Canada Bob

Thanks for that Johnboy, just been reading it, beggars belief, 'specially these bits... Although her husband, Richard Timney, 46, submits her expenses claims as part of his ?40,000-a-year job as her assistant, she personally signs the form each month, declaring: ?I confirm that I incurred these costs wholly, exclusively and necessarily to enable me to stay overnight away from my only or main home for the purpose of performing my duties.? Documents submitted to the Commons authorities show Ms Smith has claimed ?150,304 for the cost of running a second home since 2001, including fully fitting it out. The Sunday Express has seen the documents that show Ms Smith has claimed for virtually every major household item over the past five years, right down to the kitchen sink. It was a ?550 stone model from Habitat. The minister, who earns ?141,866-a-year, even claimed for an 88p bath plug. She had already spent ?460 on a dining room table, ?704 on a sofabed, and ?1,000 on an antique fireplace. She even claimed for the cost of coal to burn in it. Other items included a Hotpoint cooker, at ?399 plus ?15 connection, a Hotpoint tumble dryer worth ?189 and two washing machines in under two years, a ?249 Ariston and a Zanussi worth nearly ?300. Her entertainment centre was to include DVD players, two Samsung widescreen televisions and two digital set-top boxes worth more than ?1,100. The Commons authorities are in the final stages of preparing the details for release after removing personal information such as telephone numbers and bank account details. Some MPs still hope to block publication until after the next election. Ms Smith?s husband has been a source of embarrassment to her before. Last year he was unmasked as the author of a series of letters written to a newspaper backing her policies, without revealing he was married to her, or employed by her. The rants ranged from support from her plans for a national identity card to berating former Tory leader Michael Howard. Don't these b*stards expect to pay for ANYTHING from their own pockets !!! if this aint taking the p*ss, what is !!! Here's the thing though, if she had ANY decency about her she'd hand her cards in, but you can bet she'll want to run again in the next election, what a bleedin nerve these b*ggars have...

According to the papers she has also claimed 88p for a bath plug but that's understandable, after all the poor lassie is only on 141 thousand pounds a year plus all other perks. Now that has to be a wind up FFS... come on now... no BBC or ITV here, just RTE, so I don't know what's going on. Canada Bob. PS... how does this "I'll pay it back" caper work ? Can I rob a Bank, and if I get caught say "it was all a mistake, I didn't realize what I was doing" so I'll pay the money back, would that get me off being a Criminal ? is that how it works ? If so, I'll have a do at it, surely they won't catch me every time ?

I also don't see why because other countries are in a bad state why I shouldn't moan?? I am entitled to moan as my taxes pay for their wages. I am entitled to moan because right now I live in the UK. Just because there is someone worse off than us in another country doesn't mean I don't have the right to moan. You get my vote on the above... They even have the nerve to talk about the "trickle down" benefits that outragious spending by Whitehall and the Town Halls across the land engage in, but I think most folks are sick of being "trickled on". If you think that it's just the MP's, Ministers, Lords and their hangers on ripping the taxpayers off, it's a good job you don't know what goes on in the Town Halls. When you pay your Council Tax you would hope that it pays for services provided by the council, including wages to folks capable of doing what they are employed to do, and paid a rate that reflects their ability, some hope. Council Tax goes up, services go down, while the b*stards dream up another way to stick a "Fixed Penalty" on you. You get one of those in Bolton if your bin lid is open when the bin men come round, or if you haven't sorted out the different kinds of rubbish, even though at the end of the day they have been sending the whole lot to the land fill !!! I know enough of them "employed" LONG TERM, {think 20-30 years and more} by Bolton & Wigan Authorities, to be honest none of them would be able to get a job in the Private Sector at the rates they've wangled for themselves once they get their heads into the public money trough. To add to that, I know for a fact that for every ?1 they contribute to their pensions the local authority contributes ?3 !!! and why wouldn't they, the ones who vote to do this have their heads in the self same trough... Where the **** can anyone get a deal like that ! 3 quid of the tax payers money for every one that they throw into the hat, and remember that in the first place a high percentage of these pricks aren't even worthy of employment, let alone worth the money they keep voting in for themselves and their depts. As an example, one woman I know is the "Emergency Response Coordinator", she goes on expense paid trips all over the place so that she and hundreds of other useless b*ggers like her will be able to tell us what to do "if the Russians Invade" !!! no, I'm NOT making it up, she's on about 40k a year plus her expenses to be there for us "if the Bomb goes off". She goes to these meetings, claims near a wage in travelling expenses, gets the Hotel and food paid for, and on it goes... This same woman screams her bleedin head off if she sees a spider, no, I'm NOT joking, she'd be worse than fekkin useless in ANY emergency, but seeing as how her original job became a dead ender, she was appointed to this nonsense... I can't help but RANT about this, the reason being I know these b*stards, and how they work the system to promote each other to absolutely incredible positions and astronomical wages, expenses and pensions for doing **** all. All this while Nurses doing 12 hour shifts for 10-15 grand less than these r soles get, without any perks at all, have to pay to park their cars on the hospital car parks, how fekked up is that !!! Canada Bob.

