GREEDY BASTARDS of GREAT BRITAIN [See also the website http://aftu.webgarden.com]

If there are numerous underdogs in our society, it logically follows that there is a multitude of overdogs too. This after all appears to be the very essence and inherent flaw in unregulated, free market economies in that they produce winners and losers in a horrible zero-sum game. Here below lurking in the hall of shame are some of those money-grabbers whose very existence is motivated by a love of wealth. Their riches perversely buys them influence and frequently a lenience from the law, rarely afforded to or affordable by the hoi polloi of the inner cities. Hang your heads in shame, you irresponsible, selfish "thieves" in your slick suits.
Motormouth Kelvin MacKenzie once stated that the anarchic youth who engage in looting and rioting are "scum". That may be so, but I would venture to suggest that there is an elite of white collar, suburban "scum" whose activities and attitudes have completely discredited capitalism and which places them on a par with the so-called feral underclass. Underneath are the names of some such individuals. They represent but the tip of a huge, exploitative iceberg that is taking the piss while the large majority must cope with cuts, pay freezes, and much worse. This list is in its infant stages and the amounts are the reported annual income.
Although David Cameron was absolutely correct when he once diagnosed "broken Britain", little did this hypocrite realise that he and the Westminster/Whitehall elite are part of the problem. Why would any young people look up to and respect their political superiors when the personnel of the Establishment are each pocketing disproportionate salaries that are way beyond logic and good sense. Britain is indeed broken and it needs repaired from the top down to the bottom. The human body cannot function if the head is damaged. By the same token, Britain's sickness cannot be cured if the head of the nation (the political class of legislators and mandarins) is malfunctioning.
Admittedly, the list below is a bit random but it ought to illustrate quite clearly how the Establishment are legally stealing from the public purse with the kind of thievery that would have made the Artful Dodger blush with shame. When I consider the overwhelming number of leaders and 'responsible' people earning disgusting amounts of money, I am frankly staggered that the British people allow this injustice to persist. How the foolish populace of the UK have so deferentially accepted this sickening state of affairs beggars belief. Many revolutions have been fought for less. I am livid that Britain prefers to damn Guy Fawkes while the real criminals in the Establishment and business community can continue to take the ****ing piss. Maybe the silly people of the UK and their grossly-overpaid masters actually deserve each other!
The trouble with the British masses is if they assembled at a demonstration, they would all quickly disperse if they were each offered a free pint. Yes folks, the Brits are easily bought, and gone are the days when this nation had backbone and good principles. Now it's every man for himself and to Hell with the consequences. That is the great legacy of Mrs Thatcher. She can take credit for having broken the spirit of the population. Everybody is seeking fame and fortune nowadays. The UK is a nation of wannabees. Instead of wishing to change a corrupt, decaying system, many of the dispossessed aspire to become part of the monster that is devouring them! Rather than protest against the fat cats, Joe Public harbours the hope of also becoming a fat cat one day. Most people are corruptible nowadays. In other words, offer anyone wealth or power or fame and fortune and they would abandon anything and everyone to attain such apparent 'prizes'.
Not that Labour can crow about the legacy of Mrs Thatcher. Mr Blair and Mr Brown presided over lavish pay increases for their cronies in the public sector as a means of currying favour with the opinion-formers and movers and shakers. So-called new Labour was zealous in its attempts to out-flank the Conservatives by allowing monstrous pay rises for the bourgeois elite. Austere Britain is still having to grin and bear the adverse impact of the bonus culture, the expenses scandals, and the pay-offs, pensions, and perks of the uber-rich. Keir Hardie must be spinning in his grave.
What really ought to concern the named individuals here and other fortunates who have been fortunate to be omitted thus far is the legacy that they are leaving for future generations. Their own offspring will grow up in the warped, mistaken belief that success is conditioned by how much wealth one has amassed and that a huge bank account and property portfolio are essential ingredients for a happy, fulfilled existence. The most influential members of the chattering classes will have a lot to account for as others see the bad example that they are setting and seek to follow in their flawed footsteps.
Some of the following figures are now probably out-of-date and inaccurate in so far as they err on the low side. If any of the named human parasites are now earning less than £100,000 per annum, I will gladly remove them.
Why is it that the major politicos now make noises about the disparity of wealth but then don't appear to practise what they preach? There are two likely explanations as to why the greedy won't relinquish their excess wealth. Either they have very demanding spouses who expect nothing less than to be maintained in regal luxury, or else the selfish swines realise that money purchases importance and influence. One gets to sit at the top table, so to speak. In other words, the pathetic pursuit of riches is essentially a desire to acquire a lofty status. A pox on all their mansions.
Ultimately the names and statistics derive from various media intenet sites, so if I am wrong, then so are they. I suppose that we all could pay thanks to the newspapers for originally sourcing such information about various obscene salaries. Of course, the viewspapers claim that their collective whistle-blowing is in the public interest. The real truth is that viewspapers are businesses that need to turn a profit. Consequently, as they are operating in a competitive market-place, they must produce attention-grabbing revelations and scandals in order to earn revenue. In fact, it would be no exaggeration to state that most journalists would knock their grandmother in her zimmer frame over if she was standing in the way of a juicy news story. The media have about as many scruples as Genghis Khan, and therefore their nonsense about the 'public interest' can be more aptly translated as self-interest.
The wealth-worshippers are as follows:
Ana Botin of Santander: £4 million
Mark Byford: £949,000 pay-off from the BBC
Mark Carney; Governor of the Bank of England: £874,000
David Mobbs of Nuffield Health: £850,000 in 2011
Tim O'Toole of First Group: £846,000
David Abraham; Chief Executive of Channel Four: £744,000
Sir Antonio Pappano of the Royal Opera House: £741,403 in 2011
Mark Thompson; former director-general of the BBC earned £664,000
Chris Moyles; BBC Radio One disc jockey: £630,000
Lord Burns of Santander: £600,000
Andrew Marr; BBC presenter: £580,000
Sir David Higgins of Network Rail: £560,000
Dean Finch of National Express: £550,000
Jay Hunt; Chief Creative Officer of Channel Four: £542,000
David Brown of Go-Ahead: £510,000
Fiona Bruce; BBC television presenter: £500,000
Lord Hall; Director General of the BBC: £450,000
Jez Maiden of National Express: £420,000
Jana Bennett; director of BBC Vision: £412,000
Patrick Butcher of Network Rail: £382,000
Ross Kemp; BBC actor: £380,000
Andrew Wolstenholme of Crossrail: £380,000
John Humphrys; BBC Radio Four presenter: £375,000
Peter Salmon; BBC North director: £375,000
Robin Gisby of Network Rail: £360,000
Simon Kirby of Network Rail: £360,000
Sidney Barrie earned £349,000 when previously employed by First Group
Darren Cattell formerly of Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust: £340,000 in 2012
Stephen Montgomery of ScotRail: £333,000
Caroline Thomson; BBC chief operating officer: £333,000
Zarin Patel; BBC director: £329,000
Keith Down of Go-Ahead: £326,000
Tim Davie; BBC director: £325,000
Lucy Adams; BBC director: £320,000
Helen Boaden; director of BBC news: £320,000
Sharon Baylay; BBC director: £310,000
Pat Loughrey; BBC director: £300,000
Peter Vicary-Smith of the Consumers' Association: £300,000 in 2012
