to detail, the research and the effort you put into creating the story. I hope that the review will be read by many and that will translate into people actually reading the book. It was fun to write, fascinating to research and it will be even nicer to see it reaching a wide audience.

After all, that is what every author hopes to achieve.

Problems in the Rhine ...

Attention in Germany, certainly along the Rhine at the moment, is not on the crisis over the €uro, it is focussed on Koblenz. We have had a very dry Autumn here and the Rhine is at it's lowest recorded level since the 1920s. This has, in turn, meant that a lot of things are now exposed to view, which brings me back to Koblenz.

The low water level has exposed a lot of unexploded ordnance from 1939 - 45, most of it unexploded bombs. These have had to be made safe, detonated or recovered and removed to a safe location, and the German Ordnance teams have been busy. Just as everyone thought they'd found everything they were going to, they've found a real lulu of a bomb. An aerial "mine" weighing in at around 1.8 metric tonnes (4,000lbs of explosive charge in 'Imperial' weights, around 5,000lbs all told) and it is very close to the heart of Koblenz. Worse, it is still very much alive despite 60 years in the mud and water of the Rhine.

It is now planned to attempt to defuse it and make it safe on Sunday. So, what's the big deal?

If things go wrong during this operation, just about everything in a 300 yard radius will be flattened, windows up to 2,000 yards away will be smashed, roofs will be damaged or torn off and as for the people ... The trouble is that there are some 45,000 people living within the area that could be affected, so they all have to be evacuated for the duration. This includes the residents of seven Old Age Homes, two Hospitals an enormous number of blocks of flats, umpteen hotels and so on. Even the Intercity Train services (IC and ICE super trains) are stopping at Köln and Mainz and the Koblenz Bahnhof is closed to all traffic. All shipping will be held at points above and below the city as well.

Just to complicate things, the rains have begun. It may be a day or two before the river begins to rise again, but a dam has had to be constructed around the bomb so it can be accessed in safety - if standing next to it can be considered 'safe' - and not submerged while they work on the thing. It is definitely going to be a very tricky operation.

These bombs were dropped on a parachute and designed to detonate about 30 metres (100 feet) above the ground. This smashed down everything in a radius of 300 metres, tore roofs off up to 2,000 metres and opened the way for the incendiary bombs the Allies followed one up with. Even sat in the mud and shingle of the Rhine, this bomb has the potential to wreck the heart of Koblenz, a city that has withstood the French invasions of the 17th - 18th Centuries and various other upheavals including the bombardment of WW2. It has been rebuilt and recovered from each of these events painfully. Let's hope this latest threat can be averted.

All I can say is that I'm glad I'm not one of those in the Emergency Services having to plan and execute an evacuation of this size - and even more glad we're not among those being evacuated. My thoughts and prayers will be with everyone involved in the coming days.

ON the RUN available on Amazon

I'm not used to such speedy availability, but I suppose I should be. Abbott Press has wasted no time in getting ON the RUN into the catalogues at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I expect it will soon also appear on Waterstones, W H Smith and others. I'm pleased as punch, especially since previous experience suggested it might not get onto the lists before Christmas.