Derek Green’s Blog

As the Shadow Transport Secretary Theresa Villiers said " It beggars belief that the government was still losing CD's with thousands of people's personal data in the post"

6th December 2007

Here in England we have been so inundated with headline news items high lighting the shambles that is known as our government, this old codger has been rendered speechless with apoplexy until now.To mention just a few of the fiascos, Northern Rock, the loss of CD's by Inland Revenue & Customs containing the names and addresses plus date of birth and bank account details of 25 million people, illegal funding of the Labour party etc.
 

With these monumental cock ups in mind I have to seriously question the way we are being led. Over 3000 new laws have been passed since May 2007 including the Hunting ban and the Smoking ban in all enclosed space. What have they achieved? As Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, who uncovered the figures, said: "Nothing can justify the step change in the number of criminal offences invented by this Government. This provides a devastating insight into the real legacy of nine years of New Labour government - a frenzied approach to law-making, thousands of new offences, an illiberal belief in heavy-handed regulation, an obsession with controlling the minutiae of everyday life. "The result? A country less free than before, and a marked erosion of the trust which should exist between the Government and the governed." He said ministers had failed to grasp the simple truth that "weighing down the statute book" with new laws was "no substitute for good government".

Professor Trevor Sheldon recently published a study in the British Medical Journal showing that 90,000 patients die because of hospital blunders and almost 1 million are harmed each year during a stay in hospital. He said "A hospital stay is about as risky as bungy jumping!" Compare this with just 3,172 deaths on the road. Which gets the attention from the Government  and various pressure groups? Of course it is the motorist and traffic accidents.

We have just learnt that in 2005, the most recent year recorded, tickets from fixed Speed Cameras, or as the government calls them "Safety Cameras" were issued to 2 million people raising $120 million. I dread to think what the number will be when the 2007 figures are released. This has reduced the accidents by just 7% since 1998.

We are now forbidden to smoke in public places and yet the powers that be have been unable to name ONE person who has died due to inhaling second hand smoke!

As I said once before Bah Humbug! 

Winning the Lagonda Car Club Trophy

The late fine summer weather here in the UK has kept me too busy to be grumpy! Sally and I have been able to get out in our 1935 Lagonda M45 Rapide to various club events and have now completed the running in. This car has been the subject of an 18 year rebuild carried out when I could spare the time from looking after other peoples cars with my old company Cedar Classic Cars. It has been great fun to be able to enjoy our own cars for a change and amongst other events we took the M45 to the Brooklands Revival and then the Goodwood Revival meeting at the end of August. This was as usual great fun with everyone in period costume, it is without doubt the finest old car sporting event held in the UK and is a must event for everyone who loves old cars. I was very honoured to be awarded the Lagonda Car Club Trophy for the best Lagonda at the AGM on the 16th September.

I was sent an email by an old friend recently and I cannot resist repeating it here because it encapsulates all my feelings for the dreaded "Nanny State".

The death of Common Sense

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old common sense was since the birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
Common sense will be remembered as having cultivated valuable lessons such as knowing when to come out of the rain, why the early bird catches the worm, that life isn't always fair and that just maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults not children are in charge).
Common Sense's health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place....Reports of a six year old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing his classmate, teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student , only worsened his condition.

Common sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer panadol, sun lotion or sticky plasters to a student, but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses, and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from an intruder in your own home and the burglar got the right to sue you for assault.

Then smoking was banned in public places, but not one person worldwide could "definitely" be named who has ever died or been harmed by passive smoke.  Why, because passive smoke is totally harmless and in the old days they had smoking rooms, so why not now? Sorry I forgot, common sense has of course died.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live after a woman working in her office failed to realise that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled some in her lap and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

19th June 2007

If there are any readers of this blog page, you may have by now decided that I am an old grump who never has any fun and spends his life complaining! The photograph above may help to allay those thoughts and prove that life in semi retirement is fun! Sally and I were fortunate in being able to take Dr Richard Lisman's famous 1936 Lagonda LG45 to the Brooklands Centenary. This wonderful 1936 car which raced at Le Mans in 1936 and several times at Brooklands is sheer magic to drive and always gives me a huge thrill. My old company Cedar Classic Cars has been fortunate to look after EPE 97 for the last 20 years and I always look forward to its annual visit from the USA. 

18th June 2007

Nanny strikes again. Clowns in the United Kingdom will no longer be allowed to blow soap bubbles at children's parties in case the children slip on the residue! What rubbish.