It's absolutely true Bob.... She has already owned up and is promising to repay the costs of these porn movies. I though it was a wind up, nothing on the news here, and nothing in the papers either, but later in the day I heard folks in the pub laughing about it, sigh, still hard to believe though hey, you couldn't make this stuff up hey. We appear now to be governed by the lowest of the low, the very dreggs of society... It's one thing a bloke renting a porno movie, who hasn't done that, that's no big deal, but for a Minister of the Government to have the fekkin' nerve to claim for it, and that the claim wasn't questioned by anyone {until now} gives you some idea of the brass neck of these b*astards... What are you doing in Galway? You're not by any chance representing an Indian tribe of native Americans trying to recapture a canoe? We've been touring all ore Ireland for the last 3 months, started out in Westport County Mayo, moved on the Rathmullen County Donegal, two weeks in both places, then moved Ballygally County Antrim, 5 miles west of Larne where the Stranraer Ferry sails from, did 4 weeks there, Giants Causeway and all that, then moved to Newcastle County Down for almost 4 weeks, then 4-5 days in Galway before we fly back to the Untidy Kingdom on Monday. Been to some decent pubs while we've been ore here, can't beat the Traditional Music Pubs, love it when they get the bodrums going and someone rhymes off a few Joseph Locke songs, spent this afternoon singing me bollocks off at the pub below, I was thrilled when they struck up with "Although I go to fight a foreign foe", as a result of 4 pints of Guinness I was outsinging the best of them, great pub, I'll be back there later when I've had a nap... If yer ever in Galway, this is THE place to head for... Best Pub in Galway... We'll be staying in Blackpool until the 3rd May then we head back to Nova Scotia, if I'd known about that canoe I could have shoved it in me case and took it back for them. Why they'd go to all that trouble for a birch bark canoe gawd only knows, you can get a decent fibre glass canoe for $300 / 150 quid from "Canadian Tire", easier to repair too, but you can never figure them Indians out, no doubt they were on a *iss up when they came up with the idea of asking for their canoe back... Canada Bob.

What about the latest expenses fiddling scandal? Jacquie Smith, having just been found out for falsley claiming allowances for her second home, has now been found out again for allowing her husband's insatiable appetite for porn films, to also form part of her expense claims. That is just utterly obscene - the expense claim I mean - not the porn films.. You having us on Johnboy ? I haven't heard about it, mind you we're a bit out of touch here in Galway. Hope you dint hear about it in the pub, I can't see a Minister being that stupid or arrogant, not after the trouble she's just been in.

Tell you what Clacher it look like CaleyD is already celebrating winning the 2,000 guineas, he's so excited at taking the lead and opening up a gap on you and Joe that he can't sleep Have you run out of steam ? be a sh*gger if your legs started to wobble now with the winning post in sight ! Be a beggar to finish up in 3rd place, you're not going to do a Devon Loch on us are you :thumb04:

Did me b*llocks in last night backing Wigan Rugby to beat Huddersfield, Wigan at as bad as 4/9 in the Bookies and 1.53 on Betfair got beat on their own midden by 22-8 FFS... I emptied me pockets in the Bookies ore here in Ireland and emptied me account on BF too, burned the bleedin lot To add to my chagrin I nipped down to the bank machine in Galway Bay this morning to get a couple of hundred euro out of me Barclays account, but the machine said... "Insufficient Funds" The way things are with the Banks these days I'm not sure if the above means them, or me ? Canada Bob.

