Sunday 29 May: Why is this Government so afraid of basic Conservative economics?

Posted on by Geoff Graham

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496 thoughts on “Sunday 29 May: Why is this Government so afraid of basic Conservative economics?”

  1. Give us a smile? Not unless you want to cause offence
    Employment laws and more ‘woke’ attitudes have increased sensitivity around behaviour in the office, experts say
    Telling your colleague to smile more is inappropriate, say two thirds of office workers, as a poll reveals the “dos” and “don’ts” in the modern workplace.

    Well, well, the thought police are out in force to tell us how to behave, no doubt prompted by the recent article identifying that bad manners were escalating in the office.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/05/28/telling-colleague-smile-inappropriate-say-majority-office-workers/

    1. Yo NTN

      HMG is smiling at us proles, or, more likely laughing at us, as the Great Reset gathers pace

      1. ‘Morning, OLT, check out Neil Oliver, earlier. He hits the nail on the head – as usual.

        Worth 9.5 minutes of your time.

  2. Give us a smile? Not unless you want to cause offence
    Employment laws and more ‘woke’ attitudes have increased sensitivity around behaviour in the office, experts say
    Telling your colleague to smile more is inappropriate, say two thirds of office workers, as a poll reveals the “dos” and “don’ts” in the modern workplace.

    Well, well, the thought police are out in force to tell us how to behave, no doubt prompted by the recent article identifying that bad manners were escalating in the office.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/05/28/telling-colleague-smile-inappropriate-say-majority-office-workers/

  5. Why is this Government so afraid of basic Conservative economics?
    Um, Because they aren’t Conservatives

    1. It’s also because basic Conservative economics have been confused ever since Thatcher, who was a neo-liberal. The concept of spending within your means was lost in an orgy of greed funded by trickery and borrowing. However, Thatcher delivered three elections to the Conservative Party and has been held in high esteem there ever since.

      I argue that a fundamental extension of what I believe to be Conservative economics is that the more you have, the more you can spend, and a lot of good things become affordable. We then have the luxury of arguing among ourselves and within ourselves the best way to spend this money. The purpose of the Party therefore is to enable this happy state of affairs. Key to this is that all of us have a contribution to make, making best use of our talents within our own individual niches, and the wider these are, the better. It is only limited by the scope of individual ingenuity and imagination, and all the while operating under a competitive regime to direct our talents where they most profitably enhance the national cake.

      Socialists, who throughout the 20th century were seen as traditional opponents to the Conservatives (whereas in the 19th it was the Liberals), decide first what are the good things they would like, without a thought as to how to pay for it. They presume there is a pot of gold for any such project, and it is merely a matter of extracting it from wherever it can be found. If it cannot be found, then “hard decisions” must be made, budgets cut, and those good things don’t actually materialise in reality. However, the intentions are clear and easily visible, whereas the prime preoccupation of Conservatives is to make the money first and then think about how to spend it.

      1. I would add that the current values of the Conservative Party, along with its membership. is to direct spending to party-going and status symbols rather than investing in those things that enhance the talents of all of us, most notably adult education and training as well as support for SMEs.

        I would also argue that the man and the institution that has done most to undermine Conservative economics, by giving huge incentives to all-and-sundry to borrow and squander, whilst penalising the thrifty, is not Boris Johnson or the Conservative Party, but rather Andrew Bailey and the Economic Policy Committee of the Bank of England, who are of course unaccountable to the public and let the elected Government off the hook.

        1. …”let the elected Government off the hook.”
          That was one of the purposes in detaching the BoE currency management from Government.

    1. Ah, but that’s the problem. They don’t believe it. They honestly don’t believe others do not have the same rights as them. They think themselves special, important, unique justified in their self righteousness.

      I would also mention there are an awful lot of brainless frogs in society.

    3. If the b’tard ever comes to Hampshire a stab vest won’t stop me.

      However, he and his ilk make this country unsafe. They wanted it flooded with dangerous criminals, this is the end result.

  9. Revived rouble may be Putin’s latest economic blunder. 28 may 2022.

    But Ribakova from the IIF says its officials are nonetheless in a “rough spot”. “If they continue loosening, they may open the floodgates of capital flows out of the country,” she says. “In previous crises, $200bn left the country in a matter of months.”

    For a while, Russia’s rouble rebound appeared to represent the country’s financial strength. But with no sign that its huge trade imbalance will shift soon – and limited room to manoeuvre – the currency could become a long-term thorn in Putin’s side.

    Until I read this I never knew how lucky we were to have a Massive Trade Deficit, a Debt Mountain and a £UKPound that is heading for parity with the $USDollar as if it belonged there! Lol!

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2022/05/28/revived-rouble-may-putins-latest-economic-blunder/?li_source=LI&li_medium=liftigniter-rhr

    1. Trade imbalance how? Lots of (Rouble-cheap) imports vs rouble-dear exports? I’d think there isn’t much Russia needs to import, being as it’s so huge, spans nearly half the globe, and is more than self-sufficient in oil, gas, grain, minerals… if Russians cannot import French brie, I’m sute they will be able to cope. They are good at withstanding hardship, Russians, they experienced so much and survive. What if they can’t export (like now, when there are embargoes all over on Russian exports and the Rouble hasn’t collapsed) – is that so much of a problem for them?

      1. I would be interested to know how much Russia is exporting “off the grid” to China, all the ‘istans, India and via those countries on to other parts of the world.

        1. Even more when they get hold of Ukraine’s agriculture and its ports. The whole point of land grab is to enhance one’s productive capacity and direct it strategically in favour of the imperial power base. Having cornered the market, they can name their price.

          We are back to the ancient rules of war over the centuries I thought humanity had progressed beyond after WW2 – which Empire will prevail?

          Where are our classics scholars when we need them?

          1. And the beauty of the strategy is that it will cause mass movement of dependent people into the West, demanding to be fed by countries that will have to import the food, because the Greeniac policies will have reduced their own capacity to produce and supply.

  10. I enjoyed watching the Rugby yesterday on tv, League and Union, I didn’t even realise there was any football going on.

  12. Justin Welby: Church must be wary of ‘throwing stones’ at politicians

    Archbishop of Canterbury says ‘we’re not wagging our finger’, after backlash against his series of tweets on partygate

    It would help the C of E cause, if Welby were a Christian

    .It seems he has the job to close ‘The Church’ down
    Shut the churches at the time the were needed most, during Convidmania
    More Bishops that imams, and that is saying a lot

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/05/28/justin-welby-church-must-wary-throwing-stones-politicians/

    1. As ever, the only thing BBC seems to consider interests Christians is the promotion of homosexuality, as repeated every week on the ‘Sunday’ programme on R4.

      I doubt the good Archbishop, being raised on a diet of BBC orthodoxy within the context of London financiers, has any more idea what God or the purpose of the Church is than Father Dougal McGuire.

      2. Good morning JM

        English Weather
        I just read something about weather in England:

        The Archbishop of Canterbury and The Royal Commission for Political Correctness announced today that the climate in the UK should no longer be referred to as _’English Weather’._

        In order to no longer offend a sizable portion of the UK population, it will now be referred to as _’Muslim Weather’_ — partly Sunni, but mostly Shi’ite.

        1. When it’s raining cats & dogs, it depends from which end it comes from whether it counts as Shi’ite.

    2. Good morning OLT

      A Catholic Priest and a Rabbi were chatting one day when the conversation turned to a discussion of job descriptions and promotion
      “What do you have to look forward to in way of a promotion in your job?” asked the Rabbi.

      “Well, I’m next in line for the Monsignor’s job.” replied the Priest.

      “Yes, and then what?” asked the Rabbi.

      “Well, next I can become Bishop.” said the Priest.

      “Yes, and then?” asked the Rabbi.

      “If I work real hard and do a good job as Bishop, it’s possible for me to become an Archbishop.” said the Priest.

      “O.K., then what?” asked the Rabbi.

      The Priest, beginning to get a bit exasperated replied, “With some luck and real hard work, maybe I can become a Cardinal.”

      “And then?” asked the Rabbi.

      The Priest is really starting to get mad now and replies, “With lots and lots of luck and some real difficult work and if I’m in the right places at the right times and play my political games just right, maybe, just maybe, I can get elected Pope.”

      “Yes, and then what?” asked the Rabbi.

      “Good grief!” shouted the Priest. “What do you expect me to become, GOD?”

      “Well,” said the Rabbi, “One of our boys made it!”

