Ronan O'Gara

For Fucks Sakes.

Starkey

David Starkey is one of these fantastic characters who will moan furiously about a pet gripe in a manner which shows him to be emphatically guilty of the very flaw about which he is complaining. For a man who carries on, and on, about the petty nationalism of the Scots and Welsh he is incapable of talking on the issue without showing himself to be the most preposterous hypocrite and nationalist with his fervent waffling on the glories of England (which was put out of existence by the last monarch of the Scottish Stewarts in 1707) while belittling the 'Celtic' nations.

Now i'm not saying that Scotland and Wales couldn't do with a little belittling - in fact they could do with plenty - but to do so while acclaiming ones own nation when every glory achieved by it came under the rule of Welsh (Tudor) and Scottish (Stewart) monarchs (not to mention the Norman French previously) is, well, daft and evidence of an intellect incapable of maintaining some consistency of thought on a topic when evidence goes against ones preferred reality.

Anyway, moaning on one of my own pet gripes aside his appearance on This Week tonight was well worth seeing. He talked with great sense and passion on the need for reform in the Palace of Westminster and his deep knowledge of the political history of the UK was apparent. It would not surprise me if the changes he proposed - and which have been put forward by others on QT earlier - were implemented gradually over the coming decade.

A very important edition of Question Time

A great lineup on Question Time tonight and one worthy of such an important occasion. Usually there's at least one panelist on the show who can be relied upon during the course of the hour to talk such waffling, inanity ridden nonsense (think Hazel Blears *shudder*) that you are left wanting to put your fist through the television. While Yasmin Alibhai-Brown has made a career out of talking (often virulently racist) nonsense she cannot be accused of being a dull minded waffler. William Hague, Martin Bell and Vince Cable can be relied upon to talk with eloquence and intelligence while Marta Andreasan is a perfect addition for the times having experienced first hand the kind of corruption and thieving that is rife amongst career statists.

If the audience are anywhere near as furious and feisty as they were last week this should be memorable viewing indeed.

Frank Skinner on Question Time

Is there a more repulsive statement in the English language than "I've been a Labour supporter all my life." ?

Gurkhas

An deidh miosan far nach fhaca sinn luchd Westminster anns na naidheachdan airson adhbhar sam bith nach robh ceangailte ri mi-onair, truailleachd no cuis-naire air choirigein tha cuid - 267 dhiubh co-dhiu - air sealltainn dhuinn gu bheil amanan ann far a bheil ceartas nas cudthromach dhaibh na ordughan sam bith a thig bhon Priomh-mhinistear agus na gillean-cuip (na "whips") aig a bheil coir na buill-parlamaid a riaghladh gus deanamh cinnteach nach teid iad an aghaidh am partaidh.

Tha mar a bhios an Rioghachd Aonaichte a deiligeadh le na Gurkhas, na sar-shaighdearan a bhios sinn a tarraing a treubhan Nepal, air a bhith na chuis-naire airson uine. Tha iomairt air a bhith dol airson cothrom a thoirt dhaibh fuireach ann am Breatainn fad bliadhnachan ach san anns an greiseag bheag a chaidh a tha e air tighinn gu aire a mhor t-sluaigh agus iad a faighinn taic bho leithid Joanna Lumley agus iomadach neach eile. Bha dochas ann gun deanadh Gordon Brown agus am Partaidh Laborach an rud ciallach - tha fhios gur ann ainneamh a thachaireas sin! - agus na riaghailtean atharrachadh agus leigeal le na gaisgich a chuir seachad iomadach bliadhna a sabaist airson Breatainn cumail oir le'm beatha anns an rioghachd seo fhein. Ach an aite sin se chuir iad air adhart an de ach poilisidh ur a dheanadh cinnteach nach fhaigheadh ach gle bheag - mu 4,600 a reir an riaghaltas ach direach 100 am beachd a h-uile duine eile - den 36,000 Ghurkha a bha nan saighdearan san Arm Breatannach ro 1997.