Thankfully however there was some debunking of the Health and Safety Department by Dr James le Fanu in the Daily Telegraph when he comments that "The health brigade, fresh from its victory against tobacco, is obviously deploying the same tactics in the campaign against alcohol. The first tactic - epitomised by the shaky non - science of passive smoking - is to argue that harm is caused not just to oneself but to innocent bystanders as well." He went on to comment on the Health Departments recent edict on the need for total abstinence when pregnant, in order to protect babies from the mental and physical impairment of Foetal Alchohol Syndrome by saying " The implication that modest alchohol consumption can impair a baby's neurological development is biologically impossible"  

Dr le Fanu goes on to say "My suggestion would be to install a large poster in the lobby of the Department of Health inscribed with the words of the famous philosopher John Stuart Mills. "The only freedom which deserves the name, is that of pursuing our own good in our own way. No one is warranted in saying to another of ripe years he shall not do with his life what he chooses" 

26th May 2007

I have just returned from a wonderful few days in Italy driving in the Mille Miglia. Once again I was fortunate to be asked to drive Jack Dalessandro's lovely little 1955 Alfa Romeo SS Zagato which is a very beautiful coupe, loved and cheered by all the Italians of course. The Mille Miglia is an amazing rally mainly because of the huge enthusiasm of all the local population who line the streets only moving aside at the last minute to let you through! The rally starts in Brescia and leads through Ferrara to Rome and then back up the western side of Italy to Modena and the finish back in Brescia. It passes through breathtakingly beautiful countryside where just for the rally, the pedestrian centres of such historic towns as Ravena,  Assis, Pienza, and Siena are opened. In all of these we received a wonderful reception from the massed crowds. It is hard work with 12 hours driving on the Friday and 16 hours on the Saturday but certainly one of the great occasions that will for ever be remembered. 

What a joy to be able to drive as fast as I judged it to be safe, ignoring all speed limits and being encouraged to do so by the motorcycle cops who often led to help clear the way! Now it is back to Englands "Nanny State" who consider that "Speed Kills" and as long as one obeys the figures on a tin sign you will be safe -- irrespective of road and weather conditions. Bah - Humbug!

11th May 2007

Nanny is alive and well as two articles in todays Daily Telegraph go to show.

• The British Government has given churches and cathedrals until the 1st July to post "no smoking" signs at their entrances! The Bishop of Fulham, the Rt Rev John Broadhurst said: "This is another example of the aggresive nanny state. The whole thing is stark staring mad." The Dean of Soutwark who is the spokesman of the Association of English Cathederals was scathing. "It is such nonsense," he said. "When did you last hear of somebody smoking in church?"

Well said those men.   

• Motorists could be banned from smoking at the wheel under new proposals to be submitted to the government. The move comes seven weeks before a ban on smoking in all enclosed public places in England begins on 1st July. Proposed, so it is said, to cut the number of accidents because a driver should keep both hands on the steering wheel. Presumably therefore those people who chew their nails will shortly have their licences withdrawn for the same reason!!

In the words of my grandchildren - Get Real

10th May 2007

I decided to start this page of random thoughts in a non "Grumpy Old Man" mood! From now on I will refer to myself as a GOM for short and anyway everything nowadays has to have an acronym!

The reason for my good mood is that I have just returned from my annual visit to the USA for the Chicago Tobacco and Pipe fair. This is an entirely selfish holiday when I can immerse myself in pipes, tobacco and like minded friends.

Once again I flew out to Dallas where I was met by my great friend Dennis Moore with whom I spent a few days before driving with him up to Minneapolis to stay with our other good friend Tony Soderman. As always these few days before the Chicago fair are a great relaxation for me giving time to catch up with what is happening in the USA. This was my fifth visit to the Chicago fair and as always it was a great experience. Where else can one find an entire major resort which normally abides by the ever increasing “No smoking” rules become a haven where we pipe smokers can enjoy our smoking in every room including the restaurants for 5 days! Where else can one find 350 tables of exhibitors from all over the world, pipe makers, tobacco blenders handing out free samples and collectors from 62 countries all enjoying their hobby. I certainly know of no other place where such friendship and feeling of family exists. I was able to purchase several interesting Comoy's pipes which add to my knowledge of this brand. I will be adding them to the Comoy's pages.

I will add a word here about pipe smoking as apposed to the smoking of cigarettes for those people who, often without knowledge, lump the whole lot under the combined banner of dangerous smoking and have succeeded in creating the current anti smoking lobby. Pipe tobacco is blended from the leaf of many different varieties of the tobacco plant Nicotiana, Virginians, Burley, Kentucky, Latakia, Perique and Orientals which when blended together in different combinations and smoked have wonderful flavours that the smoker tastes and smells through the taste buds in the mouth and the nose. This can produce the same pleasures as the tasting of different foods and great wine. Over the years there have been many different blends of pipe tobacco and these all produce their unique flavour and like fine wine these tobaccos change, evolve and improve with keeping or cellaring for many years. Tobacco blending is an art and the blender can be likened to that of the perfume producer. Pipe smokers do not generally inhale the smoke and thus do not suffer from nicotine craving unlike the Cigarette smoker who inhales purely to get the nicotine kick without any enjoyment from the taste or smell. There is great misunderstanding about the dangers associated with smoking a pipe as apposed to smoking a cigarette. The American Surgeon General in his Publication No. 1103 stated that : -