  13. Justin Welby: Church must be wary of ‘throwing stones’ at politicians

    Archbishop of Canterbury says ‘we’re not wagging our finger’, after backlash against his series of tweets on partygate

    It would help the C of E cause, if Welby were a Christian

    .It seems he has the job to close ‘The Church’ down
    Shut the churches at the time the were needed most, during Convidmania
    More Bishops that imams, and that is saying a lot

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/05/28/justin-welby-church-must-wary-throwing-stones-politicians/

  14. 352845+ up ticks,

    Morning Each,

    Sunday 29 May: Why is this Government so afraid of basic Conservative economics?

    Simples really, if a genuine Conservative move was suggested comparisons could be made with what had / is taken place these last near four decades.

    This ersatz tory party has certainly had a run for its money backed ALL the pro eu way by the electoral herd.

    Clearly seen now by the Dover daily influx campaign,

    Sinking-ship definition …
    Something which is doomed; an impending organised debacle; an ongoing orchestrated disaster, still finding favour with the majority of the electorate via the party before Country voting pattern.

    Currently the good ship Blighty is making a good fist via the lab/lib/con coalition supporter / voter successful trimming campaign, regarding a visitation to Mr D Jones.

  15. It’s funny how the French can keep Scousers out but not economic third world migrants

    I understand even Mayor Khan got in

  16. Russia advances in east; Ukraine calls for longer-range weapons. 28 May 2022.

    Russian forces have stepped up their assault on the Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk after claiming to have captured the nearby rail hub of Lyman, as Kyiv intensified calls for longer-range weapons from the West.

    Slow, solid Russian gains in recent days in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas, comprising the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, point to a subtle momentum shift in the war, now in its fourth month.

    This is reminiscent of the Fuhrer’s calls for the Wunderwaffen that would save him and the Third Reich. Even when he got them they proved to be useless. What he really needed of course was another million soldiers to hold back the Red Army.

    Russia advances in east; Ukraine calls for longer-range weapons (msn.com)

    1. Since the Russians got a new general, they’ve adopted a “Snowball” approach to this invasion. Rather than relying on hubris and Shock-and-Awe to take out the capital within the week and install a puppet (as they did in Hungary and Czechoslovakia), a sounder approach, without the crucial reinforcement of Ukrainians the Soviets enjoyed, is to roll the snowball – the slower it goes, the more snow it can pick up and the bigger it gets. Haste is counterproductive. The taking of towns in the Donbas seems to be thorough and relentless, and will carry on for as long as the Russians can keep supplying the tanks and missile carriers, paid for by this hike in energy prices.

      I do not know if Kyiv has an answer to this other than to reduce the weight of the snowball and with it its capacity to gather more snow as it trundles across from East to West.

      At this speed, it will be a while before it gets to Poland, but the West shouldn’t rule it out, which is why the West has an interest in helping Kyiv reduce the size of the snowball.

    1. Glad it got there in the end, Bill. We’ve had it for the last couple of days!

  18. Vladimir Putin may already be dead with body double taking his place, MI6 chiefs claim. 28 May 2022

    The Daily Star reports that a body double may have been used for recent appearances, as Kremlin cronies would be keen to cover up his death in an attempt to cling on to power.

    There have been rumours that the warmonger’s health has been deteriorating in recent months, with his face appearing bloated and observer’s questioning whether the 69-year-old might have blood cancer.

    Oh God! Is this the same Daily Star that had a picture on the front page of a bus on the moon?

    https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/vladimir-putin-dead-russia-ukraine-27093054

  19. ‘Morning, Peeps.

    Sunny start but rain forecast later.

    SIR – What with quantitative easing, furlough, Test and Trace, net zero and the latest income-support scheme, the Conservatives seem hell bent on bankrupting our once wonderful country.

    Roger Simmens
    Lyndhurst, Hampshire

    Having let spending rip they are reluctant to stop. Besides, they aren’t Conservatives, as has been said here many times.

    3. Myfanwy Hertz MP, very good, for a minute I thought, “Bloody Welsh…!”

      1. She has a car business shop in llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

        1. A couple of tourists were having their lunch in a cafe there and the guy said to the waitress “How do you pronounce where we are?” She said ” B-u-r-g-h-e-r k-i-n-g”

    4. Apart from the animal on the head, a bronze of an haemaphrodite sits in the West Wycombe house portico. Nothing is new under the sun!

    5. Moh not wearing shorts? Wise man! That’s guaranteed to make it really hot & sunny!

  21. SIR – The culture and tone of any organisation or office are shaped by the leader.

    If it is true that Boris Johnson wasn’t aware of the gatherings going on in Downing Street during lockdown, that is as much a failure of leadership as it would have been had he organised them himself.

    Equally damning are the accounts in Sue Gray’s report of the mistreatment of support staff – another sign of an unacceptable culture. In the words of the late General Sir Michael Gow: “You will not deserve to fill any post in leadership or administration if for one moment you forget the importance and dignity of those whose servant you should be.”

    Mark Mortimer
    Blandford, Dorset

    Quite right, Mr Mortimer. Besides, what did you expect from a government that is being run by a moral and principle-free clown??

      1. Living on the edge of farm land as we do, we have a quite a number of Wood pigeons in our garden. They always remind me of politicians.
        They strut around attracting attention and nodding their heads, pecking and scoffing at anything they can find, the make unentertaining noises, as in who, who, who, that no other birds make. They are nearly always shagging each other. They take their free drinks from the bird bath that I willingly supply for all of the other species and as they take off after a drink they
        sh one t in the water. And I have to clean up after them.

        1. Round here the wood pigeons are forever complaining, “my toe bleeds, Betty” 🙂

    2. You treat your cleaners, quartermaster and caretaker as if they are your boss.

  22. Has anyone else seen the article in yesterday’s Murdoch Rag about the revisions to the Ministerial Code? Apparently a breach of the code – such as lying to Parliament or accepting £58,000 for redecorating the Downing Street flat – is no longer a resigning matter. And the instigator of these changes? Yes, none other than the Bullingdon Boy himself. Presumably he’s preparing the ground for yet another shambles involving dishonesty. I find the fact that he was able to do this to be absolutely shocking, and obviously a clear abuse of the powers he apparently has.

    And there was I, thinking that he couldn’t sink any lower…

    1. I’ve never understood that lying to parliament malarkey.
      What’s so special about them, they have all been lying to us for decades.

      1. Politicians have parliamentary privilege, which means they can’t be sued for what they say in parliament.
        In exchange for that, it makes it axiomatic that if caught lying they should be expelled.
        Hopefully this will follow the law of unintended consequences and result in lots of very expensive legal cases against MPs.

        1. An MP bringing ill repute through action or speech should be able to be removed by their masters – us.

          If a politician refuses to vote as we tell him to, acts inappropriately or otherwise behaves against our wishes then first we should be able to stop their pay and expenses and after a vote of 51% of the local population, remove them from office.

          1. Right of recall would certainly be on my agenda, but getting 51% of the local population to actually vote at all might be a challenge.

          2. I believe Switzerland operate this way – does anyone know how it works and could it be adopted in a political party’s manifesto?

      2. “The pound in your pocket …”
        “The Common Market …”
        “45 minutes to ….”
        “Our NHS …”

      3. Yep they can lie to us but not to parliament (who are our representatives)

    2. So now the Code of Conduct has been trashed ..

      Boris has really defined the Augean stables
      Westminster , a place marked by great accumulation of filth or corruption.

    3. From what I can gather from other places, this interpretation is MEEJAH hype and bullshite.
      The revision removes the expectation of resignation over inadvertently misleading Parliament, but still expects the sinner to fall on his sword if they deliberately lie.

  23. Just had a short Jubilee week power cut – lasted about half an hour – the length of time I was holding on to report the,er, power cut. My call was important to them, of course, so important that no one could deal with it….

    2. BT (that’s British Telecom) concedes that when landlines are transfered to the internet your old phones (powered from the local exchange) will no longer function to report a power failure.

      Power companies will be left in the dark about the plight of their customers and calls will no longer be important to them!

  24. Ukraine pleads for weapons as Russian onslaught threatens to turn the tide. 29 May 2022.

    Ukraine is in a race against time to save the eastern Donbas region as relentless Russian artillery and air strikes threaten to turn the tide of the war, and support for Kyiv’s continued defiance among some west European allies appears to be slipping.

