300 Combat Deaths in Afghanistan

MOD: Reports that a UK Soldier was killed today in Afghanistan, this brings the combat deaths in Afghanistan to 300, the Soldier was from the “ 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment attached to 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles ”. Thus since 2001 the UK has lost 340 of its Armed Forces Personnel in Afghanistan, of that total it has lost 300 in combat operations and 40 due to illness, accidents or other incidents.

Titanic Anniversary 1912 -2012

Telegraph: Reports that a Cruise on the anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic has only a few tickets available. It might sound a bit ghoulish but this blog would be on board if could afford the ticket, the sinking of the RMS Titanic is one of those historical events that never goes away, every year there is new stories that come out, of late that the helmsman of the Titanic who turned the steering the wrong way thus the sinking. Its that night that always fascinates, would you have been a hero or a cad, would it have been women and children in the lifeboats first or you first, its one of those questions that you never want to answer.

The Shadow Chancellor - Alan Johnson

BBC News: Reports on the appointment on Alan Johnson as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer. There is hope for Ed Miliband, he would have been fool to appoint Ed Balls, at the end of the day Balls is seen as Gordon Brown’s man, it might not be fair but he was seen as Brown’s enforcer, if he had been appointed Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown would have been a ghost at the Shadow Cabinet meetings. Lets be honest would any leader trust Balls not stab him in the back, Ed Balls will never forgive Ed Miliband for this insult, he has wanted to be Chancellor for years, also Mr Miliband has given Balls a tough shadow post, that of Home Secretary, the public always want tough law enforcement and more prisons, the left wants more rights for the prisoners, so if the Tories go hard right in the next few years over law and order, the job will be hard for Ed Balls, to have any and I mean any credibility with the public he will have to be tougher than the Tories, the left will go bonkers, thus Ed Miliband just might have finished the political career one of his major opponents. One has to say Ed Miliband is quite ruthless, his own brothers political career over, now Ed Balls, who next? But be wary Mr Miliband one can postulate that Balls will get you if he gets the chance, he has big elbows and he is not your brother.