In Between mince pies and the releasing of trouser buttons the squeal of those in power pumping out Establishment dirges has become a Christmas tradition in Britain.

We had Prime Minister David Cameron lying that he likes to ponder Jesus Christ's birth and the true meaning of Christmas - the arrival of "the Prince of Peace."

This from a man gagging for war at any opportunity, with the word "Libya" notched on his bedpost and another, "Syria," scratched out in a strop.

Then the deceitful PM told us how proud he is that people are doing unpaid charity labour for his "big society" of big unemployment. Jesus wept.

It was business as usual for Elizabeth Windsor, whose insipid 646-word message was typically vacuous.

People can disagree in families (particularly with human rights abusing Commonwealth states such as Sri Lanka). She's had a grandchild. The military is good. Thinking is advisable. Think in 2014.

All right, she's been doing it for a few years now and the material was bound to get stale, but surely it's time for a change?

Maybe her Church of England underling the Archbishop of Canterbury was testing the water with his online "Instagram" video message.

Officially it's about engaging with the flock.

But one can't help thinking that former oil exec Archbishop Welby is worrying about competition from the other corporation: a Pope who, the media tells us with awe, is actually interested in ordinary people.

Either way, you can rest assured that the Morning Star will rise above this end-of-year farce, remain with its feet firmly on the ground, and continue to bring you stories of the world as it really is in 2014.

Profit means Xmas misery

Much of the British media doesn't seem to be content unless someone else is facing misery, although the Morning Star would be delighted to bring more good news stories if only we could deliver them.

But even aside from the regular slice of Eastenders "festive cheer" it has indeed been a miserable Christmas for the thousands left to fend for themselves on December 25 when Hong Kong-owned privateer UK Power Networks appeared to give up the ghost.

In contrast to firefighters who broke off their Christmas Eve strike to help people trapped by flooding following that day's storms, at the electricity distributor it seemed to be a case of shrugged shoulders and no additional expenditure.

That doesn't include those volunteers among its staff who, the firm boasts, offered their time on Christmas to answer telephones.

But having someone pick up the phone is no replacement for a warm home and light a few days after the shortest day of the year.

Given that the weather was predicted well in advance, it appears to be a case of complacency, incompetence or cost-cutting.

Which is strange, really. UK Power Networks's current owners showed they are capable of splashing the cash with enthusiasm during the 2011 deal that saw them snap up these once publicly owned assets - formerly the London Electricity Board, Eastern Electricity, and South Eastern Electricity board - from France's EDF for £5.5 billion.

This may indeed be the time for charitable sentiments, but it's hard to ignore the profit motive as one likely culprit behind a shortage of sufficient emergency repair crews.