What a week lies ahead!

It's the Party Conference Season here in this Great United Kingdom with the ruling Labour Party having had theirs at the end of September in Brighton, the Liberal Democratic Party in Bournemouth also in September and now it's the turn of the Conservatives in Manchester this week. The radio and TV waves have been awash with "promises" and "commitments" as well as many shouts of criticism against the opposition of all colours and flavours. From my point of view I have dismissed much of what I have heard as either lies or impossibilities on a grand scale and in one case easy to say given the particular party that announced it as they will never have to face up to the reality of implementation! It seems fairly clear that until now the Tories seem set to win the next general election but today that announced a plan to increase the retirement age for men from 65 to 66 (actually advancing a plan already announced by the present Government for implementation in 2026) from 2016. Well, this scared me when I first heard the headline as I thought that it may have been immediate and thus foiled me out of my pension in 2011.... sigh of relief then! Additionally the retirement age of women is also going to be equalised to that of men so many women who had already been foiled out of retiring at 60 and now having to retire at 63 now face the prospect of having to retire at 66 also... but we don't know just when yet.

Well, there has been the usual flood of "I'm not voting for you now" shouts from those who can't seem to fathom that nothing comes free and that somewhere along the line things like Pensions, Defence and that other bottomless pit, the NHS have to be paid for by everyone and not just the rich. In fact it seems that many of these protesters feel that the cash should come from someone else's taxation (the rich or Big Business) or from more and more borrowing. The TUC are all for "spending our way out of recession" but I am not sure how that works!

I hear the voices now, "if they added a penny to tax" ........ that would have to be a lot of pennies is all I can say and not just ONE per tax payer either.

My savings would be through cutting out some of these things in Government at ALL levels

• Widespread translation services in official building and documents
• The Annual Heating Allowance (make it a means tested allowance)
• Political Tzars!
  
• As many of the Quangos as possible (too many to mention)
• The many thousands of civil servants and local government people employed on "politically correct" projects
  
• A clamp down on ALL benefits fraud with meaningful sentences by Courts and a recovery of the cash that has been stolen
  
• Reduce the number of MP's
• Make the devolved Government of Scotland make a full contribution to its economy and stop the Freebies that are made at the expense of English tax payers.

I dare say that my friend "MAD" will have something to say about these few items and I look forward to hearing from him !!

Now for the European Union - It was interesting to see the outcome of the Irish Referendum this week and the somewhat odd YES vote it resulted in. I will not and cannot comment on the Lisbon Treaty as I have never seen the 250 or so pages of it and would not be able to understand it if I did. But, what I can't understand is why is that so many countries in Eastern Europe are so keen to surrender sovereignty to Brussels when they have only just shaken off the yoke of Soviet Communism, several coups and turmoil only to find stability and then give it all up? Another country, nearer to home who only shock off a Fascist Government in 1969, yes, Spain are doing precisely the same as Ireland. I ask myself, what are the IRA or the other "dissident" Republican in Ireland going to do now? They, it seems, have been fighting for the "freedom" of the Irish people from the "English" (why not the British given that the majority in Northern Ireland of a "loyalist" persuasion are of Scottish stock and somewhat oddly referred to by Americans as "Scotch/Irish"). The IRA have no doubt found a new "enemy" in the shape of the EU who will threaten their sovereignty and iron fist rule of the land. This will be interesting to see with Ireland now in the midst of a WORSE financial crises than Britain... Ah, I see now, that's why they are so keen to roll over.... Millions of Euros! But will they get them?

Finally and at last General Sir Richard Dannatt has spoken out about the lack of support for extra troops in Afghanistan. Dear old GB (bless him and all he stands for) when Chancellor had little or no interest in the needs of the Army to fight Blair's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was only when he fell into the present Job as Prime Minister that he suddenly took on the mantle of great supporter of all things military (and had his teeth fixed) and started talking as if he really did respect the troops and the fine things they are achieving in battle today. Now we know the truth , he denied the General the troops he so very much needed to give a greater advantage to our soldiers on the ground. He hates the Military in reality as I have no doubt that he actually fears it as did Harold Wilson back in the 60's/70's. I have avoided writing about Bob Ainsworth(less) as it makes me too angry to find the words without sounding insane.

On a much brighter note I do have to mention some good reads and some good TV

• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
  
• The Girl who Played with Fire
  
• The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest

Three excellent compelling crime books by the late Stieg Larsson about the heroine of all three - Lisbeth Salander

• Dead Simple
• Looking Good Dead
• Dead Man's Footsteps
• Not Dead Enough

These books in the series by Peter James and about Det Superintendent Roy Grace are set in Brighton and are seriously scary and hard to put down books!

Ah now for TV, I have enthused about the Wallander TV series with Kenneth Branagh and the original Wallander Swedish series which is being broadvast on BBC 4 starting 7 October 2009 (repeated actually) is truly excellent.

Both productions are from Yellow Bird which has produced some fantastic results in both the English and Swedish language productions... the subtitles do not detract from the enjoyment!!

And Finally, "Flashforward" Not sure if this will catch on with everyone, but it gripped us!! Only two episodes but will it breed more?

Bye for now!!