Am miosg na breugan aig Brown air an cuspair seo nochd aon pios dhan fhirinn - gu bheil e gu h-araidh an aghaidh na Gurkhas agus na teaghlaich aca a leigeal a steach don duthaich air fad seach nach eil e airson an airgead a dh'fheumadh e a thoirt dhaibh a chosg oir. Seo an duine a cheith barrachd de dh'airgead an t-sluagh fhads a bha na seannsalair, agus a nis na phriomh-mhinistear, na duine sam bith eile ann an eachdraidh an duthaich. Seo againn an duine a tha deonach tax amaideach a chuir air doigh a ni cinnteach gum bith nas lugha de dh'airgead a tighinn a steach direach gus an urrainn dha beagan "class warfare" a thoiseachadh le na Tories:

Chancellor defends 50p Tax

Seo againn an riaghaltas a tha air cothrom a thoirt do na ceudan de mhilltean, mu nach eil milleanan, de choigrich a thighinn a dh'fhuireach san rioghachd gun diofar an robh grainn aca air an duthaich. Ceithidh iad airgead gus feuchainn ri laimh an uachdar fhaighinn ann an co-fharpais phoileataigs. Fosglaidh iad na borders ris a h-uile seors neach. Ni iad na rudan seo ach nuair a thig e gu aite thoirt do dhaoine treun a tha air pairt a ghabhail anns a h-uile cogadh anns an robh Breatainn an sas airson coir is 200 bliadhna cha d'thoir iad cail dhaibh ach breugan agus dimheas.

Mar sin faodaidh sinn bhith taingeil gu bheil iomadach neach a miosg na backbenchers aig Brown fhein a tha smaoineachadh gu bheil an cuis a cheart cho suarach sa tha leithid Nick Clegg, Daibhidh Cameron agus Joanna Lumley. Chaidh am poilisidh a chuir gu bhot an diugh agus chaidh a mhor chuid de luchd na Commons an aghaidh an riaghaltas.

Reaction to Government defeat:Clegg, Lumley, Cameron

Chan ann tric a nochdas adhbhar-iomairt a dh'fhagas duine bhon a h-uile partaidh aonaichte nam beachdan ach 's e seo aon dhiubh.

Hannan @ Conservative Spring Conference

Tha mi air a bhith leanntainn sgriobhaidhean an MEP Daniel Hannan anns an Telegraph airson uine agus ged is ann truagh tha torr dha na tha ri leughadh 'sam paipear ud tha beachdan Hannan an comhnaidh ciallach agus inntinneach. Mar sin bha mi toilichte da -rireabh le mar a choisinn e cliu dha fhein 'o chionn mios le oraid a bha direach sonraichte agus e a deanamh ionnsaigh air Gordon Brown agus na ceudan de bhilleanan notaichean a tha an duine maslach ud a ceitheamh:



Ged a rinn na meadhanan mor, am "mainstream media", anns an duthaich seo a h-uile oidhirp cluais bodhar a chumail ris an oraid dh'fhas e cho ainmeil an deidh sgaoileadh air Youtube agus gun robh feum aca, mu dheireadh, suil aithghearr a thoirt air. Ach an deidh sin s'ann fhathast ann an duthchannan eile mar na Staitean Aonaichte a nochd an oraid agus Hannan fhein air na naidheachdan agus leithid Fox News gu h-araidh a toirt suil air na thachair agus a toirt cothrom do Hannan barrachd a radh mu a bheachdan agus carson a thubhairt e thubhairt e:



Co-dhiu, tha Hannan a nis air fhein a chuir air adhart mar aon de na daoine is tarraingeach a th'aig na Tories (agus chan eil moran ann dhiu an fhirinn innis) agus chaidh aite a thoirt dha aig co-labhairt earrach am partaidh agus sheall e a-rithist an coimeas labhairt sonraichte a tha aige:



A coimhead an duine seo a bruidhinn agus ag eisteachd ri na beachdan laidir a th'aige tha e duilich gun smaoineachadh air cho lag agus meadhanach a tha ceannas nan Tories fo Daibhidh Chamshron. Ged a tha barrachd atharrachadh eadar na Laboraich agus na Tories a nis na bha 'o chionn uine seach gu bheil riaghaltas Bhrown air gluasad gu cruaidh dhan laimh chli tha iad fhathast gu math faisg air a cheile a thaobh poileasaidhean. San fhirinn bhiodh e gu math duilich dealachadh a dheanamh eadar am Partaidh Conservative aig Cameron agus New Labour mar a bha iad fo Blair. Mu tha feum sam bith a gabhaidh anns na Tories - agus e gle chinnteach gur iad a bhios os cionn an riaghaltas an deidh an ath-bhliadhn - feumar barrachd a shealltainn de leithid Hannan; na 'Eurosceptics' agus na 'Libertarians' a tha fada nas fhaisg air feallsanachd conservative cheart na tha Cameron, Osbourne agus am buidhean a tha a riaghladh am partaidh an drasta.

Gaidhlig

Tha athchuinge air nochdadh air-loidhne a tha a toirt cothrom do dhaoine cantainn gu bheil iad airson gun leig Gordon Brown dheth a dhreuchd mar priomh-mhinistear.

Tha an gloic seo, nach do bhuannaich taghadh sam bith, air sgrios iongantach a dheanamh air an rioghachd againn thairis air na bliadhnachan a cheith e mar seannsailear agus mar priomhaire bho 2007. Bith leanamh sam bith a tha air a bhreith am bliadhna sa coir is 30 bliadhn' a dh'aois mus teid na fiachan airgead uamhasach a tha Brown, agus am partaidh Laborach ghrot aige, air fagail againn a phaigheadh dheth. Mu tha thu airson d'ainm a chuir sios gus an seall sinn nach eil sinn ag iarraidh mionaid eile dhan an t-amadan seo ann an cumhachd - gu beag air 14 mios eile! - click air an link a leanas:

Athchuinge 10 Downing Street - Brown leig as do dhreuchd

English

An online petition has emerged urging Gordon Brown to resign as Prime Minister. This fool, who lacks any kind of democratic mandate outwith the ancient Kingdom of Fife, has wreaked destruction upon the country during his wasteful years as Chancellor and, since 2007, as PM. A child born this year will be approaching 30 by the time we've (hopefully) managed to pay off the horrendous debts inflicted upon us by Brown and the utterly repulsive Labour Party. If you wish to add your name to those of others who don't want this preposterous character to remain in power for another minute - let alone another 14 months! - click on the following link:

10 Downing Street Petition Brown Resign

Obama

Agus sin an taghadh seachad a nis. An deidh iomairt a mhair faisg air dà bhliadhna fhuair Barrack Obama greim air an White House. Ged a tha mi fhein gu math amharasach mu an duine agus uabhasach diombach mu cho taobhach sa bha a chuid mhòr de dhaoine anns na meadhanan agus iad air a h-uile oidhirp a dheanamh tarsainn air am bliadhna chaidh taic a thoirt dhà agus cuir sios air McCain agus (gu h-àraidh) Palin 's e fhathast rud sgoinneil a th'ann duine de choltas fhaicinn agus a shinnsearachd fhaicinn a gleidheadh an obair mòr, cumhachdach a tha seo.

Thuirt Johann Hari, a sgrìobhadh anns an Independent, rud a bha a sealltainn cho soilleir sa ghabhas cho iongantach 'sa tha an tachart seo :

"Smaoinich - Mu bhuannaicheas Barrack Hussein Obama an taghadh 's e an 44mh Ceannard de na Stàitean Aonaichte a bhios ann. Bhiodh e air a bhith ceadaichte agus laghail don chiad 16 ceannard greim a chumail air mar pìos 'property' "

'S e fìrinn cumhachdach a tha sin.