"Mind rot" of the day

[Lippytarian]

I said of the Daily Mail....

I looked at the website, saw something that mentioned people not working, I somehow knew exactly what to expect and read the article. And sure enough there is was. Any day would have done just as well. Is there ever a day without something about scroungers or immigrants or the NHS being crap or elf'n'safety gorn mad or loonie lefties or some silly story they've made up about the EU or some other tedious repetitive nonsense that gets wheeled out? The out-group flavour of the month is the unemployed, a recurrent favourite, so today those are the people up for fact-deficient villification and innuendo in the nasty rag of the nasty party. It's mind-rot.

Let's see if I'm right.

15/09/10: Riddled with the bone idle: Fire chief's devastating verdict on public sector.
Public sector workers are bone idle and you could achieve more with fewer of them. Classic! Obviously there is no attempt to establish whether McGuirk's claims hold water, or if they apply to any part of the pubic sector outside Merseyside fire service, or if the private sector is any different.

There may be more, but 1 mind-rot story a day is enough. I do have my own mental health to consider.

[Roger Cooper]

But you have missed this one:

Plane-load of Ryanair passengers enters UK with no passport checks after Border Agency blunder

A plane-load of people flew into Britain from Spain without having their documents checked in either country, officials have admitted.

Passengers on the Ryanair flight are furious that there was no system in place to check for possible illegal immigrants or terrorists.

The plane left Malaga and flew into Bournemouth, where the 180 passengers walked out of the airport without showing their passports.

The indignity!

Flying by Ryanair into Britain!

[Roger Cooper]

Well, i don't believe it! The story from the mail about immigrants failing to be checked when they arrived in England was also reported in the Guardian(though i did have to search for it)!

UKBA failed to check passengers' passports

There must be competition. An interesting point about this, is that on no less then 2 occasions, flying into Birmingham, I have entered without my passport being checked. That means that there could be millions of illegal immigrants that have entered into the UK in this way! 

[TG]

Well, i don't believe it! The story from the mail about immigrants failing to be checked when they arrived in England was also reported in the Guardian(though i did have to search for it)!

UKBA failed to check passengers' passports

There must be competition. An interesting point about this, is that on no less then 2 occasions, flying into Birmingham, I have entered without my passport being checked. That means that there could be millions of illegal immigrants that have entered into the UK in this way! 

In Feb 2009 my kid went on a school ski trip to Italy. At least 1 parent was encouraged to go alone for each kid. I don't know why since the kids were kept under school control and we barely saw them, but I went. Up until the day of departure there was a chance that the group passport for the kids would not arrive and we were asked to bring their individual passports too. I stuck my kid's in my suitcase so I would not forget it.

Group passport arrived an all went well. When we arrived home, my wife unpacked the suitcases and found my passport zipped into an inside pocket. Yes, I travelled to Italy and back on my 12 year old son's passport.

[Lippytarian]

But you have missed this one:

I'm like one of those pearl divers. I can't hold my breath for ever while I'm down there.....

[Lippytarian]

An interesting point about this, is that on no less then 2 occasions, flying into Birmingham, I have entered without my passport being checked. That means that there could be millions of illegal immigrants that have entered into the UK in this way! 

It is a peculiarly British obsession. Travelling by ferry to and from the continent last month, our passports were checked 3 times. Once by the UK authorities on the way out. Once by the UK authorities on the way back, while still in France before boarding the ferry. And once by the UK authorities back in the UK. The French could not give, how you say, un stuff about it. In the rest of Europe internal EU borders aren't generally policed.

[Lippytarian]

4,000 GPs earn more than the PM... and some are taking home as much as £500,000 a year

16/09/10 Today its those evil money-grabbing doctors. They are being paid too much. Apparently they are running their surgeries like businesses and the bosses are making loadsamoney. Eerrmm isn't privatisation of health services exactly what the Tories want? Turning Drs surgeries into businesses? Isn't the Daily Mail on board with that policy?

