Virgin Atlantic employees have threatened to go on strike because they don’t like the pay deal they’ve been offered.

Virgin have offered a 8.3% pay rise over 2 years with 4.3% in the first year.  This is well above the pay rise offered to nurses and police and well above inflation.

Richard Branson has written to 4,800 cabin crew and told them that if getting paid more than Virgin Atlantic can afford is so critical to their lifestyle then they should work somewhere else.

This is pretty much the same approach taken by Jacqui Smith with English police officers who want the pay rise they were promised during arbitration, the pay rise that Scottish police officers have already got.  The difference is, if Virgin Atlantic cabin crew don’t go to work, peoples’ lives aren’t put at risk.

Technorati Tags: Branson, Jacqui Smith, Police, Pay Rise

Benezir Bhutto has been injured by a suicide bomber who targetted her entourage as she left a rally near Islamabad.

She is said to be in a serious condition in hospital.

It was bound to happen at some point because she has so many enemies – both in the jihadi’s that live in the north of the country and in the Pakistani government, particularly President Musharraf who she has openly opposed.  So who did it?  “Al’Qaeda” will probably claim responsibility because any number of groups of jihadi’s seem to claim to be part of Al’Qaeda but my money is on Musharraf being behind it.

Update:
Bhutto is dead.  This could mean trouble …

Technorati Tags: Bhutto, Pakistan

Serbia’s parliament has passed a motion condemning any declaration of independence by Kosovo.

Politicial leaders in Kosovo have been talking to Serbia for a while on the future of Kosovo but the talks have failed and Kosovo’s leaders are intending to declare independence in a few weeks.

Serbia has threatened to cut off diplomatic ties with countries that recognise Kosovo’s independence and says that if Federal Europe recognises Kosovo’s independence then they won’t join the EU.  Ooooo, scary.  Presumably that is intended as a threat but there aren’t many people who are going to be too bothered whether another bankrupt Eastern European state gets on the gravy train or not.

90% of the population is ethnic Albanian, not Serbian and if Kosovo wants independence, let them.  What’s the point in perpetuating a union that nobody wants?

Technorati Tags: Kosovo, Serbia, Federal Europe

Iain Dale has kicked off a blog meme – Eight for 2008 – where you list your top 8 wishes for the new year.

Iain’s are:

• The Campaign for an English Parliament step up a gear
• Dominic Grieve in the Shadow Cabinet
• Audi let me have my long awaited A5
• West Ham qualify for Europe
• The Politico get as many readers as this blog
• The Conservatives win a by-election in a marginal seat
• Me score a sub 85 round of golf
• My new book delivered to the publishers on time 

Mine are:

• England leaves UK
• England leaves EU
• Unity Trust Bank petitions for a winding-up order against the Liebour Party
• Pro-English, anti-EU Tories boot out the party leadership in a vote of no confidence
• House of Lords restored to a fully hereditary upper-house
• UKIP get their first MP (assuming number 2 hasn’t happened yet)
• The CEP to get a major financial backer (assuming number 1 hasn’t happened yet)
• A happy, successful and happy year for myself, my family and friends

Technorati Tags: 2008, Meme

I’d like to wish my readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

There hasn’t been a Witanagemot Blog Roundup for a long time so, in the final days of 2007, here are a selection of posts worthy of note from Witan bloggers in December …

Councillor Tony Sharp of the Waendel Journal questions the motives of the Torygraph’s “Call Yourself British” campaign.  “As a supporter of the Union it is a campaign that I would support – if the Union was actually under threat,” says Tony.

Kev found a question in the House of Commons Hansard on the right of Scottish MPs to vote on English matters which was met with the usual response from New Liebour – “The Government do not accept that there should be any discrimination in the rights of hon. Members to take part in the business before the House. English votes for English laws would lead to the break-up of the Union”.

Still with Kev, there’s the mystery of the identity of the Pullitician in his funny story.  I wonder who it could be …

Witanagemot blogger, Andrew Ian Dodge, was treated for cancer in the US recently and highlights the difference in cancer care in the UK and it’s not looking good.  I’m sure you’ll all join me in wishing Andrew a full and speedy recovery.

Tom Paine asks “How, precisely, does Gordon Brown hope to perpetuate the Union by encouraging the flying of the Union Flag from English public buildings, whilst the Saltire flies from those in Scotland?”

