Friday 30 March

Although we started fairly bright, cloud moved in by lunchtime and it stayed mainly overcast through the day. It was not warm (compared to the beginning of the week), with the mercury at 11C / 52F. That's quite decent for the time of year, incidentally. However, we stand to get quite cold over the next few days, with a forecast daytime high of 4C / 39F by the beginning of next week. Yep, winter is set to make a comeback.

I had to smile when I read of the return of George Galloway to national politics. Galloway is a maverick politician credited with a gift for oratory. He won a by-election in Bradford yesterday with a majority of more than 10,000 over Labour, the party which expelled him some years ago. It goes to show the general disillusionment of the electorate with the three main parties in the UK. In a way, we had a lucky escape with the election of George Galloway. We could have been confronted with the abhorrence of a BNP [far right] MP at Westminster. As a declared opponent of Scottish independence, I am sorry that Galloway was not elected for the Scottish parliament last year. He would have run rings around Alex Salmond, the First Minister for Scotland who is taking the country towards a referendum for independence in late 2014.

40% burns

That is what a woman suffered when petrol ignited that she was decanting in her kitchen in York. I am furious with the UK government for its gross irresponsibility in handling the tanker drivers dispute. A ballot has been taken, and the members have voted for strike action. However, the trades union has not announced yet when it will call its members out on strike, and when that happens, it will be with 7 days' notice. Nonetheless, there is panic buying going on. Cabinet Office Minister, Francis Maude, suggested people fill up jerry cans with petrol and diesel, something that is against the law. Prime Minister David Cameron fanned the flames by suggesting people go and fill up their petrol tanks every time they pass a petrol station. The wrong advice at the wrong time, and it has indirectly contributed to the horrendous injuries suffered by this unfortunate woman. Call that a government?