[John]

It is a peculiarly British obsession. Travelling by ferry to and from the continent last month, our passports were checked 3 times. Once by the UK authorities on the way out. Once by the UK authorities on the way back, while still in France before boarding the ferry. And once by the UK authorities back in the UK. The French could not give, how you say, un stuff about it. In the rest of Europe internal EU borders aren't generally policed.

Ever heard of the Schengen Agreement? to which the UK is not a signatory.

[Lippytarian]

17/09/10. Friday. Time to get set up for the weekend. What gems are there in the smorgasbord of woe?

Doctors again. 2 days in a row. Yesterday they are being paid a fortune. Today GPs are crap. Lovely.
The doctors who can't even cradle a baby correctly: Half of GPs have not had basic paediatric training

I wonder how many of Sophie Borland's broad generalising assertions are actually supported by what was written in Professor Sir Ian Kennedy' report? How many Drs don't know how to hold a baby? How many GPs should receive "formal paediatric training". How would uniformity in health service provision, which the articles appears to want, be promoted by devolving health service management more to a local level, which is what the Tories and their devoted press advocate? No point to ask any of these questions. GPs are crap. That's all you need to know.

[Lippytarian]

18/09/10 Today a typical piece:How can a nation ring fence foreign aid but slash defence? We reveal how your money is misspent... and even makes poverty worse

That there is corruption and waste is well-known. Is it worse when money is spent overseas, if so how much worse? What is being done or could be done to combat that? How big a problem is it?

Look critically at the list of fraud examples and "questionable" aid donations. If something is "questionable" then question it! Ask the government or the aid charities why the funding is being given. Maybe there is a good reason for it! How many times are numbers in the report introduced by "up to"?

"£70 million of aid money has gone missing from the gigantic scheme". Out of how much? How much of that was UK aid? Does "gone missing" mean it was stolen, or just not accounted for properly?

"A report by India’s Auditor General, seen by the Daily Mail, reveals widespread ‘diversions and mis-utilisations’, showing that almost £14 million has been spent on items that have nothing to do with schools. Instead, corrupt officials bought cars and other luxuries. In one instance, aid money was used to buy four luxury beds, at a cost of £17,754."
You are invited to infer that 14m was stolen. But look carefully, that isn't actually what it says.

No. This is a text-book piece of the nastiest mind-rot. It lacks rabid stridency but is all the more insidious for it. It cherry-picks a few facts from a leaked report, organises them in a misleading way to create an exagerated impression of corruption. Then it goes on to list a series of "questionable" schemes, as an invitation to the reader to regard them as corrupt or useless. Maybe they are necessary, well-managed and effective. Who knows - you won't find out by reading this article.

Is any attempt made to explain any of this or ask people who might know? Is there any balance? Is any mention made of schemes which are necessary, well managed and effective? There isn't even any suggestion that the vast bulk of aid spending is not beneficial.

Instead there is misinformation assumptiuon and innuendo. It is a charmless appeal to people's selfishness. Low-grade journalism and revolting in its intent.

[Lippytarian]

19/09/10. Ah Sunday. Day of peace and love. What might the Mail on Sunday have for us?

OMG. It's Peter Hitchens.

This is not just mind-rot. It is soul-rot as well. A grizzly homily of despair delivered from the Mail's high altar of misery. His sad shrivelled soul, spilling loathing and contempt across the landscape. Just as I said.

My work here on this thread is done.

I said of the Daily Mail....

I looked at the website, saw something that mentioned people not working, I somehow knew exactly what to expect and read the article. And sure enough there is was. Any day would have done just as well. Is there ever a day without something about scroungers or immigrants or the NHS being crap or elf'n'safety gorn mad or loonie lefties or some silly story they've made up about the EU or some other tedious repetitive nonsense that gets wheeled out? The out-group flavour of the month is the unemployed, a recurrent favourite, so today those are the people up for fact-deficient villification and innuendo in the nasty rag of the nasty party. It's mind-rot.

100% correct.

[John]

My work here on this thread is done.


Halleluja Rev. Lippy... beatification will surely follow.

[Mub]

My work here on this thread is done.


Halleluja Rev. Lippy... beatification will surely follow.

Too late now, His Holiness has returned to The Vatican!