Archive for March, 2008
27
Guido has challenged us to come up with a clever pub tune to fully show our discontent for his booze hikes. This was a joint effort between Andrew and I.Dear Mr DarlingDear Mr DarlingYou’re not welcome hereWe’re fed upCos you put up our beerVery Sorry dear darlingYou are banned from hereVery sorry dear DarlingFor you putting up our beer Not impressed by yer new budget law And your consistent effortsTo make our life a sober bore Why don’t you shave your eyebrowsSo you can see clearThat you’ve made a mistakePutting up our beerYou’re banned,You’re not welcomeStay outta my pubCause you’ve spoiltSomething that we love We’ll take a drinkHoping for your demiseWe’re fed upWith being victimisedVery Sorry dear darlingYou are banned from hereVery sorry dear DarlingFor you putting up our beerVery Sorry dear darlingYou are banned from hereVery sorry dear DarlingFor you putting up our beer
09
In light of the latest reports on the danger to tourists in Goa and a family’s fight for justice to find out the truth about their daughter Scarlett Keeling’s death or as they suspect murder is going to be tough. Ok when I first heard that she had been left with an Indian tour guide whilst her mother and other siblings toured another part of India I thought that was irresponsible. The problem is that Goa is sold as this idyllic, cheap getaway with friendly people. As tourists very often the ’safeguards’ you would have at home you suddenly forget when you’re abroad ‘in paradise’. However, to have your daughter taken from you in such a way deserves justice and publicity.
This story is just one of many British tourists who have ‘died’ in India. It seems that there is a seedy side of Goa that is run by the ‘criminal underworld’ who target tourists there. I know that ‘nasty’ things happen there as a friend of mine was drugged whilst having an afternoon drink on a beach bar and raped in Goa… not something you really bargain for from a holiday!
Unfortunately, scantily clad liberated holiday makers are easy prey for rapists/murderers who want to exploit them especially if the justice system is hard to negotiate and full of corruption. The widespread image of hippies and drug fuelled beach parties in paradise make it easy for the police to dismiss any tourist deaths as suicide and not investigate them properly.
There was a time when I wanted to visit Goa but not any more!
02
I’ve just read an interesting article in the weekly magazine Autocar by Hilton Holloway describing how the new infrastructure for LEZ zone charges, introduced quietly on 4th February to help decrease pollution from lorries, coaches and commercial vehicles in London could actually be used to introduce a toll for all motorists crossing the new network of cameras around London i.e. effectively anyone crossing the M25 which is a Transport for London legally defined border now. It seems that the sums just don’t add up - the financial benefits of charging commercial vehicles because they do not comply with low emission levels will never equal the cost of running the LEZ scheme therefore, it is quite evident that there is a hidden agenda and we all know who will activate this road tolling if he gets a third term …. Ken Livingstone!