Richard Sambrook; BBC director: £299,880
James Purnell of the BBC: £295,000
Jan Filochowski of West Hertfordshire Hospitals trust: £282,500
Bal Samra; BBC director: £280,500
Jeff Carr earned £280,000 when previously employed by First Group
Jay Hunt; controller of BBC one: £265,000
Sir Robert Naylor of University College London Hospitals: £262,500
Bernard Hogan-Howe; Chief Constable of the London Metropolitan Police: £260,088
Dominic Coles; Chief Operating Officer at the BBC: £257,500
David Nicholson; Chief Executive of the NHS: £255,000
Sir Ron Kerr of Guy's and St Thomas' Foundation trust: £254,000
Professor Stephen Smith of Imperial Healthcare: £250,250
Roly Keating; director of archive content at the BBC: £250,000
Peter Morris of Barts and the London trust: £247,500
Roger Mosey; BBC director of London 2012: £241,230
Lord Igor Judge; the Lord Chief Justice: £240,000
John Linwood; Chief Technology Officer at the BBC: £240,000
John Yorke of BBC Vision: £238,119
Edward Williams; BBC director: £225,940
Geoff Alltimes of Hammersmith and Fulham Borough Council: £225,785
Danny Cohen; controller of BBC Three: £225,000
John Devaney of National Express: £225,000
Richard Deverell; Chief Operating Officer at the BBC: £225,000
Janice Hadlow; controller of BBC Two: £225,000
John Foster of Islington Borough Council: £223,385
Erik Huggers; BBC director: £223,000
David McNulty of Surrey County Council:£222,053
John Cooper of CrossCountry: £222,000 in 2011 according to the Daily Telegraph
Derek Myers of Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council £220,936
Nicholas Eldred of BBC operations group: £219,751
Roger Kelly of Gateshead Council: £219,521
Emma Swain of BBC Vision: £217,505
Roger Wright; controller of BBC Radio Three: £215,322
Chris Day of BBC finance: £211,500
Andy Parfitt; controller of Radio One: £211,000
Anne Morrison; director of training and development at the BBC: £210,069
Mark Damazer; controller of BBC Radio Four and Radio Seven: £210,000
Joanna Killian of Essex County Council: £210,000
Chris Kane; Head of Corporate Real Estate at the BBC: £206,992
Sir Liam Donaldson earned at least £205,000 as Chief Medical Officer
Andy Griffee; editorial director at the BBC: £205,000
Bob Shennan; controller of BBC Radio Two and Radio Six: £205,000
Nicolas Brown; director of drama production at the BBC: £200,000
Christine Connelly; Chief Information Officer for the department of health: £200,000
Graham Ellis of BBC audio & music: £200,000
Peter Horrocks; director of global news at the BBC: £200,000
Sir Bob Kerslake; Head of the Civil Service: £200,000
Heather Lawrence OBE; chief executive of the Chelsea and Westminster NHS trust: £200,000
Peter Lewis of Haringey Borough Council: £200,000
James Naughtie; BBC Radio Four presenter: £200,000
Gabriel Scally; regional director of public health: £200,000
Stuart Smith; formerly of Liverpool City Council received £198,568 plus £147,000 redundancy
Lord Justice Leveson: £196,707
Sir Jeremy Heywood; Cabinet Secretary: £195,000
Richard Klein; controller of BBC Radio Four: £195,000
Stephen Mitchell; Head of Programmes: £195,000
Tom Archer of BBC Vision: £193,600
Stephen Kavanagh: Chief Constable of Essex Police: £192,163
Liam Keelan; controller of BBC daytime: £190,550
Dorothy Prior; controller of production resource: £190,500
Peter White; chief executive officer at BBC finance: £190,550
Michael Gooddie; a director at the BBC: £190,000
Alastair Hamilton; Chief Executive of Invest NI: £190,000
John Vickerman; head of HR at the BBC: £190,000
George Entwistle of BBC Vision: £189,625
Frances Allcock of BBC People: £188,100
Mark Lloyd of Cambridgeshire County Council: £186,167
Ken MacQuarrie; director of BBC Scotland: £185,000
Menna Richards; director of BBC Wales: £185,000
Adrian Van Klaveren; controller of Radio Five Live: £185,000
Sir Nicholas Young of The Red Cross: £184,000
Robert Johnston; Reward Director at the BBC: £183,750
Anabel Hoult of Save The Children: £181,930
Sir Peter Fahy; Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police: £181,455
Chris Sims; Chief Constable of West Midlands Police: £181,455
Barbara Slater; director of BBC sport: £180,000
John Tate; director of Policy & Strategy at the BBC: £180,000
Keith Beal; programme director at the BBC: £179,725
Sally Debonnaire of BBC Vision: £178,500
Jonathan Michael; chief executive of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS trust (London): £178,000
Mark Kortekaas of Future Media & Technology at the BBC: £175,000
Mark Linsey of BBC Vision: £175,000
Kerstin Mogull of Future Media & Technology at the BBC: £175,000
David Salisbury; director of immunisation: £175,000
All High Court judges receive £174,481
Dr Mike Anderson; medical director of the Chelsea and Westminster NHS trust: £170,000
Simon Nelson of BBC Vision: £170,000
Beverley Tew of BBC Finance: £170,000
Sir Mark Gilmore; Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police: £169,359
Alan Yentob; BBC director: £168,300
Jacqueline Brandreth-Potter; head of brand & planning at the BBC: £167,145
David Jordan of Executive Support & Projects at the BBC: £167,000
James Lancaster of BBC Vision: £166,464
Seetha Kumar; controller of BBC online: £165,000
Francesca Unsworth; head of newsgathering at the BBC: £165,000
Liz Rylatt of BBC finance: £164,646
Paul White; chief executive of Barts and the London NHS trust: £164,500
Justin Forsyth of Save The Children: £163,000
Karen Boswell of East Coast: £161,000 according to the Daily Telegraph
Sara Thornton; Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police: £160,290
Michael Barton; Chief Constable of Durham Constabulary: £160,000
Ann Lloyd; Chief Executive of NHS Wales: £160,000
Dame Gillian Morgan; Welsh Permanent Secretary: £160,000
John Turner; finance director at the BBC: £160,000
Helen Normoyle; head of audiences at the BBC: £159,600
Derek Smith; chief executive of Hammersmith hospitals NHS trust (London): £158,508
Jon Murphy; Chief Constable of Merseyside Police: £157,260
Sue Sim; Chief Constable of Northumbria Police: £157,260
Michael Holden of Directly Operated Railways: £156,100
Robert Naylor; chief executive of University College London hospitals NHS trust: £156,000
Nicholas Newman of Future Media & Technology at the BBC: £155,250
David Edwards; chief executive of Cardiff and Vale NHS trust: £155,000
David Holdsworth of BBC journalism group: £155,000
Dr Tony Jewell; Welsh chief medical officer: £155,000
Sir Hugh Taylor: Permanent Secretary of the department of health: £155,000
Alex Marshall; Chief Constable of Hampshire Police: £154,233
Rachel Currie; HR director at the BBC: £153,983
Rahul Chakkara of Future Media & Technology at the BBC: £153,750
Peter Reading; chief executive of University hospitals of Leicester NHS trust: £152,500
Steve Finnigan; Chief Constable of Lancashire Police: £151,215
Ian Learmonth; Chief Constable of Kent Police: £151,215
Shaun Sawyer; Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police: £151,215
Clare Dyer; HR director at the BBC: £150,000
Mark Gottlieb; Director of Marketing, Communications & Audiences at the BBC: £150,000
Sarah Montague; BBC Radio Four presenter: £150,000
Matthew Postgate of Future Media & Technology at the BBC: £150,000
Mark Friend of Audio & Music at the BBC: £148,512
Mark Britnell; chief executive of University hospital Birmingham NHS trust: £148,500
David Crompton; Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police: £148,194
Colin Port; Chief Constable of Avon & Somerset Police: £148,194
Martin Richards; Chief Constable of Sussex Police: £148,194
Peter Vaughan; Chief Constable of South Wales: £148,194
Neil McKay; chief executive of Leeds teaching hospitals NHS trust: £147,000
Ben Stephenson; controller of drama commissioning at the BBC: £145,000
Peter Clifton; head of editorial development at the BBC: £144,200
Boris Johnson; Mayor of London: £143,911
David Cameron MP; Prime Minister: £142,500
David Highton; chief executive of Oxford Radcliffe hospitals NHS trust: £142,500
Malcolm Stamp; chief executive of Addenbrooke's NHS trust (Cambridge University teaching hospitals trust): £142,260
Chris Eyre; Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police: £142,143
John Bercow MP; Speaker of the House of Commons: £142,000
Andy Coulson; former Director of Communications for the Conservative Party earned £275,000 in that role and 'only' £140,000 as the Prime Minister's Director of Communications
Mary Hockaday; head of BBC newsroom: £140,000
