Happy Budget Day

I’ve been away for a while in some sort of terrible Wicker Man scenario, locked away from the world in a remote Lake District Cottage, in a tiny village with no central heating, hot water, phones, TV or internet access. I had only the Daily Mail, Mrs. AMOM and a fleecy blanket for company (and a medical textbook from 1935 we found in the cottage – a document that demonstrated a better understanding of modern medical science than most DM reporters). There were ups and downs, but mostly I enjoyed keeping up to date with what the X Factor contestants were up to, and the continued drivel of DM ‘News’.

As there is a need for me to be entirely open and honest, I must admit to a couple of things. Firstly I have lapsed twice. I was sent an article that appeared in the Guardian, regarding those wonderful, insightful, intelligent people Insane Clown Posse, I read it in it’s entirety, but honestly, given that to read, who wouldn’t at least have a peak? I also read a short article on the BBC website regarding the slightly too short Cardiff Half Marathon, this was mostly because I was disappointed that my first Half was, in fact nearly 200m short. I may get over the bitter sting of being let down so horribly one day.
Back to business.

My favourite headline from the previous week has been the one entitled "Cancer almost unknown in Ancient Times". @pressnotsorry kindly provided me a link to an article debunking this ridiculous piece of scientific reportage. However, I did not read this (probably) very good article (I will do on November 1 ^st) on the grounds that it may provide too much of a balanced view of science.

And now, to the big issues… Below is a direct quote from the Daily Mail online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1322070/Budget-airlines-make-pay-NOT-flying.html). I’ve not edited anything.
"When it comes to making a claim, insurers demand evidence you haven't flown. But many budget airlines charge up to £25 for 'no show' letters, which can eat up most of any reclaim.

More...

• £1.25 a litre: Price of petrol to hit a record high in weeks, followed by threat of even worse to come
• Disposable income falls for nine months in a row as families squeezed by ever-rising bills
• Raoul Moat victim PC is refused refund on flight tickets after doctors warned him not to fly 
• Gatwick Airport gets the green light for A380 superjumbo to land

Thomas Cook charges £25, Bmibaby's fee is £20 and Ryanair's letter costs £17 per booking. Flybe doesn't make a charge, neither does easyJet. Major airlines such as BA and Virgin also don't charge.

Insurers won't cover this cost, arguing that it's part of the written proof you have to supply. To cap it all, you'll have to pay the first part of any insurance claim - typically £50 to £100. " Yet again I’m entirely frustrated by the DM’s lack of internal consistency. They claim that there are massive charges that, in fact turn out not to exist, and then describe – shockingly – the way that an insurance excess works. This is a story that does not need to exist, being spun in a way to stir up anger. "If you don’t use your holiday flight, and try to cancel it after the fact, you may well be charged administration fees shocker". Yes, administration fees are a ballache, but they’re not a headline news story, are they?! Oh, you should also note the ‘human interest’ angle of the third story down in the ‘More…’ section.


A further amazing comment piece from our good friend, Mr. Richard Littlejohn covered the lack of Quangos being ‘scrapped’. This was a theme that ran through one day’s paper last week, in which the "bonfire of the quangos" was referred to in these terms:


"not so much a bonfire of the quangos than a barbecue"


and


"not so much a bonfire of the quangos than a plate of cold potatoes"


Gold.


Richard spent a short amount of time on the "national potato council" that is not being scrapped. He was not happy about that at all. To me this seems like a silly thing to get angry at. What about the other bodies that deal with agricultural products? And, (I did a bit of digging – excuse the pun) the national potato council, while formed by an act of parliament (I think), does not appear to be in receipt of any public money other than the levy paid by potato growers and sellers.


I may have spent too long thinking about potatoes.


I’ll lay off the dissection of individual stories, as I’ve taken to doing. Without sounding like an ego-maniac, this blog is about me! I’m maintaining my sanity well, although feel as if I may be missing out on something (news, possibly).


Thank you for your kind words during this arduous task.


Tomorrow I shall be putting up a budget special, once I’ve read tomorrow’s DM, and you should all look forward to my political compass test at the weekend, I may well be hungover after a colleagues retirement do, and I often get reactionary when suffering the after-effects of alcohol.


Sorry for cutting this short, but I need to go and do my Spanish homework.


Adios amigos.


Matt


p.s will add links properly tomorrow