Kraft Takes Over Cadbury's

Oh great, does this mean Cadbury's chocolate will now come in squashed flat processed squares, of a slightly odd luminous colour, that will taste a bit like chocolate but not quite enough for you to feel comfortable calling it that? Damn you sell out share holders, may you be made to eat Kraft toasted "cheese" sandwiches at every shareholder meeting from now on.

I'm not sure whether this take over will end up good or bad in the long run, that would be determined by what Kraft does with Cadbury's in this country. Potentially it opens a market in the US which could bring better investment for Cadbury's here. Yet my overwhelming feeling with this is just- is nothing sacred? This recession is like throwing stuff off a sinking ship, with industry in this country really taking the hit, that finance in fairness deserves.

New Labour Laptops On EBay

There's a wonderful satire of the Labour laptop give way announced earlier this week on ebay. It's listed as "the latest offering in the "class war" series and will be issued exclusively to "low income" families". It has a Labour election processor and it's primary drive is re-election.

According to the Q & A's it also comes with a CD containing the names of the 25 million taxpayers in this country.

You can read British contempt at it's best here.

Election Whistle Has been Blown

The Tories have dominated the starting agenda of the build up to the election, launching posters today of Dave "this is my honest face" Cameron, making a personal promise to you the voter, how thoughtful.

I do find it interesting that they're making the Tory party the Dave party. Though polls do show people like Dave more than the Tory party itself. It does leave Labour a lot of room for attacking them, which in turn could leave people disliking Dave as much as the Tory party. Certainly they can only distract from the party as a whole for a short while, I can't see it working as a long term tactic. Yet turning it into a personality contest is a fairly sneaky tactic. As it does remind people that the alternative is Brown.

Airport Scanner - Coming Soon

Who said this?

I think we all know what they are trying to do. They are trying to use the slaughter of innocent people to cow us, to frighten us out of doing the things that we want to do, trying to stop us from going about our business as normal, as we are entitled to do and they should not and they must not succeed.

When they try to intimidate us, we will not be intimidated. When they seek to change our country or our way of life by these methods, we will not be changed.

No not the words of a crazy blogger about the Labour Party, they are in fact Tony Blair's words after the terrorist attacks on London. As I now read about the full-body scanners that will be installed in airports, yet another terrorist necessity, I'll bear in mind those words as I head to the airport for my nude photo shoot. Because of course the only real choice here is between being groped or being stripped? Yet should people really be humiliated by their government like this? And for how much extra security, really?

Class Wars - Does Anyone Care?

There's been lots of continued talk in the papers about Labour's election tactic being based on 'classes'. The notion being that the Tories are elitist snobby Eton boys who want to bring back fox hunting, in order to use the hounds to hunt down coal miners and those that aren't millionaires that donate to their party. Essentially it plays on the Lib Dems narrative of the Tories sense of entitlement, but New Labour dust off their dead donkey like they always do, to beat it to the rhythm of evil Tories. Which I think must sound a lot like "Things can Only Get Better".

Though I do understand that if those in power had experienced what it's like to live on the poverty line, been unemployed, relied on the NHS/state schooling and so on, that they would have empathy, the idea that some things need to be experienced to be understood. Yet one person could never experience everything in life, the most important point here is having politicians that listen, that very simple notion crosses class, age and wealth. I don't care in the slightest what someone's background is as long as they listen and in doing so speak up for those that elect them.

Largely though it's a very desperate tactic. There is so little different between the parties they're creating the dividing line of class, just when did New Labour start routing for someone other than themselves and banks? Oh that's right, when faced with loosing the election because of that very fact. This election isn't about class difference, there will always be those that look down on others and those that look up with scorn. This election is when distilled down, just about how badly Labour will loose. As people are angry, that is what will define voters agenda.

Good Riddance Day

I'll be honest, I don't like new year's, the idea I have to be joyful that a) I'm older and b) I have to be happy at 12:00am on the dot when some over enthusiastic drunk cops a feel, is frankly beyond my happiness ability. Yet I came across this article on 'Good Riddance Day' and thought it to be a great idea:

It's time to line to up to say goodbye to everything from disappointing report cards to CDs with a song you never wanted to hear again to fattening foods you've sworn to renounce – anything with a bad memory from the previous year. A dumpster will be available for those un-shreddable items, and a sledgehammer will be on-hand to pulverize all those bad memories away. (read more)

I'm drawn not just to the idea of wielding a sledgehammer, but the idea of symbolically ridding yourself of memories, thoughts etc, that mark 2009 negatively. So thought I'd give it a go, the picture above is my good riddance to bad rubbish for year new. I can confirm it was very therapeutic, I would highly recommend shredding, tearing and smashing 2009 away.

Very happy new year to you all, may this year bring you happiness in whatever form that takes.