Must… not… like… pretend… buffoon

In the last couple of weeks, Boris Johnson has done three good things that I can remember: * Allegedly had a row with David Cameron about Crossrail, taking London's side * Endorsed cycling home after a couple of beers * Supported restarting tours of London's disused Tube stations Meanwhile, I can't think of anything bad … Continue reading Must… not… like… pretend… buffoon

Punishment from the gods

Apologies for lack of posting, I've been struck down by something resembling the flu. I was lucky as it wasn't quite as full-on I WANT TO DIE as it's been described by some (although there were a few hours like that), but deeply unpleasant and not recommended nonetheless. Anway, I've not been blogging much during … Continue reading Punishment from the gods

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-07-26

RT @paulcarr: The anatomy of a Twitter attack. Must-read post from Nik Cubrilovic @Techcrunch http://bit.ly/2DTClm (via @TACJ) # "3 secondary moderns in every town", demand UKIP: http://bit.ly/17VUD4 # Feel exceptionally ropey. Better not be #swineflu # #bexleypowerfail killed work IT all day, even tho I'm in EC1. Otherwise wld never have heard of it. If … Continue reading Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-07-26

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-07-19

Any puritan/moralist types want to explain how this warrants criminal prosecution, rather than 'best get a new career'? http://is.gd/1wdhl # RT @AdamBienkov: #Tories will prolong your misery shock http://bit.ly/3uVQjg # I'd forgotten that neocons described themselves as 'liberals mugged by reality'. Struggling to think of a group less acquainted with reality # Clue is a … Continue reading Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-07-19

How to rebuild your credit rating

I wrote this as a response to someone on B3ta, but realised it might be useful for a wider audience: First, get your debts cancelled, written off, paid, or otherwise disposed of. The Citizens Advice Bureau will explain this best. Don't pay anyone anything for advice - it won't be any better than the CAB's … Continue reading How to rebuild your credit rating

How dare you provide me with goods and services

B3ta's Question of the Week is on banks and banking. Oddly enough, the consensus is 'against'. However, someone called 'Star Wars' has a rather nice post going against said consensus, which distills most (not all) complaints that people make about retail banks and penalty charges: I opened a bank account once in the full and … Continue reading How dare you provide me with goods and services

Rewriting history, recession edition

Says Railway Eye, a cynical and Tory-leaning transport blog: There is certain information that voters and taxpayers might reasonably expect a Government department to know. Or at least have a reasonable stab at. Such as just how risky NatEx's very aggressive bid for the East Coast franchise was; bearing in mind that the previous operator … Continue reading Rewriting history, recession edition

Yes nucular, no Tridentular

Supporters of nuclear weapons systems like Trident generally justify the cash by saying things like 'dangerous world, Kim Jong Il and Ahmadinejad very bad men, we can't just disarm'. Or, more cynically, 'place on world table, we can't just disarm'. I'm not totally sold on this argument - after all, the US will continue to … Continue reading Yes nucular, no Tridentular

Our aviation correspondent writes in

Following this research into GE-made Airbus engines cutting out in ice, he say: So far as the GE-powered AF 447 is concerned, the potential woes go on mounting: * Dodgy AF training for weather * Failure to change course for weather * Sensors buggered by extreme temperature and/or turbulence * Avionics gave up - handed … Continue reading Our aviation correspondent writes in