The not so environmentally sound Environment Minister

The Scotsman ran a story on Saturday using figures uncovered by Labour about how little Scottish ministers use the train and instead use the ministerial cars.

To be fair the transport minister travelled by train over 100 times during the 2008-09 year, but guess what the next figure of usage down was? 75, 50, 40 no, nowhere near, it was a measly 14 and that was by the enterprise minister, Jim Mather, so they weren't journeys to his constituency then?

But the sheer hypocrisy was from the environment minister, Roseanna Cunningham who managed to never use the train during that period, in fact she was one of eight Scottish government ministers who never used the train for ministerial visits but chose the car every time!

I say she, but if you visit the Scottish Parliament site for Roseanna Cunningham, it says "If you wish to contact him as Minister please visit the Scottish Government website for details:".

From her biography, "Any spare time she has will be spent either reading or walking and sometimes both at the same time."

Nothing about trains, well maybe this year will be the year of the train for the environment minister, let's wait and see. We must all reduce our carbon footprint so let us see the SNP try it out, you never know they might like the train.

Around the world in just a few clicks

I now use google analytics and site meter to see who visits my blog, firstly thank you to all of you who visit my blog, whether it be for one off visits or whether you are now one of my regular readers.

I want to mention some of the countries where some of my visitors are from - all over the UK, India, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Vietnam, Canada, Iceland, Australia, Belgium, Kuwait and the USA.

Wow, my little blog that started with me, Will Howells and Steve Jolly. It then picked up some of my friends and former colleagues and some of Roger's friends and colleagues and now has international readers - fantastic and thank you all.

Chelsea at the top of the league

Honestly, I am not gloating (way too early in the season for that), just relishing in the fact as I know that this season will be a big one for a few clubs, such as the mighty blues Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United, then there are the ones to watch such as Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City.

Obviously for Chelsea and Tottenham it has been the perfect start to the new season.

Sir Alex Ferguson definitely won't be happy although on another level he is currently 3 points ahead of Arsenal but they have a game in hand so the gunners may shoot Man Utd yet.

Chelsea played a blinder yesterday and deserved the three points.

Fulham, oh Fulham - what was today about and even the boss could not energise himself to motivate them from the bench, he basically appeared to be glued to his seat today.

This is going to be a great season.

The Megrahi row continues

Wow, just as you think the row over Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi's release on compassionate grounds to go back home to Libya to see out the rest of his live is about to fizzle out - BANG - the Sunday Times releases details of leaked letters between Jack Straw and Kenny MacAskill.

The Sunday Times says "The correspondence makes it plain that the key decision to include Megrahi in a deal with Libya to allow prisoners to return home was, in fact, taken in London for British national interests."

Jack Straw is trying to brush this away by saying this is all "academic" now as the decision was made on compassionate grounds not under the prisoner transfer agreement.

The oil agreement was ratified some 6 weeks before but Jack Straw was also quick to pint out that the Scottish Government could have vetoed any move to send al-Megrahi home under the transfer agreement. The BBC website is also carrying the story this morning.

So, the row goes on and I suspect will do so now for some weeks, if not months.

Ewe must be joking?

Deveronvale Perfection became the worlds most expensive sheep yesterday when he was sold for just £231,000, the previous "most expensive" was apparently only £128,000.

The sheep was reared in Banffshire and you can see a video of him courtesy of the BBC website.

The eight month old lamb will now go on to meet the ladies of Banffshire.

We may well see his lambs on sale and maybe even his sperm, ewe couldn't make it up could you?

Labour to slash housing benefit - don't they ever learn?

Gordon Brown's Labour Party are now proposing to reduce housing benefit by £15 a week for around 300,000 claimants.

It is easy when you are earning £65,000 a year to forget how hard it is to survive on benefits.

I know from personal experience the difficulties, and no, I don't earn anywhere near that kind of money, when I moved up to Edinburgh with my new job it was a new start for us, unfortunately my partner worked for 10 weeks then the recession hit and hit bloody hard and didn't work from 22nd November last year until 3 weeks ago - for the first six months he got, wait for it, £60.50 per week, that is it, no council tax benefit and no other help as I earn too much apparently despite the fact we were paying a mortgage down south and rent up here, two lots of council tax etc etc

Anyhow, we are lucky as at least I do work and have a good job. Compared to a lot of people we have a luxurious live so I am not complaining and nor can I.

Since 2008 (yes this was only introduced last year) new housing benefit claimants have been entitled to get up to £15 a week back if they can find accommodation at a lower rent than the level of housing allowance set by their local council.

It is those who only have that small amount to live on that would be affected, yet rent has gone up consistently every year whether it be council, housing associations or private rents so the Labour Government's new idea is to slash the help they give to those who need it most, although as the government will stress, this is only a proposal, it isn't definite - yet.

The proposal to end the measure, included in the Budget, is now under consultation. If approved it would come into force next April, just ahead of an expected general election.

Sarah Teather MP is to be thanked for drawing peoples attention to the proposal buried in the budget - well done Sarah, another reason why pounding the streets of Brent East was a worthwhile use of my time. You can read more about it here on the BBC website.

A spokesman for the Department of Work and Pensions said: "The vast majority of housing benefit recipients do not benefit from this scheme and so do not get extra cash back on top of the rent paid". I wonder how much the spokesman earns each year?