    I guess things are not going too well. I watched the beginning of two BBC News Bulletins yesterday; Ukraine didn’t even make it into the top five headlines!

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/28/ukraine-pleads-for-weapons-as-russian-onslaught-threatens-to-turn-the-tide

  25. Good morning all.
    A slightly less chilly start today with the tad above 7°C outside. It was sunny when I got up, with scattered cloud, but the sky has now closed up to a bright overcast.

  26. Has anyone understood the Advert Letter from

    Claire Enders
    Founder, Enders Analysis,
    London WC2?

    Subscription BBC

    SIR – Andrew Orlowski’s article fails to understand the structural and conceptual problems involved in funding a public-service broadcaster via subscription.

    By setting some of the article in his version of 2032, he sidesteps the difficulties of placing video services behind a paywall while also offering universality of access. He suggests, incorrectly, that all it would take is a “smart TV, and some willpower”.

    If the licence fee is replaced by a subscription, there must be some form of conditional access system in place to ensure that only households that have paid for the BBC receive it. Mr Orlowski offers two solutions: controlling access by either pay-TV set-top boxes or a “BBC premium” app for smart TVs in non pay-TV homes that allows access to encrypted broadcast channels.

    Both the pay-TV route (a minimum of £33 per month from Sky) and a connected smart television (a minimum of £17.99 per month for 10Mpbs) would incur additional costs to access the BBC that are currently not necessary. Both of these are higher than the £13.25 licence fee, before any BBC subscription is paid.

    Regarding homes without a pay-TV box, two factors undermine the article’s premise. The first is that only 68 per cent of homes have a smart TV connected to broadband. The second is that DTT (Freeview), the UK’s largest TV platform, and Freesat have no conditional access system, so channels cannot be encrypted. As a result, even were the facility to encrypt channels developed and introduced, many households would need to buy a new set-top box or TV to access something intended to be universally available. This would be a much greater structural undertaking than the digital switchover between 2005 and 2012 – and that cost £500 million in planning, marketing and communications.

    As Mr Orlowski notes, there could be software solutions that provide conditional access to broadcast streams on smart TVs, and in specific scenarios they might not require internet access. However, the 2032 setting of the piece reveals the folly of this proposal – catch-up and on-demand are growing, along with more content going exclusively online. In this scenario, a BBC viewer without sufficient bandwidth will be poorly served. While gigabit broadband is expected to be available to 99 per cent of premises by 2030, we expect that a substantial number of households will still not take advantage of the connectivity available.

    2. It’s twaddle written by someone who is desperately trying to make a case for subscription TV channels not being possible.

    6. Enders Analysis is hilarious. It’s puff. Firstly, if gigabit connectivity were offered – and it won’t be – then everyone would leap at it. However, we would be 10 years behind our neighbours and most wouldn’t actually be 10GB, or as it’s be suppledi by cable, which is coax and not bi directional.

      You can encrypt a radio signal. If folk wanted to receive the BBC then they could be given choices – a smart TV, a set top box or an app, like.. oh, iPlayer. Folk could then choose to watch anything the BBC provides, at any time – as they do with Netflix.

      Suggesting there are barriers is true, but those barriers are tiny speedbumps, not 100 metre steel gates. The BBC could always put some content on a free channel with advertising if it wanted. The choices are endless. The problem is will – or, more likely, won’t.

  28. Our selfish dismantling of marriage has left children in a lonely Dickensian hell. Peter Hitchens. 29 May 2022.

    I suspect most reporters now writing about the Ukraine war do not even know that it began in 2014 with a violent US-backed putsch against the legitimate, elected president. Or perhaps they just don’t believe it. Well, this is what Jack Matlock, who was Ronald Reagan’s ambassador to Moscow, says.

    He states that the USA ‘supported an illegal coup d’etat that changed the Ukrainian government in 2014, a procedure not normally considered consistent with the rule of law or democratic governance’. He should know. This shocking fact is true and shameful. The first shots in this horrible, needless war were not fired by Russia.

    The sum of Mr Hitchens thoughts today on Ukraine. That D Notice must ban him from commenting on current events! Lol!

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-10863959/PETER-HITCHENS-selfish-dismantling-marriage-left-children-lonely-Dickensian-hell.html

  30. AstraZeneca vaccine may increase risk of serious neurological condition

    Scientists believe the jab’s Trojan horse delivery system could be causing a rise in Guillain-Barré syndrome cases

    Well I never. who would have thought such a thing possible, after all the trials and testings that have been done

    (Thunderbolt Strikes House)

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/05/28/astrazeneca-vaccine-may-increase-risk-serious-neurological-condition/?li_source=LI&li_medium=liftigniter-rhr

    1. 5 for me too,
      Wordle 344 5/6

      ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
      ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜
      ⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜
      🟨⬜⬜🟩⬜
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

      1. 5 for me too,
        Wordle 344 5/6

        ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜
        ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟨
        ⬜🟩⬜🟨⬜
        ⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜
        🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

  32. Lester Piggot is dead! Caught me by surprise there! I thought that he pegged out years ago!

    1. Me too.

      My wife just declared Lester had died and I replied with “didn’t that happen years ago”.

    5. I’m sure I saw him in a racing context (not riding, obviously) about a month ago. He was a legend.

    1. Yo F_A
      The text helped a lot,

      I was going to say tremendously, but I acnnot spell it

    1. I will refrain from posting the joke which explains the difference between a dog and a fox.

          2. What a cluttered house you have! I like the pigeon, though – must be a homer.

          3. Actually that place is quite tidy – we [or more realistically, I] still have piles of kit from various sports that I can’t contemplate getting rid of – at present! And, loads of books.

          5. 🎵 Where did you get that hat

            Where did you get that tile

            Isn’t it a nobby one

            And just the proper style

            I should like to have one

            Just the same as that

            Wherever I go they’d shout “Hello”

            Where did you get that hat.🎵

  35. I thought things were going well this morning. Two magpies took off as I started walking Oscar on Kit Hill. Then this cuckoo landed on telegraph wires 30yds away and he immediately started calling. There was a bing sound from my mobile meaning a text. The skipper from tomorrow’s looked forward to fishing charter has gastroenteritis and can’t leave his house, let alone take us out.
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9582feeebcf9857f271d6bf533ca89b8287faa2ea82cb1df9339b6fbf0963948.jpg

          1. Now you mention it, I can’t recall hearing any at Briston in the ten years I lived there.

          3. No. I have countless buzzards and red kites here. They have no detrimental effect on our balance of nature. I have recorded no fewer than 83 bird species from my garden alone.

  36. Headline in the DT:

    “Boris Johnson declares war on rip-off petrol stations
    ‘Furious’ Prime Minister vows to name and shame those who fail to pass on fuel duty cut”

    Wow, he’s really on fire, isn’t he? (Not!) How long ago was the (alleged) duty reduction, and where has he been since then?

    Government by headline. Pathetic.

    1. This is pretty typical of the 800 or so BTL comments:

      Quiet Life
      13 HRS AGO
      This stupid fat fxxx just does not get it does he… as if a 5p/litre cut in fuel duty is the problem – the problem is rampant inflation due to this moron and his chums shutting down and destroying the economy whilst spaffing billions down the drain on Wuhan flu.

      Richard Mosley
      13 HRS AGO
      Pathetic micromanaging from a PM who decides policy depending on social media.
      Focus on the big issues Bunter you tool.
      Cut taxes. Stop illegal immigration. No further NHS funding without reform. Stand up to the marxist unions. Stop lying (difficult I know). Treat us like adults.
      Otherwise time to go.
      Better still, go anyway.

    3. As 80% of the cost of a litre of petrol is tax, he needs to take the beam out of his eye.

  37. John Major promised to make Britain a classless society.

    I was in Wetherspoons earlier.

    He certainly did a thorough job.

  38. Breaking News. Burglary rate in Liverpool drops to zero. Burglary in Paris rockets.

  39. Despite the showers, was able to get bonfire going again and have – in the last hour – disposed of all the stuff that needing burning. Only sorry I could not have added our “MP” to the blaze.

      1. Good day to you, young lady.

        There is something about our smug, eco-freak, green, climate-changing, illegal immigrant welcoming git that encapsulated this bunch of useless wanqueurs. He claims to be a “Tory” but is far to the left of Ken Livingstone.

        1. BoJo complaining about failure to pass on the 5p litre fuel cut to motorists – talk about pot and kettle. It’s HMG that is causing a lot of our woes at the moment, energy wise. They are useless, cretinous, ivory-tower living criminals. Words fail me about the rest of what’s going on. Well, they don’t, actually,but too many expletives spring to mind to repeat here!

