Downing Street have issued a non-response to a petition calling on them to prevent GP surgeries from using expensive, revenue-generating 084 and 087 phone numbers.

The government has said that the patient shouldn't be expected to pay more than a local call but companies have traditionally lied/manipulated their way around this using the vague definition of what constitutes a local call charge (something I've discussed previously).

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Caution: Massive vent ahead!

Sorry, this is not going to be an in-depth political analysis like some of Michael's posts (though in-depth it will be - be warned), but I had to laugh at this. Peter Robinson has announced that the Northern Ireland administration "are introducing a single number for accessing government services in Northern Ireland" to "make it easier for the public to contact government and obtain a better service".

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the idea of making government services accessible. It's just that sticking an automated operator ("Press 1 for DoE" etc.) won't do much. You see, the main thing preventing easy access to government services is not having to look up a phone number in the phone book or online, it's the fact that the places are never bloody open!

Let me explain: I recently bought a car to replace the 12-year old one generously donated to be 3 or 4 years ago by my mum, while I was still a student. Obviously I'd need to get it taxed before I can drive it. Sadly, the DVA insisted on making this as painful an experience as possible. I wanted to blog it on Saturday but earlier in the day I was far too angry and by Saturday night I'd taken ill. I'd thought I'd let it slide but Robinson's announcement today was just too good an opportunity to pass up.

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It's been in the pipeline for what seems like years, but 03 numbers have finally launched. "So what?" I can already hear you say.

It might not seem that important, but 0844/0845 "local rate", 0870 "national rate" and more expensive 0871 numbers have been getting my goat for some time now. You've all seen them, practically all big companies use them. So why are they so bad? Because 0845/0870 numbers haven't been "local rate" or "national rate" for years now.

Just another consumer rip-off

Officially charges for 0845 and 0870 numbers are pegged to BT's standard rate, but BT's "standard" tariff was abolished in 2004. Since then, the de facto standard BT rate for local/national calls was 6p for up to an hour in the evenings and at weekends and 3p/min during weekdays. 0870 numbers on the other hand, which companies have continued to misleadingly advertise as "national rate", cost 6p/min during the day including at weekends, 1.5p/min in the evenings). Compare this with an 01/02 number which you can call for 3p/call (any length) at any time of day using services like 1899.

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Is it time crusty students got over the Che Guevara obsession?

Well it's the time of year again when fresh-faced first-year students arrive for their first taste of freedom and a diet of fast food. One feature present each and every year amongst the great unwashed masses that constitute the student population (besides hordes upon hordes of culchies) is an enormous number of armchair socialists clad in T-shirts featuring that iconic image of Che Guevara and this year seems to be no exception.

Really now, this has got to stop; mainly because most of those clad in the T-shirts are idiots who probably know less about Che Guevara than I do.

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On my post on Getting Women Into Politics on Thursday I made reference to "some doll from the women's coalition." It seems my sense of humour may have been out of sync with some of my readers on this one so for the sake of clarity I began hunting the web for a definion of 'irony' and lo and behold Wikipedia led me to this explanation. It's a belter.

The relevant part runs from 30 seconds in until the end of the clip.

It was funny to watch republicans reach near orgasm over the withdrawal of the army from Crossmaglen following a job well done. Yesterday the last soldiers left the village Possibly the most amusing thing was the placard carried by some of the terrorist supporting rabble. "Intimidation, torture, murder" in capital letters adorned the middle. Ironically, that's exactly why the army were here for so long - to put an end to the IRA's campaign of, you guessed it, intimidation, torture and murder.

Now seems an appropriate time to thank all the soldiers who served here over the decades of the troubles, doing a difficult and often thankless job in even more difficult circumstances. I'm not sure I can imagine what it must be like leaving your family and friends with only the knowledge that you're doing it to protect innocent life to keep you going so thank you.

