” Oh F*** it!”

• Quite a lot has already been written about the Nimrod crash which killed 14 crew. Charles Haddon-Cave QC  who led the enquiry said that the crash happened because because “defence chiefs put cost cuts before safety”.  He also referred to  “a systemic breach of Covenant brought about by significant failures on the part of all those involved.”  and  “a story of incompetence, complacency and cynicism” Mr Haddon-Cave’s comments will hopefully be recycled as fitting epitaphs for this Government.

• The Chilcott inquiry is still looking at the war in Iraq and the events leading up to the war. One wonders whether the USA and the United Kingdom will be asked to pay reparations to the Iraqi people if the inquiry rules that the invasion of Iraq was an illegal act, similar to the Germans invading Poland. The Americans and Brits wrecked the country because of a George W Bush obsession with Saddam which was passed to him by his father who never recovered from the mistake of not listening to General Norman Schwarzkopf when Saddam’s troops were hustled out of Kuwait. George Bush Snr’s regret was that the Americans and Brits did not push Saddam and his army all the way back to Baghdad when they had the chance – which is what Stormin’ Norman had suggested. That single mistake is what really signalled the birth of modern Islamic terrorism.

• Dignitas is that Swiss Clinic where people are allowed to kill themselves. Finally, Dignitas has announced that before they allow anyone to take his or her life, they will have to produce evidence from two independent medical practitioners that they are terminally ill and they will also need to show that they are making an “informed” choice to end their lives. In the past, Dignitas has  been pretty indiscriminate and has assisted both the chronically sick and the mentally ill to end their lives. Dignitas has visits from many very ill individuals who, in the main are looking for “insurance” if they are no longer able to cope with their illness. Only about 30% of those ever return to kill themselves. Rather worryingly, about one-fifth of the people who are terminated by Dignitas are merely “weary of life”. Dignitas was started in 1998 by a very entrepreneurial Swiss Lawyer. The fee? About £3000 – the same as a pair of Silicon implants. Bung them another £4K and they’ll bury you as well.

• Some newspapers have suggested that Tony Blair has been quoted as saying that he will take-on the job of President of Europe “if the job is big enough”. In fact, contrary to previous reports, he has not said a word on the subject.

• Sir Christopher Kelly’s report will be recommending an end to the £32,00-£65000 severance or “Golden Goodbye” that Members of Parliament receive when they leave Westminster. However, if any changes are made to this handout, it is unlikely to be before the end of this Parliament. Expect up to 200 MPs to take advantage of the change. As an example, Douglas “Mr Moat” Hogg will receive £60,000 if he leaves Parliament,  Andrew MacKay, £65000 and  his fellow MP (and wife) Julie Kirkbride, will receive £32000. They were the couple who “double-claimed”. Margaret Moran, who claimed for  dry-rot treatment for a house 100 miles away from her constituency will leave with £54000. There’s only one way to deal with these benefits. Tax them – at 100%. We need the money more than they do.

• So the Royal Mail strike is “on”. There’s certainly one group of people who are not surprised. Royal Mail management. No amount of protestation or name-calling will convince us that they are doing anything else but Lord Mandelson’s bidding. Royal Mail will be dismantled over the next couple of years.

• Tony McNulty MP lives in Hammersmith which is three miles from Westminster. However, he claims for a second property which is eight miles away in Harrow and oh yes – his parents live in the Harrow house. It is widely expected that he will “do a Jacqui Smith” and perform a scripted, aide-written, insincere “grovel” before Parliament and then return £13000 to the Westminster coffers. Although that would be the correct thing to do, it would be far more entertaining if he stood up and said to Parliament “Piss off  wankers- I’m keeping it all.”  What does he have to lose? His political career is over.

• The Mantra that “Stockmarkets  lead the economy” is a total nonsense. The dislocation between the Markets and the Economy is now complete. You don’t believe me? The markets peaked in 2008 – just before the bank collapse. Incidentally, Dick Fuld – he used to run Lehman Brothers - is blaming our Chancellor Alistair Darling for the collapse of Lehman’s and the resultant collapse or near-collapse of the money-lending community. The reason? Chancellor Darling blocked the purchase of Lehman’s by Barclays. You know, Fuld could be right.

Wacko’s Legacy

According to studio estimates, late-night screenings of Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” have earned $2.2 million at the North America box office. Record-breaking audiences have been packing into cinemas all over the world. 

Distributor Sony calls the results “unprecedented” for a Tuesday in October. The film chronicles Jackson’s concert preparations for what would have been 50 comeback concerts in London. “This Is It” opened in 99 countries and expanded its release yesterday.

Sony has already called Wednesday box office numbers “explosive” and says matinees alone have doubled Tuesday night’s haul. The film show Jackson preparing for a marathon concert run in London that never happened.

The pop star died in June at age 50 and his death has been ruled a homicide – so the Jackson story is far from over. They do say that death is a very good career move for many showbusiness stars.  But according to Forbes magazine, the richest dead celebrity isn’t Michael Jackson.

Although the King of Pop’s estate has been big news since his death in June, the top-earning dead celebrity is French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent.

Forbes released its ninth annual poll Wednesday and according to the magazine, Laurent earned $350 million in the past year. Much of his estate was auctioned off at Christie’s in February. Laurent died of brain cancer in June 2008.

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein rank second with combined earnings of $235 million, followed by Jackson with $90 million, Elvis Presley with $55 million and J.R.R. Tolkien with $50 million. Charles Schulz, John Lennon, Theodor Geisel, Albert Einstein and Michael Crichton round off the top 10 list.

Prepare for a bit of a scramble for Jacko’s bucks. It could be a real Thriller.