    1. Nothing to do with Obama and Co. destabilising a legitimate regime in Ukraine in 2014 then?

      1. Let alone that complete lunatic “Lady” Ashton – who, single-handedly, almost started WW3.

  41. ”

    SIR – I was once with my four-year-old in the toy section of Woolworths when I looked down and realised that he had no shoes on (Letters, May 22). When I asked where they were, he said he had left them at the door, as he did at home.
    Wendy Foley
    ”
    Sweet… Though obviously not middle class.

  42. A man of Arab ancestry who was born in Zanzibar and gained degrees in England talks of the horrors of the evil British Empire.

    British empire nostalgia played part in Brexit vote, says Nobel laureate
    Abdulrazak Gurnah said imperial attitudes were fuelled by the government withholding details of Britain’s colonial past

    https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/may/28/british-empire-brexit-vote-nobel-laureate-abdulrazak-gurnah

    His Wiki entry says he lives in Canterbury, has British citizenship and maintains close ties with Tanzania, where he still has family: “I am from there. In my mind I live there. I go there when I can”. But not too often, eh, Abdul?

        1. Not received in either in box nor spam and I’ve checked if accidentally deleted.
          Nothing anywhere.

    2. Well Abdul, you’re free to leave. If you don’t like this country, go live somewhere else?

    5. ‘Imperial attitudes played a part in the Brexit vote’? I am 70, and grew up in a post-Empire Britain. My only knowledge of the Empire is through history books. It certainly did not influence my decision to vote Leave, which was based on my judgement of the direction in which the EU was going, not for any return to ‘Empire’. Abdul seems to think that all Brexiteers are ancient racists hankering after a Britain which ceased to exist over 60 years ago.

    6. Another immigrant who hates us but wants to live here and benefit from everything we’ve worked for. Don’t just live in Tanzania in your mind, mate. Go back permanently.

    1. Well, no, it isn’t, and that’s the point – you have nothing to say about politics. The church is fading into irrelevance because it doesn’t stand for anything. It’s tried to grasp at any Lefty cause going – gays, trans, blacks while ignoring the fundamental nature of belief – that it’s for everyone, not just one group defined by a label evil people slap on them.

  44. Presumably, with Monkey Pox about to destroy the World, one should avoid visiting a Zoo…..

  45. Top universities pledge to ‘decolonise’ courses to win ‘woke’ charity’s awards

    MPs hit out at institutions such as the University of Warwick rewriting curricula to curry favour with Advance HE

    Universities across Britain are pledging to “decolonise” their curricula in defiance of ministers as they compete for awards from a scheme accused of causing “the most egregious wokery” on campuses.

    Of the 23 universities handed an award as part of Advance HE’s race equality charter (REC), 20 – including the University of Warwick and Imperial College London – have explicitly said they are “decolonising” courses, while the remainder have pledged to “liberate”, “diversify” or introduce “compulsory race equality” to their syllabi.

    The pledges appear at odds with warnings by ministers over the issue. Michelle Donelan, the universities minister, has likened the so-called decolonisation of reading lists, syllabi and exams to the Soviet Union “censoring history”.

    She said on Saturday night: “Academic freedom is a cornerstone of our system and it is academics, not university bureaucrats or quangos such as Advance HE, who should be determining the curriculum our students are being taught. I want universities to focus on delivering high-quality, face-to-face teaching, not wasting taxpayers and students’ money on divisive initiatives such as trigger warnings, cancelling historical figures or erasing our history and heritage. At best, these initiatives are a distraction. At worst, so-called ‘decolonisation’ is a dangerous initiative that undermines scholarship, divides our society and undermines the global standing of our university system.”

    MPs said that Advance HE, a charity that charges thousands of pounds a year for membership to its charter, appeared to be responsible for universities “erasing history”. Sir John Hayes, the chairman of the Common Sense Group, said: “It is clear that this organisation is subverting the curriculum. This is closing minds rather than opening them, which is the antithesis of what higher education should be.”

    Pauline Latham, another Conservative backbencher, claimed that the body was “trying to destroy British culture”. Other Tory MPs said that the disclosures also cast doubt on the recent insistence by Advance HE that the charter does not require higher education institutions to decolonise their curricula in order to win an award.

    Brendan Clarke-Smith, another member of the Common Sense Group, said: “Advance HE says its ‘race equality charter’ doesn’t require universities to decolonise their curricula, yet all universities that have received their ‘bronze award’ have made the commitment to do so. It’s obvious that Advance HE is trying to hide its true objectives which are to prevent today’s students from being taught facts, to deny our history and to take apart British culture.”

    The 2020 Black Lives Matter protests fuelled calls for reviews of statues of historical figures from Sir Winston Churchill to Charles Dickens, as well as of the inclusion of their written work in libraries and university syllabi.

    Advance HE bills its race equality charter as a “framework through which institutions work to identify and self-reflect on institutional and cultural barriers standing in the way of black, Asian and minority ethnic staff and students”.

    However, government figures and MPs are concerned that a desire to find favour with Advance HE is behind moves, such as overhauling curricula to remove classic texts that may now be deemed offensive.

    In its successful application for a bronze award from the scheme last year, Imperial College London said that it had carried out surveys of students and staff required by the charter, and held focus groups to discuss the themes in the survey, which is written by Advance HE. A section of Advance HE’s application form for the bronze award stated: “Please outline how you consider race equality within course content. This should include reference to new and existing courses.”

    The university responded: “A particular need to progress with decolonising the curriculum and make it more race aware was highlighted by our REC focus groups. This work will likely have many dimensions… and has been included within the delivery plan of the Learning and Teaching Strategy.”

    A separate application by Warwick, which was also successful, stated: “Our Decolonise programme is still in its infancy and the REC survey outcomes indicate that there is room for improvement in extending the uptake and impact of this work. Anti-racist pedagogy must be mainstreamed into departmental course and curriculum development.”

    De Montfort University (DMU) in Leicester stated on its website that “some work which has supported our REC submissions includes decolonising DMU” – a project to “decolonise the university”.

    Last year, the Government’s Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities concluded that “neither the banning of white authors or token expressions of black achievement will help to broaden young minds”.

    Tory MPs compared its influence on universities via the scheme to the Diversity Champions programme, run by Stonewall, from which a series of government bodies have withdrawn over controversy about its value for money and the charity’s influence on Whitehall. Stonewall insisted it simply helps employers to “build an LGBTQ+ inclusive workplace for their employees”.

    Earlier this month, The Telegraph disclosed concerns in government that Advance HE was behind “the most egregious wokery” in higher education institutions. Alison Johns, the chief executive of Advance HE, said: “We support our members [to] tackle inequalities and racism – which evidence shows undoubtedly exist in higher education. This work is complex and nuanced. REC is a non-prescriptive framework which does not require universities to ‘decolonise’ their curricula. Rather, applicants are asked to outline how they consider race equality within course content.”

    She added: “There are many ways to address racism and we recognise some of these theories are contested. However, as autonomous institutions, the work universities do to create an inclusive institution must be relevant for their own context and not prescribed. Their applications for membership or an award in the REC are peer-reviewed independently of Advance HE.”

    Warwick said it was “proud” of its bronze award and was working to ensure that “racial diversity and inclusion are the norm”.

    Neither Imperial College London nor De Montfort University responded to a request for comment.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/05/28/top-universities-pledge-decolonise-courses-win-woke-charitys/

    TBH, I’m stumped when reading of this nonsense. How do you stop it without state interference?

    1. Withdraw its charitable status. Big question is how it got charitable status in the first place.

    2. Decolonising – a newish buzz word which has nothing to do with the actual process of decolonisation, which is the relinquishing of control of a country by the colonising power.

      The only explanation I have come across for decolonisation in education is as follows:- “Within the educational context, this means confronting and challenging the colonizing practices that have influenced education in the past, and which are still present today”. Which means precisely nothing. What are “colonizing practices that have influenced education”? Bullshit.

    3. Shirley, the word should be decolonialise, not decolonise

      Judging by the number of Doveristas arriving daily, Decolonising is moving quickly afoot and by Rubber Boat

      1. Different derivation. “Decolonise” does not come from the word “colonial” which refers to running countries for the benefit of the majority, teaching them English, introducing the rule of law, providing infrastructure and jobs, hygiene and medicine , as well as providing and encouraging education for all up to University entrance level.
        “Decolonise” comes from the word “colon” and refers to the generation and excretion of ordure.