Alex Salmond; First Minister of Scotland: £140,000
Ed Miliband MP; Leader of the Opposition: £139,355
Andy Bliss; Chief Constable of Hertfordshire Police: £139,119
Simon Cole; Chief Constable of Leicestershire Police: £139,119
Mick Creedon; Chief Constable of Derbyshire Police: £139,119
Mike Cunningham; Chief Constable of Staffordshire Police: £139,119
Tim Hollis; Chief Constable of Humberside: £139,119
David Shaw; Chief Constable of West Mercia Police: £139,119
David Whatton; Chief Constable of Cheshire Police: £139,119
Lesley Swarbrick; HR director at the BBC: £138,600
Derek O'Gara; finance director at the BBC: £138,000
Andrew Cash; chief executive of Sheffield teaching Hospitals NHS trust: £137,500
Mike Deegan; chief executive of Central Manchester and Manchester children's University NHS trust: £137,500
Phil Gormley; Chief Constable of Norfolk Police: £136,092
Lynne Owens; Chief Constable of Surrey Police: £136,092
Vin Ray; Director of BBC College of Journalists: £135,188
Stuart Welling; chief executive of Brighton and Sussex hospitals NHS trust: £135,109
Mark Goldman; chief executive of Birmingham Heartlands and Solihull (teaching) NHS trust: £135,000
Gareth Hall of the Welsh department of the economy and transport: £135,000
Peter Johnston; director of BBC Northern Ireland: £135,000
Dr Gwyn Thomas; director of Informing Healthcare: £135,000
Nick Clegg MP; Deputy Prime Minister: £134,565
George Osborne MP; Chancellor of the Exchequer: £134,565
All British cabinet ministers receive £134,565
Jo Woods; radio finance director at the BBC: £134,003
Simon Ash; Chief Constable of Suffolk Constabulary: £133,068
Martin Baker; Chief Constable of Dorset Constabulary: £133,068
Jacqui Cheer; Chief Constable of Cleveland Constabulary: £133,068
Tim Madgwick; acting Chief Constable of North Yorkshire constabulary: £133,068
Simon Parr; Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire Constabulary: £133,068
Mark Polin; Chief Constable of North Wales Constabulary: £133,068
Jeff Farrar; temporary Chief Constable of Gwent Constabulary: £133,068
Patrick Geenty; Chief Constable of Wiltshire Constabulary: £133,068
Colette Paul; Chief Constable of Bedfordshire Constabulary: £133,068
Adrian Lee; Chief Constable of Northamptonshire Constabulary: £133,068
Carwyn Jones; First Minister of Wales: £132,862
David Roberts; chief executive of University hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS trust: £132,857
Bernard Lawson; acting Chief Constable of Cumbria Constabulary: £130,044
Michael Matthews; acting Chief Constable of Gloucestershire Constabulary: £130,044
Andy Parker; Chief Constable of Warwickshire Constabulary: £130,044
Neil Rhodes; Chief Constable of Lincolnshire Constabulary: £130,044
Jackie Roberts; Chief Constable of Dyfed-Powys Constabulary: £130,044
Lorraine Bewes; director of finance of the Chelsea and Westminster NHS trust: £130,000
Maggie Boyle; chief executive of Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen hospitals NHS trust: £130,000
Jeff Buggle of the Welsh department of health and social services: £130,000
Rachel Stock; Resourcing Director at the BBC: £128,000
Gareth Goodier; chief executive of Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS trust (London): £127,500
Barry Johns; chief executive of West Midlands metropolitan ambulance service NHS trust: £127,500
David Jackson; chief executive of Bradford hospitals NHS trust: £127,360
David Moss; chief executive of Southampton University hospitals NHS trust: £126,500
Loretta Minghella of Christian Aid: £126,072
Alec McGivan; Head of BBC Outreach: £125,557
Sue Inglish; head of political programmes at the BBC: £125,000
Ed Llewellyn; Prime Minister's Chief of Staff: £125,000
Stephen Day; chief executive of Norfolk and Norwich University hospital NHS trust: £124,000
Jane Perrin; chief executive of Swansea NHS trust: £124,000
Julie Acred; chief executive of Southern Derbyshire acute hospitals NHS trust: £122,500
John de Braux; chief executive of Epsom and St Hellier NHS trust: £122,500
Jessica Cecil; head of BBC director-general's office: £122,500
Jane Collins; chief executive of Great Ormond Street hospital for children NHS trust (London): £122,500
Ian Hamilton; chief executive of St George's healthcare NHS trust (London): £122,500
Cally Palmer; chief executive of Royal Marsden NHS trust (London): £122,500
Alix Pryde; Controller of Distribution at the BBC: £122,500
Stephen Greep; chief executive of Hull and East Yorkshire hospitals NHS trust: £122,400
Julian Nettel; chief executive of St Marys NHS trust: £121,566
David Astley; chief executive of East Kent hospitals NHS trust: £121,417
Sheila Foley; chief executive of East London and the City mental health trust: £120,000
Mark Hackett; chief executive of Royal Wolverhampton hospitals NHS trust: £120,000
Bob Hudson of the Welsh department of health and social services: £120,000
Anna Mallett of Business Strategy at the BBC: £120,000
Martin McGuinness; Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland: £120,000
Amanda Pritchard; deputy chief executive of the Chelsea and Westminster NHS trust: £120,000
Peter Robinson; First Minister of Northern Ireland: £120,000
Mark Goldring of Oxfam: £119,560
Dame Barbara Stocking of Oxfam: £119,560
Peter Bradley; chief executive of London ambulance service trust: £118,000
Moira Britton; chief executive of Tees and north-east Yorkshire NHS trust: £117,500
Cornelius Egan; chief executive of Bradford community health NHS trust : £117,500
Sally Gorham; chief executive of Waltham, Leyton & Leytonstone (London): £117,500
Mike Atkin; chief executive of Leeds community and mental health services teaching NHS trust: £117,000
Christine Daws; finance director of the Welsh government: £115,000
Simon Dean of the Welsh health and social services department: £115,000
William Greswell; Controller of BBC Vision: £115,000
Paul Greeves; Head of Safety at the BBC: £114,400
Daniel Moylan earned £112,599 when previously employed by Transport for London
Nigel Fisher; chief executive of South-west London and St George's mental health NHS trust: £112,500
John MacDonald; chief executive of Queen's medical centre, Nottingham University hospital NHS trust: £112,500
Caroline Gover; Head of Business Continuity at the BBC: £112,425
Graham Nix; chief executive of United Bristol healthcare NHS trust: £112,000
Alice Webb; programme director at the BBC: £112,000
Peter Morris; chief executive of South Manchester University hospitals NHS trust: £111,000
Therese Davis; chief nurse of the Chelsea and Westminster NHS trust: £110,000
Bernard Galton; HR director of the Welsh government: £110,000
Derek Griffin; chief executive of Cafcass Cymru: £110,000
Carolyn Miller, formerly of Merlin, is rumoured to have earned £110,000 in 2011 (according to the Daily Telegraph, 5th August 2013)
Chris Patten of the BBC: £110,000
Paul Smith; Head of Editorial Standards at the BBC: £110,000
Martin Sykes; chief executive of Value Wales: £110,000
Angela Peddar; chief executive of Royal Devon and Exeter healthcare NHS trust: £109,500
Will Jackson: Head of Strategy at the BBC: £108,000
Peter Coles; chief executive of Whipps Cross University hospital NHS trust (London): £107,500
Erville Millar; chief executive of Camden & Islington mental health and social care trust: £107,500
Richard Davies of the Welsh department of public services and performance: £105,000
Mike Hopkins of the Welsh lifelong learning and providers decision: £105,000
Roy Male; chief executive of Blackpool Victoria hospital NHS trust: £105,000
Sue Ross; chief executive of Selby and York primary care trust: £105,000
Nick Temple; chief executive of Tavistock and Portman NHS trust (London): £105,000
Dr Jane Wilkinson; Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Wales: £105,000
Richard Addy of the BBC Journalism Group: £104,000
Malcolm Lowe-Lauri; chief executive of Kings College hospital NHS trust (London): £104,000
Liam Hayes; chief executive of Doncaster and south Humber NHS trust: £103,161
Sue Assar; chief executive of Central Manchester primary care trust: £102,500
Stuart Bell; chief executive of South London and Maudsley NHS trust: £102,500
Brian Milstead; chief executive of Royal Cornwall hospitals NHS trust: £102,500
Nicola Sturgeon; Deputy First Minister of Scotland: £100,748
Geoffrey Dennis of Care International: £100,000
Kate Fall; Prime Minister's Deputy Chief of Staff: £100,000
Peter Murrell; SNP Chief Executive: £100,000
Christine Willis; chief executive of North Tees primary care trust: £100,000

