Once again MPs have voted on hunting with dogs, and this time, they’ve voted to ban it. It remains to be seen whether they use the Parliament Act to stop the usual stall in the House of Lords.

I’m not surprised, the vote was always a foregone conclusion, I’m just exasperated that so much time, since New Labour came in, has been wasted on such a complete non-issue. My opinion has wavered from not really caring to being against a ban. Newsflash to the anti-hunt lobby- foxes are still going to be killed. They’ll be trapped and shot and poisoned, not because the country folk enjoy killing things, but because they’re predators and a danger to livestock. To put it in emotionally loaded terms, think of all the poor little lambs that are going to die if fox numbers aren’t controlled.

But I’m not a supporter of the Countryside Alliance either. In fact, I hold them in utter contempt. It’s strange how they didn’t start their campaign until their ‘sport’ was under threat and suddenly cared about all the other rural problems they’d been ignoring for years. There are far more important issues, such as the death of services, population decline and the ageing population.

Hunting is indefensible as a sport, but that’s okay because it’s much more than that. It’s a method of pest control around which a social scene has developed. Trying to ban it is just a waste of time dressed up as public interest.

Is it possible to live ethically in the modern world? Leo Hickman is trying, and recording the experience for the Guardian.

Perhaps Damian is right and my plans to cycle pre-empt the wet weather. There is no way I’m cycling to work in the current downpour, though I don’t have enough cash for the train.

Conundrum.

Yahoo rejected my first attempt at a personals profile because I put my first name in the alias, I’ve changed it and I’ll see what happens next. But maybe I should be using FatalMatch.com instead.

The Lovecalculator. I only got a 44% probability of finding love with Anyone. Perhaps if I’d been more specific.

via Thirtysomething

Square watermelons. Because it’s not convenient enough that they’re air freighted all around the world, now we have to stop them rolling as we try to cut them.

via Green Adventures

The lies that led to the invasion of Iraq.

via BlogLeft

Not a single useable statistic. The lies that led to the invasion of Iraq.

via BlogLeft

Technorati tag: Iraq

I think I’ve solved my fireworks conundrum, as there’s a specialist shop just a short walk from work. I’d still like to launch George W on a rocket, but I think that would require a lot more planning than I have time for and a wide open space to launch him from. I’ll probably settle for wrapping him in a petrol soaked Stars and Stripes and sticking roman candles either side to ignite it.

Of course, now I have to find the flag.

Lock Picking in eight easy steps.

My little sister just turned thirty.

Everyone cheer

Hip Hip hooray!

For she’s a jolly good fellow………

Someone’s poured molasses into the internet’s inner workings and it’s running r e a l l y r e a l l y s l o w l y

The unemployment people haven’t sent me the last of my dole, despite the fact I sent the sign off in on Monday.

Southern Electric have sent us a notice saying they’re going to cut off our electricity despite the fact that I sorted the problem about moving house last week.

The Housing Benefit people want me to send them information I’ve already given them, and they want to send a rent assessor around who expects me to be in next Tuesday. I told them I would be starting work over a fortnight ago, they should know better..

Egg called me yesterday about payment defaults, ignorant of the fact that I sorted out a new payment scheme three months ago.

And that’s just the examples from the last couple of days. These people should start being more careful, or they’re all gonna go Connex.