  46. Does anyone else remember that episode of Dallas where an entire season was a dream?

    Or Neighbours, where it turned out it was Bouncers dream?

    Well, whichever nightmarish insane maniac is sorting the crazed madness of their neurons as part of REM sleep for the current era, would they please wake up so we can revert to 1997 and never, ever have the Blair misery imposed on us, nor the spiteful profligacy of Brown, the weather vane Cameron or the absurd May and just have a rational government that doesn’t want to do down the country?

  47. Some good news.

    Animal rights activists ‘sprayed with manure’ during protest at beef industry event

    Animal rights activists have been “sprayed with manure” after being confronted by angry farmers during a protest at Britain’s largest beef industry event.

    The incident took place outside Darlington Farmers Auction Mart (DFAM) in County Durham earlier today as demonstrations resulted in one protester being taken to hospital. Photos showed mask-clad activists from the Animal Justice Project (AJP) standing on the roof of the building holding banners and spraying coloured smoke flares. A spokesperson for the group said campaigners were left “covered in excrement” after one event attendee allegedly used a sprayer to blast manure at them. They said another activist was injured after farmers allegedly ploughed towards a group of protesters in a JCB digger. The AJP said its protest was “peaceful” and “silent” and aimed to highlight “farmed animal suffering and environmental safety concerns”.

    But an AJP spokesperson added: “We’ve been sprayed with cow poo by one farmer using a machine. It has been a peaceful protest and a silent protest and we are overwhelmed and outnumbered by hundreds of angry farmers. It’s really violent and there was one farmer who went along and sprayed everyone’s clothes. Shouting, swearing, spraying us with manure, ripped the banners down. It’s absurd.”

    The National Beef Association (NBA) described the event as a celebration of the best of British beef which attracts at least 5,000 guests every year. The group said the farming event “glorifies the exploitation and killing of animals” which is “fundamentally wrong and unjust”.

    Police have been on the scene since 5am working to bring the demonstration to an end, however activists said they intend to stay indefinitely.

    Mark Dent, chair of DFAM, said earlier he believed the protesters were the source of “intimidation”. He said: “We respect people’s right to protest, but the way they go about it doesn’t help their cause. There is no respect for people’s property or livelihood. I’m afraid then you lose your moral high ground… It’s a tin roof and they’re jumping up and down on it, and it’s bending. They’ve got their faces covered. It’s intimidation (and) threatening behaviour. I’m all for people protesting what they believe in, but it’s the way they go about it – the face coverings, the intimidation.”

    He added: “If you have a pair of eyes you will see how important agriculture is around the world at the moment. Food is top of the agenda.”

    A spokesperson for the NBA claimed there was a “wonderful atmosphere” at the event and did not comment further on the protest.

    Durham Police said: “Our officers are working to bring the protest to a safe end and to minimise the impact on the wider community.”

    https://news.sky.com/story/animal-rights-activists-sprayed-with-manure-during-protest-at-beef-industry-event-12623110

    3. Racists the lot of them
      What gives the AJP protestors the right to say a ‘cows’ life is more important than that of the cabbage. etc, which they eat

      I suppose though that in the Ascent of Person Table, the AJP are a lot closer to the cabbages than to a bovine

    4. “There’s no beefing about it, Sherlock, there’s nothing better than a succulent cut of tasty British beef”
      “Naturally, I couldn’t agree more – it’s excremental my dear Watson!”

      1. Apart from the fact that most of it is killed in muslim-owned or halal-compliant abbatoirs… which unfortunately puts it off my menu unless I know where it has come from. A bit like my severely cutting down on EU produce…

    6. Many years ago in the 6th form at school, I was thrown by a horse into the midden. (It probably saved me from a broken back!) From experience, no matter how many baths I had in the following days, it took some time for the pong to completely fade.
      Mind you, I always got a seat to myself on the train up to school;-)

    7. Many years ago in the 6th form at school, I was thrown by a horse into the midden. (It probably saved me from a broken back!) From experience, no matter how many baths I had in the following days, it took some time for the pong to completely fade.
      Mind you, I always got a seat to myself on the train up to school;-)

    9. They had the choice to be there or to be at home. They chose to disrupt other people’s live. These are the consequences.

      Frankly, they’ve got away with it for far too long.

    11. I think it was broadcast by an independent Russian broadcaster that in the Cotswolds, beef is old hat, and correctly considered abusive to harmless animals. I do believe there is a sign up now at the Diddly Squat farmer’s local market for local people that reads “You’ll never leave”.

      No objection has been registered by the AJP, since neighbours do not qualify as animals.

    12. Now, if the Ginge’s wife had been there, we would have had

      Slurry with the Cringe on Top

    14. The PressReader version of this story had a load of trolls deploring this action; the farmers are the aggressors in this piece now yadda yadda yadda

    1. On the way to his execution, Socrates asked his young student, Plato, to ‘offer up a cock to Asclepius for me’.

      Plato replied: “You’re dead right I will”.

  49. I say, was’t it an AMAZING stroke of pure chance that a film crew happened to be there when Trash made a “private, unannounced” visit and laid a bokay of flahs at the school when those children were murdered by a nutcase?

    I mean talk about a pure fluke, eh? You’d have thought they would have “respected her privacy”….

        1. Oh! hang on. The Megan creature. To an extent, I imagine that cameras people follow her everywhere to get photos to sell.

          Equally i don’t put it pas her to arrange it herself either. She’s verminous.

          1. Ginge and Cringe have a camera crew following them all the time now to make a documentary of their day to day lives. I think part of the $100,000,000 Netflix deal. I won’t bother watching their pretend lives.

          3. I believe Netflix executives are regretting it. They have already cancelled her dopey wokey animation.

          6. She would have taken a private flight from LA over to Texas, so they must have been mighty wealthy photographers to have another jet standing by just in case she went somewhere.

            Or of course she could have invited them along like her Netflix buddies.

          7. Probably used Netflix private jet to film footage for the upcoming “Life with blah, blah”

    5. I have half inched that pic. Hope you don’t mind. I sent it to my gardener and told him he has his work cut out !

  51. Coming into force at end June 2022 are new Government regulations for suppliers of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging points to conform to smart metering requirements to enable power providers to limit the times when EV owners can charge their vehicles.

    This is not even a tax on EV owners to limit their use of an increasingly rare future fuel commodity but a downright prohibition of the use of an essential means of transport for business, pleasure and emergencies.

    My old diesel car seems to be ever increaing in value!

    Overview
    Electric vehicle charge points sold in Great Britain for private (domestic or workplace) use are being regulated to help manage the increase in electricity demand from the transition to electric vehicles.

    The regulations ensure charge points have smart functionality, allowing the charging of an electric vehicle when there is less demand on the grid, or when more renewable electricity is available. The regulations also ensure that charge points
    meet certain device-level requirements, enabling a minimum level of access, security and information for consumers.

    The Electric Vehicles (Smart Charge Points) Regulations 2021 is the underpinning legislation.

    https://www.gov.uk/guidance/regulations-electric-vehicle-smart-charge-points

    1. Which just endorses our idea that smart meters are there as a sole means of limiting the amount of electricity available to you – and your neighbours.

      1. As opposed to a normal meter, which they’ll just cut off with a black/brown out.

        The intent of smart meters originally was to scare people into energy reduction. Now they’re going to be used to charge people more to use energy when they need it, forcing everyone to change how they live.

        Seriously, this government and it’s demented agenda must go. The entire edifice of government, the whole thing burned to the ground. Every last greeniac trying to destroy our way of life hanged. The hellscape they’re forcing on us, the devolution of everything we have achieved must be reversed and the state machine forcing it smashed.

    2. And just like that, people accepted remote commands to turn off their electricity.

      They can pre-program the times, but for the % renewables, they will have to query the provider.
      What an utterly car-p idea.

    3. Actually, the extra electricity requirement for electric cars is apparently quite small in relation to total electricity consumption in the UK. My chum in Holland is a professional power analyst, and I posed the question to him a couple of years ago.
      This plan simply reveals a proportion of the overall Big Plan for controlling and rationing electricity. It highlights why smart meters were introduced in the first place. This rationing will be universal. The excuse is just that, an excuse. If sensible energy management arrangements had been made years ago, we would now have lots of cheap energy, and happy and profitable providers. We still have reserves of oil, gas and coal, and possibilities for hydro power.