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Getting it so unbelievably wrong for decades... and still going strong

According to a report in the Belfast Telegraph the Oirish-Americans of Boston who provided the guns and ammunition used in the slaughter of innocent Ulsterfolk seem to remain an ignorant bigoted old bunch; probably even more so than the people who actually live in Northern Ireland. I don't know if they buy the propaganda through laziness or sheer stupidity, but lets look at a few quotes from people the Tele says "never viewed unionists as the enemy."

Joe Dillon, who promoted "the cause" for decades in the US, seems to hark back through rose-tinted glasses for the days of slaughter and mayhem, of civilians being blown to pieces.

Maybe the relative peace and eventual turning of public opinion against murder leaves a bitter taste in Joe's mouth because deep down he knows he was in the wrong for so many years but doesn't want to face that uncomfortable truth? Much better to bandy about accusations of being sell outs and ramble on about the 'struggle for Irish freedom' (never mind the other uncomfortable fact that people of whatever religious persuasion in Northern Ireland are as free as anywhere else in the western world).

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Yesterday an American visitor going under the pseudonym Eireann posted a comment on another thread asking a few questions about Ireland. Specifically, he/she was having trouble with the concept of why Ireland was divided and why we couldn't all just unite and live happily ever after. It was difficult to know where to start, and definitely beyond the remit of a follow-up comment on a more-or-less unrelated thread, nevertheless I set about formulating some sort of response.

It's not easy to try and explain the logic behind Northern Ireland (never mind the centuries preceding its existence) and unionism to outsiders, most of whom are familiar with the lovey-dovey dreams of republicans to reclaim their "fourth green field" from the "saxon oppressor", but who hear little of the alternative point of view. I'm always up for a challenge though.

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I've already discussed the rip-off charges imposed on Northern Irish customers trying to order PC components over the internet, but today seems an opportune momoent to highlight an even more reprehensible Northern Ireland consumer extortion - Phoenix Gas.

Last year Phoneix Gas increased their prices by 52% in just four months, blaming the rising cost of wholesale gas (which doesn't explain why this made gas in Northern Ireland two-thirds more expensive than in England, but that's another issue... maybe). Anyway, in recent months the wholesale price of gas has fallen by between 50% and 60%. On the mainland, last week British Gas announced price-cuts of a measly 17% and PowerGen yesterday announced price cuts of an unspecified amount would be implemented next month. So what have Phoenix done.

Well, they've hinted (no promises) that they will reduce prices, by some unspecified amount, as of April. April?! Their wholesale costs have already fallen by over 50% and they're making consumers wait until April before they see any benefit. They must think we're idiots - they're clearly squeezing every last penny they can out of their customers.

David Blevings of the Northern Ireland Oil Federation wants to know why the regulator is not putting pressure on Phoenix to introduce cost reductions immediately. Good question David, it's not like they weren't quick enough to put their prices up.

An admittedly rather simplistic (and/or misleading, depending on your viewpoint) University of Ulster study that denounced Northern Ireland as the "bigotry capital of the world" (reported at Slugger on Friday) and reminded me of some of the other rather neanderthal crap that comes out of people in Northern Ireland: from the minister who thinks Harry Potter is a dangerous "cult" to the supposed statesman who thinks the abduction and murder of a mother is "not a crime". Let's not also forget that Northern Ireland has a potential First Minister in Ian Paisely who thinks that "Line dancing is as sinful as any other type of dancing, with its sexual gestures and touching. It is an incitement to lust." Now, line dancing may be an incitement to a lot of things but I hardly think lust is one of them.

You may be surprised to find out that despite all this I'm not convinced that Ulster is indeed the most backward place on Earth. Why? No, not because we all know that's Co. Kerry, but I was led to some other interesting facts and opinions in the last 24 hours. A news story on Yahoo's US home page points out that currently there are 7 states in the USA where cohabiting, unmarried, with a partner is a crime. In fact, in North Dakota, until the law is changed, this felony is listed as a 'sex crime' up there with rape and paedophilia. I can't help wonder if we don't have something similar on the statute book.

Yesterday I stumbled on an American site called Fundies say the darndest things. As it turns out, they really do.

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