Charles Walker, an arrogant MP [see also http://aftu.webgarden.com]

On the eleventh of July 2013 it was revealed that the House of Commons MPs could look forward to a lovely pay rise, conveniently beyond the next general election. Imagine the difficulty that they might encounter on the proverbial doorsteps if they campaigned at the 2015 national beauty contest shortly after a pay increase had been implemented!
Anyhow, while the salary increase has been cleverly deferred until just beyond the next national poll, some MPs were expressing their unease at the pending pay award. However, not every parliamentarian was cringing with embarrassment.
One Charles Walker stepped forth to be interviewed for Radio Bore's 'The World Tonight' later that same day. Mr Walker proceeded to pour scorn upon Michael Gove's commendable attitude that "they" could "shove" his imminent pay rise. Well, an exorcised Mr Walker denounced Mr Gove and others who had expressed similar sentiments as "crass".
Mr Walker then went on to brazenly state that not only would he gladly accept his pay rise but that he had already planned to spend it upon his children. If you are a docile, glass half full creature, you might want to applaud Mr Walker for lovingly revealing that he is a devoted father. However, if you are a glass half empty specimen like yours truly, then you have to believe that with a generous salary of circa 65k per annum, Mr Walker's offspring already want for nothing from Daddy. Quite why Mr Walker feels that his children need to bear the fruits of his future windfall is beyond the reaches of my pretty little head.
However, here is the grim reality of Mr Walker's circumstances. I recently performed a study to ascertain what are the safest seats in the UK, and guess whose constituency just happened to be numbered amongst the 25 safest parliamentary seats? Yep, Mr Walker is the custodian of the Broxbourne seat, which is such a stronghold that clearly he can make bold pronouncements on the airwaves and be immune from any possible electoral repercussions.
Well, I exhort the hard-pressed citizens of leafy Broxbourne to mobilise a candidate who challenges Mr Walker whose smug complacency manifested itself in a shameless acceptance of his future pay award. Surely there might be several thousand folk in Broxbourne whose indignation just might be sufficiently aroused, or are you too comatose to confront the arrogant Mr Walker? Personally, I found his defiant stance all too reminiscent of a certain Mr Alan B'stard, MP.

Britain's Dangerous Seats [an extract from http://psephologist.blog.com]

I have already compiled a list on this blog page of the 25 safest seats in the House of Commons. In fact they are so secure that they could be described as “ultra safe”. Clearly, if there are indeed safe seats in which the incumbent MP or party only has to turn up to win the next contest at such a constituency, it must logically follow that various seats are the opposite of “safe”……. dangerous, in other words.
Dangerous is a slighty peculiar word as it suggests that the seat at Westminster is bad for the health of its user. That might be pushing melodrama a tad too far, but there are certainly a whole host of constituencies where the MP’s tenure is indeed tenuous as he or she won election to parliament in May 2010 on the back of a wafer-thin majority.
In fact, not only was the eventual outcome of the last British general election rather close, at least in so far as no party was able to command an overall majority, but I discovered whilst rummaging through all the results that there was a huge amount of constituency contests which were also mighty close. I have therefore taken the trouble to record the following forty-one constituencies where the winning margin didn’t even exceed one thousand votes.
Most of these seats will form the heart of the electoral battleground at the next national poll as they will be termed as “key marginals”. Obviously every political party aims in theory to win every constituency that they contest, but I have highlighted the party which will be targeting each of the listed seats. However, although about half of the listed seats are indeed dangerous and definitely up for grabs, the statistics are also slightly misleading. For example, if Labour was to enjoy any kind of swing at the next general election (and the consensus of opinion is that they will recover from their 2010 setback) then the seats where Labour won narrowly in 2010 will be much safer in 2015.
Similarly, there are many constituencies not included where the current parliamentary majority may be several thousand, but again a notable swing to Labour could place many other incumbents in peril at the next national beauty contest. Therefore, the enclosed list comprises the forty-one seats that incurred the slenderest winning margin in 2010. It does not automatically follow that in every instance, such constituencies will produce a photo-finish again. Clear as mud?
Amber Valley: Conservative majority – 536; Labour target
Ashfield: Labour majority – 192; Liberal Democrat target
Bolton West: Labour majority – 92; Conservative target
Bradford East: Liberal Democrat majority – 365; Labour target
Broxtowe: Conservative majority – 389; Labour target
Camborne and Redruth: Conservative majority – 66; Liberal Democrat target
Cardiff North: Conservative majority – 194; Labour target
Carlisle: Conservative majority – 853; Labour target
Chesterfield: Labour majority – 549; Liberal Democrat target
Derby North: Labour majority – 613; Conservative target
Dorset Mid and Poole North: Liberal Democrat majority – 269; Conservative target
Dudley North: Labour majority – 649; Conservative target
Edinburgh South: Labour majority – 316; Liberal Democrat target
Fermanagh and South Tyrone: Sinn Fein majority – 4; Unionist target
Great Grimsby: Labour majority – 714; Conservative target
Hampstead and Kilburn: Labour majority – 42; a Conservative and Liberal Democrat target
Hendon: Conservative majority – 106; Labour target
Hull North: Labour majority – 641; Liberal Democrat target
Lancaster and Fleetwood: Conservative majority – 333; Labour target
Morecambe and Lunesdale: Conservative majority – 866; Labour target
Newton Abbot: Conservative majority – 523; Liberal Democrat target
Norwich South: Liberal Democrat majority – 310; Labour target
Oldham East and Saddleworth: Labour majority – 103 [The majority increased in 2011]; Liberal Democrat target
Oxford West and Abingdon: Conservative majority – 176; Liberal Democrat target
Rochdale: Labour majority – 889; Liberal Democrat target
Sheffield Central: Labour majority – 165; Liberal Democrat target
Sherwood: Conservative majority – 214; Labour target
Solihull: Liberal Democrat majority – 175; Conservative target
Southampton Itchen: Labour majority – 192; Conservative target
Stockton South: Conservative majority – 332; Labour target
Swansea West: Labour majority – 504; Liberal Democrat target
Telford: Labour majority – 978; Conservative target
Thurrock: Conservative majority – 92; Labour target
Truro and Falmouth: Conservative majority – 435; Liberal Democrat target
Walsall North: Labour majority – 990; Conservative target
Warwickshire North: Conservative majority – 54; Labour target
Waveney: Conservative majority – 769; Labour target
Weaver Vale: Conservative majority – 991; Labour target
Wells: Liberal Democrat majority – 800; Conservative target
Wirral South: Labour majority – 531; Conservative target
Wolverhampton South West: Conservative majority – 691; Labour target
*See also http://psephologist.blog.com
 

Britain's Safest Seats [an extract from http://psephologist.blog.com]

What constitutes a safe seat? Let me throw the following suggestion out there. First of all, it is not sufficient to state that a seat is safe if the elected Member of Parliament possesses more than half of the vote. At Bristol North East in 1970, Robert Adley accumulated more than fifty per cent of the votes cast, but his majority was a measly 462. This may be an extreme example, but it does illustrate that just because Candidate A has more votes than all the other candidates added together, this does not automatically render he or she the custodian of a safe seat.

