Its later than you think

For those who've been following the Wacky Adventures of performance artist, murderer and general total nutbag Michael Stone, the verdict is back and he's been sentenced to 16 years for the attack on stormont and attempted murder. Maybe they'll actually keep him there this time!


ION work stuff mostly sorted, have lovely List of Achievements etc to present. The day is going somewhat better now ;p

The trial of Michael stone, lunatic, spree killer and Performance Artist, continues, for his attempted attack on Stormont , in which after making his way very slowly up the Very Long Drive (bear in mind he is a well know and Very Recognisable person) to Stormont, daubed graffitti over the walls of Parliament Buildings, he was finally thwarted by a revolving door.
The building was evacuated by the Speaker, trying to shut up the assembled politicions and eventually resorting to "ORDER! Unless you want to sit here and get bombed" (you really couldn't make this up ;p)

Yesterday, he got have his say on teh stand.
His defence - it was Performance Art to enliven the peace process (which, I guess it did), and he was "...a comic parody of my former self" - which he has also managed. So well done there. It actually sounds like he could be serious. Or deranged.

Of course the fact that he had a replica gun, nail bombs, knives and a garotte was also only part of the act. Honest.


My new favourite bit is this tho - he dyed his hair and goatee beard so he would not look "overweight and grey-haired" in front of the world's media and press gathered for the day's events".

(all from here )

We do breed a very special kind of lunatic here.

ETA there is MOAR

The prosecution have described him as "an egocentric killer with a penchant for publicity" , which sounds about right.

Also, he once planned to assassinate Ken Livingstone. Which is nice.

Remember our lovely homophobic rabid MP/MLA Iris Robinson - if not, she has her own tag now!

Previously, on Iris Watch, she started off by saying live on radio that she knew a "lovely psychiatrist" who could turn homosexuals back to hetrosexuality.
This was soundly denounced by Royal College of Psychiatrists, as well as most people with a functioning brain.
At the time the Lovely Doctor in question stood by it. But Today?
He has resigned as her aide -

"Dr Paul Miller, a part-time adviser to the Strangford MP and MLA, has decided he can no longer work for her after her controversial comments about gay people."

Tellingly, he's also "taking a break" from his other psychiatric work, which make me think he's not so much walked as been shoved out the door by his collegues/ruling body...

BUT what's bugging me about this (and did before) today, is the BBC's total ignoring of the situation.
When the whole 'Iris compares gays to sex offenders' storm broke, all their website had was a tiny paragraph saying she claimed to have been misquoted. It wasn't mentioned on the tv news at all.

The only time it DID come up on TV was recently when Peter Tatchell, speaking at one of the Pride events, said King Billy was A GAY. TEH HORROR. But even then all they said was "after recent comments by Iris Robinson", with *no mention whatsoever* of what she'd actually said.

So far today, checking the BBC website, there's not only no mention of him resigning, it is completely ignored in the What the Papers Say section, despite it covering the front page of one of the main local papers (the Irish News).

Why so coy BBCNI? Don't we want to offend the First Minister by showing the public what an embarrassingly narrowminded bigot his wife is?

Hmm. This got longer than intended. It always seems to with Iriswatch ;p

Yes, our new favourite MLA and MP, Iris Robinson is at it again.

Not content with declaring homosexuality an abomination - and one that can be cured by a lovely psychiatrist she knows - she's gone that little step further and now stated IN PARLIAMENT that homosexuality is more vile than child abuse -
“There can be no viler act, apart from homosexuality and sodomy, than sexually abusing innocent children.”

Tho of course it's not just Teh EVIL GAYS she has it in for, she's pretty keen to keep women back in the their place too, when tackled on why abortion remains illegal in N.Ireland. And why? Because GOD says so and it goverment is there to do what GOD wants. Not, you know, the people who voted for them.
“The government has a responsibility to uphold God’s laws morally.” .

Now, she's welcome to believe whatever the hell she wants in the privacy of her own insane head. But to be spouting such manic vitriol and insanity in her position as a public representive? Or using her beliefs or interpretation of 'morals' to control laws and services that could affect my life? That, not so much.

She does seem to be getting increasingly rabid tho, so maybe she's on her way out; it can't be making life easy for her (equally, but more quietly rabid) husband & First Minister.

She's not hatemongering tho! OH NO! She's saying it OUT OF LOVE.

So. Who DOES one write to these day to get rid of an MP?

ETA And the backpeddling begins"
She MAY have been misrepresented...

ETA 2 An exercise in comparison. Two quotes from the lovely Iris, one to the paper when they first got hold of this, the 2nd from her official press release on it all.
See if you can spot the difference...