      1. We still have reserves of oil, gas and coal, and possibilities for hydro power.

        But there’s a big future in the production of environmentally friendly syngas from readily available wood chips to make electricity for EVs.

        This guy demonstrates a small enough wood chip pyrolyser to charge a hybrid EV!

        https://youtu.be/AyTqo4mCUUY

        1. Great fun! However a Sterling engine might be easier? It does not look too efficient, but what do I know? Not only that but I am having trouble in getting my hands on a 1992 Dodge Dakota.

          1. Yes, it certainly looks as though the Stirling engine is an ideal heat/mechanical generator to power a hybrid EV.
            As this guy says we are just waiting for an inventor to change te world by doing some Stirling work in repacing the internal combustion engine:

            https://youtu.be/taDHMw38aE0

      2. It’s not that one is an issue, but forcing everyone to have one requires basically doubling our eleectricity generating output.

        The state is trying to force down our energy generation through taxation and scarcity and the enforced reliance on the unreliable, inefficient and pointless windmills.

        This is no longer – and has never really been – about ecology or environmentalism. the true reason is rationing – of resources, of choice, of freedom. Advanced societies need energy. By making energy so expensive the state achieves it’s goal of removing freedom.

    4. Why when they say ‘help manage’ do I read ‘control’? It is all so simple to resolve. Build power stations. Lots of them. The refusal to do so, the obsession with enforcing a high tax, big state economy is just ludicrous.

      Socialism does not, never have and cannot work. Call it what you want, levelling up, the great leap forward, whatever. It just results in misery and poverty. These fools have got to be stopped before people die from their demented, idiotic agenda.

    1. There’s a lesson in this piece on what football players should do when a banana is thrown on the pitch
      (and it’s not to take a fake dive on the banana skin!).

      1. The stallholder was acting on the spur of the moment. A banana thrown on to a pitch might have a razor blade inserted in to it.

        I get your point though. They need to grow up and ignore it. CCTV will take care of the racists in the crowd.

    1. He posted a few days ago and said he was rather unwell and found it difficult to comment. I hope he’s OK too.

      1. TY, Missed that. He provided some interesting thoughts and insight on the Uke conflict.

        1. He has great difficulty in finding a comfortable position to rest in. I have my own problems with that but his sound much more serious.

    2. No, but his last health report was not good. Fingers crossed he is doing well.

  57. I see Boris wants to bring back Imperial measurements, another idea to distract?? What do y’all think of that?

    1. My thoughts shouldn’t be published, as they’re violent and full of expletives.

      3. Original saying was, “Give ’em an inch and they’ll take an ell.” An Ell (an old measure of cloth) is the distance from your nose to the hand in your outstretched arm.

    4. Squirrel!
      He thinks it will pacify traditionalists.

      How little he understands us.

        2. ‘All i said was these Imperial Measurements were good enough for Jehovah !’

        3. I weigh myself in stones and convert into pounds. Can’t do this kg stuff.

    5. He put his best foot forward with that one.
      But it has annoyed the Lefties on FB as well.

    9. Crowns back on pint mugs! Boris is a twerp. I still do Imperial after years in the US;-)

    10. Signs outside petrol stations showing unleaded £8 a gallon instead of £1.76 per litre. That should go down well.

    11. Tinker, tinker. Keeping well away from anything useful, like fracking, permitting more oil/gas exploration, ditching the ridiculously expensive net zero policy, and so much more. They just seem to be doing the complete opposite of what should be doing. And of course they will eventually take the U.K. back into the EU.

    2. Wordle 344 3/6
      ⬛🟩⬛⬛⬛
      🟩🟩⬛🟩⬛
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
      Good day today.

    4. Wordle 344 4/6

      🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜
      ⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜
      🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

  62. .”Why is this government so afraid of basic Conservative economics”?
    Because they are not in power. The civil service run everything. Politicians merely take the monthly stipend and backhanders from the lobby.

    1. I don’t think htere’s any interest in governing at all. Thre’s a tidal flood of gimmigrants pouring in, most of whom are getting precisely what they want. All thanks to the state which is happy to offend the populace. On top of that we have a useless police force, appalling services, the highest taxes going and we get so little for it. There’s a clear inverse link between high taxes and state service provision. Bluntly, the less money it is given, the harder it works.

      Sunak should have announced 20% cuts every year on state spending and commensurate 10% tax cuts. Everything is back to front. Everything.

    1. Fn key and F9 on laptop.

      Fn is bottom left next to ctrl and you should know where the effin’ keys are !

      1. My PC has keys with a little and a big sun on them – for darker and brighter respectfully.

        2. My Fujitsu computer has darkening and brightening on Fn / F6 and Fn / F7.
          My Dell computer has it on Fn / Up Arrow and Fn / Down Arrow.

          2. There seems to be no standard. There are weirdy controls on the monitor as well, but I leave them to their own devices.

          3. Same with recharge base stations. They still haven’t standardised them, or plugs. How can we possibly be a global reset community if they can’t get the basics right. (sarc)

        3. I know not all keyboards are the same. Just hoping.

          I had a little flip top Doro phone once and all the keys were in Hebrew !

          1. I have a proper adult keyboard unlike Paul. My keys show functions…not emoji’s. >>>>>runs away very fast…

          2. In days of yore, I would probably have caught you. Nowadays with an arthritic knee, you’d probably get away;-)

          3. Knees, tell me about it. I have a blockage over both now. They have refused an operation. Probably because i am still a smoker but they wouldn’t admit as much. At least with the Bosses experience i know there can still be a future.

          4. Bloody hell, Phizzee.

            (a) give up
            (b) lie and tell them you’ve given up?
            (delete as applicable)

          7. I quit cigarettes in 2017 and now rely upon an e-cigarette for my pure nicotine hit – carried on nothing more harmful than water vapour.

          9. I did hear from my constant ur-travails that a great many people in frontline NHS vape.

          12. My husband is a smoker- it hasn’t stopped them treating him! Tackle them about it.

          13. The Consultants number one performed the bubble in the artery op. He said i might need another op to clear a big blockage. I later had a call from another hospital which i hadn’t been a patient of and was told they would only treat the blockage if i were in danger of amputation. It struck me as a bit cowardly that my own Consultant wasn’t prepared to give me that news after his staff had intimated i would get rid of the Peripheral Arterial Disease at least for the rest of my life.

            Another concern was from when i had the first diagnosis it was more than a year before the bubble op was performed. On my Birthday as it happens. I was told at the time it would be 3 weeks.

            Given my diagnosed condition in that 12 month time period i have degraded but no follow up and no interest.

            My GP is no where to be seen.

            I have decided to get on with my lot and stop jumping through all their hoops.

            For three different conditions over the last two years i have been to Queen Alex Hospital on average twice a month. No more.

          15. The medical staff are okay but as soon as you make the admin staff annoyed you are fucked.

          16. Wasn’t it Ready Eddy who managed to find a sympathetic one who got things done? Worth another try.

          17. Hang in there. I am going to cause a stir if they refuse to allow MH in the waiting room when I get carved up again.

          18. Subterfuge is what you require. You won’t necessarily fool a Consultant…Though he or she wouldn’t question it once presented …use assertion. Use guile. If all that fails pretend to be Spanish and you don’t speak English. Hola !.

            My friend who runs the local Tapa answers with….Hola…His Most excellency the Spanish Ambassador speaking. I still book the table !

          19. I think your best option is to go in, speak absolute gibberish, tell them your name is Abdul Abadingdong and demand a translator and that you get special treatment. Tell them you’re on welfare and have ten children and also demand a house – another one.

            Chances are you’ll probably get it.

          25. Erm… yes. Maybe. If i could be bovvered ! I will ask my neighbour who has a 10 year old nephew and get back to you. :@)

          26. Your keyboard sings “Old MacDonald had a farm”?
            Where may I get one?

          27. You keyboard sings “Old MacDonald had a farm”?
            Where may I get one?

          28. Mine does €öäü`´ß which is handy for communicating with central Europe.

          30. It’s very handy to have accents that are also used in anglicised words. The standard US keyboard is rather limited, I think. I prefer the central European one now – its main drawback is not having a pound sign!

          31. I know where the keys are on a Norwegian board. Give me an English one, and we’re back to hunt ‘n peck.

          34. That’s ‘cos it’s a Weegie keyboard, Paul as Sweden has Å,Ä,Ö and I’m sure Dansk has something similar. You won’t find them on an English keyboard, which is why I use CHARMAP.EXE in Microsoft.

