Day 142 - Anti-Aircraft

I sit here in the quiet, only the feint street noises behind me and the creeks and groans from the pub below disturbing my concentration. Outside the rain is persistent, so much for the drought and bizarrely the hosepipe ban I think. I have wondered that if I had bought a hosepipe in the days before the profound announcement of its ban would I be entitled to get my money back from the vendor and should the vendor be prosecuted for selling banned materials. “Man jailed for Hosepipe Smuggling” could be the headlines of tomorrow’s paper. Maybe but probably not to be honest.  (Another thought that has gone through my some would say pea sized brain is creating an advert asking the general public in Somalia, Kenya, Bangladesh etc. etc. to donate £2 a week to help Britain’s populace in this difficult time of drought. Perhaps pictures of small children eating their last chicken nugget or a picture taken in a pub where they can only afford to drink half pints….anyway I digress.)

No. What will more than likely be on the front pages of tomorrow’s papers is the announcement that the MOD is considering positioning anti-aircraft missiles on the rooftops of high rise building in and around London to protect the capital during the Jubilee and Olympics later this year. I think this is a great idea and one that should be embraced by all and sundry. Because now that it’s been publicised months before the actual events the terrs and the tali’s and hardly likely to attack from the air. Instead now all they will do is go to ground and find another way in to cause mayhem. 

Staying on this subject, let me paint you a picture. The tali’s in the flowing beards and dressing gowns do decide to launch an attack from the air. The triggerman on the rooftop identifies a target, a civilian aircraft most likely, what does he do?

a/ he fires, knows he‘s saving lives by taking lives
b/ calls for authorisation, gets it instantly, pulls the trigger and saves the world or
c/ calls for authorisation, a multi levelled authorisation process that involves the completion of a risk assessment, a collateral damage assessment, an appointment with the local health and safety rep to ensure the safe discharge of the weapon, a visibility and proactivity assessment, a labour law compliance assessment and a current training competency assessment.

Answers on a postcard please.

If there is one thing that is a certainty at the moment, this Tory government needs no opposition. It has absolutely shown its intent on losing the next election (yes for the Saffers, there is more than one party here that could win or lose the elections, unlike in SA) by the actions and the scandals that it involves itself in every day. In local terms it appears to be riddled in charges of corruption, collusion and sleaze but I suppose as was the government before this one and most likely the one after this one. What is it with politicians? How is it that they can be so dumb as to not think that the press and the social media bloggers will not see what they are up to and tell the world. If there is one thing about the freedom of the Internet, smartphones and the like it has to be that there is no place to hide. The world over politicians all seem the same (although generally they don’t have six wives like one JZ has in SA). They all suffer from persevering stupidity driven by greed, and power over the masses.

And finally, I am glad that I am not the triggerman. That is a big call to make.

God Speed.