Awful stench of glorious failure

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-storie ... -21116687/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



It will surely go down as the most ironic soundbite of our times.

"There can be no rewards for failure," said Gordon Brown with a face held so straight it must have taken dozens of spluttering out-takes in front of his mirror, to perfect.

No rewards for failure, he said, as The Four Bankers of The Apocalypse apologised for the billions coughed up by the taxpayer after failure on an unprecedented scale.

No rewards for failure, but the House of Lords can't stop political non-entities being heavily on the take. The same House where Peter Mandelson, despite twice being forced to resign from the Cabinet, now Lords it with a handsome Brussels pay-off in his pocket.

Ask Jacqui Smith, who presides over a joke of a department, how much you can reward yourself by simply transposing the address of your family home with that of your sister's.

Ask Phil Scolari, who walks a way from seven months of failure in the Chelsea manager's job with a £7.5million redundancy cheque, while players who say they share the blame take home pay in industrial-strength wheelbarrows.

Gordon, the best rewards today ARE for failure. Wrapped up with a big bow, which, if untied in such a way it puts your back out, gives further reward to compensation lawyers. Remember Paul Gray who stood down as Revenue & Customs boss after losing 25 million child benefit records? He received a £137,000 pay-off and a £2m pension pot.

How about the £1.4m bonuses for Network Rail bosses despite overseeing a system that ran smoother in the days of steam?

Or Royal Mail boss Adam Crozier getting a £3m-plus pay package amid mass closures, falling profits and record complaints. What about BBC bosses voting themselves bumper pay rises despite being mired in scandal?

We've got murderers encouraged to appeal against convictions on Legal Aid, ex-soap stars and clapped-out comedians washing up on reality shows, glorying in a failure which lands them a second shot at fame.

There are rich bankrupts leaving workers and customers shafted before setting up a new firm overnight. Untaxed drivers foiling the speed cameras while lawabiding mugs pay up.

Not forgetting under-investigation coppers given early retirement so they're out of the firing line and rejected politicians wielding the knife against their party in disloyal memoirs.

Thirty years ago Enoch Powell said "all political careers end in failure." But with Middle East envoy Tony Blair being flown first class around a region he totally screwed up, that clearly doesn't apply today.

As Gordon Brown and his Cabinet will find out when voters boot them out and the directorships, lecture tours, publishing deals and ermine-coated titles come their way.

How about a change of soundbite, Gordon?

Failure is the new success.

"Blair flies first class around the region he screwed up"

[andy2007]

You've hit the nail on the head there!

The only thing I do disagree with, is your point about Murderers (and other Criminals), getting Legal Aid to appeal. Because although it's rare. We do someimes have miscarriages of Justice. So a tiny minority, need the ability to fight to have their Convictions overturned. And we don't know who they are, until they complete their appeals process.

But you're certainly right about our current Government, rewarding failure. It's the only way to get on in Britain these days.

[borders]

the problem is who shall we replace them with ?, another bunch of schemeing, lying , cheating, manipulating bunch of cronies !!!!.

[Broxi51]

Excellent article. So Sad and so true and so likely to continue with whoever ends up in power next.
I think to get to become leader of a political party you must answer a number of questions such as

1. You see an old lady shivering in the snow and rain. Her jacket is old and her umbrella has seen better days.
She's clutching a bag of shopping from lidl in one hand and her handbag over her arm with the brolly.
You see she's about to fall over from the cold so you go over and take her arm. Do you
a) Ask if you can take her home in your jag?
b) Give her a £100 note and say you dont have anything smaller?
or
c) Take her to the hospital, wait for her and take her home?

What's your answer then Mr Brown?

Gordon coughs, sending his chins bouncing up and down and says with conviction
d) Kick her head in, pinch her shopping and handbag, take her jacket and leave her bleeding to death

Well done Gordy, you can be the leader just like little tony bliar

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Gordon coughs, sending his chins bouncing up and down and says with conviction
d) Kick her head in, pinch her shopping and handbag, take her jacket and leave her bleeding to death

Well done Gordy, you can be the leader just like little tony bliar

Its so close to the truth: In today's Daily Mail

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... nergy.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Millions face 'stealth tax' on heating bills to subsidise green energy

Millions of families face yet another hike in heating bills to pay for a massive expansion of green energy.

Ministers say that the money raised will subsidise solar panels, wind turbines and wood-burning boilers for hundreds of thousands of homes.

But critics warn that the levy is an 'insidious' stealth tax that will hammer households at a time of rising unemployment, falling incomes and economic uncertainty.

We are already paying an average of £410 more on our annual energy bills after price rises last year of 59 per cent for gas and 26 per cent for electricity.

The green levy, or 'Renewable Heating Incentive', is part of an energy package to be unveiled today by the Energy and Climate Secretary Ed Miliband.

As well as grants for domestic windmills and solar panels, he will announce plans to insulate seven million homes.

The measures will be funded by the levy on fossil fuel energy suppliers - which will be passed on to us in our household bills.

reduce fuel bills for millions.

'Not only do we want to cut fuel bills and greenhouse gas emissions, we also want to make Britain less reliant on imports of fossil fuels,' said a spokesman for the Department for Energy and Climate Change. 'Fossil fuel prices are more volatile.'

Ministers have no idea at this stage how much the levy will be - or when it will be introduced.

Susie Squire of the Taxpayers' Alliance said the plan would hit families who are finding it hard to make ends meet.

'It sounds like another insidious stealth tax at a time of economic recession when people are already struggling,' she said.

'Increasing everyone's bills to subsidise the cost of green energy for a few is nonsense. People should be encouraged to be more energy efficient, but it should be voluntary.'

Professor Ian Fells of Newcastle University, a former government advisor on energy conservation, welcomed plans to insulate more homes.

But he warned that the incentive scheme could see less-affluent families subsidising solar panels for others.

'All these renewable energy systems are expensive to put in,' he said. 'Even solar panels for heating take at least 12 years to pay back the costs.

'I don't see people up here on Tyneside in apartment buildings being interested in renewable heating.

'So if they are going to put an additional levy on fossil fuels - and prices are high enough as they are - I suspect it's going to be the upper middle classes who benefit, not the people in terraced homes and rented apartments.'

Ministers say financial incentives are needed because the costs of installing renewable energy systems are so high.

A typical ground source heat pump costs at least £10,000 to install. Rooftop solar panels for heating water cost from around £3,000, while a wood pellet boiler system costs from £5,000 to £14,000.

The Government is aiming to cut Britain's greenhouse gas emissions by 26 per cent within the next 12 years.

A spokesman for the DECC said today's package was designed to slash fuel bills and save money, and would include protection for people on low incomes.