I've been in the market for new UK motorbike insurance. Last year I went through a motorbike insurance broker called MCE, who insured me with Hastings. This year, Hastings sent me an offer to renew the insurance directly with them (i.e. cut out the broker). I was curious to find out how much cheaper it would be to go direct and bypass the broker, so I called. Figure this out, it was more expensive to buy the motorbike insurance directly from Hastings than to buy the same policy, but through a broker. Crazy or what?

ps. I ride a Honda VFR 800 if you're into these things - great bike!!

   

   
   

You may have seen news presenter Mika Brzezinski of MNSBC this morning, when she refused to lead on the Paris Hilton story and attempted through ripping, burning and eventually shredding the story, to ensure it was not broadcast.

Its had more than 80,000 hits on Youtube and a lot of support for Mika http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VdNcCcweL0

I don't know if the protest was stage managed, but it does highlight an interesting question. Is the fact that Paris Hilton is gripping the population of the most powerful nation on earth a cause for concern, or is she worthy of such attention based on her wealth, celebrity and antics?

Personally it feels surreal seeing how people are gripped and in total awe of celebrity, regardless of whether it embodies any talent or admirable human traits.

What say you?

   

Hot on the heals of the anouncement that author Salman Rushdie is to receive a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth, he is again the subject of death threats from the Islamic world. Mehdi Kuchakzadeh, a Tehran MP, declared: “Rushdie died the moment the late Imam [Ayatollah Khomeini] issued the fatwa.” The Organisation to Commemorate Martyrs of the Muslim World, has offered a reward of $150,000 (£75,000) to any successful assassin.

Forouz Rajaefar, the group’s secretary general, said: “The British and the supporters of the anti-Islam Salman Rushdie could rest assured that the writer’s nightmare will not end until the moment of his death and we will bestow kisses on the hands of whomsoever is able to execute this apostate.”

This is familiar to Rushdie, who in 1988 published The Satanic Verses, which included blasphemy against islam and resulted in Ayatollah Khomeini (the Iranian leader at that time) to issue a fatwa calling on Muslims to kill him. Salman Rushdie was forced to live as a fugitive for 9 years as a result.

Is there any basis for someone to lose their freedom, and potentially their life, for writing a book?

   

Escalating violence between warring Palestinian factions is engulfing the Gaza Strip and brings the Palestinians to the verge of civil war. It seems extraordinary that a people who have one common enemy, Israel, would turn towards internal conflict. Could it be that secular Muslims (represented in Palestinian territories by Fatah) fear the threat from fundamentalists muslims (Hamas) as much as many non-muslims? 
   

This week saw the G8 Summit in Germany, bringing together leaders from the world's wealthiest nations. The summit takes place at a time when unprecedented new wealth is being created around the world. Its not just the traditional economic powerhouses that are benefiting. Russia, China, India, Brazil, to name but four, are each powerful engine rooms for global economic growth. And yet, predictably but sadly, one region of the world continues to require vital aid from the rest of the world to sustain itself i.e. Africa.

In truth I know very little about the continent and recognise that the problems are not uniform across the countries of Africa. However, Africa is blessed with many natural resources and when  Bob Geldorf & Bono blasted the G8 for 'betraying Africa', it made me wonder ...

Why is it that Africa appears unable to grasp the surge in global wealth and lift itself firmly out of the mire of poverty, disease and corruption?

  

   

Ten years ago Tony Blair successfully led 'New Labour' into office with a mandate to capture the middle ground of UK politics, forgoing long standing socialist beliefs for pragmatic policies with the broadest appeal amongst both the working and middle classes. This approach fundamentally altered the political landscape.

And now, ten years later, we have the Conservative party, starved of power after three crushing electoral defeats, declaring that they (the Tories) 'are heirs to Blair'. In other words, they plan to crowd into the centre of politics with new Labour and use the same tactics that Blair used ten years earlier to gain success.

Why not, it worked before so surely it can work again. Well, maybe. But haven't David Cameron (Conservative Party leader), George Osbourne (his second in command) and co., spotted that the country has, by and large, had its fill of Tony Blair and is quite happy to see the back of him. The opinion polls assessing the past ten years suggest a significant majority of voters think Tony Blair's key domestic policies on education, health etc., have failed to deliver improvements. And lets not even start to examine voter opinions on foreign policy, given the Iraq situation.

So surely this begs the question.... are the Conservatives onto a winner by following Tony Blair's well trodden path, or are they just poor imitators of an act that everyone is already fed up of?

   

So much for getting the best price on the internet. I needed to update some anti-virus software on a laptop. I went to Norton's .com site and found the downloadable package for $39.99 (expensive but acceptable). But without a U.S. shipping address I actually can't buy the product at that price. Instead, I have to go to Norton's UK site and pay £39.99 (precisely double the price) for the exact same product. What a rip off!!

Did I miss a trick here, or do I have to accept paying twice as much as my friends in the States for the same thing?

   

More than three million UK households have rubbish bins equipped with "waste stealth tax" technology, according to a survey.

The survey indicated 68 town halls have purchased bins, spending millions of pounds. The microchips could be used to enforce a 'rubbish tax' on households for the amount of non-recyclable waste produced. This would potentially cost each household an additional £20 per month, even though households pay on average £140 a year for waste collections already.

What I'm trying to figure out is whether this move by councils is:

a. A Soviet style attack on personal liberties and creative ploy to extract more tax from middle class consumers, all presented in an 'environmentally friendly' wrapper

b. An environmental necessity to change consumer behaviour and preserve limited land fill capacity

Oh and one other thing. Should local and central Government be placing the responsibility for waste on the manufacturers, first and foremost. After all, consumers have very little power over the packaging thats used in products we buy, and many of us agree that far too much superfluous packaging is used by manufacturers.

What do you think? 

   

A quick scan across the Middle East in the past two weeks shows a region in crisis.

The situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate, with a civil war between Shias and Sunni's and an Iranian backed insurgency against U.S. and UK forces.

 In Afghanistan, the Taliban appear emboldened in their battle with NATO, whilst Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of fuelling the troubles, leading to border clashes between the two countries.

The Palestians are skirting a civil war between Hamas and Fatah.  

In Lebanon, the country's army is involved in heavy fighting with an Al Qaeda backed terrorist group. And if that battle is won, the Iranian backed Hezbollah loom large as a threat to the democratic government.

So many conflicts involving so many different issues and vested interests. The Western media debates the need to withdraw western forces from Iraq and to find a peace settlement in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, but neither of these solutions will deal with Iranian ambitions for regional domination, the clash of moderate and fundamentalist islam, Syria meddling in Lebanon etc., etc. 

The continent of Europe went through many wars during the 19th & 20th century and it wasn't until post-World War Two that the continent found a comprehensive settlement. Its now mostly unthinkable that European nations would go to war against one another.

Where is the plan or the vision that can bring the same peace, stability and prosperity to the Middle East?