It certainly does. I don't know what makes me think politicians want to help people in Great Britain? So surely if they took a cut in wages etc this would help Britain?? These b*ggers aren't in it for the good on the land, they are in it for their own good, it's bugger you once they get their head in the trough... What I want to know is, where's Guy Fawkes when you need him, sigh... Canada Bob.

There's an oxymoron for you, "Politicians" and "Earning" in the same sentance, sigh... It's bad enough that an MP's basic pay is around 70k a year, double that for a Minister, it's the "expenses" they get around 250k per year, to employ "staff" think sons, daughters, grandmothers {yea, really}, then they get free travel on BA plus loads of free First Class rail tickets and so on, then they pad that lot up with "second house expenses" and on it goes. Now that's only "wages and expenses" oh, and don't forget that expenses are tax free, but they aren't even satisfied with that, they then get signed up as "Directors" of companies, money for nowt again, and like the Lords who took back handers to "advise" certain companies or SIG's the b*stards are wallowing in "free money". To add insult to injury after 6 years the pricks can "retire" on a pension that most folks could only dream of... Don't forget they afford themselves this lifestyle out of your pockets, makes you want to throw up don't it... Canada Bob.

The problem is the people who at one time went into politics either Town Hall to Whitehall were often motivated to better their country or their community, folks who had honest intent. Now we have folks who will fly any flag to get their noses into the public purse/trough. They might say they are Socialists or Capitalists to charm a vote out of you, but the only thing you can be sure of is the b*stards are Opportunists, out for nothing other than their own gain, after that they just don't give a ****. When r soles like that nulabour Minister has the nerve to go on a chat show talking about how "MP's expenses are a cause for concern" {when on about that woman MP claiming housing expenses for her sisters house}, while knowing all the ****ing time that he was doing the same thing, it beggars belief, I wouldn't want his NERVE in my tooth... It's no wonder that folks aren't bothering to vote, it seems that year on year, Town Hall to Whitehall the voter turn out is close to being abysmal. I reckon that there will be a turning point though, right now it's like voting in one Mafia family rather than the other, at the end of the day they all shyte on us from a great height. Party's don't get voted into power now, they get voted out of power. To me it's just a matter of time before people vote them ALL out, replacing them with some radical regime, whoever they might be, probably won't be any better for our comminities or the country, or us, but at least it will get rid of the leeches that have been bleeding us dry, while the Establishment prospers. Who knows what the next generation will be, maybe the BNP or worse, who knows where that will take us, but radicals come out of the woodwork when the vacuum of dissent invites them. I think things will get a whole lot worse, for many years to come, before things get any better for the average guy, the only thing on the upside is... The maggots that have been feeding off us for generations, or some of the "New Rich" will lose much if not all of what they've salted away. I'd like to know what Good Qqueen Lizzy and the members of her tribe have lost in the last 12 months. Be nice to know how much those Prima Donna footballers, managers and other "celebrity" maggots have lost as their investments go up in smoke. If yer sat with just a few quid in yer pocket or in the Bank right now, you'll soon have company as the "mighty" fall. Back to "Square One" won't hurt most of us, but those who thought they were better than the rest of us because they had more money will get a rude awakening, and I'm all ****ing for it.

I'll chance me hand with Stranraer @ 9.50 in the hope that Ayr are passing a betting shop on their way to the match...

How can you get beat 4-0 by Falkirk when just a few weeks ago Caley brought 3 points home from Rangers ! If Rangers couldn't score at home against Caley then how TF do Falkirk put 4 by them ? if that doesn't show an attitude problem what does !!! All they needed yesterday was a point out of the game to keep the pressure on Falkirk, but that went pear shaped and look who the pressure is on now, who came away from that game thinking they'd turned a corner, in the right direction. I wouldn't make it as a Manager, I'd leave them to walk home after a drubbing like that, I really do think that the players have it in their mind that they don't feel like manning the pumps to stop the club from going down. As far as the Big Boys League, how come Caley are good enough to win 5 away but only 3 at home this season ? When they feel like playing they can take on the best, beating Rangers at home, and stopping Celtic from scoring ! does that not show that Caley are able to match the best of them in the SPL ? It's attitude and determination that's needed, there's only 2 teams that have won more away games so far this season, no need to guess who, yet Caley have only won 3 at home, letting in more goals at home than any other club ! The stats and the swings in performance don't make any sense to me, they should be mid table by now, not facing relegation.