I would argue that a seat is safe (indeed ultra-safe) if the MP’s majority is greater than the total votes polled by the other candidates. I am guessing that one will struggle to find too many occasions when this safe seat scenario has not been valid. One occasion when such a safe seat is indeed unsafe is at a by-election. Glasgow East in 2008 illustrates this exception.

Anyhow, now that the Boundary Commission’s most recent recommendations have regrettably been mothballed, I have taken the liberty of pouring over all the 650 constituency results from the most recent British general election charade in May 2010. Applying my criteria, I was surprised to find only 25 seats which fall into my safe seat category. I think that we can safely say that there are a great many more constituencies where the current incumbent can sleep safely in their bed in advance of their next beauty contest in 2015. Therefore, it might be more prudent to define my findings as ultra-safe seats, in other words, the kind of constituency contests which are basically non-contests, the political equivalent of a five furlong horse race involving a champion sprinter competing against three or four donkeys. The listed constituencies consequently can be described as Britain’s safest 25 seats, where to coin a phrase, the incumbent MP ‘only has to turn up to win’. You won’t find too may high profile politicians and front-bench spokespersons campaigning in such constituencies, because their result will be deemed a foregone conclusion. Instead, those persons living within the confines of a key marginal will instead have the joy or pain of a multitude of heavyweight politicos tramping up and down their shopping precincts and beyond, ensuring that every possible vote can be squeezed out of such target seats at the next national poll.

Meanwhile, here are the 25 seats that appear to be ‘safe as houses’, five of which are in the current possession of the Conservative Party while the Labour Party currently lays claim to seventeen such Westminster strongholds. In the list underneath, the MPs are Conservative, unless otherwise stated. Only thirteen are located in England’s green and pleasant land, while there are none in Wales. Northern Ireland boasts two such ultra-safe seats whilst north of the border, there are no fewer than ten mega-safe seats. The MPs of such fiefdoms will not thank me for publishing these findings as perversely there is nothing that galvanises people more than the thought that they and their vote are taken for granted. Could a surprise therefore be on the cards? I doubt this somehow!   

[compiled by Gary Watton; author of The Celtic Fringe (GW Publications, 2012) under the anagram pseudonym of 'Grant Toway']

Beaconsfield
Belfast West [Sinn Fein]
Birkenhead [Labour]
Bootle  [Labour]
Chelsea and Fulham
Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill [Labour]
Down North [Independent Unionist]
Dunbartonshire West [Labour]
Easington  [Labour]
East Ham [Labour]
Glasgow North East  [Labour]
Glasgow South West  [Labour]
Glenrothes  [Labour]
Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath  [Labour]
Knowsley  [Labour]
Maldon
Motherwell and Wishaw  [Labour]
Orkney and Shetland [Liberal Democrat]
Paisley and Renfrewshire South  [Labour]
Rayleigh and Wickford
Richmond (Yorkshire)
Rutherglen and Hamilton West  [Labour]
South Holland and The Deepings  [Labour]
Tottenham  [Labour]
West Ham  [Labour]

Britain's Fascist Regime

Britain is a fascist democracy. A what? I hear you say. Seriously, folks. Our parents, grandparents, and assorted ancestors went to war in the early 1940s seemingly to defeat the disease of fascism, or more particularly Nazism. However, fascism is still alive and thriving today in Britain and the western world, many decades after the heroic sacrifices of our predecessors. Permit me to explain.

Well, first of all, let us briefly tackle the myth that Britain fought and conquered fascism in the early 1940s. The reality is that the Nazi brand of fascism drew its racist inspiration from an Englishman by the name of Chamberlain: Houston Stewart Chamberlain [who married into the Wagner family]. Nazism was based upon totally misguided racial theories. The Japanese harboured similar racialist tosh during their barbaric flexing of muscles for a decade up to the necessary dropping of the atom bombs. Fascism was not defeated in 1945. It is prevalent in Britain and the First World. It is no longer a racist ideology of gobbledygook, but instead has become a lot more subtle.

Instead, I would argue that fascism is derived primarily from the Nietzschean concept of the Supermen – individuals who by dint of their skills and talent are supposedly superior to other lesser mortals whom he termed Untermenschen. Well, speaking as a self-respecting Untermensch, I live in a society where celebrities, sporting superstars, business leaders, politicians, and the royal scroungers all earn amounts of money which far exceed the income and ‘wealth’ of the great unwashed. How can it be permissible if fat cat bankers and MPs are not willing to get out of bed for less than about sixty thousand pounds per annum whilst they exhort many millions of the populace to make do with the minimum wage? Why are some people much more handsomely rewarded than others? Is this merely a manifestation of a meritocracy where the high-flying achievers acquire much more wealth and rewards than the under-achievers? Why do the middle-class professionals get exorcised when their retirement funds or pensions are jeopardised and are strangely silent about the have-nots in our selfish society? Could it be that many folk feel that their university education has earned them the right to become a two or three-car family with a holiday home or regular holidays abroad whilst the uneducated should content themselves with much less? Is this not fascism: the belief that some people are more superior than others and deserve much more? This is fascism in its purest, impure concept.

I would venture to state that it is a case of meritocracy gone mad and is instead in keeping with Nietszchean fascism, the notion that certain people are more superior than others and that these Ubermensch deserve more wealth than the Untermensch. The government policy as practised by administration after administration, regardlesss of their apparent political label, is one of containment of the grievances of the underdogs and doing the bare minimum to redistribute income and wealth. No government has the moral courage to confront the great taboo of British politics and society which is to demand that the Head of State and her vast entourage pay their fair share and make a suitable contribution to the economy. It seems that our political leaders are terrified of questioning the royal scrooges in case they take umbrage and refuse to confer knighthoods and such awards. Clearly, patronage is very much part and parcel of the British Establishment. It simpy won’t do to offend the monarch whilst the greed of the monarchy is itself offensive to any sensible observer.  Perhaps John Lydon, vocalising in 1977, was correct after all when he stated “God save the Queen, the fascist regime.”

A British Holocaust?

The purpose of this blog piece is to highlight the state-sponsored terror that was doled out to the populace during the seemingly eventful decades during which the Tudor family sat on the throne. It is not a mere recital of Foxe’s Book Of Martyrs nor intended as a chronology of Catholic martyrdom. Instead, I feel it necessary to demonstrate just how vengeful and murderous Henry VIII was, whilst also drawing your attention to the misery, pain, torture and worse that was inflicted by Henry’s two daughters upon a whole host of brave souls whose religious convictions were at variance with that of the reigning monarch. Good old Harry of England may have his fan club, but was he far removed from being an early version of Joe Stalin?         

• 

   [Was Henry VIII a great king or just a sixteenth-century Idi Amin?]

