Horse meat burgers | Police pay reduced

So I have been in hiding for the past few days, for purely personal reasons. I apologise for the lack of updates. To make up for it, I have two fairly big stories to cover today.

Horse meat found in supermarket burgers

This story has been circulating for a good 24 hours now and is still hot on the press. The long and short of it, is that horse DNA was found in supermarket value beefburgers. 

Burgers sold by Lidl, Aldi, Tesco and Iceland found to contain horse meat

The announcement provoked a large outcry from people - many of which probably never even ate the burgers. To me, if you aren't affected by the product, don't complain - it's completely pointless.

The supermarket that is receiving most criticism is Tesco. I am not entirely sure this is fair, when chains such as Lidl and Aldi were found to be selling burgers from the same supplier. It appears people are deliberately sticking the knife into Tesco yet again. It's a shame, because it was only very recently that Tesco announced a turn around from the drop in profits late last year, so this is a massive step back for them.

In my opinion, people were all fine with eating the burgers and possibly even enjoyed them, before someone told them there was horse DNA in there. People are fine with butchering a cow, a pig and a lamb but the minute it comes to horse people are outraged. Seriously, if you eat meat then don't complain when you're given meat. If you're so appalled to be eating horse, perhaps you shouldn't be a meat eater.

Police pay reduced

This is another story that has bothered me. The home secretary has announced that a police constables pay is to be reduced to around £18k. Before I begin, I do realise that this is a fairly standard wage in today's society but I don't agree with it.

Police are to have their pay reduced

The police do a remarkable job, and their responsibility is huge. If anything, their pay should be increased or at least frozen, not reduced!

It really makes me laugh as, if you've seen my post earlier this week, MP's are wanting a pay increase. So, let's get this straight, MP's who complain, complain, increase taxes, complain, complain, introduce more fees, complain, complain, etc... want an increase on the already extortionate wage they are paid whereas a policeman/woman who looks after society and upholds the law, whilst putting their own lives in danger are having their wage reduced.

This country is really falling on it's backside. It has been for a very long time, but the more these pompous idiots are in power, the faster we will head towards oblivion.

UK Weather

For all of you who don't know, I live in the UK. Our weather can be completely unpredictable and, as of late, has been on the extremely cold side.

It's not the cold in general that I have a problem with, it's all the side effects that occur as a result. Things like more people in cars because they're "too cold" to get a bus - resulting in increased amounts of traffic. This not only wastes my hard earned fuel but it send me nuts. I'm all for people using their cars but come on! if you usually get the bus because it's more cost effective for you, don't clog up my road space with your car when your privates get a little frosty!

On top of this we have the hugely inadequate road system. I pay over £100 a year to this useless government in road tax. What do I get for the privilege?  absolutely nothing, that's what. I swear, if I was given £1 for every pot hole that I'm faced with on a daily basis then i'd be a millionaire, wouldn't have to work and wouldn't need to drive myself thus saving myself all the hassle.

The rest of Europe laugh at us during winter. There Germany is, with a well structured transport infrastructure and here's the UK. The place where a little white fluff grinds the country to a halt. You would have thought we'd have learnt by now. Global warming is not going to go away overnight and our winters have become a lot harsher. We have snowy and icy conditions every year yet nothing is done. My car is always stocked with the necessary in the event of a breakdown in these conditions but there are many people who aren't so prepared - our own government for one. I was stuck in an approximately 5 mile traffic jam the other day, all because a car had skidded in the ice and blocked the entire road. Now maybe this is just me, but if that road had been correctly gritted I wouldn't have been ranting and raving in my car for well over an hour...

Anyway, ranting aside here are the main items we should all be carrying in this horrid winter weather:

• De-icer (some, even myself, dispute the necessity of this item. Usually a good old ice scraper does the trick and you don't get left with any gooey residue on your windows)
• The legendary ice scraper (if you don't have one, buy one! If all else fails, use your credit card. The plus side of this is you won't be able to increase your debts!)
• Spare tyre and the appropriate changing kit (I would recommend a full size, those mini tyres are a waste of time and most new cars don't even have the luxury of one)
• Food (obviously nothing that requires refrigeration, although the icy conditions may well be just as good as a fridge..)
• Water (I've been told off for keeping the plastic bottled water in my car because the ice could make the bottle explode when it freezes. I've never had a problem though. If you are worried about this, just put some water in one of those flasks and seal it tight)
• Blanket (If you're stranded for a while you will definitely need one of these to escape the chill - especially when you haven't got the luxury of the heaters)

The above list is what I would deem absolutely necessary for all journeys during winter. As I'm a massive paranoid weirdo I carry way more than I need but it keeps my mind at rest and I suppose it may all come in handy one day. 

Important: I am not a professional when it comes to this area. Use my list lightly. If you want any further advise, seek professional assistance. Companies like the AA will provide the key info for free.

To finish things off, I'll give you a forecast for the next couple of days. Just to put you in high spirits..

Monday:

A frosty start to the day, then mostly fine and dry with a good deal of sunshine in most areas. Chance of the odd wintry shower in the east. Chilly. Maximum Temperature 5 °C.

Outlook for Tuesday to Thursday:

Staying largely dry and bright with some sunny spells. Despite this, it will stay cold with widespread overnight frosts and freezing fog patches that may be slow to clear.

(all data from the MET Office website and for the North West of England only. Forecasts for your local area are available from the website at www.metoffice.gov.uk)

Until next time, keep trucking.