Test for Gillian

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Pringles are crisps

A HIGH court judge has ruled that Pringles are potato crisps, leaving makers Proctor and Gamble with a £100m tax bill.
The company failed to convince the judge that their product was a snack rather than a crisp.
Although made of a third fat and flour, it was ruled that they should not be exempt from VAT.

Ferrari consider FIA future

FERRARI have confirmed that they will consider leaving Formula One after their appeal against the FIA’s budget cap proposals was rejected on Wednesday.  The FIA want to introduce an optional £40m cap in 2010 to protect teams during the global financial crisis. Teams that accept the cap will receive greater technical freedom than those that don’t.  Ferrari said this would create a two-tier system favouring those who accept the budget cap.  The deadline for teams to sign up for next season’s competition is next week.  Several teams are backing Ferrari and may also withdraw from the FIA if a solution is not reached.

Britain’s oldest Mum

Elizabeth Adeney, 66, is to become Britain’s oldest Mum.
Millionaress Adeney has defended her decision to have a child via IVF. She calls it a “personal decision” and that she wanted “someone to leave her money to”.
Even though Adeney is fighting fit at the moment her child will ulimately face the prospect of losing their mother at a young age. No matter how much her child stands to inheret surely no one deserves to be leftt orphaned by the time they hit high school?

Schoolboy Alfie distressed at DNA results

Thirteen year old Alfie Patten is said to be “extremely distressed” after learning that the child he believed he fathered with his 15-year-old girlfriend Chantelle Stedman was, in fact, not his.
DNA results have shown that 15-year-old Tyler Barker is actually the little girls Dad. The sad fact of the matter is that this little girl is now left to be raised by children, and it seems that no one in her life is equipped for the challenge.
Kids this young shouldn’t be having kids and with so many young boys keen to claim Masie as their own it would appear that none of these young boys actually understood what they were laying claim to.
The only good thing that could come out of this whole affair is that, hopefully, sex education in schools will finally be reformed to help stop this happening over and over again.

End of an era?

Call me cynical, but was anyone in the least suprised when Jordan and Peter announced their split last Tuesday? It seemed like a long time coming if you ask me, in fact, it seemed like they were just hanging on until the best money making opportunity.
Now poor little Katie’s off in the Maldives sunning herself and telling her tales of woe to the highest bidder, while a “devestated” Pete courts the record labels with his latest foray into pop.
Unfortunately it would seem that these two are the perfect example of a 21st century celeb couple. Meeting on a reality TV show, living their married life infront of the camera and airing their dirty laundry for all to see when the perfect time comes.

Speaker or scapegoat?

Whatever his faults and limitations House of Commons Speaker Michael Martin is not personally responsible for the MP expense claim furore which has dominated the news for the past week.

As Martin officially steps down from his House of Commons role, less we forget that it was the MP’s themselves that made these exorbitant claims for moat cleaning chauffeurs. It was them – and their political parties – that allowed for such a system to operate without reform or question for so many years.

Nevertheless, Martin is not snowy white in this tale of corruption either. He is implicated in two ways – one, in his efforts to get the courts to exempt MP’s and their expenses from Freedom of Information laws (something to hide perhaps?), and two, in his increasingly clumsy way of dealing with the scandal.

Without a doubt The Daily Telegraph’s revelations have succeeded in shaking Westminster to its core.

Over the last few days Martin has made little effort to make things right with the public. He represents parliament to the people and has done nothing to restore our faith in those who govern us. From his half hearted speeches to forced apologies Martin has shown that he does not get the urgency or the seriousness of the situation.

Since The Daily Telegraph exposed the expenses claims young and old alike have been horrified at the perks the taxpayer has been effectively bankrolling for a number of years. In my opinion, it’s nothing short of fraud.

For a government that proudly exclaims “we’re closing in on benefit cheats” surely they’d save time and effort looking a little closer to home? I’m sure their 3000 fraud investigators would have a field day investigating this lot.

I would never condone benefit cheats. I believe that unless there is a genuine reason why you can not work, you should work. But I’d much rather a single mother with kids to feed was pocketing and extra fifty quid on the side at my expense rather than paying for some grubby MP’s hanging baskets.

Considering MP’s get paid, on average, £64,766 which is more than double the average UK salary of £23, 450 should they even get expenses?

I’m not daft and I know most people out there make a few faux claims here and there when we know someone else is paying. Everyone likes a freebie, but, unlike our MP’s our claims don’t run into the thousands and, unlike our MP’s we can’t claim for dog food and trouser presses.

After twenty three MP’s backed a motion of no confidence in regards to Martin’s position it would seem that he has officially been made the fall guy of yet another government failing. Martin’s resignation is, however, not the end of this story, it is only the necessary start to making things right again.

Style savoir faire at Cannes

 

 

However, it seems that some of the stars have been keeping themselves busy elsewhere too.  T4 eye-candy Steve Jones has been spotted out and about with new love interest Hayden Panettiere from Heroes.  Ah, it’s a hard life being famous…

 

 

 

 

 

Stirling Highland Games suffers in recession

Stirling Tourism Association has announced that the annual Stirling Highland Games will be cancelled this year.

 

They say the cancellation is the result of economic uncertainty and successive changes of the venue.

 

Each year the games attract thousands of visitors and hundreds or performers to the area to participate in dancing and piping competitions. 

 

Local MSP Bruce Crawford has said he will meet with the games’ committee to ensure the cancellation is a one-off, and that they will return next year. 

 

Mr Crawford said: “Tourism plays a vital part in the local economy of the Stirling area, and I am determined that despite the recession, Stirling must send out the message that it remains open for business and is a must-visit destination for visitors from across the world.”

 

Troops withdraw from Iraq

The UK has officially ended all combat operations in Iraq, after a ceremony today in Basra. A memorial service was held to remember the one hundred and seventy nine soldiers who have died while on duty, attended by Defence Secretary John Hutton.   

 

Many tears have been shed by the servicemen and women in Basra – tears of joy for the chance to leave Iraq once and for all, but also tears of sadness for those who’ve been lost in the past six years of conflict. Yet Brigadier Tom Beckett says the troops are confident they’ve left a lasting legacy.

 

Only time will tell how successful the operation here was, but for now the forces are just looking forward to spending time with their families.

 

Later today, the forces will officially handover control of the region to American soldiers, a month ahead of schedule.  The soldiers are expected to arrive back in Britain within the next few days.

See a video of the ceremony at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2009/apr/30/iraq-military

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