          Anyhow I would quickly like to emphasise that the Tudors did not enjoy the monopoly on inflicting suffering upon their naughty subjects. There was widespread barbarity visited upon the peoples of the British Isles long before and indeed long after the last of the Tudor monarchs exited the stage in 1603. Why is it then that I and many others have always been drawn to the soap opera of the sixteenth century? I would venture to suggest that the callous cruelty that we associate particularly with the reigns of Henry VIII and his daughters Mary and Elizabeth owes itself to the religious upheaval that Martin Luther instigated around 1517 when he unwittingly founded the Protestant Reformation, a fact all the more absurd when one considers that this pioneer was himself a Catholic monk. Ever since Luther’s rebellion against Rome, Europe was plunged into turmoil. What renders the situation a matter of life and death is that the two respective camps had a clear sense of black and white on matters spiritual. Anyone who dared to oppose or reform the old religion was an enemy of Rome and had to be literally extinguished. By the same token, once Protestantism took hold, those who steadfastly clung to the old religion were regarded as equally too dangerous to tolerate. The concepts of compromise and tolerance and mutual respect and understanding were anathema to the religious fanatics and devout worshippers of the sixteenth century. In many respects, the so-called Christians of this epoch were fighting their very own Jihad, but against each other. It is against these unfolding circumstances that the Tudor monarchs were confronted with all manner of heretics and perceived traitors. In such unenlightened times, it was reckoned that the only means of killing an idea was to exterminate every last soul who possessed such an idea or faith. The modern-day perpetrators of genocide still entertain the naive notion that a belief can be killed off by removing everyone who holds that belief. Easier said than done. 
          Before we pour over the list of over seven hundred wretched souls who paid the ultimate price during the tumultuous Tudor years, I would like to enlighten you with the following items of trivia, which you may or may not already be familiar with.
          Firstly, did you know that the lucky victims of a beheading who were spared the prolonged agony of a hung, drawn, and quartered ordeal could potentially remain conscious for several seconds after they had been decapitated? This is a medical fact.
          Secondly, it was customary to pay the executioner in a beheading in order to bribe the axeman to complete his gruesome task to the best of his peculiar talent. However, not all victims received value for money. The dastardly ex-Lord Chancellor Thomas Cromwell and Robert Devereux, the Earl of Essex were two such notable persons whose heads refused to exit the rest of their body at the first attempt, leaving them and others in such circumstances in considerable pain for longer than their wages to the executioner had bargained for.
          Thirdly, the executioner was expected to ask the imminent victim for his or her forgiveness ahead of the fatal blow. It is also worth pointing out that if there was an unenviable queue of ‘offenders’ awaiting their fate on the block, they were dealt with in decreasing ‘order of importance’. The individual of highest rank and noble birth was permitted the extra privilege of being decapitated first. So what? Well, if you consider the five unfortunates who were each falsely accused of being in an adulterous relationship with Queen Anne Boleyn, then you can imagine the amount of blood flowing literally on the block and the scaffold by the time that victim number five, the wretched Mark Smeaton was required to die. Going first and getting the ordeal over with was something to wish for!
          Fourthly, although the victim was usually granted an opportunity for a pre-execution oration atop the scaffold, some offenders deemed it prudent not to condemn their accusers for fear of retribution being meted out against their bereaved families.
          Fifthly, the hung, drawn, and quartered punishment is slightly inaccurately named. Initially, the wretch was drawn by horse through the streets to their place of execution, then he would have been half-hanged, but cruelly kept alive, and then the ritual culminated in a disembowelling, before the corpse would be sliced into four and distributed to vantage points in the vicinity as a reminder of what awaited anyone who contemplated a treasonable act. Therefore, strictly speaking, the punishment was actually drawn, partially hung, and quartered.  
          It is also worth pointing out that the victims who were burnt at the stake were being ‘purged’ of their sinful heresy in order to render them worthy of eternal salvation. This peculiar practice was widespread at the time of the Spanish Inquisition. It became commonplace in England in the 1550s on account of the fact that Queen Mary was effectively a Spanish monarch, given that her mother and her new spouse both hailed from Spain. Anyhow, it was deemed to be infinitely more preferable to burn for a few hours on earth than supposedly to burn forever in Hell. Thus the torture of being fried alive in a town or village square was an act of generosity!
 
 [Mary I (reigned from 1553-1558) was a hate-figure among Protestants!]
          Did you also know that the remarkable Anne Askew [see below] is believed to be the only female who was subjected to the gruesome torture of the rack, an interrogation method which became commonplace decades later for Catholic priests during the Elizabethan era when the threat from Spain heightened a sense of anti-papist hysteria. Every individual listed below has a remarkable story to tell beyond the grave. One person who escaped martyrdom was the exceptionally fortunate Robert Benet, a Mayor of Windsor, who was condemned to be burnt at the stake, but who was peculiarly excused by dint of the fact that he was unwell!
          Also of interest, thinks me, is the fact that some individuals who were transported to the Tower of London by barge along the River Thames would have had to wait the turning of the tide before he or she could proceed with their potentially final journey. Never has the ominous phrase ‘the turning of the tide’ seemed quite so poignant. 
          On the subject of the imposing royal fortress in central London, it ought to be pointed out that for all its horrible dungeons, such as the pit and the infamous tiny cell dubbed ‘Little Ease’, the Tower of London was relatively palatial in contrast to almost any other prison or municipal jail up and down the country, in an age when the notion of prison reform was but a foreign language. Special mention also ought to be assigned to the chief tormentor of Catholics in the last two decades of the sixteenth century, Richard Topcliffe. Old Topcliffe thrived on inflicting torture and even installed a customised rack in his own house for those of a papist inclination. To those who still regard Catholicism as a manifestation of the devil, then Topcliffe is presumably a hero. For the rest of humanity, this gent ranks very highly [or lowly] amongst the most sadistic and barbaric of interrogators.
          Did you also know that one of Anne Boleyn’s favourite Bible stories, derived from the middle of the Old Testament, relates to how Queen Esther saved her people and fellow-believers from extermination at the hands of the evil anti-Semitic Haman? However, Thomas Cromwell managed to postpone the same fate as Haman by striking first against Queen Anne Boleyn in the spring of 1536.
          Furthermore, en route to a trial, the accused would be preceded by an individual who carried an axe facing away from he or she. However, when a guilty verdict was conferred on the accused, he or she would leave the court proceedings with an axe pointed towards them to inform bystanders of the death sentence. Such procedure was reportedly enacted upon the likes of Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey.
          Finally, there are a number of myths about Tudor history which I will briefly address here. In the first instance, Henry VIII may be the founder of the Church of England but he remained staunchly Catholic until his dying day in 1547. Also, although Anne Boleyn is heralded as a champion of the English reformation, she too remained a Catholic until she breathed her last in May 1536. It was indeed Edward VI, the ill-fated male heir of Henry VIII who was England’s first Protestant sovereign. It is also worth noting that King Henry’s sixth and final wife, Catherine Parr actually came perilously close to joining two of her predecessors on the scaffold. An ageing Henry was growing tired of Catherine’s reformist tendencies. Fortunately for Mrs Henry VIII, she was tipped off about the sovereign’s concerns and she had the presence of mind to row back from her theological sermonising. It almost certainly spared her, though she did not long survive her ailing husband. Furthermore, although Mary and her estranged younger sister Elizabeth merit much scorn for their own reigns of terror, they did feel varying degrees of regret and sorrow for approving respectively the executions of Lady Jane Grey and Mary Queen of Scots. 

