Rockingham Track Day

Thanks to the good people at MTP, I managed to get along to the Ferrari Track day at Rockingham Raceway. Here's a selection of photos from the day. I'll hopefully be posting some videos on here soon; I'm making them on the subject of car detailing. Enjoy!

(P.S I promise to resume normal service soon, it's been a busy time at work/home)

The eyes to the right: seeing sense. The Noes to the left: keep on pointing

BBC Have your Say has the classic mixed bunch of anarchists, socialiasts, commies and anything else one can think of as being left-field idiots.

http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?sortBy=2&forumID=6629&edition=1&ttl=20090623202415&#paginator

Let's look at this classic from Sam, London

Oh look, a New Labour stool pigeon in Blue colours who wants MP's to have a massive pay rise gets elected to be the speaker.

They have learnt nothing, they are all despicable and I wouldn't spit on any of them if they were on fire.

What fantastic insight into the mind of a commie, who likely doesn't vote at an election. For those who enjoy this sort of non-sensical argument, try Liberty_Rose from Essex (as he calls, not Europe).

No! I'm disgusted. MPs have stuck two fingers up at the public and announced business as usual and that the reforms will be merely cosmetic. Neither of the final two candidates had a sufficiently clean record to become Speaker. Only Ann Widdicombe did - and that's why they refused to elect her. They chose the one who wants MPs to have a £40,000 pay rise.

Time for independents to stand!

What people are forgetting is that the Speaker can only keep order in the house, not instruct its proceedings. It can influence them, thought not wholly say right or wrong to them. That would be an unfair amount of power.

My apologies for perhaps not understanding, but 'Time for the independents to stand!'? They already do, Liberty_Rose. Do you not watch election broadcasts?!

And let's be fair, at least an old Thatcherite got in. Even if he's changed his hue slightly, he is still a registered Conservative.

As an aside, my heart goes out to those killed in the WMATA Red Line crash on the DC/Maryland border early yesterday.

Twittering, Live from the #admeet

Here's my tweets from Alan Duncan's expenses public meeting. I'll try and find newspaper comment alongside this, but use this as a gist of the meeting. #tcot is posting it to Topconservativesontwitter.org, #uktcot is the equivalent for the UK, and #rutland means it is more searchable for Rutland News

The bottom of the post is the beginning of the Tweet list. Sadly, the formatting from Twitter doesn't allow otherwise.

The end of te meeting, had to thank the chair. Chec the blog later for further comment and analysis. Thanks all #tcot #uktcot #rutlandabout 23 hours ago from txt

Vicar is rounding up now. He's hada really tough crowd. #tcot #uktcot #rutlandabout 23 hours ago from txt

Answer the question are cheers from the crowd. Ill try get a photo of this silly hat this socialist is wearing #tcot #uktcot #rutlandabout 23 hours ago from txt

More socialist comment. He called rutland a state of anarchy, having lived here 27 years. What a douche #tcot #uktcot #rutlandabout 23 hours ago from txt

And so the socialists stand up. A cartoonist im next to said shes f***ing mad! #tcot #uktcot #rutlandabout 23 hours ago from txt

Rutland is the biggest open prison in the uk! When is there a byelection? #tcot #uktcot #rutlandabout 23 hours ago from txt

'why pay back if you haven't done anything wrong?' #tcot #uktcot #rutland great one from the chair, even if it isn't impartialabout 24 hours ago from txt

@konin is asking a question now.... #tcot #uktcot #rutlandabout 24 hours ago from txt

#tcot #uktcot #rutland interesting, he's been asked what should he be paidabout 24 hours ago from txt

#tcot #uktcot #rutland ad answering questions about unemployed n. Hang on, isn't this about expenses?!about 24 hours ago from txt

#tcot #uktcot #rutland willetts (oo) mum here I think, and saying she has 3 jobs speech etc, and now talking about absenteeismabout 24 hours ago from txt

Dangerous assumptions in the crowd: they're playing into his game #tcot #uktcot #rutlandabout 24 hours ago from txt

True: he has never flipped homes #tcot #uktcot #rutlandabout 24 hours ago from txt

Now blaming hignfy edititng team for 'disaster' edition last time he was on #tcot #uktcot #rutlandabout 24 hours ago from txt

Round of applause for his speech. Overall, yes, he deserved it, just..... #tcot #uktcot #rutlandabout 24 hours ago from txt

Come on, we're over time now. Lol @ his comment 'ive been drawing off savings' major draws of breath at that #tcot #uktcot #rutland1 day ago from txt

'theres no market (wage) rate for mps' #tcot #uktcot #rutland2:17 AM Jun 13th from txt

Valid point from ad: he published expenses on the web before other mps. #tcot #uktcot #rutland2:16 AM Jun 13th from txt

Nick clegg charging 1400 for food? Can some tweeple check that out? #tcot #uktcot #rutland2:13 AM Jun 13th from txt

And now a policeman is in the room... #tcot #uktcot #rutland. Intimidation or what2:13 AM Jun 13th from txt

History behind 2nd homes. Come on, get to the gritty bits! #tcot #uktcot #rutland2:12 AM Jun 13th from txt

Justifying travel expenses. The crowd is now muted #admeet #tcot #uktcot #rutland2:10 AM Jun 13th from txt

Now explaining the green book.... #admeet #tcot #uktcot #rutland2:08 AM Jun 13th from txt