          35. It’s actually got key markings for Norsk, Svensk & Dansk, so the (N) “Ø” key also has printed on it Ö for Sweden & Æ for Denmark, and the (N) “Æ” key has Ä for Sweden & Ø for Denmark.
            It makes the keys look cluttered.

          36. Well, Paul, as you know, the Scandie alphabet has 29 letters, as opposed to our 26. Small wonder the keyboard is cluttered and other useful symbols are missing.

    3. If you are on a laptop with a key board there are normally keys with a ‘sun’ symbol on them. Apply appropriately, ie full sun…

    4. Question One from an experienced Help Desk operative – ‘Is your laptop turned on?’

  64. That’s me for the day. Sunny now – rain expected tomorrow. Or not.

    Have a jolly evening.

    A demain.

          3. I have my check done yearly by a rather lovely nurse. She say’s im good to go. Then there is a silent pause…

  65. It has been a busy tiring day, usual domestic tasks including cleaning the kitchen floor .

    Piles of washing and a good drying breeze .

    A visit to a garden centre with son … not Dobbies .. which is flat and boring , but to another which has an eclectic collection of plants to admire.

    He found an especially hot chilli plant .. he grew quite a few last year , but the new motor bike and other things have taken precedence.

    I have just tried to upload a garden photo .. it seems there is a problem !

    DRAT.

    1. Sometimes it is the format. Have you tried click and drag. The pic not your Son !

    2. It may be too big and you might need to reduce it.

      I had a busy day yesterday – having people round meant I had to do some housework first……… exhausted today so have done nothing.

      1. I’ve been busy doing nothing most of the day. I have cooked roast pork, roast spuds, steamed spring greens, mixed veg and leftover mash. I’ve eaten what I can but husband is working his way through a huge plateful! He was hungry;-)

          2. Oh and PS- I also made a pan of chicken stock. Leftover chicken legs and a quartered onion and two garlic cloves. Nice for when I make tomato and basil soup. Bought a basil plant a day or so ago.
            Heck, I am making all sorts of typos today. Sorry folks- rectifying them usually after I’ve posted. Grr.

        2. I did make a frittata with eggs and the leftover veg but that was about it. We’ve got cold roast pork to last a few days…..

      2. I have always enjoyed entertaining and doing my best to impress. Now for afternoon Tea my last guests who some of them you know on here i had Waitrose deliver. Wonderful sandwiches. Egg, watercress and sun dried tomato being just one of the selections. The dessert though had been delivered wrong and was a complete mess. When i showed them the pic they refunded the whole lot ! :@)

    3. It may be too big and you might need to reduce it.

      I had a busy day yesterday – having people round meant I had to do some housework first……… exhausted today so have done nothing.

  66. 352845+ up ticks,

    There surely must be a plague of rampant insanity well established in the electoral brigade they actually support this lab/lib/con
    coalition, party’s that deploy these type of bent bastards.
    May one ask, does the safeguarding of children and the elderly not enter the equation at ALL because the likes of rotherham plus gives the impression that the paedophile brigade are being, in the main, catered for.

    Woke Cops Allowing Criminals to Self-Identify as Up to 67 Genders on Official Records

      1. Apropos of not very much, the BBCs charter number is RC000057. The Heinz connection makes it easy to remember.

      1. I am going to Malta in September for the first time in fucking years. I was so concerned about Dolly and i will miss the little baggage but i don’t think she will miss me as much. She will be holidaying with her brothers and sisters at the breeder i got her from. Thank goodness !
        Dolly’s Daddy was best puppy at Crufts. Veejim Delta Force at Taradonna.

        When i bought Dolly she was priced at £400. They are now £1000.

        The breeder has lots of these little looky likies. I might stash one of them in me back pack….

          1. I haven’t seen that and i don’t know all the others will react but Rachel has a good set up and i know she will look after my most precious little friend.

        2. They are very popular in France.

          My parents used a baby sitter who owned one. He was known as Mighty Mouse.
          They are very feisty little dogs.

          3. Dolly is a Rottweiler in disguise. Knocker Uppers not required. Or Gas lighters for that matter.

          4. Mongo doesn’t bark at the doorbell, doesn’t bark at visitors, the most excitable he’s got so far today is a wet ‘umplh’.

          5. Dotty goes potty whether there’s anyone there or not. Yappy little bitch.

          6. Dolly chose to nibble the ankle of my financial advisor. Turned out that he has Chihuahuas too. Next time i am going to lift her up so she can reach his throat.

          7. According Spartie’s vet, her tutor told his class that chihuahuas are ‘not dogs but little sharks’.

          9. 🙂 Which reminds me, I must book Spartie’s spring trim. Watch groomers blench when I mention trimming his claws.

          10. Little Cat has got permanently matted fur. Got to be trimmed but by someone with either plate armoured gloves or anaethetic…

          11. Have a fire extinguisher at the ready. Liberally spray with an inflamatory. Light match and stand back.

          12. I have a lovely Greek lady who has trained Dolly with little tiny pieces of Feta. Works a treat.

          1. When I was little we had a Bull Mastiff whose kennel name was Bohun Betsinda – Betsy for short.

  68. Evening, all. I don’t think this government is afraid of basic Conservative economics, they just don’t suit their agenda. Conservative economics (low tax, small state, personal responsibility) would make the country prosperous and they want to punish us for voting to leave the EU and ensure that Brexit will fail.

  69. THE TWELVE COMMANDMENTS FOR US OLD BASTARDS
    #1 – Talk to yourself. There are times you need expert advice.
    #2 – “In Style” are the clothes that still fit.
    #3 – You don’t need anger management. You need people to stop pissing you off.
    #4 – Your people skills are just fine. It’s your tolerance for idiots that needs work.
    #5 – The biggest lie you tell yourself is, “I don’t need to write that down. I’ll remember it.”
    #6 – “On time” is when you get there.
    #7 – Even duct tape can’t fix stupid, but it sure does muffle the sound.
    #8 – It would be wonderful if we could put ourselves in the dryer for ten minutes, then come out wrinkle-free and three sizes smaller.
    #9 – Lately, you’ve noticed people your age are so much older than you.
    #10 – Growing old should have taken longer.
    #11 – Aging has slowed you down, but hasn’t shut you up.
    #12 – You still haven’t learned to act your age and hope you never will.
    . . . And one more:
    “One for the road” means peeing before you leave the house 😂

    2. You’re only as old as the woman you feel?

      You know you’re older than the woman you feel when she slaps you and calls you a dirty old man.

    4. You are Ricky Gervais and have caused a complete meltdown on Twitter ! Well done.

  70. The only thing I use metric for is petrol. Everyting else is Imperial.

      1. My neighbour has been following the Squirrel antics and she has found they are burying stones and pebbles. Sounds nuts to me.

        1. I now have five hazelnut saplings thanks to the squirrel and his memory loss 🙂

          1. Round here, walnut trees pop up like hyperactive dandelions.
            Maybe our squirrels are going senile.

          2. The wretched things bounce when they fall. We have one behind the house. Another one popped up at least 40 metres away and on the other side of the house! Can’t have been squirrels, as it grew in a pile of stones!

    5. So that’s where Nutkin is!! Our chief squirrel- He’s on hols with you 😉

  73. I have just watched the BBC programme about HM….mostly narrated by The Queen herself. For once the Beeb did it right. Lovely video and wonderful commentary. I teared up at the end.
    She is a wise and wonderful lady and I doubt we will see her like again.

    1. I also saw it, Ann, and you’re so right in what you say about her. I just wonder what is to follow.

      1. She is the only Monarch I have known as I was born in 1954- we have got to hang onto the Monarchy because the alternative is just too awful to contemplate!

        1. Born in 1944, I can just about remember George VI. I was just 8 years old when the school janitor popped his head into the classroom at Ditchingham Primary School, Norfolk, to announce in solemn tones, “The King has passed.” I just wondered what the King was doing in Ditchingham.

        2. I was born 1947

          We were living in Africa when the King died , . Parents took us to Khartoum Sudan in 1951, ( Father worked there in a Colonial capacity )

          However , after sailing home by a Union Castle liner , for a leave period in the UK , I was old enough to remember watching the Coronation on Grandparent’s TV.