• 

[Elizabeth I was equally 'bloody' towards the Catholic clergy]

       Okay, that’s enough bits and pieces of dead bodies for thee. Let us now solemnly browse through the list of high-profile victims of a Tudor tyranny which perhaps collectively cast the shadow of holocaust over the history of Britain. Pedants will correctly point out that a holocaust constitutes a widespread massacre of a large volume of people. Also, a catalogue of over seven hundred executions, spanning a little over a century scarcely merits the word massacre. However, I did insert a question mark in the title, thereby allowing the reader to decide whether there is a case for arguing that the Tudor terror amounts to a holocaust. Nevertheless, it almost goes without saying, but I shall say it anyhow, but these are effectively the ‘celebrity deaths’. The recorded executions below are but the tip of the Tudor iceberg. Indeed, it has been estimated that perhaps as many as seventy-two thousand souls were on the receiving end of capital punishment during the reign of Henry VIII. Maybe the word holocaust is not entirely misplaced after all.
          The litany of victims below paid with their life in almost every instance for either heresy or treason. In fact, one could argue that heretics were traitors and traitors were heretics. In the days of ‘the divine right of Kings’, defying the monarch was tantamount to defying God, while declining to submit to the church of state was equally akin to refusing allegiance to the sovereign. Oh, and if you were given the choice between being hung, drawn, and quartered, or being burnt at the stake, well it is a tad like being between a rock and a hard place. For me, I would opt for the burning, if only because many of the victims were strangled before the flames took hold. Oh such Christian compassion!
          Many more poor souls were executed during the Tudor era. There is simply not enough space to chronicle all such misfortunes. Oh and I would also like to state that irrespective of one’s religious allegiances [or lack of them], there should not be any hierarchy of victims. The list underneath is by no means exhaustive, but perhaps exhausting!
*THE LIST CAN BE FOUND AT THE FOLLOWING SITE: http://gw930.blog.com/the-tudor-tyranny/

A beautiful extract from the informative music publication, 'You Are A Tube!'; only £9.99; xo

Too Experienced

by the Bodysnatchers (1980)

This was a B-side of a minor hit for this all-female group that signed to the fledgling Two Tone Records label. The lead singer was Rhoda Dakar who a couple of years later had another minor hit when she sang the lead role on 'The Boiler', a harrowing tale about date rape, which had originally been co-written by four of this group. Regrettably, the Bodysnatchers only snatched bodies for a brief time before some of them found future employment as the Belle Stars who had a giant hit with the

outstanding 'Sign Of The Times' in early 1983.

This is a soul version of a Rock Steady classic. [mthai66]

love these gals, a crime they never did a studio lp to release! [TheRealTommyRock]

Awesome blast from the past! :-))) [ReidOriginals]

This tune would be considered Reggae. [TxTFamGuy1]

This is just class in a glass, it really doesn't come much better than this for pure 2-Tone delight. [ganbowling]

This has always been one of my favourite second wave ska songs. [vonratt]

This is 2-tone, not ska. A Reggae cover of Bob Andy... [Cash82Mx]

must say that this has to be one of my fave 2-tone tracks. it seems to be forgotten by the ska ccompilation compilers. Why? [christopherdavidsims]

first record i bought [liamnicg]

i have the disc, 45rpm 7", thats wonderfull! [furiaCZN]

I never thought I would get to hear it again after having it on the 'THIS ARE 2TONE' vinyl album years ago. Think the album has been deleted now... [ZIG139]

author: 'This Are 2-Tone' was the compilation album where I got acquainted with this item and with 'The Boiler'.

for some reason I wish amy was around to cover this [gavkasso]

Centerfold

by J. Geils Band (1981)

This track from their 'Freeze Frame' album was a big hit in the UK and an even bigger sensation in its native land where it occupied the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks. Funnily enough, it was knocked off the USA summit by another sing-along rock song 'I Love Rock 'n' Roll'.

High School memories at their best! [goatboyful]

i wish they still made songs like this screw 2012 [tzracing29]

So this was the song that was #1 on the billboard charts the week I was born. I remember this song, my dad, a musician would play this song himself an awful lot- I think I know why now. Very cool. [Specailk007]

just love that beginning it's so amazing :) [USMachinimaCorps]

This band was a big influence on early Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. [CurtisMateer]

ahhh the good old days [brendanaruba]

For those of you who dont know this song was actually about the lead singers girlfriend who was a Playboy Bunny, and she was always on the centerfold of the mags, so he worte this song. [BeatleBoy1235]

Not 100% true. This was about a girlfriend in Highschool that he saw in a centerfold of Playboy. He did talk to her after he saw her, but nothing more came of it. But as per a VH1 popup video, he had a lot of relations with just about every girl on the set of this song so I don't think he was too worked up over it. [forcrz6]

I remember when I was little me and my older brother would always jump around the bed while we where hearing this song. Now I have finally found this song again and tears run down my chin because the memories are so fantastic [MperorM]

you need to take those Nostalgia googles off. Anything seems "special" if it's from when you were young. [widdlepuddyfat]

author: Your point is a good one, if a tad cynical.

Dancing On The Floor (Hooked On Love) by Third World (1981)

They did indeed originate from the 'third world' country of Jamaica and this has prompted them to be mistaken for yet another reggae act. The truth is that Third World leaned a lot more towards disco than roots reggae. This hit does live up to its title. It's one for dancing on the floor to.

Just a fantastic track, Man this is so good, what a great reggae groove, all time favourite. At 60yrs old this still takes me back to my youth & it will never fade.. try Now that weve found love... Love it, dancing as I type...Yes Love is at your rescue.. [lawistheking]

beautiful mellow vibe,still fresh [hadidta]

Lovely reggae groove [macclesfield35]

Up there with the greats! [pomeroykeith]

wow I can't stop movin! [NecipPerver]

That's what I call music. [homenation]

Love this song!!! use to dance to this in the night clubs. [MrTahana28]

Damn, I love this song! ... love is at your rescue! [Kmontage]

30 years old and still sounding catchy! [vcrjgf08]

dancing on the floor and now that we found love, my top two favourite records ever.brings back some great memories and some sad ones aswell. you all take care. [funkmegentley]

Its early eighties and I am dancing on the floor--beautiful memories. [349quinman]

the sweetest song of them!!Love it [pare5markes]

great !! [DJKNEK1]

kraker!!! [mssuperaap]

Wordy Rappinghood

by Tom Tom Club (1981)

Half of the Talking Heads, namely Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, created their own offshoot, called Tom Tom Club. Along with 'Genius Of Love' with its animated video, this is the club's most memorable record.

I wanted to leave a comment, but what are words worth? [cellosareawesome]

It can't be understated how much this influenced hiphop for years to come. [eternal0star]

good words and baaad words [ivancalvario]

80's sound...Classic! [dbernal031]

Brilliant song!! [EdEditz]

This song is so girly! [beautifulmoneek]

It may not seem very special today, but I remember how it blew me off my feet in '81. I had never heard anything like it. [baetterdoe]

So cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [rosilva0909]

I Most Deff Like The Rhythm To This Songg :D <3 [ShessDaddiee]

I remember when I first heard this song I was like, WOW! Very creative. Tom Tom Club were a distinct act. That's what made them appealing. [MrKevin619ism]

I suppose that the quality of a song is assured when one first discovers this song 30 years after its intial release and likes it. [McLarenMercedes]

Ok, this song reminds me of how many drugs were actually done in the 80's. But I LOVE IT! [brokenheartmender]

Way ahead of their time [Burtchaell]

This was a major 1981 hit [hhamaildk]

Human Nature by Michael Jackson (1982)

For me, this is an overlooked classic pop song from MJ's 'Thriller' LP. Unfortunately, the YouTube site again was plagued with folk expressing their condolences to this giant of a human being who brought such joy to the whole world. Actually, many of his songs were great, but he was no

saint or superman. He had a flawed human nature, just like everyone else.