From what folks who went and from the scoreline said Caley didn't turn up or on for the game. The players money is the same no matter what the result, and it don't cost them to get there, or to get in, or for a pie and a pint, so what's it to them. Some of them seem to be out of their depth, would any other team in the SPL give them a game never mind pay them to strap their boots on. The way some of them have played this season they'd be more at home in Stranraer where the pay is less and the expectation is less too... It's going to be tough all round from now on in, everyone is cutting back, advertising and sponsorship is drying up and supporters are feeling the pinch. If the players embarass the club especially the folks in the stands support will start to drop off dramatically, who wants to see their club sinking ? I know what I'd do, I'd give them all a betting slip with their wages on Caley each week, that might make them run about with a bit more intent. As for them working only 10 years vs the average guy working 50 years, can we all sign up for that FFS. The fact is they make more in 10 years than many men make in 50 years, and as mentioned above, more often than not they are mortgage and debt free before they've hung their boots up.

Had a Hellish day yesterday, dropped over 3 grand, bad enough to see Falkirk get the 3 points, worse still to watch that last kick of the rugby game fall a few feet short, some days yer the dog, other days yer the lamp post...

What I mean about "even the Welsh" is that I can't even tell what the b*llocks they are singing, but at least it's a rousing tune. I wouldn't even waste me breath booing the "Company song" no way will the b*stards get me to sing the praises of a bunch of gormless, useless, puffed up bunch of charlatans... I guess that reading between the lines you might guess I no Royalist, nor genuflector to the Establishment...

If only I could swap being fekkin English to become Scottish, for the price of a mars bar, you'd be smothered in them. As for knocking "Americans" well the more of them that I've got to now the more I like them and respect them, few folks are more charitable, considerate or easy to get on with than the vast majority of Americans. Odd how folks who knock them imitate them in what they wear, what they eat, what they watch on TV, the songs they listen to and so on. My guess is that 60 years ago when the standard of living in the US turned the rest of us green with envy we {the rest of the world} vented our spleens on them then, and carried that on doing that ever since, what they have the rest of the world want, in a nut shell, a better standard of living for the average working class bloke {than his own cuntry would have afforded him}.

I think it's the same for any tribe, clan or nation, it's a romantic attachment to the history and heritage to your roots, something that you take pride in. Yet in reality we seem to be on the path to assimilation, if not by the Borg then by the way of the western world, no doubt there's more folks wearing baseball caps in Glasgow, more wearing jeans in Motherwell, or wearing T shirts in Argyll than men wearing kilts, and nae doubt more lads drinking lager than 40/-, and so it goes. But the question seems to be how to promote Scotland, and presumably not to the Scottish {for the most part}, but to the international tourist. Fair enough it's not all kilts and bagpipes, but if you leave those elements out then you might as well take the bait off the hook, it's what the proverbial "American" expects to see, it's all part and parcel of what visitors want to see when they visit Scotland. It's a tough job these days getting folks to travel, money is tight worldwide, so you need the best bait and the best hooks to attract visitors to Scotland. The kilt, the bagpipes, the castles, the Edinburgh Tattoo, the Highland games, Gathering of the Clans, Tobermory, Skye, Fingals Cave, the lochs, the fishing, the distilleries etc have all added to the attraction of Scotland for a hundred years or more, so they are essential elements in promoting Scotland, they are all reliable repeat winners over the Course & Distance. I think there are a lot of other things that haven't been played to their fullest, things that are coming in vogue now with all this "save the planet" malarky, there's a good number of places in Scotland where folks can go whale watching, or on a good day "swim with the dolphins" without having to fly to Florida. But to me the incredible beaches particularly on the north or western coast of Scotland, rival anywhere in the world. About 4-5 years back on a trip to John O'Groats we discovered one of the best beaches I've ever come across near Caithness, not a sole around, in June at that ! I don't know if the place even had a name, I remember a castle or a Clan House sort of thing right close to the shore though. I'd be promoting places like that to folks in the UK, let alone foreign visitors, the only downside is there aren't many places to stay, and some that we stayed in weren't up to what world travellers expect these days, mind you some of the B&B'S we stayed in were top notch, even though they were in remote places. I see that Applecross has been profiled by that bloke on TV that went to live there for 6 months, now folks have seen it they are pouring in... Best bet these days is to give the prospective visitors what they expect to see, the kilts and the bagpipes etc, but then amaze them with the natural unspoiled beauty of so many places in Scotland. Canada Bob. ps... any of you know that beach near Caithness ? or any other knock out beaches in Scotland ?

