THE DIARY OF A GEEK IN OXFORDSHIRE


Solving the World's problems with common sense and a flamethrower.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Panem Et Circenses



You couldn't make it up. In a time of economic crisis, we have two major stories, apparently:


CIRCUSES

First - a new attempt by a British team to break the Land Speed Record held by - the same British team. Peachy, and engineering feats like this are something I'm normally right up for. Except...

This one is Government-funded, and we've already neatly been lied to about this by Pravda, who quote, "Apart from the not-insubstantial in-kind support of the MoD in the loan of the EJ200s, Bloodhound is a private project that will need to raise some £10m in financing. "

Hat-tip to the Vultures at El Reg, for pointing out who the sponsors actually are; "Except that the sponsors include the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the Ministry of Defence, the National Physical Laboratory and at least two universities. So yes, government is funding it.".

Now perhaps I've merely got my miserly trousers on today, but it seems to me that with Goonverment borrowing already far beyond predictions, all sorts of off-balance-sheet shenanigans, a recession looming and the entire economy teetering on the brink, perhaps now isn't the time to be funding an attempt to drive very quickly indeed?

Or is it perhaps that the publicity for this will hopefully foster national pride, and development announcements can be used as a good time to bury other news.....hmmm, I wonder.

BREAD

Another hat-tip is due to the most excellent Obnoxio The Clown, who spotted DEFRA's Press Release lauding a record wheat harvest. Apparently. Jane Kennedy MP has so far alluded to the "reduction to 0% set-aside" - no doubt by the time Snotty McBroon mentions this, Goonverment Policy will be the sole reason for the large harvest.

Aren't we all lucky people? I can't wait to see the statistics on tractor production and the number of boots produced.

Odds on seeing a drop in the retail price of a loaf of bread, anyone?

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