It ain't hard to tell that this is a good song [nicholasny23]

My all time favorite MJ song of all time !!!!!! [666brandohill1]

Best song!!!! [Luigi1free]

@666brandohill1 i agree this is my favorite of his as well [MethodofModernLove]

Human Nature is the Best!!;) [greeeen2828]

he didn't die he just wen't home [MarioMario6298]

my favorite MJ song ever. [gogetta025]

Too bad his Human Nature was to be the scum of the earth. Even in death he was capable of ruining a man's life. [TheDavid3663]

Wow this song is just so... wow... Yeah I have no words! [Burdjur]

Why Why did he have to die [grivett40]

cool [423coolkid]

It would have been super badass if Queen & Michael Jackson had made a song together. [orionthion]

He looked good darker just sayin [josornio300]

he died too late for a peado but ffs i loved this song. [itswoody4u68]

Quality [afroguy226]

More Than This

by Roxy Music (1982)

Ten years after the successful issue of their début single, 'Virginia Plain', Roxy Music scored with a hit single from the 'Avalon' LP that oozes quality. The music is first class and Bryan Ferry's vocal delivery is as smooth as a baby's bottom. If you're ever in search of a classy pop song, don't go to Google, just check this item out.

Damn this sounds good. Hey kids: That's called singing. No auto-tune needed. [yakfitguy]

Smooth and sexy. I still melt at the sound of this song. [Ozzymum3]

beautiful song!! [agusravegdl]

magnifique !!! [mrsprs1375]

I can never get enough of Roxy Music!!! [wendykizer]

One of the best bands ever. [lesassassins]

totally unrecognized and under-rated ode to agnosticism [citylimitsdvd]

Classic.. in every way u look at it. [23jordanian]

Now this is a little thing I like to call MUSIC! [MonkeyZorr]

Something so bittersweet about this song... [MusicLessons]

this song drums up so many feelings for me its remarkable, I am an emotional mess now with the last strains of this glorious melody still echoing through my tiny apartment [TheDarkstar333]

The fact people can't believe it isn't autotune just shows how disconnected people these days are from the fact that there really were some people that could sing that well! Also, this sounds nothing like autotune...80's reverb isn't autotune! [MrG0p0p]

What an awesome group they were. [Niblipix]

author: Hey thanks, dude.

Steppin' Out by Joe Jackson (1982)

Here is another gorgeous transatlantic hit single that ought to silence detractors of 'eighties pop. Joe Jackson has issued a composition that sits comfortably with any product in any other decade.

What a great song ! [kdwestbrooks]

I love this. [GoukiTehPwner]

Love this song! The piano in this is awesome!....J [RedJragon1]

great song of the 80's !! [Hellfire5500]

dude this song is one of those NO ONE should never get tired of[thetealeo]

a very nice orginal tune that reminds me of a long time ago [elvispresley718]

I loved this song since I first heard it as a little kid. Glad my parents are Joe Jackson fans. [bobojack83]

A great classic from my high school days, and always great to hear. [Multi80schick]

I cannot hear this song enough right now. We need more of this class in our charts today. [kkly27]

I too love the bass on this song. by way is that a synth doing the piano part? [oldermusiclover]

i had this tune stuck in my head for weeks..it got so bad that i went online and went through every eighties song trying to figure out who sang it and the actual name....with the help of my awesome sister here i am...this song is way BOSS [COCOALUV4LIFE]

This song makes me wanna do my happy dance, even if before I had a sad face. [SignoraArcobaleno]

This is my favorite 80's song XD [Megan1156]

Theme From Harry's Game

by Clannad (1982)

It is hard to conceive that Derek Thompson who plays the likeable male nurse Charlie in BBC's 'Casualty' once played the IRA terrorist in 'Harry's Game'. The music to this drama series was composed and performed by the talented Brennan family from Donegal, otherwise known as Clannad.

ive always loved this beautiful song, sung to perfection, it will be my last song ever! clannad are amazing in this performance, still, amazing, eletric, and thinkable, xx love it x [freshborn66]

love this [rakennaugh]

Remember watching the series all those years ago...........The Perfect song to complement it! [penfloyd]

Very nice song ... In Irish ;) [Ellen97om]

Clannad are Irish certainly. But I heard them being interviewed on the radio, and they said that this tune was Scottish. Not that it matters much, as the Scots and the Irish pinch each others' tunes all the time. Scotland the Brave, for example, is Irish. [tigranvartanovitch]

IMO, their most iconic and incredible song. [tedly1911]

Always reminds me of Belfast in the bad times. [fabulousgerro66]

haunting and beautiful, I have always loved this song x [willshewontshe69]

Beautiful. [GingerHebblethwaite0]

i find peace in this , i find myself in this , i find all things that i want in this , i find the vocal visual and the visual vocal ,,,,its eternal...please love this.. [sommy38]

this is a magical yet haunting piece of music that will be my entrance into the cave where I am getting married :o) [kizza170]

sit bake an chill [garymcilwaine1]

 

Time (Clock Of The Heart)

by Culture Club (1982)

This was a successful follow-up to the foursome's UK chart-topper 'Do You Really Want To Hurt Me'. It is a sensitive tune with great strings and a saxophone solo thrown in for good measure. It's a reminder of the value of 'eighties pop from one of its leading protagonists.

This song was about Boy George's gay love for the drummer. No joke. [Ihatethisugh1]

Timeless [MrJdp1968]

oh man i'm so glad i was a child of the 80's [pearlexport32]

this is sooo beautiful..... and i just heard this song for the first time a couple of days ago...... this is timeless. Lol [kobebaker09]

Great song [carrtex]

author: It deservedly climbed into the UK Top Three.

" dont put your head on my shoulder " combined with that drum and bass line . pure genius [peterpetersbng]

I love this song! [VanitieGrace]

This song is the truth. I liked it as a kid because it had a catchy tune. I did not understand what he was talking about until i was grown. I love this song. Boy George was a very good singer and song writer. Need artist like him around now. [tonyvalentine3]

This song was so OVER-played when it was released, I thought i'd never enjoy hearing it again. (: WRONG :) In time it was so much more. [mortygirly]

One of the most brutally honest songs ive ever heard, yet beautiful [eerhtythgie11]

If you're in love with a man or woman, it doesn't matter, TIME will either make or break your relationship. Time will catch up with all of us! Live life! Love life now! Pretty soon it's over. [Placidfaced]

Borderline

by Madonna (1983)

This was one of the first hit singles which announced the arrival of the latest pop sensation, Madonna. She certainly proved to be no Virgin Mary, but the American songbird soon proceeded to conquer planet pop with a multitude of hit records. I also like 'Live To Tell' which demonstrated her

versatility as it was completely different to this tune. Nevertheless, I regard 'Borderline' as one of the best pop songs in popular music.

you can't beat that intro. totally classic pop brilliance [S2Cents]

It was such a simpler, happier time (well, except for that whole unpleasant Cold War thing) [krystlerita]

Actually, AIDS had just hit the world in 1981 and no one knew what it was or what to do about what looked like an instant death sentence for millions. I don't think times were ever simpler. Be well and happy now! Happy new year. [alexuniverse]

At her best [bruceleekick1]

pop masterpiece [ColdOasisU2]

This is back when Madonna was still really good. Before she became a, a, a---oh yeah, a douche bag. [smokiebird06]

This song -- espeically the intro -- always reminded me of Stephanie Mills' "Never Knew Love Like This Before". Recently found out that both songs were written by Reggie Lucas. :) [IluvEthnicGuys]

BORDERLINE is a precious jewel! Good times! [wuppertalk]

Borderline is the most likeable track of her early career, modern Madonna has given in to the music industry I'm afraid and has lost her soul to the dullards of modern pap. In fact, I only like her stuff up to '86, then she

seems to take a few wrong turns. She's a talent, though, there's no denying it :) [HighgateSamphire]

Whatever you think of her now, she sure could sing her ass off back then. [smokiebird06]