1 - "I cannot think of anything more sickening than a child being abused. It is comparable to the act of homosexuality. I think they are all comparable. I feel totally repulsed by both ... I am trying to reach out to people."

2 - "...what I clearly intended to say was that child abuse was worse even than homosexuality and sodomy... At no point have I set out to suggest homosexuality was worse than child sex abuse. There can be no comparison between the two. "

Both taken from here

This may be the best news story I have ever read

Drunk Darth Vader's Jedi assault

"A man posing as Darth Vader attacked a Star Wars fan, who had founded a Jedi Church, a court has heard. "

I can't decide if my favourite part is where he wore a bin bag, where he gave one of them a HEADACHE or this bit -

Earlier, when Hughes failed to arrive on time, District Judge Andrew Shaw issued an arrest warrant, adding: "I hope the force will soon be with him."

On balance, I love the whole thing ;p

Is there something up with lj, or is it just me? Everything has gone wonky.

Anyway. 'nother interview today, same as last one only for a grade up (in civil service terms) so it was tougher and a lot more on policy and management. Bleh. Hopefully managed not to disgrace self, and I think achieved the main purpose of going which was to hammer home to our useless director (who was on the panel) the relevance of what I actually do now, since my current manager helpfully informed a while back that he doesn't have a clue and didn't think it was anything relevant (barely restrained myself at the time from pointing out Very Strongly and Loudly that surely it was HER JOB to make him aware... but meh).

Anyway tis done now, thank god and the Central Library Book sale is on so YAY.


In news of less yay and more Complete Fucking Outrage -

Rapist jailed for 8 years

Surely this is a good thing? Well no, it's fucking not.
He and a friend caught a young girl with a group of male friends, robbed them and forced them to watch while he raped her twice, then phoned her mother to tell her how much he "enjoyed raping your girl".
He initially denied it but switched his plea to guilty at the last minute (given he was found still with her phone when arrested, not to mention DNA and the eye witnesses...).

Eight years. For rape, theft, false imprisonment...
Except it's NOT. We still have 50% remittence. So it's FOUR years.
Time on remand counts as double and gets taken off. So he could be out of jail before she's out of her teens.

If that's all he gets with that amount of proof - evidence described by the judge as "overwhelming "- AND admitting he did it, is it any wonder so many rapes and attacks go unreported?
The 'friend' who helped, held off *her* friends & robbed them and watched?
Out on probation.

What's the fucking *point*?

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA

*wipes eyes*

This one is causing us SO much hilarity in the office today.

Michael Stone [1], King Nutter in the Land O' Nutters, goes to Stormont, throws a bag through the doors shouting NO SURRENDER and flees... Or tries to flee.
But gets stuck in the revolving doors on the way out...



Best
Picture
EVAR

(from here)

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go back to laughing til it hurts...

ETA

New picture. Apparently he had a gun too. Which is slightly less funny.
( calm down, calm down )

Also, this bit - Earlier he had daubed in red paint on one of the pillars outside the main entrance a slogan proclaiming: "Sinn Fein/IRA scum." has led to many "People called Romans, they go the house??" comments. And ponderings on why someone didn't AT THAT POINT think 'hmm. Maybe we should shoo him away'. Unless of course they'd sent him round the back to redo it 100 times...

ETA 2 HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA home now, so watched video on bbc site. HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHA
Favourite moment? The Speaker getting the self-important pompous useless windbags that pass for our 'politicians' to listen to her by shouting "ORDER! Unless you want to sit here and get bombed"
Classic. Pure Comedy Gold.

[1] His only crime was Loyalty! And looking like a scouser.

Oh. And shooting all those people at a funeral. Alas I cannot find a decent sized picture of this because it was one of the funniest murals ever ;p

Chris de Burgh claims to have healing hands

Can you just imagine those sleazy eyebrows and clammy palms coming at you for 'healing'?

*shudders*

Technically, just now, NI has no real government. We have a pretend assembly who sit around Not Talking to each other and fighting. So for day to day stuff, it's the councils running stuff really.

We're about to get a BIG rates hike - probably about 30%, possibly more. And we're going to get water charges, based on house value *not* what you might actually use. So, I wonder, what is my council doing to earn all of this new extra monies?

Arguing over how many days a year they can fly the Union flag
Money well spent, I think you'll agree. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go *headdesk* for a bit.


Right, now on to matters of actual importance. tiquetoque DO YOU HAVE BBC? Tents and campfires and songs and people are All Very Well, but DR WHO is on. I hope you have made arrangements for this.

So, it's the sunniest day yet, it's Friday and the world cup is starting.
And we get sent home at 4.30 because of "security alerts".

Which turn out, surprise surprise, to be hoaxes.

You gotta love it :p