He's about to have 10 mins to himself. Oh god, he's on to democracy #admeet #tcot #uktcot #rutland2:06 AM Jun 13th from txt

Another joke, another heckler e #admeet #tcot #uktcot #rutland2:05 AM Jun 13th from txt

Art of public meets lost?! No shouting?! He's in for a treat...2:04 AM Jun 13th from txt

Nice intro for the mp, vicar cracks a joke #admeet #tcot #uktcot #rutland2:03 AM Jun 13th from txt

Wow, the room is filling up! Worryingly think im the youngest here #admeet #tcot #uktcot #rutland1:58 AM Jun 13th from txt

Just at the alan duncan public meeting and its looking fairly quiet #tcot #uktcot #rutland

A (hopefully) welcome return

After a few weeks off from the ol' blogosphere, the Rutland Correspondent returns

After meeting up with Twitterer @JayRutland and another drama-group buddy from those hazy old days in Oakham, he asked me (amongst a few things) for comment on the expenses scandal. Having purposefully kept quite on the issue, because of the ad nausem coverage by New Labour same old biased BBC and the good people at ITN, I shall now break silence. 

From now on, can we please call it the allowance scandal? They are, after all, allowed such finance as part of the job to supplement wages and other taxed income.

I would put forward the Simon Woodroffe argument(another name amongst Old Oakhamian rankings). By paying MPs more, we wouldn't have this issue. Alright, they've fiddled allowances, but tell me who else doesn't in middle management across the UK. In the words of Simon Woodroffe (roughly) 'if we pay these people peanuts, we're going to get monkeys. Give them more and we'll have a better quality of MP'. Woodroffe, founder of the YO! empire, has some most excellent words.

On a more Rutland-centric note: Alan Duncan, ha'way now. He's actually not too bad, though not too good either on the old finance front. Let's take a quick look at public information on his wallet here. Cutting through some of the Grauniad spin on things, he's a fairly straight up guy (excuse the pun)

To end with, lets just bask in the glory of song. The O'Jays, famed for their music from the US' Apprentice television series, provide the song 'For the Love of Money'. Poignancy, current, satirical, whatever.

Viva la Capitalism/Conservatives

A new dawn for the RC

So, it is the first post post-assessment. How does it feel; alright!

In typical fashion, here's a funny video from YouTube, to introduce the new season, featuring a cat you can follow on Twitter. @sockington is incredibly funny, and I recommend you follow him

Sleeping in Light (A thank you)...

The assessment period for From Our Rutland Correspondent is nearly over and, whilst the time draws near, I thought I would take this opportunity to make a couple of thank you messages. If you were one of the lucky few who got the Babylon 5 reference in the title, you will be able to tell how monumental this post is.

The Rutland Correspondent will continue to be the one-stop for Rutland's news, right-wing blogging and even a little humour. I hope you, the reader, will be there with me.

During these few months blogging, there have clearly been some character's shape postings and the blog overall.

In the beginning, I blogged about my friend @MsVFAB on Twitter and our reactions to the Stimulus Bill going through congress. Since then, I have been in touch with @MsVFAB and we shall continue our exchanges across Twitter.

As time progressed, I connected with many class mates who we're also beginning to blog at the time. To my MAC299 Social Media class, thank you, and I hope we have excellent times together in our final year.

Within the class, there are some notable characters I must personally thank. Simply Jack, for guiding me on what I can and can't get away with on the blogosphere. Our many conversations are like Wikipedia 0.1: verbal collaboration. Though we have often very differing views (Telegraph vs. The Grauniad to name one), we still manage to get along. Long may your rise into the PR Stratosphere continue.

Another thank you must go to Lady Foreman, as she has shown me that blogging needn't be too serious, and you can have fun while you do it. I will confess I have thought we share a great rivalry between our blogs. You are always a clear favourite amongst the class. I hope one day there will be a novelisation of Lady Foreman. Please continue to blog.

To the many contributors and commentators on the Rutland Correspondent's musings. Robert Burns, Jay Green, Sarah Frankland are to name but a few. To those who post Anon too. I'm always very grateful for your feedback, and I do hope we can continue our online conversations.

Outside of the class, I have to thank The Conservative Cloakroom; you are always a number 1 source of political news, views and widgets. You are also one of the few political bloggers to give me credit on your Blog List. For that, I thank you.

To the good people at YouTube; A picture tells a thousand words, and if there is 27 frames a second in video, then you do a much better job than me! Also a big thank you to the good people at Google Images; sometimes I just need that photo I can't quite get anywhere else.

If I have forgotten anyone; I apologise, and I hope you won't hold it against me if I stand for public office.

As always,

Oliver CD Burns, Our Rutland Correspondent.

There's only one, MHT

Long live the Torch Of Freedom: 4/5/79 - 4/5/09

I'll even let Boris tell the tale....

To tour or not to Tourism, that is the question

All of a quandary, I looked at the following story in the Rutland Times.

Rutland's tourist officer should be a crucial job. As one of the county's, sadly, popular industries, I would agree that the position is tenable.

However, I can' t seem to agree with financials. If anything, it should be a volunteer position, and should be fielded by more than one person

I seem to get the feeling that Rutland County Council office is sometimes like the video below. Class characters, but sometimes, they are silly enough to believe some of the paperwork.