Gareth suggests that our glorious leader “should fuck off to Scotland and seek election to the Scottish Parliament” if he wants to start unilaterally imposing new working practices on English GPs.  Any arguments?  No?

Hereward the Wake is going to the “Is the West Lothian Question unanswerable?” debate in the House of Lords in February.  The “debate” has been arranged by the Hansard Society and the WLQ will be “debated” by the Scottish former unelected Lord Chancellor, Charlie Falconer and Scottish MP, Malcolm Rifkind.  The “debate” will be chaired by Scottish broadcaster, Sheena MacDonald.  Well, you wouldn’t expect an Englishman to be involved would you?  Alfie gives forewarning, though, if you want Falconer you’re going to have to go through him first.

Witan newcomer, John Trenchard, discusses the logos of the unelected regional development agencies that the British government imposed on the English euroregions a few years ago.

Nourishing Obscurity declares the end of Britain and calls the English to arms.  There’s a mention of gallows … anyone know where I can buy some good, strong hemp?

David Camoron gave a lovely speech to the handful of Scottish Tory voters in Scotland which rubbed a few people up the wrong way.  I must confess, he got me a bit worked up.

Iain Dale beat the dead tree press to publishing the results of a poll commissioned by the SNP on Scottish voting intentions.  If the results are to be believed, Scotland is happy with the SNP, will continue voting SNP and (even amongst Liebour supporters) most Scots think that Gordon Brown is a waste of space.

EDM266 (Gordon Brown should renounce the Scottish Claim of Right) was one of the most blogged-about events amongst the Witan bloggers in December.  Me, Pox Anglorum, Gareth, Nourishing Obscurity, Anger of a Quiet Man.

We live in interesting times.  The world is changing but our own little corner isn’t changing quickly enough.  England is fast approaching the point of no return – either the British establishment will destroy England to protect their union (and jobs) or the English will rise and say “no more”.  One person saying the right thing at the right time can change the course of history – we all have a unique opportunity to help save our country and ensure that the English children of today grow up to be the English (not British, West Midlander, South Easterner or European) adults of tomorrow.

If you support the aims of the Witanagemot Club, click here and join our group.  Doing nothing is not an option.

Finally, I’d like to wish all the Witanagemot bloggers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Technorati Tags: Witanagemot

No Mandate Brown was pretty shit as far as Chancellor’s go but even he wasn’t as bad as Mugabe.

Robert Mugabe turned Zimbabwe from a prosperous, self-sufficient, largely democratic African nation into a bankrupt, decimated police state.

Official inflation is currently over 8,000% but independent experts reckon it’s more like 11,000%.  The Zimbabwean Dollar has been restructured already this year but has rocketed back up to a ridiculous rate of exchange.  The Zim$200,000 is worth about US.66 or £3.33 and is being phased out in favour of even higher denominations even though it was only introduced in July.  Cash shortages have forced the Zimbabwean government to issue fresh supplies of new banknotes.

Zimbabwean government officials will now be supervising withdrawals and nobody will be allowed savings of more than Zim$50m (US$16,650 / £8,325).

Don’t worry though, not everyone in Zimbabwe lives in abject poverty as you can see …

This is one of Robert Mugabe’s homes.

Technorati Tags: Mugabe, Zimbabwe

Tony Bliar converted to Catholicism on Friday in a ceremony in Westminster.

Hardly a surprise – his hideous wife is a member of Opus Dei and he has been attending catholic mass for years both with and without his catholic family.

The question is, why are the media whores so interested?  Bliar has always been a christian fundamentalist nutter which is why he gets on so well George Bush.  Being responsible for the illegal invasion of Iraq will make his job as middle east peace envoy untenable enough, converting to the branch of christianity that the jihadi’s hate the most (they’re still blowing stuff up because of the Crusades) is probably the final nail in the coffin.

Technorati Tags: Bliar, Catholics

Today, Her Majesty overtook the record set by Queen Victoria to become the oldest English monarch and the latest addition to the Windsor dynasty has left hospital.

The Countess of Wessex gave birth to her second child, a boy, on Monday who is now 8th in line to the throne.

Looking good for 81 years of age …

Technorati Tags: Queen Elizabeth, Wessex