          1. Born in 1947 as well, I remember watching the Coronation on a neighbour’s tiny television, with some sort of odd magnification screen in front of the screen itself. I recall my dad hanging a union flag from the upstairs bay window. It was a cold, showery, blustery day – very much like the weather we are enduring at the moment. Climate change, anyone?

            I am pleased to see you got your Nottle problem sorted, Belle!

          2. Thanks PM ,

            Moh had a fiddle around , then turned it off , then distracted me for an hour or so .. and wow , all was sorted ..

            Actually fell asleep , and forgot about it for a while , watched some TV, did some gardening ..not in that order ..

  74. The anti-growth lobby sees humanity as a threat to survival

    There is an ideological movement, strong among the greens, that regards prosperity as bad and progress as an end-of-the-world threat.

    JANET DALEY

    Once again we are arguing about economic growth. The great debate is fully upon us with all its fervour and clashing evidence. One camp maintains that wealth creation can be stimulated by printing money and handing it out in the street while another insists that it is tax cuts and deregulation that lead to genuine growth, which is demonstrably true at least in the short and medium term.

    But in danger of being overlooked amidst all these furious assertions and counter assertions, is the new player in the game. Until quite recently, there has been very little doubt in mainstream political discourse of the inherent value of growth itself. The idea that it was a good thing for more people to become prosperous, more free from the deprivations and limitations of poverty and so more able to make their own life choices, has generally been considered beyond ethical doubt. The extent to which an elected government has managed to enable the poor and deprived sections of its population to achieve a degree of affluence has been regarded as a chief measure of its success. So morally unquestionable was this aim that every aspiring political leader had to express a commitment to it, and even a plausible programme for achieving it.

    Not anymore. There is now quite vociferously among us, an ideological movement which asserts that continuous economic growth with its consequences of widespread popular prosperity and material comfort, is a pernicious thing: that more people having more money is a threat to the survival of everyone.

    You will no doubt recognise this position in its Green incarnation: the planet is in imminent danger of being overwhelmed by raging consumerism with all the implications that has for increased use of energy. (Greta Thunberg at the United Nations: “We are in the beginning of mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth.”) One version of this message put the case, not even very subtly, in terms that sounded like eugenics: the world was now over-populated and all of these teeming hordes have been led to believe that they have a right to be rich.

    This “overpopulated world” thesis has gone rather quiet since the pandemic threatened to make its wish come true. But the more palatable version remains: the populations of the developed countries must adjust to the new reality. They must embrace abstinence and self-denial as a matter of urgency.

    Having enough disposable income to indulge yourself in what were once regarded as the basic accoutrements of modern life, let alone the luxuries of variety and consumer choice, should be consigned to a shameful past. And as for those heavily populated developing nations which haven’t yet caught up with our privileged standards – well, they can forget it. Any expectations the poorest people on earth might have had for sharing in the bonanza of Western economic success must now be out of the question. But they won’t be alone in their comfortless existence because the West will have to voluntarily relinquish its advantages. The new ethic decrees not that we should make the poor parts of the world richer but that we should make the rich parts of the world poorer. Outside of self-denying puritanical communities or the poverty vows of religious orders, this kind of self-abnegation has been virtually unknown in the contemporary world.

    Whatever your views on the urgency of climate change, the tone of this evangelism must be disturbing if only because there is something so odd about its psychology. It expresses supposed deep concern for the future of humanity in terms that imply a profound dislike of the most basic human desire to improve one’s condition in life. This goes way beyond the traditional Leftwing hatred of wealth and those who possess it. It suggests something much darker: a loathing of human-ness itself. Maybe that is why the talk is of saving “the planet” rather than people: because in truth, this campaign does not like human beings very much.

    The less impact they are permitted to have on the “ecosystem” the better – even though, of course, much of that living system would not exist without human husbandry. There is a bizarre merging of Malthus and medievalism here. The world cannot support its growing – and increasingly aspirational – population and this dilemma is all the fault of human wickedness: the endless, unquenchable desire to have more and more of everything and the venality that profits from that desire.

    This goes way beyond what might seem like practical recommendations for efficiency or the elimination of waste. That could be dealt with rationally if it were thought to be an acceptable answer to the problem. But the driving force here is not reasonableness. It is a crusade against the assumptions that created the modern world which puts human need at its moral centre. So it is not just the industrial revolution – which made the fruits of prosperity widely available – that is to be repudiated but agrarianism too. The advances in food production which disproved Malthus’s prediction of doom and even the farming of animals must be condemned because they exploit the “natural world”. Nature itself, always referred to as if it were a conscious being, is sentimentalised in an infantile way as a Garden of Eden despoiled by selfish human activity when it is, in reality, more of a Hobbesian war of all against all in which extinction occurs quite regularly.

    On countless fronts, some of them almost laughably pointless, there is a rejection of human agency. Sometimes this rejection must be simulated to conform with the fashionable dogma. At the redoubtable Chelsea Flower Show last week, the top prize was awarded to a kind of anti-garden – quite deliberately designed to look “wild” as if it had emerged by chance with the assistance of beavers who are now being (by human intervention) re-introduced into the countryside. A pair of sentient human designers had contrived to create something which disowned human intervention. That says it all.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/05/28/anti-growth-lobby-sees-humanity-threat-survival/

    1. Continual growth is of course, entirely possible. In fact, it is essential. What they really want is to radically change the economy so it cannot continue to grow.

      It’s sad how little they understand of economics. It is only with the continual growth of the economy and human endeavour that we will have the time and money to pursue these Left wing boondoggles. If Lefties want to push the country back to the dark ages then they must be the first to live in it.

      There’s also the bonkers confusion Lefties have with demanding unending immigration from useless, unskilled immigrants and shutting down our economy.

    2. She’s right. Jordan Peterson has talked about this too – human beings being labelled as “a cancer.”

      Prince Charles appears to subscribe wholeheartedly to this belief. I am dismayed by a Republic, but I don’t want a King who wants seven eighths of us dead.

  75. I do genuinely worry what sort of country I’ll be able to leave Junior. He’s going to grow up into a monstrously compettiive economy where jobs go to the right colour or sex, rather than the best person.

    He’s lumbered with 16 trillion in state debt, an oppressive tax system, and indoctrinating, not educating school system, bent universities more interested in the latest diversity fad than rigourous academia.

    Changing jobs will be harder to progress, starting a business nigh impossible, as someone else the right colour or sex will get the grant and support. His roads will be crumbling masses, with short ranged vehicles on them – his first car, at this rate is going to be some godawful expensive electric thing with 100 miles of range thanks to a knackered battery that he won’t be able to fully charge.

    Buying his first house will mean the bank of Mum and Dad because he simply won’t be able to when he’s paid all his taxes. Any savings he can make will be eroded at 10% per year – heck, we tried to get him into the habit but even we’ve given up bothering and spent what we wanted and invested the rest away from the grasping thieves of government.

    It’s utterly unfair. Brown spent his great great great grand children’s entire tax income in less than four years of profligate waste. I hate them. I truly, honestly do. They swan about, waffling about net zero and climate change knowing full well the same lies have hung around since 1989 – we’re just 30 years of growth poorer. The planet doesn’t give a stuff. The parasitic, frenzied tyrannical Left should find their own and go ruin that with commusocialistgreen in live in harmony, starving and cold.

    Why won’t they leave the rest of us alone.

    1. The last ‘left’ administration was 1974-75, that of Harold Wilson. Callaghan wasn’t particularly ‘left’ and the IMF forced further right-wing changes on him. Since 1979 this country has been fully right-wing. You keep complaining about the left but they haven’t been in power to do anything. The ‘left’ these days is so small a voice it’s absolutely insignificant.
      Still moaning about Brown’s spending? He actually didn’t spend much at all and has been out of power for twelve years.
      You keep blaming problems caused by liberalism on socialism when the country is actually as far from socialist as it has ever been.

      2. The reckless printing of money is liberalism? The wrecking of private pensions is liberalism? The anti-business madness of net zero is liberalism? The importation of a vast army of hostile, criminal parasites is liberalism? The petty fascism of Covid is liberalism? The continuing surrender to the small-time despots of the EU is liberalism? The debasement of the university degree is liberalism? The cross-dressing perversion of science is liberalism?

        What is liberalism?

        1. Socialism is interfering in the minute detail of everybody’s life, telling them what and how to do, and taking their money to be sure they do it. Socialism is Left.

      4. They country is in the hands of Quangos that are stuffed full of left wing directors and staff.
        That’s where the power lies, not in Parliament.

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