No offers hey, I'd take anything worth singing, Rule Britannia or Land of Hope & Glory {well, we can pretend, can't we}, even the Welsh have a better Anthem... Far as I can recall most National Anthems recognise the people of the land, or at least the land itself, or God, how did we get stuck with this b*llocks. I'd bet that "God save the Queen" hisses as many people off as it pleases... Odd how most folks don't even know anything other than the first verse of it, or what it stood for not all that long ago... Lord, grant that Marshal Wade, May by thy mighty aid, Victory bring. May he sedition hush and like a torrent rush, Rebellious Scots to crush, God save the King. God bless the prince, I pray, God bless the prince, I pray, Charlie I mean; That Scotland we may see Freed from vile Presbyt'ry, Both George and his Feckie, Ever so, Amen. Seems that the the comments about the crushing the Scots and the vile Presbyterians sponsored a bit of a rewrite, here's the official version... God save our gracious Queen, Long live our noble Queen, God save the Queen: Send her victorious, Happy and glorious, Long to reign over us: God save the Queen. O Lord, our God, arise, Scatter her enemies, And make them fall. Confound their politics, Frustrate their knavish tricks, On Thee our hopes we fix, God save us all. Thy choicest gifts in store, On her be pleased to pour; Long may she reign: May she defend our laws, And ever give us cause To sing with heart and voice God save the Queen.* I'd rather choke than sing the above, so I guess they didn't my sedition hush.

As long as we don't presume that comments or actions of Government in {almost} any country reflects the views or values of the citizens {who somehow voted the r soles in} we would see Canada, the UK or most anywhere in a better light.

Just watching the England v Scotland game, and a thought springs to mind... Would you mind if we swapped Anthems with you, you guys seem to be singing about the pride you have in yourselves, and your Nation, whilst we are expected to enjoy singing about being subservient to the offspring of runts and mongrels, sigh... I'ts a pity that William Wallace didn't have a few more forwards in his squad, the UK might be a very differnt place the now if he'd won a few more away games...

Went to have a grand on Caley, at 2/1 they are well over the odds, but the local Bookie here in Newcastle, County Down, {the only Bookie in town} offered me 7/5 FFS... I wouldn't mind if he had Falkirk or the draw at higher odds but he's book is, 13/10 Falkirk, 11/5 the Draw, 7/5 Caley !!! He's the same as most on Falkirk, a full point less on the draw, and 3 points less against Caley, so no bet with him, I got 3.25 aka 9/4 to 400 quid with Betfair. Spoke to Jackie Edwards {Shaun Edwards father} this morning about the Wales v Irelands game, Jackie said Wales have backed themselves, and if it wasn't for the psychological effect of Ireland thinking they could win the Grand Grand Slam {or whatever they call it}, Wales would be 4/7 for the game. The same Bookie took my 2 grand at 4/5 on Wales, at least that's the going rate, but if he thinks he'll edge it off on Betfair he'll be luckY, tooK me 2 hours to get 200 quid on after I'd spoken to Jackie, after that I gave up trying to get on at BF. Right now just a couple of hours before the game there's less than 5 grand been matched on BF, how the hell is that on a game like this ? So I'll be cheering for Caley Thistle, but shouting for me main bet on Wales in a local pub {that should make me popular}...

The Falcon is having computer problems and can't get online, so he wants Arbroath to Draw @ 3.40

Queens Park v Stirling Draw @ 3.50 for me...

One for Reef here... A guy goes to the Post Office to apply for a job. The interviewer asks him, 'Are you allergic to anything?' He replies, 'Yes - caffeine.' 'Have you ever been in the military service?' Yes,' he says. 'I was in Iraq for two years.' The interviewer says, 'That will give you 5 extra points toward employment.' Then he asks, 'Are you disabled in any way?' The guy says, 'Yes...an IED exploded near me and I lost both of My testicles.' The interviewer grimaces and then says, 'OK. You've got enough points for me to hire you right now. Our normal hours are from 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 PM You can start tomorrow at 10:00 - and plan on starting at 10:00 AM everyday.' The guy is puzzled and says, 'If the work hours are from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, why don't you want me to be here until 10:00 AM?' This is a government job,' the interviewer says, 'For the first two hours, we just stand around drinking coffee and scratching our balls. No point in you coming in for that.